Playbooks
Breakdown
Dagger Deep Curl is an empty formation dropback pass out of Shotgun Empty Chips Nasty that stacks a vertical clear with an underneath curl to attack both deep and intermediate zones. The left side runs a two man dagger combo with the inside receiver clearing vertically while the outside receiver sits down on a curl at the sticks, and the right side pairs a deep vertical seam route with a receiver breaking on a deep in behind it, while the boundary back releases on a shallow out to the flat. This is a zone beater built for Cover 2 and Cover 3 shells, with the primary read starting on the deep in route working from outside to the curl sitting underneath if the safety cheats over the top.
Defensive Reads
Watch for a single high safety rotating late, this signals Cover 3 and tells you the deep in route will have a soft window against the flat footed zone corner. Two deep safeties splitting the field pre-snap indicates Cover 2, which opens up the curl route sitting down in the honey hole between the corner and safety. Identify any user controlled defender sitting in the middle of the field or lurking near the deep in route, this is the biggest threat to the primary read and forces a quick progression to the curl. Zero blitz or man pressure looks negate this play's zone beating design, so check for CBs pressed at the line and safeties creeping down before committing to the deep in read. Linebacker depth on the snap tells you if the underneath curl will be open, shallow linebacker drops mean the flat route to the running back becomes the quicker answer.
Usage Tips
Check the safety alignment before the snap, if you see two deep safeties or a single high safety shaded to the field side this play has a clean answer on either side of the formation.
Start your first read on the deep in route crossing over the middle since it is the primary answer against Cover 3 and Cover 2 zone drops.
If the deep in is capped by a robber or lurking linebacker, work back to the curl sitting at the sticks on the opposite side for an easy completion against soft zone.
Use the flat route from the running back as a checkdown against blitz looks or when the underneath zones flood to the boundary.
Pair this play with Dagger and Slot Sail in the same set to keep defenders guessing between deep in, deep post out, and curl combinations, since the pre-snap alignment looks nearly identical across all three.
Other Plays in Empty Chips Nasty
DaggerDagger, Pass Play, Cover 2 Beater +1
Deep Post OutOut, Post, Pass Play
Dig StickDig, Stick, Stick Concept +1
Double 7 StopPass Play, Hitch, Out +4
Double SwirlPass Play, Quick Pass, Out +4
Out X DigOut, Dig, Pass Play
Post CrossPost, Pass Play, Crosser- QB Zone
Slot SailSail, Pass Play, Cover 2 Beater +1
X CrossCrosser, Pass Play- X Whip In