The pistol formation was added to the fold, which they probably had installed already with mobile QBs in Jackson, and Robert Griffin III on board. Beyond the basic principle of passing to set up the run, there are few rules that govern Walsh's West Coast Offense. HB Slam. Executing these plays successfully could establish momentum and dictate the flow of the game. Attention to detail and elite level of coaching are what Lombardi needs to bring from New Orleans, but the offense itself might look very different. HB Counter. . The majority of West Coast routes occur within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage. After again serving as an assistant for the Broncos from 1990 to 1991, he rebuilt his solid reputation working as offensive coordinator of the 49ers under George Seifert from 1992 to 1994, helping the team win Super Bowl XXIX. Arizona tries to stay as spread out as possible, plays with fast tempo by not moving its receivers to different positions, gets all five eligibles out in the route and then throws hitch routes every play. Aaron Rodgers is the trigger man in Mike McCarthy's modern version of the West Coast Offense. Reloaded: Seeds of the Seahawks' offense: Mike Shanahan & Pete Carroll. Parcellsa believer in "old-school" tough defense over finesse-oriented offense featuring frequent, high-percentage passing derided the 49ers' offense with the statement: "What do you think of that West Coast Offense now? Gruden's scheme and quarterback, The Chargers brought in longtime Saints coach Joe Lombardi to essentially Saints-ify their offense, although one would think that would be at odds with how Rookie of the Year quarterback, The Sean McVay offense in Los Angeles has always been a run-first, play-action later, drop back-never offense, but that may change after the team traded for, No team has run a higher percentage of play action since 2017 than the Rams (32.5%). The West Coast offense requires a quarterback who throws extremely accurately, and often blindly, very close to opposing players. The Saints have always fielded a diverse offense, using the entire field in the passing game and having a unique running game. They can also improve their rate of screens (22nd in the league last season) while also getting Tua under center to let him have a larger proportion of easy throws off play-action dropbacks. Chargers in the 1960s and later by Don Coryell's St. Louis Cardinals and Chargers in the 1970s and 1980s. 3-step and 5-step drops by the quarterback take the place of the run and force the opposing defense to commit their focus solely on those intermediate routes. 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 15 Mike Locksley's offense combines elements of pro-style and spread attacks, and he also steals elements from Chris Ault's famous pistol offense. He would soon transform the 49ers from a mediocre team to a perennial league powerhouse, recalling the dominance of Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packer teams of the 1960s, and of Chuck Noll's Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s. Thats never been Canadas style of play, but Roethlisberger is the veteran, so he may have enough influence to sway the Canada offense in a different direction. Should Trey Lance become the starter, we will assuredly see more quarterback-designed runs. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady came to Carolina from LSU, where they did only a few things but very well. George Seifert succeeded Walsh as San Francisco's head coach in 1989, and won two Super Bowls with the 49ers; once with Joe Montana at quarterback in 1989, and later with fellow Hall of Famer Steve Young in 1994. Taiwan has struck a deal with Ivory Coast to reopen its representative office there, after the mission became inactive in 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, confirming foreign media reports. If, The Lions were generally one of more pass-heavy teams during the, Lynns Chargers teams threw the ball a lot, but that was with quarterback, They ran pre-snap motion at the sixth-highest rate in the league for both the purpose of undressing defensive coverage but also to run a lot of jet sweeps. McVay will feel like he can create the same open receivers he did for Goff, but Stafford will execute them better. The Tua Tagovailoa era officially begins in Miami with co-offensive coordinators George Godsey and Eric Studesville. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 25. During this time, Hackett helped San Francisco win Super Bowl XIX. The Titans lost offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to the Falcons, but given how good the offense has been the past couple of years, not much should change under Todd Downing who has been in Tennessee since 2019. Five step and even 7 step dropbacks are now implemented in modern-day WCO's because defensive speed has increased since the 80's. The offense uses a specific naming system, with the routes for wide receivers and tight ends receiving three digit numbers, and routes for backs having unique names. We made jokes. Andy Reid has implemented his own WCO in Kansas City with the Chiefs, who in 2018 were the NFL's number-one scoring offense and whose quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for over 5,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns.Another current powerhouse team that uses the WCO is the Los Angeles Rams, who, led by coach . They can create some deeper play-action concepts. The NFL is in the midst of the outside zone revolution. Reich can certainly get back to all of these types of concepts, even with an older Wentz, to get the ball rolling a bit and make his quarterback comfortable. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 27. We can expect offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer to ease Trevor Lawrence into his NFL career with a lot of play action. Slants. Kurt Warner (a disciple of a variation of Air Coryell) and Ben Roethlisberger (a traditional gunslinger) are notable examples of non-West Coast quarterbacks that found success in the "dink-and-dunk" system. Quarterbacks such as Randall Cunningham and Michael Vick have been successful runners in this offense, as well as other notable scrambling quarterbacks such as Jake Plummer, Donovan McNabb, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Tyrod Taylor. The origins of the offensive system devised by Walsh go back to Paul Brown, coach of the Cleveland Browns and later the Cincinnati Bengals. Gary Kubiak has had a stellar career as an NFL head coach in his own right. [4] Kyle Shanahan has been the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers since 2017. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 7. Holmgren is credited for helping mold successful quarterbacks such as Montana, Young, Favre and Matt Hasselbeck. For example, a pass play in 3 digit form might be "Split Right 787 check swing, check V". It is now commonly referred to as the "Air Coryell" timed system, however, and instead the term West Coast offense is usually used to describe Walsh's system. Last year, the Steelers played in shotgun at the fourth-highest rate in the league. With the defense stretched out, the offense is then free to focus the remaining plays on longer throws of more than 14 yards and mid to long yard rushes. The Dolphins are going to try to run downhill with inside zone split and duo runs. but that doesnt make this offense any less unusual. Once thought a contradiction in terms, it achieves ball control by using short, high percentage passing routes. Another aspect that makes the West Coast one of the most difficult to master is that it requires a deeper connection between quarterback and receiver, and an ability to communicate mid-play. Another one-time member of Holmgren's coaching staff, Andy Reid, has successfully utilized the West Coast offense during his tenure as a head coach for both the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. Jerry Rice's unique skill-set made him a reliable and durable asset in both Walsh's and Seifert's versions of the West Coast Offense, and he was able to break numerous NFL receiving records over the course of his career. He guided the Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XLVII. Kingsbury decided to cut down on some of his tried-and-true Air Raid principles after his first season in charge, and it led to better efficiency with a second-year quarterback at the helm. Sign Up, 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 18 His career as head coach initially got off to a rocky start, as he couldn't co-exist with the Raiders' maverick owner Al Davis. Subscribe $9.95/mo. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 31. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 19. Davis came in needing 26 points to break Maravich's hallowed mark of 3,667 points that stood for over 50 years. "WCO" systems also rely on agile running backs that catch the ball as often as they run. Throws on slants and flat routes are common. During his time as head coach, he won two Super Bowls with the Broncos in 1997 & 1998, utilizing John Elway's passing skills and leadership. What will change is the Rams' tendency to call quick in-breaking routes for, Tampa Bay generated the fourth-highest rate of rushes where the running back made a cut away from the initial path. The highpoint of the BYU offense was an NCAA Division I-A national football championship in 1984 and a Heisman Trophy for Ty Detmer in 1990. Hall of Fame players from the Broncos' Super Bowl-winning teams in '97 & '98 that played on offense include Elway, Davis, and tight end Shannon Sharpe. LaFleur has led the Packers to 3 straight NFC North division titles, thanks to the passing skills of Aaron Rodgers. Football offenses explained. And of course, they happen to have a premier one-two punch in, When the Patriots do get in shotgun to run the ball, 75% of those plays have some quarterback run element. Although Mike Shanahan's tenure as Washington Redskins head coach wasn't completely successful, his tenure did produce 3 rising star head coaches: His son, Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur and Sean McVay. By adding a second running back into the backfield the offense now has a much more diverse selection of run plays. As of the end of the 2022 NFL season, Reid has won 22 NFL playoff games, and he trails only Bill Belichick (31) for most postseason wins by an NFL head coach. Their run to the conference final in 2020 saw them place fifth in the same category. He stopped calling trips formations at a high rate, as well. Running the ball out of their outside zone scheme, where the team ran the third-most plays in the league in 2020, should also stay the same. The Seattle Seahawks use the West Coast offense.. ; Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; additional terms may . Walsh formulated what has become popularly known as the West Coast offense during his tenure as assistant coach for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1968 to 1975, while working under the tutelage of mentor Paul Brown. It really shouldnt be understated how the Ravens built an entirely unique offense for their star quarterback. Also, Hicks gets a long-awaited lead on a Jane Doe case he worked 20 years ago. Roethlisberger wanted to sit in shotgun, catch the snap, stand there and get rid of the ball as fast as possible. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 8. This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 00:59 (UTC). Kamara had 99 carries on outside zone runs, while Murray had 104 on inside zone and duo combined. Bernie Kosar used the term to describe the offense formalized by Sid Gillman with the AFL Expect a continued heavy dose of slants, fins and glance routes. Next, after two years of success as head coach at Stanford University, Walsh received and accepted the call to be head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Kyle Shanahans father was one of the originators of the offense, but Shanahan has evolved since his dad, Mike, took the league by storm with it in 1998. Then, from 2018-2022, Reid coached the Chiefs to 5 straight AFC Championship Game appearances. That was all while being relatively static, using the 25th highest rate of pre-snap motion in the league. Schottenheimers offense in Seattle used more boots for the diminutive, The Chiefs' passing scheme is often based upon creating a weakside triangle by placing tight end, Kansas City used a trips formation with the tight end isolated on the back side more than anyone else in the league by far. But more importantly, it created big opportunities off play action, where the Browns ranked ninth in EPA per play. They can also improve their rate of screens (22nd in the league last season) while also getting Tua under center to let him have a larger proportion of easy throws off play-action dropbacks. Shanahan's run-heavy variation of the offense, under the leadership of offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, is also known for utilizing previously unheralded running backs, including 1998 NFL MVP Terrell Davis, and developing them into league-leading rushers behind small, yet powerful, Zone Blocking offensive lines. The spread could lead to the Cardinals running the ball at a relatively efficient rate by creating bigger running lanes, but getting into bigger personnel sets and formations to run deeper play-action concepts might be the key in 2021. 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 1 A running quarterback can compensate by acting as a runner himself, paralyzing an overly aggressive defense. Jensen tallied 34 hits, 31 RBIs, 18 runs and 18 stolen bases, while Hoffman had 32 hits, 33 runs, 16 RBIs and 34 stolen bases. Middle Hook. A reporter mistakenly applied Kosar's statement to the 1980s-era attack of Walsh's 49ers.[2]. The West Coast offense is one of the more popular offenses in the . [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] In blitz or short-yardage situations, many of the West Coast offense's strengths are negated by defenses blocking running and passing lanes. 1. 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 6 The Saints may cut down on some of their pass concepts and the number of formations in order to give cleaner looks to either Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill. Given the bar that has been set, McCarthy and his West Coast system will need to stand up to the task. Running backs must be versatile. The popular term "West Coast Offense" is more of a philosophy and an approach to the game than it is a set of plays or formations. Since the magical Super Bowl run of 2018, Los Angeles ranks 19th in EPA per play on non-play action, non-RPO dropbacks. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- James Spady is bringing the pistol offense to Alabama A&M, but is still banking on winning with defense. The West Coast system has been the foundation of Reid's offense ever since he began his NFL coaching career as an assistant on Mike Holmgren's Packers staff in the early 1990s. He next served as offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys under Tom Landry from 1986 to 1988. But more importantly, it created big opportunities off play action, where the Browns ranked ninth in EPA per play. The quarterback was almost always in the shotgun formation, and often had 4-5 wide receivers . Since most down and distance situations can be attacked with a pass or a run, the intent is to make offensive play calling unpredictable and thus keep the defense's play "honest", forcing defenders to be prepared for a multitude of possible offensive plays rather than focusing aggressively on one likely play from the offense. Put him in the shotgun, let him deal with the protection calls and then he can prosper. Will Chris Ault's pistol attack eventually take the place of Andy Reid's West Coast offense? The offense ran the ball at the fourth-highest rate in the league last season and called play action at the seventh-highest rate. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 28. Fast and agile RB's, ATH QB's, and speedy WR's to take the top off the defense when they bite on play action. This team ranked 30th over 2018 and 2019 in EPA per play. That would entail a diverse run game where the Eagles use quarterback counter and quarterback power to go along with the option stuff and heavy play-action sets that allow Hurts to throw to deep crossing routes. In the pistol offense, also commonly referred to as the "pistol formation", the quarterback lines up four yards . The run scheme and marrying the boot action to that run scheme wont change, as Wilson excels when he can get outside of the pocket. After winning a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in January 2003, Jon Gruden's win/loss record began to slowly trend down finishing 45-51 in his last six years with Buccaneers until he was . They could also go the Oklahoma route, something similar to what Hurts ran as a Sooner. Initially, Walsh resisted having the term misapplied to his own distinct system and was especially incensed by the use of the word "finesse" in reference to his sophisticated offensive schemes. Rich Gannon is a good example of a quarterback who fared better in one system than the other. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 22. There was an antique feel about the offense, with Garrett choosing to give quarterback Daniel Jones a fair share of quick-game passes, the sixth-most in the league, which kept the offense muted. The Saints are a smorgasbord of offense tightly put together by the coaching and play calling of Sean Payton and the elite execution of Drew Brees. spread offense using zone reads and quarterback runs. Green Bay cut down on routes over the middle and used Aaron Rodgers elite speed release to continually hit out routes and go balls. Montana thrived for many years as the starting QB for the 49ers. Mark Few and Gonzaga have won, at least, a share of 22 of the past 23 West Coast Conference regular season titles as well as 18 of the past 23 tournament titles. First, it calls for a multi-dimensional running back. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 29. That 2017 offense featured a lot of spread concepts, with the Eagles showing the eighth-highest rate of 11 personnel (one back, one tight end) in the league, the fourth-highest rate of shotgun snaps and the second-highest rate of RPOs. The term "West Coast offense", though most often associated with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback coach and, later, San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh, may actually derive from a remark made by then New York Giants coach Bill Parcells after the Giants defeated the 49ers 173 in the 1985 NFL Playoffs. . His Rams lost Super Bowl LIII to the New England Patriots. Gannon struggled in the old style system but found great success with the Oakland Raiders and the West Coast system run by head coaches Jon Gruden and Bill Callahan. In 1975, he brought widespread recognition to the West Coast offense in a nationally televised Monday-night contest between the Bengals and the Buffalo Bills, whose offense was built around league-leading rusher O. J. Simpson. 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 16 Besides the 3 Super Bowl wins, Walsh won 6 NFC West division titles and compiled a 92-59-1 regular season record, with a 104 mark in the NFL playoffs. This year we'll see Greg Roman's scheme in full. The run scheme and marrying the boot action to that run scheme wont change, as Wilson excels when he can get outside of the pocket. I was searching for a play that could create a big vertical 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 24 The driving philosophy of the system is "pass to set up the run." New York, under the direction of the 49ers' East branch, will try to ease Zach Wilson into life as an NFL quarterback by giving him plenty of runs and bootlegs. For offense I normally run spread option. They also arent a spread-option team like wed see in college. Thats not quite what Wilson wants to do. With his heavy outside zone scheme that stretches defenses horizontally, he was able to put together a good running game that finished 13th in EPA per rush. Originally, Kosar had meant a comparison with the "Air Coryell" system used by West Coast teams in the 1970s, the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders in particular. They also should see their use of 31 formations, 24th in the league last year, increase with the addition of, With his heavy outside zone scheme that stretches defenses horizontally, he was able to put together a good running game that finished 13th in EPA per rush. With Shemar Moore, Alex Russell, Lina Esco, Kenny Johnson. The three step drop helped the quarterback get the ball out faster resulting in far fewer sacks. Well see a lot of sideline throws from the team, as well, playing off Lawrences biggest strengths: his ability to stretch the field sideline to sideline with his arm. There's really nothing more to say about a group . The 'West Coast Offense' is not easy to define. He adapted his offense, maybe getting back to his Saints roots, and showed more complexity last season. The West Coast Offense, as developed by former San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh, is a finesse offense that utilizes a short passing game designed to control the ball. The Pistol Offense, which is a cross between under center formations and the shotgun formation, lines the quarterback up three to four yards behind the center (rather than seven yards, as with the shotgun . 2018 NFL Draft Depth Chart. Finizio was the anchor for the Croatan offensive line this season. As a result, Walsh's version has come to be known as the "West Coast offense". The following year, despite losing rising star quarterback Carson Wentz to a torn ACL, Pederson was still able to guide his team to a world championship. Four Verticals. Michael Gallup is the isolated X receiver, and a very underrated one at that. Shotgun Empty HB Wide (New) Shotgun Normal Y Off Close (New) Singleback Deuce Close. This is where they already had to adapt their offense in 2020, so continuing that and making sure Lock doesnt have to throw intermediate passes over the middle of the field is important. The Broncos are going to have to find a way to hide Drew Lock as much as possible and keep everything to the outside if he ends up starting again in 2021. Another key element in Walsh's attack was the three step dropback instead of traditional seven step drops or shotgun formations. You can still find old-school tenets in head coach Jon Grudens current offense. The Football Team managed to run the ball decently from these formations, whether it was inside or outside zone, but they couldnt throw it. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 3. The University of Washington Huskies were among the first of the Pac-10 teams and in 1970, under coach Jim Owens and quarterback Sonny Sixkiller, used the "Sixkiller" variation of Coryell's West Coast offense with great success. They played in Super Bowl XL after the 2005 season. The passing game should revolve around the two tight ends the team picked up in, The Saints are a smorgasbord of offense tightly put together by the coaching and play calling of Sean Payton and the elite execution of, The Saints may cut down on some of their pass concepts and the number of formations in order to give cleaner looks to either, With Jason Garrett at the helm in 2020, the Giants' offense looked uninspired. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 17. Offense | Updated 2/16 by JackOregon. into our offense. We could see a slight shift away from such a heavy dose of the run game in general, though. That suits Fields well, as he ran similar plays at Ohio State and the play action will allow him to use his strong arm to uncork deep post routes, among others. . They play with heavy personnel groupings, ranking first in 22 personnel rate (two backs, two tight ends), second in 21 personnel rate (two backs, three receivers) and fourth in 21 personnel rate (two backs, one tight end). They heard us. "WCO" plays unfold quicker than in traditional offenses and are usually based on timing routes by the receivers. . Schottenheimers offense in Seattle used more boots for the diminutive Russell Wilson, while Bevell had Matthew Stafford stay in the pocket in Detroit. 51. There are two similar but distinct offensive strategic systems that are commonly referred to as "West Coast offenses". Likewise, Aaron Rodgers is often called a "West Coast . Al Davis, an assistant under Gillman, also carried his version to the Oakland Raiders, where his successors John Rauch, John Madden, and Tom Flores continued to employ and expand upon its basic principles. Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury is sticking to his Air Raid roots, and we can see that in his heavy use of 10 personnel (one running back, four receivers). Mayfields passing grade without play action placed him at only 13th in the league last season, so another season of easing him into some throws might be in the cards. Bill Walsh was the leader in creating the system, which . These formations will give you many opportunities to bomb yo. We could see a slight shift away from such a heavy dose of the run game in general, though. Incorporating more RPO, considering how much shotgun the Bengals use, could prove necessary next year. He is confined by the elite yet mercurial play of quarterback, The Seahawks have already become a heavy outside zone team, as they finished ninth in usage of that run scheme last year. None of that sounds like anything the Saints have done the past 15 years. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 32. The Lions were generally one of more pass-heavy teams during the Matthew Stafford era, but dont expect that to continue in the Jared Goff-Dan Campbell-Anthony Lynn era. CeeDee Lamb lined up in the slot, and Amari Cooper is the wide side Z receiver. Both were promoted from within, so the Dolphins' offense shouldnt change much. The passing concepts stayed wide. offense is based in either 21 (two backs and a tight end) or 22 (two backs and two tight end) sets. TOTAL. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, let's just say that Cal didn't reach its offensive potential in 2019. Daboll has completely done away with any route stops over the middle of the field and relies on deep crossing routes that allow his receivers to run away from coverage on longer developing routes. . He first started his NFL coaching career with the Denver Broncos in the 1980s, coaching receivers and then serving as offensive coordinator under Dan Reeves from 1984 to 1987. The quarterback is responsible for recognizing the defense and the reaction of the receiver to it and adjusting the route if needed. The senior opened up running lanes for an offense that rushed for 2,682 yard and averaged 5.3 yards per carry over a county-high . PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts.