Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
PA Y Flood is a play-action flood concept out of Shotgun Y Off Trips that stacks three routes to the trips side to overload one half of the field. The TE runs a flat route from the backfield area, a receiver runs an intermediate crosser/square in over the middle, and the boundary receiver on the backside runs a deep corner route while the trips side stretches vertically. The play-action fake from under center draws linebackers up, opening the flood underneath and the deep out breaking to the sideline as the primary read against Cover 3 rotation.
Defensive Reads
Watch the strong safety and outside linebacker to the trips side before the snap. If they sit shallow expecting run, the flood concept will stress them vertically and horizontally at once. Post-snap, key the cornerback over the deep out or corner route. If he sinks with the vertical stem instead of squeezing the sideline, the quarterback has an easy completion to the boundary. This play struggles against Cover 4 or Cover 2 with two deep safeties since the flood routes run into a numbers disadvantage on the deep third. User-controlled defenders sitting in a low hole or lurking underneath the crosser can jump the intermediate route, so quarterbacks need to feel that traffic and progress to the flat. Man coverage on the flat route from a slower linebacker or nickel defender is a mismatch the flood concept is designed to exploit, especially on third and short.
Usage Tips
Use the play-action fake on early downs like first and second and ten to keep linebackers honest and slow their zone drops.
Read the flood side first: work high to low starting with the deep out or corner route, then the intermediate crosser, then the flat route underneath if the safety jumps the deep throw.
Check the middle of the field pre-snap. If you see a single high safety rotating late, trust the flood concept to overload the corner and hook defender on that side.
Pair this call with Deep Stick Out or Curls from the same set to keep the defense guessing between quick game and flood concepts after showing the same trips look.
Against aggressive user blitzes, get the ball out on the flat route quickly since the play-action fake can bleed clock and expose the quarterback to edge pressure.
