Playbooks
Breakdown
Spacing out of Shotgun Bunch is a horizontal stretch concept designed to attack Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells. The bunch releases into a shallow out, a quick hitch/curl sit, and an intermediate out breaking to the boundary while the backside receiver runs a deep comeback and the running back releases into a wide flat route underneath. The QB reads high to low across the field, working from the deep comeback backside first, then progressing into the layered outs and flat route to find the void in the zone drop.
Defensive Reads
Identify two deep safeties pre-snap which signals Cover 4 and tells you the outs and flat route will have room to operate underneath. Watch the flat defender and curl to flat defender since Spacing forces them to choose between the shallow out and the intermediate out, creating natural conflict. If the defense shows Cover 3 with a single high safety, key the corner's zone drop depth because the sit route in the bunch will settle right behind him in the vacated area. Beware of user linebackers sinking hard into passing lanes since a disciplined lurk defender can jump the shallow out route and bait a turnover. This concept struggles against tight man coverage with underneath help, particularly Cover 1 or Cover 0, since the layered spacing routes lose their zone-void advantage when defenders are locked in man.
Usage Tips
Check for Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells pre-snap since this concept is built to exploit the soft spots underneath zone drops.
Use the RB flat route as your checkdown against a hard blitz or when the underneath zone defenders sink too deep.
Hot route the backside comeback into a fade if you see a corner playing off coverage to create an explosive shot play.
Pair this call with Bunch Verts or Bunch Sail on early downs to keep the defense honest against the same bunch look before hitting them with the horizontal stretch on third down.
Best used on third and short to third and medium since the layered out routes create easy completion windows for the QB.
