Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Deep Flood from Bunch X Nasty runs three receivers to the same side of the field at three distinct levels: the outside receiver runs a deep corner route stacking the top of the zone, the middle bunch receiver runs a flat-breaking out route at intermediate depth, and the inside receiver flattens out to the sideline for the shallow flood route. On the backside, the running back releases on a deep-crossing swing/whip route away from the flood side, giving the QB an outlet if the flood side is capped. This is a classic Cover 3 beater built on vertical flood spacing, forcing one defender to declare on three stacked levels, and the primary read progresses from the deep corner route to the intermediate out, working down to the flat route underneath.
Defensive Reads
Presnap, check safety depth and count defenders to the bunch side: a single high safety with three defenders matched to the flood usually signals Cover 3, which this play is designed to exploit. Watch the flat defender's leverage at the snap, if he sinks with the shallow route the intermediate out route will be open behind him. Key the deep corner defender's drop angle, a slow-footed linebacker or a corner playing outside leverage will get beat over the top on the deep corner route. Against Cover 1 or Cover 0 man looks, this concept struggles unless the corner route wins vertically, so be ready to check down to the RB whip route versus a lurking underneath defender. If the defense shows two deep safeties presnap (Cover 2 or Cover 4), expect the flood side to be capped and prioritize the backside outlet or hot route the corner route into a post to split the safeties.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or 2nd and medium when you expect single-high shells since the three-level flood overloads one side of a Cover 3 or Cover 1 defense. Presnap, identify the flat defender responsibility: if the corner is bailing deep and the flat defender is a linebacker with poor speed, hit the shallow out route quickly for easy yards after the catch. Against Cover 4 or Cover 2 quarters coverage, hot route the deep corner into a deep dig or post to attack the seam since the flood concept loses steam versus two deep safeties. Pair this with Mtn Corner Under or Mtn Y Corner Under from the same set to keep the defense guessing on flood versus underneath crossers, since both plays start with similar bunch alignment but attack different levels. Use the backside RB whip route as a checkdown versus max blitz looks, and audible into this from Double Outs if you see the defense sitting in shallow zones.
