Playbooks

Curl Flat

Shotgun·Tight·11

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This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

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Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetTight

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 1 playbook

Air Raid Classic OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Curl Flat out of Shotgun Tight 11 personnel is a classic zone beater built around a high low read on one side of the field. The concept pairs a curl route from the outside receiver or tight end with a flat route from the running back or slot man, stretching the underneath zone defender horizontally and vertically at the same time. The primary read progression starts with the curl sitting down in the soft spot behind linebackers and in front of the safety, then works down to the flat if the curl defender sinks or a linebacker widens to take away the flat.

Defensive Reads

Pre-snap, check the cornerback depth on the curl side, a soft corner playing seven or eight yards off is a strong indicator of Cover 3 or Cover 4 zone drops that this play is designed to punish. Watch the flat defender, usually a linebacker or slot corner, since his width and depth at the snap tell you whether the flat route or the curl route will be open first. Post-snap, key the underneath zone dropper closest to the curl route, if he sinks too deep chasing the curl the flat is wide open, and if he sits shallow the curl sits down right behind him. User controlled lurk defenders sitting in the curl window can bait quarterbacks into a pick six, so check the middle of the field for a robber or hook zone defender before committing to the curl read. This play struggles against man coverage with a hard blitz since there is no immediate answer to beat pressure quickly, so recognize Cover 1 or Cover 0 pre-snap looks with safeties crashing down and be ready to check into a quicker breaking route or throw the flat immediately.

Usage Tips

Attack Cover 3 and Cover 2 shells since the curl flat combo naturally exploits the flat defender who has to choose between the flat and the curl sitting behind him.

Use the curl route as a hot route conversion to a corner or seam if you see the defense showing Cover 4 or a hard flat squat, giving you a vertical shot instead of settling for the checkdown.

On third and short or third and medium, this play is a great call because the flat route acts as a built in safety valve if the curl window is not there.

Pair this play with Y Cross or All Cross out of the same formation so the defense has to respect both a horizontal stretch and a deep crossing shot, keeping linebackers honest on their zone drops.

Motion the running back or use a pre-snap shift to identify man versus zone before the snap, since a defender following the motion man signals man coverage and tells you to lean on the flat route for an easy conversion.