Playbooks

Stick N Nod

Shotgun·Wing Trips Wk Nasty·11

Stick Stick Concept Pass Play

Play diagram for Stick N Nod from Shotgun Wing Trips Wk Nasty in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetWing Trips Wk Nasty

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 4 playbooks

Bengals OffenseOffense Steelers OffenseOffense NFL Live Bengals OffenseOffense NFL Live Steelers OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Stick N Nod is a Stick concept pass play out of Shotgun Wing Trips Wk Nasty with a trips side to the left and a single receiver to the right running a vertical seam. The trips side runs the classic stick combo: the outside receiver clears deep to the sideline, the slot runs a quick out underneath, and the inner receiver sits in the flat area, while the TE at the point of attack nods up and breaks outside as an underneath check option. The lone receiver to the right runs straight upfield on a go route to stretch the deep coverage, and the backfield stays in to pass protect against the four man rush shown in red. This is a man and zone beater built for quick access throws: the primary read starts with the flat/nod combo underneath, then works to the stick sit route, with the backside go as a big play window against single high coverage.

Defensive Reads

Watch the flat defender and underneath linebacker to the trips side, if they widen with the flat route the nod route from the TE becomes the window against zone drops. Key the slot corner on the stick sit route, in man coverage this route creates natural separation on the break, in zone it sits in the throwing lane for an easy completion. Read the single high safety before the snap, if he shakes toward the trips side there is a hole over the top for the backside go route. Against Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells this play beats the underneath zone defenders with the quick stick combo before they can sink into their landmarks. Watch for a user blitzer off the edge shown in the red rush path, if the protection gets beat quickly the backside go route becomes the fast trigger throw instead of the underneath options.

Usage Tips

Presnap, identify if the defense is showing zone or man by checking corner depth on the trips side, if corners are off and soft that flat/nod combo will be wide open immediately.

Use the backside go route as a hot read against single high safety looks, if the CB bites on run action or shows outside leverage, take the shot deep.

This play shines on third and short to third and medium since the stick concept gives you three quick underneath options that convert fast.

Combine with HB Base or Inside Zone Split from this set to keep defenses honest on early downs, then come back to Stick N Nod when they start cheating linebackers into the box.

Pair this with Y Mtn Drive or Shuffle Wheel Y Drag later in a series to attack the same trips side with different route depths and keep the defense guessing.