Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Flood attacks one side of the field with three stacked route depths, a classic sail concept out of Trips TE Offset. The trips side runs a deep out cleared vertically, a corner/flag route from the middle receiver, and a flat route from the offset TE, while the backside receiver runs a deep comeback away from the action. The RB releases out of the backfield on a wheel-style route underneath, giving you four options to high-low the flat defender and safety on that side. This is a Cover 3 beater by design, and your primary read progression starts with the flat defender: if he sits, throw the corner route behind him; if he widens with the flat, hit the underneath flat or check down to the RB.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety alignment; a single high safety cheating toward the trips side signals Cover 3 and confirms this play is live. Watch the flat defender's depth at the snap; if he sinks with the corner route, the flat and RB checkdown are wide open underneath. User the deep third defender on the trips side to jump the corner route, since that is the primary window this concept tries to exploit. Man coverage with press corners can suffocate this concept quickly, since the deep out and comeback both need separation at the top of the route to be effective. Watch for a blitz off the offset TE's side; if the edge comes free, the quarterback needs to get through his reads fast or check it down to the RB releasing into the flat.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify the flat defender and deep third safety on the trips side since they are the two defenders this concept is designed to stress.
If you see Cover 3 or Cover 4 with a single high safety, trust the flood side and work top down starting with the corner route.
Against man coverage, hot route the backside comeback into a slant or drag to give yourself a quick answer against man beaters if the flood side is jumped.
Use this on 2nd or 3rd and medium situations where you have room to test intermediate and deep zones without needing a home run shot.
Pair this with RPO Alert Bubble or RPO Zone Alert Bubble from the same set to keep defenses honest against the run look before dialing up Flood when you diagnose a light box or soft zone shell.
