The approach to offense in American and Canadian football has splintered and evolved in the 100 years in which the modern form of the sport has existed. Many philosophies exist about deploying a team's 11 players, including:

Run and shoot offense

The "Run and Shoot" offense uses sets of 3 and 4 wide receivers, the shotgun formation, and backfield motion. This often forces the defense to reveal its hand and enables the quarterback to audible a play best suited to attack. While the popular perception is that the Run and Shoot is about passing madly, it is about forcing the defense's hand. Many Run and Shoot teams have produced solid running attacks. The offense grew from basketball, in which a point guard takes the ball down court, reads the defense, and calls the appropriate play. This gives the Run and Shoot its sandlot feel.

Formation

The basic Run and Shoot formation has 5 linemen for blocking, a quarterback, a single running back, and four receivers. Variations include dropping a receiver in favor of an extra running back or a tight end.

Criticisms

This complex style requires smart wide receivers and quarterbacks who can call their own plays, an NFL rarity.

Teams

Teams that have employed the Run and Shoot offense include:

• Houston Oilers (1989-1994)
• Detroit Lions (1989-1994)
• Atlanta Falcons (1990-1995)
• Cinncinatti Bengals (2003-

West coast offense

The West Coast offense is a passing ball control offense. Once thought a contradiction in terms, it achieves ball control by using short, high percentage passing routes. Since the routes are relatively short, and the pass leaves the quarterback's hand quickly, there is less need for additional blockers. Thus all five eligible receivers are (typically) used extensively in the West Coast offense. Spreading the ball to all potential targets can create mismatches, often between a running back and a linebacker, or perhaps the tight end and a linebacker. By forcing tighter coverage between the safeties and offensive players, the West Coast offense can pull the safeties toward the line of scrimage without running - and thus it can set up the long pass play with shorter passes.

By throwing lots of short passes, the West Coast offense gets the ball to the faster players in open space more frequently. The notion of run after catch (RAC) yards was invented for west coast offense players. Twenty yard pass plays used to mean long deep out or deep in patterns with a strong armed quarterback but now more frequently the twenty yard play involves a six yard pass to a talented receiver who made a couple of good moves - and perhaps got a block downfield from a fellow receiver.

The West Coast offense, at its best, annoys a defense into foolishness. By consistently completing short passes, it encourages the defensive backs to move closer to the line of scrimage. The quarterback releases the ball so quickly that the pass rushers are tempted to complacency. Further, it gives the offense confidence. A combination of these factors afford the offense a good opportunity to throw deeper passes.

This is not to say the est Coast offense abandons the run. A running game complements the West Coast Offense because short passes naturally set up situations when the run is more favorable.

Note: although this is the current usage of the term, the actual West Coast Offense was a term applied to the Don Coryell/Bill Walsh offense run by the San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. More properly, the above should be called the Walsh offense, as it was perfected under Walsh in San Francisco. The actual San Diego West Coast offense involved much longer timing routes and bore little resemblance to the above.

Teams

• San Francisco 49ers
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Green Bay Packers
• Atlanta Falcons
• Denver Broncos