Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mtn Inside Zone out of Shotgun Wing Pair sends a jet motion man across the formation pre-snap to influence linebacker flow before the snap of the ball. The offensive line executes a zone blocking scheme, stepping in unison to the play side while the running back reads the double team blocks at the point of attack and presses the line before selecting his gap. This is a straightforward zone run play designed to gash defenses that overcommit to the motion or sell out to stop outside runs, with the primary read being the backside cutback lane if the play side gets clogged.
Defensive Reads
Watch linebacker depth before the snap, if they are stacked tight to the line of scrimmage they are keying run and will crash hard on the zone action. Key the play side defensive end and 3-technique, if they get washed down by the double team the cutback lane opens for a big gain. User the middle linebacker or play side backer to fill the cutback lane manually, since AI defenders often overpursue the zone action and leave that gap exposed. Watch for a defender spying or shadowing the motion man across the formation, that is your indicator you are facing man coverage and the run fit will be lighter on the backside. This run struggles against a stacked run defense front with linebackers sitting at five yards depth or a blitz package that sends extra defenders into the box before the snap.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify if the defense is playing man or zone, if a defender follows the motion man across the formation you are likely facing man coverage and the box count on the play side should be lighter.
Snap the ball right as the motion man clears the backfield to keep linebacker flow moving and open up the cutback lane for the running back.
This play works best on early downs like first and second down when defenses are not anticipating a heavy pass look from Shotgun Wing Pair.
Pair this play with Read Option and Duo from the same set to keep linebackers honest, since all three plays share similar zone blocking footwork that disguises your run direction until the mesh point.
If the defense stacks the box with extra defenders after seeing this run once, counter with RPO Duo Alert Post or PA TE Attack to punish overaggressive run fits.
