Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Spot out of Shotgun Bunch Quads Close attacks the underneath zones with a classic spot concept on the bunch side: the outside receiver runs a corner route, the middle bunch receiver settles into a quick spot/hitch, and the inside receiver runs a flat route underneath. On the backside, the isolated receiver runs a deep vertical to hold the safety. The lone red route out of the backfield is a check release swing or angle route that gives the QB a checkdown option away from traffic. This is a classic Cover 3 beater built to attack the flat, hook, and curl defenders with a high low read, and the primary progression starts with the corner route, works down to the spot/hitch, then the flat, and ends with the backfield check release.
Defensive Reads
Key the flat defender pre snap, if he is sitting at five yards or less he is likely responsible for the flat route and will vacate the corner window. Watch the middle linebacker depth, a shallow drop signals Cover 3 or Cover 4 with the hook defender ready to jump the spot route. If the strong safety rotates down into the box before the snap, that usually means man coverage or Cover 1, which puts more pressure on the QB to find the check release quickly. User controlled defenders sitting in the shallow hook or curl areas are the biggest threat to this concept, since they can rob the spot route or undercut the flat. A hard corner blitz off the edge with no deep safety help is the biggest counter to Spot, since it eliminates time for the QB to work through the full progression.
Usage Tips
Pre snap, identify if the defense is showing single high Cover 3 or Cover 1, since the flat and hook defenders are the ones this concept is designed to exploit.
Read the corner route first against Cover 3 because the flat defender has to widen for the flat route, opening a soft spot for the corner over the top.
Against Cover 1 or man coverage, work the backfield check release quickly since the underneath spot and flat routes will get picked up tightly by man defenders.
Use hot routes to convert the backside vertical into a slant or dig if you see a two high shell rotating to that side post snap.
Pair Spot with TE Angle or QB Draw in the same set to keep defenses honest, since both punish linebackers who sit on the underneath spot concept.
