Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Flood from Shotgun Doubles Off Close 11 personnel sends three receivers into the same third of the field to overload a single zone defender, which is the classic definition of a Cover 3 beater. The outside receiver runs a deep corner route stemming to the sideline, the slot runs a flat/out route sitting underneath at the numbers, and the TE or inside receiver releases vertical up the seam before working to the flag, stacking three levels (flat, intermediate seam, deep corner) on one side. The backside receiver runs a deep comeback/dig-style route as a changeup, while the running back checks release or stays in to protect against the rush. Primary read progression starts with the deep corner route to see if the flat defender bites underneath, then works down to the flat route, and finally comes back to the seam route as the checkdown against a hard-squeezing zone.
Defensive Reads
Key the flat defender at the snap since he is the conflict player being asked to cover both the flat route and the underneath portion of the seam; if he jumps the flat, the corner route is open behind him. Watch the deep third defender to that side because in true Cover 3 he has to bail immediately to stay over the top of the corner route, and any hesitation opens a throwing window for the quarterback. Against Cover 4 or Cover 2, the seam route is the first read to disappear since two defenders can wall it off, so expect the offense to work the flat and corner combo instead. Man coverage with no help over the top gets exposed quickly on the corner route, so if you are on defense, sim pressure or a nano blitz that disrupts the quarterback's launch point is more effective than sitting back in coverage. Look for a user-controlled defender sinking into the flood side zone as a lurk threat, since a smart user rover can bait the quarterback into the corner throw and jump the route for a pick six.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing single high or two high safeties because Flood is designed to attack single high Cover 3 shells where one defender has to cover three levels. If you see two high safeties rotating hard to the flood side, consider hitting the backside comeback route instead since it becomes the true man beater against a rotated shell. Use motion or a quick glance at the flat defender's depth before the snap; if he is sitting at five yards or deeper, throw the corner route immediately over the top for an explosive gain. Hot route the running back into a checkdown flat route if you expect a blitz, giving yourself an outlet against pressure without abandoning the flood concept. Pair this play with RPO Glance Slant or RPO Zone Alert Glance in the same set so the defense has to respect quick game and run fits before you come back to Flood, keeping linebackers honest and slower to react to the corner route on third and medium.
