Playbooks
All Go out of Bunch Quads Open Shotgun is a vertical shot play designed to stress zone coverage with four receivers releasing straight upfield from a tight bunch alignment. The bunch release creates natural traffic against man defenders while forcing zone shells to widen and rotate, and the play works best against single high safety looks. Primary read progression starts with the outside vertical off the bunch for the deep shot, then works to the inside seam release from the fourth receiver as the checkdown if the top is capped.
Read the middle of the field pre snap, a single high safety with cornerbacks pressed up on the bunch signals man coverage or Cover 3 which this play is designed to exploit vertically. Watch for two safeties rotating late after the snap, that rotation into a single high shell means the defense is disguising and you need to trust your first read on the vertical route before the safety gets over the top. Identify the flow of the linebackers at the snap, if they sink deep into zone drops immediately that usually means Cover 3 or Cover 4 and you should look to the seam route working behind the linebacker level. Key the user controlled defender if playing against a human opponent, a user dropping into a deep third or robbing the middle of the field is the biggest threat to the inside vertical and can bait an interception if you force that throw. This play struggles against Cover 4 quarters or Cover 2 with disciplined corners who can funnel the verticals into the safety help, so if you see two deep safeties holding their depth pre snap consider checking to a shorter route concept instead.
Check the safety alignment before the snap, if you see two high safeties rotate to a single high shell post snap this play becomes a nano blitz beater since the extra vertical stresses the deep half rotation. Use motion out of the bunch to identify man versus zone, if defenders shift with the motion man is likely on and you should key the isolated matchup on the backside vertical. Hot route the inside receiver on a shorter comeback or dig if you are facing heavy zone drop coverage that squats on the verticals, this gives you a quick answer against Tampa 2 or Cover 3 sink. Save this play for second and long or third and long situations where the defense is more likely to sit in zone drops, and pair it in your play calling sequence with Mtn Curl or Mtn Drag Under from the same set so the defense cannot key the bunch release. Against aggressive man coverage teams, run this on early downs to punish blitz heavy defenses that leave single coverage on the outside vertical.