Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
RNS Y Stick out of Pistol Spread 10 personnel shows a five man route concept built around a quick stick from the Y receiver over the middle. The backside receiver runs a quick out while the two receivers on the strong side stack vertical releases, with the outside man bending into a corner/streak up the numbers and the inside man sitting down on the stick route after crossing the formation. The running back releases out of the backfield on a shallow drag underneath, giving the quarterback a layered read from the flat to the stick to the vertical shot. This is a classic zone beater built to attack soft spots in the middle of the field, with the stick route as the primary read against zone and the running back check-down as the answer against pressure.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, user the middle linebacker or slot defender who has to cover the stick route since he is the key to stopping this concept. Watch for a robber or lurk defender sitting underneath in Cover 3 or Tampa 2 looks, since that defender can jump the stick route if the quarterback stares it down. Against man coverage, press the outside receiver running the vertical/corner route to disrupt his release and force the quarterback to hold the ball. Blitz packages that bring extra rushers off the edge can beat this play if the running back release is delayed, so time the blitz to arrive as the quarterback climbs the pocket. Cover 2 shells with safeties sitting deep can take away the corner route, forcing the quarterback into the stick or checkdown, so play sound underneath zone technique to close passing windows quickly.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing zone or man by checking linebacker depth and safety rotation before the snap.
Against Cover 3 or Cover 4, the stick route sits right in the honey hole between the underneath zone and deep zone, so make that your first read.
If the defense shows man coverage with a single high safety, hot route the running back into a wheel or flat route to create separation against a linebacker in man.
Use this play on second and short to medium yardage situations where defenses are more likely to sit in zone shells and bite on the stick concept.
Pair this play with Y Corner or Y Cross from the same formation to keep defenders guessing on route depth while using identical pre-snap motion and formation looks.
