Playbooks
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Whips Curls out of Shotgun 5WR Trio lines up with a two-man side to the boundary running a vertical seam into a hard out cut and a flat route underneath, while the trio side to the field runs a whip route (drag then snap back outside), a short whip/curl combo underneath, and a vertical curl at the top of the route tree. This is a zone beater at its core, using the whip routes to sit down in soft spots against zone drops while the vertical curl and out route stretch the field high and low on the numbers. Primary read progression starts with the field side whip route working from inside out, then to the vertical curl if the flat defender squats, and finally over to the boundary out/flat combo if the field side is capped.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing two deep safeties or a single high safety, since Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells leave natural throwing windows for the whip routes to sit in. Watch the linebacker depth at the snap: shallow drops mean the whip route will have to break its route short, while deep drops open up the underneath crossing window immediately. Post-snap, key the flat defender on the field side trio since the whip and out combination is designed to put him in a run-pass conflict between two short routes. Look for a user lurking underneath the vertical curl at the top of the route tree, since a smart user defender sitting in that window can bait a turnover if the quarterback locks onto that read too early. This play struggles against Cover 2 man or tight press man coverage across the board, since none of the routes create natural separation against a jam at the line.
Usage Tips
Use this on second or third and medium when you expect zone coverage such as Cover 3 or Cover 2 since the whip routes are designed to find soft spots against zone drops. Pre-snap, check the middle linebacker depth and safety shell alignment: if you see two deep safeties with linebackers sitting shallow, the whip routes will have room to settle before the underneath defenders can drive. Hot route the boundary out route to a quick hitch if you see man coverage with no safety help over the top, since the whip concept is not built to separate against tight man coverage. Pair this play with Curl Flats or Stick from the same set to keep the defense guessing between quick game and intermediate zone-beater concepts. Against Cover 3, target the vertical curl at the top of the route tree since the deep third defender often has to choose between the curl and the flat route underneath it.
