Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Curl Outs lines up in Shotgun Spread Y-Slot Wk with two receivers stacked on the right side running an out and a vertical seam, while the left side stacks a curl in front of an out that breaks to the sideline, with the slot receiver running a shallow drag underneath. This is a zone beater built to stretch the field horizontally and vertically at once, giving the quarterback a high low read against Cover 3 and Cover 2 zone drops. Primary progression starts with the right side out and seam combo, then works to the left curl and out stack, with the drag underneath as a checkdown against blitz or man coverage.
Defensive Reads
Watch the flat defender on the left side, if he sinks with the curl route the out route underneath him is open immediately. Key the corner on the right side stack, in Cover 3 he has to respect the vertical seam route which opens the out route in the boundary. Look for linebacker depth at the snap, shallow drops signal zone and open up the curl routes, while aggressive man press alignment signals you should target the drag route as your outlet. This play struggles against Cover 4 or Cover 6 shells with two deep safeties over the stacked side, since both vertical and out routes get squeezed by the corner and safety. Beware of a user controlled linebacker sitting in the shallow drag lane, as this is the most common lurk spot defenders use to jump this concept.
Usage Tips
Use this play on second and medium or third and short when you expect zone coverage from the defense. Check the safety alignment pre-snap, if you see two high safeties this concept has room to work between the flat and curl zones on both sides. Hot route the drag route into a deeper crosser if you see man coverage to give yourself a true man beater option. Pair this with Curl Combo or Slot Outs in the same set to keep defenders guessing between similar route stems out of the same formation. Against Cover 3, target the curl to out stack on the left since the corner has to choose between the flat and the curl defender.
