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Quick Reference
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Breakdown
Close Z Clown out of Full House is a play-action flood concept built to stretch the field horizontally with three levels attacking one side. The play-action fake holds the linebackers, then the flanker runs a deep corner route while a receiver from the backfield or tight end area breaks on a curl flat underneath, and another route works across the field on a deep crossing out. On the other side, a short out breaks toward the sideline to hold flat defenders, creating a three-level flood that overloads zone coverage. The primary read progression starts with the deep corner route as the number one option, then works down to the curl flat sitting underneath it, using the flood to isolate a single defender against two or three routes stacked vertically.
Defensive Reads
This play is a Cover 3 beater by design, since the flood concept overloads the deep third defender and the curl flat defender on one side with three separate routes. Look for a single deep third corner or safety trying to cover both the corner route and the crossing out, that conflict is where you win with the corner route if the defense stays in a traditional 3 deep, 4 under shell. Cover 2 with two deep safeties can take away the corner route by rolling coverage to the flood side, so if you see the safety shade over pre-snap, expect the corner window to close and plan on working the curl flat instead. Man coverage with a linebacker matched on the curl flat is exploitable since the play-action fake often freezes that defender just enough to create separation. Watch for a hard blitz off the edge on the flood side, since the play-action fake can hold your blocking scheme up just long enough, but a delayed blitz or nano blitz timed with the fake can collapse the pocket before the corner route develops, so know your protection and be ready to throw the flat route as a checkdown against pressure.
Usage Tips
Call this play on early downs or second and medium when you have play-action tendencies established from your run game in Full House. Check the safety alignment pre-snap: if you see two deep safeties shading toward the flood side, your window on the corner route shrinks, so be ready to check down to the curl flat or the crossing out. Use hot routes to adjust the backside out route into a deeper comeback if you are facing press man and need more separation off the line. This play pairs well with Power O and Counter Lead from the same set since the play-action fake sells better after you have run those looks a few times to bait linebackers into biting on the mesh point. Sequence this with Close Z Corner in your play-calling to give defenders two different flood-side answers off similar formations, keeping the defense guessing between the corner and the out breaking route.
