Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Dragon Spacing out of Shotgun Flanker Close is a spacing concept designed to stretch zone coverage horizontally underneath. The backside receiver runs a deep corner/go route up the sideline as a vertical shot, while the three remaining receivers spread out at different depths: a quick out breaking to the boundary, a curl sitting down in the intermediate window, and a wheel route out of the backfield that climbs up the sideline. This is a zone beater built to attack Cover 3 and Cover 4 by settling receivers into the soft spots between underneath defenders and the deep zones, with the quarterback progression starting at the boundary out route, working to the curl in the middle, then checking the wheel route if the defense rotates a flat defender into the throwing lane.
Defensive Reads
Read the free safety pre-snap, if he is rotated to the boundary side expect Cover 3 rotation and the flat defender to widen with the out route, opening the curl behind him. Key the flat defender and outside linebacker at the snap, if they carry the wheel route vertically it signals man coverage or a Cover 4 match scheme, which means the underneath spacing window shrinks fast. Watch for a user linebacker sitting in the shallow curl-flat area, since a lurking user defender can jump the out or curl route and take away the first two progression reads. Against Cover 2 shells, the deep corner route can get squeezed by a cornerback playing outside leverage with safety help over the top, so be ready to reset to the wheel or dump underneath. Blitz packages that bring extra rushers off the edge will collapse the pocket before the deeper corner route develops, so identify overload blitz looks pre-snap and be ready to get the ball out quick on the out or curl.
Usage Tips
Use this play on third and short to medium when you expect zone coverage since the spacing concept is built to exploit the horizontal seams in Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells.
Pre-snap, identify if the defense shows two deep safeties or one high, if it is one high expect Cover 3 and prioritize the out and curl combo before the corner route develops.
Hot route the wheel route into a flat or shoot route against man coverage looks since the wheel can get picked off by trail technique or a robber defender sitting underneath.
Pair this play with HB Counter or Inside Zone from the same Flanker Close set to keep linebackers honest on run fits before coming back to Dragon Spacing to hit the void they vacate.
Sequence this play after Mesh Spot or Stick earlier in a drive so the defense starts jumping shorter routes, then hit the deeper corner shot off play action tendencies if the safety bites downhill.
