The West Coast Offense EXPLAINED

[@cmd31220]

The thing that really makes the West Coast offense work is that the passing game essentially becomes an extension of the running game. The concepts and formations and protection schemes are all designed to use the defense's tendencies against them and break one player open, in the same way that most run schemes are designed to break a single gap open with everything else essentially being window dressing.

[@DadMoves]

"Right" = where TE is "Slot" puts Z next to X "Right" is motion to right side. "Spider" = RB to flat route "S" strongside. Now the "2, Y banana, Z over" is weak to strongside.. X runs a 2 (quick slant) Y runs a "banana" (basically a 7 route) Z runs an "over" (6 route, crossing 1st) * You are very welcome, as I have run West Coast via Paul Brown to Sid Gilman for + 30 years. 😉 I won an original Sid Gilman playbook from his estate auction 15 years ago where many of the pages of my playbook are several generations of xerox older than in this playbook. I could shorten this play call to: "Right Slot Right Spider, 2, Banana, Over"

[@rukiddingmewiththis]

Did you coach it all with the disciplined footwork for both QB and WR? It’s more than one play boss.

[@DadMoves]

@rukiddingmewiththis of course! Pass protection dictates length of pass drop, launch points, and route depth. "Firm" - 5 step drop, "Quick" - 3 step, "Rip" - pass pro slide right, "Queen" - slide weak, etc., etc., etc...

[@zennie62]

@@DadMoves Exactly. I had the pleasure of interviewing Coach Walsh for The Montclarion in Oakland, CA, in 1994.

[@dwightlove3704]

Jon Gruden who was wired for NFL FILMS used the term BANANA for one of his plays.

[@dwightlove3704]

@@DadMoves Looking at history sir you are a lucky man!!!!!

[@RDSports5]

This is phenomenal man. I've been a diehard fan for 30 years, but have never learned the intricacies of playcalls, the verbiage, etc., and this is a great breakdown for fans who know the concepts and ideas, but still want to learn what it all means in the verbiage used in an NFL playbook. Great job 👍

[@vIQtorySports]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@FuzzyJCats]

Happy New Year Chris! you're the best instructor, learning a lot from your fan football guide!

[@vIQtorySports]

Thank you so much! Happy new years to you as well!

[@dwightlove3704]

Some aspects of the West Coast Offense was taken from the school that produced Jerry Rice Mississippi Valley St.Rice said that anything he did in his early years in San Francisco he was already doing in college.

[@DiscoHank]

Holmgrem said he was familiar with some concepts of it from the offense they ran at BYU as well. Walsh also got his terminology from Sid Gillman through Al Davis and his offense is a cousin to that of Al Davis and Air Coryell. But he became the ultimate practitioner of it.

[@hammurds]

That may be true, but Jerry Burns of the Vikings really came up with the west coast offense. He was doing this in Minnesota before SF.

[@dwightlove3704]

@@hammurds So why was he considered a very conservative person who throw the ball ONCE IN A WHILE if he was the SID GILMAN of the '80s.

[@kgatch113a]

@@hammurds I have always wondered where this myth came from.

[@dwightlove3704]

@@kgatch113a The only time I remember when Burns was throwing the ball was in a playoff game vs the Niners and Anthony Carter went off for a CAREER HIGH of 227 yds.

[@malbuff]

Don't forget the rule changes in 1979 that eliminated bump-and-run (and, indirectly, most OPI calls) and allowed offensive linemen to grab, release, and push with their hands. Walsh was the first NFL coach to take specific advantage of these rule changes, in the sense that he developed plays designed to exploit the advantages they gave the offense.

[@TenScoop]

what were linemen supposed to do before the rule change?

[@malbuff]

@@TenScoop They could push with their arms, but could not open their hands. If they did-- holding. The original concept of "blocking" was to use your body to keep the defender back. Using arms and hands was considered tackling. This gradually changed, but the 1979 change created the "moving pocket".

[@dwightlove3704]

Don Shula was the reason for the expansion of the passing game he was a member of the NFL COMPETITION COMMITTEE and he was complaining about Mel Blount being too physical against opposing WRs not allowing anyone to run routes.

[@terencew7716]

Thank You for making this informative video!!

[@alpharob6959]

That 89 49ers team will destroy any team today and the game wouldn't be close they had 2 many weapons and use them all at the same time

[@danieldelacruz7305]

Now I see why Michael Irving didn’t like this offense lol

[@dwightlove3704]

The Cowboys ran some aspects of the West Coast Offense.

[@King_David_97]

Does it focus on short and accurate throws? I think so.

[@dwightlove3704]

Yes because of the lack of arm strength from Montana.

[@davidcovington1046]

Yes

[@RubensBarrichello.]

Every great coach should adapt to a new coaching system to fit their players. What if you're the freshman coach developing players for varsity? Would you deviate from the varsity programs playbook so that your team can win games or is teaching them the Varsity system more important for the program?

[@alcatraz9092]

that is a great question that can be tricky too. and maybe its something the varsity HC should answer because the logic is the same. once your freshman kids get to the varsity level shouldnt he be adapting to them in the best ways possible for the program. Which could ultimately start at the freshman level with you. good luck

[@DadMoves]

Great question. I would say take the "meat and potatoes" of the varsity program, and sprinkle elements of your own offense. Eventually, if you do well, you'll no longer be a freshman OC. 🤷‍♂️

[@RaftSwampRebel]

Great breakdown!

[@vIQtorySports]

Thank you Mike!

[@RaftSwampRebel]

@vIQtorySports You're welcome.

[@FULLCONTACTFOOTBALL]

That Offense came from Mississippi Valley State University and Tennessee State.

[@dwightlove3704]

Archie Cooley(RIP) and John Merritt.

[@davidcovington1046]

Yeah I agree

[@freamonmcnair3743]

Really?

[@King_David_97]

Maybe I should do my own West Coast Offense video.

[@randyhelgeson1254]

How long does it usually take to get the west coast offense down?

[@badgerden7080]

Is it true that the west coast offense would throw short as a first read then long as a last read? I heard John Madden and Pat Summerall mention it on a broadcast during a 49ers game.

[@RubensBarrichello.]

Yes the idea of "West Coast" being that A the 49ers are a western team and the coast means the defense needs to play coast to coast (sidelines to sidelines). The offense stretches the defense horizontally versus vertically. Due to the short passes it earned itself the nickname "Nickel and Dime offense" Thus the nickel and dime defensive packages were created in response.

[@kgatch113a]

No. Walsh loved the quick strike, so his first read would be for the deeper ball. People don't understand that Walsh went with a Sid Gillman, Raiders type offense with Greg Cook, used the shorter patterns with Virgil Carter and played possession ball with the passing game, and with Montana he did a combination of the two offenses. It was fully realized with Steve Young.

[@kgatch113a]

@@RubensBarrichello. No. The name West Coast Offense comes from a Sports Illustrated article where Bernie Kosar refers to what Walsh was running as that West Coast offense but he really meant to say it about the Coryell system.

[@TheBLKMIATA98]

I don’t get scripting plays. Do they account for down & distance? Also, what if the opponent’s stud DB gets hurt, that’s not going to factor into play calling?

[@vIQtorySports]

Great question! A lot of it has to do with giving the QB looks during practice to make him feel comfortable and make the right adjustments during the game. Every play typically has a zone and man beater attached to it so coach knew he could run certain plays and it would have a good % of working. This was also at a time where defenses weren't that diverse. Nowadays coaches will script the first 5-10 just to see how teams adjust and lineup before they get off the script.

[@user-li8lp2wy7z]

Depends on how comprehensive the script is. The coach is looking to see 1) how the defense lines up for certain formations; 2) how the defense plays certain d&d and formations; 3) giving the defense planned looks/plays to set up playcalling trees that take advantage of how the defense played those prior scripted plays. The script isn’t fixed as in “these are the first x plays we are running.”

[@CelticsTheGreen9]

It’s more about situational football and awareness

[@DiscoHank]

They still have their audibles for specific looks as well, and you still have your down and distance section of the game plan. It’s funny because in Jon Grudens last stint with the Raiders I felt the only time the offense looked super sharp was on his opening drives when the script was in effect

[@briansass9534]

Yes, organized by down, distance and field position. It’s not a “list” of 25 plays you call 1-25. It,s more of like 3-5 plays for 5 different down, distance, field position situations.

[@dwightlove3704]

Greg Cook was the original Jeff George

[@davidcovington1046]

Yeah I agree

[@dwightlove3704]

@@davidcovington1046 I saw film on him and his mechanics were a forerunner of Jeff George and everyone said he was SUPER BOWL MATERIAL.

[@clarencemarsh5533]

It's all about the ring

[@omarbahrour]

Hahahaha man I’ve always thought it’d be so fucking cool to create a new offense/defense in football. West coast offense is a cool sounding name, but I’d really feel cool as hell if I invented the Air raid offense hahaha

[@jimstevenson424]

Walsh was a great coach but was more of an innovator than inventor. Belichick says Paul Brown laid the foundation for the WCO while in Cleveland, not Cincinnati. It is hard to believe that the most innovative coach (Brown), who was a control freak, would turn over the entire offense to a coach he didn't trust 100%. But like most changes in the NFL, rule modifications have to enable an idea that started at the college level (BYU and some other schools). The NFL doesn't invent anything now and hasn't changed that much since the OG inventors (Brown and Gillman). Spread is just a tweaked and dumbed down version of WCO.

[@candlestick1231]

Have to give Walsh credit for taking it and innovating it and making it work better than anybody could. Brown stepped down and wouldn't promote Walsh to head coach and tried sabotaging Walsh's attempts to get a head coaching job in the NFL. Was it jealousy? I don't know, but it sure looks like Brown wrongfully did everything in his power to hold back Walsh. It must have been so satisfying for Walsh to beat Brown's Bengals in Super Bowl 16.

[@jimstevenson424]

@@candlestick1231 Brown's treatment was wrong, but there has to be more to the story. I am not defending Brown, but he had a strong coaching tree of people he mentored. Friendly Prof Walsh has a rep as the architect of modern offenses, which isn't true. I think he was the first to bring precision to the passing game, like Lombardi did to the running game. I don't buy the WCO being a result of Virgil Carter having a limp arm. Most offensive strategies were developed by 1980. Younger generations think that the game evolves, when it is really a rule change or enforcement that enables some 1946 tactic. Belichick didn't invent things, he just knows every play ever run. Watching since the 70s, nothing is new to me, but football was more interesting than other sport, because it did evolve and teams pitted their methods against another's style (Landry's shotgun and spread offense vs Noll's speed, Tampa 2 defense). Brady claiming the game is being dumbed down is bad for the sport, because it means the NFL is not evolving. Then again, people probably just want to watch close games, don't care about history, don't even know Paul Brown and fool themselves into thinking running QBs are something new. You would think with all the time invested in football, fans would know its history more.

[@julioluciano390]

Homie… slow down. My anxiety is through the roof.

[@dwightlove3704]

Paul Brown nearly ruined the career of Bill Walsh because he thought he was not ready to be a NFL HEAD COACH.

[@SminkingDoctor]

Or did he just want to keep him on his staff…

[@dwightlove3704]

@@SminkingDoctor No he thought Walsh was not ready to be a HC and low and behold Walsh beat him in his first SB Appearance.

[@roemellobell]

Please let us get a coach that wants to go back to that

[@mr.ormrs.greene9737]

McCarthy with Dallas this year.

[@pneffie5517]

Kyle Shannahan

[@roemellobell]

@@pneffie5517 negative not him

[@vikviper449]

@roemellobell shannahan is in fact running west coast zone run

[@roemellobell]

@@vikviper449 and who cares the real West Coast offense is passing and running I don't care what Kyle do

[@jesseGfragrance]

Yea Dallas runs it and we suck

[@jmgonzales7701]

Cuz dack sucks

[@fumihiro8564]

You literally have one of the best offenses with an MVP candidate at QB

[@carters148]

why do u blink sm

[@CelticsTheGreen9]

Stop playing with ppl the have theoretic syndrome

[@xintimidate]

why dont u blink sm

[@josephnicolino8529]

Is he sending us a message

[@numba1stunz]

Blink blink blink blink blink blink blink