Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
H Mtn X Shallow Cross lines up from Shotgun Trey Open with the H motioning across the formation pre-snap to create a Mtn motion look, then releasing into a deep vertical route up the numbers. The X runs the namesake shallow cross underneath the two outside routes, sitting flat across the field as an outlet, while the two receivers to the trips side (one X marked receiver and the slot) run a divide concept, one sitting down on an out breaker and the other climbing to a deep corner route. The five offensive linemen hold pass protection in a standard pocket set, and the primary read progression starts with the shallow cross underneath, works to the intermediate out route, and finishes with the deep corner and vertical shots on the outside if the pocket holds.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, watch the safety alignment: two high safeties suggest zone coverage that lets the shallow cross settle in the middle void, while a single high safety often means man coverage that the motion and crosser will expose. Key the linebacker depth at the snap, shallow drops mean the underneath cross will be contested, so look to the out route or deep corner instead. Watch for a user spying or lurking the shallow cross route since aggressive defenders will jump this route first, if you see early lurk movement, work the deep corner or vertical route. Cover 3 with a hard flat defender can undercut the shallow cross, but the vertical route up the numbers should hold a matchup against a single deep third defender. Man coverage that trails the H motion man is a green light for the shallow cross to win against trailing defenders who lose ground in transition, especially against nano blitz packages that commit extra rushers up front.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion on the H to identify man versus zone: if a defender follows across the formation, you have a man beater lined up with the shallow cross working underneath and away from the trailing defender.
Against zone shells, hot route the shallow cross to sit down in soft spots between the linebackers instead of running full speed through the middle, this turns it into a zone beater sitting in the throwing lanes.
This play works best on second or third and medium since the shallow cross and out route give the quarterback high percentage completions while the deep corner and vertical routes stay alive as explosive shots.
Pair this call with Curls or Y Stick HB Angle from the same Trey Open set to keep the defense guessing between quick underneath throws and this deeper crossing concept, forcing linebackers to widen their run fits and open up your ground game.
If the user drops a defender into the shallow cross lane, progress immediately to the deep corner route since the coverage rotation likely leaves a one on one on the outside.
