Playbooks

Mtn PA Deep Over

Singleback·Bunch TE·11

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Breakdown

Mtn PA Deep Over is a play-action shot play out of Singleback Bunch TE that uses a mountain motion shift to disguise the deep over route working from the bunch alignment across the field. The play-action fake to the HB holds linebackers and safeties for a beat, giving the deep over time to clear the middle of the field while an underneath crosser and a flood route occupy the shallow zones. This is primarily a zone beater designed to attack single high shells and Cover 3 rotations, with the primary read progression starting on the deep over crossing the field, checking down to the underneath drag or flat route if the safety sinks under the over, and using the flood concept on the boundary side as the last resort.

Defensive Reads

Identify the safety alignment before the snap, since a single high safety in the middle of the field is the green light to attack with the deep over route. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if they bite hard on the play-action fake and flow toward the mountain motion, the middle of the field opens up for the crossing route immediately. This play beats Cover 3 and Cover 1 because the deep over stresses the seam between the deep third defender and the underneath zone defenders. Two high shells like Cover 2 or Cover 4 are tougher matchups since the safeties can sit on top of the over route, so key on whether the safeties stay deep through the play-action fake. Beware of user controlled linebackers sitting in the hook to curl zone, since a smart user can undercut the deep over route if they read the quarterback's eyes early, and watch for disguised blitzes that bring extra rushers off the edge since the play-action fake can hold the offensive line in pass protection a beat too long.

Usage Tips

Call this on second and long or third and long when the defense is more likely to sit in zone coverage rather than press man. Use the mountain shift pre-snap to bait linebackers into flowing toward the fake motion, which opens up extra grass for the deep over route. If you see a single high safety at the snap, trust the deep over route since it is designed to split the difference between the hook zone linebacker and the deep third defender. Pair this with Mtn Inside Zone or Mtn HB Zone Wk earlier in a series so the defense respects the run action and bites harder on the play-action fake here. Against two high safety shells, check down early to the underyard crosser or flat route instead of forcing the deep over into a defender sitting on top of the route. Sequence this behind Mtn PA Boot Over or Mtn PA Switch Replace to keep defenses guessing between boot action and this drop back shot play from the same personnel and formation look.

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