Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 14 playbooks
Breakdown
Stick out of Y Off Trips Wk in Shotgun shows a trips side to the left with a stick concept (flat route, hitch/curl at the sticks, and a corner route stretching vertically) and a single receiver backside running an out and up (comeback into a vertical release). The backside single WR gives you a built-in vertical shot if the defense sells out on the trips stick concept, while the trips side is designed to beat both man and zone coverage by flooding one side with three distinct route depths. Primary read progression starts with the flat route to see if a linebacker or nickel widens out, then works to the stick/hitch sitting underneath, and finally climbs to the corner route if the safety bites down or the coverage rotates away from the trips side.
Defensive Reads
Watch the flat defender pre-snap, if a linebacker or slot corner sits too deep or bites on run action, the flat route will be wide open immediately after the snap. Key the safety over the trips side, if he cheats down into the box or shows run support, the corner route behind him becomes the home run read. Look for a lurking user-controlled linebacker sitting in the stick/hitch area, since this is the most common area competitive players sit in to jump the shorter routes. Man coverage with underneath help tends to shut down the stick route quickly, so identify press man alignments pre-snap and be ready to progress faster to the corner route. Cover 3 zone drops leave a natural window for the stick route in the seam between the linebacker and corner, so recognize a single high safety look and trust the underneath throw.
Usage Tips
Check pre-snap for a single high safety versus two high, since Stick is most effective against zone shells where the flat and hitch routes settle into soft spots underneath linebackers.
If you see man coverage with no safety help over the trips side, hot route the corner route to a slant or speed out to create instant separation against a trailing defender.
Use this on third and short to medium distance since the stick and flat routes are built to convert on quick, high percentage throws before pressure arrives.
Pair Stick with Four Verticals or Mtn Y Cross from this same set to keep the defense guessing between quick game and shot plays off similar formation looks.
Attack blitz-heavy defenses by getting the ball out fast to the flat or stick route since the concept does not require a deep drop and limits exposure to a user-controlled rusher.
