Route stem, the beginning of the receiver route tree, explained

I’ve used the term ‘Route Stem’ or ‘Stem’ several times through articles and podcasts last season while discussing the New York Giants. A route stem is the initial vertical element of a route before the break.

The term route stem branches off the commonly understood phrase ‘Route Tree.’ The simplest picture I found depicting this concept was in an article written by Matt St. Jean of Inside The Pylon - my former working space.

The stem is red. You may also hear pundits say the receiver ‘stemmed inside.