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Quick Reference
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Breakdown
Bunch Sail is a classic Sail concept run out of the Bunch formation, combining a deep corner route, an intermediate flat/sail route, and an underneath drag or spot route stacked to attack one side of the field horizontally and vertically at the same time. The bunch alignment creates natural rub picks against man coverage while the three-level stretch (corner, sail, flat) forces zone defenders to pick their poison against Cover 2 and Cover 3 shells. Primary progression starts with the deep corner route to see if the safety commits, then works down to the intermediate sail route sitting in the void, and finally checks down to the flat as the outlet against pressure.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and spacing, since a two-high shell signals Cover 2 or Cover 4 while a single deep safety indicates Cover 3 or Cover 1. Watch the flat defender at the snap, because if he sinks with the sail route the corner window opens, and if he jumps the flat the sail sits open behind him. Key the corner defender aligned over the bunch, since aggressive man technique gets picked off by the rub while soft zone technique leaves the sail route uncontested. User the deep half or deep third defender to squeeze the corner route throwing lane, since that forces the quarterback into a lower percentage window. This concept struggles against a disciplined Cover 4 quarters shell with a hard-charging linebacker spy on the flat, since the extra deep defender can rob the corner route while the flat gets closed down quickly.
Usage Tips
Identify the safety alignment pre-snap to determine if you are facing Cover 2 or Cover 3, since this play is built specifically to punish both shells. If the corner is aligned tight over the bunch with no help over the top, hot route the corner route runner to a fade or expect an immediate rub against man coverage. Use the flat route as your answer against Cover 2 corners who sink deep, since the sail route settles in the natural void created by the cloud corner. On third and medium to long, prioritize the corner route since it stretches the deep half defender out of the throwing window for the sail route. Pair Bunch Sail with Bunch Verts or Bunch Trail in your play-calling sequence to keep the defense guessing between vertical shots and horizontal stretch concepts out of the same bunch look.
