Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Stick out of Shotgun Doubles Y-Flex shows a five-man route concept with two outside receivers running vertical seams to clear the top of the coverage while the three inside routes create the actual stick concept: a shallow flat route, a short stick/curl sitting down around five yards, and a quick out breaking to the sideline underneath the flat man. This is a classic man and zone beater built on option routes that convert based on leverage, with the stick route sitting in the hole against zone or breaking away from the defender against man. Primary progression starts with the stick/curl in the middle read area, then works to the flat route if the underneath defender jumps the stick, with the outside verticals as window-shot options if the safety bites down.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and corner alignment, since two deep safeties with soft corners usually means Cover 2 or Cover 4, which invites the stick route to sit in the zone hole for an easy completion. Key the flat defender at the snap, if he sinks under the stick route, immediately look to the flat man who should be uncovered underneath. Watch for a user-controlled linebacker sitting in the throwing lane to the stick route, this lurk threat is the biggest counter to this concept and forces the quarterback to work to the flat or outside vertical instead. Against man coverage, read the release of the stick route defender, if he trails tightly with no help, the stick will not separate cleanly and the outside verticals or flat become the better answer. Recognize blitz packages pre-snap by counting defenders near the line, since Stick's quick option routes and hot flat conversion make it a strong answer versus nano blitzes and five-man pressure looks that remove deep zone help.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing two-high or single-high safety look, since Stick thrives against zone shells like Cover 2 and Cover 3 where the stick route sits in the natural hole between the flat defender and the curl/hook defender.
Use the outside verticals as a hot read against Cover 0 or man pressure looks, hot routing the flat route to a quick out or slant if you see man coverage with no safety help over the top.
Combine Stick with Four Verticals and X Dagger from this same set to keep the defense honest, since all three plays start with similar releases but attack different levels, forcing linebackers to respect the seam before committing to the underneath stick window.
On third and short to medium, lean on the stick and flat combo since the option routes give you an easy conversion answer versus both man and zone without needing to test the deep verticals.
Pair this call with Curl Flats or Out Levels on the following snap to keep defenses guessing between stick concepts and levels concepts, since both punish the same underneath zone drops differently.
