Playbooks
Curl Combo out of Pro Slot Split Backs is a zone beater built around a curl route package on both sides of the field, with the slot receiver working underneath and outside receivers sitting down at the sticks. The blocking scheme keeps both backs in to protect, giving the quarterback a clean pocket to climb through his progression from the outside curl to the underneath crossers and check down to the backs. Primary read progression starts with the boundary curl, works to the field side curl or dig breaking underneath it, and ends with the checkdown to the backfield if both curls are covered.
Check safety depth before the snap, if both safeties are deep and off the ball you are likely facing Cover 2 or Cover 4, which are the shells this play beats up consistently. Watch the flat defenders at the snap, if they sink hard into the curl windows instead of staying flat, that signals zone match or Cover 6 and you should look to the opposite side curl or the checkdown. Key the middle linebacker's drop, a deep drop into the throwing lane against a two high shell means you should climb the pocket and hit the curl before the window closes. Beware Cover 3 with a hard sink from the corners, since this compresses both curl windows and makes the quarterback hold the ball too long, look for a user lurk defender sitting in the shallow zone if you call an audible into this coverage. Man coverage with underneath blitz pressure is the biggest threat to this play, since the curls need time to develop and there is no built in hot route protection against a nano blitz, so recognize press man alignment pre-snap and consider switching to Mesh or Slants instead.
Look for the safeties pre-snap, this play punishes two high shells since the curls settle into the soft spots between the corners and the linebacker zone drops. Use the outside curl as your primary hot route target against Cover 2 or Cover 4, since the corner has to sink and the curl sits right in the window before the safety can rotate over. Hot route one of the curls into a flat or corner route if you diagnose Cover 3 pre-snap, this keeps the flat defender honest and opens up the curl to sit behind him. Run this on second and medium to third and short situations where the sticks match the curl depth, giving the quarterback a high percentage completion with YAC potential. Pair this with FB Belly or HB Slip Screen to slow down aggressive linebackers who key run first, then come back to Curl Combo once they start cheating up in run support.