Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Z Swirl In is a quick pass concept out of the Bunch Spread Nasty look in Shotgun, built to attack man coverage with a slant flat combo. The bunch receivers run a swirl action where one inside receiver breaks into a hard in over the middle while the outside bunch man runs a slant underneath it, creating a natural rub that forces man defenders to fight through traffic. The backside receiver runs a vertical go to hold the safety while the running back releases into a flat route from the backfield, giving the quarterback a five man route distribution with a clear high low read on the strong side.
Defensive Reads
Watch for man coverage indicators like corners lined up tight on the bunch receivers since this concept is designed to rub defenders off each other on the slant and in combo. If the defense shows a single high safety with man coverage underneath, the in route sitting behind the linebackers becomes the primary void to attack. Look for a flat defender or curl to flat player low in the box since he directly threatens the running back flat route and can jump it if he reads the quarterback's eyes early. Zone coverage with two deep safeties can bracket the go route and force the quarterback to work the shorter slant flat combo instead, so linebacker depth on the snap tells you if the in route has a soft spot to sit in. Be alert for a user controlled defender lurking in the shallow middle since he can undercut both the slant and in route if he reads the quick pass keys before the receivers cross.
Usage Tips
Read the flat defender and the underneath linebacker first since the slant and in route both sit in the same window and one of them will come open depending on how that defender flows.
Use this against man coverage looks since the bunch alignment creates natural traffic for defenders trying to stay in phase on the slant and in combo.
If you see press man on the outside go route receiver, consider hot routing him to a shorter option since he is more of a decoy against most man shells here.
This play works well in a sequence after running Cheat Slot Cross or Orbit Shallow Cross from the same set since defenses that start sitting on shallow crossers get exposed by the in route working behind them.
Best used on early downs or in third and short situations where the quick timing throw to the flat or slant is a safe conversion option against blitz heavy calls.
