Playbooks

X Follow

Shotgun·Spread·10

Pass Play Play Action Mesh Shallow Cross Drag Deep Cross In Go Streak Curl Flat Levels Man Beater Cover 3 Beater

Play diagram for X Follow from Shotgun Spread in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetSpread

Personnel

101 RB · 0 TE · 4 WR

In 3 playbooks

Fix OffenseOffense Balanced OffenseOffense MUT KO Air Raid OffenseOffense

Breakdown

X Follow out of Shotgun Spread with 10 personnel is a mesh based man beater built around a shallow crosser and a follow route stacked behind it. The X runs a deep in from the boundary while the two inside receivers run a shallow drag and a mirrored shallow going the opposite way, creating natural rub traffic underneath, and the two outside vertical routes on the far side stretch the field with a corner route and a streak up the numbers. Primary read starts with the shallow drag combo working to the boundary against man coverage, then climbs to the deep in from the X, and finally works out to the corner or streak on the backside if the shallow crossers are covered.

Defensive Reads

Pre-snap, check corner depth on the outside receivers running the corner and streak, if they are playing off coverage those verticals become a real threat over the top Watch linebacker depth over the shallow crossers, if they sit shallow and stay square this concept struggles because the mesh gets clogged This play beats man coverage and single high looks hardest, since the shallow crossers create natural separation and the deep in settles behind the linebackers Cover 3 with a sitting flat defender and an aggressive underneath robber can jump the shallow drags early and blow up the timing before the deep in comes open User the mike linebacker or a nickel defender to spy the shallow crossing routes and be ready to sink under the deep in route from the X to take away the top read

Usage Tips

Attack man coverage first since the shallow drag and mirrored shallow are designed to create natural picks against man defenders trailing across the field

Use pre-snap motion or a hot route on the flat option route to give yourself a built in checkdown if the mesh concept is blanketed

Against zone shells with a single high safety, work the deep in from the X since it settles into the void behind the shallow crossers

Pair this play with Mesh or H Shallow Cross earlier in a drive so defenders start jumping the shallow routes, then hit the corner or streak on the backside for a big play once they overcommit

Best called on second and medium to second and long where the deep in and backside vertical routes have room to develop before the pocket collapses