Playbooks
Breakdown
Slot 2 Buc out of Shotgun Wing with 12 personnel is a play-action flood concept built to attack Cover 3 and other zone shells. Off the run fake, the outside receiver runs a deep corner route while the inline tight end works a vertical go up the seam, stacking the deep third defenders. Underneath, one route breaks flat on a quick out to the sideline and another crosses on a shallow drag through the middle, while the backside receiver stems vertically up the numbers to hold the far side safety. The primary read starts with the corner route against the deep third defender, then works down to the drag and flat out as checkdowns if the corner is capped.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth and alignment, a single high safety indicates Cover 3 or Cover 1, which is exactly what this flood concept is designed to exploit. Watch the cornerback over the outside receiver, if he sits flat footed at the snap and reads run, the corner route behind him will be wide open. Post-snap, track the flat defender and the drag route defender, if a linebacker sinks too deep on the play action fake, the underneath crossers create easy completions. User the deep third defender if you are on defense, staying disciplined on the corner route and refusing to bite on the run fake shuts this play down. Watch for a user controlled safety rotating late, this is the primary counter to the flood since it can undercut the corner route and force the quarterback to the checkdown.
Usage Tips
Use the play action fake to hold linebackers and freeze the underneath zone defenders before working through your reads.
Pre-snap, identify if the defense is showing a single high safety look, since that tells you the corner route has a one on one matchup on the deep third defender.
If you see Cover 2 or press man on the outside, hot route the corner into a fade or speed out to avoid the safety rotating over the top.
Attack this play on early downs like first and ten or second and medium when defenses are more likely to sit in base zone coverage and bite on the run action.
Pair this with Inside Zone or QB Zone from the same set to sell the run action, then call Slot 2 Buc once the defense starts cheating linebackers into the box.
