Flood

Offense

also: sail · Y-sail · three-level stretch

Three receivers attack one side at three different depths. Many playbooks call the same idea Sail or Y-Sail.

Three receivers release to one side at three different depths: one deep, one on an intermediate out or sail route, and one short in the flat. The quarterback reads deep to short and throws to the open level.

A spot-drop zone may not have a defender for all three levels. Match coverage can pass the routes off instead of leaving one open automatically.

Flood is often paired with a rollout, which moves the quarterback toward the read and shortens the throws.

Also calledsail, Y-sail, three-level stretch
Not to be confused withsmash, dagger, four verticals

Playbook Examples

  • Waggleboot pass away from run action, both guards pulling to protectWing-T

A note on how the term is used

Flood, sail and Y-sail commonly name the same three-level stretch. The Wing-T's Waggle uses that structure off run action, so the same passing idea appears under different names in different offenses.

Where you will hear it

Related terms