Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
QB Zone is a designed quarterback run out of Shotgun Wing Slot Offset with 12 personnel on the field. The diagram shows the offensive line executing a zone blocking scheme, sliding as a unit while the QB reads the flow of the down linemen and picks his crease off the read man on the edge. The two outside receivers are uninvolved in the run design, running vertical stems to occupy the corners and hold the safeties out of the box, so this is purely a run play with the primary read being the frontside gap versus backside cutback based on how the defensive front flows to the zone blocks.
Defensive Reads
Watch linebacker depth pre-snap since stacked or crashing linebackers signal a run blitz that can blow up the zone scheme before it develops. Check safety alignment, since a single high safety indicates man or Cover 3 that leaves the box lighter and more vulnerable to this QB run design. Man coverage on the two outside receivers with no underneath help is a green light since it means extra defenders are tied up on the perimeter instead of filling run lanes. Overloaded fronts with an extra defender on the play side, or defenders keying the QB with a spy assignment, are the primary counter to this play and shut down the cutback lane. Post snap, key the play side defensive end and any user controlled defender crashing hard down the line, since that is the trigger for the QB to bounce the run to the backside cutback lane.
Usage Tips
Run this out of neutral downs like 2nd and 4 or 3rd and 2 where defenses are not selling out on pass coverage since the light box disguised by the two vertical releases keeps defenders honest. Check the defensive front pre-snap and look for light boxes with six or fewer defenders in the box, since this is a designed QB run that needs numbers advantage to hit for explosive yardage. Use the QB's patience trait mentally and let the zone blocks develop before committing to a lane, then cut off the frontside read if the edge defender crashes down hard. Pair this with Inside Zone or Duo out of the same formation to keep the defense guessing between HB run and QB run looks, since the blocking scheme and receiver releases look identical pre-snap. Sequence this after establishing Jet Touch Pass or Read Option earlier in a drive so linebackers start cheating outside and QB Zone can hit the interior cutback lane.
