Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
DBL Stick lines up out of Shotgun Tight Doubles with 11 personnel, showing both outside receivers running deep in routes toward the sideline while the inside slot receiver runs a vertical route up the seam and the tight end runs a short vertical stick route into the middle of the field. This is a classic Stick concept and is primarily a zone beater, using the flood-style outside breaking routes to stretch zone defenders horizontally while the seam and stick routes attack the underneath voids created in Cover 2 and Cover 3 shells. The primary read progression starts with the tight end stick route underneath, then works to the seam route running vertical, and finally to the deep in routes breaking toward the boundary if the underneath zones jump the shorter routes.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify the safety depth and leverage since two deep safeties with soft corners signal Cover 2 or Cover 4, which is exactly what this concept is designed to exploit underneath. Watch the linebacker depth at the snap, since shallow linebackers who sit on the stick route will open up the seam route for an easy vertical completion. If the defense shows a single high safety with man coverage on the outside, respect the deep in routes since they are designed to break away from trailing corners in man, but be ready to check down quickly if a linebacker sits in the passing lane. Look for user-controlled defenders lurking in the shallow middle zone, since a smart user player will often abandon a zone assignment to sit on the stick or seam route and jump the throw. Recognize blitz packages pre-snap by counting box defenders, since a five or six man rush leaves the stick route as the fastest outlet against pressure but also increases risk if protection breaks down before the read develops.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion or a quick alignment check to confirm if the defense is showing two deep safeties or single high, since DBL Stick thrives against two high shells that leave the stick and seam windows open underneath. Hot route the tight end to a flat route if you see man coverage with a linebacker in coverage, since the stick concept naturally beats man if you throw with anticipation before the defender can undercut the route. Target this play on second and medium or third and short since the stick route and seam route give you a high percentage completion window against zone drops. Pair DBL Stick with Curl or Browns Curl from the same set to keep the defense honest with similar route distribution but different vertical stress points, forcing linebackers to hesitate on their drops. If the defense starts jumping the underneath routes after a few reps, dial up Tight Flood or PA Deep Curls from the same set to hit the same launch point with a deeper shot play.
