What is a west coast offense?

Answer 1

DEFINITION:
The term 'West Coast Offense' has a two-fold meaning:


1. it describes an ball control offensive system that uses the timed, short passing game AND
2. it also describes the entire offensive structure from play schematics, preparation, installation, implementation, game planning, execution, and attention to every detail of this offensive system.
The prime example of this definition is of course, the San Francisco 49ers. Bill Walsh the offensive and organizational mastermind meshed this two part definition together into the most proficient and prolific offense of the modern football era.
Bill Walsh has stated the following, The term 'West Coast Offense' "... is an umbrella term for precision-timed passing, variable formations, and the exploitation of each player's skills."

In 'Finding A Winning Edge', Coach Walsh has also said, " The 'West Coast Offense' still amounts to nothing more than the total attention to detail and an appreciation for every facet of offensive football and refinement of those things that are needed to provide an environment that allows people to perform at maximum levels of self-actualization."

Therefore, Bill Walsh's West Coast Offense is not just a split back, short pass throwing offense, it's much more....

Answer 2

It's an offensive system that is based on short, high-percentage passes, under the theory that a short pass is as effective as a long handoff. It also relies on receivers' ability to run after catching these quick throws.

Most importantly, QBs and WRs are asked to make a lot of sight adjustments (in other words, not completely make up their mind where they're going with the ball until they line up and see where the defenders are).

WRs will base their routes on the positioning of the defenders. So if a CB lines up on the WR and shades to the inside on him, the WR might try to run something a little deeper. And if the WR sees a safety cheating over toward him, the WR may try to find the "gap" in coverage beyond the CB and under the S.

If a CB lines up head-up on the WR, and the WR sees the LB on that side is playing deeper than normal, the WR may try to run a quick slant underneath everyone.

But then, if the QB sees a LB cheating up like he's going to blitz, he may signal one of his WRs to run a quick slant so the QB can get rid of the ball quickly.

There, got all that? Oh, and don't forget to figure in down-and-distance, and the fact that the QB usually has three or more reads, meaning that he may have three or more receivers whose routes he has to know.

Oh, one other thing; a QB generally has 3 seconds in which to figure all of this out.

Now do you see why so many players struggle (mightily) in their first couple seasons with the West Coast offense?

Answer 3

USC uses a west coast offense, fast paced and no defense whatsoever.

Answer 4

OK, below the dotted lines is a very nice, thorough explanation of the "west coast offense" from Wikipedia.

But I don't entirely agree with it! The west coast offense, to me, offers a lot of OPTION plays that can be handed off to a running back or turned into a short-yardage precision pass (to a location carefully rehearsed). Some of these option plays are really a TRIPLE option --short yardage pass or handoff or, if the play is read well and the offensive line is busted, a sneak by the quarterback! Very, very roughtly, Joe Montana and John Elway epitomized the west coast offense in the PROs.

You also see the west coast offense in college ball, especially the Pac-10 on the west coast, especially under coach Don James of the University of Washington from the mid-1970's through the early 1990's.

It has been said that the west coast offense uses short passes to open up the running game. But I think the true offense leaves the quarterback sneak option open if the handoff is risky and the short pass is "read" by the defense. In any case, I contend strongly -- pay attention to this -- that the west coast offense is DEFINED by the long passing plays. You can spot the west coast offense in that the offense does NOT go long until the run qand the short passes are established. If the running game is blocked and the short passes aren't working, a west coast offense style of offense will NOT go long in the air because that's the way to get intercepted. "Only throw long passes when the short passes are typically completed."

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West Coast offense
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In American football, the term "West Coast Offense" is an offensive strategic system of play.

History

The actual term "West Coast Offense" is derived from a 1993 Bernie Kosar quote, which was publicized by Sports Illustrated writer Paul Zimmerman, aka "Dr. Z". It meant the offense popularized by two west coast teams (the Chargers and Raiders), not the 1980s-era 49ers attack. A reporter mistakenly grouped these and the name stuck in association with the offense of Bill Walsh. Walsh formulated what has become most widely known as the West Coast Offense during his tenure as assistant coach for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1968-75 while working primarily with All-Pro quarterback Ken Anderson and under the tutelage of mentor Paul Brown. From there, Walsh took it to the San Francisco 49ers, where it was implemented with great effectiveness by Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana. The majority of casual football fans perceive this version to be the "West Coast Offense".

Kosar originally used the term to describe the offense formalized by Sid Gillman with the AFL Chargers in the 1960s and Don Coryell with the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Chargers in the 1970s and 1980s. Al Davis, an assistant under Gillman, also carried his version to the Oakland Raiders. Zimmerman contends that this version is the "true" West Coast Offense, in its original context.

Theory

The popular term "West Coast Offense" as a general concept is more of a philosophy and an approach to the game than it is a set of plays or formations. "Traditional" offensive thinking argues that a team must establish their running game first, which will draw the defense in and open up vertical passing lanes downfield (passing lanes that run perpendicular to the line of scrimmage). Walsh's "West Coast Offense", on the contrary, stipulates that a defense must first be stretched with a short, horizontal passing attack that features sharp, precisely-run pass patterns by the receivers and quick, 3-step and 5-step drops by the quarterback. This 'stretching' will then open up running lanes for the backs to exploit. This will, in theory, make the offense's play calling unpredictable, which makes a defense play 'honest' because most down and distance situations can be attacked with the pass or run in Walsh's "West Coast Offense".

Beyond this basic principle of passing to set up the run (not vice versa), there are few rules that govern Walsh's WCO. 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). Although Walsh-influenced WCO teams now commonly use formations with more or fewer than two backs, the offense's unevenness is still reflected in its pass protection philosophy and continues to distinguish it from single back passing offenses. Throughout the years, coaches have added to, adjusted, modified, simplified, and enhanced Bill Walsh's original adaptation of the Paul Brown offense. Formations and plays vary greatly, as does play calling.

The original Gillman-inspired West Coast Offense uses some of the same principles (pass to establish the run, quarterback throws to timed spots), but offensive formations are generally less complicated with more wideouts, the timed spots are usually farther downfield than in the Walsh-style offense, and the system requires a greater reliance on traditional pocket passing.

At the college level, Walsh's "West Coast Offense" was advanced largely by Walsh while at Stanford, by coaches LaVell Edwards and Norm Chow while at Brigham Young University, Sylvester Croom currently at Mississippi State University and Tyrone Willingham currently at the University of Washington.

Answer 5

a fast-paced passing offense