Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Bench is a four man route concept out of Pistol Tight Slots that stretches the field horizontally and vertically at the same time. Both outside receivers run deep go routes up the numbers while the two inside slot receivers break in opposite directions on flat routes, creating a high low stretch on each side of the formation. The single receiver to the boundary runs a deep corner/post breaking route that occupies the middle of the field, giving the quarterback a clean progression from the corner route to the flat underneath if the deep shot is not there. This is primarily a zone beater since it floods both sideline flats and clears out the middle with the two verticals, forcing zone defenders to widen and open passing lanes underneath.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth: two deep safeties usually means the offense wants the flat routes, while a single high safety opens up the vertical shots on the outside. Watch cornerback alignment on the outside receivers, since press corners can disrupt the timing of the go routes and force the quarterback to work the underneath flats immediately. Post-snap, key the flat defenders (usually linebackers or slot corners) to see if they carry the flat routes or sink into a zone drop, since a hard carry opens a window behind them for the corner route. Look for a user controlled lurk defender sitting in the middle of the field, as this player can jump the deep corner/post route if the quarterback stares it down. Man coverage with no safety help over the top is the biggest weakness for the defense, since the double vertical concept combined with the flat routes creates natural rub opportunities against man defenders.
Usage Tips
Use Bench on second and long or third and medium when you need to attack a soft zone shell like Cover 3 or Cover 4. Pre-snap, identify if the corners are playing off coverage, since the go routes on the outside will stretch soft corners vertically and open the underneath flats. If you see two high safeties, read the flat routes first because the verticals will likely be capped by the deep safeties. Hot route the backside flat route into a quick out or shallow drag if the defense shows heavy underneath zone drops to give yourself a faster checkdown against a blitz. Pair Bench with HB Slip Screen or HB Draw in the same personnel grouping to keep aggressive linebackers honest before coming back to this play once they start crashing downhill.
