Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Close Zona Stick Flat is a Stick concept variant out of Shotgun Trips HB Wk that isolates the two-man side away from the trips bunch with a stick and flat combo, while the trips side runs a corner route release, an in-cut, and a flat route stacked underneath. The X receiver on the closed side snaps off a stick route sitting down over the middle read against zone, with the HB releasing to the flat underneath him as the outlet, creating a natural high-low read on any flat defender. This is a zone beater at its core, using the stick-flat combo to attack curl-flat defenders and hook zones while the trips side occupies the deep and intermediate defenders on the opposite side of the field. Primary progression starts with the stick route in the middle read, works down to the HB flat as the checkdown, and comes back to the trips side corner or in route if the closed side is taken away.
Defensive Reads
Watch the curl-flat defender on the closed side pre-snap, if he is sitting too deep or widened out to the flat, the stick route will have a clean throwing lane in the middle of the field. Key the middle linebacker depth at the snap, since a shallow drop from him can jump the stick route and turn it into a user pick opportunity if the CPU or user defender reads the quarterback's eyes. On the trips side, check safety rotation post-snap since a two-high shell rotating late can leave the corner route or in cut open against a slow-rotating zone defender. Against man coverage, look for a nickel or slot corner shadowing the HB out of the backfield, since a blitzing linebacker with no flat defender left behind creates an easy answer with the flat route. This concept is shut down by aggressive Cover 3 sky or buzz looks where the safety fills the flat quickly and a linebacker spies the stick route, so be ready to move to the trips side corner as your answer.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing a two-high or single-high shell since this concept thrives against zone coverage looking to sit in the underneath windows. If you see Cover 3 or Cover 4 with curl-flat defenders sinking, the stick route sitting down at the sticks is your first read against the hook defender. Hot route the HB flat into a quicker release against man coverage if you need an instant answer versus blitz looks, since the flat serves as your built-in checkdown against pressure. Use this play on second and medium or third and short situations where the stick route can settle in front of linebackers for an easy conversion. Pair this call with Close Zona Cross or Dragon Stick from the same set to keep the defense guessing between stick-flat combos and crossing routes off similar formation and personnel looks.
