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offense / deep pass
Four receivers attack the deep field simultaneously, stretching every safety and corner vertically.
Animated assignment view
The quarterback identifies the number and leverage of deep safeties, then chooses an outside or seam matchup.
Ball: center
How it works
Two outside receivers occupy the sidelines while two inside receivers run the seams. The quarterback uses the safety shell and individual leverage to choose a vertical lane or concede the deep shot and check down.
Create explosive opportunities and force split-field defenders to declare which vertical lane they will protect.
Four receivers run deep in separate lanes. There are usually only three or four deep defenders, so the quarterback looks for the lane one defender cannot reach.
Against match coverage, verticals becomes a leverage concept rather than a simple numbers play; seam stems must threaten defenders before bending away from help.
Decision point
The safety shell and route leverage determine whether the ball belongs outside, up a seam, or underneath before pressure arrives.
Throw down the sideline when the receiver stacks a corner without immediate safety help.
high riskSplit the deep shell by leading the inside receiver away from the nearest safety.
high riskCheck down to the back when all four deep lanes are capped.
low risk{
"schema": "openplay-football",
"schemaVersion": "0.1",
"id": "four-verticals",
"slug": "four-verticals",
"name": "Four Verticals",
"side": "offense",
"category": "deep-pass",
"personnel": {
"id": "eleven-personnel",
"name": "11 Personnel",
"grouping": "1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR",
"positionCounts": {
"QB": 1,
"RB": 1,
"WR": 3,
"TE": 1,
"OL": 5
}
},
"formation": {
"id": "gun-doubles",
"name": "Gun Doubles",
"family": "shotgun",
"strength": "balanced",
"description": "Four evenly spaced receivers create two outside lanes and two seams."
},
"situationTags": [
"explosive",
"two-minute",
"long-yardage"
],
"players": [
{
"id": "qb",
"position": "QB",
"label": "QB",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 26.67,
"y": -5
},
"alignment": "Shotgun",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "quarterback"
},
{
"id": "rb",
"position": "RB",
"label": "RB",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 31,
"y": -6
},
"alignment": "Offset right",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "runningBack"
},
{
"id": "x",
"position": "WR",
"label": "X",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 5,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Wide left",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "receivers"
},
{
"id": "h",
"position": "WR",
"label": "H",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 18,
"y": -2
},
"alignment": "Left seam",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "receivers"
},
{
"id": "y",
"position": "TE",
"label": "Y",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 36,
"y": -2
},
"alignment": "Right seam",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "tightEnds"
},
{
"id": "z",
"position": "WR",
"label": "Z",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 49,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Wide right",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "receivers"
},
{
"id": "lt",
"position": "LT",
"label": "LT",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 21,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Line",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "passBlocking"
},
{
"id": "lg",
"position": "LG",
"label": "LG",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 24,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Line",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "passBlocking"
},
{
"id": "c",
"position": "C",
"label": "C",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 26.67,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Line",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "passBlocking"
},
{
"id": "rg",
"position": "RG",
"label": "RG",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 29.4,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Line",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "passBlocking"
},
{
"id": "rt",
"position": "RT",
"label": "RT",
"initialCoordinate": {
"x": 32.4,
"y": -1
},
"alignment": "Line",
"side": "offense",
"ratingRole": "passBlocking"
}
],
"preSnap": {
"description": "The quarterback identifies the number and leverage of deep safeties, then chooses an outside or seam matchup.",
"shifts": []
},
"assignments": [
{
"id": "x-go",
"playerId": "x",
"startsAtMs": 500,
"endsAtMs": 4300,
"type": "route",
"path": [
{
"type": "straight",
"to": {
"x": 5,
"y": 32
}
}
],
"landmark": "Left outside vertical lane",
"arrowhead": true,
"readOrder": 2
},
{
"id": "h-seam",
"playerId": "h",
"startsAtMs": 500,
"endsAtMs": 4300,
"type": "route",
"path": [
{
"type": "straight",
"to": {
"x": 21,
"y": 30
}
}
],
"landmark": "Left hash seam",
"arrowhead": true,
"readOrder": 1,
"conditionalAdjustment": "Bend away from a middle safety when leverage permits."
},
{
"id": "y-seam",
"playerId": "y",
"startsAtMs": 500,
"endsAtMs": 4300,
"type": "route",
"path": [
{
"type": "straight",
"to": {
"x": 33,
"y": 30
}
}
],
"landmark": "Right hash seam",
"arrowhead": true,
"readOrder": 1,
"conditionalAdjustment": "Bend away from a middle safety when leverage permits."
},
{
"id": "z-go",
"playerId": "z",
"startsAtMs": 500,
"endsAtMs": 4300,
"type": "route",
"path": [
{
"type": "straight",
"to": {
"x": 49,
"y": 32
}
}
],
"landmark": "Right outside vertical lane",
"arrowhead": true,
"readOrder": 2
},
{
"id": "rb-outlet",
"playerId": "rb",
"startsAtMs": 500,
"endsAtMs": 3600,
"type": "check-release",
"check": "Scan both A gaps before releasing underneath.",
"releasePath": [
{
"type": "curve",
"control": {
"x": 34,
"y": 0
},
"to": {
"x": 39,
"y": 4
}
}
]
},
{
"id": "center-deep-protection",
"playerId": "c",
"type": "pass-protection",
"responsibility": "Set the full-field protection point and prevent immediate interior collapse.",
"technique": "Vertical dropback set"
}
],
"decisionPoint": {
"id": "choose-vertical-lane",
"triggerTimeMs": 2700,
"prompt": "Which vertical lane should the quarterback attack?",
"explanation": "The safety shell and route leverage determine whether the ball belongs outside, up a seam, or underneath before pressure arrives.",
"options": [
{
"id": "attack-outside",
"label": "Attack the outside receiver",
"description": "Throw down the sideline when the receiver stacks a corner without immediate safety help.",
"intendedRead": "Outside one-on-one with favorable leverage.",
"riskLevel": "high"
},
{
"id": "attack-seam",
"label": "Attack the seam",
"description": "Split the deep shell by leading the inside receiver away from the nearest safety.",
"intendedRead": "A seam runner has inside access between safeties.",
"riskLevel": "high"
},
{
"id": "take-outlet",
"label": "Take the underneath outlet",
"description": "Check down to the back when all four deep lanes are capped.",
"intendedRead": "The defense has kept depth and conceded underneath space.",
"riskLevel": "low"
}
]
},
"timeline": [
{
"type": "pre-snap",
"atMs": 0
},
{
"type": "snap",
"atMs": 500
},
{
"type": "assignment-start",
"atMs": 550,
"playerId": "h"
},
{
"type": "decision-pause",
"atMs": 2700,
"decisionPointId": "choose-vertical-lane"
},
{
"type": "ball-release",
"atMs": 3300,
"targetPlayerId": "h"
},
{
"type": "play-end",
"atMs": 5200
}
],
"narrative": {
"summary": "Four receivers attack the deep field simultaneously, stretching every safety and corner vertically.",
"fullExplanation": "Two outside receivers occupy the sidelines while two inside receivers run the seams. The quarterback uses the safety shell and individual leverage to choose a vertical lane or concede the deep shot and check down.",
"strategicPurpose": "Create explosive opportunities and force split-field defenders to declare which vertical lane they will protect.",
"idealSituations": [
"Second and short",
"Two-minute offense",
"Against a single-high safety"
],
"strengths": [
"Stresses every deep defender",
"Creates isolated matchups",
"Can split single-high coverage"
],
"weaknesses": [
"Requires protection time",
"Deep shells can cap every route",
"Mistimed seam throws carry turnover risk"
],
"keyRead": "Use the safety rotation to choose the side, then confirm receiver leverage before committing to the throw.",
"watchFor": [
"Safeties widening toward seams",
"Outside receivers stacking corners",
"The back releasing late underneath"
],
"beginnerExplanation": "Four receivers run deep in separate lanes. There are usually only three or four deep defenders, so the quarterback looks for the lane one defender cannot reach.",
"advancedNote": "Against match coverage, verticals becomes a leverage concept rather than a simple numbers play; seam stems must threaten defenders before bending away from help."
},
"simulation": {
"difficulty": "advanced",
"conceptTags": [
"deep-pass",
"four-verticals",
"seam",
"explosive"
],
"baseSuccessRate": 0.39,
"yardRange": {
"min": -14,
"max": 70
},
"turnoverRisk": 0.052
}
}