Super 49ers & New West Coast Offense

We’re told the 49ers may win Super Bowl because they defy the conventional wisdom behind “spread offenses” & preach bunching their linemen so opponents face an array of options they can only guess at.

The WSJ’s article by Andrew Beaton sets the Super grid iron scene colorfully enough & probably better than the much-criticized tv announcer Tony Romo: “Once quarterback Brock Purdy breaks the San Francisco 49ers’ huddle, opposing defenders face an endless set of problems. Running back Christian McCaffrey could blow past them in any direction. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has the speed to torch them deep downfield. Tight end George Kittle can catch a pass on the sideline & steamroll his way toward a touchdown. Every blade of grass, from the line of scrimmage to the back of the end zone, presents imminent danger.”

The key behind SF head coach Kyle Shanahan’s “schematic revolution” is that his “condensed formations … take the same principles as the spread – & completely invert them.” The trick behind any offensive alignment is to “create and exploit space.” Spread offenses have traditionally done that by “forcing defenders to line up from sideline to sideline.” But, the 49ers get the same result in a “counterintuitive” way. That is, “by forcing defensive backs to worry about the enormous empty patches of turf on the outside, it actually opens up the middle of the field to attack.” (Maybe it also helps “protect” the QB from pass rushers.) Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid knows the dilemma Shanahan’s offense presents his heralded defense. Both men are considered NFL “geniuses.” But, will the shifty, burger-stealing State Farm Insurance spokeman have a slight of hand answer to this latest twist on the “West Coast Offense”?

Davd Soul