The West Coast Offense is a strategy that implements various formations and plays that focuses on spreading both defensive and offensive lines in order to increase the number of potential receivers on the field at once as well as increase the duration of a play or pass.  A traditional offense runs on a vertical tangent, the goal in theory is to open up as many perpendicular passing lanes as possible to gain more yards.  This allows for a defensive line to train for one possible scenario in which the offensive line will be making vertical runs to the end zone.  Bill Walsh wanted a variety of options in offensive play on the field as he concentrated the formation around the quarterback and the wide receiver.  With unconventional offensive layouts that generally toted imbalance and little dependence on a defensive line, Bill Walsh developed the theory of “pass first, run later” in football.



In order to run WCO successfully, there are some key players with specialized skills that are required on a team.  Because dependence has shifted from the defensive line to the quarterback, an ideal player to centralize the WCO would be an intelligent QB who is quick physically and intelligently.  With less defensive backing for the QB, he finds himself more often than not in rapid closing proximity to the opposing team.  In the short span of time, the WCO quarterback must make a snap decision as to which of the five available receivers on the field would gain the most yards.  The QB also has the option to act as a runner when the opposing defense is covering the wide receiving line carefully.  That being said, those are the two sole options given to the quarterback that allow the WCO to work successfully, so the player is now limited in creative play, and must follow the strategy to the tee.  The other half of a WCO team is a receiver that plays well in the face of an aggressive opposing defense.  Wide receivers must be quick as well as large to allow each catches in close proximity to large defensemen.  The development of a specialized player in offensive playing has affected the way young, aspiring athletes train and how professional teams are built.