Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn Fk Swing Wheel is a play-action pass out of Shotgun Spread Dbl Flex that disguises a wheel and swing combo to the strong side while a deep dagger route stresses the middle of the field. Pre-snap motion brings a receiver in for a swing route to the flat, and the outside receiver on that side runs a fake curl before breaking upfield on the wheel, creating a natural pick and leverage against man coverage. On the backside, two receivers run a vertical and hitch combo while the deep red route runs a corner post from the opposite side to occupy the safety. The primary read progression starts with the wheel route for a big play shot, then works down to the swing route as the checkdown against underneath pressure, and finally to the backside hitch if the coverage rotates hard to the trips side.
Defensive Reads
Check the cornerback aligned over the motion receiver before the snap, if he follows the swing motion tightly it signals man coverage and the wheel route will have a favorable matchup down the sideline. Look for a single high safety shell, which indicates man under coverage and makes the wheel route the primary target since the safety cannot help over the top on both verticals. Watch the flow of the linebackers after the play-action fake, if they bite hard on the run fake it opens a clean throwing lane to the swing route underneath. This play struggles against zone coverage with a defender sitting in the flat, since that defender can jump both the swing and the wheel route simultaneously. Cover 3 with a hard flat defender or a Tampa 2 shell with linebackers dropping to the wheel lane are the best defensive answers to this concept, forcing the quarterback to check down late or throw into a contested window.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion on the swing route to identify man versus zone before the snap, if the defender follows the motion man across the formation it confirms man coverage and the wheel route becomes a live shot play. Attack this concept on early downs or second and medium when defenses are not expecting a shot play off play-action motion. Hot route the backside hitch into a deeper comeback against soft zone shells if the corner is playing off coverage at the snap. Pair this play with Mtn DBL Slants Wheel or Mtn HB Swing in the same set to keep the defense guessing on which route the wheel man will actually run, since both plays share similar motion and swing action but diverge in the deep route. Against aggressive blitz teams, get the ball out quickly to the swing route since the play-action fake holds linebackers just long enough to open the flat.
