Playbooks
At a Glance
In 16 playbooks
Overview
Empty Chips Quads is a five-wide look out of the Shotgun formation that uses 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE) but empties the backfield entirely. The running back and tight end are split out and stacked into a four-man surface to one side, leaving a single isolated receiver on the backside. Unlike standard Shotgun sets that keep a back in the gun for protection and RPO reads, this alignment commits every eligible to the route tree and forces the defense to declare its coverage before the snap. The quads side overloads one half of the field, so defenses either rotate their shell toward the strength or risk being outnumbered on the four-man side.
The personnel package is where the set earns its value. Because the defense sees 11 personnel on the field, it will often stay in base or nickel with a linebacker assigned to the RB or TE. Splitting those players into the slot and the inside quads alignments creates linebacker-on-back and safety-on-tight-end matchups that a 3DRB or a receiving TE can win consistently. Meanwhile, the backside X is left on an island, usually against a single corner with the safety cheated toward the quads side, which is the exact setup for Cheat Texas X Sluggo and Post Corner Up shots.
The play list leans into two themes: overload passing concepts (Slot Sail, Dagger, Crossers) that attack zone leverage with high-low and horizontal stretches, and a deep screen package (TE Screen, HB Screen, Cheat Fk Screen Cross, Cheat Jailbreak WR Screen) that punishes aggressive pressure and man coverage. The Cheat variants tighten or shift alignments pre-snap to create better blocking angles and route spacing, giving you gadget-style answers without leaving the set.
Strengths
- The quads overload forces defenses to rotate toward the four-man side, leaving the backside X isolated against single coverage for Cheat Texas X Sluggo and Post Corner Up shots
- Splitting the RB and TE out against 11 personnel defensive calls creates linebacker and safety matchups on a 3DRB or receiving TE that win on slants, option routes, and flat routes
- Slot Sail and Dagger are elite zone beaters: Sail floods Cover 3 with a three-level stretch, while Dagger's dig under a clearing seam attacks Cover 2 and Cover 4 hook defenders
- The screen package (TE Screen, HB Screen, Cheat Jailbreak WR Screen, Cheat Fk Screen Cross) is a built-in blitz punisher, turning Cover 0 and heavy nano pressure into explosive plays with blockers already in space
- Crossers and Cheat Fk Screen Cross are strong man beaters because the stacked quads alignment creates natural rubs and traffic that shake trailing defenders on shallow and deep crossing paths
Weaknesses
- With an empty backfield you only have five blockers, so six-man pressure and overload nano blitzes off the edge leave you with no hot answer unless you pre-set a slant or quick out before the snap
- The run game is essentially nonexistent, so defenses can sit in dime or quarter personnel and play pass-first without paying for it, which removes the Power HB tag's value from this specific set
- Opponents who user a safety or robber over the middle can jump Crossers and the Dagger dig, since both concepts funnel throws into the same intermediate window
- The alignment tips its intentions: heavy quads sets with 11 personnel often signal screens or overload flood, so a savvy opponent can spy screen, spot drop, or shade coverage to the strength and bracket the best quads receiver
- Shot plays like Post Corner Up and Cheat Texas X Sluggo require time to develop, and against a disguised Cover 2 or a user-dropped safety over the top, the isolated X can be doubled once the backside corner is shaded
Usage Tips
Before the snap, read the safety rotation: if the defense spins a safety toward quads and leaves the backside corner alone, audible to Cheat Texas X Sluggo or Post Corner Up and throw the isolated X deep
When you see a Cover 0 or linebackers walked up in A gaps, check to HB Screen or Cheat Jailbreak WR Screen rather than holding the ball; the screens are your best pressure release in an empty set
On 3rd and medium, Dagger and Slot Sail are the go-to calls: hot route the backside X to a slant as a quick answer if you read blitz, then work the high-low progression on the quads side against zone
Use Crossers against man coverage and pair it with a hot route on the innermost quads receiver to a drag, creating a rub off the stack that frees your 3DRB or SLWR underneath
Deploy this set sparingly as a change of pace after running out of backfield sets, because the 11 personnel label keeps base defenders on the field and maximizes the linebacker-on-back matchups you want to exploit
Plays (9)
Cheat Fk Screen CrossPlay Action, Screen Pass, Motion +6
Cheat Jailbreak WR ScreenScreen Pass, Wr Screen, Motion +2
Cheat Texas X SluggoSluggo, Texas, Texas Concept +8
CrossersCrosser, Pass Play, Block and Release +3
DaggerDagger, Pass Play, Cover 2 Beater +7
HB ScreenScreen Pass, Hb Screen, Pass Play +4
Post Corner UpCorner, Post, Post Corner +8
Slot SailSail, Pass Play, Cover 2 Beater +7
TE ScreenScreen Pass, Te Screen, Pass Play +6
