Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 11 playbooks
Breakdown
Quick Short Post is a five man route concept out of Shotgun Trips X Nasty designed to get the ball out fast against man and zone alike. The backside X runs an outside release corner route to clear space, the three trips receivers run a short post, a quick out, and a shallow drag underneath, while the inline TE releases into a corner route on the opposite side. With no visible pass protection issues shown and every receiver running a route, this is a pure quick game passing concept meant to win with timing rather than blocking. The primary read progression starts with the short post from the trips side, works to the flat/out route underneath, and comes back to the drag as the checkdown if the post and out are covered.
Defensive Reads
Read the safety depth before the snap: a single high safety leaving a wide open middle of the field signals the short post will be there immediately. Watch the flat defender's leverage, if he sits inside to take away the post the quick out to the boundary will be open instead. Key the linebackers' drop angles post-snap, a linebacker who sinks too deep opens the shallow drag as a easy checkdown. This concept struggles against a hard Cover 2 or Cover 4 shell with a corner sitting on the flat and a safety capping the post, so watch for that two high alignment pre-snap. Beware a user controlled defender lurking underneath the trips routes, since a defender spying the short post or out can jump the route and create a turnover if the quarterback holds the ball too long.
Usage Tips
Fire this off quickly on early downs or third and short since the post and out routes hit within a second and a half of the snap. Check the middle of the field pre-snap: if you see a single high safety, the short post from trips should sit down in the soft spot for an easy completion. Against man coverage, hot route the shallow drag into a slant or speed out to give yourself a rhythm throw that beats press without needing separation on the post. If the defense shows Cover 3 or a sky zone shell, target the flat/out route since the corner will be dropping deep to cushion the post. Pair this play with Quick Unders or Mtn Triple Slants from the same set so the defense has to respect quick game on every snap, then mix in Mtn Spot Y Corner or Slot Fade H Wheel later to punish defenders who start jumping the short routes.
