Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Deep Flood is an Empty Base Flex concept out of Shotgun 11 personnel that stacks three vertical stems on the right side to overload one half of the field, the classic flood principle designed to attack Cover 3 and other zone shells. The far right X runs a deep corner/vertical while the inside receiver runs a seam that bends outside, and the flex TE releases into a shallow out underneath, giving you a high low read at three depths. On the backside the slot runs a deep dig up the numbers while the far left receiver runs a quick out, and since there is no running back in Empty there is no run blocking, this is a straight drop back pass with the primary read progressing from the deep corner route to the underneath flat/out route on the flood side.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and count defenders to the flood side, if you see two deep safeties rotating late it likely signals Cover 4 or Cover 6 which can bracket the deep corner route. Post-snap, key the flat or curl defender's zone drop on the flood side, if he sinks with the corner route the underneath out sits wide open for an easy completion. Watch for a user controlled lurk defender sitting in the passing lane of the seam route, this is the most common way defenses take away the middle read in this concept. Cover 3 with a single high safety is the primary shell this beats since the deep third defender cannot cover both the corner route and the seam bending outside. Man coverage with a blitz behind it is the biggest threat, since the stacked release can get picked up quickly by underneath defenders and leave no time for the deep routes to develop.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify single high versus two high safety alignment, this concept is built to punish Cover 3 zone drops where the flood side overwhelms the deep third defender and the underneath zone defender.
If the corner is playing off or shaded outside, hot route the deep corner route to a fade or hold it as a clear out and work the seam to flat combo underneath.
Use this on 2nd and medium or 3rd and long situations where the defense is likely to sit in zone, since the vertical stems stretch zone defenders both horizontally and vertically.
Pair this with Verticals or Mtn Switch Verts earlier in a series to condition the defense to expect four verts, then come back with Deep Flood to hit the sit down route underneath once safeties bite deep.
Against man coverage, look to the backside dig or the flex TE out route as your quick answer since the flood concept loses some value versus man unless you get a natural pick from the stacked releases.
