Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Curl Combo out of Singleback Trey lines up with a bunched trio to the closed side and a lone receiver split to the open side, and the diagram shows a five man protection with the backside X running a deep vertical stem against man leverage. The three receivers to the trips side work a short in cut, a curl breaking back to the quarterback, and a flat route from the backfield receiver, giving three distinct levels underneath while the flat man clears out to the far boundary. This is a man and zone beater built on high low spacing: the primary read starts with the curl sitting down in the void, works to the in route if a linebacker sinks into the curl window, and checks down to the flat if the underneath defenders squeeze the middle.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check linebacker depth: if they are sitting shallow at five yards or less, the curl route will have a tighter window and you should jump the in cut with a user defender instead. Watch safety alignment before the snap, since a single high safety often signals man coverage underneath, which lets you sit on the backside vertical route with a user defender for a big play. Post-snap, key the flat defender's reaction to the running back release, because if he widens too fast the underneath in route becomes wide open behind him. Look for a linebacker spy or lurk defender sinking into the curl area, which is the primary counter to this concept and forces the quarterback to work the in route or flat instead. Against Cover 2 or Cover 4 shells, the deep vertical route on the backside is taken away by the safety, so bait the quarterback into the shorter curl and in combo where a sim pressure or nano blitz can disrupt timing.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing two high or single high safety look, since curl combo thrives against zone shells that leave a soft spot between the linebacker level and the safety. Use the flat route as a built in checkdown against blitz heavy fronts, since the running back or slot flat receiver gets an outlet before the pocket collapses. Hot route the backside vertical into a quick slant if you see man coverage with no safety help over the top, turning it into an instant man beater. Pair this play with HB Dive or HB Zone Wk earlier in a series to draw linebackers up, which opens the curl window even wider on this call. Best used on second and medium to third and short, where the curl and in route combo gives multiple completion windows against both zone drops and man leverage. Against Cover 3, target the curl sitting right on the seam of the flat and hook defenders for an easy pitch and catch.
