Difference Between Coryell Offense and Holmgren/Martz WCO?

[NavyDave]

Martz is part of our family tree the crazy uncle part.

[E-Dog Night]

Gibbs brought the Coryell system with him to the Redskins in '81. However, after losing his first five games, he reconsidered it's effectiveness in its pure form. Much like Walsh did in Cincinnati, Gibbs modified his attack to suit the personnel he had on hand - and also to suit the NFC East. He had a small, smart mobile QB, a big, bruising RB in Riggins, and a much heavier than average OL. Defenses were eating the pass happy attack alive, so Gibbs went heavy on the run.

Good NFL coaches adapt the systems in which they were schooled, thus making them their own. Bad NFL coaches stubbornly stay with their system until they phone in their resignation form a golf course.

Gibbs made further modifications specifically to deal with Lawrence Taylor. The 2 & 3 TE sets with the single back were employed because Gibbs was tired of getting his QB killed by trying to block LT with a running back. In Gibbs' own words: "If you try to block Lawrence Taylor with a running back, you lose".

So I'd say that it is impossible to define the WCO exactly, since everyone who has run it put their own tweaks on it, thus changing it slightly enough.

The West Coast offense, for better of for worse, has become known as the offense that Walsh used in SF, characterized by lots of underneath/medium length routes. Not to say that it doesn't employ deep routes and power running, because it does. But the staple of the Walsh offense is the intermediate pass route.

The Air Coryell system is much more of a downfield attack. Multiple go routes, skinny posts, seam routes. Again, not to say that it doesn't employ medium routes - it does, and lots of them, along with a running attack.

You can decide for yourself which one you want to think of as the WCO.

In the end, the WCO can be simply characterized by the passing game as the main vehicle for gaining yards, with heavy emphasis on using timing routes. Coryell, Walsh, Martz and Gibbs all had their own ways of running it, based on the personnel and competition.

[Seabee1973]

even though The coryell system wasnt the same if you look at it it was probably the basis for the run and shoot offense that a few nfl teams ran for awhile

[Skin Patrol]

As far as I'm concerned E-Dog Night said everything that needs to be said.

The great coaches will not marry themselves to philosophies. A football game/season happens in real time and adjustments need to be made. Studying coaching trees and offensive philosophies is fascinating, but I'd much prefer a coach who makes adjustments rather than one who commits dogmatically to this or that offensive strategy.

Gibbs can do that, which might be why he has 3 more superbowl rings than the rest of us. I have to believe that Saunders can do that as well, since he's seen success in virtually every tier of his career. What he needs to realize though is that the NFC East is not the AFC West and the Washington Redskins are not the Kansas City Chiefs. I've no reason to doubt he understands that utilizing personnel and adjusting to changing environments is as important to coaching a successful offense as being a part of an especially prestigious coaching lineage.

[Oldskool]

As far as I'm concerned E-Dog Night said everything that needs to be said.

The great coaches will not marry themselves to philosophies. A football game/season happens in real time and adjustments need to be made. Studying coaching trees and offensive philosophies is fascinating, but I'd much prefer a coach who makes adjustments rather than one who commits dogmatically to this or that offensive strategy.

Unless you have a dominant team, coaches have to change up their philosophies to counter what a defense is doing against them. Even the 99 Rams had to make some adjustments.

[thelarkascend1ng]

Stephen Davis props at the bottom of the first article.

[ibarramedia]

one thing i would like to say regarding shifts and motions by Coach Gibbs and all the other "Air Coryell " coaches, Norv Turner,Al Saunders, Mike Martz et al. is this:

In the Joe Gibbs one back, H- back offense he uses shifts and motion to disguise the plays whereas Norv Turner, Al Saunders and Mike Martz use shifts and motion to see what the defense is doing. It is interesting to note that the league is split between the west coast offense and the air coryell offense with a few different offenses than those two. Last year 2 teams ran the Joe Gibbs offense. washington and The Minnesota Vikings under coach Mike Tice. That viking offense has really been in place for a while since Jack Burns was the offensive coordinator. When Brian Billick came over to Replace Jack, he retained most of the gibbs offense particularly the running game and added west coast concepts in the passing game. When Mike tice became head coach, he kind of went back to the old offense with the deep balls to randy moss and mostly 2 tight end sets. I will expound more on this in the morning as i'm out of time.

[TheDarb]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Coryell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Walsh_%28football_coach%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_offense

wikipedia? I'd sooner rely on information from al jazeera...

[ibarramedia]

The Real “West Coast Offense” Comes to San Francisco

Sunday, July 30, 2006 at 23:12:14 PT - Printer-friendly version

By Oscar Aparicio

Here’s an interesting tidbit of information: Bill Walsh doesn’t think the offense he made famous in San Francisco should be called the “West Coast Offense.” In fact, Walsh said that the offense 49er fans everywhere know and love should be called “The Cincinnati Offense.” And it had nothing to do with the fact that the 49ers were the proverbial dagger through the Bengals’ Super Bowl heart.

Contrary to popular belief, Bill Walsh’s offensive genius did not begin in San Francisco. Despite the fact that Paul Brown was the offensive coordinator, he tasked his young wide receivers coach, Bill Walsh, with designing the team’s offense. Walsh had just finished his time with Al Davis’ coaching regime in Oakland (yes, 49er fans, our savior did work for the Dark Lord himself) and was well versed in the long-ball approach preferred by Davis. So naturally Walsh took the challenge and developed an offense that made St. Louis’ “Greatest Show on Turf” look like midgets attempting to high jump.

In 1969, with quarterback Greg Cook at the helm, Walsh’s offense was almost unstoppable. Three tight ends on the team averaged over 20 yards per reception. Cook averaged 17.5 yards per completion. How does that compare to current quarterbacks? Peyton Manning, in his record breaking 2004 campaign where he churned out touchdowns like P.Diddy does mediocre bands, only averaged 13.5 yards per completion.

With wins over the eventual world champion Kansas City Chiefs and the playoff-bound Oakland Raiders it looked like the Bengals were on the right path with Cook at the helm of Walsh’s downfield attack.

When Cook, the consummate down field passer with a rocket arm, suffered a career-ending shoulder injury before the 1970 season Walsh had to adjust to a new quarterback with a different skill set. Virgil Carter, a smart, agile, quick, accurate passer with a mediocre arm from Brigham Young, took the helm for the Bengals in 1970. Walsh’s offensive adjustments - shorter passes, timing routes, and an emphasis on the quarterback’s mobility - led to the birth of the offensive revolution that eventually took the 49ers to 5 Super Bowl championships.

So what happened to that long ball approach that was tearing through defenses? What happened to Walsh’s original offense in Cincinnati? Oh, It’s still around. It is the real West Coast Offense. It is the Air Coryell offense that Norv Turner is bringing to San Francisco.

A journalistic faux paux led to the misnomer being applied to The Cincinnati Offense. Paul Zimmerman (now known as Dr. Z) interviewed Bernie Kosar when Kosar was with Dallas in 1993. When asked what the Cowboys offense (then led by current 49er Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner) was like he replied, “Oh, you know, the West Coast Offense. Turner and Zampese and Don Coryell and Sid Gillman. That thing.” A reporter in San Francisco saw the quote, picked up on the term and used it to describe the Walsh offenses of the 80’s. The name stuck.

So the Cincinnati offense, which was termed the West Coast Offense, has now been traded in for the Air Coryell Offense (more appropriately termed the West Coast Offense). And now that we’ve traversed the football terminology landscape, what does it mean for a fan watching the offense this season? Is this vertical passing game the Magneto to Walsh’s Dr. Xavier? In a word – yes.

Don Coryell deveopled the “Air Coryell” offense while he was with San Diego State (hence the term West Coast) between 1961 and 1972. While coach of the San Diego State Aztecs, he often watched Sid Gillman’s Chargers practices during the pre-season. From Gillman’s offense Coryell added his own innovations and took the league by storm when he assumed the head coaching position of the San Diego Chargers in 1979.

The Air Coryell Offense has four basic principles. Stretch the field, protect the passer, confuse the defense, and run it down their throats. The offensive line is composed of the biggest, meanest group of guys you can find as to employ the power running game needed to pound away at defenses. The line generally blocks in a zone scheme, meaning they block and hit anyone that comes into a given player’s zone. The offense is a passing offense though, and the wide receivers run intermediate to long-range routes. In order to give these routes time to develop, quarterback protection it at a premium.

Three wide-receiver sets are also a staple of this scheme. In fact, the three wide receiver set was a Coryell staple. Joe Gibbs, another Coryell coach, developed the bunch formation and the three tight-end set.

Motion and shifting is used to confuse the defense. No team best embodies this than the 1999 Rams. “The Greatest Show on Turf” was also a derivative of the Air Coryell offense. While with the Redskins, Turner had at least 40 distinct motion combinations. He used players like Larry Centers, Mike Sellars, Brian Mitchell and Stephen Alexander in various utility roles. On a per game basis, teams had to prepare for about 30 different formations when facing Turner’s Redskins. Turner even went so far as to devote a 10-minute meeting before every practice to go over all the motions and shifts for a given week.

Compare this to Walsh’s Cincinnati Offense. Walsh put a premium on smaller, more agile linemen who could pull on sweeps and execute cut blocks. The blocking scheme is man-to-man with each lineman being responsible for blocking one or two particular people. The wide receivers run short to intermediate routes and the third receiver is often the running back. Motion was used, but not extensively. Quarterback mobility was at a premium as quarterback protection often relied upon on a roll out or some shifting of the pocket.

Norv Turner’s offense is going to dramatically change the way the 49ers look offensively. In reality, the league has been moving away from Walsh’s West Coast (or Cincinnati) scheme since Dick Vermeil, another Coryell disciple, came out of retirement. Despite all these changes at least one thing is still the same, though. The West Coast Offense still calls San Francisco home.

__________________________________

Coaching Tree: This is a limited coaching tree which shows how the Gillma-Coryell Offense got to Norv Turner.

Sid Gillman

(Head Coach, San Diego Chargers from 1961 to 1969 and again in 1971. Credited with ushering in the modern passing era.)

l

Don Coryell

(Watched Gillman’s Pre-Season Camps and absorbed the offense. Eventually became head coach of the Chargers from 1978 to 1986)

l

Ernie Zampese

(Learned the system from Coryell as an offensive assistant with the Chargers. Was the offensive coordinator of the L.A Rams from '87 to '93)

l

Norv Turner

(Receivers coach with the L.A. Rams from '88 to '90. Learned the Coryell system from Zampese and took it to Dallas.)

l

Mike Martz

(Learned the Coryell System from Zampese as an offensive assistant for the L.A. Rams in '92 and from Turner while an assistant for the Redskins during the '97-'98 season.)

Intereting Tidbit: Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen was the Chargers Offensive Coordinator from 1994 to 1996 when they appeared in their last Super Bowl. They lost to the 49ers 49 to 26.

Friedgen learned the Air Coryell offense from old Charger tapes he saw while he was with the organization. He took the Air Coryell Offense he learned at San Diego to Maryland where first round draft choice Vernon Davis played his college football.

[ibarramedia]

Air Coryell v2.0

By P.S. Hamilton

Air Coryell was one of the most exciting offenses in the history of football. Opponents knew the pigskin would be flying – they just didn’t know what to do about it.

Quarterback Dan Fouts commanded respect and was fearless in the pocket, despite a bum knee that made him a sitting duck.

Air Coryell was all about getting rid of the ball fast and keeping defenses on their heels. Every play had a man going deep. If you didn’t get to Fouts, he would hit the deep man for six points. Charlie Joiner, John Jefferson and Wes Chandler all averaged over 16 yards per catch, and no one could cover Kellen Winslow. They had so many options that defenses were confounded. Teams had to expect a pass on every down, which opened up lanes for Chuck Muncie on the ground.

The current Charger offense works the opposite angle. With LaDanian Tomlinson in the backfield, defenses anticipate and try to stop the run on each play. That allows the offense to exploit teams with the passing game. The net result is the same -- lots of passing yards and points per game.

Training camp will tell whether or not the current Charger personnel have the talent needed to revive Air Coryell. It is clear, however, that offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is molding his program in the vein of one of the most dangerous offenses the NFL has ever known.

An Air Coryell-type offense starts with the quarterback position. Marty Schottenheimer and Cam Cameron auditioned Philip Rivers for the role when they coached the South team in the 2004 Senior Bowl. With a game plan ripped from Coryell’s playbook, Rivers took charge, slinging the ball freely around the field. He quickly established a rhythm that produced three scores, elevating his team to a 21 point lead at the end of the first quarter. Obviously, Schottenheimer and Cameron liked what they saw, because Rivers was a Charger by spring.

A key element of the offense is the ability to dump the ball off fast when the heat is on. Antonio Gates is a great safety valve and the most problematic tight end for defenses to cover in the game today. He’s not too shabby in the end zone, either.

The receiving corps of the current team is made up of unique players that bring their own special skills to the table. Each of them can cause match-up problems, either because of speed, size, or elusiveness. Every tight end, back or receiver has great hands.

Eric Parker, a.k.a., “The Bondsman”, is so named because he knows how to bail a quarterback out. He's not afraid to make a tough catch over the middle and can really take a lick.

At 36 years old, Pro-Bowl receiver Keenan McCardell relies on his smarts more than his body. He’s as wily as they come, and can burn even the most experienced defensive backs for serious yardage.

Vincent Jackson may be the deep threat on this Charger team. At nearly 6’ 6” and 246 pounds, he is astonishingly athletic. Jackson is an acrobat, able to pull down nearly any ball thrown his way. He is speedy enough to stretch the field and will be a huge threat in the end zone, winning one-on-one battles all day long.

Kassim Osgood is another big target at 6’ 5” 220 pounds. Osgood is an extremely hard worker that would have made the Pro Bowl last year on special teams had he not been injured.

Rashaun Woods is a first-round receiver acquired in a trade with San Francisco in the off-season. He’s a student of the game and is able to adjust his routes on the fly when he sees an opportunity to give his quarterback an outlet. Woods was selected 31st overall in the 2004 draft, and was thought by many to be the best receiver available.

Brandon Manumaleuna, formerly with St. Louis, adds quality blocking and a new receiving threat to this already versatile offense. Manumaleuna, “Manu” to teammates, is a big-bodied tight end with incredibly soft hands. He was brought in to block, but defenses can’t assume he will stay in the box. If Manu goes free, it will probably mean a new set of downs for the Chargers.

Last, but certainly not least, are the backs, led by future Hall of Famer LaDanian Tomlinson. Tomlinson is a triple threat. He’s run for over 1200 yards in each of his five pro seasons. He’s a talented receiver with 342 career receptions for eight touchdowns. Tomlinson has even thrown four touchdown passes – more than Philip Rivers at this point.

Tomlinson has a symbiotic relationship with hard-hitting fullback Lorenzo Neal. Neal is exceptionally good at clearing a path for Tomlinson to do his thing. Later, Tomlinson will act as a decoy so Neal can play catch and run.

Coaches are working to integrate running backs Michael Turner and Darren Sproles more fully into the game plan. Turner will get more touches to reduce the wear and tear on Tomlinson and provide a change of pace. Sproles, reminiscent of former Charger Lionel “Little Train” James, will play a larger role in the passing game, getting the ball in space where he can do damage with his quickness.

Cam Cameron’s offense is gaining more than yards -- it’s gaining respect. Even so, passing yardage was slightly down last year compared to 2003 and 2004. Teams began loading up as many as nine players at the line of scrimmage, forcing receivers to stay in to block. Tomlinson’s reception numbers dropped drastically last year, in part because he had to block to help keep Brees from getting sacked.

This shouldn’t happen with Philip Rivers at the helm. Teams will try to stack the box, but Rivers is five inches taller than Brees, giving him much better visibility over the line. His quick release will pick up a lot of yardage if opposing defenders leave receivers one-on-one.

Air Coryell was one of the most prolific offenses in the history of the NFL. Sadly, the teams never made it to the Super Bowl because the Charger’s defense wasn’t good enough to stop opponents. Don Coryell lamented that fact in a 1994 Union-Tribune interview:

"I'd forgotten how close we were," Coryell says when the (defensive) shortcomings are mentioned, "but we could've won three Super Bowls with just a little more help."

That won’t be a problem for the 2006 Chargers. By all indications, the current “Lights Out” defense will be near the top of the league in sacks and run protection. If the addition of Antonio Cromartie and Marlon McCree raises the level of competition, the secondary could put on an aerial circus of it’s own.

If that happens, Air Coryell v2.0 should win a Super Bowl.

[ibarramedia]

Revival of Coryell offense leads to shifting of power

Sporting News, The, Oct 18, 1999 by Dan Pompei

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Old story: A rhythmic passing game with roots in California is dominating the NFL this season.

New story: It's not the West Coast offense.

The offense that is going over, around and through defenses is the old Don Coryell offense. It's being run by Coryell disciples Norv Turner in Washington, Ernie Zampese in New England and Mike Martz in St. Louis, all of whom have worked together. Their three teams have a combined record of 11-2. The nine teams that run versions of the West Coast offense are a combined 18-24.

Included in those records is the Rams' 42-20 victory over the 49ers last Sunday in St. Louis, which very well may have signified a shifting of dominant offensive philosophies in the NFL as well as a shifting of power in the NFC West.

This is a positive trend, a return to offense the way it's supposed to be. None of that sissy split-back, ball-control passing for these teams. This is attack passing and power-O running, football to make hearts race and teeth chip. This offense is not wizardry, although it has helped turn an Arena League toad into an NFL prince. While defenses search for warts on Rams quarterback Kurt Warner, he keeps throwing touchdown passes.

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Numerous others associated with the offense also have emerged this season. Heretofore obscure Redskins running back Stephen Davis is on a pace to score 36 touchdowns and, before the Redskins took last Sunday off, he was leading the NFL in rushing. The Redskins spent most of training camp trying to replace third-year receiver Albert Connell. After four games, he is 76 receiving yards away from matching his career high. Martz, in his first season as an offensive coordinator, could be a head coach candidate at the end of the season if the Rams keep going like this. Terry Robiskie, in his first season as Redskins passing coordinator, has made a tangible impact.

The stars may be new, but the philosophy has been around since the Beatles. The Redskins use a play they call "370 Pump F Short Swing," a pass to the tight end. Quarterback Brad Johnson hit Stephen Alexander for a 21-yard gain to the 1-yard line against the Jets with the play earlier this season. It is the exact play that gained many yards for former Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek in the early '90s, and former Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow in the early '80s.

"If Don Coryell walked in and looked at our call sheet, he'd recognize about half the plays," Turner says. "It's not about plays; it's about personnel, execution, getting people to believe and doing it right."

All three teams currently using the Coryell offense are benefiting from outstanding play from their receivers and quarterbacks. That's what's making this offense go. No receiver in the league has been more difficult to cover this year than Terry Glenn of the Patriots. Enigmatic Michael Westbrook, in his fifth NFL season, finally is beginning to utilize his talent, averaging 21 yards per catch for the Redskins. In Isaac Bruce, rookie Torry Holt and Az-Zahir Hakim, the Rams have three receivers who are faster than the fastest cornerback on most teams.

After seeing his defense destroyed by the Rams offense Sunday, 49ers defensive coordinator Jim Mora Jr., stood near the loading dock outside the TWA Dome, where the 49ers' buses were loading, and pondered the Rams' offense. "With those three receivers, they probably have the most explosive, dynamic group in the league, with their ability to stop, start, burst and stretch a defense," he said.

And their skills have been enhanced by these basic principles of the Coryell offense:

1. Stretch the field. The concept is to soften up defenses by going long, then running the ball. The Redskins have been the best, as 19 percent of Johnson's passes have resulted in gains of 25 yards or more, and Davis has dealt with fewer defenders in the box. Zampese says he has made an effort to go deep more this season as well to take advantage of his fast receivers and strong-armed Drew Bledsoe. The Rams had six passing plays of more than 20 yards last Sunday alone.

2. Protect the passer. "There's a premium on keeping the quarterback healthy," Zampese says. "It's the most important thing you can do."

Both the Redskins, with three new offensive line starters, and the Rams, with three new line starters and a fourth in a different position, have allowed six sacks. The blockers have been helped by the scheme. Seven-man protections also have allowed deep drops and deep passes for all three teams. The Redskins and Patriots are using a lot of play-action, which slows down the pass rush.

All three teams-especially the Rams-use a lot of rhythm passes, which also prevent sacks and quarterback hits. "The system gets the ball out of there fast," Martz says. "It's a timing-oriented passing game."

3. Confuse the defense. Through multiple formations, mind-boggling motions and shifts, and misdirection running plays, this offense takes advantage of mental lapses. Giants defensive coordinator John Fox says he had to prepare his team for more than 30 formations for the Redskins. Anything goes with these offenses. The Rams, for instance, have put Bruce in the backfield and used four receivers on first down with regularity

I found this article about the offense durung the 1999 campaign and now it's back with Al Saunders calling the shots.

[ibarramedia]

Interesting trent Green interview.

Low-key QB sparks Chiefs' perfect start

Journeyman Green has found a home in K.C.

By Mark Curnutte

The Cincinnati Enquirer

Trent Green is the Sports Illustrated cover boy this week for a story about the Kansas City Chiefs titled, "Perfect - so far."

But in the team's star-studded offense, the 10th-year quarterback appears - amazingly - to be almost an afterthought.

Touchdown machine tailback Priest Holmes gets much of the attention - so do tight end Tony Gonzalez and Dante Hall, the wide receiver-kick return specialist. Even the offensive line, which will be missing one of its five starters, right guard John Tait, for the first time in 25 games, is well-known.

But the word around Kansas City is that Green's having a Pro Bowl season - the Chiefs will try to go 10-0 Sunday against the Bengals - and his supporters point to the last four games as evidence.

In victories at Green Bay and Oakland and against Buffalo and Cleveland, Green has thrown for more than 1,200 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception.

Green, in his second stop with coach Dick Vermeil, doesn't mind the relative anonymity as long as the Chiefs keep winning.

"I actually prefer it," Green said. "I have no problem being the guy that leads this team and does my thing on the sidelines. I don't have to be out front, and I'm very comfortable doing what I do."

Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese was a Rams offensive assistant in 2000 and worked with Green.

"He doesn't need the attention to work hard," Zampese said. "For Trent, attention is a distraction. He's just concerned about getting the ball out to his receivers."

Vermeil, before he had coached a game for the Chiefs, sent Kansas City's first-round 2001 draft pick to St. Louis for Green. The Rams, under Vermeil, had acquired Green before the 1999 Super Bowl season, but Green suffered multiple major knee injuries in the third preseason game. Kurt Warner took over and led the Rams to the title.

Green also had endured a fruitless year in the Canadian Football League before getting his chance in Washington in 1998.

He has found a home in Kansas City. He has won 23 of 41 starts with 57 touchdown passes. The Chiefs have averaged 26.2 points in Green's 41 starts, including a league best 31.9 in nine games this season.

"He's a guy that was very persistent in his career," Vermeil said of Green. "He hung in there and . . . was patient. Each year he didn't get to play, he still got better."

Green also is working for the fifth consecutive season with Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders, former Rams wide receivers coach.

"It has definitely carried over," Green said of the comfort level with the coaches. "We've been able to be in the third year of this system."

To Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, the comfort Green has with the offense and coaches is evident.

"I'm sure that when they install something on Wednesday morning, and (Green's) not comfortable with it, I'm sure he's a big enough man to say, 'I don't quite see that the way you guys do,' " Lewis said. "That's the same way with (Jon) Kitna. Jon is able to direct traffic in our offense and get guys lined up."

Though the coaches and quarterback are the same, the Chiefs' offense is not the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" moved west.

The terminology is the same, Green said, but Vermeil and Saunders adapted to Kansas City's personnel - namely tight end Gonzalez. They signed their Marshall Faulk piece, Holmes, as an unrestricted free agent from Baltimore in April 2001.

As a result, Green said, the K.C. offense is more akin to the "Air Coryell" attack when San Diego had tight end Kellen Winslow or the Dallas scheme under Jimmy Johnson that utilized a dominant tight end and fullback.

"I think that's a more equal comparison to say we spread it around as much as St. Louis does," Green said. ---

[ibarramedia]

This is detailed email to a friend from last year.

The West Coast Offense and variations of it are being used by a lot of teams in the NFL these days. There are a lot of things that need to be explained and i don't have the time nor the board space to put it all in. I have a good number of their playbooks. Here is the gist of it.

WEST COAST OFFENSE OVERVIEW

Short pass plays replace the running game to control the ball.

Bill Walsh originated with the San Francisco 49ers.

Long process for QB to pick-up all the reads and adjustments.

Release all five receivers into the pattern.

QB has progression read up to five receivers.

Take what the defensive gives you.

Make the defense adjust to you.

The West Coast Offense features short pass plays to replace the running game while still controlling the ball. The quarterback takes a three or five-step drop, reads the defense and has his progression of receivers to look to. Ideally, all five receivers will release in the pattern giving the QB plenty of passing options.

The Walsh offense owes much to the past. As a Raiders' assistant in 1966, Walsh learned under Al Davis and John Rauch, who was the Raider's head coach. Raiders football was based on the theories of Sid Gillman. Al Davis had taken Gillman one step further. This system became the basis of Walsh's offense.

Gillman brought refinement to the game. Every technique and skill was isolated. In the Raiders organization, Walsh had no barriers to restrict creativity. It was a fully dimensional approach. For example, a system was developed for offensive line blocking that used almost all conceivable blocking combinations. It took time to learn it, but when the linemen mastered it they were well equipped to handle any situation.

The pass offense included an almost unlimited variety of pass patterns as well as a system of calling them. Coach Walsh used backs and tightends more than anybody in the NFL in his passing game.

In 1968, Coach Walsh joined Paul Brown in his new franchise in Cincinnati. While in Cleveland, Paul Brown implemented a highly organized structure and format that transformed the game to the modern era. In Cincinnati, Coach Walsh was the wide receiver coach and became responsible for the passing game. Coach Walsh used much of what he learned with the Raiders to create the Cincinnati passing attack.

In Cincinnati, the Bengals had Virgil Carter, who was an athletic quarterback, but did not have a strong arm. Walsh devised a system of short, quick, timed throws. Walsh and Brown's objective was to make 25 first downs per game and control the ball with short passes and selective

runs.

With the short yardage completions, the Bengals would control the ball and keep their opponent's offense off the field. It was a case of partially neutralizing an opponent's superiority with a nickel and dime offense. Even with improved talent the basic philosophy remained the same: Timed passes and precise patterns which were practiced extensively.

Much of the practice time Coach Walsh used to practice situational offense. He isolated every different situation that might occur in a game. An example of this situational approach: you might see six short yardage plays in a game, eight plays when the offense is backed up in their own end zone, six plays with third down and twenty yards to go, etc. In training camp Coach Walsh and his teams practiced and prepared for all these contingencies. Over some time, Walsh's teams became very proficient at dealing with each particular situation.

Coach Walsh had predicated his offense on controlling the ball through an opportunistic running game and timed high percentage short passes. As the opponents geared themselves up to stop it, Walsh's teams would have opportunities for the big strike down the field. "Nickel and dime offense"? It Works!

Coach Walsh was disappointed when he wasn't offered the head coaching position in Cincinnati after Paul Brown retired. So, Coach Walsh moved on to the San Diego Chargers for the 1976 season where he served as Offense Coordinator and worked closely with Dan Fouts. Coach Walsh greatly improved Fouts mechanics and fundamentals making him into a outstanding quarterback.

In 1977 Coach Walsh moved on to Stanford as Head Coach. After two successful seasons at Stanford, Coach Walsh took on the great challenge of turning around the San Francisco 49ers. A search for a General Manager for the 49ers proved fruitless and Coach Walsh added the title of General Manager. Coach Walsh put together a great administrative staff to assist him, including John Ralston and John McVay. Coach Walsh became the one authority figure in the organization and took great steps to correct the past disorganization and conflicts. With hard work the San Francisco 49ers won 3 Super Bowls over a ten year period. The principles and organization that Coach Bill Walsh brought to the game of football defines the modern football era.

Several professional and college teams use a version of the 'West Coast Offense' today. The success of these teams is tremendous. The future looks bright for these teams as they continue to refine and enhance the 'West Coast Offense'.

Professional Teams using the 'West Coast Offense' or a variation of:

1. San Francisco 49ers

2. Green Bay Packers

3. Denver Broncos

4. Philadelphia Eagles

5. Seattle Seahawks

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

7. New Orleans Saints

8. Arizona Cardinals

9. Baltimore Ravens

10. Minnesota Vikings (about to be installed by Brad Childress)

11. Detroit Lions (From the Mariucci and Morhinweg era)

12. Atlanta Falcons

College Teams using the 'West Coast Offense' or a variation of:

1. USC

2. BYU

3. CAL

4. Stanford

5. West Virginia

6. Texas

And others......

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Most of the league is split into the "west coast offense and the

"Air Coryell" offense. The teams that run air coryell in the past season were the following:

kansas city chiefs

oakland raiders

san diego chargers

st. louis rams

arizona cardinals

cleveland browns

cincinatti bengals

chicago bears

There are two subgroups within.

The power running variety and the pass happy variety. Here is an article by Vic Carucci:

Xs or Os

Rams' mantra is an aggressive offense

By Vic Carucci

NFL Insider

At Mesa Community College in San Diego, Mike Martz showed enough promise as a tight end that coaching great Don Coryell came to watch him practice.

"I can’t tell you how badly I wanted to play for him," Martz says.

As it turned out, Martz wasn’t good enough to play for Coryell’s high-flying San Diego State Aztecs. He was too small and too slow. But more than 30 years later, Martz realized his goal in a different way. Nowadays, he runs the "Air Coryell" offense as head coach of the St. Louis Rams.

Coryell unveiled his creation with the San Diego Chargers during the late 1970s and early 1980s, leading the league in passing yardage in seven of eight seasons. By the time the Chargers had finished filling the air with passes, quarterback Dan Fouts, wide receiver Charlie Joiner, and tight end Kellen Winslow were on their way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Now, the Coryell blueprint has been resurrected, and the creator is pleased.

"You cover the whole field, and you try to attack the whole field," Coryell says. "And you have to stretch it deep — you have to be able to throw it deep. That doesn’t mean you do it all the time. But you have somebody deep that you can get to on just about any play.

"Then you have to stretch the field in width, too, [so] people have to go from sideline to sideline. Our theory was to give them so many problems in pass defense that it kind of opened up the run."

No team spreads defenses the way the Rams spread defenses. They use every inch of the field. And they will pass the ball from anywhere, no matter the situation. They employ a dazzling array of formations, motions and shifts. Three-, four-, even five-receiver sets are routine. It’s part of a shell game designed to outmaneuver the defense in the precious few seconds before the play begins.

The "X" factor is Marshall Faulk, who may be the best pass-catching running back in NFL history. In his first two seasons in St. Louis, Faulk caught 168 passes for 1,878 yards and 13 touchdowns. Only eight players in the NFL — and no running backs — caught more passes during that span. And these are more than dump-off passes. Faulk averaged 11.2 yards per catch during those two seasons. He leaves linebackers diving at his cleats.

Quarterback Kurt Warner, of course, has plenty of other weapons. Ricky Proehl is a clutch possession receiver. Az-Zahir Hakim can be electrifying in the open field. Torry Holt posted the seventh-best single-season total (1,635 receiving yards) ever in 2000. Which brings us to Isaac Bruce, the scariest target in the bunch. He had 21 touchdown receptions the last two seasons.

No team on the planet has as many talented receivers. And there are few quarterbacks better than Warner. But the Rams’ success has as much to do with attitude as it does with personnel.

In Martz’s world of Xs and Os, there is no need to balance the pass with the run. And that’s not because the Rams can’t run. They finished second in the league in yards per carry each of the past two seasons, averaging 4.8 yards both times. They simply don’t find it necessary to establish the run.

Take last season’s game against San Diego. Martz had immense respect for the Chargers’ front seven, particularly linebacker Junior Seau. So why slug it out on the ground? The Rams’ first 14 offensive plays were passes. Warner scrambled once, but he didn’t hand off until the Rams’ eighteenth play of the game. The Rams won 57-31.

"You can’t say they’re unstoppable, but [Martz] puts so much pressure on the defense that it makes it very difficult," Coryell says. "I love the way he plays."

The respect is mutual. Martz’s offense uses the same system of numbering plays that Coryell did. "The terminology all started with Don Coryell," Martz says. "The system, and how we know it today, is all Don Coryell."

Many NFL coaches play not to lose. They play for field position. Not Martz.

"I like using the whole field," he says. "I detest making it easy for the defense, lining up in an ‘I’ and just saying, ‘Okay, here we are.’ There’s a place and time to go toe to toe. But we’re going to set the conditions, not the defense.

"Defenses have always taken control, and they’ve tried to set the tempo of the game, through all the zone dogs, the blitzes, and those things. When that happens, there’s two ways of going on offense. You can become very conservative, which is what they want you to do. Or you can start going the other direction with it."

The Rams have gone the other direction in a record-setting fashion. Before Martz was hired as Dick Vermeil’s offensive coordinator in 1999, only six teams in NFL history had scored 500 points in a season. The Rams have done it in back-to-back seasons. The 1999 Super Bowl championship team scored 526 points. The 2000 Rams, with Martz as head coach, scored 540. Only the 1998 Minnesota Vikings (556) and the 1983 Washington Redskins (541) scored more.

"I’ve never seen an offense like this one," San Diego safety Rodney Harrison says.

Martz owes some of his success to a devil-may-care mentality. He knows what he likes, and he’s willing to take the risk that comes from following his dreams.

"You start to follow things that interest you," he says. "That’s why we don’t run the option. That’s why we’re not a power running team. And there’s nothing wrong with those things. It’s just not what I believe in."

A turning point in Martz’s career occurred when he was hired by Norv Turner as the Redskins’ quarterbacks coach in 1997. Martz had just been ousted as receivers coach in St. Louis, when Rich Brooks and his staff were fired following the 1996 season.

"Norv taught me how not to be afraid, I guess, as a play caller," Martz says. "Just attack. Norv was fearless about what he did. If he felt like this was the right play, he called it and didn’t worry about it."

Martz says Turner never worried about the "what ifs." What if the quarterback couldn’t make the throw? What if the receiver couldn’t get open? What if the pass blocking broke down?

"You eliminate the ‘what ifs’ by getting good players, coaching all the details, and then just letting them play," Martz says. "Don’t play conservatively. Put the pedal to the metal, and just let these guys go."

Martz brought that attitude to St. Louis when he returned as offensive coordinator in 1999. Vermeil gave Martz freedom in running the offense, and it helped the Rams win the Super Bowl.

"The whole object is to win," Martz says. "In order to win, we’re trying to put as many points on the board as we possibly can. When I came here as offensive coordinator, that was my job.

"How do you do that? Well, you don’t do it by following all of the unspoken rules — you never run reverses inside your own 50 … you don’t throw the ball on first down more than half the time … you don’t do this or that in certain situations.

"We’ve tried to be predictably unpredictable. We’ve established the fact that defenses are set-recognition and play-recognition oriented. That’s what they base their game plan on. And if you don’t provide those things when you play them, then it really puts them in a dilemma."

The Rams’ playbook is about the size of a Chicago phone book. And some of the plays they run defy convention. Shovel passes. Reverses. Fake reverses. Tight end around. Plays in which wide receivers run from the backfield.

The players love the unpredictability.

"That’s why our guys play fast because they’re having fun," Martz says. "It’s kind of an attitude that they take toward how they play. It’s entertaining, sure. But when you have the athletes that we have, you have to move them around and get them out on the perimeter."

The approach worked like a charm in 1999, when the franchise won its first Super Bowl. It likely would have worked again last season had the Rams’ defense not suffered a meltdown. St. Louis gave up an astounding 471 points, the seventh-highest total in league history, and the Rams became the first team to top the NFL in most points scored and most points allowed.

The defensive problems made almost every game a shootout. It was as if the Rams were in their two-minute drill for an entire season. In the process, the Rams set an NFL record for most passing yards in a season. But all that offense couldn’t bring a championship. As a result, Martz spent the offseason renovating the defense.

"I don’t just coach the offense; I coach this football team," Martz says. "So we’re going to try to squeeze as much out of this whole football team as we can. And the way you do that is you get the right people in here, and guys who can run. Speed and attitude.

"In our weight room, there’s a sign that says: ‘Go fast, be physical, and play smart.’ That’s what we believe in. If you do those three things, and you’ve got good players, you’ve got a real chance."

The Rams already knew the value of a great offense, but they learned the hard way in 2000 that you can’t win a Super Bowl without some help from your friends on defense and special teams.

"The road to the Super Bowl is not based on one side of the ball," Martz says. "It just doesn’t work that way."

Another article on the Air Coryell Attack.

The Basics of the Coryell Offense

by Edweirdo. Thanks Eye_Patch for the info on Sid Gillman!

posted on 2005/05/05

Raiders head coach Norv Turner runs an offensive system known as the Coryell offense, which Don Coryell devised and brought to the NFL as head coach of the San Diego Chargers in the late 1970s. Simply put, the Coryell offense is the antithesis of the West Coast offense ("WCO"). In recent years, the explosive offenses of the Rams and the Chiefs have brought the Coryell offense back into the spotlight of the NFL. This article discusses:

How the Coryell offense differs from the West Coast offense

A brief history of the Coryell offense

What are the personnel requirements for the Coryell offense

What are the advantages of the Coryell offense

How the Coryell offense differs from the West Coast offense

The WCO has the following characteristics:

It is a "ball-control" offense, predicated on the ability of the QB to achieve a high completion percentage

The receivers often run precise short-to-intermediate routes and a lot of crossing routes and slants. The receivers are expected to pick up yards after the catch

The QB takes more 3- and 5-step drops as opposed to 7-step drops

When the QB and WRs are on the same page, it can be difficult to disrupt the rhythm of the offense

It relies heavily on the receiving skills of backs coming out of the backfield

The Coryell offense has the following characteristics:

It is a "stretch-the-field vertically" offense, predicated on the complementary effects of throwing deep and running the football

The receivers often run intermediate-to-long routes

The QB takes more 5- and 7-step drops

It emphasizes maximum pass protection, to protect the QB until the receivers get open downfield

It is committed to the power running game. The running game opens up opportunities for big downfield completions, and vice versa. Mike Martz, in an interview with Dr. Z of CNN/SI said:

That's another thing that's critical to the system. Power running. You've got to be able to run the ball when you go to a three-wide receiver set, and you've got to run with power. By that I mean behind zone blocking, which is a big departure from the San Francisco system. Theirs was man-blocking, with a lot of cut-blocks and misdirection. Ours is straight power. Not many people realize this, but if we hadn't have gotten Marshall we were prepared to go with another excellent zone-blocking runner, Robert Holcombe. It takes a certain type, a guy who can run with power, who's good at picking his way through. Stephen Davis is doing that in Washington now, and that's a big reason why their offense is so good...The good thing about zone-block running is that you can keep pounding away. You don't have the negative yardage plays.

A brief history of the Coryell offense

The Coryell offense didn't start with Coryell. Sid Gillman was the innovator of the vertical game back in the 1960s. Many members of Gillman's staff, including Al Davis and Dick Vermiel have been adherents to the vertical game ever since. Coryell adapted Gillman's ideas into the system that now bears his name.

There are several notable implementers of the Coryell offense in the league today: Joe Gibbs in WAS, Mike Martz in STL, Norv Turner in OAK, and Dick Vermeil in KC. Many of these coaches are connected in the coaching tree, starting with Gillman or Coryell. Gibbs served on Coryell's staff in SD and brought the system to Washington. Turner served on Ernie Zampese's staff on the LA Rams and brought the system to Dallas. Martz served on Turner's staff in Washington.

What are the personnel requirements for the Coryell offense

The personnel requirements are significantly different between the Coryell O and WCO. In the Coryell O:

QBs must be able to throw deep with accuracy. They are typically pocket passers with big arms. Examples of solid Coryell QBs are the Cowboys' HOFer Troy Aikman (6-4 220) and former Ram Kurt Warner (6-2 200)

WRs must be able to stretch the field. The name of the game is speed and separation. By contrast, the WCO favors physical possession receivers, such as Jerry Rice. Examples of solid Coryell WRs are the Rams' Torry Holt (6-0 195) and the Raiders' Randy Moss (6-4 205)

RBs carry a heavy load and tend to have good power. Norv Turner in particular has preferred to feed the ball to a feature back (Emmitt Smith in DAL, Terry Allen in WAS, Stephen Davis in WAS, LaDainian Tomlinson in SD, Ricky Williams in MIA). So the Raiders went out in FA and signed former Jet LaMont Jordan (5-10 230) to a big 5 year / $27.5 MM deal to be that workhorse RB. Examples of solid Coryell RBs are former Redskin John Riggins (6-2 230), former Cowboy Emmitt Smith (5-9 215), and the Chiefs' Priest Holmes (5-9 213)

TEs tend to be strong blockers; they are relied upon heavily in pass protection and in paving the way for RBs in the ground game. In general, the WCO favors TEs with receiving over blocking skills (e.g. the Jets' Doug Jolley) whereas the Coryell O favors the reverse, although obviously a TE who can do both can fit into any system. This explains, in part, why 2004 rookie 7th rounder Courtney Anderson (6-6 270), with his size and ability to run-block, was able to leap-frog former 2nd rounders Doug Jolley (6-4 250) and Teyo Johnson on the Raiders depth chart

OL tend to be big and physical compared to their WCO counterparts. Some WCO teams have gotten by with smaller OL (e.g. the Niners in the 1990s and the Broncos of recent years), because the linemen are able to block at angles and only need to maintain pass protection for a short period of time. Coryell OL are road graders in the running game, but they must also pass protect on drawn-out deep passing plays. Examples of solid Coryell OLs are the Cowboys' massive (at the time) championship OL in the 1990s and the Chiefs' OL in recent years

Arguably the best Coryell offense ever was the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" team in 1999. They had an awesome set of wideouts (Bruce, Holt, Hakim, and Proehl), a strong OL, and Faulk and Warner in their prime.

The Raiders have assembled the ingredients to run the Coryell system effectively: a strong-armed accurate deep thrower in Collins; 4 excellent deep threats with Moss, Porter, Curry, and Gabriel at WR; an explosive power back in Jordan; a power-blocking TE in Anderson; and a big, talented offensive line.

What are the advantages of the Coryell offense

Run correctly, it is simply an explosive offense, capable of big plays at any time. It puts opposing defenses in a bind: does the defense defend the deep ball, thereby weakening its run support, or does it defend the run, thereby leaving itself vulnerable to big plays downfield?

There are some folks, including Al Davis, who feel that defenses have caught up with the WCO, esp with systems such as the Dungy Cover 2 defense. In Dungy's system, the WRs are bumped from their timing routes by press coverage by the CBs, the LBs are fast and have strong coverage ability, and the DL is quick and disruptive. These elements all counter strengths of the WCO.

Norv Turner's strong experience and belief in the Coryell system played a huge part in his landing the head coaching gig for the Raiders in 2004. The vertical game is back in Oakland, baby!

[ibarramedia]

Here is an article about coach Joe Gibbs. He is the man. Everyone who follows football ought to know what a good guy and great coach he is regardless if you like the redskins or not.

Carolina Sheriff's Son on Football Odyssey

By Dave Kindred

Washington Post Staff Writer

January 13, 1981

Fresh off the plowed fields out back of his house in the hills of North Carolina, the county sheriff’s oldest boy did not know what to do with all the fancy football equipment they issued him at the big California high school.

"The only football I’d ever played was pickup games with the guys around home," Joe Gibbs said. "When we moved to Santa Fe Springs, just outside Los Angeles, the first day I went to school for the ninth grade, saw a sign, ‘Sign Up for Football’.

"All the gear they gave me, I was putting everything on wrong."

Eight years later, good enough at this new game to have been a first-stringer at quarterback, tight end and linebacker in high school and at San Diego State, Joe Gibbs asked Don Coryell if he could join the coach's staff as a graduate assistant.

Gibbs ditched mathematics and science his sophomore year. "I asked myself, ‘why am I doing this when I want to be a coach?’" So after getting his master’s in physical education, Gibbs popped the question to Coryell, then in the fourth year of his dozen at San Diego State.

"John Madden was on the staff working for Don then," Gibbs said. "It was a great staff. Sid Hall off that staff is still in pro ball.

"I was the guy who went out and got hamburgers for everybody. And they reamed me out good if I forgot the sauce."

The days of plowed fields and hamburgers are over for Joe Gibbs, the new Redskins coach. Yesterday the former San Diego Charger offensive coordinator met with Jack Kent Cooke and got the job.

Here's where Gibbs came from...

J.C. Gibbs was the county sheriff in Asheville, N.C. His main job was cracking down on moonshiners. That’s how J.C. came to be shot at so often. "He was a rough, tough guy leading a wild life," Joe Gibbs said.

"He'd be on the phone at home all the time saying, ‘Ya think so, huh? Well, I’ll meet ya at the corner.’" And he’d come home beat up from a fistfight. He had two bad car wrecks from chasing bootleggers. He hit a tree and was in a body cast for a year."

When the wrong side won the courthouse in 1954, J.C Gibbs was out of work and so he moved to California, where two brothers lived. "Basically, we moved because we were starving to death in Asheville," the sheriff’s oldest boy says today.

Here's where Joe Gibbs learned to coach..

When San Diego State won the national small-college championship in 1966 with an undefeated team, Gibbs figured he had used up his time there. Bill Peterson, the Florida State coach, called Gibbs on the recommendation of a San Diego Charger assistant.

"My wife Pat and I took everything we owned — two lawn chairs and a portable TV — and drove to Tallahassee," Gibbs said. "When we got there, a booster named Si Deeb, who took tremendous care of the assistant coaches, told me to go out to this housing tract and pick out a house I liked. I paid him $400 down. It was a pretty big place. We moved right in with all our furniture — two lawn chairs and a TV."

Under Peterson, Florida State was a national power. "It was real down South football," Gibbs said. "I was fascinated by it."

John McKay, winning national championships at Southern Cal, was looking for an offensive line coach two years later. He asked Don Coryell to give him some names.

"Pat was nine months pregnant, so she flew back to California, and I drove," Gibbs said. Even today 10 years after he finished a two-year stint with USC, Gibbs wears a Rose Bowl ring.

Because he desperately wanted to be a head coach somewhere, Gibbs left Southern Cal for Arkansas. "For some reason, SC coaches never get head jobs," Gibbs said, "and Arkansas had turned out something like eight head coaches in the previous nine years."

Two years working with Frank Broyles’ offensive line produced only one nibble at a head-coaching job, a fruitless interview by Arizona.

By then, Coryell’s success at San Diego — where his wide open passing game foreshadowed the offensive revolution now under way in the NFL — had earned him the head job with the St. Louis Cardinals. Gibbs rejoined the man who taught him, who sent him out for hamburgers, who has been his patron for nearly 20 years now.

When Coryell was fired because of a public spat with St. Louis owner Bill Bidwill, Gibbs had his choice of three jobs. Detroit and Kansas City couldn’t promise the sweep of authority given Gibbs by John McKay, by then at Tampa Bay.

"I wanted to be the offensive coordinator somewhere," Gibbs said. "So I could grow."

Coryell landed on his feet, hired by the Chargers early in the ’78 season, and Gibbs left Tampa Bay after what he calls "one trying season" (McKay seemed reluctant to give Gibbs the promised authority) to be Coryell’s offensive coordinator.

Here’s what he believes...

"To be a good football coach, you have to be good teacher," Gibbs said. "You have to have the knowledge, but you also have to be able to get it across. You give it to the players visually, on film, written, on the board, and on the field."

"Secondly, you must be able to work with people and motivate people. Many coaches motivate out of fear. The players are afraid of the head coach. Others, like Coryell, do it with intensity. Don has very few rules for his players, he is very lenient — but the way he comes across with intensity motivates people to care as much as he cares.

"You have to be able to get every body moving in the same direction."

Gibbs knows what kind of football team he wants to create.

"Offensively, I want to dictate to the defense. I don't want to slow down offensively and adjust to what the defense is doing. I want an offense that is fast-paced, that is aggressive, that makes the defense keep up with us. We will run the same play from maybe 30 different formation, — because I believe repetition is the key to success, and because I am convinced that defense is based on recognition of the formation."

All of Gibbs' bosses — Coryell, Peterson, McKay, Broyles — are thought of as offensive minds. All of Gibbs' coaching has been on offense. He admits he needs help on defense.

"I'll lean heavily on my defensive staff," he said. "As an offensive coach, I know what to expect from defenses. So I’ll have an input into defense. But it will be very important for me to have somebody I can lean on heavily, somebody who has proven he can do the job as defensive coordinator."

Under Coryell, staff meetings were unfettered debates. Gibbs likes that open sort of atmosphere, saying, "What you learn when you put your thoughts up for argument — when you take them apart in a group — are the things you never forget."

Like most coaches, Gibbs believes in working forever. A normal day at San Diego began at 7:30 a.m. and ended around midnight. "If you're going to attack this job, there is no shortcut for hours," he said. "You have to be there. Hard workers win out in the end."

Gibbs demands that his players keep meticulous notes on all meetings. He checks the players’ playbooks at random, to examine the notes taken as a sign of how much the player is learning. During offensive meetings, he often stops in mid-thought to pop a question to a player.

"That keeps everybody alert and involved," he said.

Most of all, said the man whose mind helped make San Diego the most exciting team in pro football, "This game is supposed to be fun for the players. I try to make it fun for them all the time."

Here are a few personal things...

A jogger (but no marathoner) a racquetball player, the national champion in 1976..a two-times-a-year golfer...father of two boys, J.D., 11, and Coy, 8. 40 years old last Nov. 25.

Then there was the time when Pat Gibbs, riding like a brave soldier next to her husband the goal-seeking coach, looked out the car window and saw this little teeny-tiny budding in downtown Fayetteville, Ark.

"It’s littler than our house," the coach's wife said. "And that's Sears and Roebuck’s."

Tears came from her eyes.

But that was a long, long time ago.

This article explains the evolution of Joe Gibbs' offense to the One Back, H-Back

multiple shift and motion offense. He also deploys various packages on offense.

Trying to Hold Up Their End

Seven Players Vying for Positions Critical to Gibbs's Offense

By Nunyo Demasio

Washington Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, August 3, 2004; Page D01

During 11-on-11 drills yesterday, veteran H-back Brian Kozlowski lined up at the line of scrimmage and used his 6-foot-3, 250-pound frame to fend off pass rushers lunging toward quarterback Patrick Ramsey. For the next play, rookie Chris Cooley (6-3, 265) replaced Kozlowski and lined up in the backfield, then sprinted into a pass pattern. Occasionally, both Cooley and Kozlowski watched from the sideline, with an extra wide receiver on the field. Other times, one of them would line up in the slot as a wideout.

The quarterback duel between Ramsey and Mark Brunell is the most scrutinized competition in the Washington Redskins' training camp, with the media even counting to see who gets the most snaps. However, perhaps the most competitive battle involves seven tight ends and H-backs.

Chris Cooley says the biggest difficulty has been recognizing blitzes and adjusting to shorter pass routes. Cooley is battling for a spot at tight end, a critical component of a Joe Gibbs offense. (Preston Keres - The Washington Post)

"It's going to be a hard-fought thing," said Coach Joe Gibbs, who released tight end Sean Brewer on Sunday. "I think those guys are very competitive. We've got kind of a mix. We've got young guys there, and then we've got guys that have been around a while. I like our tight end situation."

Walter Rasby, a 6-3, 252-pounder, is the projected starter at tight end with Fred Baxter (6-3, 268) or Robert Royal (6-4, 257) to be his backup. The top H-back role is wide open among Kozlowski, Cooley and the 6-3, 260-pound Mike Sellers, who missed the past two days of practice with an ankle injury. The 6-3, 258-pound Leonard Stephens is expected to be a reserve H-back if he makes the team.

Gibbs accumulates tight ends the way the Internal Revenue Service collects taxes because of the position's importance in his run-oriented offense. Gibbs generally lines up two tight ends instead of one -- as most other NFL teams do -- to help on runs and to better protect the quarterback. The pure tight end lines up on the line of scrimmage and is primarily a blocker. The H-back, who mostly lines up off the line of scrimmage or in the backfield, is a hybrid of a tight end, a fullback and even a wide receiver. Joe Bugel, the Redskins' assistant head coach-offense, likes to describe the position as a "tweener."

"We ask him to play so many roles," said tight ends coach Rennie Simmons, who held the same position with Gibbs from 1981 to '89.

In Gibbs's offense, no position besides the quarterback is as mentally challenging as the H-back. The ideal H-back blocks like a pure tight end, possesses pass-catching ability and goes in motion from various spots on the field. "Most guys who played tight end their whole life aren't suited for it," said Rick "Doc" Walker, the local radio personality, who played the position for the Redskins from 1980 to '85.

Besides mastering the traditional role of a tight end, the H-back must also understand the duties of a fullback and wide receiver. Thus, pass protection schemes, routes and formations are part of the learning curve. The biggest difficulty for Cooley, a third-round pick from Utah State, has been learning hot reads -- recognizing blitzes and adjusting to shorter pass routes.

"You really have to know the defense," Cooley said yesterday, carrying a huge playbook. "You have to study what you're up against."

Kozlowski has an edge in experience, entering his 11th NFL season at H-back. Nonetheless, the position is so demanding under Gibbs that the former Atlanta Falcon is also learning how to check for blitzes.

Gibbs "does different things," Kozlowski said. "Down in Atlanta, we had a little bit more free rein. I've had the same offense I played for Dan Reeves for 10 years, so learning a new offense is the biggest change."

The Redskins plan on activating four tight ends on game day, a sharp contrast to most NFL teams that carry two or three tight ends on the entire roster. (Last season's Redskins carried three tight ends.) But Simmons noted that the Redskins don't keep any fullbacks, providing room on the roster for extra tight ends.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the only other NFL team that uses tight ends in the same manner as the Redskins. That's because the Chiefs, under Coach Dick Vermiel, have adapted Gibbs's offense from the 1980s. With perennial Pro Bowler Tony Gonzalez at H-back last season, the Chiefs finished first in the AFC West at 13-3. The New England Patriots -- winners of two of the past three Super Bowls -- Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints also frequently utilize two-tight end formations.

Gibbs implemented his two-tight end system as a rookie head coach after Washington started the season with five consecutive losses. Before the change, the Redskins had trouble protecting the quarterback with the two-back system of John Riggins and Joe Washington. So the Redskins went to a single running back, and added an H-back. The Redskins ended up winning eight of their next 11 games to finish that season 8-8. The next year, Gibbs won his first Super Bowl (XVII) during a strike-shortened season

"People think that some of these modern-day guys were blitz happy, but nobody was more blitz happy than Buddy Ryan," Simmons said, referring to the defensive mastermind who coached the Philadelphia Eagles from 1986 to '90 after being defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears. "He blitzed everybody [in the defense]. A lot of our offense was designed to combat some of that."

Another factor was facing Lawrence Taylor, who redefined the linebacker position after being drafted by the New York Giants in 1981.

"Lawrence Taylor had a lot to do with it," Gibbs said yesterday, "because you really are going to be up against it if he gets one-on-one with anybody on a pass rush. Two tight ends would benefit because you put a tight end on his nose, he had to go around the tight end before he got to somebody else.

"When you get used to working with it, it became kind of common sense."

Despite the significance Gibbs places on the position, his tight ends didn't post big numbers during his first stint in Washington (from 1981 to '92). Gibbs's starting tight ends averaged 23.3 catches per season. However, he shaped his offense to suit his personnel. For example, from 1984 to '87, tight end Clint Didier averaged 35 catches per season.

"If he [Gibbs] had a guy like Frog [Didier's nickname], he would take advantage of that," Walker said after yesterday's practice. "He was 6-5, he could really run and could block."

Before choosing safety Sean Taylor with the fifth pick of this year's draft, the Redskins strongly considered selecting his teammate, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., because of his pass-catching prowess and athleticism.

Simmons explained: "If we had a Winslow, he would never get off the field. Maybe we have a guy similar to him. We have to find out."

[ibarramedia]

Interesting insights by Brian Mulholland on june 2, 2006.

"Instead, Gibbs made one of the most ego-less moves I have ever seen. A hall of fame coach, known for his offensive mind, gave up the keys to his offense, went to Kansas City offensive coordinator Al Saunders and said 'Al, come pimp my ride'. Okay, he didn't say that, but wouldn't it have been cool? Saunders should have been the head coach of Kansas City, but Herm Edwards was pals with the GM. He should have then been among the top candidates everywhere else, but it didn't happen, and Gibbs swooped in holding Danny's platinum card and landed one of the five or six best offensive gurus in all football. Only Mike Martz, Norv Turner, Scott Linehan, Mike Shannahan and Tom Moore are in his peers, by my reckoning. Notice that three of these six names (Martz, Turner, Saunders) are all directly or indirectly off the Coryell coaching tree, just like Gibbs.

Though Saunders and Gibbs' offenses will share some principles and terminology to speed the transition, Saunders is an offensive guru who, unlike Gibbs, hasn't taken an 11 year hiatus. Saunders has seen the West Coast revolution and adapted it's greatest principles into his schemes. Saunders' offenses use similar timing and fundamental discpline to the West Coast schemes without losing the downfield attacking focus of the Air Coryell schemes. Like Gibbs, Saunders loves to play formation variation games, motion alot, and run the ball. But whereas Gibbs believed in the old school dogma of running a successful play until the defense proved it can stop it, Saunders is a believer in seldom running the same play more than a couple times in a game. Saunders will demand disciplined play from his QBs and WRs. QBs will throw the ball before the receiver's break as in a West Coast system. Saunders should take the Redskin offense to the next level where it can not merely be just good enough to win when the defense plays well, but can win even when the defense plays terribly. "

[SWFLSkins]

Whenever I think of Coryell, I think of the Chargers in the 80's. They had a good RB in Muncie, but the team was characterized by the air game, and the thing I remember about it is that they would score (or not) quickly, and then their defense would be on the field for a long time. Their D usually wasn't that good to begin with, and then they'd get tired, so it became a shootout, and the question would be whether the Chargers could score enough to keep up with the team that was cutting through their defense.

Great points, and I would agree generally. I do think that SD ran the ball more than people think. However they did not use the run to burn the clock and thus as you stated the D spent too much time on the field and wore down. I believe Gibbs saw that as a weakness and tweaked it a bit. He used the run to control the clock, keeping the D fresh and the ball out of the hands of the opponent. WCO, uses a short passing game almost like part of the running game, to use up the clock with 3 to 5 yard routes, mostly curls and slants.

I love discussing the bones and would like to read how you feel Holmgren's offense is now compared to his YODA-Walsh.

[SWFLSkins]

A journalistic faux paux led to the misnomer being applied to The Cincinnati Offense. Paul Zimmerman (now known as Dr. Z) interviewed Bernie Kosar when Kosar was with Dallas in 1993. When asked what the Cowboys offense (then led by current 49er Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner) was like he replied, “Oh, you know, the West Coast Offense. Turner and Zampese and Don Coryell and Sid Gillman. That thing.” A reporter in San Francisco saw the quote, picked up on the term and used it to describe the Walsh offenses of the 80’s. The name stuck

It figures that a mis-qoute by one of the SI writers caused this naming confusion.

[desertfox59]

Basically, the Coryell system is all about the naming conventions of the plays. It's short, concise, and descriptive, usually using one word and a series of numbers representing receiver routes. The Walsh offense uses mile-long names for its plays with words, numbers, letters, and Sanskrit.

Aside from that, there's not really any one thing you can attribute to either system that the other doesn't use. Pre-snap motion, vertical passing attack, and dinking and dunking are common to both.

winner winner chicken dinner....

...what's in a name? A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet!

[ibarramedia]

Can anybody tell me the difference between the two schemes? From what I heard, Gibbs abandoned Coryell offense and went to more of a power running game in the 80s.

Both Coryell and WCO seem bent on passing to set up the run, with a QB that has a quick release. One thing I didn't like about Brunell is that he'd seemingly hang onto the ball for ages.

So I really don't understand why Musgrave would want to leave. I don't understand how he even can leave with everyone on staff suppossedly renewed for next year.

I wish Musgrave would have stayed. The more the merrier. Shoot while we're at it, i would also bring back Jim hanifan as co-offensive line coach, they had 2 line coaches with the rams, Bring back, Jerry Rhome, Rod dowhower,Charlie Taylor,get Dan Henning back from Carolina,Bobby Mitchell and Russ Grimm. Since there is no salary cap on coaches and we're going overboard, let's add Norv Turner, Mike Martz and Cam Cameron to the mix.... LOL.

[ibarramedia]

I just had to bump this....

[ibarramedia]

The term "West Coast offense" is thrown around a lot in football circles everywhere, but just what is it exactly? Obviously the West Coast offense refers to a type of offense run in the NFL, but exactly what does it do and, more importantly in this case, how does it pertain to fantasy football?

First off, it's important to understand the roots of the West Coast offense. Today's versions of the scheme vary from squad to squad, but they all can be traced back to the legendary Bill Walsh during his term with the San Francisco 49ers as head coach, general manager and team consultant. Walsh developed his system during his time as an assistant with the Cleveland Browns, drawing different ideas from other great coaches such as Don Coryell, of the San Diego Chargers, as well as Al Davis, Sid Gillman and John Rauch.

Walsh was faced with a dilemma in Cleveland, with a quarterback that had great accuracy but a weak arm. In response, he devised a timing-based passing attack where the receiver and quarterback must be completely locked into each other. Since then his system has evolved, and in current basic cases, the West Coast offense is a short-passing scheme designed to control the clock using high-percentage, precision passes - what Walsh termed the "extended handoff." However, despite the reliance on the passing game, there have been several running backs that have thrived in the system in both the past and present. Terrell Davis (Denver Broncos) and Roger Craig (49ers) both enjoyed career years in the West Coast offense - the same can be said for Shaun Alexander (Seattle Seahawks) and Clinton Portis (then with the Broncos).

General GuidelinesAlthough each team's version of the West Coast offense is different, there are quite a few similarities between them. Here are some of the staples of the West Coast offense.

Discipline comes first. Since the scheme is based mostly on timing, freelancing and missing assignments result in missed opportunities for points.

Use the pass to set up the run. Most teams using the West Coast offense more often than not have a pass-first mindset, choosing to instead spread the defense out to get better matchups in the run game. (The major exception to this rule would be the system the Denver Broncos utilize.) The offense also should be prepared to throw on any down or distance during the game.

The passing game attacks the defense within the short-to-medium range. This means the quarterback should have good accuracy in tight quarters, and it makes the receivers run precise routes in order to get open.

Everyone is a weapon. Whether it's a four-receiver set, a pro-set, or a goal line formation, all of the players on the field (including tight ends and backs) have to be able to catch the football and make plays.

Create matchup problems for the defense. The quarterback usually will make pre- and post-snap reads to judge where the ball should go. Audibles and motions at the line of scrimmage open up holes in the defense to create mismatches for the offense to capitalize on. The offense can also be run out of any formation, which will give opponents headaches as well.

Ability to run the football. Although it is typically a pass-first scheme, the ability to run the football when needed is a must for any successful West Coast offense (or any scheme for that matter). Most West Coast teams now use zone-blocking to help in the power-running game (including Denver and Houston). This aspect of the scheme derives directly from Coryell and the Chargers of the 1970s.

Quarterback play: Signal-callers should be mobile and football-smart. They will be expected to make reads at the line of scrimmage to figure out who the hot (or primary) read is on any given play. Touch and accuracy are usually a must; while a strong arm is a nice asset, isn't the most important thing. The ability to see the field and either get rid of the ball or make a play after the three- or five-step drop is important as well.

Running back play: Obviously the ability to pick up yards when needed is a must, but running the ball is just one job of a back in this scheme. Many West Coast offense rushers are key cogs in the passing game (such as Brian Westbrook) and are also needed in pass protection, at times, as well with tight ends running routes more often than not.

Receiver play: Wideouts in the West Coast offense obviously have to run very precise and sharp routes with the ability to separate from opposing defensive backs. What may be even more important, however, is the ability to make plays after the catch. This was a big reason why someone such as wide receiver Terrell Owens (Dallas Cowboys) was such a big-time player in the system.

Tight end play: As touched on earlier, tight ends will mostly be counted on to be a part in the passing game as a receiver, with their blocking ability being an added bonus. Running sharp routes is a great attribute to have in this system, especially as a check-down target for quarterbacks trying to get rid of the ball quickly.

With all of these basics in mind, it is much easier to assimilate statistics of players in a West Coast offense and those that aren't. It also helps to describe why some players succeed and others don't in the system.

Teams that Utilize the West Coast OffenseAs mentioned earlier, there are plenty of teams that run a version of the West Coast offense today.

Philadelphia Eagles Minnesota Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Seattle Seahawks

Denver Broncos Houston Texans

Green Bay Packers --

While the 49ers have incorporated some of the West Coast offense into their scheme since Walsh's tenure as head coach, the specific features of the system have changed often over time. From George Seifert to current head honcho Mike Nolan, the key elements of the basic form of the West Coast offense have changed. For instance, after the 2005 season, former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy left the team and took a head coaching job with the Green Bay Packers, bringing his form of the offense with him.

As you can see, West Coast offense teams are often intertwined, as they learn the system under one coach and bring it to another team. In fact, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden, as well as former Packers head coach Mike Sherman all worked under Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren when he was coaching the Green Bay Packers. Holmgren was a disciple of Walsh during his time in San Francisco as the team's quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

Positional BreakdownsAs is evident from the general features, the quarterback is the key to a West Coast offense. You can't run this type of offense successfully with a quarterback that can't make quick reads and sharp, precise passes. As a result, certain quarterbacks in the league aren't suited for - and as a result should never play in - a West Coast offense. While they aren't necessarily but can be the main focus of the offense, running backs and tight ends are also key as they are relied on to catch a lot of passes more so than other schemes. These positions might not be main targets (or hot reads) on every play, but they must run routes and are often used as fallbacks or check-downs in case the hot read is not open.

The focal point and key to a successful West Coast offense, though, is the wide receiver position. Unlike other offenses, wide receivers fit into a different terminology of positions on the field. West Coast receivers have to be excellent at gaining yards after the reception, something that made retired NFL great Jerry Rice such a lethal wide receiver for the better part of two decades. They include:

Split End: This position is generally reserved for a more possession-type receiver that has a good release off the line, because the split end must line up on the line of scrimmage on the weak side of the field.

Flanker: This position gives the receiver more freedom, since he doesn't line up on the line of scrimmage and can go in motion to the weak side of the field. An illegal formation penalty will be called if there is not a wideout on the weak side of the play, whereas the tight end on the power side is on the line of scrimmage. The flanker is not technically reserved for a speedy receiver, but it does give smaller, speedier receivers more room to work.

Slot: The newer versions of the West Coast offense often use a third receiver placed in the slot instead of a second tight end. Slot receivers are generally smaller, speedier players that have trouble beating press coverage. However, some teams may use bigger players to offset this.