Playbooks
Mtn Verts Shallow Cross
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn Verts Shallow Cross is a four verticals concept out of Shotgun Bunch TE Str, built to stress both zone and man coverage vertically while giving the quarterback a built in checkdown underneath. Off the bunch alignment, two receivers stem into deep vertical stems on the right while the outside receiver runs a deep vertical up the left sideline, and the shallow cross drags all the way from the right side of the formation across the field underneath the verts. The offensive line shows a standard pass protection look with no blocking help sent out to the flanks, so this is a straight drop back pass play with the shallow cross as the primary read against zone and the vertical stems as the answer versus man coverage.
Defensive Reads
Read the middle linebacker depth at the snap since a shallow drop signals zone coverage and opens the shallow cross for an easy completion. Watch for a robber or lurk defender sitting in the shallow cross lane, which is the biggest threat to this concept in user controlled defense. Check safety width pre-snap: if both safeties are deep and outside the numbers, the seam verts have room to split the coverage, but if a safety cheats toward the bunch side, expect the throw to be contested. Cover 2 with aggressive corners jumping the flat will remove the shallow cross option quickly, so be ready to climb the ladder to the verts. Man coverage with a blitz on the way is the biggest disruptor since the shallow cross takes time to develop, so identify blitzers off the edge or up the middle before committing to the underneath route.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion or a quick glance at the safeties to confirm two high or single high before the snap, since this play attacks both shells differently. Against Cover 3 or Cover 4, prioritize the two seam verts on the right since they split the underneath zone defenders and stress the deep third or deep quarter defenders vertically. Against Cover 2, the shallow cross is your primary read because it sits underneath the two deep safeties and picks up yards before the corners can close. If you see man coverage with no safety help over the top, take the deep shot to the left sideline vert against a linebacker or slower corner matched up in the bunch. Pair this play with Boomerang Curl Flats or Mtn RPO Peek Flats in the same set to keep the defense guessing between quick underneath throws and full field vertical shots, forcing linebackers to respect both the shallow cross and the run action tendencies.
