Pass Route
All the pass routes in American Football followed by the Eyeshield 21 series. They are important in the game as once you have memorized the routes you can easily travel along them and receive the ball from the Quarterback.
Comeback[]
A receiver or tight end route where the player runs straight upfield a specified number of yards (could be a short or medium route), plants hard, and turns and runs back towards the sideline at a 45-degree angle. Often confusingly named, a wide receiver doesn't come back towards the quarterback but tries to catch the ball and guarantee getting out of bounds.
Corner[]
A corner route is a pattern run by a receiver, where the receiver runs up the field and then turns at approximately a 45-degree angle, heading away from the quarterback towards the sideline. Usually, the pass is used when the defensive back is playing towards the inside shoulder of the receiver, thus creating a one on one vertical matchup. The corner route is less likely to be intercepted when compared to the slant route because it is thrown away from the middle of the field. The pass is used frequently in the West Coast offensive scheme, where quick, accurate throwing is key. The pass may also be used closer to the goal line in what is called a "fade". The Quarterback will lob the ball over a beaten defender to a wide receiver at the back corner of the end zone.
Fade[]
For this route, the receiver heads towards the sideline off the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. Then, once near the sideline, the receiver cuts upfield to run a typical Fly (Up) pattern. Useful for deep passes that give the receiver a good chance to get out of bounds and stop the clock when time is against you.
Flat[]
A pass route commonly used by running backs (sometimes also tight ends). In this pattern, the back runs straight to the left or right, staying behind the line of scrimmage, all while looking over his shoulder to the quarterback. This is a common method pocket-style (immobile) quarterbacks use to "dump off" the ball to the back when they are under pressure from the defensive rush. It is usually a safe pass, but if the receiving back is behind the quarterback when the ball is thrown and he does not catch it, the pass counts as a fumble.
Hitch[]
A hitch route is a pattern run by a receiver, where the receiver will act as if he is running a pattern down the field, taking possibly one or two steps forward before quickly stopping and looking for a quick pass before the defender has a chance to react and try to deflect the pass.
This route can also be used in what is called a screen, where while the receiver is receiving the pass, one or more lineman, tight ends, or running backs will run in the direction of the receiver in order to block the initial pursuing defenders so that the receiver has time and space to be able to run after the catch.
Hook[]
An eligible receiver runs a predetermined number of steps or yards upfield before stopping and turning back in slightly to face the Quarterback, in the hopes that the defender cannot react and disrupt the pass before positive yardage is made.
Post[]
A post is a moderate to deep passing route in which a receiver runs 7-10 yards from the line of scrimmage straight down the field, then cuts toward the middle of the field (towards the facing goalposts, hence the name) at a 45-degree angle.
It is designed to stretch the opposing secondary deep up the field, exposing holes underneath the coverage over the middle. It works particularly well against secondaries that don't have more than one safety who is effective in coverage. If a post can be run effectively it will force an opposing defense to play a deeper field and drop more defenders into deep coverage, which opens up the run. Cover 3 packages can be effective against it if the defender in middle deep coverage is perceptive enough.
To run the route truly effectively, a wide receiver is required to be adept at catching the ball in traffic and to have the vertical ability and strength to be able to go over top of a safety to get the ball.
A variant of the post pattern, in which the receiver cuts infield at a shallower angle, is called a skinny post. It is designed to find a hole in deep coverage, cutting shallow inside the deep sideline defender, but not far enough to draw the middle defender.
Long Post[]
A modified Post route in which the receiver runs deep down the field, as though executing a Fly (Up) pattern, then cuts toward midfield at a 45-degree angle. The cut usually occurs 15-25 yards downfield. This can be used to shake a cornerback playing man coverage who has already committed to the deep fly, but it is most commonly used as a means of finding a hole between the safeties in a Cover 2 defense. The pass strength of the quarterback is key in the latter case, lest one of the safeties jump the route and intercept the pass before it arrives.
Quick Out[]
A pass route wherein the receiver makes a sharp 90 degree cut towards the sideline immediately after the ball is snapped. Useful for short-yardage gains, especially when you need to conserve time (stepping out of bounds stops the game clock).
Slant[]
A receiver route where the wide receiver runs straight upfield a few yards, plants his outside foot hard while in full stride, and turns 45 degrees towards the quarterback. A staple of the West Coast Offense(WCO) and the player may go as little as 2 yards or as many as 6 yards before moving inside for the pass. Variations include the quick slant in which the player plants and turns at the snap instead of running ahead first and the Slow or Zone route, in which the receiver runs 10 to 15 yards downfield to get behind the linebackers before turning.
Slice In[]
A very short slant route which has the wide receiver cutting straight across the middle of the field at a 45-degree angle right off the line of scrimmage. Most commonly used in West Coast-style offenses as a means of beating a linebacker blitz, which often leaves the middle of the field unprotected. Also called a "Quick Slant".
Square In[]
A simple pass route wherein the receiver runs upfield around 10 yards, then cuts across the middle of the field at a 90-degree angle. Ideally, the quarterback passes the ball just as the receiver makes his cut, while the cornerback is still reacting to the change of direction.
Swing[]
Somewhat like the Flat route, the Swing pattern has a halfback or fullback running straight to the left or right, behind the line of scrimmage, as an outlet for the quarterback to pass to if he is under pressure. The difference is that the Swing has the back smoothly cutting upfield along the sideline if the ball is not thrown to them before that time. Thus, it can be used to get the back open downfield while the majority of the defense follows a decoy receiver away from the area.
Up/Fly[]
You just go straight up. You need speed to get to the football first so your opponent doesn't get it. Also referred to as a "fly" route.
Zig Zag[]
A pass route of varying distance which has the receiver running straight downfield for a set number of yards, then making a quick 45 degree cut to the left or right before almost instantly breaking off in the other direction, along the manner of a Post or Corner route. This is most commonly used against man coverage to shake the defender off with superior agility on the wide receiver's part.