If We Are Running The West Coast Offense, Here Is The Plan

[H2o]

The West Coast Offense is predicated on short to intermediate passes that pull defenses back off of the line of scrimmage to open up running lanes for the RB's. For far too long our coaching staffs have tried to make players fit into their systems, trying to fit a square peg into a round hole so to speak. We need to break away from that, get players that fit the system, and not try to force them to fit. After sitting back and looking at our offense as a whole this is the plan I would hope to see take shape.

 

The West Coast Offense starts first with the QB. Our QB situation is murky right now at best. The best QB's I have ever seen run this system were Joe Montana and Steve Young. Most of the routes are 3 to 5 step drop backs for the QB with the routes being 10-15 yards downfield. You have to have a QB who can process information quickly, get the ball out of his hands with precise timing shared by he and the WR, and deliver an accurate ball. This doesn't mean you don't take shots downfield, but most of the routes are slated within the previously mentioned parameters. The QB's footwork, decision making, and timing with his WR's as well as being able to deliver an accurate ball are the determining factors of how successful this offense will be. Can Fitz be the guy for this style of offense? It's hard to say. We all have grown so tired of losing and seeing this crappy product on the field that we just want to send them all to the gallows. I really don't think he can lead us to where we all want our team to go. Hope he proves me wrong if he is kept, but I don't see it. I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that T-Jax is not the answer either. Looking at the crop of QB's this year it is tough to find a guy who you believe could run this system IMO. There is so much of a Spread Offense mentality in college right now that most QB's hardly ever line up under Center. If our organization is dead set on going QB in the first, and this is the system we will be running, then I want our QB selected to be Matt Barkley. He has experience running this offense and can make all the throws that you would need out of a QB in it. Can he throw a football 70 yards in the air? Probably not, but neither could Montana or Young. Could Smith be just as effective? Possibly, but I'm not sold on the guy. Basrkley would just be my preference. Every QB has their positives and negatives that are on display, if not magnified 1,000 times more, during this time heading into the draft. Out of all of the other QB's in this draft the only ones I would take a chance on after Barkley are Dysert or possibly Glennon, either of the other latter two in the 3rd or 4th Rounds of the draft. Again, these are all personal preferences. Does this mean I am sold that any of them are a "Franchise QB"? No, not by any means.

 

Now to the RB's. I believe we have one of the best RB's in the league for this system. Spiller can do it all. He can run the ball effectively, catch the ball out of the backfield, and is one of, if not the most explosive RB with the ball in his hands. Fred Jackson is a nice compliment to Spiller, but needs to hold onto the ball after his fumbling issues last season. Fred's age will also catch up with him eventually so it would not hurt to grab a RB in FA or in the later rounds of the draft. When I see Spiller and think of this offense I think of a young Bryan Westbrook, Priest Holmes, or Marshall Faulk. These were guys who could beat you in multiple ways, all they needed was the ball in their hands. Spiller, IMO, is more dynamic than any of those players, even Marshall Faulk. If we can get a reliable, starting caliber QB in place to run this offense I believe the sky is the limit for Spiller and he quite possibly could go down as one of the greatest Bills' RB's in history. As far as the FB position goes? I think Corey Mac would be fine for now, but it doesn't hurt to be on the lookout for a guy you believe could be aTom Rathman, Moose Johnston, Zack Crockett, or William Henderson type of FB.

 

Next up, the WR position. The greatest WR of all time was the greatest example of success in this offense, Jerry Rice. You can also look at guys like John Taylor, Sterling Sharpe, Terrell Owens, Tim Brown, and Donald Driver who all have been extremely productive WR's in this system. You don't have to be a 4.35 40yd guy to be successful. You do, however, have to be a good route runner who can gain separation and be on the same page with your QB. I think Stevie Johnson is a perfect fit for the West Coast style of offense. Johnson is an excellent route runner who knows exactly what to do to create separation and keep himself in front of defensders on the short to intermediate routes. I believe he will thrive in this system, especially if we get the right QB, to the tune of some great production on the field. I'd expect 90+ catches and 1,300+ yards if he can stay healthy for the duration. I just believe that this offense will fit his strengths that well. After Stevie its a mess right now. We have TJ who is unproven, but you hope takes at least a nice step forward. Then you have Brad Smith who is a waste of salary cap space IMO. The rest are fodder IMO with Easley, Elliott, and Hogan. Gibson would be a nice fit I believe and he is young at only 25 years old. I also wouldn't mind kicking the tires on a guy like Jordan Shipley for this kind of offense. Depending on whom we get (or don't) in FA, I would like to see us draft a WR in the 2nd like DeAndre Hopkins or Robert Woods and then pick up a guy in the 3rd or 4th like Ryan Swope.

 

The TE position is the next I will address. Really take a look at some of the best TE's that have played in this system. You have Brent Jones, Jay Novacek, Shannon Sharpe, Mark Chmura, and Keith Jackson. Guys like Owen Daniels and Jermichal Finley play in a variant of that same system now. This is a position that truly needs to be addressed, IMO. Chandler is serviceable, but is coming off of an ACL injury. He also doesn't have that level of speed that you would want out of a TE. He's not elite, but a solid player and a good Redzone option. I like him on the team, just would like us to have an upgrade as well. If we are not able to get Barkley in the 1st then I would love to see us trade back, if at all possible, and grab Tyler Eifert. Eifert is the next one to come along recently in the line of TE's that have the gifted skillset of being able to block well enough, hit the seams in the defense, and even be able to line up outside. A good route runner and excellent at adjusting to the ball in the air, able to go up and get it at its highest point while using his body to shield off defenders. He would create match up problems all over the field. A few later round options could be Vance McDonald, Gavin Escobar, or Jordan Reed.

 

Our OL, when healthy, is pretty solid (if we can retain Levitre or sign Louis Vasquez). I expect Glenn to be better this year than he was last year. Urbik is good enough as is Pears. I hope Wood can stay healthy because he is a good player when he is. It wouldn't hurt to upgrade the right side of the OL and the depth could use some work, but overall I'd say that this OL, depending on the LG position, is good enough. It's not dominant, but it is good enough to succeed.

 

In conclusion, it seems like we are still so far away and have so many question marks. If we can grab a few solid players in FA, get things right in the draft this year, finally have some decent luck for a change with injuries, and our players grab hold to this new system l believe things will finally start to turn around here in Buffalo. It all starts at the QB position. So let us all hope that no matter who the signal caller they take is, since they are bent on drafting one from this class, they finally get it right for a change. Here's to hoping this new coaching staff can bring it all together and give us fans a successful product on the field, Lord knows we deserve it.

[uncle flap]

So, to summarize: Draft Barkley and a WR and we are pretty much set on Offense?

 

Fair enough. I'd rather get an impact player on Defense in the 1st and hope for the best with a 2nd rd QB. Receivers can be had in the third. IMO, this class seems especially deep with WRs.

 

If the staff sees Barkley as a franchise QB, then I'm ok with the pick, but right now the Defense needs a heckuva lot more help. Maybe free agency changes that.

 

I just don't see how Barkley is that much better than a QB that could be picked in the second or third, while there are prospects at other positions with a much steeper drop off as the rounds progress.

[H2o]

No, I'm not saying Barkley and a single WR will fix the offense. I'm saying we need a QB, at least a couple of WR's, a TE, and another RB possibly to fix the offense. There are really no FA QB's that fit the bill and it seems as if Buddy is all in on drafting a QB from this class. If that is the case, I would prefer Barkley over the rest. I know the holes we have on defense and I would prefer we address them depending on how FA goes. If we could get a couple of solid LB's and Devito I would be comfortable with going offense early in the first two days of the draft and then BPA after. In all I was just summing up what we need for the offense if this is the system we are changing over to.

[BrooklynBills]

Tavaris Jackson has a lot of experience in a west coast style offense both in Minnesotta and Seattle. Our starter this year will be either Matt Barkley or Tavaris Jackson.

[NFLBighits]

Tavaris Jackson has a lot of experience in a west coast style offense both in Minnesotta and Seattle. Our starter this year will be either Matt Barkley or Tavaris Jackson.

Would rather have EJ manuel then Barkley but my preference....

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Would rather have EJ manuel then Barkley but my preference....

 

And I touched on this before and I'm glad the topic has been started because it's an integral part of the discussion as to who the Bills should draft.

 

An argument can be made that certain draft-eligible QBs are not good fits for the West Coast Offense.

 

Then it becomes a discussion of how flexible the Bills offensive strategists will be with regard to shaping an offense to the talent available.

 

Most people believe that based on the WCO that Barkley, Nassib, and Geno are good fits. Glennon might be a bad fit and I don't remember a QB like Manuel running a WCO.

 

Matt Scott and Tyler Wilson would seem to be good fits. Bray and Landry Jones maybe not so much.

[jaybee]

H2O that was a great read. Thanks for taking the time to put that together.

 

jb

[1billsfan]

And I touched on this before and I'm glad the topic has been started because it's an integral part of the discussion as to who the Bills should draft.

 

An argument can be made that certain draft-eligible QBs are not good fits for the West Coast Offense.

 

Then it becomes a discussion of how flexible the Bills offensive strategists will be with regard to shaping an offense to the talent available.

 

Most people believe that based on the WCO that Barkley, Nassib, and Geno are good fits. Glennon might be a bad fit and I don't remember a QB like Manuel running a WCO.

 

Matt Scott and Tyler Wilson would seem to be good fits. Bray and Landry Jones maybe not so much.

 

 

As you know, I think that there are only three potential franchise QBs in this draft…Smith, Manuel and Scott.

 

Matt Barkley, like Ryan Nassib, is much too slow of foot and unathletic to be anything but a good backup at the next level. NFL defenses will crush you if you have an average arm and you can't avoid a pass rush.

I want the Bills to draft Cordarelle Patterson in the first and then trade up ahead of QB lacking teams for EJ Manuel or Matt Scott (whichever one is THE guy) for the second pick. Then you create the offense around the skills of these guys like what San Fran did with Kaepernick and Seattle did with Wilson.

 

This is THE PLAN I am hoping for!

[Dragonborn10]

What evidence do you have that Barkley can run the west coast offense? He has below average arm strength and is much slower than Fitz. The only reason I think you bring that up is that it is the only offense in which he has any chance of succeeding. He played with playmakers all around him and was brutal last year against Pac-12 defenses. He will be as bad or worse than Sanchez.

Want your QB for the west coast offense. He is already on the team. Fitz will be your starter.

And as other have pointed out TJ also ran the same offense in Minnesota.

There is no reason to waste a #1 pick on this crowd of QB's. We need a WR and a TE much more than an average or below average QB draft pick.

[hooper]

H2O, thanks for the post, great read! Depending on the asking price I would love to see danny amendola brought in, I live in MO and this guy drops very few balls and runs great routes. Combo that with G.Smith and the O could be fun to watch!

[San Jose Bills Fan]

What evidence do you have that Barkley can run the west coast offense? He has below average arm strength and is much slower than Fitz. The only reason I think you bring that up is that it is the only offense in which he has any chance of succeeding. He played with playmakers all around him and was brutal last year against Pac-12 defenses. He will be as bad or worse than Sanchez.

Want your QB for the west coast offense. He is already on the team. Fitz will be your starter.

And as other have pointed out TJ also ran the same offense in Minnesota.

There is no reason to waste a #1 pick on this crowd of QB's. We need a WR and a TE much more than an average or below average QB draft pick.

 

In numerous posts I've stated that I don't like Barkley so don't feel the need to set me straight on him.

 

I suggested that he might be a good fit for the WCO because he has an average arm and the WCO focuses primarily on the short passing game. Also others claim that he's a smart, studious type and that USC ran a similar system to a WCO.

 

My actual point was that some of these QBs may not fit Buffalo's system. That's all.

[Dibs]

The West Coast Offense is predicated on short to intermediate passes that pull defenses back off of the line of scrimmage to open up running lanes for the RB's................................................Lord knows we deserve it.

 

Very good read. Thx.

[KGun12TD]

H2O, thanks for the post, great read! Depending on the asking price I would love to see danny amendola brought in, I live in MO and this guy drops very few balls and runs great routes. Combo that with G.Smith and the O could be fun to watch!