Gun Bunch Wk

Formation: Gun Bunch Wk

Play: Stick (cover 3 beater)

Setup:

1. Put your slot receiver on a fade route

Reads:

1. Your first read is the flat route to the tight end
2. Then look to the corner route
3. You also have the deep bomb to the slot receiver
4. Your last read is the backside slant

Overview: This play should be run with the bunch side to the wide side of the field. We have a corner flat combo on the bunch side that beats zone coverage, and then also have a safety route backside and a deep bomb in case we are faced with a cover 3 with no inverted outside corner. If the corner is inverted, that then opens up the corner route even more.

Play: Mesh Post (regular setup)

Setup:

1. (Optional) Block the RB

Reads:

1. Quick flat route to the TE
2. Double drags over the middle
3. Deep Post (optional high ball depending on coverage/opponent’s user)

Overview: Mesh Post has been one of the most effective plays in the game for the last two years. The deep post is extremely hard to guard, especially when faced with a high low underneath with the drags that must be user guarded or shaded down to take away. You can mix in this play when your opponent begins to focus on taking away some of the sideline attacks that we use.

Play: Mesh Post (Max protect)

Setup:

1. Max protect
2. Fade slot WR if expecting zone look

Reads:

1. High low with the post/drag
2. Run with QB, possible bomb to fade if the right look

Overview: This is our first max protection play and it is going to be our only setup where not really every route is viable. You can leave the slot on a drag if you would like for an extra read, but I like to fade that WR to open up the window for the post more and clear it out. Usually when you run mesh post you will have the drag or post open, but if not then here I will look to scramble or just throw it away and live for another down.

Play: Deep Corner    

Setup:                                  

1. Wheel the HB
2. In route the left WR

Reads:

1. High low to the corner/flat
2. High low with the in route/post
3. Wheel route to the HB after he clears the flat zone (post will pull the deep zone)

Overview: This is one of two plays from the gun bunch formation that I like to send 5 routes out on. With the blitz heavy defenses that are in the meta now, it is not always necessary to max protect and at times I like to send 5 routes out and make good solid reads. We have multiple high low reads and three hot reads to the flat route, wheel, and in route. We also have 2 deep hitters that we can attack over the top as well.

Play: Z Spot

Setup:

1. Max protect
2. Fade the outside bunch WR
3. Drag/In route single WR

Reads:

1. Single WR route across the middle of the field (can read it late too)
2. Corner route to the sideline. Be patient, we are max protecting so we will have time
3. Fade vs a cover 3 if the deep zone shoots out to guard the corner route

Overview: There are times where we need to max protect, and I like this setup because we can max protect and still have 2-3 viable routes. We have the deep corner route that beats man and gets behind any zone so if the flat zones match it, it will still get open. Then we also have a safety route backside, and a possible deep bomb if the play works like our Stick setup does.

Play: Verticals (5 route setup)

Setup:

1. Streak HB
2. Motion outside WR to the sideline and hike before he sets

Reads:

1. Quick throw to the motion-out wheel
2. TE on the Wheel
3. Streak to the HB
4. Over route to the slot WR

Overview: With 5 routes out, we usually will not have that much time to throw it to the 4^th read. However, we have a lot of quick hitters on this play to combat whatever blitz our opponent will send at us. I like to go to this play on a short yardage down and distance like 3^rd or 4^th and 1. Opponents tend to blitz so it gives us an easy option to hit our quick reads. If we do not get blitzed, be patient and make the open read or wait until the deep over comes open if nothing is open quick.

Play: Verticals (max protect) 

Setup:

1. Max protect
2. Drag the single side WR
3. Motion the outside WR to the sideline, hike before he sets

Reads:

1. Quick throw to the motion wheel
2. High low with the drag and the over route

Overview: While max protecting, we still keep our best route with the wheel route and then also have a high low with the drag and the over route. It keeps the opponents from usering our most important route and then makes them pick between one or the other.

Play: Inside Cross

Setup:

1. Fade the outside bunch WR
2. Streak the slot WR
3. Block the TE
4. In route the single WR and smart route him
5. Motion outside WR out, hike before he sets

Reads:

1. Quickthrow down the seam to the streak
2. Outside pass lead to the outside fade
3. RB route across the middle after he cuts
4. Safety in route on the backside

Overview: This is a play that allows us to utilize our running back on a route different than a simple wheel or fade route. There aren’t many good RB routes out of Bunch, and this setup allows us to hot route a cover 2 beater concept while having an effective RB route and a safety route as well.

Play: Deep Attack (regular setup)

Setup:

1. Flat route the TE
2. Fade the slot WR
3. Motion outside wr toward the sideline, hike before he sets

Reads:

1. Flat route right away
2. Fade down the seam
3. High low with the in route and the deep post

Overview: This is a play I like to go to when I want to balance out how my opponent plays mesh post. A lot of focus will go to guarding that post from the bunch side, and with this play you get a post route from the single WR side. With most plays I like to have that post with a high low read with it, so here I use the stock in route and motion it to the outside to give better timing with the read.

Play: Deep Attack (max protect)

Setup:

1. Max protect
2. Fade slot WR
3. Hitch route the outside bunch WR

Reads:

1. Fade down the seam
2. Playmaker the hitch route either inside or outside depending on coverage
3. Post over the middle

Overview: This is another max protect setup, but with this one we get a playmaker hitch to go along with our deep post route over the middle. Playmaker hitch is not as good as it was last year, but is still effective both against man and zone. Our opponent will either have to give that up or jump it, and if they jump the hitch we are max protected so we have time to wait on our deep post.

Play: HB Draw

Setup:

1. (Optional) Motion the outside bunch WR inside a few steps and hike for extra blocking

Overview: This is the only run I like to go to from Gun Bunch, unless for some reason the situation calls for an HB sweep. I do not like to run a lot from this formation but a HB draw is great to keep the defense honest and give something that the opponent must respect. If they do not respect the draw then we will keep on running it until they adjust.

Play: Any – Flat Concept

Setup:

1. Flat route the outside bunch WR
2. Wheel HB
3. Flip the play

Reads:

Depending on which play you run it from, the read will be different. I like to run it out of Deep Corner mostly, where I also hitch the slot WR. I like to wait until the HB cuts upfield then pass lead him inside and cut it off

Overview: This is a nice wrinkle to mix in, similar to how people set it up with a Gun Trey or Trips TE look with the HB wheel. We have to flat route and then flip because you cannot put the outside single WR on a flat. I save this for late game scenarios when I know I need a first down.

Play: Flipping Concept – Any play

Setup:

1. Watch the video in detail to see the specific ways you can utilize this concept

Overview: This is another way to play mental games with our opponent. As broken down in the video, you can hot route a receiver and then when it flips your hot route will still be the same. In doing this, you can hot route a receiver before you flip the play, and that same WR will be in the route you want after flipping. I break down a few different cases where this will be useful in messing with our opponents adjustments.