Playbooks
At a Glance
Overview
Close Flex is the passing-friendly wrinkle inside Near. Where the base Near sets keep both backs stacked tight behind the quarterback with a compressed line and a tight end attached, Close Flex flexes the tight end off the formation to create a legitimate slot threat while still carrying 21 personnel on the field. That single alignment change is what makes this set dangerous: the defense sees two backs and a tight end and wants to answer with base or nickel personnel, but you now have a flexed target working against a linebacker or a slow safety in the slot.
The two-back backfield keeps FB Dive, FB Dive Weak, and HB Inside live, which means every one of your dropback concepts sells the same run threat from the same look. Mtn Stick, Mtn Stick N Nod, and Spot give you the short-to-intermediate triangle reads that punish zone droppers, while Smash, Post Drag, and Shallow Cross attack deeper and across the field once the defense starts squeezing the flats. PA Read Special is the true play-action tie-in, holding second-level defenders with the run fake before you work the mid-range levels.
The matchup advantage is straightforward. The flexed tight end is isolated in space, so if the defense stays in base personnel you get a linebacker in coverage on a slot release. If they go nickel to match, your fullback and halfback become a two-back run advantage against lighter bodies. HB Angle and Curl Flat let you attack whichever answer they choose, and the Gadget tag means there are trick-look elements in this set that hold user defenders honest.
Strengths
- Flexing the tight end forces a personnel decision before the snap: base personnel gives you a linebacker isolated on a slot release, nickel gives you a two-back run advantage.
- Mtn Stick and Spot are elite zone beaters from this look, with the flat and stick routes settling in the voids Cover 3 and Cover 4 leave underneath.
- Smash and Post Drag are clean man beaters, and hot routing the flexed tight end to a slant or drag off either concept creates a rub against man coverage.
- FB Dive, FB Dive Weak, and HB Inside sell identical run action to PA Read Special, so the play-action holds second-level defenders you have already conditioned to bite.
- HB Angle and Shallow Cross give you two separate answers to user-controlled linebackers who overplay the initial route stem.
Weaknesses
- 21 personnel means only three true receiving threats on most plays, so a defense that drops eight into coverage can bracket the flexed tight end and take away your primary read.
- The compressed alignment shortens throwing windows to the closed side, and edge blitzes off the flexed side arrive fast if you do not chip with the fullback.
- Nano blitzes and overload pressures beat the two-back protection when the halfback releases on HB Angle or Curl Flat, leaving a free rusher through the A or B gap.
- Aggressive users can sit on the stick and spot routes because the concepts hit at nearly identical depths across Mtn Stick, Mtn Stick N Nod, and Spot.
- There is no vertical stretch outside of Smash and Post Drag, so single-high defenses can play tight underneath without fearing a deep shot.
Usage Tips
Read the defensive personnel before you commit: if they leave base linebackers on the field, run Mtn Stick or Spot and target the flexed tight end in the slot.
On second and short or third and short, alternate between FB Dive and PA Read Special from the same look so the defense cannot key the run without giving up the play-action.
Against man coverage indicators (press alignment, corners squatting), go to Smash or Post Drag and hot route the flexed tight end inside to create a natural rub.
If your opponent is heating up with edge pressure, hot route the fullback to a block or keep him in on Curl Flat and take the checkdown to the halfback out of the backfield.
Use HB Angle on third down against user-controlled linebackers; the angle break punishes anyone who overcommits to the initial inside stem.
Mix Shallow Cross into your third down package to reset the horizontal read after opponents start squatting on the stick concepts.
