If no one comes, the lineman assists to their side, or picks up any garbage they happen to see coming through. West Coast passing concepts are designed for efficiency, stretching defenses horizontally. we call plays in the following series: a) teens: all runs. Any play with a 1 in front of it (making it a triple digit play starting with 100) means the QB takes a 3-step drop. Therefore that back attacks A-gap, and the second back attacks B-gap. For clips of this version of the concept try here and here. In this case, the protection is set to the right, so the first offensive lineman to the right of the center with no defender in the gap to their right is the first offensive lineman in the slide. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have entered an incorrect email address! Scheme: The use of 10 . 500: Gap protection: The O-line steps to the back-side/away from the call and protects the gap. Play action is where the offense fakes a run in an attempt to make the defense react to the run, then uses the quarterback to roll out and pass to a receiver running down the field. And he's been running the same core passing concepts that serve as the foundation of Gruden's scheme. In many cases, you will find the Stick concept run from some type of bunch, cluster, or tight formation. Almost every football fan has heard the phrase, establish the run. Gap protection: The O-line steps to the back-side/away from the call and protects the gap. The Stick is a passing concept that features the inside receiver running a stick route, often he has option to run a quick out route as well depending on the type of pass coverage. 50/51, 52/53: Backs split-flow using Rip/Liz rules (back closer to the right Rips, back closer to the left Lizs. The inner most receiver runs a flat route. In both protections, the default rule for all running-backs and tight-ends is to execute an assignment called check-release, which means they are assigned to a defender (or two), and if that defender blitzes (blitz is called dog in the playbook), they block them. This typically involves getting a linebacker in coverage on a running back, wide receiver, or tight end. Before the introduction of the West Coast offense, defenses would simply play man-to-man defense and send an extra pass rusher at the quarterback. 54/55: Rip/Liz only applies to the weak-side (so 54 is TE to the right, meaning weak side is left, so Liz is ran. Personnel Preferences: Kingsbury runs modified/evolving Air Raid passing concepts with Andy Reid run game concepts. The terminology you will see in this article are being borrowed from this 356 page, 1985 49ers Playbook that can be found on Google. 29. by Mike Tanier. AKA Fox 2/Fox 3 if you want to sound cool, is the same as H2/H3, but now the fullback or other back is faking and taking the A-gap, while the halfback/tailback goes B-gap. The idea is to anticipate a defensive blitz, get the quick fake to hesitate LBs and the secondary, then quickly get the ball out to the TE or 2nd back. What exactly is the West Coast offense in football? The deep back/tailback is the weak back. In any 2-back formation, the back closest to the TE is the strong back. The TE is not blocking at all, and both backs go weak, so there are only lineman blocking to the strong-side, requiring the scat protection. The second element was having pass catchers who could run precise routes and who possessed good hands to catch the ball over the middle of the field. Slow means a back or tight-end releases only if their assigned linebacker (or linebackers) does not blitz. The side the TE is on is the strong-side, and the side away from that is the weak-side. This formation allows the offense to potentially have five pass catchers on the field and hopefully create a mismatch for the offense. With his heavy outside zone scheme that stretches defenses horizontally, he was able to put together a good running game that finished 13th in EPA per rush. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to write more articles in the near future. BYU Passing Game - Lavell Edwards.doc . Here, the Redskins run their Hank concept, which is fundamental for the west coast offense. The Mills (Anchor) passing concept is designed to get a to bite on the dig route, allowing for the receiver running the post to get behind him for big play. In slide protection, you BOB to the call side, and slide to the other side, with the uncovered lineman on the slide side checking the Will LB first (because in slide, the sliding linemen are responsible for the Will LB), then look for the OLB to that side. YT. The West Coast Offense provided a blue-print for the modern offensive game in the NFL, primary with its flexibility of various pass protections. The West Coast Offense has a simplified play action pass protection system to easily incorporate run fakes on almost any play. The pass route the receiver runs during the play is based on the type of pass coverage called. If the defender does not blitz, they release into a route to receive a pass. The goal was to get these pass catchers the ball in space as they ran across the middle of the field to allow them to make plays after the catch for extra yardage. Since the West Coast is the most prevalent offense in the NFL, it's not an exaggeration to call the slant the most important play in professional football. 9,884 posts . This phrase is a football standard and is the mindset of using the run to set up big plays downfield. With that said, Im happy to have you on the site and hope I can help you out in achieving your goals! Coach Walsh went on to say, I truly believe it is the single best tool available to take advantage of a disciplined defense., Utilizes pre-snap motions to generate match-up issues and confusion with the defense. Your center and guards protect the center-three defenders of the defense. The QB should see/feel the backs movement on this, telling them to quickly drop back and look to throw to the hot route, or get into the progression. It can be ran from three, two, or one-back formations. What we like about it is its a simple high/low read for the quarterback to make. Another route is used to compliment the Divide pass route is a receiver on the outside running a go or streak route. Ohio is a features two receiver route combo that has outside receiver running a go route, while the inside receiver runs an out route. In your summary, you say that an odd number means that the TE is on the left! Slide to the weak-side (284 means slide is left, backs right). The Smash concept has a two route combination, which are a corner (high) and the other runs a hitch (low). Fire 2/Fire 3: I got this term from this page, which alters the terminology slightly (so ignore this sheet for this article, except for fire 2/fire 3). A Complete Overview. The West Coast Offense Walsh used primarily relies on numbers to call pass protections. The West Coast Offense, has its roots in the 1960s and 70s with the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals under legendary coach Paul Brown. Have the ability to run many plays from multiple formations, meaning the defense shouldnt be able to predict what the offense will run. 228/229: Slide protection to the weak-side (away from TE). The Switch concept is a popular Run-&-Shoot passing concept that has outside receiver running a post route with an inside receiver. For West Coast teams that love to use quick-hitting pass plays to move the chains, the POP play is a God-send for how it integrates what that team has to spend practice time on. For this section, Im going outside the playbook a little bit, and drawing from some more modern nomenclature. The back away from the call side is coming over to that side to get the blitzing ILB. Backs split-flow using Rip/Liz rules (back closer to the right Rips, back closer to the left Lizs. One of the big differences is the removal of the fullback in the Spread system. 86/87: Scat protection strong-side with both backs free releasing. Remember, this book does not use 300 like modern WCO terminology uses it. Snagis a great passing concept that is used at all levels. Odd numbers mean the TE is to the left. 280 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 282 /H [ 712 738 ] /L 680989 /E 4908 /N 67 /T 675270 >> endobj xref 280 11 0000000016 00000 n If you call the protection to the right, that means the offensive linemen on that side will BOB protect. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. Joe Montana, Steve Young, andJerry Riceare all now in the Hall of Fame. Often this creates a high/low read for the quarterback to make. The offense splits the outside wide receivers in "plus splits", which means outside the numbers. The quarterbacks dropback is critical to the timing of the offense, so defenses have targeted this element in an attempt to disrupt the offensive scheme. The guard or uncovered lineman to the weak-side must now scat protect to that side, meaning they double read the ILB to OLB on the weak-side. Rather than using tanks and planes (the passing game) to support the infantry, attack head-first with your planes first, tanks second, then let the infantry bat clean-up. The Flood concept does this by having three receiver running pass routes towards the same of the field. 17 Bellstone Drive, Bellingham, MA, 02019. 300 is an AGGRESSIVE slide protection (so slide protection with the O-line and backs attacking and holding their blocks at the line of scrimmage (LOS). Use players in motion before the snap to make the defense show their scheme. Below is an example of the type of formation and play Coach Walsh would run: It is important to note that Coach Walsh won three Super Bowls with this offense. 1. But, two statements do help explain what it is all about. And When to Call Them, What Is a Tight End in Football? The Levels concept does an excellent job at attacking zone coverage. The idea behind this passing concept is to create either 3 on 2 or 4 on 3 against zone coverage, allowing for one of the receivers to be open deep down the field. The terminology you will see in this article are being borrowed from this. O-D Kick Game Install 2021. These horizontal routes make it difficult to play man coverage and get defenders chasing. The login page will open in a new tab. The concept exploits the aggressiveness of the defense, as the passing plays are based on faking the most successful running plays. Hopefully this will give you better idea of common pass routes and route combos found in real football and football video games. Typically, there will be two backs in the backfield split to either side of the quarterback. Its a 6-man version of this play action protection where you fake to the tailback/halfback, and the 2nd back and TE are free releasing. Although the system has evolved and integrated with various offensive systems over the previous three decades, the traditional West Coast offense looks to set up the run by passing first,. 60s: Runs to a back behind the QB at a depth of 4-5 yards. H stands for halfback (so think your primary running-back. West coast is primarily about syncing up the QBs footwork with the receivers routes. The Portland passing concept is similar to the Mills concept as the design is to provide an opportunity for the quarterback to look throw deep down the field to a receiver running a deep post if the safety comes up defend the dig route that is being run from the opposite side. Between our own 10-yard line and the opponent's 25, we operate our field offense. Throughout this article, well cover the origin of the system, positional roles, different variations of the West Coast offense and much more so stick around! If the defender covers the hitch, the deep in route will be open. No more boring Sundays, everyone can enjoy football! We will feature a 'fully dimensional passing attack' These indeed are the most common route combinations and concepts. Low-inside, high-outside. The West Coast Offense: Timing-Based Passing By rufio May 27, 2011, 3:00pm EDT Share One common misunderstanding about West Coast offenses is that they only throw short or that they utilize. If the ILB blitzes, they sneak a peak at the outside linebacker (OLB) to their side. The 'West Coast Offense' is not easy to define. This is similar to the idea of "concepts" in the West Coast Offense, except the West Coast terminology sometimes names plays after the primary receiver's route, like "Y Spot". A fundamentally sound play that strives to contradict the basic principles of a defense, the play-pass gets the defensive team to commit to a fake run and then throwing a pass behind the defenders off the fake.. Since timing is so important, there are times when the ball is thrown before the receiver is open. The Dagger is a two receiver route combo that has the outside receiver running a dig route, while the inside receiver next to him runs a streak down the seam. Due to this, when they see any type of potential run play, the defense may overact, letting the offense take them off guard. The weak-back coming to the strong-side double-reads the ILB to strong OLB (Mike to Sam). The first digit indicates the type of play action protection, and the 2nd and 3rd numbers indicate the run action. Strong back only has ILB (or Mike) to their side, and check releases off them. 2 means fake action to the right, and 3 means fake action to the left. The Levels concept has the receiver furthest inside running a dig route. Slide protection away from the call with a cross-action/misdirection backfield or run fake. 88/89: Requires a TE on each side. Initially, Reid treated the quarterback in his system like an NBA point guard, using short accurate passes to get talented pass catchers the ball in space. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the latest trends! Receivers, tight ends, and running backs will go in motion to try and draw a slower linebacker in coverage to create a mismatch. 10s: Runs to an offset back at a depth of 4-5 yards coming across the formation/behind the QB (so like a fullback in an offset-I, or a halfback next to the fullback). Walsh then added more layers by sending players in motion to create mismatches and used the passing game to set the tempo of the game. Hb```f``:&23 ?s4 9L*. Most protections have two numbers. Omaha is a quick pass that features a receiver running a quick out route. Against zone coverage, look for the tight end to be open as he crossing the field, especially if another receiver is running pass route underneath or over the top of him. Feel free to use this page as quick reference if you are confused about these type pass combos, pass concept, and pass routes are designed for. Walsh used a traditional hole-numbering system: Evens right, odds left. On 300, the slide goes away from the call. The West Coast offense does the exact opposite. that can be found on Google. BYU Offense.doc. Unfortunately, marrying a west coast scheme with the spread offense didn't go over so well at Nebraska, which is why Watson started the 2011 season as quarterbacks coach at Louisville. The back away from the call side is coming over to that side to get the blitzing ILB. As they continue to learn the What Is a Secondary in Football? To be truly successful, a team will need to have a variety of players with good hands. Remember pocket and slide protection that was mentioned above. When a back or tight-end is assigned a hot responsibility, it means if their assigned defender blitzes, they bypass them and look for a quick pass from the QB. Both can be a hot receiver. You can hear QBs in the NFL today calling this exact protection, with these exact terms. Hi-Lo Credit: NFL Game Rewind - Anytime you see receivers in a stack look. My name is Steven and I have a passion for sports and staying physically active. I will write another article that does a deep dive into slide protection, because its arguably the most popular and favored pass protection in football today. Coach Bill Walsh is credited with inventing this system as a Quarterbacks Coach for the Cincinnati Bengals. The TE is not blocking at all, and both backs go weak, so there are only lineman blocking to the strong-side, requiring the scat protection. The TE to the weak-side check-releases. F2/F3: AKA Fox 2/Fox 3 if you want to sound cool, is the same as H2/H3, but now the fullback or other back is faking and taking the A-gap, while the halfback/tailback goes B-gap. If the defender covers the deep in route, the hitch route underneath will be open. Walshs terminology talks in terms of halfbacks and fullbacks, but I am using weak and strong back so its more fluid across systems and more modern formations. The offense relies on a smart, accurate, and mobile quarterback running the offense under center. Some of the most notable are the following: With all of the advantages of the West Coast system, it can be hard to imagine a way to stop this type of offense. Okay but I think Romo may have a bit more knowledge than a few route concepts. Also a pocket and two-back protection series. Visit our Shop to see our latest tools to help you work faster! A look at common deep pass routes, passing concepts, and route combos. NEW System Evolutions. 2/3: A-gap (between center and guard), 4/5: B-gap (between guard and tackle), 6/7: C-gap (between tackle and TE), 8/9: Outside. If the OLB blitzes, the back then becomes the hot receiver, and replaces the OLBs position to get open. 300 is an AGGRESSIVE slide protection (so slide protection with the O-line and backs attacking and holding their blocks at the line of scrimmage (LOS). The route involves a MOFO or MOFC read by the quarterback. The strong-side back free releases, and the weak-side back check-releases. On either side of the field are two wide receivers along with a tight end lined up next to the offensive line. Understanding the West Coast offense is more complex than simply knowing that it emphasizes the short passing game. X's O's Football is not affiliated or associated with EA Sports, the NFL, or their license. 1. The second way to stop the West Coast offense is for cornerbacks, or those guarding the receivers, to try and jump the route to intercept the ball.