Playbooks

Spot Wheel

Shotgun·Normal Y Off·11
WheelSpotPass PlayCover 3 Beater

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 1 playbook

Balanced Pass OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Spot Wheel is a Cover 3 beater out of Shotgun 11 personnel that combines a classic Spot concept (flat, hitch, and drag/spot route) on one side with a wheel route out of the backfield or slot to attack the flat defender vertically. The wheel route is the primary read against Cover 3 and zone shells because it puts the corner or flat defender in a vertical bind once the spot route occupies the underneath zone. Blocking is standard pass protection with the back either releasing on the wheel or staying in depending on the formation call, and the progression starts at the wheel, works to the spot/flat combo underneath, and finishes with the hitch as a checkdown against soft zone drops.

Defensive Reads

Cover 3 with a flat defender who has to choose between the spot route and the wheel is the primary shell this play beats. Man coverage with a linebacker matched on the back running the wheel is a favorable matchup, look for the linebacker to get picked off by the spot route traffic. Watch for Cover 4 or Cover 6 rotations where the corner sinks deep and the safety flies down, this can take away the wheel route entirely and force you to the underneath combo. User controlled defenders lurking in the flat or spying the running back are the biggest threat, if you see the user step up into the wheel lane before the snap, redirect to the spot or drag. Blitz packages that send extra rushers off the edge can compress your wheel timing, if the back has to chip or stay in on a blitz look, expect the progression to shift entirely to the spot and hitch underneath.

Usage Tips

Use this play on second and medium or third and long when you expect zone coverage, especially Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells that leave a flat defender responsible for both the wheel and the underneath route.

Pre-snap, check the corner and safety alignment. If the corner is playing off with outside leverage and a safety is rotating to that side, the wheel has a clean vertical lane.

If the defense shows man coverage or you see a slot corner sitting on the wheel route, hot route the drag or spot route into a deeper crossing route to beat man leverage instead of forcing the wheel.

Combine this with Curl Flats or Slants earlier in a series to condition the defense to sit on underneath zones, then hit Spot Wheel to punish that same tendency vertically.

Watch out for user linebackers spying the wheel out of the backfield. If you see the user flash toward the flat pre-snap, switch your first read to the spot route running underneath.

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