Playbooks
Flood Seam is a classic three-level flood concept out of Shotgun Doubles Stack Clamp designed to overload one side of the field vertically and horizontally. The stack releases create a seam route up the hash paired with an underneath flood route and a deep outside clear, forcing a single defender to defend multiple levels. This is primarily a zone beater that punishes single high safety looks and Cover 3 rotations, though the seam window also gives you a man beater answer against off coverage. The primary read progression starts with the seam route attacking the middle hole, then works down to the flood underneath if the linebacker sinks or a robber defender jumps the seam.
Read the middle linebacker depth at the snap, if he sinks into the seam hole immediately look to the flood route underneath for the easy completion Watch for a user controlled safety sitting in the deep middle, this is the primary defender who can rob the seam route so look off him with your eyes before committing Check cornerback press alignment on the stack side, hard press indicates man coverage and favors the seam release beating a jam Identify nano blitz packages up front, since this route combo takes time to develop a five or six man pressure package with no hot route adjustment can force a bad throw This concept struggles against Cover 4 quarters shells where the safety has a clean deep seam drop, so if you see quarters look to bail out to the flood route or check down early
Identify the safety alignment pre snap, a single high safety shell tells you the seam has a clean throwing lane while two deep safeties means you should prioritize the flood route instead
Use motion or a hot route on the underneath drag if you see man coverage press at the stack to create instant separation off the release
This play excels on second and medium or third and short to medium since the flood underneath gives you a quick checkdown against blitz looks
Pair Flood Seam with Mtn Rub Smash or Curl Ohio in the same set so the defense sees the same stack alignment but has to respect both the seam shot and the smash concept
Against zone heavy defenses call this play after running Same Side Zone or Inside Zone to get linebackers cheating downhill, opening the seam throwing window even wider
If the defense shows Cover 3 with a hard flat defender, hold the seam route longer since the flat defender cannot help over the top