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Breakdown
Curl Flat Wheel out of Singleback Trips Open sends the backside X on a vertical release, the number three trips receiver on a short flat route, the number two trips receiver on a curl breaking back to the sideline, and the number one trips receiver on a wheel route that stems flat then turns upfield along the boundary for the deep shot. This is a pass play with no visible run action or blocking tag shown, built as a route combo designed to attack both underneath zone drops and man coverage leverage on the outside. Primary read progression starts with the wheel route as the number one target since it stresses vertical zone drops and beats man coverage on the corner turn, then works down to the curl sitting underneath, and checks down to the flat route if the defense rolls coverage over the top.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify the safety alignment over the trips side, since a two-high shell with the safety shaded outside signals trouble for the wheel route while a single high safety opens up the vertical lane. Watch cornerback positioning on the number one receiver, since press or tight man alignment is exactly what the wheel route is designed to defeat with its flat-then-vertical stem. Post-snap, key the flow of underneath linebackers, since a linebacker sprinting out to cover the flat or curl too aggressively leaves the middle of the field open for the curl route to settle into. This play struggles against Cover 2 with disciplined cornerback drops, since the corner can sink and cut off the wheel route's vertical break while the safety stays deep. Look for a user-controlled defender lurking in the shallow flat, since that defender can jump the flat route and bait the quarterback into a bad throw if the wheel and curl are not open yet.
Usage Tips
Use pre-snap motion or a hard count to see if the defense shifts a safety over the trips side, since that tells you whether the wheel route has a clean vertical lane or if it will run into a deep half defender.
Target the wheel route against man coverage when you see a linebacker or nickel corner trying to match up on the number one receiver, since that mismatch almost always wins on the corner turn.
Against zone drops, work the curl route as your primary since it settles into the soft spot behind underneath defenders and in front of deep zone coverage, especially versus Cover 3 buzz looks.
This play is best called on second and medium to third and long situations where you need a chunk gain, since the wheel route takes time to develop and needs a clean pocket.
Pair this play with Curl Flat Corner or Four Verticals from the same Trips Open set to keep the defense guessing between the wheel and other vertical shots from trips, forcing safeties to declare their help side before the snap.
