Playbooks

Reload Flood X-Choice

Shotgun·Bunch Open Offset·11
Option RouteFloodMotionPass PlayCover 3 Beater
Play diagram for Reload Flood X-Choice from Shotgun Bunch Open Offset in Madden 27

Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

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Breakdown

Reload Flood X-Choice lines up out of Shotgun Bunch Open Offset with a bunch trio to the right (red, gold, gold) and an isolated receiver plus back to the left. The bunch releases into a vertical flood concept: one receiver climbs straight up the seam, another works an out breaking route to the flat, and the X receiver runs a choice route that reads the underneath defender to settle in or break outside. To the backside, the isolated receiver runs a corner route while the back releases on a shallow drag underneath, giving the quarterback a two level answer if the bunch side gets clogged. This is a zone beater flood design built to stretch a Cover 3 or Cover 4 shell vertically and horizontally, with the X-Choice route as the primary read against zone drops and the backside corner as the man beater outlet against press or man coverage.

Defensive Reads

Pre-snap, identify if the safety over the bunch is rotating down, this tells you whether the defense is in Cover 3 or a two high shell that can be flooded vertically. Watch the flat defender post-snap, if he sinks too deep chasing the seam route the X-Choice sits down immediately in the vacated void. Key the middle linebacker's drop, a slow or lurking backer can undercut the choice route so be ready to climb the QB progression to the corner route on the backside. Man coverage on the isolated backside receiver is the tell to attack with the corner route, especially against Cover 1 or Cover 0 looks with no safety help over the top. Watch for a nano blitz or overload pressure from the bunch side, since the quarterback needs time to work through the flood read from the seam down to the choice route.

Usage Tips

Snap the ball after confirming a three deep shell since this concept is built specifically to flood the deep third on the bunch side.

Use motion out of the bunch pre-snap to bait a linebacker or safety into declaring man coverage, then bail to the backside corner route if you see a defender chase across the formation.

Hot route the flat route to a deeper out if you see a corner sitting low expecting a quick throw, this opens up more room for the choice route to settle behind him.

On third and medium, prioritize the X-Choice read since it naturally sits in the soft spot behind underneath zones and in front of deep defenders.

Pair this play with Flood or Reload Spacing Switch in the same set so the defense sees similar bunch releases but has to respect both a vertical stretch and a horizontal spacing answer, keeping linebackers honest on their drops.

Other Plays in Bunch Open Offset