Playbooks

Empty Bunch Open

Shotgun·11

Specialists3DRBGadgetPower HBSLWR

Set alignment for Empty Bunch Open from Shotgun in Madden 27

At a Glance

FormationShotgun

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

Plays17

In 7 playbooks

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Overview

Empty Bunch Open is a five-wide look inside the Shotgun formation using 11 personnel. The quarterback stands alone in the backfield, a three-man bunch sits to one side, and the remaining two eligibles, including the running back flexed out as a receiver, are split to the open side. Other Shotgun sets keep a back beside the QB for protection and run threat. This set removes that entirely and forces the defense to declare its coverage before the snap. The bunch stacks defenders tight to the formation, while the open side gives isolated receivers a large amount of grass to work with.

The personnel package is where the matchup advantages come from. Because the tight end and running back are aligned as receivers, defenses in base or nickel often end up with a linebacker or safety on your back or tight end in space. A 3DRB or SLWR tagged player lined up on the open side or in the bunch can beat those slower defenders on option routes, spots, and crossers. The bunch also creates natural rubs and traffic that break up press man and make it hard for defenders to pass off routes cleanly.

The play list is built around quick game and high-low reads. Mesh concepts include Mesh Spot, Mesh Cross, and Cheat Mesh. Choice routes appear in Slot Choice Spot, Slot Choice Spacing, and Choice Shallow Cross. Vertical and levels shots come from Dagger, Dagger Ohio, Drive Y Corner, and Speed Dig. Flood and trail concepts include Cheat Flood Divide and Bunch Arches, and Z Spot N Go works as a double move. QB Draw keeps a light box honest, so you can punish defenses that drop eight or overcommit to spying the pass.

Strengths

The bunch creates built-in rubs on Mesh Spot, Cheat Mesh, and Mesh Cross, making these elite man beaters against Cover 1 and Cover 0 because defenders trail through traffic.
Empty alignment forces a pre-snap coverage declaration, and motioning the running back from the open side into the bunch reveals man or zone before you commit to a read.
Slot Choice Spot and Slot Choice Spacing put a 3DRB or SLWR on option routes that break away from leverage, which is devastating against linebackers and safeties matched on your back or tight end.
Dagger, Dagger Ohio, and Speed Dig stress Cover 3 and Cover 4 with high-low reads on the seam and dig, attacking the hook-curl defenders and the deep middle defender at once.
Cheat Flood Divide and Bunch Arches flood one side with three levels, overloading Cover 2 and Cover 3 sky rotations toward the bunch.

Weaknesses

With five eligibles out and no back in protection, any six-man pressure or nano blitz off the edge gets home fast, so the ball must come out on rhythm.
A user-controlled defender sitting in the middle hook zone can undercut mesh and shallow crossers, killing the most-used concepts in the set.
Opponents can bracket the bunch with a banjo or press-and-trail call. That forces throws to the open side, where only two receivers work against favorable safety help.
The run threat is limited to QB Draw, so defenses can play light boxes, spy the QB with a linebacker, and commit extra rushers or droppers without fear of a handoff.
Slow QBs or low awareness passers struggle here because most concepts demand quick progression reads, and a sack or pressure forces checkdowns that are not built into the play art.

Usage Tips

Use this set on 3rd and medium or in the two-minute drill when the defense is in nickel or dime. Motion the open-side back to diagnose man versus zone, then pick mesh against man or Dagger against zone.

Against heavy pressure looks, hot route the bunch point man to a slant or quick out and set slide protection toward the blitz side so you have an immediate answer.

When the defense shows a single high safety and the user drops into the middle hook, check to Drive Y Corner or Z Spot N Go to attack the vacated boundary and stretch the user vertically.

Put your best 3DRB or SLWR on the choice route in Slot Choice Spot and Choice Shallow Cross, then read the defender's leverage: throw away from his hips on the break.

Keep QB Draw in your audibles for obvious passing downs against drop eight or when the edge rushers are sent wide, since the empty spacing opens huge interior lanes.