Playbooks
Breakdown
Stick N Nod is a five wide route concept out of Shotgun Empty Trey that attacks the middle and edges of the field with a classic stick combo. To the trips side, the inside receiver runs a nod (a hitch style stem that breaks back to the quarterback), the middle receiver runs a quick out to the flat, and the outside receiver runs a vertical seam up the numbers. Backside, the lone receiver runs a vertical route to hold the corner while the flat is left uncovered as a checkdown option. This is a man and zone beater built for quick timing throws, with the primary read starting on the nod and flat combo to the trips side before working to the backside vertical if the defense sinks underneath.
Defensive Reads
Identify the flat defender pre-snap since he determines whether the nod or the out route is open. Against Cover 3, the corner to the trips side will sink into his zone drop, so look for the nod to settle in front of him before the linebacker can widen. Against man coverage, watch for a linebacker or slot corner trailing the nod route, since a good user can jump the route if the quarterback is late. Check the backside safety alignment before the snap: if he is shaded toward the trips side, the backside vertical route has a one on one matchup that can be exploited with a well timed throw. Beware of a nano blitz look with defensive linemen crashing inside, since this can collapse the pocket before the nod route fully develops.
Usage Tips
Use this play on third and short to medium distance when you need a quick, high percentage throw. Read the flat defender to the trips side first: if he widens with the out route, throw the nod behind him for an easy completion. Against man coverage, hot route the backside vertical receiver to a slant or drag if you see a single high safety cheating to the trips side. Pair this with Four Verticals or Y-Post Ohio from the same set so defenses cannot key on the nod and out combo without opening up a vertical shot. Snap the ball quickly against blitz-heavy defenses since the nod route gets the ball out before pressure arrives.
