<P> The term "West Coast offense", as it is now commonly used, derives from a remark made by then - New York Giants coach Bill Parcells after the Giants defeated the San Francisco 49ers 17 - 3 in the 1985 playoffs . Parcells, a believer in tough defense over finesse - oriented offense, scornfully derided the 49ers' offense with the statement, "What do you think of that West Coast Offense now?" In 1993, a Bernie Kosar quotation used to describe the 1993 Dallas Cowboys' offense as' West Coast offense' was publicized by Sports Illustrated writer Paul Zimmerman ("Dr. Z"). Originally Kosar had meant a comparison to the "Air Coryell" system used by west coast teams in the 1970s, the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders . A reporter mistakenly applied Kosar's quotation about the Air Coryell system to the 1980s - era attack of Walsh's San Francisco 49ers . Initially, Walsh resisted having the term misapplied to his own distinct system (Zimmerman noted that an article so misapplying the term led to an upset Walsh phone call to Zimmerman--"He called me up...(saying) that wasn't his offense ."), but the moniker stuck . Now the term is commonly used to refer to a range of pass - oriented offenses that may not be closely related to either the Air Coryell system or Walsh's pass - strategy . Despite the "West Coast" name, the true origins of the offense go back to Paul Brown, legendary coach of the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals . Under Brown's tenure, Bill Walsh was tasked with coming up with an offense better suited for quarterback Virgil Carter, who had a relatively weak arm . What Walsh would devise is system based on precise, horizontal stretch - based passes . This system countered for Carter's weak arm, as it allowed the ball to be thrown to intermediate routes - the theory being that the receiver will make up the total yardage . After leaving the Bengals, Bill Walsh implemented his ball - control, high percentage pass game in San Francisco to great success . The West Coast offense was then passed on by Walsh's disciples, and its principles still remain in use today . </P> <P> Bernie Kosar used the term to describe the offense formalized by Sid Gillman with the AFL Chargers in the 1960s and later by Don Coryell's St. Louis Cardinals and Chargers in the 1970s and 1980s . Al Davis, an assistant under Gillman, also carried his version to the Oakland Raiders, where his successors John Rauch, John Madden, and Tom Flores continued to employ and expand upon its basic principles . This is the "West Coast offense" as Kosar originally used the term . However, it is now commonly referred to as the "Air Coryell" timed system, and instead the term West Coast offense is usually used to describe Bill Walsh's system . </P> <P> The offense uses a specific naming system, with the routes for (wide receiver) s and tight ends receiving three digit numbers, and routes for backs having unique names . For example, a pass play in 3 digit form might be "Split Right 787 check swing, check V". (see Offensive Nomenclature). This provides an efficient way to communicate many different plays with minimal memorization . Conversely, the Walsh "West Coast offense" could in theory have more freedom, since route combinations are not limited by 0 - 9 digits, but at the price of much more memorization required by the players . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Start </Th> <Th> End </Th> <Th> Team </Th> <Th> Head coach </Th> <Th> Offensive coordinator </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1957 </Td> <Td> 1959 </Td> <Td> Los Angeles Rams </Td> <Td> Sid Gillman </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1960 </Td> <Td> 1968 </Td> <Td> Los Angeles / San Diego Chargers </Td> <Td> Sid Gillman </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1963 </Td> <Td> 1965 </Td> <Td> Oakland Raiders </Td> <Td> Al Davis </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1966 </Td> <Td> 1968 </Td> <Td> Oakland Raiders </Td> <Td> John Rauch </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1969 </Td> <Td> 1970 </Td> <Td> Buffalo Bills </Td> <Td> John Rauch </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td>--</Td> <Td> Houston Oilers </Td> <Td> Sid Gillman </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1979 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders </Td> <Td> Tom Flores </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1992 </Td> <Td> 1994 </Td> <Td> Seattle Seahawks </Td> <Td> Tom Flores </Td> <Td> Larry Kennan </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2006 </Td> <Td>--</Td> <Td> Oakland Raiders </Td> <Td> Art Shell </Td> <Td> John Shoop and Tom Walsh </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Who runs a west coast offense in the nfl