Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Curls out of Shotgun Trey Open (11 personnel) is a five man route concept built to attack zone drops with layered curl breaks. To the trey side, the inside slot runs a curl that settles at the sticks while the outside receiver on that side (the number 1 route) runs a vertical stem before breaking back, creating a natural high low read against the flat and hook defenders. The backside receiver runs an out and up to hold the corner, and the running back releases into the flat with a shallow arc route underneath. This is a zone beater at its core, designed to let the quarterback climb the progression from the trey side curl to the backside comeback route based on how the underneath defenders sink or squat.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check linebacker depth and spacing near the trey bunch look, since curls attack the seams that linebackers leave when they drop too shallow into hook zones. Watch for a user controlled defender sitting in the underneath curl to flat zone on the trey side, as this is the primary lurk threat that can jump the route if the quarterback stares it down. Identify single high safety shells like cover 1 or cover 3, since the curl breaks create natural separation against zone defenders who are reading the quarterback's eyes instead of manning up. Against man coverage, especially cover 0 or cover 1 with no deep help, the curl routes lose value quickly because there is no zone void to settle into, making this play vulnerable to disguised blitzes. Post-snap, track whether the flat defender widens with the running back's arc release or stays home to jump the shorter curl, since that decision dictates whether the quarterback should work the trey side or reset to the backside comeback.
Usage Tips
Use this on second and medium to second and long when you expect off man or a zone shell, since the curl breaks need cushion to settle into throwing windows.
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing two high or single high safety look, because curls thrive against zone coverage that has defenders sinking to intermediate depth instead of driving downhill on the catch point.
If you see man coverage with no safety help over the top, hot route the backside receiver into a quicker option or slant to speed up the timing instead of relying on the deeper comeback.
Pair this play with Curls X Go or Dig N Go in your call sheet to keep defenders honest, since both share the same initial route stems but attack differently over the middle of the field.
On third and medium, prioritize the trey side curl as your first read since it settles quickest and is the primary answer versus both Tampa 2 and standard cover 3 zone drops.
