Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mtn Y Stick lines up in Shotgun Split Slot Offset with 20 personnel and sends the backside receiver in motion pre-snap before the ball is snapped. The route concept is classic Stick: the outside receiver to the strong side runs a corner route to clear the flat, the tight end/slot sits down on a quick stick route at five yards, and the flanker runs a flat/shoot route underneath to create a horizontal stretch on the flat defender. The backside X receiver runs a deep dig across the field as a coverage-beater against zone drops that widen with the trips look. This is a man and zone beater built for a quick, high-percentage progression read starting with the stick route, then working to the flat, then the deep dig if the defense sits on the short stuff.
Defensive Reads
Watch the flat defender and curl-flat player pre-snap, if they are playing deep with a two-high safety shell there is a soft spot underneath for the stick and flat combo. Track the motion defender through the backfield, if a linebacker or safety mirrors the motion man across the formation you are facing man coverage and should attack the stick route immediately versus that leverage. Zone defenses that sink hard on the deep dig and ignore the stick route will get gashed underneath, so if you see cover 3 or cover 4 with linebackers dropping deep, take the quick stick throw before the window closes. Blitz-heavy fronts that bring extra rushers off the edge leave the flat route wide open since the quick stick and flat combo beats the blitz with a fast release, look to the flat as your hot read against pressure. This concept struggles against a well-timed nano blitz or a user-controlled linebacker who spies the stick route, if you see a defender sitting directly on the stick with no zone responsibility, come off it fast and go to the deep dig on the backside.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify man versus zone: if the motion defender follows across the formation you are getting man coverage and the stick route sitting down against man leverage becomes an easy completion.
Key on flat defenders and curl-flat zone players before the snap, if they are sitting at five yards or shallower the stick route will not have room to settle so be ready to hit the flat route immediately off the snap.
This play is money on third and short to third and medium because the stick route naturally sits at the sticks and gives you a built-in conversion throw.
Pair Mtn Y Stick with Mtn RPO Peek Stick and Mtn RPO Peek Stick (standardspacing) from this set so the defense has to respect both the run read and the quick pass concept out of the same formation and personnel.
Combine this call with Mtn PA Y Cross or Mtn PA Y Cross(1) later in a drive so linebackers who are jumping the stick route get burned by the play-action shot off similar formation motion.
