Playbooks

Strong Curl

Shotgun·Trey Open Offset·11
CurlPass Play
Play diagram for Strong Curl from Shotgun Trey Open Offset in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

In 4 playbooks

Balanced Pass OffenseOffensePanthers OffenseOffenseWest Coast OffenseOffenseNFL Live Panthers OffenseOffense

Breakdown

Strong Curl out of Shotgun Trey Open Offset shows a curl to the boundary from the number 1 receiver, a corner route bending outside from the number 2 receiver in the trio, an out breaking route from the slot defender crossing underneath, a shallow drag coming from the backside, and a wheel route out of the backfield working from inside out to the flat and up the sideline. The blocking is a standard pass protection look with the line sliding to account for the four man box shown. This is a zone beater built to attack curl to flat and hook zones, with the primary read starting on the number 1 curl route working outside in versus soft zone coverage, then progressing to the shallow drag and wheel combo underneath if the flat defender sinks with the curl.

Defensive Reads

Identify Cover 3 pre snap by the single high safety alignment, this leaves the curl and flat combo vulnerable to a sinking corner unless the user plays the flat aggressively Watch the hook linebacker depth at the snap, if he stays shallow the curl route will not have room to settle and the quarterback should progress to the drag or wheel Man coverage with no help over the top on the number 1 receiver is a green light to throw the curl quickly before the defender can undercut the break Zone blitzes that send extra rushers off the edge can disrupt the timing of the curl read, so the quarterback should be ready to check down to the wheel route for a quick outlet User controlled defenders sitting in the flat or lurking underneath the drag route are the biggest threat to this concept, since they can jump the shallow crossing routes if the quarterback stares them down

Usage Tips

Use this on second and medium to second and long when you expect zone shells like Cover 3 or Cover 4 that sit back and let receivers settle into windows

Pre snap, check the depth of the flat corner and the hook linebackers, if they are sitting at 8 to 10 yards the curl route will have a soft window to sit down in

Hot route the shallow drag into a speed out if you see man coverage across the formation, since the curl and wheel combo are more effective against zone drops

Pair this play with Y Stick or Curls Dig from the same set to keep defenders guessing between quick curl breaks and deeper crossing routes

Use the wheel route as a check versus aggressive zone blitzes since the flat defender vacating early opens a lane for the running back up the sideline

Other Plays in Trey Open Offset