Playbooks
Curls out of Shotgun Y Off Trips Stack sends the trips stack side into a curl-based route combo with the backside receiver working an isolated route to hold the corner. This concept is built as a zone beater, using staggered curl depths to settle into soft spots between the underneath linebackers and the deep safeties in zone drops. The primary read starts with the outside curl breaking at the sticks, then progresses inside to the second curl route working the void created by the stacked release, with the backside route as a hot outlet against man coverage or blitz looks.
Identify if the defense is in a zone shell like Cover 3 or Cover 4, since the curl routes will sit down in the underneath zones and give the quarterback clean throwing windows. Watch for user-controlled linebackers sitting in the curl to flat area, if a defender is manually lurking that window the quarterback needs to reset to the backside route or the second curl option. Key the cornerback depth on the stack release, a corner playing off coverage signals a zone shell where curls will settle in front of him, while tight man coverage on the outside receiver suggests press man that the stack release can defeat. Look for a nano blitz or overload pressure package pre-snap, since the curl routes take time to develop and this play can be vulnerable if protection breaks down before the routes settle. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, shallow linebacker drops crowd the curl windows and force the quarterback to hold the ball longer, which favors the defense if the pass rush wins quickly.
Check the pre-snap safety alignment before the snap, if you see two high safeties sitting deep this play settles well into the zone voids underneath them.
Use the stack release to your advantage against man coverage, motion or a hot route on the backside receiver can turn this into a quick option if the defense shows blitz.
This play is best called on second and medium or third and short to medium since the curl depths typically settle around eight to twelve yards.
Combine Curls with Deep Stick in this set to attack both shallow and intermediate zones on consecutive plays, forcing linebackers to widen their drops and open up the curl windows even more.
Pair Curls with Counter Y as a run-pass sequence, once the defense commits to stopping the curl combo on early downs, Counter Y punishes overaggressive linebacker flow with a run to the same stack side.