Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Spacing out of Shotgun Tight Open (11 personnel) spreads five eligible receivers into a horizontal stretch designed to attack zone defenses. Both outside receivers run stick/hitch routes to the boundary at roughly 5 yards, the two slot receivers push vertical to about 10 yards before sitting down in the seams, and the TE releases into a shallow drag underneath through the middle of the field, giving the quarterback a five level horizontal read from sideline to sideline. This is a classic Cover 3 and Cover 4 beater built to hold linebackers and force zone defenders to choose between the flat and the seam, with the shallow drag serving as the checkdown or hot route answer against pressure.
Defensive Reads
Identify two deep safeties pre snap, which signals Cover 4 or Cover 2 and tells you the seam sits will have more room before the safety can drive. Watch the flat defenders at the snap, if a cornerback or linebacker widens fast to the sit route the seam behind him opens up as the primary answer. Look for a user controlled defender sitting in the shallow middle zone (a lurk threat), since that player can jump the TE drag and bait a turnover throw. Man coverage with press corners is the biggest counter to this concept, since the sit routes lose their spacing advantage and the seams get carried vertically instead of settled. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, shallow dropping linebackers can undercut the seam routes, so check if the drag route pulls them forward before targeting the seams.
Usage Tips
Read the flat defender first, if he sits on the outside hitch throw the seam sitting behind him for an easy completion.
Use the shallow drag as your built in hot route answer versus overload blitzes or when you see a nano blitz threat pre snap.
This play thrives on third and short to third and medium against zone heavy defenses, so call it when you diagnose Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells pre snap.
Pair Spacing with Mesh Spot or Bench Z Spot in your play calling sequence, since both attack man coverage and give you a natural counter once the defense adjusts to the horizontal stretch.
Snap the ball quickly against zone defenses because the sit routes settle into soft spots almost immediately, giving user linebackers less time to sink and rob the seams.
