Playbooks
Curl Ohio out of Shotgun Doubles Stack Clamp is a curl-flat zone beater built to attack the underneath voids of Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells. The stack alignment creates natural rub action for the outside receiver working to the curl while the flat route underneath clears out space for the sit route to settle in the soft spot between the corner and linebacker. Your primary read progression starts with the curl route to the stack side, works down to the flat if the curl window is capped by a zone defender sinking hard, and finishes on the backside dig or check down to the running back if both are covered.
Watch for a single high safety rotating late, which indicates Cover 3 and means the flat defender will widen fast, opening the curl sit route behind him. Check linebacker depth at the snap. Linebackers sitting shallow at four to five yards signal underneath zone drops that can undercut the curl, so be ready to climb to the dig or check down. Identify any user controlled defender lurking in the shallow zone since a smart user will sit on the curl and bait the throw, so double clutch and look off to the backside before committing. Against Cover 2, the corner will sink into the curl window, so target the flat route quickly before he settles or throw the curl with anticipation into the void behind him. If the defense shows blitz with linebackers crashing downhill pre-snap, expect man coverage behind it, meaning the flat route or a quick option to the running back becomes your fastest outlet against the rush.
Use this on second and medium to second and long when defenses are more likely to sit in zone coverage rather than bring pressure.
Identify the safety alignment pre-snap. Two deep safeties with corners at seven to nine yards signals Cover 4 or Cover 2, which opens up the curl window against a soft corner.
If you see a single high safety with corners playing tight, expect Cover 3 and prioritize the flat to curl read since the seams will be occupied by linebackers dropping deep.
Hot route the flat defender's man into a quick out or slant if you diagnose man coverage pre-snap, since the curl concept loses value against tight man unless you get a natural pick from the stack release.
Pair this play with Mtn Rub Smash or Texas Smash in your call sequence so the defense has to respect both underneath curl-flat combos and deeper smash concepts, keeping linebackers honest and preventing them from jumping the curl route.
Use Curl Ohio early in a series to bait linebackers into sitting shallow, then come back with Flood Seam or Mtn Choice Go's Y-Shake to attack the same stack look vertically once you have their tendency.