Playbooks
Breakdown
Four Verticals out of Shotgun 5WR Flex Trey sends both outside receivers straight up the field on go routes while the inside slot receiver on the trips side climbs vertically before breaking into a deep post. The nearest inside receiver runs a quick out/speed release to hold the flat defender, and the single receiver to the closed side runs a vertical route as well, giving the quarterback four deep options stacked across the field with a five man protection underneath. This is a classic zone beater designed to stress Cover 2 and Cover 3 shells by flooding the deep zones and forcing a safety to declare, with the primary read starting at the post from the trips side before working outside to the boundary go routes based on safety rotation.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify two high safeties versus one high safety since this determines whether the post or the seams will be open. Watch cornerback depth at the snap, if they play soft and bail immediately into a deep drop it signals zone coverage and the verticals concept becomes live. Post-snap, key the middle linebacker's drop, if he sinks with the post route it means the defense is running a form of Tampa 2 or a robber concept designed to take away the middle read. User controlled defenders sitting in the deep middle or lurking at the seams are the biggest threat to this concept, so recognize a user in a deep zone and progress immediately to the boundary go routes. Man coverage with no safety help over the top is the ideal matchup since all four vertical routes create one on one shots down the field, but a disguised Cover 4 or Cover 6 shell can bracket the seams and shut this play down.
Usage Tips
Check pre-snap for two high safeties, if they stay split and don't rotate the post route will sit in the honey hole between them for an explosive gain.
Against Cover 3, target the seams just inside the outside cornerbacks since the single high safety cannot cover all four verticals.
Use the short out route from the inside trips receiver as a hot route dump against heavy pressure or if the defense shows blitz with six or seven men.
Pair this play with Packer Curls or Curl Flats earlier in a series so the defense respects underneath routes, opening up the deep shots on Four Verticals later in the drive.
Best called on second and long or any down where a big shot play is worth the risk, avoid this on third and short since the routes take time to develop.
