Playbooks
Breakdown
Curl Flat out of Shotgun Box Offset Wk (11 personnel) shows a five man route concept with no visible pass protection outlet since the backfield is empty in the diagram. To the boundary, the outside receiver runs a deep out breaking to the sideline while the slot runs a quick out and up (whip) into the flat underneath it. To the field side, the tight end runs a curl route settling at intermediate depth while the number one receiver runs a vertical seam up the numbers, with the flat route underneath rounding out the concept. This is a classic curl flat combo built to attack Cover 2 and Cover 3 by stretching the flat defender vertically with the curl and horizontally with the flat man, so the primary read progression starts at the field side curl, works down to the flat, and comes back to the boundary out route if the underneath defenders sink into the throwing lane.
Defensive Reads
Watch the free safety depth and leverage pre-snap: a two high shell with corners playing off suggests Cover 2, which this curl flat combo is designed to expose in the intermediate flat to curl window. A single high safety with corners squatting at the line signals Cover 3, meaning the deep out and the curl behind the flat defender will be your friend. Post-snap, key the flat or curl to flat defender's first two steps: if he widens to the flat, the window opens up for the curl route sitting down behind him. Watch for a user controlled linebacker sinking into the curl lane, which is the biggest post-snap threat to this concept and should push you to the flat or the boundary out instead. Man coverage with press corners and a blitz look shuts this play down quickly since there is no built in hot route protection shown, so check to a quicker breaking concept if you see man alignment combined with extra rushers off the edge.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing a two high or one high safety shell since this concept is built to punish Cover 2 and Cover 3 zone drops. Read the flat defender first: if he widens with the flat route, throw the curl behind him for an easy completion. If the flat defender sits and jumps the curl, work the ball to the flat route in stride for a quick gain and clock stopper. Use this play on second and medium or third and short situations where the sticks favor the curl and flat depth rather than forcing a deep shot. Pair this play in sequence with Verticals or PA Verticals out of the same Box Offset Wk set to keep the defense honest against the seam and force safeties to stay deep, then come back to Curl Flat once they overplay the pass rush or vertical shell. Against man coverage looks, hot route the flat receiver into a quicker option or bail on this call in favor of Slot Trail or HB Angle from the same set which are better man beaters.
