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AFM Magazine


West Coast Offense

Philosophy of the Controlled Passing Game
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I have always been a proponent of the controlled passing game, mainly because my career has been highlighted with examples of its effectiveness. One instance in particular sticks out in my memory during my time as Head Coach of the London Monarchs in the World League of American Football (WLAF).

The WLAF (now known as NFL Europe) was in the process of kicking off its inaugural year. Unlike many new leagues, teams in this league had no limitations on blitzing, so we had to handle every conceivable blitz and stunt. That makes life difficult for an offensive coordinator, especially when your offensive unit is in its first year of existence. Therefore, to counter the problem, we decided to keep things simple.

Our passing scheme was based on short routes, which resulted in accurate passes. We ended up 11-1 and winners of the inaugural World Bowl. Our offense was second overall in the league and had the offensive MVP, quarterback Stan Gelbaugh. This is not to say my offensive scheme was the sole reason for this achievement. We had outstanding players and a great coaching staff. With that said, our offense was a big part of our success.

The philosophy of the controlled, short passing game, or, as everyone likes to call it, the “West Coast Offense,” has several important components:

Reason to Throw

If we are blessed with the best talent every year, then we can do any number of things on offense and probably win a lot of games. But if we are in the middle of the pack, or at the lower end talent-wise, then throwing the football gives us a chance on offense to equalize the game. Also, if we are behind in a game, throwing allows us to use a sort of “two-minute” offense.

Fun for Players and Fans

A well-functioning passing game is fun for the players and entertaining to the fans. Your team will feel like it has an edge on the opposition and quarterbacks and receivers will go out and play catch on their own – and enjoy it. They will not feel like they are “practicing,” but rather having fun. We are losing more and more young athletes to other sports, so we need to be concerned about football’s entertainment value and making it fun.

Extension of Running Game

The most difficult part of the passing offense is protection. Therefore, our philosophy is to throw the football quickly and with good timing. In many ways, it is easier to throw a pass and gain 4+ yards than it is to run off tackle and gain 4+ yards. So our short, controlled passing game can be an extension of our running game, by throwing and catching short passes and taking time off the clock.

Better-suited for Majority of Players

A short passing game does not require a quarterback with a great arm or receivers with great speed. Most of us can find a QB who can throw accurate crossing or hook routes, whereas we may not find a QB who can make the deeper, more difficult throws. Ideally in this offense, you will have a quarterback who is both nimble and a good athlete, since he may need to escape the pass rush and throw on the run.

Players Must Comprehend the Offense

Our players must understand the offense like it is second nature, so simple is often better than complex. It doesn’t matter how much we as coaches know; what is important is what our QB and other players know and grasp. Execution wins more than ideas do. By practicing the same pass plays every day the quarterback and receivers will only get better. Our QB must understand that every time he drops back to pass we want to throw a completion, run for plus yardage, throw the ball away or lastly, take a sack, in that order. He also needs to understand that he must make his decisions quickly. Sometimes taking a sack is the best thing to do, so we need to give the quarterback permission to do so. The ability of your quarterback to handle plays that don’t go as planned is critical to your success, so following the guidelines of completion, run, throw it away or take a sack can help.

QB Scramble

“Scramble Rules” are used when the protection breaks down and the quarterback is forced from the pocket by defenders. The first rule is that all receivers and backs should run parallel with the QB. They must stay on the same level or depth as they were in their route so as not to cluster. If they reach a point five yards from the sideline, turn up to the end zone. Also, any receiver that is 25 yards or deeper on the side of the scramble should come back to the quarterback.

Third and Long

We hear television commentators get disgusted when pass plays or running plays get less than the necessary yardage on third down. However, when it’s third and long, that means we did something wrong on first and/or second down, so to tell your team that you MUST get a first down on third and long is ludicrous. Any positive yardage is good, and more bad than good things happen on third and long if we get greedy. If you throw a crossing route on third and long and come up just shy of a first down, there will be a completely different mind set for both teams than if you go for the big play and have an incomplete pass or, worse, an interception. Besides, you’ve gained positive yards for better field position after you punt. There are no MUST downs in football until very late in the game.

Here is an example of a simple route in this offense versus a “3-Deep” zone.


3-Deep Zone

Related Videos
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About the author
Larry Kennan


Larry Kennan, the Executive Director of the National Football League Coaches Association, has a coaching resume that spans more than 30 years. This includes 16 years on the professional level, 13 years at the college level, and three years as a high school coach. You can reach him at Larry.Kennan@nflcoaches.com






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