In this Madden Tips breakdown, we take a look at a football play called Gun Bunch Quads – Spacing. What we like about this play as it’s very simple to run, but yet effective against zone coverage.
The Gun Bunch Quads – Spacing is highly effective against pretty much any zone coverage in the game. This play is designed to horizontally stretch the zone coverage out.
| Receivers | Pass Routes |
| SE (X) | Slant |
| TE (Y) | Shoot (Right Flat) |
| SL1 (A) | Slant Hook (Spot) |
| SL2 (RB) | Slant Hook Outside |
| FL (B) | Streak (Go) |
The defense we use for this example and for the rest of our Gun Bunch Quads scheme is the Nickel 3-3-5 – Cover 3.
As far as reads go when running this play is we look to throw to the TE (Y) first, who runs the shoot route towards the right. If he is open, we then look to throw the SL1 (A) running the slant hook. If he is not open, we then look to throw to the SL2 (RB) running the slat hook to the outside. The SE (X), who runs a slant is also a solid option to throw to, especially if man coverage is called. The last receiver we look to throw to is the FL (B), who runs the streak route.
Gridiron Guide Tip: By the time the fourth read is made, their more than likely won’t be enough time to make the throw to FL anyways.
If the tight end is open as heads towards the flat, throw him the ball. In this case, the flat is covered, so we go to our next read.
The SL1 may be open to throw the ball to him. Watch to see if any defender covers him or not. If a defender is behind him, such as in the image above, the ball could be thrown. Just know that the defender may knock the ball out of the SL1 hands ones he makes the catch.
The best option is to throw the SL2, who runs the slant hook to the outside. With the TE drawing the SS out into the flat, and the SL1 holding the LOLB and NB inside, this leaves the SL2 open for a hard bullet pass.
The SL2 makes the catch for a 7 yard pick up.
Video Breakdown
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Final Thoughts
For those that play football video games such as Madden and NCAA the spacing concept is a great play to run against zone coverage because of the simple reads that it requires the quarterback to make.
Kobra, great breakdown of this play as I really enjoy the X’s and O’s that you provide.
Good breakdown but you are incorrect on the read progression. I am answering this from the perspective of a football coach who came across your post as I was doing some research on variations with the spacing concept. If that does not apply to the video game world, keep that disclaimer in mind.
On spacing, your rhythm throw (the throw that can be made once the QB has reached the top of his drop-back) is the sit curl (ran by A in your diagram). If covered, the QB will then hitch up in the pocket with his feet and his eyes will progress across to the spacing mini-curl (ran by RB in your diagram). If covered, he will hitch again (and likely execute some form of a gap escape due to pass rush pressure) and THEN look to the flat player.
You have to understand a concept is intending to do relative to the eye movement of the QB and the timing of when the routes are breaking and to what depths. In your example above, you would actually teach a pre-snap “clean alley/dirty alley” thought process to the QB regarding the slant (or other quick game route) on the left which would work on a slightly different rhythm than the spacing side. As a whole, this would be considered a “quick 5-step” rhythm from under center and the slant is a “big 3-step” route. As such, from shotgun (the equivalent of a 3-step drop from under center), the QB will catch, rocker step and throw for the slant if he decides he wants to go there. If that route is either capped off pre-snap by an under coverage player (a walked out LB, a dropped down safety, etc.), what we call a “dirty alley”, or if the alley becomes dirty post-snap (safety rotates down late, LB buzzes the flat, etc.), then the QB can reset for depth in the pocket and come back across to the spacing surface on the backside as it is operating at a slightly different rhythm, therein the routes are breaking open as his eyes begin to move to them.
If that slant is capped off pre-snap, the QB can simply abort the quick game throw (the slant in this case) and execute his normal drop and work the spacing surface using the sit-curl route to mini-curl route to flat route that I mentioned.
Again, I cannot speak to the programming of a video game relative to spacing from quads but, in the real world, what I described above is how the read progression would be made for the play you have diagrammed.