| West Coast Offense |
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DEFINITION The actual term "West Coast Offense" is derived from a 1993 Bernie Kosar quote, which was publicized by '' Sports Illustrated '' writer Paul Zimmerman , aka " Dr. Z ". It meant the offense used by the two west coast teams (Chargers and 49ers) in the past few decades, not the 1980s-era 49ers attack, but a reporter mistakenly grouped all three and the name stuck in association with Walsh's offense. The 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 their running game first, which will draw the defense in and open up passing lanes downfield. The West Coast Offense, on the contrary, stipulates that a defense must first be stretched with a short, horizontal passing attack that features sharp, precisely-run pass patterns by the receivers and quick, 3-step and 5-step drops by the Quarterback . This 'stretching' will then open up running lanes for the backs to exploit. This will, in theory, make the offense's play calling unpredictable, which makes a defense play 'honest' because most down and distance situations can be attacked with the pass or run in the West Coast Offense. Beyond this basic principle of passing to set up the run (not vice versa), there are few rules that govern the WCO. Throughout the years, coaches have added to, adjusted, modified, simplified, and enhanced Bill Walsh's original adaptation of the Coryell/Gillman offense. Formations and plays vary greatly, as does play calling. EXTERNAL LINKS
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