Playbooks
At a Glance
Overview
Deuce Close is the compressed 12 personnel look in Shotgun, aligning both tight ends tight to the tackles with two receivers split out and a single back next to the quarterback. Unlike spread out Shotgun sets that stretch defenders across the numbers, Deuce Close pinches the formation inward, which shrinks throwing windows for the defense but also shortens the distance your tight ends need to travel to attack the seams, flats, and intermediate hooks. That tight alignment forces the defense to declare early: if they walk a safety down or bump linebackers into the box to respect the run, your outside receivers get isolated against pure man or a single high shell with no help inside.
The play list is built around two distinct identities that share the same shell. The first is the RPO and run game core: Inside Zone, Outside Zone, Inside Zone Split, Counter Y, 0 1 Trap, Lead Read Option, plus a deep bench of RPO variants including RPO Read Mtn Stick, RPO Read Cntr, RPO Counter Stick, RPO Peek Stick, RPO Alert Omaha, and Return RPO Read Flat Wheel. Those give you a run first identity with a built in throw attached, letting you read the flat defender or the box count post snap instead of guessing pre snap. The second identity is the play action passing tree: PA Deep Over, PA Deep Cross, PA Post Cross, PA Deep Curls, PA Deep Out, PA Slide, Mtn PA Slide, and PA Y Leak all sell the same run action from the same personnel, which is exactly how you punish an opponent who starts crashing the box.
Where Deuce Close really separates from other Shotgun sets is the tight end release angles. From a condensed split, Mesh Spot, Both Stick, Mtn Stick, Stick, Mtn Y Option, Mtn Y Corner, and Mtn Return Y-Shake create natural traffic and rub concepts that man coverage struggles to navigate, while Bench, Bench Swap, Bench Dig Curl, Bench X Dig, Corner Go's Flat, and Corner N Go's stretch the field vertically off the boundary. Add HB Orbit Mesh Spot, HB Orbit Spacing, and HB Orbit TE Mid Screen for gadget looks that get your back on the perimeter, and the 3DRB and Power HB tags tell you the set supports both a receiving back and a downhill runner depending on your roster.
Strengths
- Mesh Spot, HB Orbit Mesh Spot, and Both Stick generate legitimate man beating rubs from compressed splits, so tight man coverage gets picked off the release without you needing a single hot route.
- The RPO family (RPO Read Mtn Stick, RPO Counter Stick, RPO Peek Stick, RPO Alert Omaha, RPO Read Flat Wheel) lets you read the flat or apex defender post snap, which punishes users who commit their linebacker to the run fit every play.
- Play action tree is deep and disguised: PA Deep Over, PA Post Cross, PA Deep Curls, and PA Y Leak all run off the same Inside Zone and Counter Y footwork, so aggressive box crashers give up chunk plays over the middle.
- Compressed splits mean your outside receivers have the entire boundary to work with on Bench, Corner Go's Flat, Corner N Go's, and Post Wheel, which is a pure isolation win against Cover 1 or any single high shell with no cloud help.
- Stick concepts hot route beautifully. Streak the outside receiver, drag the backside tight end, and you have a built in zone beater that sits in the window vacated by the curl to flat defender.
Weaknesses
- Condensed alignment invites A gap and interior pressure. With both tight ends tight to the formation, opponents can overload one side and your single back has to pick a side, which leaves a free rusher if you do not slide protect or block the tight end.
- Zone coverage with a user controlled linebacker sitting on the hook window shuts down the entire Stick tree. Mtn Stick, Both Stick, and Mtn Zone Split all lose value once the middle gets manned up by a human defender.
- Tight splits mean less horizontal spacing, so Cover 2 and Cover 4 corners can squat on the boundary routes and your outside releases get bracketed faster than they would from spread splits.
- Tendency reads are brutal here. If you lean on the RPO menu, an opponent who plays the run with the safety and covers the attached throw with the flat defender takes away both options at once.
- Play action is slow developing. PA Deep Over, PA Deep Cross, and PA Deep Out all require clean pockets, and any single high man blitz with six rushers will get home before the concept opens.
Usage Tips
Read the box count pre snap. If the defense loads seven or more inside, go to the play action tree (PA Post Cross, PA Deep Over) or the isolation shots off Bench and Corner N Go's. If they stay light, run Inside Zone, Counter Y, or 0 1 Trap and make them add a defender.
Use motion to identify coverage. Motion a tight end across and watch for a defender to travel with him. If a linebacker follows, live with Mesh Spot or HB Orbit Mesh Spot. If nobody moves, you are seeing zone and the Stick family is live.
On third and medium, Both Stick or Chip Dig 7 Stop gives you a high low read that beats both zone and off man. Hot route the back to a flat or angle route as your safety valve against pressure.
Against heavy blitz users, put the back in pass protection and go to quick game like Stick or Spacing Switch. Save the RPO Read variants for down and distances where the defense has to honor the run.
Mix in HB Orbit TE Mid Screen and Mtn Return HB Toss once you have established the base run game. The Gadget tag exists because these constraint plays keep users from over pursuing your zone reads.
