Finally…the Genius of the West Coast Offense
This will be one of my shortest post but only because I finally found a Youtube video (see below) that absolute nails the finer points of the WCO, and in only 11 minutes! lol….unbelievably commendable
So, my points are furthered by the fact that what makes the WCO, and pretty much every stem of offense since, work, is the single greatest factor of Timing.
Think of your car’s (internal combustion) engine. and how all the myriad thousands of parts and pieces work together at the exact same time to move your car down the road…these are the things CONSTANTLY going on in the background without you even noticing or understanding it, and it’s all happening while you’re listening to your favorite music, trying to mind your children in the back seat, or screeching cuss words at the guy who just cut you off.
THIS is how the WCO works.
Now imagine if suddenly the alternator stops working…or a valve slips….or what if your battery starts to goes bad? If even ONE of these and an INESTIMABLE number of other possible factors break or even slightly burp, then THE WHOLE MACHINE IS THROWN OFF…and in time, the smallest thing that rocks the timing off, will eventually cause the whole bloody thing to break down.
If JUST ONE piece of this machine is off, goes rogue, selfishly goes its own way, or ridiculously throws tantrums and gets easily baited into dumba$$ emo-baby triggered toddlerish fisters during a game….
…well, I think you NOW know where I’m going with this.
The machine of a modern offense is timed by STEPS of players…the clocks inside their heads…and velocities, masses, frictions, motions, and momentums of the PHYSICAL forces, which are CONSTANTLY at play before, during, and after each and every snap of the ball.
The QB “drops back” a systematic certain and distinct number of steps…2, 3, 5, 7, 10 step dropbacks time the play….the Receivers, Backs, and Olinemen all have steps and directions of movements of their own to play out and all in accordance with the clock of the QB’s dropbacks.
So, the QB drops are essentially the Timing Belt of the Offensive Machine.
THIS was the TRUE greatness of Bill Walsh’s West Coast Offense.
The whole damn thing was basically a perfectly running and extremely detailed, finely engineered, maintained and tuned clock.
Let me say that again….the Offense is a Clock…………the Offense is a Clock…
The Offense is a Clock
Was Joe Montana a “system QB”? …was Jerry Rice a “system WR”?
…were Roger Craig, Tom Rathman, Brent Jones, John Taylor, etc. etc. etc. “system” offensive players….?
100% YES!!
….the modern POPULIST BELIEF is that a “system” player is somehow a BAD THING!!
In FACT, it’s FIRMLY NOT!
When JUST one player makes the decision to SELFISHLY go off schedule, then NONE of the REST of the offense can function properly!
So….specifically, let’s put DK’s PROFOUNDLY STUPID and undisciplined fisticuff moments aside for a minute but USE THEM as popularly known events to demonstrate that it’s actually his UNDISCIPLINED routes!…his UNDISCIPLINED meathead method of CATCHING THE BALL! ….his UNDISCIPLINED blocking! …his UNDISCIPLINED seemingly lack of concern for the other players doing THEIR jobs!
…the list goes on and on and on.
If JUST ONE cog in that machine is off…then the TIMING of the WHOLE MACHINE is off….and when the machine’s timing is off, the machine begins to WOBBLE ….it’s then that the PHYSICAL INERTIA of the WOBBLING MACHINE, over time.. be it short or long…….breaks it.
Do I want Geno Smith to be a SYSTEM QB? ..HELL YES!!
Do I want Will Dissley to be a SYSTEM TE? ..HELL YES!!
Do I want Ken Walker 3 to be a SYSTEM RB? ..HELL YES!!
Do I want Evan Brown to be a SYSTEM CENTER? ..HELL YES!!
Do I CONSTANTLY dream of a day when DK Metcalf FINALLY becomes a SYSTEM WR?!!
…oh my Lord…yes
So, a good thing happened in this last 49er game…DK got very publicly exposed…and his EXTREMELY PRIDEFUL feelings got hurt in full public bloom.
It’s unfortunate that sometimes really hard-headed, stupid, and PRIDEFUL people NEED to have their feelings hurt to motivate/shock them into changing (or unfu#$ing) themselves…
…but if that’s what it takes, then that’s just what it takes.
End
(psyche!.. and you thought this was going to be a short post lol)
(Next post – Know Thy Enemy)