Playbooks

Mtn Z Spot

Shotgun·Spread Y-Slot Wk·11

Likely unavailable in the playbook builder

This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

Diagram coming soon

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetSpread Y-Slot Wk

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 1 playbook

Air Raid Classic OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Mtn Z Spot is a classic Spot concept out of Shotgun 11 personnel, built around a five-man route combo designed to attack zone coverage underneath while giving the quarterback a full-field progression against man as well. The Z receiver runs the settle route into the flat area vacated by the corner route, the TE or slot runs the spot/hitch to the sit zone, and a corner route clears out the top to stress the flat defender and hook defenders simultaneously. This is a zone beater first, with the primary read progression going flat to spot to corner, reading the underneath zone defender's drop before working backside if the concept is covered.

Defensive Reads

Read the flat defender first, if he sinks with the spot route or widens too far with the corner route, the window opens for either the flat catch or the sit route underneath. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, shallow linebackers who crash the spot route zone will open a throwing lane to the flat, while deep-dropping linebackers force you to check the corner route over the top. Identify Cover 3 by the single high safety and corners playing off, this concept shreds Cover 3 because the flat defender cannot cover both the flat and the spot route simultaneously. Watch for a user-controlled defender flying to the sit zone as a lurk threat, if the user jumps the spot route early, immediately reset to the flat or corner route since that man is now vacated. This play struggles against aggressive man coverage with underneath robber support, if you see Cover 1 with a robber sitting in the middle of the field, expect the spot route to be taken away and favor the flat or backside hot route instead.

Usage Tips

Use this on third and short to third and medium since the spot route and flat combo give the quarterback a quick answer against Cover 2 and Cover 3 zone drops.

Identify the coverage shell pre-snap by checking corner depth and safety alignment, if you see two deep safeties with corners playing off, expect the flat defender to sink into the spot window so be ready to hit the flat route first.

Hot route the backside receiver into a quick out or slant if you see man coverage across the board, since the Spot concept loses some value against man beaters unless you adjust that outlet receiver.

Pair this play with Mtn Buck Sweep or Mtn HB Swing earlier in a series to get the linebackers flowing downhill, then come back to Mtn Z Spot to exploit the same underneath zone drops with the flat and spot combo once they are triggered by run action.

Sequence this with Dagger or Four Verticals from the same set so the defense has to respect the deep shots, opening up the shorter spot window with less urgency from the safeties.