Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mtn Curl Combo out of Shotgun Doubles Offset Wk shows a mountain (vertical stick) route from the left outside receiver into the flag, an inside receiver running a shallow drag across the field underneath, and a mirrored mountain route from the right outside receiver on the backside. The running back releases into the boundary flat from the backfield, giving the quarterback a curl-flat and drag combo read while the front five pass protects up front. This is a zone beater built to attack the flat and curl zones with the drag creating a natural window against off coverage, with the primary read progression starting at the near side mountain route into the underneath drag, then working to the flat if the linebackers sink deep.
Defensive Reads
Check for two deep safeties pre-snap since Cover 2 and Cover 4 shells will squeeze the mountain routes but leave the drag open underneath. Watch the flat defender and outside linebacker depth at the snap, if they widen too fast with the running back the drag route will sit in the window behind them. Man coverage with press corners on the mountain routes is the biggest red flag, since the drag can get picked or rerouted by second level defenders in man concepts. Look for a user controlled linebacker sitting in the underneath curl zone or lurking the drag, that is the primary threat that can jump the quarterback's first read. Cover 3 with a fast flowing middle linebacker can close the drag window quickly, so track linebacker leverage before committing to the throw.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion if available to identify man versus zone before the snap and confirm whether the flat defender widens with the back.
Attack Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells since the drag route sits in the soft spot between the underneath zone defenders and the deep zone drops.
Hot route the backside mountain receiver into a quick out or slant if you see a corner blitz coming off that edge to give the quarterback a faster answer.
Pair this play with RPO Peek Slant or RPO Read Bubble on early downs to keep the defense honest against both run fits and zone drops before dialing up Mtn Curl Combo on third down.
Best used on second or third and medium since the drag and flat routes both create high percentage completion windows against zone drops.
