Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Stick out of Shotgun Trips Y-Flex is a quick game man and zone beater built off the trips side stick concept paired with a backside comeback. The trips side runs a flat route, a stick/hitch settling in the underneath void, and a corner route stretching the seam vertically, while the backside X runs a deep comeback and the TE releases into a shallow drag underneath it. Blocking is a standard 5 man protection with the HB checking the A gap before releasing, and the primary read progression starts at the stick/hitch, works to the flat, then hits the corner route or backside comeback if a defender widens or a linebacker sinks too deep.
Defensive Reads
Watch the flat defender on the trips side pre-snap, if he is aligned too far outside it signals zone coverage and opens the stick/hitch window. Key the middle linebacker's depth at the snap, if he sinks too fast into the stick zone, work the ball to the flat route or the corner route behind him. Identify single high safety looks before the snap, since that usually means man coverage underneath and favors the corner route beating a trailing defender. Post-snap, look for a user controlled defender lurking in the shallow drag area, since that is the most common spot for a jumped throw against this concept. Against Cover 2 shells, the backside comeback route from the X receiver is the fastest way to punish a cornerback playing off coverage or squatting on the flat.
Usage Tips
Use Stick on 3rd and short to medium since the stick/hitch route sits right at the sticks and gives an easy throw against zone drops.
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing single high or two high safeties, since the corner route on the trips side wins big against single high man coverage.
If the defense shows Cover 3 with a hard flat defender, hot route the flat runner into a quick out or speed out to widen the throwing lane before the ball is snapped.
Combine this play with Four Verticals or Curls from the same set to keep the defense honest, since both attack similar landmarks but stress different levels of the field.
Against Cover 2, look immediately to the backside comeback route since the cornerback bailing outside opens up easy separation for the X receiver.
