Playbooks
Flanker Under
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Flanker Under is a quick-hitting flood concept out of Shotgun Empty Trips Speed that isolates the trips side with a three-level stretch. The outside receiver runs a deep drag across the field, the middle slot runs a shallow drag underneath that stacks the flood, and the inside receiver breaks outside on a quick out at the sticks, while the backside receiver runs a slant and the far outside X clears vertically on a go route to hold the deep defender. There is no run action or blocking scheme shown since all five eligible receivers are out in routes, making this a pure quick-passing man and zone beater. The primary read progression starts with the trips side flood (drag to out to shallow cross) working high to low, then comes back to the backside slant if the flood side is covered.
Defensive Reads
Look for Cover 3 shells with a single deep safety, since the drag and shallow cross combo will pull underneath defenders and create natural rubs against zone drops. Watch the flat defender's reaction to the out route, if he sinks too deep the shallow drag sits wide open underneath for an easy pitch and catch. Against man coverage, key the slot defender's leverage on the shallow drag, since it is designed to create separation through traffic and beat man to man matchups. Blitz-heavy fronts that bring pressure off the edge can disrupt the timing before the flood develops, so watch for nano blitz packages or overload pressure to the trips side pre-snap. If the defense rotates a safety down into the box or shows Cover 1 with a lurking linebacker in the shallow zone, that underneath defender can jump the drag route and blow up the primary read, so be ready to check to the backside slant.
Usage Tips
Use this on early downs or third and short since the routes develop fast and the ball can be out within two seconds of the snap. Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing zone or man by checking linebacker depth over the trips side, if they are backpedaling into shallow zones the out route will sit in the window. Hot route the backside slant receiver into a quicker option if you see man coverage with no safety help over the top, since the slant becomes an instant answer against press or tight man alignment. Pair this play with Deep Cross or Levels from the same set to keep the defense guessing between horizontal flood concepts and vertical crossers. If the defense sells out to jump the flood side quick game, call Shock WR Option or Whip Unders next to attack the same look with a different timing and win on leverage.
