Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn Mesh Spot is a Spot concept married to a mesh crossing pattern out of Shotgun Spread Dbl Flex 11 personnel. Pre-snap motion sends a receiver in jet motion across the formation, while the underneath crossers run a tight mesh through the middle with one settling into the spot/curl window and the other continuing flat. Outside the mesh, one route runs a deep corner up the sideline off a hard vertical stem, and the other outside receiver runs a quick out to the boundary, giving you a five level stretch from flat to deep corner. This is a Cover 3 beater and man beater: read the mesh crossers first against man coverage for a natural rub, then work to the spot sitter versus zone if the underneath defenders bite on the crossers.
Defensive Reads
Watch the safety alignment pre-snap, a single high safety tips Cover 1 or Cover 3 and tells you the mesh and spot routes will have running room underneath while the corner route becomes the deep shot. Two deep safeties pre-snap signal Cover 2 or Cover 4, which means the flat defenders and underneath zone droppers will sit on the spot route, so be ready to work through your mesh crossers instead. Track the motion defender post-snap, if a linebacker or slot corner trails the jet motion man tightly across the formation that confirms man coverage and the mesh rub becomes your best answer. Key the underneath linebackers after the snap, aggressive linebackers who crash the mesh traffic leave the spot sitter wide open in the vacated zone. This play struggles against disciplined zone drops with a spy or a well timed nano blitz up the middle, since interior pressure collapses the pocket before the mesh has time to develop and the quarterback cannot climb to hit the deep corner route.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify man versus zone before the snap, if the defender follows the motion man across the formation you are getting man coverage and should hot route the mesh runners to full speed crossers to maximize the natural rub. Against Cover 3 or Cover 4 zone shells, work the spot route sitting in the underneath window as your first read since it exploits the seam between the flat defender and the curl-to-flat defender. Keep the deep corner route as a shot play answer versus single high safety looks or if the corner jumps the underneath mesh traffic, it is your home run outlet on third and long. This play pairs well with Inside Cross and Y Shallow Cross in the same set since all three attack underneath mesh windows, forcing linebackers to guess on crossers snap after snap. Call this on third and medium to third and long or in two minute situations where the five level stretch gives you answers against both man and zone without needing a hot route audible.
