R&D Labwork: Stick Route Pass Concept within the Wing-T Offense

The more I study the Wing-T and go "mad scientist" on its' schemes, the more I realize there is a lot more potential in the passing game from the traditional Wing-T formations then most people may realize. Wing-T is clearly known as a run-based offense that uses play action pass. I think there is a  place for drop back passing in the Wing-T, which would only enhance the impact this offense can have on a defense. This would also answer the biggest problem with the Wing-T...what do you do if you get behind on the scoreboard or the defense is taking away the run game?

For the next couple of posts on this blog, I plan on showing you some common passing concepts that can be integrated into a traditional Wing-T offense. I will be covering all types of concepts, including quick game, intermediate/deep, and screens.

First up...the Stick route.

The Stick route is probably one of the easiest passing concepts there is in football, which also makes it one of the most high percentage passes used today. If you tune in to any college or pro football game, you will probably see this concept at least a handful of times. The receiver you typically see run this is the tight end, but if you are a spread team, it's going to be usually an inside receiver out of trips. A great example of this is the Patriots, with Gronk being the man running the stick route. Gronk is perfect to run this because he is big enough to post up/bang with a LB, but also has the speed/athleticism to run away from a defender.

The Stick route is an option route where the receiver will run a 4-6 yard route and determine to sit it down in a zone or to run an out to get away from man coverage. The receiver has to read the defense pre-snap and post-snap to either find that open zone or determine who is going to be running with him.

 Here is a great video of John Carlson demonstrating the basics of the Stick route:

So an easy concept that can be run from many different formations/alignments? That sounds like a perfect type of pass for such a run-heavy offense like the Wing-T. I decided to sit down and draw up what the stick would look like out a traditional Wing-T formation.

Here is what I got:

First, I would like you to focus on the TE/WB side of the formation. This would be the main focus of the play, with the stick being run by the TE, and an arrow route being run by the WB. The arrow route is used to get the D spread out horizontally, so we create space for the stick route. The stick route can be converted into a hitch-like route or an out depending on 2 things: Secondary alignment and Linebacker Alignment. You will see that the TE is always looking for the void within the coverage. Also, with the alignment of the TE and WB being so compressed to the OL, it makes it harder for the secondary to match up with the receivers.

 The QB will be looking to hit the stick route, but needs to peek at the arrow route to see if he is being left open. As far as the drop of the QB, I have two ideas on that: 1) Just do straight 3 step drop or 2) Open up to FB on short fake and pop open to throw. I like the 2nd option because I think you can suck in the LBs a little to open up the routes more, but I know the 1st option would work for sure (just no deception on the play being a pass).

Next, I want you to focus on the backside of the play, where the SE and HB are running their routes. I was pleasantly surprised how nicely this side of the play ended up. The HB is going to also run a stick route from the backfield alignment. Same rules as the TE, just from a different position. The best part of this side is the SE's route...the 8 yard out cut that is working to isolate him on the corner. This has been a great route from my previous teams and is a simple pass play that can get you good yardage. The idea is to run to a depth of about 8 yards, then break hard outside and come back to the ball (you should be at about a depth of 6 yards when you catch this). It is great against any man or cover 3 coverage.

So, in reality, there are 3 different areas of the field you can hit the D with this pass concept...the TE/WB stick-arrow combination, the HB on the stick route, or the SE on the bench route. All are easy, high-percentage throws that can gain you solid yardage. You just need to coach up the QB on what reads you want him to make or what rules dictate when he throws to the TE vs the HB vs the SE.

Now, this is not the only way to run the stick route concept. I have come up with some other ways you can get into the concept without compromising the integrity of the traditional Wing-T offense. All the formations I used are Wing-T formations with the HB moving to the strong/weak side in some formation. This allows the formation to form a trips look, which adds another level of complexity for the defense to adjust to.

Take a look:

Again, a very easy pass concept that can be adapted to almost any formation. The route is high percentage and I was able to pair it up with another concept (Bench route) to make more options available to the QB, which is also a high percentage throw. Finally, it is an option route that is easy to teach and requires minimal effort from the receiver to read and adjust.

Hope you enjoyed reading this and make sure to leave some comments on what you think or what kind of pass concepts you would like to see merged with the Wing-T.

The next concept I am looking to put together is the slant-arrow/ slant-seam combinations being integrated into the Wing-T.