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Quick Reference
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Breakdown
Flood HB Swing is a classic vertical flood concept run from Shotgun Y Off Trips with 11 personnel, and it is a Cover 3 beater by design. Off the trips side, the outside receiver runs a deep corner, the middle receiver runs an out at the intermediate level, and the slot receiver clears vertically before breaking, while the backside X runs an in cut and the HB releases into a swing route out of the backfield for a built in checkdown. The offensive line slides to protect while the flood concept stacks three levels on one side, forcing a single deep third defender to choose between the corner route and the underneath flood, with the HB swing as the outlet if the flood is capped.
Defensive Reads
Key the deep safety rotation at the snap, if he stays true to the middle of the field it confirms Cover 3 and the flood concept has a numbers advantage to that side. Watch the flat defender or curl to flat zone player, if he sinks under the out route the corner route behind him will be open for a big gain. Against man coverage, look for a linebacker or safety matched on the HB, since the swing route creates an easy leverage win in space if he is not fast enough to close. Beware of Cover 4 or Cover 2 shells with two deep safeties, since the corner route can get squeezed by a deep half defender sitting on top of the route. Watch for a nano blitz or edge pressure package, since if the line slide protection is beaten quickly the quarterback may be forced into the HB swing before the flood routes fully develop.
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, identify whether the defense is showing a single high safety shell before the snap since this play is built to punish Cover 3 and other three deep zone looks.
If the corner sits deep and takes away the outside route, work the progression down to the out route in the middle of the field for an easy completion against soft zone drops.
Use the HB swing as your built in checkdown against man coverage or when the pass rush forces a quick throw, since it gets the back into space with blockers in front.
Hot route the backside X in route into a hitch or slant against aggressive man coverage to give yourself a quick rhythm throw away from the flood side.
Sequence this play with Sprint Flood or PA Y Flood from the same set to keep the defense guessing on flood concepts, then mix in Four Verticals or Deep Stick to punish defenders who cheat down expecting the swing route.
