Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Stick out of Empty Base Shotgun spreads five eligible receivers with no backfield help, empty protection on the QB. The left side runs a stacked double out combo where both receivers break outside at different depths, the middle X runs a vertical seam or hitch, and the right side pairs a quick out with a wheel/vertical route from the stack. This is a classic zone beater built to attack Cover 3 and Cover 2 flat defenders by stretching the field horizontally, with the primary read starting at the outside out routes before working back to the seam and wheel combo on the boundary.
Defensive Reads
Identify single high safety pre-snap, this usually signals Cover 3 which is vulnerable to the double out stretch on the left side. Watch the flat defender on the right side, if he widens too fast to jump the quick out, the wheel route behind him will be wide open deep. User the middle linebacker or nickel defender to jump the seam route since that is the QB's first look versus zone coverage. Against Cover 2, bait the corner into squatting on the shallow out then attack the void behind him before the safety can rotate over. If the defense shows a nano blitz or shows blitz pre-snap, expect the QB to get rid of the ball on the quick outs immediately since Empty Base offers no extra protection.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, check for two deep safeties versus single high to decide if the outside out routes or the wheel route will be open first.
Against Cover 3, target the flat defender conflict on the left side outs since the underneath zone defender cannot cover both routes at different depths.
Use motion or a quick hot route on the middle receiver to convert the vertical into a shallow drag if you see man coverage with no help underneath.
This play works best on second and medium or third and short since the quick out routes give the QB a fast release option against pressure.
Pair Stick with Y Cross or Four Verticals in your play-calling sequence so defenses cannot sit on the same horizontal stretch concept every snap.
