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Utilizing the curl route is one of the most effective ways to move the ball through the air in NCAA 09. In this tip, the Michigan Wolverines travel to Ohio to take on the #3 ranked Buckeyes. Ohio State is obviously one of the top teams in the game, but they also have a 6'6 Freshman wide receiver on the bench that is capable of doing some serious damage when placed in the starting lineup. One of the main keys to successfully completing the curl route is using a receiver that is 6'4 or taller. Curl routes will work with smaller receivers, but using a bigger target will enable your quarterback to be a little less precise when making the high throw. |
Quick Setup
Step 1 - (Optional) Hot route your receiver to perform a curl route (360 - Y + receiver's icon + down on left analog stick / PS3 - Triangle + receiver's icon + down on left analog stick).
Step 2 - Wait for your receiver to make his initial break back to the quarterback.
Step 3 - Make a high bullet pass by firmly pressing the receiver's icon and holding up on the left analog stick.
NCAA Football 09 - Utilizing the Curl Route
The play that we've called, Flat Combo, already has the two outside receivers running curl routes on opposite sides of the field. You can hot route any receiver to perform a curl route (see Quick Setup) if the play you have called doesn't have one. Curl routes will work against man to man defenses even if your opponent has called for bump n' run coverage on the receivers. The timing on the play might require you to sit in the pocket for just a second longer if your opponent bumps, but it won't mess up the overall effectiveness of the play if you correctly make the throw. In the image to the right you can see that we've just taken the snap and our receivers have begun heading upfield without being bumped.
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The protection in the pocket is perfect, providing added comfort to our quarterback that we're going to be able to make a strong throw. In the second image our receivers have just started making their breaks back towards the quarterback.
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We firmly press the receiver's icon as we hold up on the left analog stick to put the ball as high in the air as possible for our big 6'6 target to make the catch. As the ball closes in the receiver prepares to leap into the air and snag the pass where no one else can.
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The catch is made and our receiver is hit immediately. Often times your receiver will get hit after making the catch because he's so high in the air, but more times than not the catch will be made if thrown properly. We mentioned above that this play does well against man defenses, but it also can be effective against zone defenses that appear to be in great position.
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This time the Michigan Wolverines have switched to a zone defense that provides them with two nickelbacks assigned to perform curl zones (purple zones). Curl zones do a great job of placing defenders into position on outside receivers when attempting curl routes. Typically, this particular type of defense would be enough to stop curl routes on the outsides, but if you're using a receiver 6'6 or taller you may find that your receiver still has a slight edge on the defense. Notice in the image to the right that the defender is standing in front of our receiver on the far left, yet we still are confident enough to make a high pass in his direction.
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Our receiver raises up over top of the defenders to haul in the pass for another big gain for the Bucks.
Conclusion
There are plenty of taller receivers in NCAA 09 that can be used to dominate your opponent with the curl route. A couple of teams with bigger receiving threats that come to mind are the Memphis Tigers and the Louisville Cardinals. Both Memphis and Louisville have receivers on their squads that stand 6'8 tall. Even if your team isn't fortunate enough to have a 6'8 giant out wide you can still expect the curl route to be extremely helpful to any receiver 6'4 and over. Perfect this throw in practice mode, then head onto the field to see what you can do in game action.
