Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
PA Curls out of Pistol Bunch TE opens with a play-action fake to hold the linebackers, then attacks the defense with a three-level route combo. From the bunch alignment, the outside receiver breaks off a deep curl at the top of the route to sit down in the void behind underneath defenders, while the inside bunch receiver runs a curl of his own at a shorter depth to give you a quick option in front of zone drops. The backside receiver runs a shallow drag away from the formation to clear space and give a checkdown option against man coverage. This is a zone beater at heart, using the curl-flat combination to layer defenders vertically and force linebackers to choose between the drag and the curl sitting behind them, with the primary read starting at the deep curl before working down to the shorter curl and finally the backside drag.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify single high safety looks since Cover 3 defenders will often have their zone drops undercut by the curl routes sitting down at the sticks. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if they bite hard on the play-action fake it opens throwing lanes to both curls before the underneath defenders can recover. Key the flat defender and outside cornerback, if they sink too deep in Cover 3 or Cover 4 the curls will have soft grass to work with underneath them. Man coverage with an aggressive slot defender jumping the inside bunch route can disrupt the short curl, so be ready to work the backside drag as a quick answer. User-controlled lurk defenders sitting in the middle of the field can jump the short curl route, so read their positioning before committing to that throw.
Usage Tips
Use this on early downs or second-and-medium when defenses expect run out of the bunch look to sell the play-action fake convincingly.
Check the defense pre-snap for two deep safeties or a single high look, since PA Curls thrives against zone shells like Cover 3 and Cover 4 where the curls sit in the natural soft spots.
If the defense shows man coverage, hot route the backside drag receiver into a quicker option or peek at the curl runners winning at the top of their stem before defenders can undercut the route.
Sequence this play with Verticals or Flood from the same set to keep defenders honest, since both plays start with similar bunch alignment but stress different levels of the field.
Pair PA Curls with HB Dive or Strong Power earlier in a series so the play-action fake carries more weight and freezes linebackers longer, opening the curl windows.
