Flood (5v5 flag football play)
Three receivers attack one side of the field at three depths: deep, middle and short. Zone defenders on that side cannot cover all three levels, so the QB reads high to low and throws to whoever is left open.
When to call Flood
Against zone defenses, especially when the defense keeps one deep safety in the middle.
Who gets the ball
- Y on the corner route at 7 yards breaking to the sideline.
- C in the flat underneath if the corner is covered.
- Z deep if the safety bites on the corner.
Coaching points
- Z must run full speed straight down the sideline to push the deep defender back.
- Y breaks at 7 steps, not 5. Too shallow and Y runs into C's area.
- The whole play is on one side, so the QB can look right from the snap without giving much away.
Common mistakes
- The QB locks onto Y and ignores C. Practice the progression out loud: corner, flat, go.
- C releases too slowly. C has to get to the flat before the defender sinks.
What to call next
Run the same look but have X run a deep post back across the field when the defense overloads the right side.