Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Four Verticals out of Shotgun Doubles Y-Flex sends all four eligible receivers vertical to stretch the field top to bottom, with both outside receivers sprinting up the sideline, the slot receiver running a seam, and the Y-Flex tight end releasing up the middle of the field on a bender. The lone back stays in to pass protect, giving the quarterback a clean five-step drop behind a max protect look. This is a classic Cover 2 and Cover 3 beater that attacks the deep middle void and the sideline hash seams, with the primary read progressing from the seam route inside the numbers to the tight end bender working the honey hole between the safeties.
Defensive Reads
Read the free safety at the snap, if he stays flat footed in the middle expect Cover 2 or Cover 4 and target the seam route before the underneath defenders can drop. If the free safety rotates to the deep middle immediately, that is Cover 1 or Cover 3, work the sideline verticals or the tight end bender away from his help. Watch the linebacker depth pre-snap, shallow linebackers signal man coverage or a blitz look, which favors the tight end release working vertical against a slower defender. Post-snap, track any user controlled lurk defender sitting in the middle of the field, since that is the primary way defenses shut down the bender route and force you outside to the sideline verts. Heavy blitz packages with only three defenders deep are the biggest counter, so recognize extra rushers immediately and get the ball out before the pocket collapses.
Usage Tips
Presnap identify single high versus two high safeties, since this concept is designed to punish Cover 3 rotation and Cover 2 shells that leave the deep middle or the seams exposed.
Against Cover 3, target the seam route running the inside vertical since the flat defender cannot get enough depth to affect it before the free safety has to choose a side.
Against Cover 2, throw the tight end bender into the honey hole between the two deep safeties before they can close the window.
Use hot routes to slide the running back into a shallow check down or spot route if the defense brings a nano blitz or extra rusher off the edge, since the base concept has no built in outlet.
Pair this play with Curl Flats or Stick from the same set to keep the defense honest on early downs, then dial up Four Verticals on second or third and long once you bait a single high shell.
