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Breakdown
Stick out of Shotgun Y Trips Offset shows a two receiver side to the left with an out breaking route from the outside receiver and a flat route underneath from the slot, while the trips side to the right runs a vertical seam route from the inside slot that clears out and a flat route from the outside receiver into a stick concept with a shallow crosser sitting underneath. The single receiver to the right of the formation runs a go route straight up the field to hold the deep defenders. Protection is a standard 5 man slide with the running back releasing late as a checkdown, making this a classic stick concept designed to attack zone coverage by flooding one level with three high low reads. Primary progression starts with the stick and flat combo on the trips side, reads the flat defender to determine if the corner route or the underneath sit route is open, then works back to the two man flat and out combo on the backside if the trips concept is covered.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check the depth of the slot cornerback and the flat defender on the trips side, since a defender sitting shallow in the flat signals zone coverage that the stick concept is built to exploit. Watch the middle linebacker depth and shade, because if he walls off the shallow crosser or sit route it forces the quarterback to work the flat or come off the read early. Post-snap, key the flat defender's first two steps: if he squats on the flat route, the sit route behind him is the answer, and if he sinks with the sit route the flat is wide open underneath. Cover 3 with a hard flat corner and Cover 2 with aggressive cloud coverage can shut this play down if the underneath defenders stay disciplined and do not bite on the flat route. User controlled defenders sitting in the shallow zone or spying the sit route double the throwing window risk, so quarterbacks should look off that defender before committing to the stick throw.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion on the outside receiver in the trips bunch to confirm man versus zone before the snap since a defender following across the formation signals man coverage. Against zone shells like Cover 3 or Cover 4, target the stick and flat combo because the flat defender cannot cover both the shallow sit route and the flat route at the same time. Against man coverage, hot route the running back into a swing route or use the backside flat and out combo since the out route creates natural separation against off man corners. This play works best on third and short to third and medium because the stick route sits down in soft spots and gives a high percentage completion window. Pair this play with Four Verticals or PA Zone Shot from the same set to punish defenses that key on the shorter stick concept, since those shot plays attack the same trips look but stress the deep defenders instead.
