What it is

A post is a deep route. The receiver runs about 8 to 10 yards straight up the field, then angles toward the middle of the field, toward the goalposts, which is where the name comes from.

In a game

It attacks the deep middle: the space between two safeties in Cover 2, or the area behind the linebackers in Cover 3. The receiver often gives a head fake toward the sideline before the break to hold the defenders. The quarterback must throw it on time, with enough arc to clear the linebackers but low enough that the safety cannot break on it.

More detail

A post is often paired with a shorter route underneath, such as a dig or a route to the flat, so the safety has to choose which receiver to cover. It is a common choice after a play-action fake, because the fake pulls the linebackers forward and opens space behind them.

The route

The bright circle is the player running the route. The arrow shows his path. Scroll down to watch it as an animation.

Animated diagram

1. The receiver runs straight up the field for about ten yards while the quarterback takes a deeper drop.
2. He cuts toward the middle of the field, toward the goalposts, and the safety has to turn and chase him.
3. The quarterback throws over the linebackers into the gap behind them, and the receiver catches the ball deep.