Playbooks
Breakdown
Post Curls out of Shotgun Cluster HB Str aligns a bunched receiver trio to the closed side with an isolated receiver away from the cluster. The backside X runs a deep post that stems vertically before breaking across the middle of the field, while the two cluster receivers work curl routes at intermediate depth and the HB releases outside on a curl or flat option from the backfield. This is a man beater at its core, the post attacks off man coverage leverage while the curls settle into soft spots versus zone drops, giving you a natural progression from the deep post shot to the underneath curls if the safety help rolls over the top.
Defensive Reads
Identify the single high safety pre-snap, if he is shaded toward the post route side you likely have a favorable one on one matchup down the field. Watch for the cornerback's press alignment on the post receiver, soft coverage means an easy completion on the deep break while press man forces you to rely on timing and ball placement. Post-snap, key the middle linebacker's drop, if he sinks deep to help on the post you should reset your eyes to the curl routes sitting underneath. This concept struggles against Cover 3 with a rolled down safety sitting in the throwing lane of the post, so check for that rotation before committing to the deep shot. Beware of a user controlled defender sitting in a lurk position near the curl routes, he can jump the underneath break if you telegraph the throw too early.
Usage Tips
Take a pre-snap look at the safety alignment before the snap, if you see a single high safety shaded toward the post side, expect man coverage underneath and take your shot on the post immediately. Use the cluster alignment to create natural traffic for the underneath curls, which forces linebackers and nickel defenders to fight through picks in man coverage. Hot route the HB into a flat route if you are facing a Cover 2 shell to stretch the boundary defender horizontally and open the curl behind him. This play works best on second and medium to third and medium since the curls sit down at a depth that matches common sticks distances. Pair this with Verticals or PA Read from the same set to keep the defense honest, if they start jumping the post route after seeing it once, go to Verticals to attack the vacated deep middle or dial up PA Read to hit the underneath zones off run action.
