The Shanahan offense is a multi-varied attack whose drop back passing game relies on constraints that put pressure on certain defenders with several different types of route combinations. In essence, these combinations create free releases for the wide receivers because they are often run out of bunch or stack formations and can often give the quarterback an easier read that turns into reading the constraint put on a certain defender.
Play call: F RT to Snug Double LT Open 3 Scat X Flag Bow (best guess)
Before getting into the route combinations, let us first look at the pass protection. The most common pass protection called in Shanahan tree offense is “Jet” protection.
Formation: F RT to Snug Double LT Open
The formation is a condensed formation in 11 personnel. “F RT to Snug Double LT Open” denotes a trips three wide receiver formation to the left in a 1-back personnel grouping. “F RT” is the F motion to the right from his spot in the trips on the left, putting him in a “snug” formation with the X receiver on the right.
“Double LT open” is the formation now set on the left after the F motion. The Y tight end, George Kittle, is in the slot and the Z receiver off the ball, Deebo Samuel. The H is Kyle Juszczyk.
Scat pass protection
Scat pass protection is similar to jet pass protection with two main exceptions: 1) the running back free releases into the field on a route, making it a 5-man pass protection and 2) the blocking is considered more man blocking instead of zone blocking for the offensive line because of the 5-man pass protection. 2-scat half slides the line to the left and 3-scat half slides the line to the right based on where the greatest threat or strength of the defense is.
On this play, the 49ers are in a 3-scat pass protection half slide to the right. The slide is set to the right because that is where the next threat is since they know middle linebacker, De’Vondre Cambell, has to take Juszczyk man to man because there’s no other defenders close enough to cover him. They know he’s not a pass rush threat.
Since the protection is man-based rather than zone based, each offensive lineman is responsible for blocking a pass rusher and if no rusher, will help double team the man closest to their next blocker.
Since the back free releases, the guard to the side the back releases to or any other uncovered linemen look for the next level threat as they take on the blocks from from the defensive line, essentially making the interior offensive line responsible for two different defenders.
Pass concept: Flag bow
The pass concept paired with the pass protection above is commonly referred to as the “bang dig” concept or in Shanahan’s terminology, “Flag Bow.” Since scat pass protection is the call, there are five receivers in the pattern with the H in the back field on a free release.
On “bow,” the H back is running a choice route out of the backfield versus the strong hook defender with a “basic” route over the top (dig). The other side of concept is usually paired with a flag/return route combination, a slot choice, or a just a return route as the third option.
Traditionally, the concept is read from the flag/return route side across to the dig/choice side. In a perfect world, the quarterback would have the ability to perfectly scan all four primary routes in the progression if needed. This is not a perfect world though, and the 49ers offense under Shanahan is about making use of the space and time available to the quarterback. Although I cannot confirm this, on the majority of play calls this season on this play, it appears the quarterback is making a pre-snap decision on where to go with the ball.
Whether by design, game plan, or a simple pre-snap scan of the defense, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s eyes almost always go to the dig side of the play call right away at the snap. It’s not by any means the wrong decision, it just suggests a deeper level of game planning and decision making than any of us have any insight into. That’s just elite level game planning by the staff.
With the Packers in cover-5 (2-man), this leaves a void over the middle of the field as the middle linebacker chases the running back out of the backfield on the choice route.
Garoppolo throws a strike to Kittle over the middle and Kittle gains a nice chunk of yards to move the offense at a crucial point late in the game.
Earlier in the game, the 49ers called the play versus the Packers quarters coverage.
The is an ideal play call versus quarters coverage because it puts the quarters side “3 receiver hook” (3RH) defender into conflict to the trips side.
In 3RH, the hook defender should be looking for #3 WR in the pattern, in this case the running back out of the backfield.
Since the nickel defender over the #2 wide receiver has quarter flat (QF) responsibility, the pass concept of a dig from #2 and a choice route from #3 is the perfect play call to muddy up those two defender’s responsibilities, leaving the quarter’s safety to cover the dig alone. In reality, the quarters safety should be driving top down immediately on #2 as soon as he sees him go vertical past 8 yards.
The dig/choice side of the concept puts the hook defender in conflict and gives the quarterback an easy read. In the post snap picture above, the packers weak hook defender in their quarters coverage sits on the choice route with the flat defender.
Garoppolo’s throw is behind Mohamed Sanu and saves him from a big hit by the safety. The route combination versus zone coverage to the quarters side works perfectly as it creates a wide open throwing window for the quarterback who only has to beat the safety driving top down on the throw.
Conclusion
Kyle Shanahan was recently labeled the fourth best play caller per Pro Football Focus but plays like this show that he’s clearly better than that. Not many coaches of his caliber know the defensive rules of the coverages they face week after week and are able to tailor their play calls and designs to beat those rules, and do it multiple times per game during the season with roughly the same few play calls or similarly designed concepts. The only unknown this season is how he’ll scheme up those designs to get Lance comfortable.
