Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
Air Raid Stick out of Shotgun Trey Open Offset lines up with three receivers to the closed side and a single receiver plus inline presence to the open side. The closed side runs a classic Stick concept: the outside receiver releases vertically then breaks to the corner, the middle receiver sits down on a quick stick/hitch, and the inside receiver runs a flat route underneath to stretch the zone horizontally and vertically. The lone receiver to the backside runs a vertical seam that clears out and threatens a deep post if the coverage bites underneath, giving the quarterback a two-level read on either side of the field. This is a zone beater at its core, attacking the flat-curl-corner triangle read on the trips side while giving a one-on-one shot deep if the defense rotates extra help into the boundary.
Defensive Reads
Check the flat defender first, if he sinks with the corner route the flat route underneath will be wide open for an easy pitch and catch Watch the middle linebacker depth at the snap, a shallow drop means the stick route sitting down will have a soft window, while a deep drop opens up the flat route Cover 3 with a static middle linebacker struggles to cover all three levels of the stick concept, making this an ideal call against that shell Man coverage with no safety help over the top on the backside seam is a green light to take the shot deep instead of working the stick concept Watch for a slot cornerback or nickel blitzer crashing off the edge on the trips side, since a hot route to the flat can turn that pressure into a big gain Two-high safety shells that roll down late can jump the corner route, so be ready to check down to the stick or flat route if you see late rotation
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing a two-high shell or single-high look, since that determines whether you attack the trips side stick concept or take the backside seam shot
If linebackers are sitting shallow with soft zone drops, the middle stick route sitting down at the sticks is your fastest and safest completion for moving the chains
Against man coverage, hot route the flat route to a slant or use the corner route as your man beater since the stick concept naturally creates a pick opportunity against tight man alignment
Use this play on second and short or third and short since the stick route gives an immediate answer against Cover 2 and Cover 3 zone drops
Pair this with Y Stick or Stick N Nod from the same set to keep defenders guessing on route depth while running the same core stick concept look, then mix in Four Verticals to punish defenses that start jumping the stick routes
