Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Bunch Flood is a three level flood concept built out of the Shotgun Bunch Open formation, designed to stress one side of the field vertically and horizontally. The backside receiver runs a deep vertical clear out route while the bunch releases into a corner route, a deep crossing route, and a flat route stacked underneath to create a three man flood on one sideline. The lone receiver away from the bunch runs a deep in breaking route across the field as a changeup read, giving the quarterback a true flood progression from deep to short on the trips side. This is a zone beater, specifically built to attack Cover 3 by overloading the deep and underneath thirds on one side.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify single high safety looks since Cover 3 and Cover 1 are the primary shells this concept is designed to exploit. Watch the flat defender and the deep third defender on the flood side, if either widens too much to cover the corner route it opens a throwing lane underneath. Post-snap, key the middle linebacker and any user controlled lurk defender dropping into the deep crossing route, a well timed sit in that zone can bait an interception. Cover 2 with two deep safeties can compress the corner route throwing window, so be ready to check down quickly to the flat if the top of the progression is covered. Man coverage with underneath help can suffocate the flat route, so if you see man alignment pre-snap consider audibling to a play with more natural separation like Bunch Levels.
Usage Tips
Look for single high safety alignment pre-snap since this play is built to punish Cover 3 and Cover 1 zone drops on the flooded side.
Start your read at the corner route on the top of the progression, then work down to the deep crosser and finally the flat route if the deep options are covered.
Use the backside deep in route as a hot read against zone blitzes or when the flood side gets jumped by an aggressive corner or safety.
Pair this play with Bunch Levels or X Spot in your play sequencing since both mirror the same bunch alignment but attack intermediate and shallow zones differently, keeping defenders guessing.
Best called on second and long or third and medium situations where defenses are likely to sit in zone shells rather than bring man pressure.
