Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Y Mtn Shock is a Shotgun 11 personnel play-action style dropback play built off a mountain (Mtn) concept with motion across the formation before the snap. The diagram shows a deep vertical clear route from the backside X, a mid-range crossing route from the Y (TE) working from left to right underneath, a deep post/skinny corner from the outside receiver on the right, and a shallow out breaking route from the far left slot receiver. This is primarily a man beater that stresses one defender vertically to open up the intermediate crosser, with the primary read progression starting on the deep clear route to see if it draws a safety, then working down to the Y crosser as the first real answer, and finally checking the corner route on the backside if the crosser is capped.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify if a defender shifts to follow the motion receiver since that confirms man coverage and tells you to jump the crosser route immediately after the snap. Watch the deep safety alignment before the snap, a single high safety often signals man under coverage which is vulnerable to the mountain concept's crossing action. Post-snap, key on the flow of the middle linebacker, if he sinks with the crosser and stays under it, that is a strong sign of zone coverage and you should look to the corner route instead. User-controlled defenders sitting in the shallow crosser lane are the biggest threat to this play, if you see a user lurking underneath, hold the ball and let the deep clear route or corner develop instead. This play struggles against heavy zone blitz packages since the extra rusher can collapse the pocket before the crosser or corner routes fully develop, so check protection or use a quick outlet if you see pressure showing pre-snap.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify if the defense is playing man or zone based on whether a defender follows the motion man across the formation.
If you see man coverage, prioritize the Y crosser since the natural rub from traffic near the line will create separation against trailing defenders.
Against zone shells, look to the deep corner route on the backside since zone defenders will often widen with the vertical clear route and leave the corner window open.
This play works best on second and medium to long or third and medium since it takes time to develop and needs the crosser or corner to break open.
Pair this with Double Slants or Curl Combo earlier in a series so defenders respect quick game, then hit them with the delayed crosser and corner combo in Y Mtn Shock for a big explosive play.
