Playbooks
Breakdown
Curl Flat out of Strong I Slot Flex (21 personnel) sends the flexed slot receiver on a deep crossing route to the far sideline while the inline receiver on that side runs a shallow drag underneath it, creating a natural rub for man coverage. To the strong side, the outside receiver runs a curl route that sits down around 10-12 yards while the TE or inline man releases to the flat, forming a true curl flat combo that stretches the zone vertically and horizontally. This is a zone beater first (built to attack Cover 2 and Cover 3 by putting the flat defender and curl defender in conflict), and the primary read progression starts with the strong side curl flat combo before working backside to the crosser if the zone opens up underneath.
Defensive Reads
Presnap, check safety depth and corner alignment on the strong side, since a single high safety often signals Cover 3 which opens the curl window between levels Watch for a user controlled linebacker sitting in the strong side flat or curl zone, as that is the primary lurk threat trying to jump the route combo Post snap, track the flat defender's first two steps, if he sinks with the flat route the curl throw will be open, if he stays home the flat is your outlet Cover 2 with aggressive corner press can jam the flat route at the line, so be ready to work the curl or backside crosser if the flat gets disrupted Man coverage with underneath help, such as Cover 1 with a rat linebacker, is the toughest shell for this play since the crosser and drag lose their natural rub advantage and the rat can sit on the curl
Usage Tips
Presnap, identify if the strong side flat defender is a linebacker or a defensive back, since a slower linebacker in that flat zone gets exploited by the curl sitting on top of him
Against Cover 3, the curl route settles in the soft spot between the underneath zone and the deep third defender, so hitch up into the throwing window rather than forcing it early
Against Cover 2, target the flat route first to bait the corner into squatting, then come back to the curl once the corner commits, since the flat clears space for the curl sitter
Use hot routes to convert the backside crosser into a deeper dig if you are seeing a lot of Cover 3 zone drops, giving you a true zone beater package for both shells
Pair this play with Dagger or PA Boot Slide in the same set to keep defenses guessing between quick underneath zone beaters and shot plays off similar formation looks
On third and medium, this play is money because the curl route naturally sits at the sticks while the flat gives you a checkdown outlet against a delayed blitz
