West Coast offense In American football , " West Coast Offense " ( " WCO " ) is a common term for an offense that places a greater emphasis on passing than on running . There are two similar but distinct offensive - strategic - systems of play which are commonly referred to as " West Coast Offenses " : ( A ) the Air Coryell system popularized by Don Coryell ; or ( B ) more commonly the offensive system popularized by Bill Walsh characterized by short , horizontal passing routes in lieu of running plays to " stretch out " defenses , opening up the potential for long runs or long passes . History and use of the term . The term " West Coast Offense " , as it is now commonly used , derives from a remark made by then - New York Giants coach Bill Parcells after the Giants defeated the San Francisco 49ers 17 - 3 in the 1985 playoffs . Parcells , a believer in tough defense over finesse - oriented offense , scornfully derided the 49ers ' offense with the statement , " What do you think of that West Coast Offense now ? " In 1993 , a Bernie Kosar quotation used to describe the 1993 Dallas Cowboys ' offense as ' West Coast offense ' was publicized by " Sports Illustrated " writer Paul Zimmerman ( " Dr . Z " ) . Originally Kosar had meant a comparison to the " Air Coryell " system used by west coast teams in the 1970s , the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders . A reporter mistakenly applied Kosar ' s quotation about the Air Coryell system to the 1980s - era attack of Walsh ' s San Francisco 49ers . Initially , Walsh resisted having the term misapplied to his own distinct system ( Zimmermann noted that an article so misapplying the term led to an upset Walsh phone call to Zimmermann – " He called me up . . . ( saying ) that wasn ' t his offense . " ) , but the moniker stuck . Now the term is commonly used to refer to a range of pass - oriented offenses that may not be closely related to either the Air Coryell system or Walsh ' s pass - strategy . West Coast Offense : Air Coryell . Bernie Kosar used the term to describe the offense formalized by Sid Gillman with the AFL Chargers in the 1960s and later by Don Coryell ' s St . Louis Cardinals and Chargers in the 1970s and 1980s . Al Davis , an assistant under Gillman , also carried his version to the Oakland Raiders , where his successors John Rauch , John Madden , and Tom Flores continued to employ and expand upon its basic principles . This is the " West Coast Offense " as Kosar originally used the term . However , it is now commonly referred to as the " Air Coryell " timed system , and instead the term West Coast Offense is usually used to describe Bill Walsh ' s system . The offense uses a specific naming system , with the routes for wide receiver s and tight end s receiving three digit numbers , and routes for backs having unique names . For example , a pass play in 3 digit form might be " Split Right 787 check swing , check V " . ( see Offensive Nomenclature ) . This provides an efficient way to communicate many different plays with minimal memorization . Conversely , the West Coast Offense could in theory have more freedom , since route combinations are not limited by 0 - 9 digits , but at the price of much more memorization required by the players . Walsh ' s West Coast Offense . Walsh formulated what has become popularly known as the West Coast Offense during his tenure as assistant coach for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1968 to 1975 , while working under the tutelage of mentor Paul Brown . Bengals quarterback Virgil Carter would be the first player to successfully implement Walsh ' s system , leading the NFL in pass completion percentage in 1971 . Ken Anderson later replaced Carter as Cincinnati ' s starting QB , and was even more successful . In his 16 - year career in the NFL , Anderson made four trips to the Pro Bowl , won four passing titles , was named NFL MVP in 1981 , and set what was then the record for completion percentage in a single season in 1982 ( 70 . 66 % ) . Walsh installed a modified version of this system when he became head coach of the San Francisco 49ers . Walsh ' s 49ers won three Super Bowl s during this period , behind the passing abilities of legendary quarterback Joe Montana . As a result , Walsh ' s version has come to be known as the " West Coast Offense " . Montana thrived for many years as the starting QB for the 49ers . He captured 4 Super Bowl titles , 3 Super Bowl MVP awards , and 2 AP NFL MVP titles while in San Francisco in the 1980s . Several of Walsh ' s coordinators went on to successfully implement this system at other teams . George Seifert won two Super Bowls with the 49ers ; once with Joe Montana at quarterback in 1989 , and later with Steve Young in 1994 . Mike Shanahan won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos in 1997 & 1998 , utilizing the leadership and passing skills of quarterback John Elway . Shanahan ' s run - heavy variation of the offense , under the leadership of offensive coordinator and innovator Gary Kubiak , is also known for utilizing previously unheralded running backs , including 1998 NFL MVP Terrell Davis , and developing them into league - leading rushers behind small , yet powerful , Zone Blocking offensive lines . Mike Holmgren won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 1996 behind the quarterbacking of 3 - time NFL MVP Brett Favre . Holmgren also coached in two others ; first with the Packers in the 1997 season , and then with the Seattle Seahawks in the 2005 season . One of Holmgren ' s assistants , Jon Gruden , went on to win a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2002 season . Another one - time member of Holmgren ' s coaching staff , Andy Reid , coached the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999 - 2012 . Reid successfully utilized the West Coast offense to produce multiple winning seasons during his 14 - season tenure as Eagles head coach . College origins . LaVell Edwards and Dewey Warren created an offensive system similar to the West Coast Offense at Brigham Young University ( BYU ) in 1973 . One reason for the success of this version of the offense was in its simplicity . Norm Chow said the offenses had around 12 basic pass plays and 5 basic run plays which were run from a variety of formations , with only some plays tagged for extra versatility , so that the players knew the offense by the second day of practice . The highpoint of the BYU offense was a NCAA Division I - A national football championship in 1984 and a Heisman Trophy for Ty Detmer in 1990 . BYU broke over 100 NCAA records for passing and total offense during Edwards ' tenure . Several coaches and players associated with BYU ' s football program had success with this offense at BYU and elsewhere , including Mike Holmgren , Andy Reid , Brian Billick , Ted Tollner , Doug Scovil , Norm Chow , Jim McMahon , Steve Young , Ty Detmer , and Steve Sarkisian . The University of Washington Huskies were among the first of the Pac - 10 teams and in 1970 , under coach Jim Owens and quarterback Sonny Sixkiller , used the “ Sixkiller ” variation of Coryell ’ s West Coast Offense with great success . Years later in 2002 , under coach Keith Gilbertson and quarterback Cody Pickett , the Huskies ran a variation of Walsh ’ s West Coast Offense to a conference championship and a top four passing attack averaging 352 . 4 yards per game . Today , the West Coast Offense no longer only resides on the west coast , but can be found in schools across the nation , including Boise State , Nebraska , Auburn , . Former Pittsburgh and Stanford head coach Walt Harris also used a variation of the West Coast Offense during his stint at Pittsburgh . Theory . The popular term " West Coast Offense " is more of a philosophy and an approach to the game than it is a set of plays or formations . Traditional offensive thinking argues that a team must establish its running game first , which will draw the defense in and open up vertical passing lanes downfield ; " i . e . " , passing lanes that run perpendicular to the line of scrimmage . Bill Walsh ' s West Coast Offense differs from traditional offense by emphasizing a short , horizontal passing attack to help stretch out the defense , thus opening up options for longer running plays and longer passes that can achieve greater gains . The West Coast Offense as implemented under Walsh features precisely run pass patterns by the receivers that make up about 65 % to 80 % of the offensive scheme . With the defense stretched out , the offense is then free to focus the remaining plays on longer throws of more than 14 yards and mid to long yard rushes . Paul Brown , the head coach of the Massillon Tigers , the Cleveland Browns , and founder of the Cincinnati Bengals , was the originator of this playbook ; however , he did not name it the West Coast Offense . Desired outcome . Walsh ' s West Coast Offense attempts to open up running and passing lanes for the backs and receivers to exploit , by causing the defense to concentrate on short passes . Since most down and distance situations can be attacked with a pass or a run , the intent is to make offensive play calling unpredictable and thus keep the defense ' s play " honest " , forcing defenders to be prepared for a multitude of possible offensive plays rather than focusing aggressively on one likely play from the offense . Beyond the basic principle of passing to set up the run , there are few rules that govern Walsh ' s West Coast Offense . Originally the offense used two split backs , giving it an uneven alignment in which five players aligned to one side of the ball and four players aligned on the other side ( with the quarterback and center directly behind the ball ) . This imbalance forced defenses to abandon their own favored , conventional formations . Although Walsh - influenced teams now commonly use formations with more or fewer than two backs , the offense ' s unevenness is still reflected in its pass protection philosophy and continues to distinguish it from single back passing offenses . Throughout the years , coaches have added to , adjusted , modified , simplified , and enhanced Bill Walsh ' s original adaptation of the Paul Brown offense . Formations and plays vary greatly , as does play calling . Another key part of the Walsh implementation was " pass first , run later " , It was Walsh ' s intention to gain an early lead by passing the ball , then run the ball on a tired defense late in the game , wearing them down further and running down the clock . The San Francisco 49ers , under both Bill Walsh and George Seifert , often executed this very effectively . Another key element in Walsh ' s attack was the three step dropback instead of traditional seven step drops or shotgun formations . The three step drop helped the quarterback get the ball out faster resulting in far fewer sacks . " WCO " plays unfold quicker than in traditional offenses and are usually based on timing routes by the receivers . In this offense the receivers also have reads and change their routes based on the coverages presented to them . The quarterback makes three reads and if no opportunity is available after three reads , the QB will then check off to a back or tight end . Five step and even 7 step dropbacks are now implemented in modern day WCO ' s because defensive speed has increased since the 80 ' s . Some modern WCO ' s have even used shotgun formations ( e . g . Green Bay , Atlanta ' 04 - ' 06 , Philadelphia ' 04 - present ) . Typical plays . The majority of West Coast Offense routes occur within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage . 3 - step and 5 - step drops by the quarterback take the place of the run and force the opposing defense to commit their focus solely on those intermediate routes . Contrary to popular belief , the offense also uses the 7 - step drop for shallow crosses , deep ins and comebacks . For instance , past Michigan Wolverines offenses utilized the 5 - and 7 - step drops about 85 % of the time with West Coast pass schemes implemented by then - Quarterbacks Coach Scot Loeffler . Because of the speed of modern defenses , only utilizing the 3 - and 5 - step pass game would be ineffective since the defense could squat and break hard on short - to - intermediate throws with no fear of a down field pass . The original West Coast Offense of Sid Gillman uses some of the same principles ( pass to establish the run , quarterback throws to timed spots ) , but offensive formations are generally less complicated with more wideouts and motion . The timed spots are often farther down field than in the Walsh - style offense , and the system requires a greater reliance on traditional pocket passing . Another aspect that makes the West Coast offense one of the most difficult to master is that it requires a deeper connection between quarterback and receiver , and an ability to communicate mid - play . On any given route , a receiver has as many as three options ; a hitch , a slant and a fly , depending on what the defense is showing . The quarterback is responsible for recognizing the defense and the reaction of the receiver to it and adjusting the route if needed . This explains the communication mistakes that commonly occur on West Coast offensive plays where the quarterback throws to a spot that the receiver is running away from . Scripted plays . A Walsh innovation was scripting the first 15 offensive plays of the game . Walsh went as far as to script the first 25 plays but most teams stop at 15 . Since the offensive team knew that the first 15 plays would be run as scripted no matter what , they could practice those plays to perfection , minimizing mistakes and penalties . By ignoring situational play - calling and increasing the game tempo , scripted plays also served to confuse the defense and induce early penalties . Executing these plays successfully could establish momentum and dictate the flow of the game . It also gave the coaching staff an opportunity to run test plays against the defense to gauge their reactions in game situations . Later in the game , an observed tendency in a certain situation by the opposing defense could be exploited . Requirements and disadvantages . The West Coast offense requires a quarterback who throws extremely accurately , and often blindly , very close to opposing players . In addition , it requires the quarterback to be able to quickly pick the best one of five receivers to throw to , certainly much more quickly than in previously used systems . Often , the quarterback has no time to think about the play and must act robotically , executing the play exactly as instructed by the offensive coordinator , who calls the plays for him . This is in contrast to the roles quarterbacks were required to perform in other systems , which were to be an adept game manager with a strong arm . Many people reasoned that Johnny Unitas , a strong - armed field general would not have fared well in being subservient to the offensive coordinator , and that his long but sometimes wobbly passes would not have worked in the West Coast system . The West Coast offense caused a split still evident today among quarterbacks ; those who were more adept at the West Coast style : Joe Montana , Steve Young , Brett Favre , Tom Brady , Matt Hasselbeck ; and those more in tune with the old style : Dan Marino , Jim Kelly , and Peyton Manning . Rich Gannon is a good example of a quarterback who fared better in one system than the other . Gannon struggled in the old style system but found great success with the Oakland Raiders and the West Coast system run by head coaches Jon Gruden and Bill Callahan . The West Coast offense requires sure - handed receivers who are comfortable catching in heavy traffic , and the system downplays speedy , larger receivers who are covered easily in short yardage situation . One result has been the longevity of receivers in the West Coast system such as Jerry Rice , because familiarity with the system and clear signalling is of greater importance than systems that require a receiver to " stretch the field " where any loss of speed is a major liability . " WCO " systems also rely on agile running backs that catch the ball as often as they run . Roger Craig was a leading receiver for the 49ers for many years and was a 1 , 000 yard rusher and 1 , 000 yard receiver in the 1985 season . Finally , receivers must follow precise , complicated routes as opposed to innovation , making meticulous , intelligent players more valued than independent , pure athletes . Jerry Rice ' s unique skill - set made him a reliable and durable asset in both Walsh ' s and Seifert ' s versions of the West Coast Offense , and he was able to break numerous NFL receiving records over the course of his career . Rice , who earned induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 , recorded 1 , 549 receptions , 22 , 895 receiving yards , and 208 total touchdowns , more than any other NFL player in all three categories . Another aspect of the West Coast offense is the use of fast running quarterbacks . In blitz or short - yardage situations , many of the West Coast offense ' s strengths are negated by defenses blocking running and passing lanes . A running quarterback can compensate by acting as a runner himself , paralyzing an overly aggressive defense . Quarterbacks such as Randall Cunningham and Michael Vick have been successful runners in this offense , as well as other notable scrambling quarterbacks such as Jake Plummer , Donovan McNabb and Aaron Rodgers .