Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Fade Out is a five-man route concept out of Empty Trey Stack that isolates the backside stack duo against the boundary corner and safety while three receivers to the strong side run vertical seams and a wheel-style out to occupy the defense. The backside stack releases into a fade and a short out, creating a natural high-low stretch on one defender if he sits in a flat zone or bites on the out. With no run action or blocking assignments shown, this is a pure dropback pass designed to beat both man and zone coverage depending on which side the quarterback works. The primary read starts backside on the fade-out combo for a quick isolation win, then progresses to the three-man vertical stack on the strong side if the backside is covered.
Defensive Reads
Man coverage without safety help over the top on the backside stack, this is a fade beater every time. Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells with corners sitting deep will open up the underneath out route on the backside for an easy pitch and catch. Watch for a robber or lurking linebacker sitting in the shallow zone on the backside, he can jump the out route and bait the quarterback into a turnover. Press man coverage on the backside corner tips the fade, since a jam at the line disrupts timing and forces the quarterback to reset to the strong side stack. Zone blitzes with a corner or safety dropping into the backside flat will erase both the fade and out, forcing a check to the strong side verticals.
Usage Tips
Check the cornerback alignment on the backside stack before the snap, if he plays outside leverage the out route sits open underneath.
Use this play on third and short to medium since the out route provides a quick, high-percentage completion against zone drops.
Against man coverage, prioritize the fade route on the backside since it wins on a lone corner without safety help.
Pair Fade Out with Y Stick or Double Stick from this set so the defense has to respect both quick game and vertical shots from the same empty look.
If the defense shows two-high safety shells pre-snap, target the strong side vertical stack since the numbers advantage flows away from the backside isolation.
