Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Drive Y Trail out of Singleback Bunch Ace stacks three receivers to one side, with the outside receiver running a deep corner/fade to clear the top of the defense while the middle bunch receiver runs the drive route underneath, trailing across the formation at the sticks depth. The point man in the bunch runs a drag from the stack out to the opposite flat, and the backside receiver runs a deep post to hold the safety, while the running back releases out of the backfield on a wheel route up the sideline. This is a man beater built off natural pick action from the bunch alignment, with the primary read progression going from the drive route (the trail concept crossing underneath) to the wheel route out of the backfield if the linebacker gets picked off, then back to the corner route on the boundary if the coverage rotates away.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and alignment over the bunch since single-high shells (Cover 3, Cover 1) are more vulnerable to the rub created by the stacked receivers. Watch the flat defender's positioning, if he sits too far inside he cannot carry the drag route to the opposite flat and the trail concept picks up easy yards underneath. Post-snap, key the middle linebacker's drop, if he widens to trail the drive route it opens up the wheel route from the running back for a big gap in the seam. Cover 4 (quarters) defenses with disciplined corners funneling to the flat can shut this down if the corner route does not draw the safety away from the drag route. Watch for a user-controlled defender lurking in the shallow zone underneath the bunch, since that player can jump the drive route if the quarterback does not manipulate his eyes toward the wheel or corner first.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing man or zone off the bunch alignment since the natural rub from the stack is far more effective against man coverage.
Use motion out of the bunch to confirm man coverage before the snap, if the defender follows across the formation you know it is man and the drive/drag combo will have leverage.
Hot route the running back's wheel route earlier against blitz-heavy defenses since it becomes your outlet against pressure when the drive route gets clogged.
This play works best on second and medium to third and medium situations where the drive route depth matches the sticks.
Pair this with Drive TE Corner and PA Boot from the same set to keep defenses honest, since the bunch look disguises whether you are running the trail concept or the play-action boot off similar formation recognition.
