Sail concept

This next concept is a West Coast Offense staple: the "Sail" concept. Another term for the "Sail" concept is the "flood" concept. In this concept, the objective is to "flood" one side of the field, making it difficult for defenders, especially in zone coverage, to cover every receiving threat.

"Sail" concept in play action game

The sail concept in the diagram shows the read progression through the concept. In the diagram, the Z receiver runs vertical to attack the deep coverage of the defense and forcing the defender in that area to stay on top of him. The fullback (F) releases out of the backfield to attack the flat area of the defense and is the quarterback's first option. The tight end (Y) runs the "sail" route, which is meant to attack the intermediate area of the defense behind the flat defender but in front of the deep defender, and is the 2nd option in this concept. On the backside of the formation, the X receiver runs a dig route across the middle of the field and is the 3rd option in the progression as the receiver is moving behind where the defense is flowing from to cover the frontside routes.