Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
Curl Wheel out of Shotgun Spread Y-Slot lines up with two receivers to the left running a curl and a corner route off a shared stem, while the right side shows a TE running a wheel route up the sideline underneath a receiver crossing over the top on a deep dig-style pattern. The backfield or slot player releases outside on a wheel route to attack any linebacker or nickel defender who bites on the underneath flow. This is primarily a man beater, using the wheel route to exploit linebackers in man coverage and the crossing route to occupy zone defenders, with the curl serving as a built-in checkdown against zone drops. Primary read progression starts with the wheel route matchup, then works to the deep crosser, and finally settles on the curl route as the underneath outlet.
Defensive Reads
Key the linebacker or nickel defender responsible for the TE or back out of the backfield, if he stays flat footed on the wheel route release it is likely zone coverage. Watch for a user-controlled defender flashing down to lurk the curl route, which signals the defense is sitting on the underneath read and daring you to throw the wheel. Identify single high safety looks like Cover 1 or Cover 3, both of which are vulnerable to the wheel route if the underneath defender gets picked or is late to react. Recognize Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells where safeties sit deep, since the crossing route over the top can be undercut by a deep zone defender if the quarterback does not anticipate the throw. Beware of a blitz look where the linebacker assigned to the wheel route is replaced by a deep safety rotation, which erases the primary matchup advantage and forces a quick checkdown to the curl.
Usage Tips
Check pre-snap for linebacker depth and nickel alignment since the wheel route only wins big if a slower defender is forced to run vertically with the TE or back out of the backfield.
Use motion or a hot route audible to shift the wheel route runner outside if the defense shows man coverage with a linebacker aligned tight to the box.
Against zone shells like Cover 3 or Cover 4, prioritize the curl route as the primary read since it sits down in the soft spot vacated by underneath zone defenders.
Pair this play with a quick game call like Quick Slants or Stick N Nod earlier in a series to condition the defense to jump underneath routes, then hit the wheel route for an explosive gain.
Best called on second or third and medium when defenses are more willing to play man coverage or blitz, since the wheel route punishes both man matchups and overaggressive blitz packages that leave a linebacker isolated.
