Playbooks

Mtn Z Spot N Go

Shotgun·Spread·10

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Breakdown

Mtn Z Spot N Go out of Shotgun Spread 10 personnel is a zone beater built around the Spot concept married to a go route from the Z receiver, giving you both a short answer and an over the top shot on the same snap. The spot combo (flat, corner, and hook pieces) occupies the underneath zone defenders while the Z runs the go route vertically to stress the deep safety and cornerback leverage. Your primary read starts with the Z go route on any single high or blown coverage look, then works down to the spot concept underneath if the top is capped, reading flat to corner to the settling hook route in that order.

Defensive Reads

Pre-snap, identify single high versus two deep safety alignment, since single high tells you the Z go has favorable numbers on the vertical shot while two deep means the safety has help over the top. Watch the cornerback over the Z at the snap, if he opens his hips and runs with the go route in man coverage you have a straight speed or route running matchup to win, if he sits and reads you should abandon the shot and go underneath. Key the flat defender and hook defender post snap, if they widen or sink too quickly on the spot concept the middle of the field opens for the hook route sitting down against zone. This play struggles against press man with safety help over the top, since the Z go route gets no natural picture and the underneath spot concept lacks the extra vertical stress needed to hold zone defenders. Watch for a disguised blitz showing zone pressure, if the defense brings extra rushers and rotates a safety down late, the Z go route can hit a blown coverage big play before the rush affects the quarterback.

Usage Tips

Check pre-snap for single high safety alignment since that tells you the Z go route has a straight man or one deep defender to beat, and that is your green light to take the shot immediately off the snap.

If the corner over the Z is playing off man or shows soft outside leverage, hot route the Z to a slant or use the go as a decoy while you work the spot concept underneath for the easy conversion.

Use this play on early downs in first and ten or second and short to keep the defense honest, since the vertical shot threat opens up the underneath spot window on future snaps.

Pair this with Spot N Go or Mtn X Spot from the same set to create a mirrored concept look, forcing the defense to declare which side gets the shot and which side gets the check down.

Against zone shells, work the spot concept flat to corner to hook read and only take the Z go route if the safety bites hard on run action or the underneath route combo, leaving him late to the deep third.

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