Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Bunch Smash is a Cover 2 beater run out of the Shotgun Bunch Str Nasty set with 11 personnel, stacking three receivers to one side. The bunch releases into a classic smash concept: one receiver runs a quick corner route to the flat area from the inside, the outside receiver clears vertically up the numbers on a deep corner, and the third receiver sits down on a short out breaking underneath. The diagram shows no run action, this is a straight dropback pass designed to flood one side of the field high-low against Cover 2 or Cover 3 zone shells, with the deep corner stretching the cornerback and safety while the underneath routes sit in the void. Primary read progression starts with the deep corner route to see if the safety bites, then works down to the flat and out route based on the cornerback's leverage.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense shows two deep safeties or rotates to single high, this tells you if Cover 2 or Cover 3 principles are in play. Watch the flat defender and cornerback on the bunch side, if the corner sits on the flat route the deep corner route will be open behind him. If a safety rolls down late or a linebacker walks out to the bunch side pre-snap, expect man coverage or a possible nano blitz, get the ball out fast to the shortest route. Post-snap, key the deep safety's first three steps, if he drives on the flat route the window opens up the seam for the corner route. This concept struggles against a hard match Cover 3 with a cornerback playing outside leverage and squeezing the corner route, or against a Cover 4 shell with two deep defenders capping every vertical threat.
Usage Tips
Use this play on early downs or third and short to medium when you expect zone coverage from the defense. Check pre-snap for a two high safety shell, if the safeties stay deep and split the field, this smash concept is designed to attack that exact structure by putting the corner in a bind between the flat route and the deep corner. If you see press man or a single high safety rotating hard to the bunch side, hot route the underneath out into a slant or quick option to beat man coverage instead. Pair this call with Corndog Toss or Pin Pull Toss out of the same set to keep the defense honest against the run before hitting them with this pass concept. Sequence this play with Y Trail or Mtn Trail Fork later in the drive since both start from a similar bunch alignment but attack different levels, forcing linebackers to hesitate on their run fits. Look to throw the flat route quickly against blitz looks since it serves as a built in hot route against pressure off the edge.
