Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 1 playbook
Breakdown
Flood Trail is a three level flood concept out of Shotgun Wing Tight Flip that overloads one side of the field to attack Cover 3 and other zone shells. The outside receiver runs a deep corner route while the tight end works a deep in behind it, and the slot receiver settles into a shallow crossing route underneath, creating high low low spacing on the same side. On the back side, the running back releases out of the backfield on a wide flat route for a checkdown or outlet against a blitz, while the line slides protection toward the flood side to pick up the edge rush shown in red. This is a zone beater designed to put a single defender in conflict between three levels, with the primary read progressing from the deep corner to the underneath in route to the flat release.
Defensive Reads
Identify the deep third defender first since the corner route is designed to climb into his zone and stretch him vertically. Watch the underneath zone defender, usually a linebacker or slot corner, who has to choose between sitting on the in route or widening to the flat, and that hesitation is your window. Cover 3 with a static deep third corner is the primary shell this beats because it cannot cover all three levels on the flood side. Man coverage with an inside linebacker matched on the running back can shut this down quickly since the flat route loses its leverage advantage. Watch for a user controlled safety rotating late to jump the deep corner route, and if you see that rotation, work back down to the underneath in route instead of forcing the deep shot.
Usage Tips
Use this on second and long or third and medium when you expect zone coverage rather than tight man coverage. Pre-snap, check the safety alignment: two high safeties with the corner sitting deep usually means Cover 3 or Cover 4, which is exactly what this flood attacks. If you see a single high safety with heavy man indicators, consider hot routing the flat route into a quick out or motioning the back to check leverage before the snap. Progress read from the deep corner route to the intermediate in cut, then work down to the flat as your checkdown against a hard closing underneath defender. Pair this play with Y-Spot or Mesh Post Rail in the same set so the defense has to respect both a flood concept and a quick game rhythm passing attack, keeping linebackers honest and preventing them from sitting on the flat. Against aggressive user blitzers, get the ball out on rhythm to the flat route since the protection is sliding away from the backside edge.
