Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mtn Mesh Drive lines up from Bunch Spread Nasty in Shotgun with 11 personnel, using a bunch look to the left. Off the snap, the two inside bunch receivers cross underneath in a classic mesh (yellow routes rubbing near the line), the outside bunch receiver on the ball works a deep drive route across the field into the opposite flat (red), and the backside X runs an out breaking route toward the sideline (blue) while a check release back sits underneath. This is a man beater built around natural picks from the mesh combo, with the drive route as the deep crossing progression read and the mesh routes as the underneath answer versus man leverage.
Defensive Reads
Presnap, identify if the defense shows man coverage with corners aligned tight to the bunch, this concept is designed to exploit man leverage with natural picks. Watch for a user controlled linebacker or safety sitting in the shallow zone, since that defender can rob the mesh crossers and take away the underestimated underneath answers. Key the middle linebacker's drop, if he sinks deep enough to wall off the drive route crossing the field, the quarterback will be forced to check down into traffic. Zone coverages like Cover 4 or Cover 3 with disciplined underneath defenders can shut this down if the linebackers pass off the mesh routes cleanly instead of chasing them. Look for a blitz off the edge opposite the bunch, since the drive route's long developing path across the field makes the quarterback vulnerable if pressure arrives before the deep crosser clears the traffic.
Usage Tips
Presnap, check for man coverage indicators like press corners or a single high safety shaded to the bunch side since the mesh concept thrives on natural rubs against man defenders.
Your first read is the drive route working across the field, look to hit it in stride if the defense is in zone with soft underneath coverage or if a linebacker gets picked off by the mesh traffic.
If the drive route is capped, work down to the mesh crossers underneath since one of the two routes will almost always come open off the natural pick against man coverage.
Use this play on early downs or second and medium to set up shot plays like Mtn HB Corner or Mtn HB Seam Y-Whip out of the same bunch look, keeping the defense guessing between the drive concept and vertical shots.
Pair this call with Mtn Slot Under or Mtn Slot Cross from the same set to condition defenders to sit on shallow crossers, then hit the drive route deep once they start jumping the mesh.
