Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
PA Flood from Singleback 12 personnel shows a three level flood concept to the right side of the field off a play action fake. The outside receiver runs a deep corner route, the tight end from the backfield releases into a red flag/out route that settles in the intermediate zone, and the far receiver from the left runs a drag across the field underneath to hit the same landmark area. Up front the line sells run blocking on the play fake before pass protecting, and this is a clear zone beater designed to stress the flat, hook, and deep third defenders on one side simultaneously. The primary read progression goes deep corner first, then the intermediate flag route, then the underneath drag as the checkdown against a hard closing corner.
Defensive Reads
This concept punishes Cover 3 because it overloads the deep third and hook zone defender on the flood side with three receivers stacked at different depths. Check the flat defender and outside corner depth at the snap, if the corner sinks with the corner route the flag becomes wide open in the vacated intermediate area. Watch for a user controlled safety rotating late to the flood side, that lurk can jump the flag route so be ready to reset to the drag route underneath. Man coverage with no help over the top gets beat deep by the corner route, but if you see man match principles with a linebacker sitting in the throwing lane the drag route is your answer. A quick corner blitz or edge pressure on the play fake side is the biggest threat, if the edge defender does not respect the run fake and crashes hard get the ball out on the flag route quickly.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or second and medium when you have already established the run game so the play fake actually holds the linebackers.
Look pre-snap for two deep safeties or a single high safety cheating to the flood side, if the corner is playing over the top take the flag route immediately.
Use the flag route hot route to a quick out if you see a corner blitz coming from that side to get the ball out before the protection breaks down.
Pair this with HB Stretch or Wide Zone Wk earlier in the sequence so the run action fake sells and linebackers bite on the play fake instead of dropping into their zone landmarks.
Sequence PA Flood with PA Deep Cross or Corner Strike from the same formation to keep defenders guessing on which way the flood or crossing action is going.
