Playbooks
Depth-chart slots are shown as they line up in the base package for this set.
| Player | Side | Route |
|---|---|---|
| HB1 | Left | Flat |
| WR3 | Left | Corner |
| WR2 | Left | Fade |
| TE1 | Right | Post |
| WR1 | Left | Short Out |
PA Flood out of Shotgun Trips TE Flex Close WK uses play-action to hold the linebackers before flooding one side of the field with three levels of routes, typically a deep out or corner, an intermediate out, and a shallow flat route from the backfield. This is a zone beater by design, built to stretch a single defender vertically and horizontally on the flood side so he cannot cover every level. The primary read progression starts high to low: deep route first to see if the corner or safety bites on the run fake, then work down to the intermediate route, and finally check down to the flat if the underneath defender sinks.
Watch the flood side cornerback pre-snap, if he is playing off with outside leverage he is likely in zone and will struggle to cover both the deep and intermediate routes. Key the flood side safety after the snap, if he stays deep in a two high shell the underneath flat route is open, if he rotates down into the box the deep route has one on one leverage. Identify the Mike linebacker's drop, a slow or shallow drop into the flood zone means the play fake worked and the shallow flat route will be wide open in front of him. Beware of a user linebacker spying the running back's leak route, since a disciplined user defender can jump the flat throw and turn it into a pick six. Against Cover 3 this play excels because the flood overloads the deep third defender, but against a well timed Cover 4 or pattern match shell the corner can sink under the intermediate route and force a tougher decision.
Sell the play fake by holding the ball on your first move and letting your running back sell the block or leak path, since a lazy fake gets diagnosed instantly by user linebackers.
Use this on early downs or second and medium when defenses expect run, since the play-action freeze is most effective against defenders keying run fits from Trips TE Flex Close WK.
Check the flood side pre-snap against the numbers, if the defense shows a two high shell with the corner playing outside leverage, the deep route wins one on one, if it is a single high shell, expect a robber or hole defender sitting on the intermediate route.
Pair this with Inside Zone or HB Power from the same set to keep defenders honest on the run fake, then hit them with PA Flood once they start crashing down on early down runs.
Hot route the backside receiver into a shallow drag or spot route as an outlet if the defense rotates extra help to the flood side, giving you a answer against overload blitzes.