Playbooks
Depth-chart slots are shown as they line up in the base package for this set.
| Player | Side | Route |
|---|---|---|
| HB1 | Left | Swing |
| WR3 | Right | Out |
| WR2 | Left | Speed In |
| WR1 | Right | Streak |
| TE1 | Right | Flat |
Strong Flood is a classic three level flood concept designed to attack Cover 3 and other zone shells by stacking three receivers into the same vertical stretch on the strong side. The route combo typically stacks a deep corner or go route, a mid level out or flat route, and an underneath flat route to overload one zone defender's landmark, while the offensive line picks up a standard drop back protection to give the quarterback a clean base to work through his levels. The primary read progression is high to low: the quarterback reads the deep corner route first to see if the flat defender bites, then works down to the intermediate out, and finally checks down to the flat route if the underneath defender sits and takes away everything else.
Key the strong side flat defender first, since Strong Flood is built to put him in a bind between the underneath flat route and the intermediate out. Watch the cornerback's depth at the snap, if he sinks with the deep route and opens a throwing lane underneath, take the intermediate out immediately instead of forcing the corner throw. Look for a robber or lurk defender sitting in the middle of the field, since a user controlled linebacker or safety can jump the intermediate route if the quarterback stares it down too long. This concept struggles against Cover 4 or Cover 6 shells where the deep corner route runs into a capped safety, so be ready to check down to the flat route earlier against two high looks. Man coverage with a blitz on the strong side is the biggest threat to this play, since the extra rusher can collapse the pocket before the flood routes fully develop, so recognize press man alignment on the outside receiver pre-snap and consider hot routing or sliding protection to that side.
Use this play on early downs or in second and medium situations where defenses are more likely to sit in a zone shell instead of bringing pressure. Before the snap, identify whether the safety over the flood side is rotating down into the box, since a two high shell tells you the deep corner route has one on one leverage against a cornerback. If you see Cover 3 with a single high safety, work the quarterback progression from the deep out to the flat exactly as designed instead of forcing the corner route into a covered window. Hot route the backside receiver into a quick slant or drag if the defense shows heavy zone to the flood side, giving you an outlet against a two way go blitz look. Pair this play with Curls or Mtn Post Curls in the same set to keep defenders honest, since both attack similar zone landmarks but stress different levels, making your play calling less predictable across a series.