Playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn Slot Stick Nod comes from Shotgun Trips X Nasty and starts with a jet motion from the boundary receiver across the formation before the snap, forcing the defense to declare man or zone leverage early. Out of the trips side, the two inside receivers run a stick concept with one settling in the shallow flat and the other sitting down on a stick route in the middle hook zone, while the outside trips receiver runs a deep nod (glance) route up the seam. The backside X receiver, after motioning, releases vertically up the sideline on a go route to hold the deep defender. This is a man beater built around the stick combo underneath with the nod and go routes stressing the defense vertically, and the primary read progression starts with the stick/flat combo in the trips bunch before working up to the nod route against zone coverage.
Defensive Reads
Watch the flow of the linebackers after the jet motion snap since a linebacker sprinting hard with the motion man indicates man coverage and opens up the stick concept immediately. Key the middle linebacker's depth at the snap, if he sinks quickly to cover the stick route, look for the nod route sitting in the void behind him. Check safety alignment before the snap, a single high safety often signals Cover 3 which is vulnerable to the nod route sitting down in the seam, while two high safeties suggest Cover 4 or Cover 2 which can be stressed by the trips flat combo. Be alert for a user-controlled defender sitting in the shallow flat trying to jump the stick route, since that leaves the nod route wide open behind him. This play struggles against aggressive Cover 3 sky or match zone concepts where the flat defender and hook defender are disciplined, since it clogs both the underneath stick combo and shrinks the window for the nod route.
Usage Tips
Use the pre-snap jet motion to identify if the defense follows the motion man, which tips man coverage, or stays put, which usually means zone. Against man coverage look immediately to the flat route and stick route combo since the natural pick action from the trips alignment creates easy separation. Against zone coverage, especially Cover 3 or Cover 2, target the nod route sitting down behind the linebackers and in front of the safety for a high percentage completion. This play works best on second and medium or third and short since the stick concept provides a quick, safe underneath option if the deep shots are covered. Pair this with Mtn Stick Wheel or Mtn Spot Y Corner in the same set to keep defenses guessing between the wheel route and the nod, since both plays share a similar pre-snap motion look but attack different levels of the defense.
