Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mtn Outside Zone is a zone run play out of Shotgun Bunch X Nasty with 11 personnel, featuring a pre-snap motion piece that shifts the bunch alignment before the snap. The offensive line flows laterally with an outside zone blocking scheme, working double teams up front and reaching the edge to seal the point of attack. The HB takes the handoff and presses the play side alignment, reading his blocks from the edge inside, giving him the option to bounce outside or cut back based on how the defensive front flows.
Defensive Reads
Watch the play side defensive end and outside linebacker leverage before the snap, since a wide alignment invites a bounce read while tight leverage forces a cutback. Identify if the defense is running a stack front or over front, since gap discipline from the defensive line directly determines whether the HB can win on the edge. Key the flow of the linebackers after the snap, since overpursuit to the play side opens a natural cutback lane for the HB. This run struggles against disciplined gap control fronts with a strong edge setter, since it removes the bounce option entirely. Look for a hard edge crash from the defensive end, which is a sign the user is jumping the run and leaves the alley exposed for a cutback if the HB reads it in time.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify if the defense is playing man or zone based on whether a defender follows the motion man across the formation. Run this on early downs like first or second and short when the defense is base personnel and not stacked with extra defensive backs. Attack fronts with light boxes, especially when the defense shows five or fewer defenders in the box before the snap. Pair this with Mtn Inside Zone and Mtn HB Shovel to keep the defense guessing on run direction, since the initial line movement looks similar across all three. If the defense shows heavy blitz pressure off the edge, check to a quick game concept like Quick Empty Flats Stick to punish overaggressive fronts.
