Phin Phanatic
FanSided

Breaking down the Miami Dolphins new offensive scheme

By Mathis Gaglione

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAR 02: Head coach, Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 2, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAR 02: Head coach, Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 2, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – AUGUST 04: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins under center while running the offense during Training Camp at Baptist Health Training Complex on August 04, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – AUGUST 04: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins under center while running the offense during Training Camp at Baptist Health Training Complex on August 04, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

It’s been 21 years since the Miami Dolphins ranked inside the top 10 for points scored per game. Jay Fiedler and Dave Wannstedt were the last coach/quarterback duo for the Dolphins to accomplish such task. Since then, there’s been 21 other quarterbacks, and 7 head coaches for the Dolphins that have failed to acquire an elite level offense. Mike McDaniel is the new man in charge, and hopefully he is the coach to finally bring home a top echelon offense for the first time in two decades.

McDaniel has an extensive resume in the league dating back to 2005. He’s been around six different NFL teams, which all ran the new Miami Dolphins system, the West Coast Offense with a zone blocking scheme. With the numerous additions made this off-season in terms of the Dolphins offensive players, McDaniel has everything he needs to assemble a top offense. I wanted to dive into the specifics of the West Coast System, and hopefully give some insight on what to expect on the field schematically.

West Coast Offense Creation- 

The West Coast System has been around for quite some time now. It was first invented by Bill Walsh in the 1970’s, who was the QBs coach for the Cincinnati Bengals. He created this offense with an emphasis on short-to-intermediate routes, and an importance on play-action, working off an effective running game. Walsh was also the first to maximize motion pre-snap. He saw getting more players than the opposing defense on a side of the field as game changing, while also being able to confuse the defense.

Every offense in the NFL has a specific plan to attack defenses. When it comes to the West Coast Offense, the thinking behind it is to spread defenses out with a wide formation and constant short and horizontal passes. By causing the defense to focus on short passes, it’s theoretically supposed to open up running and passing lanes for the running backs and receivers to make longer plays. The peak of Walsh’s success running this offense came with the 49ers, where he won three Super Bowls with Joe Montana.

Home/Dolphins Roster