Playbooks
At a Glance
Overview
Tight Flex Wk is a compressed 11 personnel look in Shotgun that flexes the tight end off the line into a tight slot while stacking the bunch to the weak side, which is what separates it from spread out sets like Wing Trio or wide splits in the same formation. The "Wk" designation matters because the bunch cluster sits opposite the strength most defenses expect, so single high shells often rotate the wrong direction pre-snap and leave the bunch triangle working against a linebacker or a slot defender with no help over the top. Because the splits are tight, every route in the concept starts inside the numbers, which shrinks the defense's usable field and forces zone droppers to cover grass they do not want to cover.
The play art leans heavily on bunch and mesh family concepts: Mtn Bunch Drive, Cheat Bunch Drive Corner, Mtn Bunch Switch Flood, Mtn Bunch Whip Smash, Mesh Spot Rail, and Mtn Mesh Spot all attack from the same compressed alignment, so your opponent cannot read the coverage beater from the formation alone. That is where the set earns its money in competitive play. Man coverage gets shredded by the natural traffic and rub action off the bunch stack, while zone gets stressed by the flood and spot concepts that put three levels in one throwing window.
The tags tell you how to build around it. With 3DRB you get a pass catching back who can be motioned out or hot routed into an angle or option route against a slower linebacker, SLWR gives you a slot receiver isolated inside on the tight end side where safety help is furthest away, and Gadget opens up cross screen and misdirection looks like Mtn Bunch Cross Screen. Add Inside Zone and Mtn Bunch HB Draw off the same alignment and you have a set that punishes opponents who commit extra bodies to the compressed side.
Strengths
- Bunch and stack alignments create automatic traffic against man coverage, so Mtn Bunch Drive, Mtn Bunch Whip Smash, and Mtn Mesh Spot function as pure man beaters without needing hot routes.
- Mtn Bunch Switch Flood and Cheat Bunch Switch Flood give you a true three level flood that breaks Cover 3 and Cover 4 flat defenders, especially when you user the deep clear route to hold the safety.
- Compressed splits mean easy adjustments: hot route the outside bunch receiver to a fade or corner and you instantly turn any spot concept into a high low with a vertical stretch on the same side.
- Inside Zone and Mtn Bunch HB Draw keep the run threat live from the exact same alignment, and the tight splits give you extra bodies near the box so light nickel fronts get outnumbered.
- Mtn Y Cross, Mtn Bunch Cross Dig, and PA Dagger attack the intermediate middle, which is the weak spot against opponents who user the deep middle or drop into robber looks.
Weaknesses
- Tight splits invite outside edge pressure and overload blitzes off the open side, and with 11 personnel you only have one back to help, so nano blitzes off the boundary get home fast.
- Many of the primary concepts develop over the middle, which is exactly where a user controlled linebacker or robber safety can park and jump Mtn Mesh Spot or Inside Hi Lo.
- Bunch releases can get jammed and rerouted against tight man press, which stalls the rub action and turns quick reads into hold the ball situations.
- The set lacks a true isolated wide receiver on an island, so if you need a one on one deep shot outside the numbers you have to motion first and give away information.
- Screen and draw looks like Mtn Bunch Cross Screen and Cheat Bunch HB Draw get blown up quickly against defenses that crash the compressed side or spam a slot blitz.
Usage Tips
Read the safety rotation pre snap. If the shell rotates away from the bunch, go straight to Mtn Bunch Switch Flood or Cheat Bunch Drive Corner and attack the vacated side with the flood or corner route.
On third down between four and eight yards, live in Mesh Spot Rail, Stick, and Mtn Mesh Spot, then hot route the running back to a flat or angle route as your check down against man blitz.
Use Mtn Bunch HB Draw and Inside Zone on second and medium after showing three straight bunch pass concepts, since opponents will start dropping eight and widening their linebackers.
Motion the slot receiver across pre snap to diagnose coverage. If a defender follows step for step you have man and can trust the rub concepts, if nobody moves you check to a zone beater like Mtn Bunch Switch Flood or PA Dagger.
Save PA Dagger and Mtn Y Cross for when your opponent starts sitting a user defender at the intermediate level, since the deep clear out plus the crossing route punishes anyone who bites underneath.
