Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mtn Stick out of Near Close Flex (21 personnel) shows a pre-snap motion man crossing the formation to the left before the snap, drawing extra width and clarifying the coverage shell. Post snap the concept is a classic Stick combo to the right side: one receiver runs a quick out to the flat, another sits down on the stick route at five to six yards, and a vertical route stretches the seam behind them to hold the safety. On the backside, the far receiver runs an isolated deep route working the boundary. This is a man and zone beater built around timing, with the primary read progression going stick to flat, then working back to the deep backside route if the underneath window closes.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, watch the safety alignment: a single high safety indicates man or a Cover 3 shell, both of which the stick and vertical combo can exploit if the flat defender bites on the shorter route. Track the linebacker depth before the snap, shallow linebackers will struggle to cover the stick route once the flat route pulls the corner or nickel defender away. Post snap, key on whether the defender assigned to the motion man trails him across the formation, this confirms man coverage and tells you to attack the stick sitting behind him. Watch for a user-controlled defender sitting in the shallow zone or lurking underneath, this is the primary threat to the stick route and can bait a bad read if you do not progress to the flat or vertical route in time. This play struggles against a hard Cover 2 or Tampa 2 shell where the flat defender squats and the safety caps the vertical route, forcing the quarterback into the backside isolation route as the outlet.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify if the defense is playing man or zone, if the defender follows the motion man across the formation it confirms man coverage and opens up the stick and flat combo underneath.
Against zone shells, target the stick route sitting in the flat zone void between the underneath defenders and the deep third defenders, this is the fastest and most reliable throw.
On third and medium to long, look to the vertical route on the strong side to attack single high safety looks where the flat and stick routes have drawn the linebackers up.
Pair Mtn Stick with HB Angle or Curl Flat in your play-calling sequence to keep defenders guessing between quick underneath throws and this slightly deeper stick combo.
If the user drops a defender into the stick window, reset your eyes to the backside isolation route, especially versus press man where a big play is live.
