Playbooks

Lead Swing All Curl

Shotgun·Y Off Trips·11

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This play belongs to no NFL team or scheme playbook, so it may not appear in the in-game builder.

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Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetY Off Trips

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 1 playbook

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Breakdown

Lead Swing All Curl is a curl based zone beater out of Shotgun Y Off Trips that pairs an HB swing route out of the backfield with a trio of curl routes stacked from the trips side, plus a fourth curl from the backside X. The concept is designed to work the middle and outside hooks against zone coverage by stacking horizontal spacing, but it can still function versus man if you know where the leverage mismatch is. Primary read progression starts with the HB swing as a built in checkdown against blitz or aggressive man, then climbs to the outside trips curl, working inside to the intermediate curl, and finally the backside curl as the last resort against zone rotation.

Defensive Reads

Pre-snap, identify single high safety alignment since Cover 3 leaves soft spots between the cornerback and the underneath zone defenders that the trips curls are designed to exploit. Watch linebacker depth at the snap, if the middle or hook defenders sink too fast into the intermediate zone, the HB swing becomes the quicker answer since the flat will be uncovered. Key the flat defender's leverage on the trips side, if he widens to take away the swing, the outside curl sits down right behind him in the natural window. Beware Cover 4 or Cover 6 shells with quarters principles, since a user controlled safety can sit on the outside curl and jump the route if the quarterback stares it down too long. Man coverage with an underneath robber or a lurking linebacker in the middle of the field can undercut the inside curl route, so if you see a defender sitting in that throwing lane, work the ball to the backside curl or check it down to the HB swing instead.

Usage Tips

Use pre-snap motion or a quick glance at the trips side to identify if the defense is showing two high or single high, since All Curl thrives against zone shells like Cover 3 and Cover 4 where the curl routes sit in the natural voids between underneath and deep defenders.

If you see man coverage with no safety help over the trips side, hot route the outside curl to a corner or out to attack the leverage instead of sitting the receiver down in a crowded area.

Take the HB swing as an automatic answer versus any five or six man pressure look since the route releases quickly and gives you a built in blitz beater without needing to go through the full progression.

Combine this play with Curls or Return Curls from the same set to keep the defense honest on hook zone spacing, then mix in RPO Bubble Y Pop or HB Swing Screen to punish defenses that start keying the swing route and jumping the flat.

This play works best on second and medium to third and medium since the curl depth typically sits around eight to twelve yards, giving you a high floor conversion play without needing to test a deep shot.