Playbooks

RZ Rub Under

Shotgun·Bunch Wide·11

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 2 playbooks

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Breakdown

RZ Rub Under is a man beater designed specifically for red zone situations out of the Bunch Wide look, using natural rub picks created by the tight bunch alignment to spring receivers open against tight man coverage in condensed field space. The bunch receivers work a combination of under routes and shallow crossers that stack and rub off each other at the line, forcing defenders to fight through traffic while a flat or corner route occupies the boundary defender. The primary read starts with the underneath rub route coming across the middle, then progresses to the flat route if the rub gets picked off, with the corner or fade as the low percentage shot if man coverage is playing off at the goal line.

Defensive Reads

Man coverage with tight press alignment on the bunch receivers is exactly what this play is built to beat, especially Cover 1 or Cover 0 blitz packages that leave no safety help over the rub concept. Watch for a linebacker or safety sitting in a shallow zone drop over the middle, since a well timed lurk defender can jump the underneath rub route and turn it into a pick six in the red zone. Check the cornerback depth on the outside receiver of the bunch before the snap, because a corner playing off coverage signals a soft zone shell like Cover 3 or Cover 4 that can clog the rub concept with extra bodies underneath. Post-snap, track any nickel or slot defender who fights through the rub route without getting picked, as that means the defense is playing a switch or banjo technique in man coverage that negates the natural pick. Cover 2 with hard corners jamming the bunch at the line is the toughest shell to beat here since it disrupts route timing right at the snap and forces the quarterback into a rushed decision in a tight red zone window.

Usage Tips

Save this play for actual red zone snaps inside the 15 yard line where the compressed field makes the rub concept most effective against man coverage.

Check pre-snap for man coverage indicators like corners lined up tight on the bunch receivers or a single high safety rotated to the boundary, since zone shells with underneath robbers can sit on the rub routes and blow this up.

Hot route the backside receiver into a quick out or slant if you diagnose zone coverage, giving yourself an outlet away from the traffic in the bunch.

Pair this with QB Blast or Inside Zone on early downs to set up the defense expecting run looks near the goal line, then come back to RZ Rub Under on second or third and short to catch aggressive man blitz calls off guard.

Use Curl Flat or Slot Hook from this same set as a change up if the defense starts jumping the rub route after seeing it once, since both plays attack similar underneath zones with different timing.

Other Plays in Bunch Wide