Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 15 playbooks
Breakdown
Z Spot N Go is a five-man empty route concept out of the bunch alignment designed to attack Cover 3 and other zone drops with layered spot routes. From the bunch on the right, one receiver runs a corner route to the flat area while another sits in the shallow spot, and a third releases vertically up the seam on the go route (the red route) that stems into the void behind the underneath zone defenders. On the backside, the isolated receivers to the left run a deep out and a corner breaking route to stretch the boundary defender horizontally. The primary read starts with the seam go route against Cover 3 for the big play, then works down to the spot and flat combination underneath if the deep shot is not there.
Defensive Reads
Identify the safety alignment before the snap, a single high safety signals Cover 3 and tells you the seam go route has a clear throwing lane. Watch the flat defender and underneath linebacker drops after the snap, if they widen too fast to the flat route the spot route sitting inside becomes open for the quick throw. Key on the corner over the bunch receivers, if he presses and jumps the shallow spot route it usually means man coverage and the go route wins vertically. Look for a robber or lurk defender sitting in the intermediate zone, since a disciplined lurker can undercut the spot route and bait a turnover. Against Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells, expect the deep safety to help over the top on the go route, which forces the quarterback to work the spot and flat combination underneath instead.
Usage Tips
Check pre-snap for a single high safety, since that Cover 3 shell is exactly what the seam go route is designed to split. If the defense shows two deep safeties, be ready to check down to the spot route sitting underneath since the go route will be capped. Use motion or a hot route on the backside out route to create a natural rub against man coverage if the corner presses at the line. Call this on early downs or third and medium when you expect zone drops, since the spot route sits in the soft area between the underneath and deep zones for an easy conversion. Pair this play with Z Spot Smash or Post Corner Read in your play-calling sequence so the defense has to respect both the deep shot and the intermediate breaking routes from the same bunch look.
