Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn Zone Alert is a play-action oriented passing concept out of Singleback Toad X Nasty with 11 personnel that uses a wide receiver motion pre-snap to alert the offense to zone or man coverage. Off the diagram, the outside receiver runs a deep corner route breaking hard upfield and outside near the numbers, the slot receiver runs a shallow crossing route working underneath from the right side to the middle of the field, and a check release running back releases out of the backfield on an angle route into the void vacated by the crossing route. The primary read progression starts with the deep corner route as the alert throw against zone shells, then works down to the crossing route in the shallow middle, and finishes with the check release angle route as the safety valve underneath.
Defensive Reads
Read the strong safety pre-snap, since a two high shell with the safety rotating late favors the deep corner route while a single high shell with the safety sitting over the top can jump the corner and force a checkdown. Watch the flat or curl defender assigned to the crossing receiver's zone, since a lurking linebacker or user controlled defender sitting in that shallow zone can undercut the crossing route for a big hit or turnover. Key the cornerback's leverage on the outside receiver before the snap, since outside leverage invites the corner route while inside leverage signals a possible jam or bracket coverage. This play struggles against aggressive man blitzes where the linebacker covering the check release running back is replaced by an extra rusher, since that eliminates the easy checkdown and speeds up the pass rush. Cover 3 with a sky safety rotation is the toughest shell to beat here because it can wall off both the corner route and the crossing route simultaneously.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify whether the defense is playing man or zone, since a defender following the motion man confirms man coverage and opens up the crossing route as a rhythm throw. Against zone shells, prioritize the deep corner route as your first read since it attacks the void between the flat defender and the deep safety. Hot route the crossing receiver into a quick out if you see hard press man on the boundary, since the corner route can get squeezed by an aggressive cornerback. Pair this play with Mtn HB Zone Wk or HB Power O in your play calling sequence to keep defenses honest against the run before coming back to this zone beater on second or third down. This play works best on second and medium to third and long when defenses are more likely to sit in zone shells and bait the corner route.
