Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Curl Combo out of Shotgun Doubles Offset lines up two receivers to the boundary and a bunched trio to the field, with the outside receiver running a deep clear-out route to occupy the corner and safety while the inside receiver runs a vertical curl that settles into the void underneath. To the field side, the outside receiver runs a vertical seam that breaks toward the sideline, the slot works a corner route up the numbers, and the tight end or third receiver runs a flat route to stretch the underneath zone horizontally. The lone red route on the backside is a hot route or blocking assignment (drawn as a vertical stem) that stays in to protect against pressure. This is a zone beater built on flooding one side high-low-flat, with the primary read starting on the field side flat-to-corner combo and progressing back to the backside curl if the defense rolls coverage away.
Defensive Reads
Watch the flat defender to the trips or field side immediately after the snap: if he widens with the flat route, the corner route behind him is open, but if he sits, the flat is the answer against Tampa 2 or Cover 3 sink corners. Key the backside curl defender's depth pre-snap; linebackers playing shallow hook zones will be beaten by the curl settling behind them, so look for teams to bracket that route with a safety rotating down. Man coverage with off corners is where this play thrives since the clear-out routes create natural rubs and separation for the curl and corner routes underneath. Cover 3 with a hard-flying flat defender and a deep-third corner can take away both the flat and corner route on one side, forcing the quarterback to reset to the backside curl read. Blitz-heavy defenses that bring six or seven rushers can overload the backside stay-in blocker, so if pre-snap you see stacked boxes or overload fronts, expect immediate pressure off the edge and get the ball out on rhythm to the curl or flat.
Usage Tips
Identify the coverage shell pre-snap by checking safety depth: if you see two-high shells, attack the field side flat and corner combo since the flat defender cannot cover both the flat route and the corner breaking route. Against single-high looks, work the backside curl route since the extra underneath defender will likely be occupied by the vertical clear-out on that side. Use motion across the formation to confirm man versus zone before the snap; if the defender follows the motion man, hot route the backside curl into a quick out to beat man leverage. This play pairs well with Double Slants and Drag Under in the same set since both punish underneath zone drops with quick-hitting throws, keeping the defense honest against Curl Combo's deeper developing routes. Call this on second or third and medium since the curl and corner routes need a beat to develop, and use play-action shots like PA Comeback Seam or PA Go Dig Post afterward once the defense starts sitting on the curl.
