Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Curl Combo out of Shotgun Wing HB Wk Close is a curl based passing concept with a vertical stretch built in. The backside receiver runs a corner route up the sideline while the slot runs a vertical seam that sits down into a curl at the second level, and the in-line tight end to the play side releases on a deep out breaking route to clear the flat, with the wing back working an underneath crossing route to the opposite flat for a checkdown outlet. This is a zone beater that attacks the middle of the field with the curl sitting in soft spots between linebackers and safeties, and the primary read progression starts at the seam to curl route, works to the deep out from the tight end, then checks down to the crossing wing back if the underneath windows are closed.
Defensive Reads
Key the middle linebacker's initial drop, since if he sinks hard to the curl route zone you should look off that read and go to the deep out from the tight end instead. Watch the deep safeties pre-snap, two high safeties often signal Cover 2 or Cover 4 which opens the seam to curl window, while a single high safety suggests Cover 3 or Cover 1 which tightens that same window. If the cornerback over the corner route bails deep at the snap that is a strong zone indicator, and you should trust the curl sitting underneath him rather than forcing the corner throw. Beware of a user controlled linebacker sitting in a lurk position over the curl route, since a smart user defender will jump this route and bait the quarterback into a turnover. Against man coverage with no safety help over the top, the deep out from the tight end and the corner route both become viable due to natural leverage advantages created by the route stems.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion or a quick alignment check to identify if you are facing zone or man coverage before the snap, since this concept thrives against zone shells like Cover 3 and Cover 4 where the curl route settles into the soft spot behind linebackers and in front of safeties.
If you see Cover 2 or Cover 4 with deep safeties sitting high, prioritize the seam to curl read early since the window will close quickly once the underneath defenders sink into their zone drops.
Hot route the wing back's crossing route into a flat or drag if you need a faster checkdown option against pressure looks, especially on third and short.
This play pairs well with Mesh Spot and Spacing from the same set since both attack underneath zones differently, forcing defenders to respect multiple levels and keep the defense guessing on down and distance.
Use this on second and medium to long situations where defenses are more likely to sit in zone coverage, since the curl route needs time to develop and man coverage with a hard blitz can disrupt the timing.
