Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Orbit Z Under is a Shotgun 11 personnel play out of the Normal Y Off Wk set that uses a pre-snap orbit motion to shift the backfield alignment before the snap. Off the motion, the play shows a shallow under route crossing the field underneath, a deep out breaking to the sideline from the right side, and two vertical seam or go routes on the outside from the boundary receiver and slot, while the running back checks into a flat route behind the line. This is a man beater built around the crossing under route creating natural separation against man defenders trying to trail through traffic, with the primary read starting on the under route working from inside out to the vertical shots if the under gets picked up.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap identify safety depth and cornerback alignment on the outside receivers, two high safeties with soft corners signal zone coverage where the deep out and verticals will have throwing windows late in the down. Watch the motion defender at the snap, if a linebacker or nickel corner runs with the orbit motion across the formation you are in man coverage and should key the under route as your first answer since it creates natural rub separation. Post-snap track any user-controlled lurk defender sitting in the shallow zone underneath, this is the biggest threat to the crossing under route and will bait quarterbacks into a turnover if they force it into a sitting linebacker. This play struggles against aggressive man blitzes where extra rushers crash before the under route develops, so if you see a nano blitz look pre-snap be ready to check the running back release into the flat as a quick outlet. Zone coverage with a deep half safety rotated over the vertical routes can take away the shot plays, forcing the quarterback to live underneath with the under and flat combination for shorter gains.
Usage Tips
Use the orbit motion pre-snap to identify if the defense is in man or zone, if a defender follows the motion man across the formation you are facing man coverage and the under route becomes a live conversion target immediately. Attack this on second and medium or third and short to medium since the under route sits right at the sticks and gives you a safe completion versus a shot play up top. Hot route the running back to a check release if you are seeing a heavy blitz look, this gives your quarterback an extra protector while still keeping the flat option alive if the blitz peels off late. Pair this play with Double Slants or Exit Double Slants in your call sheet since both attack similar horizontal stretch concepts and will condition the defense to jump underneath routes, setting up the vertical shots on this play as a counter. Against zone shells look to hit the deep out route on the right sideline in the void between the flat defender and the deep half safety, this is your zone beater window if the under gets taken away by a linebacker sinking.
