Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Shock Y Option lines up out of Shotgun 5WR Trio with 11 personnel and shows five receivers stretching the field with a route concept built for one on one matchups. The backside X runs a vertical seam while the slot receiver behind him works a quick option route to the flat, giving the QB a built in outlet against man coverage. On the strongside, the outer WR bends a corner route up the sideline while the two inside receivers run an option route into a vertical seam combo, and the TE gets a vertical push as well, creating natural picks against man defenders. This is a man beater built on option routes and vertical stems, with the primary read starting at the strongside option/seam combo before working back to the backside slot option and X vertical.
Defensive Reads
Watch the strongside cornerback depth at the snap, if he is playing off with outside leverage the corner route will win over the top, if he presses expect the option route underneath to convert quickly. Key the middle linebacker or nickel defender assigned to the option routes, a defender sitting flat footed in a zone drop signals zone coverage and you should look to the option route settling into that void. Identify any user controlled defender flashing down into the option route lanes post-snap, since a lurking user defender jumping the option break can bait a turnover if the QB does not see it. Check safety rotation after the snap, if both safeties bail to deep halves the underneath option routes will have room, but if one safety cheats down into the box expect that action to be aimed at stopping the option conversion. This play struggles against disciplined zone match coverage or a well timed blitz that beats the protection before the option routes break, so respect five and six man pressure packages that overload the strongside.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, check for single high shells since the corner route and seam combo on the strongside punish Cover 1 and Cover 3 defenders who have to respect both the vertical and the option break.
If the defense shows Cover 2 or Cover 4 with two deep safeties, look to the backside slot option route since it sits in the soft spot underneath the deep half defenders.
Use motion pre-snap to identify man versus zone, if a defender follows the receiver across formation you know you are getting man coverage and can trust the option routes to win on their breaks.
Hot route the outside corner route to a deep out if you see a hard squat corner sitting underneath, this keeps the sideline route alive against aggressive jump coverage.
Pair this play with WR Option or Shock Slot Option in your sequencing so the defense cannot key on one specific option breakpoint, forcing user defenders to guess on route conversion.
