Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 13 playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn China Cross lines up out of Shotgun Bunch X Nasty with a tight bunch to one side. Off the snap the bunch releases into a deep crossing combo: one receiver clears out on a deep over route to the far hash, a second runs an intermediate crosser sitting just underneath it, and the point man on the line runs a deep corner route up the numbers. The lone receiver split away from the bunch runs an out and up breaking route pattern that sneaks underneath and then works back toward the sideline as a shallow drag, giving the quarterback a horizontal stretch read. This is a man beater built to exploit natural picks created by the bunch alignment, with the deep crosser as the primary read against man coverage and the shallow drag as the check down against zone drops.
Defensive Reads
Pre snap check safety depth, a single high safety shell signals man underneath which plays right into the deep crosser beating trail technique Watch the flat or curl defender at the snap, if he widens with the drag route it opens the crossing lane behind him for the sit read Cover 3 with aggressive underneath zone drops can undercut the shallow drag, so key the linebacker depth before locking into that as your first read Bunch formations invite man match or banjo coverage calls, if you see defenders switching assignments at the snap expect a rub to spring the corner route open deep Beware a lurking safety or user controlled defender sitting in the middle of the field robbing the deep crosser, this is the primary counter to this concept and should push you to the shallow drag or corner route instead
Usage Tips
Attack man coverage first since the bunch alignment naturally creates rub and pick opportunities on the deep crosser and corner route
Motion the single receiver before the snap to confirm man versus zone, if the defender follows across the formation you know it is man and you can trust the crosser to break open
Use this on second or third and medium when you need a explosive gain since the deep over route stresses linebackers and safeties who have to run with it across the field
Hot route the shallow drag into a deeper option against soft zone if the flat defender sits and clogs the underneath window
Pair this with Mtn Mesh Cross or Mtn Corner Under earlier in a drive so defenses start expecting mesh concepts, then hit them with the deep cross for a chunk play once they overplay the shallow stuff
