Playbooks
Breakdown
Curls out of Shotgun Trips HB Wk sends the backside X on a corner route while the trips side stacks two curls at the sticks with the HB releasing on a wheel out of the backfield. The tight curl from the inside slot and the outer curl from the boundary receiver create a natural stretch that settles right over the shallow zone droppers, and the running back's wheel adds a vertical answer if a linebacker or safety widens to cover the flat. Primary progression starts with the backside corner route against single coverage, then works to the two curls working underneath the trips side, with the HB wheel as the late-window answer versus zone.
Defensive Reads
Identify the safety alignment before the snap, two high safeties suggest zone coverage and the curls will have soft spots to work into against Cover 2 or Cover 3. If you see a single high safety with corners playing tight press, expect man coverage and the backside corner route becomes the primary user-controlled defender exploit. Watch the flat defender on the trips side after the snap, if he sinks with the outer curl it opens a throwing lane for the wheel route to climb up the sideline uncontested. Key on blitz indicators like linebackers creeping toward the line or a safety rotating down pre-snap, since a nano blitz or overload pressure can collapse the pocket before the double curl combo has time to develop. This play struggles against a hard Cover 3 sky look with the flat defender staying wide and the underneath linebacker sitting square, since that combination removes both curl windows and forces a check down.
Usage Tips
Use this on second and medium to second and long when defenses are likely to sit in zone since the double curl combo is built to settle in soft spots between levels. Pre-snap, check for two deep safeties, if the defense shows Cover 2 or Cover 4 shell the curls will have room to sit down in front of the corners. Hot route the backside corner route into a quick out or slant if you see man coverage with no help over the top, since the corner takes longer to develop and can get squeezed by a hard-charging cornerback. Watch linebacker depth before the snap, if the second-level defenders are sitting shallow you can trust the HB wheel as a home run shot against a blown coverage or busted assignment. Pair this play with Dbl Comeback or Deep Stick from the same set to keep defenders guessing between comeback breaks and curl settles, forcing zone defenders to freeze on their drops.
