Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mtn Jet Pull Shallow lines up out of Shotgun Tight Open with 11 personnel and uses jet motion across the formation before the snap. Both outside receivers push vertical up the seams to clear out the deep zones while the shallow crosser sits underneath, working from one side of the formation across the middle at a shallow depth to give the quarterback an easy underneath outlet. This is a man beater built to punish man coverage with the crossing action shaking defenders on the pick action created by the shallow route, with the primary read progression starting on the shallow crosser and working out to the vertical seams if the underneath window is taken away.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify if the linebackers are walked up tight to the box, since a shallow crosser against a stacked box often means a free release with no immediate hook defender. Watch the safeties before the snap, two-high shells indicate the defense is more likely playing zone underneath, which makes the shallow route riskier against a sitting linebacker. Post-snap, key the flow of the middle linebacker, if he widens with the shallow crosser you likely have zone coverage and should look to the vertical seam route immediately. User-controlled defenders will often try to sit in the shallow crossing lane to jump the route, so if you see a defender shading toward the middle of the field pre-throw, pump and reset to the vertical route on the opposite hash. This concept is shut down by aggressive man blitzes with no safety help over the top, since the shallow route has no time to develop and the verticals become one-on-one contested throws downfield.
Usage Tips
Use the jet motion pre-snap to identify man versus zone, if the defender follows the motion man across the formation you know you are getting man coverage and the shallow crosser becomes a near-automatic completion.
Snap the ball right as the motion man clears the tackle box to keep the shallow route timing clean and avoid a lurking linebacker from getting depth in time.
This play shines on third and short to third and medium since the shallow crosser gets easy YAC once he clears traffic.
Hot route the backside vertical into a deep dig or comeback against zone coverage to give yourself a sit-down window versus cover 3 or cover 4 shells.
Pair this play with Mtn PA Cross or Mtn RPO Read Flat in the same set to keep the defense guessing between run action and the shallow crossing concept, since both plays share similar shallow and flat reads out of the same formation look.
