Unlike the past couple years we shouldn't witness a scripted game, at most expect Morton to only have a portion of the game plan scripted possibly the first 15 to 20 plays... What we know is they plan to utilize a massive dose both Bilal Powell and Matt Forte in their dual ability to be a runner and receiver... The current crop of receivers are best at short to intermediate routes while trying to make the first defender miss to break open yards after catch... We have a couple of knee jerk receivers that could go vertical but there is no guarantee they will get open or be able to bring down the catch on a consistent basis...
So the expectation:
Traditional west coast offense deploys the quarterback into a seven step drop back, but to be fair we don't have the offensive line to be consistent in their pass protection for our receivers to get open and our signal caller to make on time throws... Expect more of a three step hot route game plan... Cutting the field down to portions whomever is under center will have areas of two maybe three targets to throw too... This type offense requires a quarterback who throws extremely accurately, and often blindly, very close to opposing players... The quarterback will need to be able to quickly pick the best one of the 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 robotic like, executing the play exactly as instructed by the offensive coordinator, who calls the plays for him...
Typical Game Plan:
The majority of the 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... 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...
Theory of what to expect from Morton:
Most likely we should be watching a similar style to Bill Wash's West Coast Game Plan... In 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...
So the expectation:
Traditional west coast offense deploys the quarterback into a seven step drop back, but to be fair we don't have the offensive line to be consistent in their pass protection for our receivers to get open and our signal caller to make on time throws... Expect more of a three step hot route game plan... Cutting the field down to portions whomever is under center will have areas of two maybe three targets to throw too... This type offense requires a quarterback who throws extremely accurately, and often blindly, very close to opposing players... The quarterback will need to be able to quickly pick the best one of the 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 robotic like, executing the play exactly as instructed by the offensive coordinator, who calls the plays for him...
Typical Game Plan:
The majority of the 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... 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...
Theory of what to expect from Morton:
Most likely we should be watching a similar style to Bill Wash's West Coast Game Plan... In 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...
