Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
Stick out of Shotgun Trio Offset lines up with the outside receiver running a deep vertical clear-out route while the slot receiver runs a quick out. The inside receiver runs a stick route settling in the flat area over the middle, and the backside receiver runs a shallow crosser under the coverage. The running back releases out of the backfield on a wheel route up the sideline, giving the quarterback a layered progression from the stick to the flat to the wheel as a classic zone beater built around the stick concept.
Defensive Reads
Look for cover 3 or cover 4 shells presnap since the underneath stick and out combo consistently wins against those zone drops Watch the flat defender and curl to flat player postsnap, if they sit on the stick route the crosser or wheel should be open behind them Man coverage with an aggressive slot corner can jump the out route early, so be ready to hit the stick sitting down in the same area Blitz packages that bring extra rushers off the edge can win quickly against the running back's wheel release, forcing a quick checkdown User controlled lurk defenders sitting in the shallow zone can undercut the crosser, so keep an eye on any defender shading toward the middle of the field before the snap
Usage Tips
Read the flat defender first since the stick route and the shallow cross both attack that same underside zone window
Use the vertical clear-out to pull the deep half safety away and open a throwing lane for the stick and out combo underneath
Hot route the running back's wheel route to a check release if you see a blitz look, since protection can get exposed against five or six man pressure
This play works best on second and short or third and medium since the stick and flat combo gives quick answers against both man and zone
Pair this with Verticals or PA Post Shot from the same set to keep defenses honest on deep shots after they start jumping the stick route
