Playbooks
Breakdown
Mtn PA Flood Under is a play-action flood concept out of Shotgun Tight Slots 11 personnel designed to stress a Cover 3 defense with three vertical levels to one side. Off the play fake, the outside receiver runs a deep corner route, the underneath receiver bends a route from the flat up the seam to the intermediate area, and a third route works underneath from the opposite side across the formation on a deep drag or crossing pattern. The primary read progression starts with the deep corner route to see if the defense bites on the run fake, then works down to the intermediate seam breaking route sitting behind the linebackers, with the crossing route as a checkdown or dumpoff against pressure.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify a single high safety with corners playing off and outside leverage, this is the classic Cover 3 shell that this flood concept is built to exploit. Watch the flow of the linebackers after the play fake, if they bite hard on the run action it opens up the intermediate and deep routes immediately. Post-snap, key the deep third defender to the flood side, if he widens with the corner route it opens a throwing lane underneath for the seam breaking route. Look for a user-controlled defender dropping into a lurk position over the middle, since the crossing route underneath can be jumped by an aggressive user playing the shallow zone. This concept can be shut down by disciplined Cover 4 or Cover 6 shells with two deep safeties splitting the field, since it removes the deep third vulnerability the flood is designed to attack, and it is also vulnerable to a well-timed man blitz if the offensive line cannot hold up long enough for the deep routes to develop.
Usage Tips
Use this play on early downs, especially first and second and medium, to sell the run fake and keep the box honest against defenses that key on your run tendencies. Check the pre-snap safety alignment: if you see a single high safety rotating late, that is a strong indicator of Cover 3 and this flood concept is designed specifically to punish that shell. Motion into the formation before the snap to help identify man versus zone based on whether a defender follows the motion man across the field. If the corner route is taken away by a deep defender sitting on top, work your check down to the intermediate breaking route sitting in the void behind the linebackers and in front of the deep zone. Pair this play in your call sheet with Mtn PA Slide or PA Seam Stop off the same formation shift so the defense cannot sit on the flood concept, and mix in Mtn HB Draw or HB Sweep as a run counter to keep linebackers from selling out on pass-only reads.
