Belichick Discusses WCO & Coryell/Gibbs Offense

[ibarramedia]

Oscar Aparicio wrote this very interesting article:

Good read on our "new" Offense, WCO, history...8/2/2006 3:09 p.m.

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.

[rlt2622]

All i can say is damn he is smart. I would love to sit down with him and talk football. even though im sure it would be over my head lol

[herb mul-key]

I just really wonder if letting AS go was the right move...

[Chris Worthy]

Bump for just a damn good info thread.

[SkinsFTW]

All i can say is damn he is smart. I would love to sit down with him and talk football. even though im sure it would be over my head lol

Maybe Belichick isn't all that smart afterall, http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=adams

[SkinsFTW]

I just really wonder if letting AS go was the right move...

I would be willing to bet money that after the season starts next year the Rams offense is going to look unstoppable and all hell will break loose around here if our offense doesn't at least look pretty good.

[skinfan2k]

I would be willing to bet money that after the season starts next year the Rams offense is going to look unstoppable and all hell will break loose around here if our offense doesn't at least look pretty good.

well they do have a veteran QB and many of the featured rams have seen a similiar offense when martz was there .

[TotalRecall]

The 80's Gibbs O was more balanced. They would pass even with big leads.

The Gibbs II O was mainly run, run, short pass, punt. If they led in the second half, it was run, run, run, punt. I didn't see much of a downfield passing attack until mid-to-late in the 2007 season. At least, that was the general feeling.

I would be interested to know what Belichick considers his offensive style is.

Edit: thanks for the interesting read.

[SkinsFTW]

well they do have a veteran QB and many of the featured rams have seen a similiar offense when martz was there .

That and their RB is a better all around back than Priest Holmes ever was and they have a good TE. Only question is the OL.

[skinfan2k]

That and their RB is a better all around back than Priest Holmes ever was and they have a good TE. Only question is the OL.

thats why i never supported saunders while here. I thought the offense was a misfit for Campbell and a offense that should be used only with verteran QBs. I dont think saunders has won a playoff game as a OC or HC i believe

[SkinsFTW]

thats why i never supported saunders while here. I thought the offense was a misfit for Campbell and a offense that should be used only with verteran QBs. I dont think saunders has won a playoff game as a OC or HC i believe

Kurt Warner wasn't a veteran and he ran that offense better any anyone else ran any offense right from the start.

I think that maybe the difficulties that we claim around here are overblown. First it was the Gibbs offense, then Saunders offense, WTF? It sure looks like the Cowboys did fine last year with a whole new staff, same with alot of teams. You didn't see Moss and Welker struggling in NE to figure that offense out. I think maybe our players just aren't as good as people think.

[jtyler42]

Kurt Warner wasn't a veteran and he ran that offense better any anyone else ran any offense right from the start.

I think that maybe the difficulties that we claim around here are overblown. First it was the Gibbs offense, then Saunders offense, WTF? It sure looks like the Cowboys did fine last year with a whole new staff, same with alot of teams. You didn't see Moss and Welker struggling in NE to figure that offense out. I think maybe our players just aren't as good as people think.

Exactly right...

[whatmeworry]

Bill Belichick knows two things about offense: 1) Tom 2) Brady...

Belichick hasn't had an offense ranked in the top half of the NFL that was led by quarterback not named Tom Brady. Of course, that's using a lame statistic (Total Yards)... If you use Total Points, he actually made it into the top half of the league once.

Anyway, Belichick is a Genius!

People forget his first year he was 5-11 for NE and 0-2 the next year before Brady came on for the injured Bledsoe.

[33]

Bumping because of the WCO talk on the board. Always a good education.

[hail2skins]

Tell you what ... when we finally hire our next head coach, and arrange our first ES interview, we'll ask him the exact same question Belichick was asked here and see that happens. If I'm wrong, and our new man can't give you at least as much insight as Bill did here, I'll write a column apologizing to the genius for ever doubting him, and admit I'm a fool that don't know **** about ****.

Did we ever wind up putting Zorn to this test?

[SirClintonPortis]

whats whacked is that we are throwing our Washington Redskins Joe Gibbs heritage in the trash for some watered down San Fransico Bill Walsh offense..ok..I guess what Vinnie wants Vinnie gets. This is Vinnie's team now. UGH.

This is about as stupid as saying San Fransisco committed a mortal sin for abandoning Walsh's offense for another offense, like the smashmouth O they have now.

[iMeast]

Good find.

HTTR

[HailNatsSkinz]

Kurt Warner wasn't a veteran and he ran that offense better any anyone else ran any offense right from the start.

I think that maybe the difficulties that we claim around here are overblown. First it was the Gibbs offense, then Saunders offense, WTF? It sure looks like the Cowboys did fine last year with a whole new staff, same with alot of teams. You didn't see Moss and Welker struggling in NE to figure that offense out. I think maybe our players just aren't as good as people think.

Saunders' offense was a misfit for Campbell, Gibbs' offense failed to "unleash" our players, the WCO does not used Campbell's skills. I have never seen a team with more excuses in my life.

[Cdowwe]

Paul Brown did not coach Ickey Woods

[BadKarma]

Seems to me the talk all the talk about offensive systems is nice but it really comes down to having players who are good fits for the system more than the system itself. Most of these famous WCO's were loaded with talent at QB & WR, our current Skins are deficient all over the ball to run a WCO, how are we not to fault Snyderatto for making these unrealistic changes after Gibbs left. Inexcusable mistake by a GM/Owner who have no clue about football.

[gortiz]

It's about more than that. The WCO is everywhere. That means more talent that is comfortable with it to draw on, both coaches and players. In the modern game, trying to run a Coryell offense is like trying to swim upstream. You might be able to do it but it is a lot harder. In the long term, this could end up being a very smart move.

really? what makes you think that?

[BadKarma]

Saw Dan Hennings name in that article associated with the Skins and wiki'ed the guy.

Ashamed to say I had never heard of the guy, innovator of the current Dolphins Wildcat, took the panthers to the super bowl in 2003, 2 super bowl rings with the Skins speaks of a hell of a track record but one that looks like a guy who has hopped around a little too much despite having such a sterling list of accomplishments.

How was he able to come here in 2 separate times 81-82, 87-88 and take us to the Superbowl? Can anyone help with some more redskin related info on the guy? I guess he left us each time for Head Coaching job promotions in Atl and San Diego but it really amazes me that a guy like this could come in and take a team to a Superbowl in one offseason and allowed to walk away each time, was his success more locally accredited to being a Gibbs understudy?

[IbleedBnG83]

Gee, I wonder if Zorn is as knowledgeable

[UltimateSkins]

Zorn could never make connections like that, he doesn't even know our team colors let alone a coaching tree.

[SoCalSkins]

That adds some very interesting insight into the reason that Belichick is so successful. The man even knows who runs what variation of which offense and from whom it came. Unreal.

His dad was a coach and he has been obsessed since he was a kid. I saw a story on ESPN about his book collection that he collected coaching books from a very young age. Here is an article from ESPN that mentions it:

http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/400/defenses-will-need-new-manual-to-stop-fins

Bill Belichick's library is believed to contain the world's third-largest collection of football books behind only the Library of Congress and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.