Strong Flood

Description

Strong Flood seeks to overwhelm defenses stacked against the run on the strong side with multiple out routes, forcing defensive backs in coverage to pick which receivers to cover and often leaving an opening for the running back to slip through uncovered. In addition to the main attack on the strong side, the lone receiver split wide has the ability to take advantage of an unbalanced defense, possibly getting single coverage from the cornerback with a chance to get big yardage out of a deep sideline streak.

Probably the biggest strength of Strong Flood is its ability to work in unconventional situations. It's the kind of play to use when you need to convert a 3rd and long and your standard passing plays just haven't been working. It does best against straight-up man coverages, and is decent against softer zones, making it a nice little surprise for defenses who may not know what to expect when they see the Jumbo Wing formation on a passing down. The formation also makes it a good change-up to the running plays Jumbo Wing was built to execute. Defenses playing tough against the run will not have many defenders in pass coverage, and the flood of receivers to the outside may prove more than they can handle.

Player Assignments

See the Madden Playbook Guide for a description of these symbols.

Read Progression

1. TE drag out
2. FB corner
3. RB out
4. SE streak

The read progression is fairly straightforward, though in most cases at least one receiver on the strong side will get held up either by intentional press coverage or simply by the heavy traffic, so you need to be prepared to make quick adjustments. On the strong side first look for the TE drag out which cuts right under the FB. This is a good bet against man coverage and is your best read against a blitz. You should almost never make this pass against short zone or press coverage though, even if the TE is not bumped the CB will be looking right at the QB and in perfect position to intercept the pass and take it the other way for six. It's okay to throw here early against deep zones though.

Next look for the FB deep. Try to throw this right after he makes his break. If he is held up in traffic, you may want to look for him after the RB. The RB out pattern is the primary route in this play. It follows behind the shallow TE and deep FB routes, shooting into the open area created as the defenders split to cover these routes. While most successful against man coverage, a hard throw early before the break or later towards the sideline may work against zone coverage. Just be sure to put a lot on the throw to minimize the time the defenders have to react. Finally, the SE streak is the last read. Although the throw should come after the other reads, you may want to take a quick peek at the free safety right after the snap. This will tell you whether the SE will be single covered, which will help you decide which side of the field to attack for the best results.

Analysis

Pros:

• Can overmatch defenses committed to stuffing the run
• Works best against man and softer zone coverages, the defenses most likely to be seen on typical passing downs
• Pass blocking by the slot TE creates a wide pocket well suited for a mobile QB to scramble in

Cons:

• #1 TE used to block rather than catch, forcing the #2 TE to play a primary receiving role
• Strong side receivers prone to getting slowed down in heavy traffic, disrupting the timing of the play
• Out patterns dangerous against tight zone or press coverages