Playbooks

Bunch Open

Shotgun·10

Specialists3DRBGadgetSLWR

Set alignment for Bunch Open from Shotgun in Madden 27

At a Glance

FormationShotgun

Personnel

101 RB · 0 TE · 4 WR

Plays9

In 3 playbooks

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Overview

Bunch Open is the Shotgun set built for 10 personnel: one running back and four wide receivers, with no tight end on the field. Three receivers stack in a tight bunch to one side, and a lone receiver is split wide on the open side. That structure separates it from Trips, Spread, or Empty looks in the Shotgun formation. The receivers start close together, so the defense has to declare how it will handle the bunch before the snap, through press, banjo, or zone matchups. Meanwhile the isolated X receiver gets a one-on-one read on the backside.

Because there is no tight end, every eligible player besides the back is a pass-catching threat. Linebackers and safeties are often forced to cover slot receivers in space. The SLWR tag matters here, because the point of the bunch is to get your quickest slot receiver free off the stack using natural rubs and releases that man coverage struggles to fight through. The 3DRB tag gives the back a real role in the passing game. HB Slip Screen and checkdowns off Spacing let a receiving back punish defenses that drop too many defenders into coverage against four wideouts.

The play list covers every level of the field. Spacing and X Spot are quick-game reads that stress flat and hook defenders. Bunch Levels and Bunch Flood give you layered high-low reads against zone. PA Boot Over pairs a rollout with a crossing route. HB Draw, Inside Zone, and Read Option keep light boxes honest, and the Gadget tag signals that this set is built to create confusion, leverage mismatches, and horizontal stress rather than to win with power.

Strengths

The tight bunch alignment creates natural picks and rubs, so Bunch Levels and X Spot become reliable man beaters when defenders are forced to trail through traffic.
Bunch Flood and Bunch Levels provide clean high-low and three-level reads that stress Cover 3 and Cover 4 flat and curl defenders, especially when the bunch is set to the field.
The isolated backside receiver gets one-on-one coverage when the defense rotates toward the bunch, which makes it easy to hot route a fade, slant, or streak on the open side.
In 10 personnel with a 3DRB, defenses are forced to choose between dropping extra defenders into coverage and giving up HB Draw, Inside Zone, and Read Option against a light box, or stacking the box and giving up quick-game mismatches.
Spacing and HB Slip Screen offer fast answers to pressure, getting the ball out before blitzers arrive while keeping the offense on schedule.

Weaknesses

With no tight end and only five offensive linemen plus a back, protection is thin, so overload and nano blitzes from the boundary can get home before deeper bunch concepts develop.
A user-controlled linebacker or safety sitting in the middle hook zone can undercut the in-breaking routes on Bunch Levels and X Spot, so an aggressive user can erase the primary read.
Defenses that banjo or match the bunch with zone coverage like Cover 3 Match or Quarters neutralize the rub effect and force the quarterback into tighter windows.
The run game lacks a lead blocker or inline tight end, so heavy fronts in dime or base with a crashing edge can blow up Inside Zone and HB Draw in short yardage.
The bunch side declares strength pre-snap, and opponents who spot repeated tendencies can shade coverage or roll a safety to that side on key downs.

Usage Tips

Read the leverage on the bunch pre-snap. If defenders are pressing or lined up head up in man, call Bunch Levels or X Spot to exploit the rubs. If they sit off with a banjo look, check to Bunch Flood or Spacing to attack the zone voids.

On third and medium, motion the point man of the bunch to identify man or zone, then hot route the backside isolated receiver based on the safety rotation you see.

Use HB Draw and Read Option on second and long against dime and quarter packages, because light boxes built to stop four receivers leave running lanes up the middle.

Against heavy blitz looks, audible to HB Slip Screen or Spacing and consider putting the back on a block hot route on deeper concepts, so you have time to hit the bunch before the edge pressure arrives.

Mix PA Boot Over after you establish Inside Zone. Rolling away from the bunch toward the open side stretches a user defender horizontally and opens the crossing route for chunk gains.