Playbooks

Mtn HB Stretch

Pistol·Open Flex·11

Likely unavailable in the playbook builder

This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

Diagram coming soon

Quick Reference

FormationPistol

SetOpen Flex

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 1 playbook

Franchise Offense ChainmoverOffense

Breakdown

Mtn HB Stretch is an outside zone run out of Pistol that sends the offensive line laterally to stretch the defense horizontally before the back picks his crease. The tight end and playside tackle reach block to seal the edge while the backside blockers cut off pursuit, giving the HB a wide track with the option to bounce outside or bend it back inside. This is a run play, not a man or zone beater in the passing sense, and the primary read progression for the ball carrier is playside edge to alley to cutback lane, reading the reach block on the EDGE defender first and the flow of the linebackers second.

Defensive Reads

Watch linebacker depth at the snap. If they are stacked tight to the line and flowing hard playside, the cutback lane will open behind them. Look for a 3-4 odd front with a shaded nose tackle, since a hard-crashing DT can blow up the reach block before the stretch develops. Identify if the defense is running a scrape exchange or edge contain technique from the EDGE or OLB, which is the primary counter to stretch runs and forces an immediate cutback read. Check safety alignment pre-snap. A single high safety cheating toward the play call side signals the defense expects stretch and will rotate a defender down into the alley. Beware of user-controlled linebackers spying the mesh point and flowing hard to the sideline, since a disciplined user defender can string the play out and eliminate the bounce lane entirely.

Usage Tips

Run this early in a series to establish tendency data and set up Mtn PA Boot Rt and Mtn HB Zone Wk off the same Pistol Mtn shifted look so the defense has to respect both stretch and boot action.

Check the defensive front pre-snap. Against a 4-3 over or wide 9-technique, expect the reach block to win easily and bounce it outside. Against odd fronts with a shaded nose, be ready to cut it back inside quickly.

Use the left or right trigger to manually steer the HB, pressing the aiming point slightly wider than you would with a normal inside zone to let the stretch fully develop before declaring a lane.

This works best on early downs (first and ten, second and short) when defenses are more likely to sit in base personnel instead of dime or nickel sub packages that clog the edges.

If the defense starts crashing hard flow to stop the stretch, sequence into Counter F from the same set to punish the overaggressive linebacker flow with misdirection.