Air It Out

The last couple of weeks we have discussed a new definition for the turnover, and avoiding punting and kicking-off deep as a way to help score more points.  But at the end of the day you need an offense to score.  Without an effective offensive game plan, it will be difficult to score points. In previous post I mentioned that Sid Gillman was the father of modern football.  Gillman based his offensive principles around a vertical passing game that utilized a single running back, and passing to set up the run.  Coaches including Don Coryell, Bill Walsh, and Mouse Davis all used Gillman’s principles to influence offensive football.

Coryell became famous in the 1970’s as the head coach of the San Diego Chargers.  During his time there he created an offense that used multiple wideouts, motion, and numerous route options on any given play.1  His offense, which became known as “Air Coryell,” took Gillman’s “Pro-Set” and evolved it to take advantage of the NFL rules at the time.  Next, would come Walsh’s “West Coast” offense.  Walsh devised an offensive system that used the pass to replace the run, focused on short, quick passes, and used multiple receivers.2  Walsh again took Gillman’s “Pro-Set” basics and adjusted them to exploit NFL defenses in the 1980’s.  Finally, we have Mouse Davis and the “Run and Shoot.”  The “Run and Shoot” became popular in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.  The “Run and Shoot”  uses four wideouts, single running back, and requires for the wideouts to adjust their routes based on the defense’s coverage.3  The Warren Moon-led Houston Oilers are the best example of a “Run and Shoot” team.  They famously didn’t even have a tight end or fullback on their roster on several occasions during the 90’s. From Gillman to Coryell to Walsh to Davis, the passing game has evolved into a deadly, efficient tool for football coaches over the years.

Today, many of the principles from Gillman, Coryell, Walsh, and Davis are still in use.  Perhaps, the most well known pass-first offense today is the “Air Raid.”  The “Air Raid,”  at it’s core, is just a modern interpretation of Gillman’s “Pro-Set.”  While Hal Mumme and Mike Leach get most of the credit for the “Air Raid,” LaVell Edwards, former head coach at BYU, created the principles that form the foundation of this offense.  Edwards took Gillman’s ideas and integrated them into an offense that featured four wideouts, a single running back, and sought to take advantage of zone defenses by having receivers run different routes at different depths on the field.4  Mumme and Leach took Edward’s ideas and went crazy with them.  The result of their outside-the-box thinking was a passing offense that would shatter the record books.  The “Air Raid” also made it possible for schools like Texas Tech, that couldn’t get the quality of recruits that bigger schools could, to be competitive.  The “Air Raid” has permeated all levels of football from high school to the NFL.  

As coaches continue to scheme and plan in hopes of finding the golden ticket that will allow them to crush their opponents, we continue to see the influence of Sid Gillman.  Fifty years after he created his “Pro-Set,” it is still the grandfather of modern offensive football.  It is an exciting time to be a coach and fan of football.

References

¹Air Coryell Offense Definition - Sporting Charts. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.sportingcharts.com/dictionary/nfl/air-coryell-offense.aspx

²WEST COAST OFFENSE OVERVIEW. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.westcoastoffense.com/overview.htm

³Run and Shoot Definition - Sporting Charts. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.sportingcharts.com/dictionary/nfl/run-and-shoot.aspx

⁴The Air Raid Offense: History, Evolution, Weirdness – From Mumme to Leach to Franklin to Holgorsen and Beyond. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://smartfootball.com/offense/the-air-raid-offense-history-evolution-weirdness-from-mumme-to-leach-to-franklin-to-holgorsen-and-beyond#sthash.2CK72LPd.dpbs