Playbooks
Stick out of Shotgun Trey is a quick-hitting zone beater built around stick route concepts on one or both sides of the formation, pairing a flat route with a hitch or curl sitting right behind it. The Trey formation stacks three receivers to one side, creating natural picks and leverage against off man coverage while stressing curl-flat defenders in zone. The primary read starts with the stick concept to the trips side, working flat to curl, then progresses backside to the single receiver or check down to the running back if the pocket collapses.
Watch the flat defender at the snap, if he sits inside on the curl route the flat is open immediately for a quick pitch and catch. Check linebacker depth before the snap, shallow linebackers signal Cover 2 or Cover 3 zone drops that leave the stick concept vulnerable underneath. Identify press man coverage on the trips receivers, since the stick concept struggles against physical press corners who can disrupt the timing of the flat route release. Look for a user lurking underneath in the middle of the field, aggressive human controlled linebackers can jump the curl route and bait a interception if the quarterback stares it down too long. Recognize blitz packages that bring extra defenders off the edge, since Stick has quick developing routes that beat man and zone blitzes if the quarterback gets the ball out fast on the first read.
Identify the flat defender pre-snap since he is the key conflict player on the stick concept and cannot cover both the flat route and the curl sitting behind him.
Use this on third and short to medium distance since the stick route settles quickly and gives you a high percentage completion against both zone and man.
Hot route the backside receiver into a slant or drag if you see man coverage across the board, this gives you a rub against man defenders trying to trail from the trips side.
Pair Stick with RPO Alert WR Screen or HB Slip Screen in the same drive to keep linebackers honest, since both plays attack the same flat area and force defenders to respect the perimeter before committing to the stick.
Against Cover 3, work the middle curl sitting behind the flat route since the flat defender will widen out and vacate the throwing lane for a easy pitch and catch.