Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Strong Curl out of Shotgun Trey Open Offset lines up three receivers to the left with a tight end and back split to the right. The three-receiver side runs a curl from the outside receiver at a comfortable depth, an out-breaking route from the middle receiver, and a deep dig from the inside slot receiver crossing the field, while the tight end on the strong side runs a short out and the back releases on a vertical seam route up the numbers. This is a zone beater built around the curl-flat combination on the trips side, with the deep dig serving as a window-clearing route against zone drops. Primary read progression starts with the curl at the top of the stem, works down to the flat breaking route underneath, and comes back to the seam route from the back if the zone flows away from the trips side.
Defensive Reads
Watch the strong side safety depth before the snap, if he sits shallow in the middle of the field he can jump the curl route and bait a turnover. Read the linebacker drops after the snap, if they sink hard into the curl window the dig route crossing behind them becomes the better throw. Cover 2 shells with two deep safeties struggle to defend the curl and flat combo since the underneath defenders get stretched horizontally. Man coverage looks with press corners can be exploited by the curl route settling and creating separation at the top of the route stem. Blitz-heavy fronts that bring extra rushers leave the flat and seam routes open quickly, so identify the rush count pre-snap and get the ball out on time to the shortest route.
Usage Tips
Use this play on second and medium or third and short situations where the curl route sits down in the soft spot of zone coverage. Check the pre-snap alignment of the strong side safety, if he cheats over the trips side you can hot route the seam route from the back into a quicker option against a blitz look. Against zone shells like Cover 3 or Cover 4, trust the curl to settle in the void before the linebackers can drop into the throwing lane. Pair this call with Y Stick or Curls Dig from the same set to keep defenders guessing between quick curls and deeper dig combos without changing your formation. If the defense shows heavy blitz pre-snap, get through your first read fast and check down to the seam route from the back since it releases quickly into open space.
