Denver Offense 101

[Texans_Chick]

Hi, I'm Steph the Texans Fanblogger for the Houston Chronicle. I've posted here before because I oft think fans have a better grasp of their own team's strengths and weaknesses than national media types do, and I've been trying to educate the Houston locals on what a Denver-style offense is all about.

My most recent post is called, Texans changing the color of the Bronco playbook and its about how Kubiak is trying to take the Bronco scheme and have it work for the Texans. As a part of the post, I had a Bronco fan do a summary of your offense for the locals:

The Broncos-style offense is merely a modification of the so- called "West Coast Offense," popularized by Bill Walsh's San Francisco 49ers in the Nineties.

The philosophy of the offense is to use SHORT, SAFE passing routes and balance these with a strong running game. The object is to control the ball for long periods of time and march methodically down the field. It doesn't rely on deep passing routes or Hall of Fame runners who can bust out for 40, 50, 60 yards at a clip. It's the SCHEME, not the personnel, that has made the Broncos successful.

Coach Mike Shanahan, who coached under Walsh in San Francisco, is a leading proponent and "mastermind" behind the Broncos' success with this style offense. It's been said many times that your grandmother could excel as a runner in this offense. Hence, you've seen a half- dozen fairly mediocre backs rack up 1,000-plus yards in the past few years. And you've seen Shanahan not hesitate to trade or cut running backs -- even a "superstar" such as Clinton Portis -- when he sees fit.

The rushing scheme relies on quick, relatively light (ave. 295 lbs.) offensive linemen and an iron-fisted discipline by running backs about how to use those blockers. Broncos runners are not paid to juke, zig-zag, outrun, fake or otherwise use their individual skills to pick up yards. They are paid to get the ball, make ONE cut behind their blocker and run north and south toward the endzone while squeezing the football. (Fumbles are not allowed.) Those who can't or won't do the job in this precise way are benched or traded.

Because of the reliance on short rather than long gains, the Broncos' tight end position is very important. Broncos tight ends are paid to both block on running plays and short passes and to catch short passes. Those who can't do BOTH these things need not apply.

I don't mean to suggest by this that the Broncos NEVER attempt a long pass. Sometimes, of course (third and thirty, for example) you have no choice. And sometimes the defense starts cheating up a little, "knowing" the Broncos will be throwing short. That offers an opportunity to fake the short route, then burn them deep. But the fundamental offense is as described.

Do y'all think that is a fair summary of what the Bronco offense is all about? If not, what do you think is incorrect or has been left out?

And as a further question, as someone who is very familiar with this offense, what do you think would be the hardest part of trying to get this scheme to work in a different place? Is it The Mastermind? Is it being able to understand the scheme well enough to just act instead of think? Is it just the entire teamwork of it?

I know these are a lot of questions but I am really interested in knowing whether you, as Bronco fans, think Kubiak can just change the color of the playbook and make this work. I figure it is the offseason and there isn't enough real football stuff to talk about, so maybe y'all would be interested in this as just a hypothetical.

Thanks for any help you can be with this stuff.

[AsianOrange]

Oh for sure....West Coast offense is the key here and I'm sure Kub will add his own style here.

The Houston Texans always had the personnel on offense to be productive, I see David Carr, Andre Johnson, and especially Dominick Davis to have a boost in their career once they learn the system. It will not happen overnight, but I give it 2 years and Houston WILL BE a wildcard team.

[xX-Bronco-Xx]

Originally Posted by Texans_Chick

And as a further question, as someone who is very familiar with this offense, what do you think would be the hardest part of trying to get this scheme to work in a different place? Is it The Mastermind? Is it being able to understand the scheme well enough to just act instead of think? Is it just the entire teamwork of it?

Thanks for any help you can be with this stuff.

Hardest part is for the team to know the playbook and to be able to work together to make things happen on the field. Having the right players especially on the O-line will def. help things out too

[AsianOrange]

Originally Posted by xX-Bronco-Xx

Hardest part is for the team to know the playbook and to be able to work together to make things happen on the field. Having the right players especially on the O-line will def. help things out too

He's right...personnel is key. When Shanny got here he pretty much restructured the roster in 3 years. We had key players removed with a bunch of nobodies and those nobodies produced 2 Super Bowls.

[UltimateSoldier]

Originally Posted by Texans_Chick

Hi, I'm Steph the Texans Fanblogger for the Houston Chronicle. I've posted here before because I oft think fans have a better grasp of their own team's strengths and weaknesses than national media types do, and I've been trying to educate the Houston locals on what a Denver-style offense is all about.

My most recent post is called, Texans changing the color of the Bronco playbook and its about how Kubiak is trying to take the Bronco scheme and have it work for the Texans. As a part of the post, I had a Bronco fan do a summary of your offense for the locals:




Do y'all think that is a fair summary of what the Bronco offense is all about? If not, what do you think is incorrect or has been left out?

And as a further question, as someone who is very familiar with this offense, what do you think would be the hardest part of trying to get this scheme to work in a different place? Is it The Mastermind? Is it being able to understand the scheme well enough to just act instead of think? Is it just the entire teamwork of it?

I know these are a lot of questions but I am really interested in knowing whether you, as Bronco fans, think Kubiak can just change the color of the playbook and make this work. I figure it is the offseason and there isn't enough real football stuff to talk about, so maybe y'all would be interested in this as just a hypothetical.

Thanks for any help you can be with this stuff.

I think the hardest part to learn will be the for the offensive line. In the "Zone blocking" scheme does ask linemen to be quick and mobile. But the hardest part for linemen to do is to attack an area and not an individual. Once you have engaged a defender you must pass on that defender to next linemen and trust that linemen will pick him up. The best highlight of this example is in superbowl 32. If you watch the game they double team Gilbert Brown then you see one of the linemen pell off and take a linebacker.

[Texans_Chick]

Originally Posted by AsianOrange

He's right...personnel is key. When Shanny got here he pretty much restructured the roster in 3 years. We had key players removed with a bunch of nobodies and those nobodies produced 2 Super Bowls.

So I guess having Rick Smith in Houston helps with this.

I've always wondered if what you guys are doing is so successful, in a league of copy cats, why isn't everyone doing it? And I think part of the answer is that it isn't just the scheme, it is the personnel too. And being able to teach the scheme in a way where they players aren't just running plays, they know WHY they are doing are running them the way they are.

I guess we will have a better sense of whether it is mostly Mastermind or whether we done took enough Denver coaching folk to make this stuff work here. Kube has Texans players believing (and scared a little--everyone showed up to the Texans OTAs)

[Texans_Chick]

Originally Posted by UltimateSoldier

I think the hardest part to learn will be the for the offensive line. In the "Zone blocking" scheme does ask linemen to be quick and mobile. But the hardest part for linemen to do is to attack an area and not an individual. Once you have engaged a defender you must pass on that defender to next linemen and trust that linemen will pick him up. The best highlight of this example is in superbowl 32. If you watch the game they double team Gilbert Brown then you see one of the linemen pell off and take a linebacker.

I've read that. The Texans did zone blocking last year and actually were OK with the run. But they dint do cut blocks, and well, uh, the rest of the offense was chewing gum and training wheels and it got kinda ugly.

[AsianOrange]

Originally Posted by Texans_Chick

I've read that. The Texans did zone blocking last year and actually were OK with the run. But they dint do cut blocks, and well, uh, the rest of the offense was chewing gum and training wheels and it got kinda ugly.

Yea, the cut-blocking is ...ahem.....fair in the league. I'm sure it's reviewed constantly.

i think having Kube is like having the master chef from 'Brennan's of Houston' in your own kitchen. Now you can see how the magic work.

he's been our offensive co-ordinator for so many years. Heck, i keep forgetting he was with Shanny during the 49ers' Super Bowl victory back in 94...so the man definetely has the same experience as our caoch does.

[Duilen]

The Broncos system is not designed to throw quick outs and pound the ball for 60 minutes. A lot of times opponents will put 8 men in the box to combat our run and if we can’t take advantage of that then we are in for a long day.

[Dean]

Originally Posted by Texans_Chick

Hi, I'm Steph the Texans Fanblogger for the Houston Chronicle. I've posted here before because I oft think fans have a better grasp of their own team's strengths and weaknesses than national media types do, and I've been trying to educate the Houston locals on what a Denver-style offense is all about.

My most recent post is called, Texans changing the color of the Bronco playbook and its about how Kubiak is trying to take the Bronco scheme and have it work for the Texans. As a part of the post, I had a Bronco fan do a summary of your offense for the locals:




Do y'all think that is a fair summary of what the Bronco offense is all about? If not, what do you think is incorrect or has been left out?

And as a further question, as someone who is very familiar with this offense, what do you think would be the hardest part of trying to get this scheme to work in a different place? Is it The Mastermind? Is it being able to understand the scheme well enough to just act instead of think? Is it just the entire teamwork of it?

I know these are a lot of questions but I am really interested in knowing whether you, as Bronco fans, think Kubiak can just change the color of the playbook and make this work. I figure it is the offseason and there isn't enough real football stuff to talk about, so maybe y'all would be interested in this as just a hypothetical.

Thanks for any help you can be with this stuff.

The running game does not in any way resemble Bill Walsch's version of the West Coast Offense. Mike Shanahan and Alex Gibbs completely changed the way the blocking is carried out. All five O-linement and the tight end must work together seamlessly. Their steps completely in sinc with each other. Each of the linemen must be able to block in space to take care of LBs or safeties.

The offense requires different blocking and running techniques than most offenses. The double team at the point of attack is often used and then the lineman on whichever side the LB attacks peels off the block to pick him up. The cut block is essential to minimize backside pursuit and in so doing to create cutback seams in the defense. The back must see and then make one cut to get into one of those seams and then to get upfield as quickly as possible. By doing this the offense will minimize negative yardage that kills the running game and results in consistantly keeping the chains moving. Backs that can break arm tackles and with great vision have excelled in the system.

The Qb must be mobil. With the smaller size of the O-line, pocket pass protection becomes more difficult. Escapability by the QB is a huge plus. The QB must be able to run bootlegs and throw on the run. This ability requires that the defense must then assign a DE, LB, or both to to spy on the QB. This further enhances the rushing game in that it leads to cutback lanes for big gains.

[BroncFanIN]

A lot of what Denver does relies on the scheme. The offensive line is perhaps the most important part of the team. Alex Gibbs, who know works with Atlanta (and was with Denver for years) has increased Atlanta's running game by implimenting the zone blocking.
The "disadvantage" to zone blocking is pass protection. Hence why it is always good to have a scrambling quarterback, someone who can throw and make decissions on the run. I've havent watched a lot of Carr, but if he wants his sack #'s to do down, he needs to scramble and get out of the way. Zone blocking is mainly for the run. Some protection is offered, but nothing like what, say, Indy offers the Statue Manning.

But the establishment of your running game should also take the pressure off of Carr. If the coaches there can teach the O-line to zone block, your running game should take off! And poor Carr won't have his butt planted on the carpet so much. His confidence in his o-line will increase, which will help his confidence on the field.

And Kubes will start having the players do things as a team. Offer incentives to show up to the off-season work outs. Groups of players going to dinner each week. Our LB core takes each other out to dinner on a weekly basis. It helps with team unity. There won't be any "superstars" on your team, unless someone really excels in the system. The concept of "team" is very stong. A "me" players doesnt last long in the Shanny system.

These things and more help the Broncos excel and be consistant year after year.

I hope the Texans the best of luck. As someone who despises the Colts, I'd love to see the Texans knock them down a peg or two!

Best of luck!

[Texans_Chick]

Thanks y'all for your comments. A number of them may end up being in a future blog post.

As for Carr, I was watching Kyle Shanahan break down Bronco film in a coaching clinic, and all I could think of was how well suited this offense would seem to be for David Carr. (But also how dependant it was on the O-line/TE/WR really working together on the blocks).

IIRC, he had the most running yards for a QB in the AFC, but a lot of that wasn't by design. He loves throwing to the tight end and doing bootlegs His measured speed coming out of college was above average for a QB.

Basically, the strategy for protecting Carr last year was not improving the scheme but rather doing max protect and shorter drops. Which meant the defense didn't have to respect anything deep and could just kill him.

[jdhdiggs]

One additional piece that I only saw briefly touched upon would be the bootleg pass, usually a naked boot. This is generally setup by the running game and is the only way to get the QB enough time for downfield throws. This possibility decreases the tendencies of DE's or LB's to cut to sharply down the line in pursuit of the RB and makes the run more effective by allowing blockers a split second to get in better position to create lanes.. If the DE's and LB's start crashing, the QB can take a leisurely stroll for 8-10 yards if no one is open.

[Jared]

The half a dozen mediocre backs comment is probably inaccurate.


Terrell Davis and Clinton Portis were legit NFL backs who probably would have been so anywhere. Portis has been, and Davis was injured, sadly.

Mike Anderson sacrificed prime years of his career to play fullback, but the two seasons he got the bulk of the carries, he was usccessful. Last year he only got half the carries he did his rookie year, and he still got over 1,000 yards.


Olandis Gary was an average back. That is fair. It is hard to say what he could have done elsewhere due to injury.

Tatum Bell is unknown as a full time back at this point.

Not including Bell. I'd say one mediocre back, one really good one (Anderson), and two top tier talents.


Dominic Davis is most similar to Anderson in talent level. He should have a career year IF the WR's, TE's and OL completely buy in to the system with passion and discipline.


The Broncos don't really run a WCO. It's schemes are all WCO, and it's blocking techniques are. But Shanahan has a traditional run with power first philosophy.


The pure WCO was actually run by the Bengals of the 70's under Paul Brown, where Bill Walsh was OC before he went to Stanford.

[bcole23]

There's not really much to disagree with in the previous posts.

However, I'd say that the real focus of the offense is not the run, or WCO, or anything like that. It's real focus to me, is keeping the opposing team off balance. That's really what it's all about. Defenses are never really given the opportunity to key on one thing. When they do, Shanahan is normally right there to exploit their mistakes. Denver's offense definitely has big play capability but the 'Mastermind' doesn't just throw down field willy nilly. He and Kube were more of a Chess playing mentality. If a defense has one weakness then they can compensate for that and be ok. But when you exploit multiple weaknesses, it normally takes them so long to compensate that we're normally well ahead in points and then we go into a cruise mode so that future opponents cannot trend us quite so much. Most Denver games are schemed to be won in the first half if at all possible and then pound them with the ball. Thus we have a lot of running down the clock, which gets backs and the line quite a bit of time working together without having to worry about coming back from huge deficits. This means that they can go out and just execute and thus become a very efficient and effective unit as a whole.

Some coaches have a specialty and that becomes the MO of the team. Many would say that Denver's is the running game, but I disagree. Shanahan takes a holistic view of football. He completely understands that it's personnel, scheme, professionalism, a good mix of veterans and youth, and that no one aspect of the team, including the team 5 years down the road, can be ignored or left to atrophe without harming everything else. Some teams have a short term view on success and some only a long term. Denver's is both.

I feel that Kubiak will bring so much to the Texans that if it's owners are smart and can see beyond the w-l column for a bit, they'll see that Kubiak will be able to build a winning franchise that they can be proud of.