Playbooks

Bench

Shotgun·Flanker Close·10

Bench Pass Play Corner Hitch Out

Play diagram for Bench from Shotgun Flanker Close in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetFlanker Close

Personnel

101 RB · 0 TE · 4 WR

In 7 playbooks

Air Raid Classic OffenseOffense Colts OffenseOffense Rams OffenseOffense Run And Shoot OffenseOffense Shotgun Mix NFL Live Colts OffenseOffense NFL Live Rams OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Bench is a classic three level flood concept out of Shotgun Flanker Close, run to the trips side. The outside receiver runs a deep corner route to clear the top of the defense, the slot receiver breaks off an out route at intermediate depth, and the tight end or third receiver runs a flat route underneath to hold the defender low. On the backside, the lone receiver runs a quick hitch to give the quarterback an outlet against soft coverage. This is a man and zone beater built on high low stress: the primary read starts at the corner route, works down to the out, and settles on the flat as the checkdown.

Defensive Reads

Watch the strong side safety before the snap. If he is rotated down near the line of scrimmage, the corner route has a soft spot behind him that the quarterback should attack immediately. Key the flat defender at the snap. If he sinks with the out route instead of staying home, the flat route is wide open for an easy pitch and catch. Against man coverage, look for a linebacker or safety matched up on the flat route, since that is the easiest matchup to exploit with a quick throw before he can recover. Cover 3 with a hard sinking cornerback will take away the corner route, so the quarterback needs to reset to the out or flat route rather than forcing the deep ball. Watch for a user controlled defender lurking in the intermediate zone, since he can jump the out route if the quarterback stares it down too long before the throw.

Usage Tips

Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing two deep safeties or a single high shell, since Bench thrives against zone coverage that has to cover three levels with only two or three defenders to that side.

If the corner is playing off man on the outside receiver, throw the corner route on a back shoulder timing throw before the safety can rotate over.

Use the backside hitch as a quick answer against Cover 3 or Cover 4 when the corner is sitting deep and giving a free five to seven yard cushion.

Hot route the flat defender's man to a shallow drag if you are seeing aggressive underneath zone drops that jump the flat route immediately.

Pair Bench with Y Sail or Weak Flood in your play calling sequence to keep the defense guessing on which level of the flood concept you are attacking, then mix in Stick or Mesh Spot on shorter downs to punish linebackers who start cheating toward the flood side.