What is the Flood concept in 7v7 flag football?
In 7v7 flag football, Flood sends three receivers to the trips side at fourteen, eight and the flat, with a backside dig at twelve and the centre blocking. Unlike the five-player version, all three levels are run by receivers, which frees the back to swing away as a genuine fourth option rather than being part of the concept.
Why Flood works in 7v7
All three levels are receivers
The flat is run by a receiver rather than the back, so each level arrives at its depth on time and the spacing between them is exact. That is the practical gain of the extra bodies: the read is cleaner, not merely wider.
The back becomes a real escape rather than a level
Swinging away from the flood, the back is a fourth option on the other side of the field. At five players that same body is load-bearing, so a quarterback here who checks it down loses nothing and one at five who does has abandoned the concept.
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
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
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
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
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 7v7
All three levels are receivers
The flat is run by a receiver rather than the back, so each level arrives at its depth on time and the spacing between them is exact. That is the practical gain of the extra bodies: the read is cleaner, not merely wider.
The back becomes a real escape rather than a level
Swinging away from the flood, the back is a fourth option on the other side of the field. At five players that same body is load-bearing, so a quarterback here who checks it down loses nothing and one at five who does has abandoned the concept.
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.
Open Flood in the designer
Opens this exact 7v7 diagram. Move anybody, change the depths, then save it to your playbook.
Open this play in the designerRelated questions
What is the read progression on Flood in 7v7?
Which side should you flood in 7v7 flag football?
Related guides
Coach Ray Carroll
Twelve seasons coaching youth and rec flag football, and the builder of RC Football. Every play on this site has been run by a real team on a real Saturday.