Chapter 1101: Advancing with the Times
Before we take a full, in-depth look at the Green Bay Packers’ offense, it’s important to understand that McCarthy and LaFleur were coaches who belonged to very different systems.

McCarthy’s traditional West Coast offensive system is also the offensive system that has been popular in the league for thirty years. This tactic is mainly based on short passes and flat passes, emphasizing the quarterback’s passing accuracy and quick release of the ball. The quarterback controls the rhythm like a metronome to resolve the impact and pressure of the defense.

This offensive tactic originated from the San Francisco 49ers and was developed throughout the league, ultimately leading to the quarterback’s current supreme status.

LaFleur, the modern outside zone offense system, originated from the current head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Kyle Shanahan, but its first success was in the Atlanta Falcons.

In the 2016 season, Shanahan served as the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons and LaFleur served as the quarterback coach of the Atlanta Falcons. They relied on this set of offensive tactics to bring Matt Ryan a regular season MVP and were only one step away from the final championship trophy in the Super Bowl.

Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers, McVay of the Los Angeles Rams, and LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers are all drivers of the modern outside zone offensive system.

Last season, McVay relied on this tactic to help Goff have a great season, but unfortunately he was ruthlessly suppressed by the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

So, what is the modern outside zone offense?

It all started from the Washington Redskins from the 2010 season to the 2013 season. At that time, Shanahan was the offensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins, LaFleur was the quarterback coach of the Washington Redskins, and McVay, who finally joined the team, served as the assistant offensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins and also served as the tight end coach.

Under the shadow of Shanahan’s legendary coach father, a group of young people used their creative ideas, constantly collided with inspiration, and finally came up with a new set of tactics.

To some extent, it is similar to the philosophy of the legendary coach Shaban of the University of Alabama: run the ball.

When the entire league is overwhelmingly inclined towards passing the ball, the quarterback is under too much pressure. Even top quarterbacks like Manning and Brees cannot save the team time and time again.

The reason why the New England Patriots were able to break through the siege in the passing era, in addition to Brady’s exquisite control of the short pass area, the key is that Belichick relied on the defense and special teams to lay the foundation.

This group of young people believed that they should look for a breakthrough through ground attack.

In simple terms, the “modern outside zone offensive system” is based on the classic outside zone ground advancement tactics, incorporating a variety of pass fakes and read option offenses, and finally creating a dazzling and unpredictable offensive system.

In the first step, the fake coordination between the quarterback and the running back is the key.

After the kickoff, the quarterback observes the defensive players’ movements through fake passes with the running back, and then responds on the spot and decides whether to run or pass the ball.

In essence, this is the read-option offense. But the real difference is in the subsequent running route.

The second step is the coordination of running routes among the running back, wide receiver, and tight end.

If it is a ground attack, it depends on the running back’s ability to break through on the outside.

If it is a passing offense, the running back will also play the role of receiving the ball, running dazzling routes on both wings and relying on the quarterback’s pass to complete the connection.

In the traditional West Coast offensive system, the quarterback often needs to retreat two steps to open up space; but in this modern outside zone offensive system, the quarterback does not retreat and maintains a parallel position with the running back.

The advantage is that the entire offensive tempo is accelerated.

The downside is that the quarterback doesn’t have time to think and adjust, and faces more pressure.

In the West Coast offensive system, Manning is undoubtedly a legendary master. He often changes offensive tactics before and after the kickoff, relying on his own observation and judgment, as well as unparalleled tactical knowledge, to disrupt the defensive layout, which is equivalent to having another offensive coordinator on the field. In the modern outside zone offensive system, quarterbacks also need to make on-the-spot judgments and choices, but they do not have the time to adjust like Manning. Everything often happens in a flash. Once the defense can exert enough pressure, the quarterback may make mistakes.

Because of this, the cooperation between the quarterback and the head coach often requires a period of adjustment, and may even take a whole season.

In the next five seasons of McCarthy’s coaching of the Green Bay Packers, the offensive tactics were rigid and lacked changes, often putting all the responsibilities on Rodgers’ shoulders, which made the Green Bay Packers’ offensive tactics easy to see through.

This is also the reason why LaFleur was able to get this job. Shanahan and McVay have proven the feasibility of this tactic in the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams respectively.

In this system, some quarterbacks with obvious talent ceilings can also play exciting games, such as Goff.

So, imagine what the picture will be like when such a new modern tactic meets an elite quarterback?
After LaFleur took over the responsibilities of head coach of the Green Bay Packers, he immediately promoted a new tactical system in the team, and Rodgers is also adapting to it.

Although Rogers does not have unparalleled tactical reserves like Manning, in fact, adjusting tactics before kickoff and changing strategies on the spot is also one of Rogers’ strengths:

Everyone in the league should know that Rogers is a master of faking early moves, and the fake adjustment tactics before the kickoff can often cause the defense to make mistakes in judgment.

This season is the first season that Rogers and LaFleur have worked together: they are still in the running-in period.

Imagine that even during the running-in period, when Rodgers still made a lot of mistakes, the Green Bay Packers still easily won seven consecutive games.

If the run-in is completed?

However, precisely because they are still in the running-in period, the Green Bay Packers’ offensive tactics still have many loopholes and shortcomings.

The most typical point is that the Green Bay Packers’ poor offensive line is not trustworthy and they have no way to provide more protection for Rodgers.

As a result, Rodgers was exposed to pressure for a long time, and the running backs of the Green Bay Packers were not the best in the league, but just average.

Therefore, in the new offensive system, Rogers often relies on fake moves to deceive the defense, but in the end he chooses to trust himself and pass the ball by himself.

So, this scene appeared –

According to LaFleur’s original intention, the Green Bay Packers should start to rely on ground offense, share the offensive pressure by running the ball, and gain passing space for the quarterback.

However, so far this season, the ratio of passing and running is still seriously unbalanced.

In the end, what is presented before our eyes is an illusion. The Green Bay Packers are still relying on Rodgers to win, and there seems to be no difference in the tactics of LaFleur and McCarthy.

But LaFleur understands that the team’s winning formula has completely changed. Although it looks similar on the surface, the entire tactical core is completely different.

The problem is, LaFleur knows his own team, but can other teams see the essence through the phenomenon?

(End of this chapter)