Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 18 playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn Zone Wk is an inside zone run out of the Strong I formation in the Wing set, run with a pre-snap motion man crossing the backfield to adjust the strength of the blocking surface. Up front the offensive line and fullback flow in unison to the weak side, working combo blocks at the point of attack and climbing to the second level to seal off linebackers. This is a zone run designed to let the HB read the flow of blockers and pick his crease rather than hitting a predetermined hole, with the primary read being the play side double team and the backside cutback lane if the defense overpursues.
Defensive Reads
Watch the weak side linebacker depth and alignment before the snap, since a linebacker sitting too far outside opens the cutback lane the runner is designed to find. Key the safety rotation after the motion, since defenses that stay in a two high shell without adjusting are usually vulnerable to the zone run hitting downhill. Identify if the defense is running a nano blitz off the edge, since a fast crashing edge defender can blow up the zone flow before the line gets movement. Look for user controlled defenders spying the fullback lead, since a smart user will shoot the gap the fullback is trying to seal rather than reacting to the ball carrier. Against stacked eight man fronts or heavy blitz packages this run gets stopped quickly, so recognize a run blitz pre-snap and consider audibling to a quick pass instead.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify if the defense shifts a linebacker or safety, since that tells you if you are getting a true numbers advantage weak side.
Attack light boxes with six or fewer defenders in the box, since the zone blocking scheme struggles against stacked fronts with extra run support.
Pair this with PA Mtn Power to sell the same motion and backfield action, then hit play action passes off it once the defense starts crashing down on the run fake.
On early downs use this to stay ahead of the chains, then mix in HB Counter Wk and Mtn Power O from the same set so linebackers cannot key the zone flow.
Hot route the fullback into a kick out block if you see an edge defender crashing hard inside, since that keeps the cutback lane clean for the HB.
