Playbooks
TE Attack out of Shotgun Wing Close Offset is a TE-focused man beater that leans on the tight end and slot targets to attack the middle of the field while backside routes hold defenders on the perimeter. The blocking scheme keeps enough bodies in to protect against four man rushes, giving the quarterback time to work through his route combos on a play designed for isolation matchups against linebackers and safeties. The primary read progression starts with the tight end working across the middle, then works out to the underneath option if the TE is blanketed, with a deep shot available if the defense sells out to stop the short game.
Pre-snap, identify if a linebacker or safety is shaded over the tight end since that alignment signals man coverage and confirms this is a good matchup to attack Watch for two high safeties rotating late, this often means zone coverage and you should look to sit the ball in the soft spot underneath the TE route rather than force it into a window Key on the MIKE linebacker blitz indicator, if he shows blitz before the snap you need to get the ball out fast to the TE attacking the vacated middle User lurk defenders sitting in the shallow middle zone can jump the TE crossing route, so scan for a user controlled defender hovering that lane before committing to the first read Cover 3 with a sky safety over the top can take away the deep shot option, forcing you to stay patient and check down rather than force a throw into that coverage shell
Attack linebacker heavy coverage since the TE Attack concept is built to exploit slower defenders trying to match up on tight ends in space
Check the middle of the field pre-snap for single high versus two high safety shells, this play works best when you see man coverage indicators like a MLB shaded over the TE
Use the hot route package to convert the TE into a shallow drag if you see a heavy blitz look, this gives you a quick outlet against pressure
Pair this play with Stick and Spacing from the same set to keep the defense guessing between quick game and intermediate crossers
Best used on second and medium to third and short where the defense is more likely to play man coverage and give up the TE matchup
Combine with HB Angle to set up defenders expecting the TE to be the first read, then burn overaggressive linebackers with the checkdown