Playbooks
At a Glance
Overview
Spread Dbl Flex Wk is a Shotgun set that pushes both slot receivers into flexed alignments with the strength tilted weak, giving you a wide two by two picture with the back next to the QB. Unlike tighter Shotgun sets in the formation that keep a tight end attached for extra pass protection, this set spreads the 11 personnel out horizontally and forces the defense to declare coverage early. The TE plays as a flexed slot rather than an inline blocker, so you get a bigger body working the seam and intermediate windows against slot corners and undersized nickel defenders instead of grinding through traffic off the line.
The play art is built around the Mountain concept family, and that is where this set earns its money. Empty Mtn Y Cross, Mtn Cross Choice, Mtn PA Cross Choice, Mtn Corner, Mtn Smash, Mtn Drive, and Mtn Out N Up Seam all attack from the same base look, so your opponent sees an identical alignment on every snap and has to guess between crossers, corners, smash reads, and vertical stems. The Choice tags give you a read route that adjusts to the defender's leverage, which is a cheat code against man coverage when you know which side the user is sitting on. Four Verticals and Hitch Seam give you the pure vertical stress package, while Vert Comebacks and Corner Strike handle the intermediate sideline throws you need on third and eight to twelve.
The run game and gadget elements keep this set from being one dimensional. Inside Zone, Mtn Outside Zone, and SFT Mtn Inside Zone let you run into a spread out box where the defense has fewer bodies to fit the gaps, and the Power HB tag means you can lean on a downhill back against a nickel or dime front. HB Slip Screen, Empty Mtn WR Mid Screen, and Empty Mtn HB Swing punish overaggressive edge pressure, and PA Read plus the SFT Mtn PA Flood and SFT Mtn H-Trail plays give you play action shots that hold linebackers just long enough to open the intermediate levels.
Strengths
- The Mountain crosser family (Empty Mtn Y Cross, Mtn Cross Choice, Mtn Drive) is a premier man beater because the deep crosser clears out while the shallow drag works underneath, and user defenders playing the high crosser almost always vacate the shallow.
- Choice routes on Mtn Cross Choice and Mtn PA Cross Choice adjust to defender leverage automatically, so you get a built in man beater without needing to guess coverage pre snap.
- Four Verticals and Hitch Seam attack single high shells directly: the two inside seams split Cover 1 and Cover 3 down the middle of the field, and you can hot route the back on a vertical for a true five man flood against blown deep coverage.
- Mtn Smash and Corner Strike are elite Cover 2 and Cover 4 beaters, with the corner route working over the flat defender and behind the safety on the flexed side.
- Screens out of the same alignment (HB Slip Screen, Empty Mtn WR Mid Screen, Empty Mtn HB Swing) make edge pressure and cover zero blitzes expensive, since the wide splits mean fewer bodies in the screen lane.
Weaknesses
- Five wide and empty variants leave you with five blockers, so nano blitzes and overload pressure off the flexed side can get home before the crossers develop. You need slide protection or a back kept in on the non empty plays.
- Deep crossing concepts are slow to develop, and a user controlled linebacker or safety sitting in the middle of the field can jump the crosser and generate house call picks if you throw on rhythm without reading the user.
- The wide splits reduce your gap advantage in the run game against loaded fronts, and Inside Zone with only 11 personnel spread out struggles against 4-3 or 4-6 alignments that pinch the box.
- There is no inline tight end for chip help, so a dominant edge rusher on a one on one against your tackle can wreck the whole set. Opponents who identify the weak side flex will consistently rush the vacated edge.
- Heavy man press with an outside blitz can jam the flexed slots at the line, choking the Mountain stems before they get vertical and forcing checkdowns into pressure.
Usage Tips
Read the safeties pre snap: single high pushes you to Four Verticals, Hitch Seam, and the Mountain crossers, while two high pushes you to Mtn Smash, Corner Strike, and Vert Comebacks.
Motion one of the flexed receivers to identify man versus zone, then commit. If a defender travels, go to Mtn Cross Choice or Mtn PA Cross Choice and let the read route win on leverage.
Live in the Mountain concepts so every snap looks identical, then break tendency with Inside Zone, Mtn Outside Zone, or SFT Mtn Inside Zone when the opponent commits to dime and light boxes. The Power HB tag makes this profitable on second and short.
On third and long against blitz heavy users, check to HB Slip Screen or Empty Mtn HB Swing. Both punish edge pressure and get your back into open grass behind the spread out coverage.
Use PA Read, SFT Mtn PA Flood, and SFT Mtn H-Trail on second down after establishing the run. The play action hold freezes user linebackers long enough to open the intermediate hole shots you cannot get from straight dropback looks.
Hot route the back on a vertical or block based on the front you see, and always block your tackle side if you diagnose an overload before the snap.
