Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mtn HB Angle is a Shotgun passing concept out of Normal Y Off Close with 11 personnel that uses pre-snap motion to help identify man versus zone before the ball is snapped. On the backside, two receivers run a deep cross and a dig underneath, crossing paths to create natural rub traffic against man defenders, while the third receiver climbs vertically up the seam on the play side. The HB releases out of the backfield on an angle route, breaking away from traffic against the flow of the play, giving the quarterback an easy answer against blitzes or when linebackers flow with the crossers. The primary read starts with the angle route out of the backfield against linebacker leverage, then works to the deep cross and dig combo on the backside if the HB is covered.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check if a linebacker or nickel defender shifts to shadow the motion man since that confirms man coverage and tells you the HB angle route will likely be open against zone drops instead. Post-snap, key the middle linebacker's reaction to the HB releasing out of the backfield, if he bites on run action or sits in his zone drop the angle route creates immediate separation. Watch for user-controlled defenders lurking in the shallow crossing lanes since the deep cross and dig combo can get picked off if a rover sits in the middle of the field reading the quarterback's eyes. This play struggles against zone blitzes where the HB's defender is replaced by a spy or extra rusher, so check for overloaded fronts before the snap and be ready to check into a quicker route. Cover 3 with a hard sink from the underneath zones can clog the crossing routes, so if you see three deep defenders and heavy underneath traffic, prioritize the HB angle route as your first and fastest read.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to bait the defense into revealing man coverage by watching if a defender follows the motion man across the formation.
This play is excellent on third and short or third and medium since the HB angle route is designed to beat blitzes and linebacker overpursuit for an easy conversion.
If the defense shows zone shells post-snap, work the deep cross and dig combo on the backside since those routes are natural zone beaters that find soft spots between the underneath and deep zones.
Pair this play with Mtn Angle Y Wheel or Mtn Snag Curls in the same set so opponents cannot key on the HB releasing to the flat every snap.
Hot route the seam runner into a deeper vertical stem if you diagnose single high safety coverage to attack the middle of the field before the safety can rotate over.
Against aggressive blitz packages, get the ball out quickly to the HB angle route since it is the fastest developing option and neutralizes pressure before it arrives.
