Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Curls Combo out of Shotgun Y Trio Offset Wk lines up with three receivers to the left and a single receiver to the right. The lone right side receiver runs a deep crossing route through the middle of the field while the outside left receiver runs a corner route up the sideline. The inside left receiver breaks off a curl at the sticks and the tight end works a short curl underneath, with the backfield staying in to pick up any pressure. This is a zone beater built around stacking curl and crossing routes at different depths to attack the middle and flat voids in Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells, with the deep cross serving as the primary read against man coverage.
Defensive Reads
Read the cornerback depth at the snap, if the corner over the outside receiver bails immediately it signals zone and the curl underneath should be open. Watch the flat defender on the corner route side, if he sinks with the deep route the underneath curl combo becomes wide open for a quick throw. Key the middle linebacker's drop, a shallow drop into the curl window can bait the quarterback into a pick if he sits in that zone. This concept struggles against a hard match up man press since the outside corner route can get jammed at the line before it develops. Watch for a user lurking underneath the deep cross, a spy or rat linebacker sitting in that lane can jump the crossing route if the quarterback stares it down too long.
Usage Tips
Check the safety alignment pre-snap, two high safeties tell you the curl routes will have room to sit down against soft zone drops.
Use the deep crossing route as your first read versus man coverage since it forces linebackers to run with it across the field.
If the defense shows Cover 3 with a single high safety, work the curl to the sticks route since the flat defender usually widens with the corner route.
This play pairs well with Four Verticals and Slot Fade in the same set since both attack vertically and force defenders to respect the deep ball before you come back to this curl combo on the next snap.
Best used on second and medium to long or third and medium since the curl routes settle in at a reliable sticks depth for an easy conversion.
