Is the West Coast offense that good, or is it just another phase?  First of all, phases don’t last for fifteen years.  The West Coast offense has been around for a while, and even though not every team has used it, it is effective if you have the proper personnel for it.  The West Coast offense is based on timing and short passes of about eight yards.  It puts the ball into the hands of a wide receiver who can then use his speed to make the catch into big plays.  Jerry Rice has been the most famous at doing that, with an incredible YAC (yards after catch).  The West Coast offense, presently, can be used as a means of increasing time of possession.  Teams that do not have an effective running game can keep their defenses off the field by getting in situations such as second and twos or second and threes.  No longer does a team need a tremendous running game to compete.  In addition, the short passes set up the running game, making a mediocre rushing team into a decent or honest offense.  The West Coast offense also hides faults within a team.  If a quarterback has been prone to bad decision-making in the pocket, it helps him out since he must get rid of the ball quickly and with natural instinct.  This is a more natural reaction for the quarterback and avoids the bad decision-making that a quarterback has been known to make.  The San Fransisco 49ers show the success of the West Coast offense. The innovator of this offense, Bill Walsh, has maintained this scheme in San Francisco through all of his successors. The 49ers came into the season with CFL castoff Jeff Garcia as their quarterback. After Rick Mirer failed to pan out, the Niners decided to give Garcia the shot at running their offense. Jeff Garcia went on to become a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback and currently has his team in a race with the Rams for the top spot in the NFC West. Garcia was able to pick up this scheme and it was tweaked to fit Garcia’s more mobile skills. The West Coast offense did not have to be altered too much from the scheme used when Steve Young was the quarterback, but drastically from when Joe Montana ran this offense. This is what makes the West Coast offense such an appealing offense. The scheme can be modified to fit the skills that any given quarterback or team possesses. If teams wish to run to set up the pass, this offensive strategy can accommodate it, or it can be designed to be run in just the opposite manner. The West Coast offense is an effective weapon for teams that have the ability and personnel to use it.  It doesn’t automatically lead to success, but has been very productive for certain teams in the past.  I don’t believe that the whole league will pick it up as their primary offensive tool, but a defense can make adjustments to anything once they’re familiar with it.  Remember the zone blitz?