Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Curl Flats out of Shotgun 5WR Flex Trey shows a five wide route concept with no backfield help, meaning the QB has to get through the progression fast. To the trips side, the inside slot runs a curl that settles in the underneath zone while the outside receiver on that side works a deep drag/flat crossing route into the opposite flat, and the third receiver runs a short out/flat combo underneath. On the two receiver side, one runs a deep vertical clear-out while the other runs a curl into the void the vertical creates, with a flat route underneath from the X to occupy the corner. This is primarily a zone beater, using curl and flat combinations on both sides of the field to attack Cover 2 and Cover 3 flat defenders and hook zone linebackers, with the primary read starting on the curl to the two receiver side before working back to the trips side flat and drag.
Defensive Reads
Key the flat defenders first, if they widen hard to the flat routes the curl behind them will sit in a soft window for an easy completion. Watch for two deep safeties rotating down into the box, which signals Cover 2 or Cover 4 and tells you the curls are the primary answer rather than the verticals. If the defense shows a single high safety with corners playing tight man, expect man coverage and target the curl runner working away from his defender's leverage since there is no natural pick or rub built into this concept. Be alert for a user controlled defender sitting in the middle hook zone or lurking underneath the curl route, since that is the biggest threat to this concept and will bait a checkdown throw into a turnover. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, shallow linebackers crashing downhill open up both curls immediately while deep dropping linebackers force you to rely on the flat routes underneath.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing two deep safeties or one, since this concept thrives against split safety shells that leave the flats and curl windows soft. If the corner on the two receiver side is playing off and deep, hot route the flat defender's man to a quick out to speed up the timing against Cover 4 or Cover 2. Use this on second and medium or third and short to medium since the curl routes settle at a distance that matches those chains. Motion the trips side receiver pre-snap to diagnose man versus zone, if the defender follows across the formation it confirms man coverage and you should look to the curl sitting down in the honey hole instead of the flat. Pair this play with Four Verticals or WR Comebacks from the same set to keep the defense honest on curl flat concepts, since both punish aggressive flat defenders jumping the shorter throws.
