Playbooks
Breakdown
RNS Get Open is a Four Verticals concept out of Shotgun 5WR Trips with 00 personnel, sending five eligible receivers vertically to stretch the field. The trips side runs a seam, a corner-adjacent go, and an inside vertical release, while the backside single receiver runs a go route up the boundary and the fifth receiver (off the line) pushes a straight seam up the middle. This is a man beater and Cover 3 beater built to overload zone drops and isolate man defenders deep, with the primary read progression going from the inside seam (best matchup vs linebackers or safeties) to the outside go routes if the safety commits to the middle of the field.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify single high versus two high safety shells, single high tells you Cover 3 or Cover 1 man which this play is designed to exploit with the seam and go combo. Watch cornerback depth and press alignment at the snap, off man coverage gives the go routes an easier release while press man forces a jam that user defenders can exploit if they stay attached through the vertical stem. Post-snap, track the middle linebacker or deep safety for a lurk read, if that defender sinks into the seam window immediately it signals zone drops and you should look outside to the go routes instead. Beware Cover 4 quarters shells with two deep safeties splitting the field, this shuts down both seams and forces the quarterback into low percentage outside throws against a corner and safety bracket. Blitz packages with a spy or extra rusher off the edge can collapse the pocket before verticals develop, so watch for pre-snap defensive line shifts or a linebacker creeping toward the box as a blitz indicator.
Usage Tips
Check pre-snap safety alignment before the snap, a single high safety confirms Cover 3 or Cover 1 and tells you the seam routes will have the best window against underneath defenders. Two high safeties mean you should key the middle seam runner immediately since a Cover 4 or Cover 2 shell will have the corner routes bracketed. Hot route the inside slot to a shallow drag or hitch if you see a heavy blitz look, since this play has no built in check-down and you need a release valve versus five and six man pressure. Use this play on early downs or obvious pass downs like second and long, since the deep shots take time to develop and a sack or coverage sack kills the drive on third and short. Pair this with Levels or Stick from the same set after running RNS Get Open once, defenses that bail into deep zones to respect the verticals become vulnerable to the shorter combination routes underneath.
