Michael Gallup is the isolated X receiver, and a very underrated one at that. Adding familiarity for Jackson out of the pistol is a healthy change to . Rich Gannon is a good example of a quarterback who fared better in one system than the other. Hes run just over 25% of the team's snaps in that personnel grouping over the past two seasons. Davis came in needing 26 points to break Maravich's hallowed mark of 3,667 points that stood for over 50 years. The Broncos are going to have to find a way to hide, Denver finished second last year in deep throw rate. 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. The quarterback makes three reads and if no opportunity is available after three reads, the QB will then check off to a back or tight end. In 1971, the Oklahoma offense set an NCAA record with 472.4 rushing yards per game, and the Sooners employed the offense all the way into the '90s en route to 12 Big 8 championships and three MNC's. For most of the rest of the league, the fullback was eventually reduced to a secondary role as a lead blocker for the featured tailback in the I . 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 1 As a head coach, he compiled an overall 174122 record in the NFL: 161111 in the regular season, along with a 13-11 playoff record, 3 Super Bowl appearances and 1 Super Bowl title. Several coaches and players associated with BYU's football program had success with this offense at BYU and elsewhere, including Virgil Carter, Mike Holmgren, Andy Reid, Brian Billick, Ted Tollner, Doug Scovil, Norm Chow, Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Ty Detmer, and Steve Sarkisian. There was an antique feel about the offense, with Garrett choosing to give quarterback, New York, under the direction of the 49ers' East branch, will try to ease, Wilson has the easy release to be able to throw quick or intermediate in-breaking routes, just like what the 49ers have had, The Eagles are going to have to figure out a way to craft an offense specifically for quarterback. Five step and even 7 step dropbacks are now implemented in modern-day WCO's because defensive speed has increased since the 80's. 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 9 All of this leads to an offense that ranked 28th in rate of passes of 15-plus yards. 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. While at Louisville, Jackson operated a fair amount out of pistol looks. Given the bar that has been set, McCarthy and his West Coast system will need to stand up to the task. That doesnt leave much room for straight dropbacks, but they havent been very good at them recently, either. The Texans are not going to get away with living in five-man protections and having their quarterback bail them out. 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 19 Should Trey Lance become the starter, we will assuredly see more quarterback-designed runs. 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. 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. 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. None of that sounds like anything the Saints have done the past 15 years. McVay will feel like he can create the same open receivers he did for Goff, but Stafford will execute them better. Middle Hook. Expect a continued heavy dose of slants, fins and glance routes. Holmgren then served as offensive coordinator for the 49ers under Seifert from 1989 to 1991. It will be interesting to see if they play fake in order to boot him to the sideline or keep him in the pocket. 7/21/2014 1. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 31. Slants. PA Ctr Waggle. This imbalance forced defenses to abandon their own favored, conventional formations. No team has run a higher percentage of play action since 2017 than the Rams (32.5%). The offense is characterized by short, horizontal passing routes in lieu of running plays to "stretch out" defenses, opening up the potential for long runs or long passes. With Shemar Moore, Alex Russell, Lina Esco, Kenny Johnson. While outside zone did make up around 36% of San Francisco's runs the past two seasons, fifth-highest in the league, Shanahan also ranks top 10 in power and counter run rate. The West Coast offense was one of the most revolutionary offenses when it first hit the scene. 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. That 2016 Bills team was a heavy pulling team, as it finished in the top 10 in both counter and power usage. Before he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 10, the offense ranked 22nd in EPA per play (.016), a jump from 29th and -.124 last season. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 6. The Multiple West Coast Offense Pass Protection 7/21/2014 2 Pass Protection The system has the capacity to protect with anything from a 5-man protection scheme sending 5 receivers into the pattern to an 8-man maximum protection scheme. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 27. Posted on April 21, 2014 by Jay Hodgson. HB Slip Screen. 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. It will be interesting to see if Cleveland comes off this blueprint and lets quarterback Baker Mayfield drop back and sling it more. Thats all going to change in Year 1 post-Brees. Running backs must be versatile. 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. 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. With Tyrod Taylor or Davis Mills starting, Kelly will have to help out his signal-caller much more. 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. 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. This is the "West Coast offense" as Kosar originally used the term. 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 . Theyll need some easy completions for their quarterback as he gets his feet wet. Gruden's scheme and quarterback Derek Carrs accuracy have helped Raiders receivers produce the second- and fifth-highest yards after the catch per reception marks the past two seasons, respectively. Walsh's West Coast Offense attempts to open up running and passing lanes for the backs and receivers to exploit, by causing the defense to concentrate on short passes. Now the term is commonly used to refer to a range of pass-oriented offenses that may not be closely related to either the Air Coryell system or Walsh's pass-strategy. These formations will give you many opportunities to bomb yo. One reason for the success of this version of the offense was in its simplicity. The Eagles, with the help of backup QB and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. Roethlisberger wanted to sit in shotgun, catch the snap, stand there and get rid of the ball as fast as possible. From a macro perspective, new head coach and play caller Arthur Smith will look to install a similar offense to the Kyle Shanahan attack that took the Falcons to the Super Bowl at the end of the 2016 season, but there are some differences. One result has been the longevity of receivers in the West Coast system such as Jerry Rice, because familiarity with the system and clear signalling is of greater importance than systems that require a receiver to "stretch the field" where any loss of speed is a major liability. Jump to content. Will Chris Ault's pistol attack eventually take the place of Andy Reid's West Coast offense? 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. However, unlike Shanahan, Smith's changeup is the downhill duo run that his Titans offense used on 19% of its runs last season. 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 21 HB Draw. Lock had trouble throwing to receivers on the move, and that needs to change. It was a new evolution, the start of what we see today." It will be interesting to see if they play fake in order to boot him to the sideline or keep him in the pocket. In response, Walsh created a system based on short, high-percentage passes, favoring straight and direct ten- to fifteen-yard strikes over forty- to fifty-yard "bombs". 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 22 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 28. Waldron cant just come in and copy/paste the Rams' offense. They heard us. 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. In American football, the West Coast offense is an offense that places a greater emphasis on passing than on running. As a result, Walsh's version has come to be known as the "West Coast offense". and we can see that in his heavy use of 10 personnel (one running back, four receivers). But, two statements do help explain what it is all about. [4] Kyle Shanahan has been the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers since 2017. The Pistol formation is an offense that marries two other types of offenses together to make a new hybrid type of offense. We shouldnt see much of a divergence from what the Bucs ran in 2020 on their way to the Super Bowl and what head coach Bruce Arians has always run. 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. 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 29 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. Their run to the conference final in 2020 saw them place fifth in the same category. Singleback Deuce Y Flex (New) Kansas City used a trips formation with the tight end isolated on the back side more than anyone else in the league by far. Some modern WCO's have even used shotgun formations (e.g. [11], This article is about the American football strategy. Since the routes are relatively short, and the pass leaves the quarterback's hand quickly, there is less need for additional blockers. One of Holmgren's former assistants, Jon Gruden, has had reasonable success running the West Coast offense in his own right. What will change is the Rams' tendency to call quick in-breaking routes for Jared Goff. . 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. Under Brown's tenure, Walsh was tasked with devising an offensive plan suited to Bengal quarterback Virgil Carter, who had an accurate but relatively weak arm. 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 15 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 2. His Rams lost Super Bowl LIII to the New England Patriots. 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 20 We show you how the air raid, single wing, west coast, run & shoot, and the triple option were born!0:00 - Introduction1:05 - Si. TOTAL. Jones is just an average short thrower, so its hard for the Giants to get out of first gear. 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. The Green Bay Packers offense is commonly referred to as a "West Coast Offense.". 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 . The West Coast offense was then passed on by Walsh's disciples, and its principles still remain in use today. 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. LaFleur has led the Packers to 3 straight NFC North division titles, thanks to the passing skills of Aaron Rodgers. The Pistol offense . First, our offense uses "precision-timed passing, variable formations, and the exploitation of each player's skills" (quote by Bill Walsh) to attack the opposition. Over one-third of the Titans' passes were off of play action last year, and that shouldnt change much. Likewise, Aaron Rodgers is often called a "West Coast . into our offense. The Steelers used pre-snap motion at the 23rd-highest rate in the league, while the Terrapins used it at the second-highest rate in college football. 2020 Rush Efficiency Rank: 25. The two years prior, Las Vegas quarterbacks threw the 28th-highest rate of deep passes in each year. 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. A running quarterback can compensate by acting as a runner himself, paralyzing an overly aggressive defense. Chargers in the 1960s and later by Don Coryell's St. Louis Cardinals and Chargers in the 1970s and 1980s. From 1992 to 1998, Holmgren was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. They also should see their use of 31 formations, 24th in the league last year, increase with the addition of JaMarr Chase at the X receiver position. 2020 Pass Efficiency Rank: 26 Gruden served as Raiders head coach from 2018-2021. 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. Chicago was a heavy RPO, inside zone team in 2019 but moved, like the rest of the league, to an outside zone-based system. 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. Once thought a contradiction in terms, it achieves ball control by using short, high percentage passing routes. 9. Green Bay '06-present, Atlanta '04-'06, Philadelphia '04-present). He guided the Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XLVII. Other articles where West Coast offense is discussed: Bill Walsh: His "West Coast offense" was a ball-control offense that featured short passes and quick slanting pass routes by receivers and running backs. The team needs to keep that up. New offensive coordinator Matt Canada brings his unique spin, but how much of his offense we actually see will be dependent on Ben Roethlisberger? Originally the offense used two split backs, giving it an uneven alignment in which five players aligned to one side of the ball and four players aligned on the other side (with the quarterback and center directly behind the ball). The quarterback is responsible for recognizing the defense and the reaction of the receiver to it and adjusting the route if needed. 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. They also run a lot from under center, but if Hill is the starter, a move to a more shotgun-based offense to give Payton the ability to draw up more quarterback-designed runs would be in order, although New Orleans still went under center plenty while Hill was the starter in 2020. Mike Shanahan is another NFL head coach who has had success running the West Coast offense. The Ravens are trying to pack defenses in to create space for Jackson on the outside. 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. Jaguars (16) QB Trevor Lawrence during drills at Thursday's OTA session. The combination of Dan Campbell, who may surprise, and a quarterback who has had success in a run-first offense means that the Lions should try to emulate whatever Sean McVay did in Los Angeles. (West Coast, Pistol, etc) and though the Beavers were 61% run last season with a good duo in the backfield, it was only a few years ago that . Three decades later, the West Coast offense has gone a bit ecumenical, with the glitzy name now a catch . He was tied for fourth in screen targets among receivers. Walsh went as far as to script the first 25 plays but most teams stop at 15. It was Shanahan's work with the Broncos offense, particularly rising star quarterback John Elway, that earned him the head coaching job of the Los Angeles Raiders for the 1988 season. 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. Houston's inside zone run scheme might have to change because of the potential quarterback change. 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. Almost all offenses now incorporate spread . 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. Bernie Kosar used the term to describe the offense formalized by Sid Gillman with the AFL In most conventional offenses, the idea is to run the ball to draw the safeties and linebackers in closer to the line of scrimmage, thus opening up . After working as Shanahan's offensive coordinator on the Broncos from 1995-2005, Kubiak served as the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2006 to 2013. 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. Shotgun Empty HB Wide (New) Shotgun Normal Y Off Close (New) Singleback Deuce Close. Traditional offensive thinking argues that a team must establish its running game first, which will draw the defense in and open up vertical passing lanes downfield; i.e., passing lanes that run perpendicular to the line of scrimmage. He captured 4 Super Bowl titles (three of them under Walsh), 3 Super Bowl MVP awards, and 2 AP NFL MVP titles while in San Francisco in the 1980s. Walsh's 49ers won three Super Bowls during this period, behind the passing abilities of legendary quarterback Joe Montana.