Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mtn Spot HB Under runs out of Shotgun Bunch X Nasty with a bunch alignment to one side and motion adjusting the picture pre-snap. The bunch releases into a classic Spot concept: a corner route stretching the deep third, an under route working from the bunch across the middle at a shallow depth, and a flat route settling underneath, while the backside receiver runs a deep crossing route from the numbers all the way to the far sideline. The HB releases into the underneath flat/under area as the checkdown, and this is a clear Cover 3 beater built to flood one side with three levels while the deep cross occupies the opposite hash. Primary progression is corner to under to flat, working high to low against the Cover 3 rotation, with the HB under route as the built-in answer versus a hard sky or cloud rotation.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and alignment over the bunch; a single high safety with the corner playing off usually means Cover 3, which this play is designed to shred. Watch the flat defender at the snap; if he sinks under the corner route instead of squatting on the under route, throw the under immediately before the window closes. Key the backside cornerback on the deep cross; if he bails deep with no help, the QB should reset to the flood side rather than force the crossing route. Man coverage with an inside linebacker matched on the HB is a green light to check into the HB under route right away since that is a favorable matchup underneath. Watch for a nano blitz off the edge opposite the bunch; if the offensive line cannot pick it up, the QB needs a quick answer to the flat or under before the pocket collapses.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify if the defense rotates or bumps a defender, which tells you if you are facing man or zone before the snap.
Attack Cover 3 by working corner to under to flat in order, since the flat defender cannot cover both the under and the HB check route.
If the defense shows two high safeties, hot route the corner route into a deep out or throw the deep cross to the far sideline since the Spot side gets clogged in Cover 4 or Cover 2.
Pair this play with Mtn China Cross or Mtn Mesh Cross from the same set to keep the defense guessing between under-and-out concepts and deep crossing shots off similar bunch action.
Best called on 2nd or 3rd and medium when defenses are more likely to sit in zone shells, since the spot combo dies quickly against aggressive man blitzes without a hot route to the flat.
