Y-Stick

Continuing on the theme of the 3 step passing game, it is important to recognize Y-Stick and note its prominence in modern football. Y-Stick has become one of the most popular passing plays that coach coaches utilize in early down situations. Many offensive coaches consider the Y-Stick to be a free 4-5 yard play. I prefer to use the Y-Stick concept while still keeping our customary access rule on the back side of the play. Other teams, like the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers, get more creative on the backside, especially in empty sets.

I prefer Y-Stick from some type of 3 X 1 formation. Pretty much any form of a 3 X 1 will work.

We use our Access Rule on the backside of Y-Stick. The Concept Side of the play is as simple as it gets. I believe in giving young QB’s simple and sure reads so that they can make a throw with confidence.

Our Progression: (With Access CLOSED)
Z: is a pre-snap read only. Z is out of the equation unless we see two things: Man Coverage or Cover 2 with a big window.

Y to H: The rule is simple; the ball automatically goes to the Y unless color covers the route. Color = H on the speed out.

The goal is to out-leverage the invert or force defender with a horizontal read and make him wrong.

In my opinion the toughest coverage’s for a QB to see are 4-2 Nickel teams that combo #1 & #2 with the SS/CB and match #3 with the Nickel, teams that effectively use the TCU “Special” coverage, or man to man (but only because the vertical can be a low percentage throw against a good CB).

Sample of Y-Stick vs 4-2 Nickel with the aforementioned combo coverage:

Teams with an empty package can do several things to take advantage of combo coverage’s by adding a two-man game on the back side of the formation. Green Bay’s final touchdown (the corner route to Greg Jennings) in the 2011 Super Bowl was a prime example of how Mike McCarthy loves to use this play from an empty set (and in one of the most crucial situations of his career).

The Packer’s set the strength of the formation to the left and put two receiver’s right. On the front side of the formation they ran the traditional Y-stick combination, but on the backside of the play they ran a slant/corner smash combination. Rodger’s saw a man blitz coming from the Pittsburgh defense and took the 2 man side.
I have also seen teams use the backside of SNAG as well as other SMASH concepts on the backside of this play. Teams that BOSS their linebacker’s to the trips and leave a hole backside are acceptable to leveraging the backside defender horizontally by running an a hitch with #1 weak and a drag or slant with #2 weak. Mullen and Meyer used to do this with Percy Harvin to get him one on one in open space.

Teams that rely heavily on this play also use the play as a chain mover in 3rd & 7/8 yd situations. Teams can use this as a part of their five step game for an 8 to 9 yard conversion.

This is an easy scheme that coaches can use to add an effective and efficient play to their arsenal.