Playbooks
At a Glance
In 1 playbook
Overview
Bunch Quads Open takes the standard Shotgun alignment and stacks four receivers to one side while leaving the backside completely empty, which is what separates it from balanced Shotgun sets like Wing or Tight Slots. You get 11 personnel with the tight end working as part of the bunch cluster rather than attached to the line, so the defense has to decide whether to roll coverage strength to the quads side or play it light and accept a numbers mismatch. The "Open" tag matters because the formation strength is declared with no receiver on the opposite hash, meaning every pre-snap rotation the defense makes is immediately readable.
The quads look creates instant leverage problems. Zone teams have to expand four defenders across one half of the field, which opens the flat and the void behind the curl zone. Man teams are forced into a bunch matchup nightmare where natural rubs happen without you even hot routing anything, and your slot receiver (the SLWR tag) draws whoever is left over after the corners take the outside targets. That is usually a linebacker or a third safety, and that is the matchup you attack all game.
The play list is built around two things: vertical stress and screen leverage. All Go and All Curl flood the quads side with layered route depths, while Mtn Slot Mid Screen, HB Screen, and Mtn Swing Screen punish defenses that overcommit to the strength or bring pressure from the open side. Mtn Drag Under is the man beater that uses the bunch congestion to free a crosser underneath. The 3DRB and Gadget tags mean you should be putting your best receiving back and your most versatile athlete in this set, because both get isolated in space when the defense declares.
Strengths
- Natural bunch rubs beat man coverage without any hot route input, which makes Mtn Drag Under and All Curl reliable against Cover 1 and Cover 0 pressure looks
- All Go floods four verticals into one half of the field, breaking Cover 3 and Cover 4 zone spacing and leaving the seam or the outside third uncovered depending on how the defense rotates
- Three screen options (Mtn Slot Mid Screen, HB Screen, Mtn Swing Screen) give you a built-in answer to heavy blitz tendencies, and the quads side provides immediate downfield blocking numbers
- The empty backside makes pre-snap coverage identification easy: safety rotation, corner depth, and linebacker walkouts all tell you man or zone before the snap
- Hot routing the innermost bunch receiver to a slant or drag while leaving the outside verticals intact creates a high low read that beats both match zone and spot drop coverage
Weaknesses
- The open backside gives edge blitzers a free runway with no tight end or back aligned to help, so A gap and outside pressure from that side arrives fast
- With four receivers committed to one side, a user controlled defender playing the middle of the field can sit in the throwing window and pick off curls and drags with minimal risk
- Screens become telegraphed once opponents recognize the set, and a single spy or edge defender left unblocked kills Mtn Swing Screen and HB Screen entirely
- Only one back means blitz pickup is thin, and pass protection depends heavily on your line winning one on one matchups
- Press man coverage at the line jams the bunch release, disrupting the timing on All Go and All Curl before the routes ever develop
Usage Tips
Read safety depth and corner alignment pre-snap: single high with a walked out linebacker means man, so go to Mtn Drag Under or a hot routed slant from the bunch, while two high tells you to flood with All Go
Use the screens on second and medium or third and short when the defense shows heavy pressure, and always block your unused bunch receivers by checking the play art before the snap
Motion the outside quads receiver across the formation to confirm coverage: if a defender travels with him it is man and the bunch rubs are live
Put your best route runner in the SLWR spot since that receiver consistently draws linebacker or third safety coverage, and attack that matchup on early downs
Against heavy open side pressure, audible to a screen or slide protect toward the empty side, and consider hot routing the back to a pass block to buy time on deeper concepts
