Playbooks
At a Glance
In 2 playbooks
Overview
The Close set in Maryland I is a compressed 12 personnel look: one halfback, two tight ends, and two receivers aligned with tight splits near the core of the formation. One tight end sits inline while the second works as a fullback or H back in the backfield, giving you a lead blocker who can also leak into routes. Because the wideouts are pulled in, the formation looks like a pure downhill run set. It invites defenses to load the box with base or goal line personnel, and that bite is exactly what the play-action and shift concepts are built to punish.
What separates Close from other Maryland I sets is its Gadget tag and heavy use of pre-snap movement. Shift plays like SFT PA Sprint HB Flat, SFT HB Zone Wk, and SFT PA Double Cross, plus motion variants such as Sft Mtn Zone WK and Sft Mtn PA Sprint HB Flat, change the strength of the formation before the snap. That can flip defensive run fits, confuse zone assignments, and reveal man coverage when a defender travels with the motion man. The tight splits also give receivers a two way go and free releases against press, since corners cannot easily jam players stacked or aligned near the tackle box.
The play list balances a real power run game (Power O, Duo, HB Lead Dive, HB Toss) with layered play-action shots (PA Power O, PA FB Sail, PA Boot) and quick game answers like DBL Outs and Mesh HB Rail. The matchup advantage comes from forcing linebackers and safeties to respect the run. That isolates tight ends and the halfback on slower defenders in the flat and up the seam, while the condensed receivers get crossers and outs with space to the boundary.
Strengths
- Condensed splits give receivers free releases and natural rub opportunities, making Mesh HB Rail and SFT PA Double Cross strong man beaters against Cover 1 and Cover 0
- The run heavy look (Power O, Duo, HB Lead Dive) draws base and goal line personnel, so PA Power O and PA FB Sail put fullbacks and tight ends on slow linebackers in the flat and seam
- Shift and motion plays flip formation strength pre snap, exposing man coverage when a defender follows the motion and breaking zone rotations the defense set against the original alignment
- PA FB Sail and PA Boot create three level flood reads to one side, which shred Cover 3 and Cover 4 by stressing the flat defender and curl to flat players
- DBL Outs gives a quick zone beater to both sidelines, with receivers breaking outward from tight alignment and leaving plenty of throwing room against soft zone
Weaknesses
- Only two receivers are on the field, so heavy blitz packages with Cover 0 behind them can outnumber your protection and leave few hot route options once the tight ends release
- A user controlled linebacker or safety sitting in the middle hook can wall off Mesh, Double Cross, and seam throws, since most concepts converge on the same area of the field
- Sprint and Boot plays take time to develop, and edge pressure or contain calls on the backside can sack or flush the quarterback before the flood read opens
- Smart opponents can key on shift and motion tendencies, then check into man coverage or zone blitz once they see the motion instead of chasing it
- Tight splits leave little horizontal stretch, so defenses in cloud or press zones can squeeze the field and take away the flat and out routes the set relies on
Usage Tips
Establish Power O and Duo early on first down, then hit PA Power O or PA FB Sail from the same look once the defense starts crowding the box with eight or more defenders
Use shift and motion plays to diagnose coverage: if a defender follows the Sft Mtn man across the formation, target man beaters like SFT PA Double Cross or Mesh HB Rail
On short yardage and goal line, HB Lead Dive and Power O pair well with SFT PA Sprint HB Flat, which punishes linebackers who crash downhill on run action
Against Cover 3, run PA Boot or PA FB Sail and read the flat defender: throw the corner route if he jumps the flat, or hit the underneath route if he sinks
If you see pressure pre snap, hot route the inline tight end or halfback to a quick slant or block and slide protection toward the overload before the snap
Plays (14)
DBL OutsOut, Pass Play, Angle +2
DuoDuo, Run Play, Power Run
HB Lead DiveDive, Run Play
HB TossToss, Run Play
Mesh HB RailMesh, Pass Play, Man Beater +4
PA BootPlay Action, Pass Play, Corner Stop +3
PA FB SailPlay Action, Sail, Pass Play +7
PA Power OPlay Action, Pass Play, Post +4
Power OPower, Run Play, Power Run
SFT HB Zone WkMotion, Inside Zone, Run Play +1- Sft Mtn PA Sprint HB FlatPlay Action, Flat, Motion +5
- Sft Mtn Zone WKInside Zone, Motion, Run Play +1
SFT PA Double CrossPlay Action, Motion, Pass Play +5
SFT PA Sprint HB FlatPlay Action, Flat, Motion +1
