Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mtn Stick Z Post is a three-level pass concept out of Shotgun Tight Flex 11 personnel that uses pre-snap motion into the backfield to check leverage before the snap. The outside receiver runs a deep post over the middle, the inline TE/slot runs a corner breaking angle route up the seam, and the sift man works a quick stick/settle route in the underneath flat area while the motion back releases on a shallow flat route to the boundary for a checkdown or RPO-style outlet. This is a man beater built on the post and corner combo stretching two levels vertically while the stick and flat routes attack underneath zone or man defenders trying to sit on the shorter routes, with the primary read progression going post first for the big play, then corner route to the intermediate, and finally stick or flat as the safety valve.
Defensive Reads
Watch the safety alignment before the snap, a single high safety in the middle of the field signals Cover 1 or Cover 3 which this play is designed to exploit with the post route splitting the deep middle. Track the linebacker or slot defender assigned to the motion man, if he trails across the formation in man coverage you have a strong indicator to trust the deep post and corner routes over the checkdowns. Key the corner route defender post-snap, if he sinks too deep to help on the post it opens a window underneath for the stick or flat route as the quarterback's answer. Beware of Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells with two deep safeties, this coverage can squeeze the post route throwing window and force the quarterback down to the shorter stick and flat routes. Identify blitz packages pre-snap by reading linebacker depth and edge defender alignment, since a nano blitz or overload pressure package can collapse the pocket before the post route fully develops downfield.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap motion to identify man versus zone coverage, if the defender follows the motion man across the formation you are almost certainly facing man coverage and can lean on the post route with confidence.
Look for single high safety shells before the snap, this concept is built to attack Cover 1 and Cover 3 because the post route splits the safety while the corner route occupies underneath defenders.
Hot route the flat route runner into a quicker option against blitz-heavy looks, since the extra rusher off the edge can compress your time to throw the post.
Pair this play with Mtn Y Cross or Falcon Wheel in your play-calling sequence to keep defenders guessing between deep crossing routes and this vertical stick and post combo, forcing linebackers to hesitate on their zone drops.
Best called on 2nd and medium to 3rd and long situations where defenses are more likely to sit in zone shells, giving your quarterback a clean two-level read between the post and corner routes.
