Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Stick out of Shotgun Y Off Trips (11 personnel) shows a trips side to the right with a flat route settling underneath, a vertical seam route from the middle trips receiver, and an out breaking route working to the sideline off that same stem. The backside X runs a corner breaking route from the numbers, giving the quarterback a two way go on the isolated side if the trips concept is taken away. There is no play-action or screen action here, this is a quick game dropback pass built on the classic Stick concept, and it plays as a zone beater first since the flat, stick (settle), and vertical stretch a single flat defender and the seam/hook defender horizontally and vertically, though it also holds up against man thanks to the natural rub created by the trips alignment. Primary read progression starts with the trips side flat to stick (the settled route sitting down in the underneath zone), then climbs to the seam/vertical if the flat defender squats, with the backside corner route as the alert if the defense rolls coverage away from trips.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify if the defense has a flat defender assigned to the trips side or if they are playing a true zone drop with no man match, this tells you whether the flat or stick route will be open first. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, shallow linebackers signal Cover 3 or Cover 4 zone drops where the stick route settles into the soft spot. If the defense shows two deep safeties pre-snap and rotates one down late, expect Cover 6 or Cover 2 match, which puts more stress on the underneath flat and stick routes rather than the vertical seam. User controlled defenders sitting in the flat or lurking the stick route can jump the short routes, so read the quarterback's eyes and be ready to squeeze the seam route or rally to the corner route on the backside. Man coverage with inside leverage on the trips receivers is where this concept shines, since natural picks from the bunch alignment create separation on the flat and stick routes almost immediately.
Usage Tips
Check the pre-snap leverage of the flat defender on the trips side, if he widens with the flat route the stick route sitting down behind him is your immediate answer.
Use this on third and short to third and medium since the stick route and flat route both create easy sticks to move the chains against zone drops.
If you see press man on the backside X, hot route him to a slant or quick out to beat off man leverage before the corner route develops fully.
Pair Stick with Four Verticals and Curls from this same set so defenses cannot sit on the short trips concept without opening up shots down the field.
Against Cover 3 or Cover 4 shells, trust the seam read out of the trips bunch since the middle of the field defender often has to choose between the flat and the vertical.
