Welcome to the second in our series covering the common routes of NFL wide receivers. This time we will take a look at some of the mid-breaking routes on the diagram below: the flat, comeback and curl.
Flat (aka Quick Out): The receiver will take three quick steps to appear as they are going long, then quickly break out to the sideline into the area commonly referred to as the flat. It can be a strong weapon with a speedy receiver when no one is directly covering him.
Comeback (aka Hitch): This is possibly the toughest throw for a quarterback to make in his entire arsenal and requires perfect communication and timing between the passer and receiver.