Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Curls out of Slot Far deploys three receivers into a route combo built around timing and depth. The backside receiver runs a curl and settles at intermediate depth, the middle receiver runs a short drag/curl breaking outside near the sideline, and the outside receiver on the strong side pushes vertical before bending back on a deep curl. A halfback stays in to help pass protect, giving the quarterback a clean pocket to work through the progression. This is a zone beater designed to sit receivers down in the soft spots of underneath and intermediate zones, with the primary read starting on the deep curl to the strong side before working back to the shorter curl and drag underneath.
Defensive Reads
Identify if the defense shows Cover 3 or Cover 2 zone pre-snap, since Curls is designed to sit in the windows those shells create between the underneath and deep zones. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if they drop quickly into shallow zones they can jump the short curl and drag routes, so be ready to progress to the deep curl. Man coverage with press corners is the biggest threat to this play, since the curl breaks give defenders a chance to jump the route if they read it early. Look for a user-controlled defender lurking in the middle of the field, since that player can rob the drag route or undercut the shorter curl before the quarterback resets his eyes. Blitz-heavy defenses that bring extra rushers off the edge can be an issue since the play only keeps a single back in protection, so check for nano blitz packages before snapping.
Usage Tips
Use Curls on second and medium to second and long when you expect zone coverage from the defense. Pre-snap, look for two deep safeties or a single high safety sitting deep, since that alignment signals zone drops that Curls is built to exploit. Hot route the drag runner into a deeper crossing route if you diagnose man coverage, since the natural curl breaks can get jumped by tight man corners. Combine Curls with Curl Drag from the same set to keep defenders honest, since the extra crosser stresses linebackers who key on the shorter curl. Pair this call with FB Dive or HB Dive on early downs to set up defenders biting on run fits, then hit Curls off a similar personnel look to attack zone drops when the defense expects run.
