What is the Flood concept in 5v5 flag football?

Why Flood works in 5v5

• The back is a level, not an outlet

  At seven or eleven players the flat is run by a receiver and the back is spare. At five he is the underneath level of the concept itself, so if he is late or drifts upfield the bottom of the flood disappears and the read collapses from three heights to two.

• The backside dig is the whole other half of the field

  One receiver at twelve yards is everything you have away from the flood. When a defense rotates toward the three-receiver side that dig is not a decoy, it is the play, and a quarterback at this player count needs telling that explicitly.

• It attacks a decision, not a matchup

  The defender who steps up to take the underneath route opens the intermediate one behind him. The one who carries the deep route vacates the flat. You are not asking a receiver to beat anybody, you are asking a defender to be in two places, which is a bet that pays out regardless of how athletic his side of the field is.

• The read is teachable in one sentence

  Start high and work down. That is the whole instruction, and it is why Flood is one of the few three-option concepts a young quarterback can run correctly on the second day of practice. The ball goes to the first receiver who is not covered, starting from the deepest.

• It puts three men where the defense has two

  Most defenses distribute evenly across the field, so overloading one sideline creates a local numbers advantage before anybody moves. Formation does most of the work here, which is why the concept survives being run out of a different look in every game format.

How to read it

1. 1

   Pick your side before the snap

   Flood is a one-way concept. Decide which sideline you are attacking by counting defenders on each side, and do not change your mind after the snap.

2. 2

   Take the deep route if the flat defender carries

   If the underneath defender drops with the intermediate route, the space behind him at the top of the concept is open. This is the biggest completion in the play and it is the first thing you look for.

3. 3

   Take the intermediate if he sits

   If he stays shallow to take the underneath route, the middle height is uncovered. This is the throw the concept produces most often and the one worth being happy with.

4. 4

   Take the underneath route and get down

   If both levels above are carried, the shortest route is open by definition. Throw it, let him turn upfield, and call it again next series.

What changes in 5v5

• The back is a level, not an outlet

  At seven or eleven players the flat is run by a receiver and the back is spare. At five he is the underneath level of the concept itself, so if he is late or drifts upfield the bottom of the flood disappears and the read collapses from three heights to two.

• The backside dig is the whole other half of the field

  One receiver at twelve yards is everything you have away from the flood. When a defense rotates toward the three-receiver side that dig is not a decoy, it is the play, and a quarterback at this player count needs telling that explicitly.

When not to call Flood

• It gives up the other half of the field

  Three receivers on one sideline means the backside is a single route and a decoy. Against a defense that recognises the concept and rotates coverage toward it, the backside answer is the play, not the flood itself, so know what that answer is before you call it.

• It is slow against pressure

  The deep route has to get to its depth before the read means anything. If the defense is bringing extra rushers, the quarterback will be throwing the underneath route every time, which is a fine outcome but not the reason you called it.

Related questions

Related guides

• Mesh in 5v5→
• Four Verticals in 5v5→
• Spot in 5v5→
• Smash in 5v5→