Playbooks

Mtn Return Levels

Shotgun·Trips TE·11

Levels Motion Pass Play Cover 2 Beater

Play diagram for Mtn Return Levels from Shotgun Trips TE in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetTrips TE

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

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Breakdown

Mtn Return Levels is a Levels concept out of Shotgun Trips TE with pre-snap motion, and the diagram confirms it as a Cover 2 beater. Pre-snap motion sends the inline TE across the formation on a return path underneath before the ball is snapped, resetting the trips look. Post-snap, the three receivers to the trips side stack the field vertically: the outside receiver runs a deep corner/go route up the sideline, the second receiver runs an intermediate in-cut at roughly 12-15 yards, and the innermost slot runs a shallow crosser working underneath. The backside X sits in a short flat/curl area. Progression reads high to low or low to high depending on the leverage of the underneath defender: the QB reads the deep corner first against two-high shells, then works down to the intermediate in-cut and finally the shallow crosser as the checkdown.

Defensive Reads

Pre-snap, identify two deep safeties splitting the field evenly, that is the Cover 2 shell this play is designed to exploit through the seams between the corner route and the intermediate in-cut. Watch the flat defender or corner underneath, if he sinks with the deep corner route he opens a throwing lane for the in-cut behind him, if he sits on the in-cut the corner route wins over the top. Man coverage is exposed by the return motion, if a linebacker or safety trails the TE across the formation pre-snap you are getting a man beater look and the natural picks from the stacked routes will spring someone open. User controlled safeties who bail late or jump the shallow crosser can undercut the underneath route, so be ready to climb the progression to the corner route if you see a user lurking underneath. Cover 3 and pattern match zones with disciplined underneath defenders can shut this down by squeezing the intermediate in route and forcing the QB to hold the ball, so have a hot route ready for the shallow route against those looks.

Usage Tips

Use the return motion pre-snap to identify if the defense is playing man or zone, if the defender follows the TE across the formation you know you are facing man coverage and can key on the levels stack for natural picks.

This play is built to attack Cover 2 specifically, so look for two deep safeties splitting the field before the snap, that shell tells you the corner route and intermediate in route will have soft spots to work with.

Hot route the shallow crosser into a quick out if you diagnose a hard flat zone drop from the underneath defender, this keeps the route combo alive against Cover 3 cloud looks.

Pair this call with Mtn Bench or Mtn Z Spot on early downs to condition the defense to expect quick game, then hit Return Levels on 2nd or 3rd and medium once the defense starts jumping the short routes.

Best used on 2nd and long or 3rd and medium where you need to stress two levels of the defense at once, the vertical stack forces a linebacker or safety to choose which route to take away.