west coast offense passing concepts

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. If the defender covers the hitch, the deep in route will be open. 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. Triangle-O Football Clients Homepage. A Complete Overview. In your diagram, you show 3 Jet as being the play call to the left, but the tight end is to the right! You can hear QBs in the NFL today calling this exact protection, with these exact terms. Finally, a tight end will line up at the line of scrimmage next to the offensive linemen. H stands for halfback (so think your primary running-back. So 416 means theyre faking a 16 run play and using 400 protection. In todays NFL, you can find the West Coast Offenses influence within almost every team, and find legacies of the Bill Walsh coaching tree on almost every coaching staff. 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. 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). Typically, there will be two backs in the backfield split to either side of the quarterback. Get an advantageous matchup. On 300, the slide goes away from the call. We know that on first down our ball-control passing is vital. 0000001428 00000 n Bill Walsh, who was the offensive coordinator at the time, had to step back and completely redesign the teams offense. SD @weeklyspiral 13.7 K views A popular run concept in the West Coast offense is the draw. Usually, they work inside-out, blocking the inner-most defender first. If the ILB blitzes, they sneak a peak at the outside linebacker (OLB) to their side. We break the sections down with quick pass, medium pass, and deep pass. Backs free release and both TEs block the OLB/OLB-area to their side. Visit our Shop to see our latest tools to help you work faster! Additionally, Roger Craig, Dwight Clark, and Tom Rathman were among many Pro-Bowl caliber players on offense during this era. 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. Initially, Reid treated the quarterback in his system like an NBA point guard, using short accurate passes to get talented pass catchers the ball in space. Empty protection (no backs or TEs in protection; just the five linemen) could be done with either pocket or slide protection. 20/21, 22/23: Basic split-flow rules as described above. The offense splits the outside wide receivers in "plus splits", which means outside the numbers. memorization is the key. 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. Cook, who was drafted as a big-armed, vertical passer, no longer had the arm strength to throw the ball deep. If that defender does not blitz (no dog), they then look to block the outside defender. It worked; the Packers won Super Bowl XLV. If the safety does not bite on the dig route, then quarterback would look to throw to that receiver underneath. The Airraid guys tend to have the two guys cross and head in opposite directions. With the defense spread out at the line of scrimmage it becomes easier for the quarterback to find holes in the defense as well as for the running back when running the ball. In the Spread, the fullback is replaced by another receiver; the running back is also used to block more. 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. To be truly successful, a team will need to have a variety of players with good hands. Since timing is so important, there are times when the ball is thrown before the receiver is open. 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. 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. 0000002771 00000 n In your summary, you say that an odd number means that the TE is on the left! Snagis a great passing concept that is used at all levels. Play action is where the offense fakes a run in an attempt to make the defense react to the run, then uses the quarterback to roll out and pass to a receiver running down the field. There will be two wide receivers on the line of scrimmage on either side of the field. And When to Call Them, What Is a Tight End in Football? 84/85: Scat protection weak (TE to that side free releases). it gets too hard. Your center and guards protect the center-three defenders of the defense. Slow means a back or tight-end releases only if their assigned linebacker (or linebackers) does not blitz. Hi-Lo Credit: NFL Game Rewind - Anytime you see receivers in a stack look. This pass route is highly effective against man coverage providing the receiver has move speed than the defender covering him. He then break outside towards the sideline at a 45 degree angle. . 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). The second element was having pass catchers who could run precise routes and who possessed good hands to catch the ball over the middle of the field. 86/87: Scat protection strong-side with both backs free releasing. Tackles identify and block the defensive ends. If youre still confused about the orientation of the numbering system, remember this: They are oriented based on the location of the TE. With a passing attack based on short throws, there is a smaller chance of homerun-type plays. There are a few spread offenses in college that are markedly different than what you see in the NFL and worth mentioning. 100: Any play with a 1 in front of it (making it a triple digit play starting with 100) means the QB takes a 3-step drop. A good pass route to get the quarterback in rhythm. Rather than using tanks and planes (the passing game) to support the infantry, attack head-first with your planes first, tanks second, then let the infantry bat clean-up. The call in the huddle could be "Jet Dart 368 Y-Flat Train on one." The Choice route gives the receiver the option of running one of two or one of three pass routes. Adjusting Y Cross Defensive Install 2021. By and large, on first-and-10 you'll get a 2-deep zone - zone-type defense. All of these adaptations were focused on one thing, disrupting the timing of the quarterback. Once gains separation or leverage he is will be open. The back typically does not come across the formation, or at least behind the QB. If man coverage is called, the tight end will generally matched up against slower linebacker or a smaller defensive back. 228/229: Slide protection to the weak-side (away from TE). 54/55: Rip/Liz only applies to the weak-side (so 54 is TE to the right, meaning weak side is left, so Liz is ran. This contrasts with the Air Coryell offense mentioned above, which is known for attacking downfield. There are players that play close to the ball and others that play further away. The concept is good versus both man coverage and zone coverage. Understanding the West Coast offense is more complex than simply knowing that it emphasizes the short passing game. For those that dont know MOFO simply means "middle of the field open," or no deep middle safety. The most basic formation is to have a quarterback in the backfield with a running back and full back split to either side of him. 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. Requires a TE on each side. Many of these pass protections are the gold-standard for pass protections in the NFL today. 500: Gap protection: The O-line steps to the back-side/away from the call and protects the gap. If both blitz, they block the inside defender. Diverse backgrounds bring fresh ideas and challenging perspectives that's nothing but good news for an Eagles offense that smashed its skull against the same West Coast spacing concepts. West Coast Offense - One of the concepts of the West Coast offense is to get five skill players involved in the passing game. Slide Protection: This one can get a little complicated, so take your time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have entered an incorrect email address! For this article we show several common pass routes and route combos that you will find in real football and video game football. If the number called is even, it means the TE is to the right. 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. More like you only need two or three at most. The Spacing is quick passing concept that has three receivers running a three route combo. Most protections have two numbers. The three-step drop is designed to be the ball control section of the passing game. Spot The Spot passing concept is design to attack zone coverage. The terminology you will see in this article are being borrowed from this. Walsh took this offensive system and perfected it during his years with San Francisco. 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. Split flow protection is a pocket protection, where both backs move opposite of each other off the snap (if you have a back to the left and right of the QB, the left back moves left, and the right back moves right). West Coast passing concepts are designed for efficiency, stretching defenses horizontally. Often this creates a high/low read for the quarterback to make. This leads to the question. 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). July 14, 2006, 12:04 pm ET. an off set back is going to get the . 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. What do all of those terms mean, and why is West Coast Offense said so often? The Switch concept is a popular Run-&-Shoot passing concept that has outside receiver running a post route with an inside receiver. Two digits. 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. 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. Backs protect inside-out, meaning they block an inside rush threat first, then work outside if there is no inside threat. The West Coast Offense: Timing-Based Passing By rufio May 27, 2011, 3:00pm EDT Share One common misunderstanding about West Coast offenses is that they only throw short or that they utilize. The Shallow Cross passing concept that teams that like to run the Air Raid offense. The Pivot passing concept has an outside receiver running a dig route over the top of the inside receiver next to him, who is running a pivot (zig zag) route. Instead, Walsh turned them into pass catchers and gave them horizontal routes designed to get them in space. One of the most important elements in this system is the quarterback dropback. Some team's may refer to it as the triangle. Some teams may refer to it as the triangle. Doing so spreads the defenders, making them each responsible for more area to cover. I think it's basically a West Coast offense, but instead of using the short passing game as the primary focus to move the ball (Traditional West Coast), the power north/south running game is the primary focus while maintaining West Coast passing concepts when needed. The quarterback looks to throw to the receiver once he makes his break towards the side line. The West Coast Offense would then equate to the tactic of blitzkrieg developed by the Germans in WWII. The back typically does not come across the formation, or at least behind the QB. The Levels concept has the receiver furthest inside running a dig route. Omaha is a quick pass that features a receiver running a quick out route. And he's been running the same core passing concepts that serve as the foundation of Gruden's scheme. The WCO can be installed at a lower level of football with 10-15 core pass plays and 5-6 core running plays. Hot: When a back or tight-end is assigned a hot responsibility, it means if their assigned defender blitzes, they bypass them and look for a quick pass from the QB. My name is Steven and I love everything sports! With all of this success, Reid has passed his knowledge to his assistants who have gone on to be successful NFL coaches in their own right. A look at common deep pass routes, passing concepts, and route combos. Enjoy! The inside receiver, runs a wheel route down the sideline. 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 offenses core elements are rhythm, timing, and ball protection. Usually, they work inside-out, blocking the inner-most defender first. If man coverage is called, the quarterback looks to see if the slot receiver is able to get seperation from the defender in coverage, especially if no safety is playing the deep middle of the field. 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. The spacing concept can always be found in bunch formations. The Shanahan offense is derived from the West Coast offense made famous by Bill Walsh. The strong-side back free releases, and the weak-side back check-releases. Hopefully this will give you better idea of common pass routes and route combos found in real football and football video games. 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. Rip/Liz to the strong-side only. Along the way, Ill also answer general sports related questions. One of the most popular styles has become the West Coast offense, a system that many NFL teams use today to various degrees. The three-step and five-step drop back each had their own role in Walshs system. wings95, JDG42, Guru03 and 1 others like this. The Spot passing concept is design to attack zone coverage. This phrase is a football standard and is the mindset of using the run to set up big plays downfield. Swap: When there are two backs in the backfield, they essentially cross each other off the snap. Weak flow is another pocket protection series normally ran from two-back sets. 2/3: A-gap (between center and guard), 4/5: B-gap (between guard and tackle), 6/7: C-gap (between tackle and TE), 8/9: Outside. Due to this, when they see any type of potential run play, the defense may overact, letting the offense take them off guard. These are great for setting up boot passes to get the defense going one way, so the QB has room to run the other way. In many cases, you will find the Stick concept run from some type of bunch, cluster, or tight formation. By having the inside receiver running the crossing route he will open room for the dig route coming behind him. 17+ Basketball Games for Kids The Ultimate List. These plays are designed to get the ball thrown before the defense has time to respond; there are a few different variations within the five steps to further confuse the defense. MOFC means "middle of the field closed," or is there a deep middle guy. west coast offense orientation & terminology start from scratch when learning it. In the E-P system, there are no requirements, except for a competent quarterback. The original West Coast Offense of Sid Gillman 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 and motion. Any play with a 1 in front of it (making it a triple digit play starting with 100) means the QB takes a 3-step drop. The Ultimate Guide, Volleyball Scoring 101: The Ultimate Guide to Keeping Score. The second number indicates the specific type of protection/modification within that series. Even though this system was created almost four decades ago, its influence is still evident in the league as almost every offense has taken to using the West Coast system in some way. In the 1970's, Darrel "Mouse" Davis began having tremendous success with the offense at Portland . When the offense feels this is happening, they often take chances by throwing the ball deep down the field. The terminology you will see in this article are being borrowed from this 356 page, 1985 49ers Playbook that can be found on Google. This concept is effective against Cover 2 zone coverage, as well as Cover 3 and Cover 4 coverages. Passing Game Clinics 2021. My name is Steven and I have a passion for sports and staying physically active. Before the West Coast Offense and other pass-first systems, the forward pass was used as a compliment to the running game. I don't have status on either airline and have a 5 hour layover in Fra for a Fra-Dulles flight. Backs protect inside-out, meaning they block an inside rush threat first, then work outside if there is no inside threat. The quarterback is looking to see what the defense gives him and looks to take advantage of it. The side the TE is on is the strong-side, and the side away from that is the weak-side. In slide protection, you call a side to set the protection to (left/right, strong-side/weak-side, whatever). 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. Below are some more features of the system: Finally, if you have more questions about the West Coast Offense, let us know below! Frankfurt, Germany. Concepts Efficient language. The weak-back coming to the strong-side double-reads the ILB to strong OLB (Mike to Sam). Post Corner High-Low Isolation Vs Cover 2 Zone Coverage, Gun Trips Left Hb Strong S Motion Z Post. Pocket/Cup Protection, and 2. Bill Walsh helped changed the offensive playing field with his West Coast offensive system. This system looks to control the game through the air and sets receivers up to make plays after the catch. Remember pocket and slide protection that was mentioned above. The idea of the Snag passing concept is to horizontal stretch the defense by creating three on two isolation. If you have an I-formation, the strong back is the closest back to the TE, so its the fullback. 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 The Double Dig has two receivers running dig routes to the same side of the field. If both blitz, they block the inside defender. 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). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. There are always 22 football players on the field at once and they all have their own specialized roles. Strong back only has ILB (or Mike) to their side, and check releases off them. 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 These indeed are the most common route combinations and concepts. Listed below are player roles and the qualities they need to have to be successful. This route combo is generally effective against most zone coverages. If you call the protection to the right, that means the offensive linemen on that side will BOB protect. The weak back and guard double read ILB to OLB to the weak side, and the back check-releases vs. no blitz. 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 . The back away from the call side is coming over to that side to get the blitzing ILB. By BJ . They then would blitz the quarterback using a zone blitz in an attempt to disrupt their timing. The Slot Cross has an inside receiver running a intermediate crossing route underneath the outside receiver who is running a deep dig route. 1995 BYU OFF.pdf. Bill Walsh helped changed the offensive playing field with his West Coast offensive system. Almost every football fan has heard the phrase, establish the run. 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. 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. Has the outside receiver running a deep in route over the top of the inside receiver running short hitch. 2 means fake action to the right, and 3 means fake action to the left. All backs (so two backs) check-release, and the TE free releases if there is one. Against man coverage, the receiver running the pivot route will generally be open once he breaks towards the sideline. Part of the reason this works so well is due to the offenses willingness to throw on any down or distance. BYU Passing Game - Lavell Edwards.doc . In this playbook, there are two primary types of protection. 200/300 Jet is the same protection, but now the QB is taking a 3-step drop, and the line is blocking aggressively. In slide protection, you call a side to set the protection to (left/right, strong-side/weak-side, whatever). When Brown was at Cincinnati, he had a QB coach named Bill Walsh, who would go on to set the gold standard for modern offensive schemes in the NFL with the 49ers in the 1980s. 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. Up to this point the teams running backs and tight ends were used in power runs to set up the vertical pass. His version of the West Coast offense relies on a highly athletic quarterback with an elite arm, as well as skilled receivers who thrive on making plays after the catch. When you run pocket protection, the uncovered lineman to each side double-reads ILB to OLB to that side. Since this article is about pass protection, we will cover what in Walshs system are the 20s, 50s, 70s, 80s, and a BASIC introduction to 2/3 Jet protection. 0000001747 00000 n His offensive coordinator was Darrell Bevel, a West Coast Offense guy. The Slant is a short timing route that has the receiver breaking towards the middle of the field for a quick pass from the quarterback.

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west coast offense passing concepts