If you can't throw the curl against man coverage, you shouldn't be throwing the ball. Here's how to teach it right.
When it's third-and-eight and you have to have it, you need a pass concept you trust against anything. For my money, that's the curl-flat. It's a simple two-on-one stretch that works against man, against cover two, against cover three, and against off coverage. It's one of the best ways I know to keep a drive alive in long-yardage.
The concept puts two routes on one underneath defender and makes him wrong either way. Here's how we teach the pieces:
- The curl. The outside receiver pushes hard for ten yards, breaks two steps toward the post to sell deep, then sticks and curls back to the quarterback. If the ball isn't there on the cut, he slides to the outside to give the QB a window. Sell deep, push the defender, then come back.
- The flat. A back or slot runs to the flat with urgency to widen the underneath defender. You want about five to seven yards of horizontal spacing between the two routes.
- The read. Pre-snap, find the flat defender. If he widens to the flat, throw the curl, that's your primary. If he sinks under the curl, throw the flat. From the gun it's a three-step rhythm, and the throw comes out as the third step lands.
Against man coverage we have a simple rule. The curl becomes a "go" route, and go stands for get open. If the defensive back bails, run the curl. If your receiver can get on top of him, take off. The mindset for the receiver is, "if I'm even, I'm leaving." High school defensive backs are more afraid of getting beat deep than just about anything, and you can use that fear against them.
Once your kids own the basic version, you can grow it. Add a shallow crosser underneath to give the QB a third answer when a linebacker walls the curl. Run it from trips with the inside man sitting at five yards to put a linebacker in a bind. And tie it to play-action off your power or buck, which pulls the linebackers out of the throwing lanes and lets you cut the drop down to a step or two.
Teach the curl right and you'll always have an answer on third down.
For the route details, the break points, and the drills to coach it, take a look at the Gun T Wide Receiver Manual.