Playbooks

Outside Zone

Shotgun·Stack Y-Flex·11
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This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

Quick Reference

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Breakdown

Outside Zone from Shotgun Stack Y-Flex is a zone blocking run play that sends the offensive line laterally to stretch the defensive front before the running back reads the alley for a cutback lane. This is a pure run concept designed to attack gap integrity and edge defenders who overcommit to their assigned lanes, forcing linebackers to flow horizontally and creating vertical creases inside. The primary read progression starts with the play side edge defender and DE contain, then works to the frontside linebacker fit, and finishes with the backside cutback lane if the defense overpursues.

Defensive Reads

Watch the play side defensive end and outside linebacker pre-snap, since Outside Zone struggles against hard edge set defenders who stay square and refuse to get washed down the line. Read linebacker depth at the snap, because linebackers sitting at five yards or deeper can fill cutback lanes fast and erase the cutback read. Look for user controlled defenders spying the running back or crashing down hard off the edge, which are the biggest threats to blow up the stretch action before it develops. Identify base fronts with a true 3-technique or 4i alignment, since these tilted fronts naturally create rescrape problems for the play side guard and tackle. Check safety alignment pre-snap, because a safety cheating into the box as a run support defender can shut off the cutback lane that this play is designed to eventually hit.

Usage Tips

Attack light boxes with six or fewer defenders in the box, since Outside Zone loses value against heavy fronts with an extra run defender stacked inside.

Use pre-snap motion or a quick glance to check if the defense shifts the front toward the strength of the Stack Y-Flex formation, which tells you whether the play side or backside cutback will be more open.

Pair this play with Inside Zone and HB Draw from the same set so linebackers cannot key run direction off formation tendency, keeping the defense honest on flow reads.

Against aggressive user defenders shooting gaps, hold the aiming point wide longer than usual to let the zone blocking wash defenders past the point of attack before cutting up.

On second and short or first down, call this out of a run heavy sequence with PA Jailbreak Screen and PA Read to punish linebackers who key the zone stretch action too fast.

Other Plays in Stack Y-Flex