Although there are many forms of strategies used by NFL teams today, most are a hybrid version of the three original schemes. ‘Marty Ball’, ‘Air Coryell’ and ‘Option’; the ‘option’ is a recent scheme but an original scheme, nonetheless. Teams and coaches have adjusted these three schemes to make some of the more common hybrid versions we see today. I’m going to try and break them down so you have a better understanding of what they are. If your Wonderlic score isn’t as high as it should be, it will be after; I will put in some graphics to help you understand what is going on.
If you want to learn more, check out our post about NFL Offensive Play Call Systems.
Let’s start with the OGs:
Pro Set/Marty Ball
Marty Schottenheimer developed this strategy as the coach of the Cleveland Browns in the early 1980s. It was designed to be a run-dominant scheme in which passing was only used to help the run game and on long-distance downs (3rd down and 7+ yards to go). It would require a big, powerful full back to block for the equally big and powerful half back. Commentators and critics alike used to call it the ‘run, run, pass, punt’ sequence of play.
Air Coryell/Vertical Offense
A system named for Don Coryell, coach of the then-San Diego Chargers, Air Coryell was introduced in the late 1970s. This is a pass-heavy style of offense used to stretch the field vertically and put the defence on the back foot from the word ‘go’. This can have running plays to open the deep pass again with play action. This scheme requires a QB with a strong arm and the ability to stay upright for enough time to get the ball downfield.
Option/RPO
The option scheme was developed in colleges across the country, and became widely used in the 1990s-2000s, but its originator is unknown. Regardless, this is a much-used strategy in college still, and has also transitioned to the NFL. This style is mainly used to produce a variety of options for the QB. It can be used to fake the run and use the pass; fake the pass and use the run; or fake the run with one player and run with another player, usually the QB. This relies on the QB having good awareness and judgement, as they will be looking predominantly at the defensive end or outside linebacker to decide what play to use at a split-second decision.
Smashmouth
This is a variant of ‘Marty Ball’, and is thus a run-heavy system, but it is great for play action to incorporate the pass. There have been some prominent variants, with the ‘exotic smashmouth’ used recently by the Tennessee Titans.
Spread
This is a derivative of ‘Air Coryell’. It has a lot of downfield passes, but can be used for some great trick plays. It most often uses a 4 or 5 WR set with the QB in shotgun. Like the ‘Air Coryell’, it is used to get the team downfield as quickly as possible.
West Coast
Bill Walsh, former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, created this offense as yet another variant of ‘Air Coryell’. Instead of long passes, it is more focused on short, quick passes. The idea is to get the QB to get the ball to the team’s playmakers; instead of leaning on their big arms, they rely on their speedy, agile receivers. This is commonly known as a ‘dink and dunk’ style of play, but its effectiveness means it is used by over half the teams in the NFL today.
1 Pingback