Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn Whips lines up out of Shotgun Spread Dbl Flex with two receivers stacked to the left and a flex TE and RB to the right of the formation. The left side runs a double whip concept: both receivers break outside at a shallow depth then whip back across the field in opposite directions, creating natural rub traffic that clears out underneath zones and picks off man defenders. On the right, the flex TE runs a vertical seam up the numbers while the RB releases into a quick flat route, giving the QB a three level stretch (whip, flat, seam) against both man and zone coverage. This is a man beater first with zone beater properties on the backside due to the whip crossing action, and the primary read progression starts with the seam route up top, works down to the whip crossers if the safety commits deep, and checks down to the flat as the outlet.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth: a single high safety signals man coverage underneath which opens the seam route, while two deep safeties suggest zone and shift the read to the whip crossers. Watch linebacker alignment over the flex TE, if they walk up to the line expect man coverage on the seam and be ready to throw with anticipation before the break. Post-snap, key the underneath zone defenders' drop angles on the whip side, if they drop deep and wide the crossing routes will settle into soft spots for easy completions. Beware Cover 3 with a hard flat defender since it can jump the RB's route and also rob one of the whip crossers if the zone defender sinks quickly. Watch for blitz packages that bring extra pressure off the edge, since the whip routes take time to develop and a fast blitz can force the ball out before the crossers clear traffic.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion on the flex TE to identify if the defense shifts to man or stays in zone, this confirms whether to prioritize the seam or the whip crossers.
Against man coverage look immediately to the flex TE seam route since it wins one on one vertically against linebackers and slower safeties.
Against zone shells with two deep safeties, work the whip crossers since the natural pick action creates open windows in the shallow to intermediate zones.
This play shines on second and medium or third and short since the flat route and whip crossers provide quick underneath answers if the seam is capped.
Pair Mtn Whips with Mtn Fades H-Choice or Four Verticals earlier in a drive to condition the defense to respect the vertical shot, making the shallow whip crossers even more effective later.
Hot route the RB from a flat release to a check release if you anticipate a blitz, giving your QB extra protection while still keeping the whip crossers live.
