49ers film room - How Kyle Shanahan sequences play calling part 2b: shotgun running game and run-pass option concepts

Part 2b of this series looks at the shotgun running game and run-pass option concepts and how they fit within Shanahan's play call sequencing.

In part 2a, we looked at the under center running game and run-pass option concepts that the 49ers employ in their game plan and how they create space and take advantage of overly aggressive defenders pursuing the run. Here in part 2b, we’ll take a look at how Kyle Shanahan blends his running game and RPO concepts to create space from shotgun formations.

The 49ers will primarily run 2 types of shotgun RPOs where the quarterback is making a pre-snap determination and then confirming the favorable leverage post-snap: either a run call with a tagged dart/quick slant or a bubble tag. Their most commonly called RPO concept out of shotgun is their tagged bubble concept.

This was a frequently called play for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and it’s a great way for Shanahan to get the ball to his best players in space as it allowed the 49ers to easily pick apart some of the best teams in the league in the playoffs and during the regular season.

The quarterback is making a pre-snap box count determination and confirming the defense’s rotation post-snap to see if the pre-snap leverage picture is confirmed.

2019 NFC Championship Game vs Green Bay

The 2019 NFC championship gives us a glimpse into the shotgun RPO package and running game that Shanahan blends together to put defenders into conflict. On three separate occasions, the 49ers forced the Packers linebackers and secondary to play in space and these three plays gained them over 30 total yards. One was crucial to icing the game.

The first play call is a tagged RPO bubble route to the backside of a sweep run called “59-58 Spring Topper,” a slightly different variant of the Topper concept cut-up above.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo sends Deebo Samuel on an orbit motion after he motions into the backfield in a two-back set. Garoppolo is reading the numbers advantage at the snap and sees that a 3rd defender they have unaccounted for has vacated the box to play the bubble pass. Garoppolo correctly reads that he should give on the sweep as they have the numbers advantage up front.

They ran the same play again and Garoppolo handed off for another first down gain on a similarly designed concept but instead of the sweep/man blocking run scheme, the tagged run call was weak side wide zone blocking.

To ice the game, the 49ers took advantage of getting linebacker BJ Goodson (No. 93) and Blake Martinez (No. 50) in space against the swing pass. Packers linebackers through two games could not run with the speed the 49ers use, especially on the perimeter.

2020 Week 7 at New England

Here in their 2020 game at New England, Shanahan blended some of their RPO concepts above with a specific passing game concept called “bluff slants.” The first the play is just a simple swing pass out to the left of the formation but it’s all the pre and initial post snap movement that freezes the defense and keep their eyes in the back field before they realize what happened.

First, Deebo is put into a fly motion across the formation. At the snap the defense keeps eyes on the mesh between Garoppolo and Jeff Wilson and loses track of Deebo into the boundary. By the time they realize Garoppolo has kept the ball, he’s throwing it out to Deebo on the swing who has space to run.

On the edge into the boundary, Shanahan created space for Deebo by using a switch release for George Kittle and Kendrick Bourne, which created easier blocking angles for the two and aided by the fly motion, which moved Kittle’s defender down outside toward Bourne. The two switch release and block the other’s man. The result is Deebo racing down the sideline for a 23 yard gain.

The 49ers ran a variation of this play several times throughout this game as a cheap and simple way to manufacture yards in space for their best players.

Adding layers is something and repeating themes is something Shanahan is known for and exceptionally good at. Here, they added the play action fake and bubble swing to a pass concept off the same formation and movement of the plays above and while not an RPO, it’s still showcases how Shanahan has a unique ability to create subtle wrinkles off earlier concepts to create space and move the ball. The key point: making the running game and play action passes all look the same.

On other plays, the play call called for orbit motions to create space for the receivers. On two similar plays in the first and second quarters, Shanahan got the two looks he was hoping to get based on how they were called and the responsibilities of the players involved.

The play is a “bluff slants” concept where the receivers on the edge simulate stalk blocking in order to get the defenders to widen with them when they see the bubble route behind the receivers.

The Patriots rotate to 2-high coverage with a deep safety protecting the deep seam area in case Kittle runs up the seam. Kittle doesn’t run up the seam and instead “bluff” blocks the defender and cuts inside on a slant in the area vacated by the field safety. The orbit motion and the widening of the bluff slants created a large window for Garoppolo to easily hit Kittle for a gain of 15 yards.

The second clip in the video is the same play call later in the 3rd quarter with fullback Kyle Juszczyk in the slot this time instead of Kittle.

Slant RPO

Another common RPO has the backside slant/dart tag, similar to the under center dart tag except that it comes from a receiver split out wide on the back side instead of a tight end and can be run as a single slant, as a slant/flat (dragon) or as a double slant concept (lion).

It was a common play for the 2019 49ers as Shanahan figured out how to incorporate then rookie receiver Deebo Samuel.

Later in the 2019 week 17 game versus Seattle, Shanahan called an explosive pass play out of their shotgun series play action concepts: “drift stalk.”

On this play, the formation nearly identical to the second clip in the video above where Deebo caught the quick slant on the RPO. Deebo is in the same cut split and fullback Kyle Juszczyk is in the slot. The only difference here is Kittle starts on the right side of the formation instead of on the left.

Everything looks the same as the play above, they’re able to get into nearly the same formation, make the run action look the same, and hit an explosive pass off the same movement. The defender bites on Juszczyk’s bluff block and as soon as he does, Juszczyk takes off down the sideline where Garoppolo finds him for a long completion.

Outlook

In part 3, we’ll look at one specific set of plays that all tie together from a game late in the 2022 season and look at how everything looks exactly the same, from the motion to the presentation of the formation, and how they integrate the under center run game, pl;ay action, and RPO tags from the same concept.