Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Deep Corner out of Shotgun Bunch aligns three receivers tight to one side with a solo receiver backside. The bunch releases into a corner route from the outside receiver breaking to the sideline off a vertical stem, a deep post/flag stem crossing over the middle from the inside slot, and an out route sitting underneath from the middle bunch receiver, while the backside X runs a comeback breaking back to the quarterback. This is a man beater built on the corner and post crossing at the top of the route, designed to create natural rub traffic for the bunch releases, and the primary read starts with the deep corner route before working down to the crossing post and the underneath out.
Defensive Reads
Identify press man coverage on the bunch receivers pre-snap since the corner route will win vertically once the defender is forced to fight through the bunch traffic. Watch the deep safety rotation after the snap, a single high safety who bites on the post crossing route opens the corner throw to the sideline. Look for a flat defender or cornerback sitting on the underneath out route, if that defender widens too fast the deep corner has room to sit down in the void. Cover 3 with a hard flat defender and strong safety help over the top can shut down both the corner and the crossing post, forcing the checkdown to the backside comeback. Recognize man blitz looks with the linebacker showing depth late, since the bunch rub can spring the corner route free against a blitzing defense that has no safety help rotated over.
Usage Tips
Check pre-snap for single high versus two high safeties before the snap since this play thrives against man coverage and single high shells with the corner route stretching the boundary defender vertically.
Use the bunch alignment to create natural rub and pick opportunities against man defenders trying to follow their assignments through traffic.
Hot route the backside comeback into a hitch or slant if you diagnose zone coverage that will sit soft and take away the corner route window.
Best called on second or third and medium to long when you need a defined vertical shot but still have an underneath out route as a checkdown against a hot blitz.
Pair this with Bunch Sail or Bunch Verts in your play sequence so the defense has to respect multiple vertical stems out of the same bunch look, then mix in Bench Pivot or Mesh Spot to punish defenders sitting on the corner route.
