Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Flood out of Pistol Ace Slot 12 personnel stacks three routes to one side to overload a single zone, which makes this a true Cover 3 beater. The outside receiver runs a deep out breaking to the sideline, the inside slot receiver runs a corner route stemming vertically before breaking outside underneath it, and the third receiver from the backfield or opposite side runs a shallow drag underneath both. The HB releases on a flat/wheel style route to the opposite side away from the flood concept, giving you a full field high low read. Primary progression starts with the corner route as the deep shot, works down to the deep out if the corner is capped, and settles to the underneath drag or the HB release as the checkdown against a hard blitz.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify single high safety alignment, which signals Cover 3 or Cover 1 and tells you the flood side flat defender is outnumbered three to one. Watch the flat or curl to flat defender at the snap, if he sinks under the corner route the deep out will be open, if he jumps the out the corner route behind him is the answer. Key the strong safety or overhang defender to the flood side, aggressive run fits or blitz shows from that alignment mean the HB release outlet becomes your primary answer instead of a progression read. Against Cover 4 or Cover 2, the deep corner defender can sit on top of the corner route, so look immediately to the underneath drag or HB release for a quicker, safer completion. Man coverage with no safety help over the top gets exposed by the corner route working away from the defender's leverage, so check if the corner is playing outside or inside shade before the snap to anticipate the break.
Usage Tips
Diagnose the coverage shell pre-snap by checking safety depth and cornerback alignment on the flood side, if you see two deep safeties rotating hard to that side consider audibling since Cover 4 or Cover 2 can take away the deep out and corner with a natural high low.
Against Cover 3 or single high looks, trust the flood concept and hit the corner route first since the flat defender cannot cover both the out and corner route at the same level.
Use the HB release to the backside as your answer versus zone blitz pressure, since it gives you an outlet away from the flood if the offensive line gets beat.
Combine this with PA FL Stretch or PA Ctr Waggle from the same set so the defense has to respect run action and boot concepts before you come back to this quick progression flood.
Best called on second and medium or third and long when you need a horizontal stretch that still has explosive gain potential over the middle if the corner route clears the flat defender.
