Playbooks
Overview
Doubles Off Close Wk is the RPO hub of the Shotgun family, taking a standard 2x2 doubles alignment and tightening the backside while flexing the weak side receiver off the ball. The "Off Close" tag means one receiver aligns off the line of scrimmage inside the numbers next to the tight end, which compresses the box read for the quarterback and puts the slot in immediate position to run bubbles, pivots, and rail routes without fighting press coverage. The 11 personnel grouping keeps your best pass catching tight end and a receiving back on the field, so defenses cannot commit to heavy nickel dime looks without giving up the Inside Zone and Counter Y run game.
Strengths
- RPO Read Bubble and RPO Zone Read Bubble give you a built in pre-snap conflict read: count the flat defender and throw the bubble instantly against light boxes, hand it off against loaded fronts.
- Mtn Mesh Rail is a premium man beater with the crossers rubbing linebackers off and the rail route from the back attacking the vacated weak side seam against Cover 1 and Cover 0.
- X Dagger and Double Post punish single high shells, with the dig clearing under the vertical and the post pairing splitting Cover 3 and Cover 1 safety help.
- Pivot In Seams gives you both a man beater and a zone beater from the same play art, letting you read the leverage of the user-controlled defender post-snap.
- The off ball weak side alignment means that receiver cannot be jammed, so quick hot routes like slants and drags come open on time against blitz looks.
Weaknesses
- Compressed splits mean less field horizontally, so heavy inside pressure and A gap nano blitzes collapse the pocket before the deeper concepts like Double Post and PA Y Cross develop.
- The tight formation lets defenses overload one side with edge blitzers, and 11 personnel only gives you five blockers plus a back to pick up six or seven rushers.
- A user-controlled defender sitting in the middle of the field takes away Mtn Stick X Replace and the dig on X Dagger, since both concepts work between the hashes.
- Bubble RPOs get shut down by a defense that keeps the nickel outside leverage and plays quarters, turning your free yards into a two yard loss.
- Tendency heavy players who spam the RPO reads get baited into throws once the opponent hot routes a linebacker to spy the flat.
Usage Tips
Read the box count pre-snap on RPO Read Bubble: six or fewer defenders in the box means give it to the back on Inside Zone, seven plus means pull and throw the bubble.
On third and medium, motion the off ball weak side receiver across to identify man or zone, then check to Mtn Mesh Rail if the defender follows.
Use HB Slip Screen and Mtn TE Mid Screen as your counterpunch after an opponent starts sending pressure at the compressed side.
Hot route the tight end to a corner or a sit route on Double Post when you diagnose Cover 3, since the post pairing already occupies the deep middle defender.
Establish Inside Zone and Counter Y early so the play-action rollout on PA Y Cross freezes the second level linebackers.
