Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mtn Outside Zone is a zone run play out of Shotgun Y Trio Offset Wk that sends the offset back in motion across the formation before the snap, resetting the box count and forcing the defense to declare its edge fits. Up front the offensive line flows laterally in an outside zone blocking scheme, working combo blocks and reach blocks to seal the edge and create a bounce, bang, or bend read for the ball carrier. This is a pure run play with no pass option attached, and the primary read progression is the frontside double team into the playside linebacker, letting the runner press the line and read the first alignment defender before deciding whether to bounce it outside or cut it back inside.
Defensive Reads
Key the playside defensive end and outside linebacker leverage before the snap, if they are shaded wide with outside contain responsibility this run has less room to bounce. Watch the motion defender closely, a defender who mirrors the motion across the formation signals man coverage and often creates a gap in the run fit you can exploit with a cutback. Post-snap, track the flow of the linebackers, if they overpursue toward the play call's bounce direction the cutback lane inside becomes the higher value read. Beware of a hard edge set combined with a fast scraping linebacker, this combination is the primary counter to outside zone and forces the runner to cut back into traffic. Look for safeties rotating down into the box after the motion, since a heavy front with numbers advantage on the play side can blow up the zone blocking scheme before it develops.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify man versus zone coverage, if the defender follows the motion man across the formation you are almost certainly facing man principles and can plan your cutback accordingly.
Call this out of Y Trio Offset Wk on early downs like first and ten or second and short to stay balanced and keep the defense honest against your pass heavy calls from the same set.
Attack defenses that walk down safeties into the box pre-snap, since the motion forces a rotation and can create a numbers advantage on the perimeter if the defense does not adjust in time.
Pair this play with Mtn WR Option or Mtn Y Lead Read Option from the same formation so defenders keying run fits get punished by option and read concepts off similar motion and personnel.
Avoid forcing this play into stacked eight man fronts with fast flowing linebackers, since outside zone loses value when the playside edge is not sealed cleanly.
