west coast offense passing concepts

Defenses then developed the zone defense, where defensive players would cover a certain part of the field rather than a certain player. The West Coast roots come from an under-center, quick, methodical passing game. The QB takes a 5-step drop, and the protection becomes slide protection (in other version of the WCO, you see 200/300 as both slide protection, and a 3-step drop). 84/85: Scat protection weak (TE to that side free releases). There are players that play close to the ball and others that play further away. The Ultimate Guide, What Is a Touchback in Football? Even in the West Coast offense run by some other guys the Ravens have interviewed, like Gary Kubiak, it's pretty specific what you need to make it work including a stout O-line because running backs are used primarily as pass catchers instead of extra blockers. If he is unable to complete the correct number of steps for his drop back or is moved out of the pocket, he will have a tough time finding an open receiver. For West Coast teams that love to use quick-hitting pass plays to move the chains, the POP play is a God-send for how it integrates what that team has to spend practice time on. Runs to an offset back at a depth of 4-5 yards coming across the formation/behind the QB (so like a fullback in an offset-I, or a halfback next to the fullback). it gets too hard. The QB should see/feel the backs movement on this, telling them to quickly drop back and look to throw to the hot route, or get into the progression. The West Coast offense does the exact opposite. If the OLB blitzes, the back then becomes the hot receiver, and replaces the OLBs position to get open. During his time in San Fran, he worked with two of the most accurate, intelligent, and relatively mobile quarterbacks in the history of the NFL to show the league the dominance of the West Coast offense. Its a 6-man version of this play action protection where you fake to the tailback/halfback, and the 2nd back and TE are free releasing. A Guide to How They Work, What Are Audibles in Football? My name is Steven and I have a passion for sports and staying physically active. His very popular version of the offense averaged scoring a touchdown every ten plays and once scored 98 points in a single game. In the Spread, the fullback is replaced by another receiver; the running back is also used to block more. Hi-Lo Credit: NFL Game Rewind - Anytime you see receivers in a stack look. AKA Fox 2/Fox 3 if you want to sound cool, is the same as H2/H3, but now the fullback or other back is faking and taking the A-gap, while the halfback/tailback goes B-gap. Remember, this book does not use 300 like modern WCO terminology uses it. Since the West Coast system has so many pass catchers on the field, when a defensive player blitzes, the quarterback just needs to find the open, unguarded player. Due to its quick horizontal passes, the defense cant crowd the line of scrimmage, leading to linebackers playing in coverage against the quicker wide receivers. The quarterback is looking to see what the defense gives him and looks to take advantage of it. If the defender covers the hitch, the deep in route will be open. Walsh then added more layers by sending players in motion to create mismatches and used the passing game to set the tempo of the game. This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. If the number called is even, it means the TE is to the right. Gap protection: The O-line steps to the back-side/away from the call and protects the gap. The Flood concept does this by having three receiver running pass routes towards the same of the field. Unlike the west coast offense which has landmarks of exactly, to the inch, where a receiver should end their route- the Air Raid lives on spontaneity and adjusting based on space. This is to get the defense to bite, or jump forward, leaving space open behind them for receivers to run. The original Air Raid was basically taking the West Coast passing game, simplifying it to a purely conceptual level, and then making every formational and personnel decision around maximizing those passing concepts. The idea of the Snag passing concept is to horizontal stretch the defense by creating three on two isolation. The idea behind this passing concept is to create either 3 on 2 or 4 on 3 against zone coverage, allowing for one of the receivers to be open deep down the field. This formation allows the offense to potentially have five pass catchers on the field and hopefully create a mismatch for the offense. 10s: Runs to an offset back at a depth of 4-5 yards coming across the formation/behind the QB (so like a fullback in an offset-I, or a halfback next to the fullback). For quarterbacks, these backs and tight-ends often serve check-down roles, meaning if the primary receivers in the progression arent open, the QB finds these players for an easy release valve rather than holding onto the ball and risking a sack. This is necessary, because both backs are going strong-side, giving the O-line no potential help to the weak-side. For this section, Im going outside the playbook a little bit, and drawing from some more modern nomenclature. Explained With Pictures, Instantly improve your current positional group, Exclusive access to our staff to help answer your questions, Grow your football knowledge & outsmart your friends and colleagues, Complete breakdown of rules, offensive and defensive concepts, Best course for beginners to learn football, Intro courses that provide you the skillset to talk football like a pro, Engage with your spouse during and after the game. Most protections have two numbers. We will feature a 'fully dimensional passing attack' If you look at the playbook link, the best description of the pass protections begins on page 251. The 'West Coast Offense' is not easy to define. In the classic West Coast Offense, they use a numbering system to call their series (plays that have a common set of rules), and specific plays. Copyright 2023 vIQtory Sports, all rights reserved. Rip/Liz only applies to the weak-side (so 54 is TE to the right, meaning weak side is left, so Liz is ran. Features a well-balanced attack of the pass and run, Originally the system called for a zone run scheme, In the decades since its inception, power running schemes have also shown success, Bill Walsh loved the Play-Pass, also known as a play-action, where the run fake is meant to open up the passing lanes for his QB. Fire 2/Fire 3: I got this term from this page, which alters the terminology slightly (so ignore this sheet for this article, except for fire 2/fire 3). 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. Heres a little bonus. 2 means fake action to the right, and 3 means fake action to the left. Finally, a tight end will line up at the line of scrimmage next to the offensive linemen. Strong back and guard double read the ILB (Mike) and the back check-releases. They release, because that defender theyre assigned to is not a threat to sack the quarterback, so rather than wasting a blocker, they want those players to get involved as receivers incase the primary receivers on a play are not open. When executed successfully, the defense would start playing more conservatively, trying to close and prevent those short passes, which would open up both the deep passing game for those gut-punch plays (tanks using speed to overwhelm defenses and get behind enemy lines), then the running game (infantry). Tackles identify and block the defensive ends. In slide protection, you BOB to the call side, and slide to the other side, with the uncovered lineman on the slide side checking the Will LB first (because in slide, the sliding linemen are responsible for the Will LB), then look for the OLB to that side. The two outside receivers next him both run short in routes. Even with countless formations, the West Coast offense will have several consistent elements: NFL offenses have taken these elements to create their own unique variation of the West Coast system. Regular five-on-five basketball is a fun game on its own, but its always nice to have some variety in the types of games that can be played, especially with kids. In your summary, you say that an odd number means that the TE is on the left! use. Against man coverage, the receiver running the pivot route will generally be open once he breaks towards the sideline. While thats a general overview of the West Coast offense, theres a lot more that goes into calling and running plays in the system. Hopefully this will give you better idea of common pass routes and route combos found in real football and football video games. Football's West Coast Offense. The play is basic, with two curl-flat combinations either side of the formation and a receiver spotting . Norm Chow Concepts.doc. The terminology you will see in this article are being borrowed from this 356 page, 1985 49ers Playbook that can be found on Google. In both protections, the default rule for all running-backs and tight-ends is to execute an assignment called check-release, which means they are assigned to a defender (or two), and if that defender blitzes (blitz is called dog in the playbook), they block them. Many of these pass protections are the gold-standard for pass protections in the NFL today. We all know Andy Reid brought the West Coast offense to the Chiefs this season, but let's take a closer look at one of the main passing concepts within his particular West Coast offense. If man coverage is called, the tight end will generally matched up against slower linebacker or a smaller defensive back. One of the most important elements in this system is the quarterback dropback. 300 is an AGGRESSIVE slide protection (so slide protection with the O-line and backs attacking and holding their blocks at the line of scrimmage (LOS). Omaha is a quick pass that features a receiver running a quick out route. The Divide is a passing route that that has a receiver running towards the middle of the field. The West Coast Offense is an innovative horizontal passing offense based on timing and route running. If the safety does not bite on the dig route, then quarterback would look to throw to that receiver underneath. Linemen in the slide protect the gaps to their back-side/weak-side (the left side in this example), and are also responsible for the Will linebacker. The guard or uncovered lineman to the weak-side must now scat protect to that side, meaning they double read the ILB to OLB on the weak-side. Backs free release and both TEs block the OLB/OLB-area to their side. Invented by Bill Walsh, it was born in Cincinnati but popularized in San Francisco, earning its "West. Empty protection (no backs or TEs in protection; just the five linemen) could be done with either pocket or slide protection. However, since both backs are going away from the TE off the snap (weak flow), the TE is now check-releasing by default on all 70s plays, primarily to block the OLB to their side. This site is owned and operated by Coaching Kidz. Walsh had two elements he found to be crucial to the success of the offense. If the ILB blitzes, they sneak a peak at the outside linebacker (OLB) to their side. If youre a fan of the NFL, youve probably heard the term West Coast Offense. You have also probably seen or heard NFL content where a coach or player says an incredibly long play-name that sounds like a language only C-3PO could translate. Both backs free release to the backside, and the O-line scat protects to the weak-side (guard/uncovered lineman double reads ILB to OLB). YT. Pocket/Cup Protection, and 2. Scheme: The use of 10 . This contrasts with the Air Coryell offense mentioned above, which is known for attacking downfield. Unless a specific protection says otherwise, players not mentioned use the rules described above. Against man coverage, their pass routes create a rub or natural pick on defenders covering. The second and more common passing concept is the five-step drop back. 0000002590 00000 n Double read: An offensive player is assigned two defenders to block. Coach Walsh went on to say, I truly believe it is the single best tool available to take advantage of a disciplined defense., Utilizes pre-snap motions to generate match-up issues and confusion with the defense. The first number also sets the default rules for all numbers in that series. Due to innovations in offenses, the WCO has also been implemented for shotgun-based offenses. Backs split-flow using Rip/Liz rules (back closer to the right Rips, back closer to the left Lizs. Play action means the offense will fake a run, then throw a pass. The three-step drop is designed to be the ball control section of the passing game. If the OLB blitzes, the back then becomes the hot receiver, and replaces the OLBs position to get open. With that said, Im happy to have you on the site and hope I can help you out in achieving your goals! memorization is the key. The quarterback looks to throw to the receiver once he makes his break towards the side line. True to form of the 'west coast offense' these concepts are excellent ball control, short passing plays which rely on accuracy and timing between the QB & WRs to take advantage of different defensive structures and coverages. Some teams may refer to it as the triangle. Watch for defenders dropping back in buzz zones as they do a good job at defending corner routes. It's a great concept: the shallow pulls the linebackers while the square-in -- aptly known in Airraid . Get an advantageous matchup. 50/51, 52/53: Backs split-flow using Rip/Liz rules (back closer to the right Rips, back closer to the left Lizs. Snagis a great passing concept that is used at all levels. If the call is 314 the slide is going to the left, and 315 means the slide is going to the right. The quarterback looks to take advantage of precise route running by the receivers to complete short, horizontal passes, allowing receivers to make plays after the catch for extra yardage. Throughout this article, well cover the origin of the system, positional roles, different variations of the West Coast offense and much more so stick around! First digit indicates whos carrying the ball, and the second number is the hole, or point of attack the ball carrier takes it to. We break the sections down with quick pass, medium pass, and deep pass. Offensive schemes and tactics This is a discussion on Offensive schemes and tactics within the EA Sports College Football forums. The Slot Cross has an inside receiver running a intermediate crossing route underneath the outside receiver who is running a deep dig route. If you were to compare this to warfare, think of the running game as your infantry, and the forward pass as planes, tanks and armor support. He then break outside towards the sideline at a 45 degree angle. Hitch is a quick that has a receiver running short curl that allows the quarterback to throw a safe pass for an easy complete. Your center and guards protect the center-three defenders of the defense. means a back or tight-end releases only if their assigned linebacker (or linebackers) does not blitz. Before the West Coast Offense and other pass-first systems, the forward pass was used as a compliment to the running game. Almost every football fan has heard the phrase, establish the run. There will be two wide receivers on the line of scrimmage on either side of the field. Joe Montana, Steve Young, andJerry Riceare all now in the Hall of Fame. When there are two backs in the backfield, default rules have both backs going to the same side. Passing Game Clinics 2021. In terms of tactics, you would run the ball until the other teams defense got too strong against the run, or the defensive backs got too close to the line, then you would throw the ball deep, over their heads. Coach Vigen explained what concepts fans should look for that are tell-tale elements of . . When the backs release, the faking back who is more inside will break to the inside, and the back protecting outside will release outside. Run-game terminology is much more simple. The receiver fakes route in one direction and then runs the route in the opposite direction. This includes swing passes to the Running Backs and hitches to the Tight End with a regular route tree for receivers. Here, the Redskins run their Hank concept, which is fundamental for the west coast offense. The side the TE is on is the strong-side, and the side away from that is the weak-side. In terms of protection, scat indicates that the side a back free releases to calls for the offensive guard, or uncovered lineman to that side to double-read the the linebackers to that side. 24/25: The back to the weak-side (away from the TE) scats (free releases) to their side into a route. Answer 1 of 17: Hi all, thanks to previous posts I have been able to understand quite a bit about the trains and connections in Frankfurt- but I would like advice on the following: I will be in Frankfurt from Aug 31-Sept 5 and would like to do a few day trips. A Complete Overview. It can be ran from three, two, or one-back formations. Another difference is that the West Coast system looks to make quick passes across the middle of the field, but the Spread looks to spread the defense out across the whole field and uses vertical routes just as much as horizontal routes. His offensive coordinator was Darrell Bevel, a West Coast Offense guy. 0000001450 00000 n Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy's roots are in the West Coast Offense, which he's now bringing to The Star - with Dak Prescott and "2.5 seconds'' a centerpiece determinant for how well it'll . The West Coast passing offense is comprised of a lot of slants and crossing routes. trailer << /Size 291 /Info 271 0 R /Root 281 0 R /Prev 675259 /ID[] >> startxref 0 %%EOF 281 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Pages 273 0 R /Outlines 266 0 R /OpenAction [ 282 0 R /XYZ null null null ] /PageMode /UseNone >> endobj 289 0 obj << /S 918 /O 996 /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 290 0 R >> stream Instead, Walsh turned them into pass catchers and gave them horizontal routes designed to get them in space. With both passing routes going in the same direction, it creates a high/low read for the quarterback. July 14, 2006, 12:04 pm ET. ThisAir Coryelloffense was originally called the West Coast Offense, but when one player mistakenly called Coach Walshs system The West Coast Offense, the name stuck. The three-step and five-step drop back each had their own role in Walshs system. Im always open to feedback as well, so if there is something you feel is incorrect or should be described more thoroughly, please drop a comment! Rip/Liz to the strong-side only. These horizontal routes make it difficult to play man coverage and get defenders chasing. The first number indicates the type of backfield action/movement the backs will take, and the basic type of protection. 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 . In the article we posted on Xs Os Football called "Passing Routes 101" we broke down several passing routes for runningback, receivers, and tight ends. Every NFL team's offensive scheme, illustrated and explained - Washington Post From run-pass options to the West Coast offense: Breaking down all 32 offensive schemes in the NFL. means all backs and tight-ends release, and the protection always becomes pocket protection (so if slide was called, max turns it into pocket protection). More like you only need two or three at most. It worked; the Packers won Super Bowl XLV. 280 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 282 /H [ 712 738 ] /L 680989 /E 4908 /N 67 /T 675270 >> endobj xref 280 11 0000000016 00000 n 0000001428 00000 n The first was using the timing of the quarterback dropbacks to set the pace for the play. we call plays in the following series: a) teens: all runs. 400: Slide protection away from the call with a cross-action/misdirection backfield or run fake. In 1969, the Bengals had a rising superstar in rookie quarterback Greg Cook, but in week 3 Cook tore his rotator cuff. The weak-back coming to the strong-side double-reads the ILB to strong OLB (Mike to Sam). Below is an example of the type of formation and play Coach Walsh would run: It is important to note that Coach Walsh won three Super Bowls with this offense. The West Coast Offense is a passing ball control offense. It's all about the feet The best way to define the West Coast offense may be to start with what it isn't. The traditional passing game, which NFL teams ran for years, is based on deep drops . The West Coast offense was one of the most revolutionary offenses when it first hit the scene. For this article we show several common pass routes and route combos that you will find in real football and video game football. CoachingKidz.comis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking toAmazon.com. 0000001929 00000 n The call in the huddle could be "Jet Dart 368 Y-Flat Train on one." From this alignment, the West Coast Offense can run the majority of their route combinations, which include slants and curls, to attack the underneath half. In addition to the innovation of avid dedication to precisely timed short routes, the West Coast Offense was one of the first systems to implement a complex strategy for protecting the QB, while also allowing the offense to use its tight-ends and running-backs in the passing game with almost an equal amount participation in the passing game as the wide receivers. One of the most popular styles has become the West Coast offense, a system that many NFL teams use today to various degrees. Backs free release and both TEs block the OLB/OLB-area to their side. Timing passes with alerts and checkdowns if the post snap read is bad or different. Ive played and watched sports all my life and have coached them as well for the last few years. It has one receiver running a shallow crossing route from one direction, while another receiver runs a dig route from the opposite direction. Bill Walsh, who was the offensive coordinator at the time, had to step back and completely redesign the teams offense. Teams That Have a Variety of Pass Catchers - The West Coast Offense is famous for involving tight ends, fullbacks and halfbacks, in addition to at least two wide receivers. The offense splits the outside wide receivers in "plus splits", which means outside the numbers. __CONFIG_colors_palette__{"active_palette":0,"config":{"colors":{"eb2ec":{"name":"Main Accent","parent":-1}},"gradients":[]},"palettes":[{"name":"Default","value":{"colors":{"eb2ec":{"val":"var(--tcb-skin-color-4)","hsl":{"h":206,"s":0.2727,"l":0.01,"a":1}}},"gradients":[]},"original":{"colors":{"eb2ec":{"val":"rgb(57, 163, 209)","hsl":{"h":198,"s":0.62,"l":0.52,"a":1}}},"gradients":[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__, {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}, __CONFIG_colors_palette__{"active_palette":0,"config":{"colors":{"f3080":{"name":"Main Accent","parent":-1},"f2bba":{"name":"Main Light 10","parent":"f3080"},"trewq":{"name":"Main Light 30","parent":"f3080"},"poiuy":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"f3080"},"f83d7":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"f3080"},"frty6":{"name":"Main Light 45","parent":"f3080"},"flktr":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"f3080"}},"gradients":[]},"palettes":[{"name":"Default","value":{"colors":{"f3080":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.7)"},"f2bba":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.5)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"trewq":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.7)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"poiuy":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.35)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"f83d7":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.4)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"frty6":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.2)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"flktr":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.8)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}}},"gradients":[]},"original":{"colors":{"f3080":{"val":"rgb(23, 23, 22)","hsl":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09}},"f2bba":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.5)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.5}},"trewq":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.7)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.7}},"poiuy":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.35)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.35}},"f83d7":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.4)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.4}},"frty6":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.2)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.2}},"flktr":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.8)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.8}}},"gradients":[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__, Bill, Coach, Dwight Clark, football, Joe Montana, Offense, Philosophy, Strategy, The catch, Walsh, WCO, West Coast Offense, What Is The West Coast Offense? Compared to other offensive systems, this style has been said to nickel and dime the defense, due to its short passing attempts, and has led to amazing success by countless teams throughout the years and is a staple in the NFL. There are a few spread offenses in college that are markedly different than what you see in the NFL and worth mentioning. This article does NOT cover all the pass pro terminology in this playbook, but it covers all the basics. When McCarthy called plays as Green Bay HC, he used the West Coast offense a system dependent upon short passing. Gruden had spent his 10 years out of coaching . 0000004677 00000 n Pocket/Cup Protection: Your center and guards protect the center-three defenders of the defense. O-D Kick Game Install 2021. If the ILB blitzes, they sneak a peak at the outside linebacker (OLB) to their side. The Ultimate Guide, How Much Do NHL Refs Make? Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the latest trends! In American football, the West Coast offense is an offense that places a greater emphasis on passing than on running. This style of play works brilliantly against defenses that commit to stopping the run. Backs protect inside-out, meaning they block an inside rush threat first, then work outside if there is no inside threat. TE free releases by default. In this case, the protection is set to the right, so the first offensive lineman to the right of the center with no defender in the gap to their right is the first offensive lineman in the slide.

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