A skinny post route in football is a receiving pattern that has the receiver start the play running straight down the field only cut slightly towards the middle of the field after ten or fifteen yards.
The skinny post is a variation of a post receiving route. A regular post route is going to include a fourty five degree cut that will have the receiver running towards the goalposts in the center of the opponent’s end zone.
While the skinny post is going to include a much shallower cut to the middle of the field keeping him slightly closer to his sideline than a post route would.
The idea behind a skinny post is to find an open area deep down the field. By running this route slightly different than a regular post the receiver hopes to stay in single coverage and avoid the safety waiting in the defensive backfield.
What To Know About Skinny Post Routes
Now that you have learned what a skinny post is in football it’s time to learn a little more about this receiving pattern. Below we will break down some of the key things you need to know about this route.
The “skinny” Break Can Help To Avoid The Safety
One of the keys to a skinny post is that the shallow break allows the receiver to avoid a safety sitting in the middle of the field.
On a traditional post, the receiver would run his route right into the middle of the field. If the opposing defense has a safety in that position the quarterback will have to throw into double coverage to complete the pass.
With a skinny post, the receiver is going to be much closer to the sideline. This allows the receiver to work his way in between the outside cornerback and the safety in the middle of the field.
This change in the route makes it much more difficult for the safety to make it to the receiver in time to break up the pass.
This Route Can Be Run From The Slot
Another thing to know about skinny posts is that they can also be run from the slot. Running a skinny post from the outside is what allows receivers to run this route without ending up in the middle of the field.
Generally this route is run from out wide similar to stop n go routes or post corner patterns.
When running this route from the slot it plays out more like a regular post route. The break on this route will still be “skinny” but since the route starts from the slot a skinny post will still place you in the middle of the field.
In most cases, this route will work if the defense is in cover 2 leaving space in the middle of the deep portion of the field. If the safety is sitting in the middle of the field in a cover one he will easily be able to shut this route down.
The safety is vulnerable in this position if they are watching the tight end or focusing on stopping the route a receiver runs from the slot. At this point the receiver should be able to beat his man via a skinny post to the middle of the field.
It Often Works As A Clear Out Route
The skinny post can also be used as a way to clear out defensive backs. As much as every receiver would like to get targets on each route it simply doesn’t happen.
Receivers at some point will have to play the role of clearing out defenders so that their teammates can get open. This often done with go or fly routes.
Using the skinny post is a great way of doing this as it pulls the safeties deep into the defensive backfield. This gives more space to receivers running underneath routes.
This will make it easier for the receivers to get open and will also give them an opportunity to get some yards after the catch.
