Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Air Raid Stick out of Shotgun Trey Open lines up three receivers to the closed side with a stick concept: the inside slot receiver sits down at the sticks while the outside receiver on that side clears vertically up the seam. To the open (single receiver) side the X runs an outside release into a corner route up the sideline, and the backside receiver from the trips bunch runs a flat route underneath after releasing outside. This is a classic Stick concept, a zone beater against Cover 3 and Cover 2 that also holds up against man thanks to the natural pick and spacing, with the primary read progression working the flat-to-stick combination on the trips side before working back to the backside corner route against soft coverage.
Defensive Reads
Watch the flat defender at the snap, since Stick concepts are designed to put him in a bind between the flat route and the sitting stick route, and if he widens too fast the stick route sits open in the void. Key the middle linebacker or nickel defender depth before the snap, because a shallow drop or blitz look tells you man coverage or a hot blitz is coming, which favors the quick flat throw over the stick read. Identify the backside cornerback alignment, since a corner playing tight man coverage with no safety help is vulnerable to the corner route beating him over the top, while a corner sitting in zone with deep safety help will erase that route. Look for user-controlled defenders dropping into the stick window immediately after the snap, since a smart user will sit on the stick route and bait the quarterback into a pick if the flat route is not read first. Recognize blitz packages that send extra rushers off the edge, since the quick stick and flat combo gets the ball out fast and neutralizes most nano blitz pressure if the quarterback reads the flat defender correctly.
Usage Tips
Presnap, identify if the defense is showing two high safeties or a single high shell, since Stick concepts thrive against Cover 3 and Cover 4 zone drops where the flat defender has to choose between the flat route and the stick sitting at the sticks. Use the flat route as your first read on quick throws to beat blitz looks, then progress to the stick route sitting down at five to six yards if the flat defender widens out. Hot route the backside corner route into a deep comeback or hitch if you see a corner playing off with no safety help over the top, since the natural corner route can get undercut by a sinking safety in Cover 4. This play pairs well with Curls and Quick Slants in the same set since all three attack different levels of the same coverage shell, letting you keep the defense guessing on early downs. Use Air Raid Stick on second and short to medium distance where defenses often sit in zone shells expecting a conservative call, since the quick stick and flat combo punishes soft cushions and slow linebacker drops.
