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Quick Reference
Not in any team playbook.
Breakdown
Mtn Spot Wheel is a motion-based pass concept out of Shotgun Normal Y Off with 11 personnel. Pre-snap motion brings the backfield player across into a wheel route up the sideline, while the spot combo on that same side runs a corner and hitch/settle combo underneath, with the backside X running a deep vertical and the TE running a seam bender up the middle of the field. This is a Cover 3 beater built to attack the flat defender and curl-to-flat zone drop, with the primary read starting on the wheel route against man coverage or a blown flat assignment, progressing to the underneath spot settle and then to the backside vertical shot if the safety bites down.
Defensive Reads
Watch the flat defender at the snap, if he sinks under the spot route without carrying the wheel vertically you have a explosive play window down the sideline Check safety depth and rotation before the snap, a two high shell that stays split is more vulnerable to the wheel while a single high safety who cheats to the trips or motion side can jump the route If the defense runs man coverage and the linebacker or safety covering the motion man trails tightly with no help over the top, this play gets shut down quickly so be ready to check to the underneath spot route instead User a rover or lurk defender to sit in the flat-to-curl area since that is the exact zone this concept is designed to exploit, taking away both the wheel and spot reads forces the quarterback to hold the ball Look for blitz packages that bring extra rushers off the edge, since the wheel route often doubles as an outlet, a well timed blitz can disrupt the timing before the wheel fully develops
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify if the defense follows the motion man, which reveals man coverage immediately and tells you to lock onto the wheel route for a big play down the sideline
Against zone shells, especially Cover 3, key the flat defender and curl defender since the wheel is designed to stretch that flat player vertically while the spot route settles into the vacated curl window
Best called on second and medium to third and medium since it takes a moment to develop and needs a defense that has to respect both the flat and the vertical stretch
Pair this with Mtn HB Swing or Spot Wheel earlier in a drive so the defense sees similar backfield action and motion, then hit them with the wheel when they start jumping the underneath stuff
If the wheel route gets picked up early by a linebacker or safety in man match, user the backside vertical or hot route the TE seam into a quicker breaking option to keep the play alive
