Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Flood Switch is a five-wide flood concept out of Shotgun 5WR Trio that stacks three routes to the trips side and hits a switch release on the boundary. On the trips side the outside receiver runs a corner route vertically while the middle receiver runs an out that crosses underneath it, creating a high-low flood read on that half of the field, with the inside slot sitting on a flat route as the checkdown. On the backside, one receiver runs a deep out while the other clears space underneath with an out route breaking the opposite way, giving the QB a two-man read away from the flood if the boundary is left open. This is a zone beater designed to overload one side of the field vertically and horizontally, forcing a single defender to choose between the corner and the out underneath.
Defensive Reads
Watch the flat defender on the trips side after the snap, since he has to choose between the underlying out route and the flat route, and either choice opens a throwing lane. Key the deep third or deep half defender on the corner route: if he stays wide with the corner, the underneath out is open, and if he sits on the out, the corner route wins over the top. This play struggles against man coverage with a deep safety over the top since the corner route has no natural window and the flood underneath gets crowded by trailing defenders. Cover 3 and Cover 4 shells with soft corners get exposed because the flood overloads the deep third or quarter defender's zone, especially when a linebacker has to help account for the flat. Look for user-controlled defenders sitting in the shallow flat or spying the underneath crossers, since a smart human defender can jump the out route and bait the quarterback into a turnover.
Usage Tips
Use this play on second or third and medium when you expect zone coverage, since the flood concept is built to stress a single defender on the trips side.
Identify the coverage shell pre-snap by checking safety depth: a two-high shell tells you the corner route on the trips side has room to work, while a single-high shell means the flat route underneath becomes the safer look.
Hot route the backside out receiver into a quick hitch if you see man coverage with no help over the top, giving you a fast release throw against a blitz.
Pair this play with Curl Flats or Stick from the same set to keep the defense guessing between horizontal stretch concepts and this vertical flood, forcing linebackers to widen their drops.
Against Cover 3 look to the corner route first since it attacks the deep third defender, then work down to the flat if the cornerback sinks with the vertical threat.
