Playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn Curls H-Sluggo lines up from Shotgun Spread Dbl Flex with 11 personnel and shows two curl routes breaking outward at the sticks on the outside receivers, a vertical seam route from the inline slot that stems upfield, and the H-back running a sluggo (slant and go) up the numbers on the right after selling the slant break. The QB stays in the pocket behind a five-man protection look. This is a man beater built around the sluggo route creating a double move explosion play against aggressive corners, with the curls serving as the underneath answer if the deep shot is not there. Primary read progression starts with the sluggo (1) for the big play, works to the vertical seam route if the safety jumps the sluggo, and checks down to either curl route as the outlet against tight coverage.
Defensive Reads
Read the cornerback over the sluggo receiver pre-snap: if he is playing tight man with no safety help over the top, this play is live for a big gain. Identify single high safety alignment before the snap, since Cover 1 and Cover 3 shells leave the deep middle vulnerable once the safety commits to the vertical seam route. Post-snap, watch for a user-controlled defender lurking underneath the seam route, as a rover or spy sitting in the middle of the field can jump the throwing lane before it develops. If the cornerback sits back and refuses to bite on the slant phase of the sluggo, expect him in position to make a play deep, so be ready to check down to the curl routes. Against zone coverage look for the flat defender's depth on the curl side, since a defender sitting too shallow opens the curl route as an easy completion underneath.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion or a hard count to bait corners into jumping the initial slant break on the sluggo route before it turns vertical.
Attack single high shells like Cover 1 and Cover 3 where the corner has to play the slant phase honestly, since the sluggo route will blow the top off if the defender bites.
Hot route the backside curl into a deeper comeback against Cover 2 if the cornerback is sitting low, since the flat defender can undercut the shallow break.
Pair this play with Mtn DBL Slants Wheel or Slants Middle earlier in a series so defenders start keying on the initial slant angle, setting up the sluggo double move for a bigger explosion later.
Best called on second or third and medium to long when defenders are more likely to jump underneath routes and open up the vertical shot behind them.
