Playbooks
At a Glance
In 1 playbook
Overview
Wide Normal Y Off is a Shotgun set built on 11 personnel where both outside receivers are pushed wide to the numbers, the slot sits in a normal split, and the tight end aligns off the line as a detached wing next to the tackle. That off ball tight end is the whole point of the set: he is not covered up as a sixth blocker, so he can insert as a lead blocker, arc release, or leak into the flat without fighting a jam. Compared to the tighter compressed and bunch sets in Shotgun, Wide Normal Y Off stretches the field horizontally before the snap, which forces the defense to declare whether it is playing with a single high safety or rotating to two deep, and that declaration is your read key on every RPO in the set.
The play list is deliberately run first. Mtn Inside Zone and Mtn Lead Outside Zone give you gap sound downhill runs with the Y as the extra body at the point of attack, while Mtn RPO Alert Power and Mtn RPO Read Y Flat attach a pass option to the same blocking shell so you never have to guess against loaded boxes. Mtn PA Verticals and Mtn PA Power Pop are the punishment plays: both sell the run track, pull linebackers forward, and open the seam and intermediate windows behind them. Because the sets tagged Gadget and SLWR let you put your slot receiver in motion or swap him to the wide side, you can create leverage matchups before the snap without changing personnel.
Matchup wise, the wide splits isolate your X receiver on an island. Against single high man, that is a one on one you can win with a hot routed fade or slant, and against cloud coverage you can work the slot into the vacated middle. The off ball tight end is the mismatch piece in the pass game since most defenses will cover him with a linebacker or safety, and from a detached alignment he gets a free release into the flat or up the seam on the play action concepts.
Strengths
- Mtn RPO Read Y Flat gives you a built in answer to box count: read the flat defender, hand it off against a loaded box or pull it and hit the Y in space when the defense crashes downhill.
- Mtn PA Verticals is a premium zone beater from this set because the run fake sucks linebackers up and the seam routes attack the hole behind a single high safety, especially with the slot hot routed to a drag or option underneath.
- Wide splits on both outside receivers isolate your best route runner against man coverage, so a simple hot route to slant, fade, or in route becomes a clean one on one with no help defender nearby.
- The detached tight end releases without a jam, making Mtn PA Power Pop a reliable intermediate shot against Cover 3 and Cover 4 defenses that leave the hook and curl windows soft.
- Mtn Inside Zone and Mtn Lead Outside Zone run out of the same shell as the RPOs and play actions, so the defense cannot key your intent from the pre snap picture alone.
Weaknesses
- With the tight end off the line rather than covered up, edge pressure and nano blitzes from the open side get home fast on the play action concepts since the Y is often a lead blocker or releasing, not setting an edge.
- Wide receiver splits mean the outside targets are far from the quarterback, so any interior pressure forces a throw before the deep and intermediate routes develop.
- Mtn PA Verticals and Mtn PA Power Pop have long developing route stems and no true quick checkdown built in, which makes them liabilities against Cover 2 man and aggressive blitz packages.
- A user controlled defender sitting on the tight end kills Mtn RPO Read Y Flat, since the flat read is the only quick option on the play.
- The set is run heavy by design, so opponents who recognize the personnel will crowd the box and force you into the play action concepts on obvious passing downs.
Usage Tips
Read the safety depth pre snap. One high with a stacked box means pull it on Mtn RPO Alert Power or throw the flat on Mtn RPO Read Y Flat, while two deep safeties mean the box is light and you should hand it off.
Use the Gadget and SLWR tags to motion your slot across the formation, which tells you man or zone immediately: a defender following means man and your isolated outside hot route is live.
Save Mtn PA Verticals and Mtn PA Power Pop for after you have run Mtn Inside Zone and Mtn Lead Outside Zone successfully, since the play action fake only pulls linebackers forward if they respect your run game.
On third and medium, hot route the slot to a curl or option and let the outside isolation route clear the corner out, giving you a high percentage throw against both man and zone shells.
If your opponent consistently users the flat defender on the tight end, check to Mtn RPO Alert Power and just run it, because the vacated interior gets you the yards that the RPO read is taking away.
