Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
Verticals out of Shotgun Trio Offset Wk sends three receivers up the field on vertical routes while the slot receiver on the strong side runs a quick out to the flat. The lone running back stays in to help protect, giving the quarterback a clean pocket to climb through as he reads the seams. This is a classic four verts concept built to attack both Cover 2 and Cover 3 shells by stretching the deep zones and forcing safeties to pick a lane, with the primary read progressing from the inside seam route to the opposite vertical if the middle of the field is closed.
Defensive Reads
Watch pre-snap safety depth and width, if both safeties are tight to the hash marks expect Cover 2 and the seam window will open up quickly. If the strong side cornerback is playing off with outside leverage, that usually signals zone coverage and you can attack the vertical in front of him before the safety rotates over. Post-snap, key the middle linebacker's drop, a shallow drop into the seam is a sign of Cover 3 or a Tampa 2 look trying to take away the inside vertical. User-controlled safeties who bail hard to the deep middle will erase the inside seam, so be ready to reset to the far outside vertical against the boundary. This concept struggles against a well disguised Cover 4 with quarters defenders sinking on verticals, and it can get exposed by a delayed blitz if the running back releases to protect instead of chipping first.
Usage Tips
Check the safety alignment before the snap, two high safeties who stay deep and split usually means Cover 2 or Cover 4, so target the seam route between the numbers and the safety for the easiest throw.
If you see a single high safety rotating late, that is Cover 3, so work the vertical that lands in the deep third the safety just vacated.
Hot route the flat route into a quick out or drag against man coverage if you need a faster underneath answer versus a Cover 1 or Cover 3 press look.
Use this play on second and long or third and long when you need an explosive gain, since the four verts stress can produce big plays but takes time to develop.
Pair this with RPO Read Bubble or Curl Flat earlier in a series so the defense commits to shorter zone drops, then hit them with Verticals once they start jumping underneath routes.
