Detroit Lions Weblog

Wet Toast Offense

Mike O’Hara, NFL insider for the Detroit News has taken to referring to the West Coast Offense as the “Wet Toast Offense” due to it’s general ineffectiveness in the years since the Lions have implemented it. The organization has used several coaches and made interminable personnel moves in attempts to establish this heralded “system”, that has it’s beginnings in the early 50’s with the Otto Graham Quarterbacked Cleveland Browns.

My beefs with the West Coast are many. Many West Coast offenses are too busy shuttling personnel in between plays and attempting to out-scheme opponents instead of just beating teams by pure force and desire. Football, isn’t quite the thinking man’s game it sometimes get presented as. What sense is there in constantly throwing 3-5 yard passes when the NFL has began to enforce a rule that gives offensive teams a distinct advantage for their receivers from 5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. The Lions have been particularly conservative this season because they have made it a priority to protect the ball and keep their defense from being placed in situations where they have to defend from poor field position. I don’t want the Lions to dump this offense I just want to see them occasionally stretch the opposing teams defenses by throwing down the field more. Throwing down field isn’t conventionally as high percentage as those 3-5 yard passes, but the passer can be less accurate than they have to be in the short timing routes that the West Coast thrives on. They can be less accurate because the receiver can react to the pass and make the play. On a three yard slant if the ball isn’t placed properly, the receiver will get annihilatedby the defense, have a case of the “alligator arms” or look obscenely stupid in attempts to respond to a poorly thrown ball..

My biggest problem with the West Coast offense as a sysytem is that it takes to long to implement. By the time you have scrapped your personnel, changed your coaching philosophies (and staffs) and everything begins to coalesce opposing teams have figured out ways to offset any advantages the system may offer. If I am an opposing defense I will give you a 3-4 yard pass and try to keep you contained from making the big play. I will jam you hard at the line and hopefully throw you off your receiver’s route. I will do what Green Bay did and have a lot of defenders hovering around the tackle box daring you to go over the top, down the field not giving you much space to work with inside of 10 yards to throw the ball.