Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
Y Flood out of Shotgun Wing Trio stacks three horizontal stems into the same side of the field to overload one deep quarter and one deep third. The TE (red route) releases outside then breaks back inside on a deep crossing route, the outside receiver stacked on top of him runs a corner route up the sideline, and the flanker underneath sits down as the shallow flat route to complete a high low low stretch on that side. Backside, the far X runs a deep dig while the RB releases into a checkdown flat route, giving the quarterback a full-field progression that reads flood side first: flat, then corner, then the deep crosser working back underneath. This is a classic Cover 3 beater because it floods one third with three defenders forced to cover three levels, but it also holds up against man coverage since the crossing route creates natural separation off traffic.
Defensive Reads
Watch the flood side cornerback pre-snap, if he is aligned in a deep third shell he is vulnerable to the flat route sitting underneath him. Key the flood side safety post-snap, if he sinks to help on the corner route the deep crossing TE will come open working back across the field. Look for a Cover 3 sky or buzz rotation, this play is designed to punish exactly that shell by putting three receivers in three different depths on one side. Against man coverage, identify if there is a linebacker or nickel defender capable of running with the TE on the deep cross, a lurking underneath defender can jump the crossing route and blow up the concept. If the defense shows a two high shell pre-snap with a deep half rotating to the flood side, the corner route becomes contested, look to the flat or check down instead.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the corner to the flood side is playing off or bailing into a deep third, that tells you if the corner route or flat route will be open first.
Against Cover 3, work the progression low to high: flat defender first, then the corner route if the flat defender sinks, then come back to the deep crosser if the safety rotates away.
Hot route the RB to a swing or check into a block if the defense shows a heavy blitz look, since he is your outlet against pressure.
Use this play on early downs or 3rd and medium when you can take what the flood side gives you underneath, and save the deep crosser as a home run shot vs Cover 1 or Cover 3 with no lurking underneath defender.
Pair this with RPO Peek Y Pop or Orbit RPO Peek Y Flat from the same set to keep the defense guessing between run action and flood concepts, since the formation and initial motion look identical.
