Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Stick out of Empty Y Slot lines up with five receivers and no running back, spreading the defense horizontally to isolate the stick concept on the boundary. On the play side, the outside receiver runs a vertical seam that breaks hard into a corner route up the numbers, while the slot receiver underneath sits down on a quick stick route to the flat area, creating a natural high low read against zone or man coverage. The backside features two receivers running shallow drag routes stacked at different depths, with a middle blocker (X) stepping up to protect the QB, making this a quick game man and zone beater designed to get the ball out fast on the primary stick route with the corner route as the vertical alert.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and cornerback press alignment since a single high safety with press corners signals man coverage, which favors the drag routes crossing the formation. Watch the flat defender or curl-hook linebacker after the snap, since if he sinks too deep on the corner route alert, the stick route sits wide open underneath for an easy completion. User the underneath zone defender manually to rob the stick route if you suspect it is the primary target, forcing the QB to hold the ball or check down late. Cover 2 with sticky corners and disciplined hook defenders shuts this down well since it clogs both the flat and stick windows, forcing the QB into the tighter corner route window. Look for a delayed inside linebacker blitz off the middle since the lone Y protector must identify and pick up interior pressure quickly or the QB loses time to work through the stick progression.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion or a hot route on the backside drags to check for man coverage before the snap, since a defender following the motion confirms man and tells you to attack leverage on the stick route immediately.
Identify the coverage shell early: if the safeties show two high, expect zone drops underneath and target the stick route in the soft spot between the flat and hook defenders.
Against Cover 3 or Cover 4 with aggressive cornerbacks, look to the corner route as your first alert read since the seam vertical can split the deep defenders if the corner sits on the stick.
Pair this play with Curl Flats or Hitches in your play-calling sequence to keep the defense guessing between quick game concepts, then hit them with Four Verticals once they start jumping the short routes.
This is an ideal 3rd and short or 3rd and medium call since the stick route and drags give the QB multiple quick, high percentage completions to move the chains.
