CFZ Let's talk west coast offense

[Coogiguy03]

If you like me, have limited knowledge of what to expect from WCO, the kind of players who best fit the system. Please feel to add any tips or nuggets. I'm trying to learn as much as possible (lol).

I will go on and ask the obvious question.......is the offense a good fit for Dak?


What is the West Coast offense in football?


Walsh. His “West Coast offense” was a ball-control offense that featured short passes and quick slanting pass routes by receivers and running backs. This resulted in coverage mismatches and space for the backs and receivers to break long runs. Walsh was inducted into the Pro Football Hall…

What is the basic West Coast offense?


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. I'm guessing this means every play will likely have an open receiver.

https://www.thephinsider.com/2014/2/13/5406774/football-101-what-is-a-west-coast-offense

Key Player Types​

Typical players in a WCO are:

Quarterback: Mobile, accurate passer who makes good decisions. Does not have to have the strongest arm, since short passes are the key.

Linemen: Mobile, agile blockers who can roll a pocket with a mobile quarterback. The WCO is not a power running game, so zone blocking is more prominent.

Wide receivers: Accurate route runners, with good timing with the quarterback. Needs to be able to separate himself in traffic and make a play after the catch on shorter routes.

Running backs: Need to be a receiving threat, with good route-running skills. Also needs to be able to pass block, protecting the quarterback on 5-step drops. The offense will look to break longer runs later in a game, so a home run threat running back, who can step up and pass block, is ideal. Does not necessarily need to be the biggest, power runner.

Tight ends: Needs to be a blocker, as well as a possession receiver. Has to have good hands, able to catch a ball in traffic, especially over the middle as a progression target.

RUNNING BACK DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A BRUISER, but ask these people on here, they swear we need one!! Get us more guys like pollard, hell even chubb guys that can break it, but still be a dual threat and get tough yards!! Not big powerful backs like zeke who LOOK for contact instead of trying to avoid it!

 

[CowboyChris]

So Dak needs to be Joe Montana? got it

 

[Coogiguy03]

Lamb and maybe Tolbert can get separation?????

big maybe

 

[Coogiguy03]

This is a great thread - great information in here

As many have already deduced - on paper, this isn’t the ideal scheme for D. Prescott

sucks to be him

 

[Cowboyny]

Wco is far easier to run then the air coryell offense we have run for years, where you need elite talent across the board

 

[JBS]

sucks to be him

Yep. Sucks big time. Making 40m a year and about to get extended. Sure sucks

 

[visionary]

I think Dak will surprise you. He was very good with these crossing routes at times with Dez, Cooper, CD, even Wilson for one year, but with all the option routes in Moore’s offense, I think there was always a little hesitation in making sure the WR saw what he saw and wasn’t going to pull up in a zone.

Reads in the west coast offense, especially what Mike did in GB are more logical than in Moore’s offense because plays are threatening various levels of the defense. It is very QB friendly because the QB looks short, then intermediate, then deeper. Routes are timed out more logically. It is much harder when 3 receivers are all running curls or all running flies.

I hope you are correct

 

[Zman5]

They should go study the Eagirls offense with Reid and McNabb.

McFlabb was a career 59% passer. Much more inaccurate than Dak.
He went to multiple championship games and a SB playing in Reid's WCO.

 

[Aven8]

Many who remember that I begged for this offense when we had Romo. He was made for this. I think Dak will do well at it. We do need to find some WR’s though.

 

[Shane612]

Quick passes implies the ball is released before the receive makes his last cut, a la Aikman/Irving.
When has Dak ever done that?

 

[BlindFaith]

I've been supportive of Dak. Not any longer. He is limited in how he processes things. Or more importantly, how long. And he lacks anticipation.

I dont care what offense we roll out there, it still depends monumentally on the QB.

Look at it like this. A perfect QB can throw a WR open on any play. If that QB can quickly determine the best matchup and then can anticipate where and when the ball needs to be placed. Offense has the advantage because they know where they are going.

Dak is always late on his reads. Many times he made incorrect reads. Add to that poor anticipation leading to balls being forced into small windows or worse.

We needed coaches that will get on Dak and not be his buddy. I hated Parcells, but one thing he did do is coach up Romo. Telling him in practice to "get the ball out, get the ball out!"

Not confident that we can fix Daks lack of anticipation at this point. He is what he is. But hopefully we can speed up his processing.

 

[Zman5]

Quick passes implies the ball is released before the receive makes his last cut, a la Aikman/Irving.
When has Dak ever done that?

Go watch any one of film break downs on our offense. He does it most of the time. In fact, some of his INTS are due to him releasing the ball before the receiver makes the cut to a different spot than where he was expecting them to be.

 

[Rayman70]

we shall see if Dak is a fit.

 

[CTcowboy203]

Lamb likely will excel in a west coast style offense. Getting him on the run and with quick passes he can do something with may really be great for him. I hate saying it but obj is another guy who if he’s here may also flourish in it

 

[VaqueroTD]

Hitting runners in stride. Boy, just what Dak excels at.

 

[conner01]

From my understanding, this offense doesn't require a deep threat as much receiver's ability to get separation.

Run after the catch makes up for deep passes
A 20 yard play is a 20 yard play whether you throw it 20 or throw it 10 and run 10 after the catch
Lamb seems a great fit in the WC
Also involve the RB in the passing game

 

[Hawkeye0202]

obj is another guy who if he’s here may also flourish in it

+1

 

[CowboyRoy]

Contrary to some conceptions, Mike’s West Coast offense is definitely NOT all short passes.

What you won’t see much of is 3 receivers all running fly routes or all hitches or all curls at the same time.
There will be more horizontal routes where receivers catch the ball on the run with room to keep moving across the field or cutting up. You will see more RBs and receivers running routes from a position in the backfield. Mike moved wr Montgomery to the RB position long before Deebo Samual was in HS. This was out of necessity when his RBs were injured, but he also ran many of his routes from there. Later, Devontae Adams got his start running routes from the backfield. There will be screens and plenty of the power run game if the personnel is there.

most importantly, most pass plays will not only stretch the defense horizontally, but receivers will be running routes at different levels, the short slants and crossing routes, the intermediate curls, hitches and skinny posts, and the fly, post, corner, and double moves. It puts defenders in a bind and requires they tackle well. The QB’s progressions in any offense are more logical when each route takes a different amount of time to develop. However, there will be fan whining at times about a deeper receiver being open because unless the deep route is predetermined by single coverage pre-snap, the QB should be getting rid of the ball to the first guy he sees open.

In my opinion, Zeke will be a little limited in this offense, and we should still look for a big blocking TE in the draft.

Zeke is would be limited in EVERY offense seeing as though he is toast.

 

[blueblood70]

MM and staff know the the WCO , knows our players, and have good idea on what plays to develop and run to best fit, or they wouldn't have moved on from Moore,.

fans trying to figure it out just makes for wasted threads because which plays they use from whatever playbook they develop and how the plays are called in game will never be announced.

I'm sure a lot like Quinn took parts from his old defenses and adapted and manipulated it throughout his 2 seasons to suit our talent is what MM will do with the offense.


doubt its an 80s/90s version of WCO but more the philosophy and base start there and then adapted.

 

[Tabascocat]

This will be a slow learning curve for sure. Around mid-season, things should start clicking. I don’t see too many skill positions that will excel currently on the team. CeeDee, Pollard and maybe Tolbert will step up. A better blocking TE would be great as well.

I like the horizontal aspect, making the defense concentrate on the whole field instead of the first third full of curl routes.

I know some won’t like it but Bijan would be a great RB for this scheme……..