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Today's NFL is much different then your dad's or your grandfather's NFL (obviously), but these changes did not happen over night. The old days were all about defense and running the ball. Quarterback's would actually run the ball and block more than they threw it. The 1930's, however started a trend in football that has reshaped and transformed the way the game is played- the introduction of the forward pass. The NFL was molded first by defense. It was not until the berth of the AFL and later the merger and creation of the NFL, that teams started to incorporate passing into their game plans.

Passing is Born, the 1930's and Beyond

Passing remained in its infant stages until the 1930s, when various NFL rule changes made it significantly easier to pass the ball. Two penalties were removed from the rulebook. The first was a 5-yard penalty for two incomplete passes on a series of downs and the other was a loss of possession for incomplete passes in the end zone. Most importantly, the football was made more streamlined, closer to the modern shape and less like the more clumsy rugby ball that started everything back in the early 1900's. Teams could now pass without worrying about penalties and the ball was much easier to handle let alone throw.

Passing suddenly became a fad through the 30s, 40s and into the 50's. It was an easy way for smaller, weaker teams to even the playing field against bigger, stronger teams. The emphasis of the game changed to more of a skill, speed-based style of football. There was now more open space with fewer players clustered around the offensive and defensive lines.

For some time teams were just throwing the ball up there and hoping that the receiver would have position for the jump ball and the passing game remained a mystery for some years. Innovation in football always seems to happen on the high school and college levels first. New offensive innovations in blocking techniques and passing routes were created and molded at the lower levels that would further speed the evolution of the football offense, at the NFL level.

The Run and Shoot Offense and the AFL

The evolution of passing at the pro level largely happened because of the formation of the new American Football League, the AFL. The AFL competed with the NFL by offering a more exciting and accessible product. Many teams were on the west coast, featuring beautiful weather offenses to match.

The league wanted to be the "passing league" and the long-bomb pass was a common sight. AFL teams were passing an average eight more times per game than NFL teams of the era. New coaches like Al Davis and Sid Gillman spread the concept of passing the ball all over the field to put up large scores and to keep defenses guessing. Audiences were electrified as many were bored with the NFL’s run first, slower style.

In the 1960's, the AFL began to change their own rules to better the kind of product they wanted to display, the high-scoring passing style. The new league hoped they would draw in casual fans that did not have particular collegiate or NFL allegiances. Many of these rules allowed the AFL to entice and sign many prominent college quarterbacks with the promise that they would be passing often.

The AFL successfully competed with the NFL before the two leagues merged in 1970, with the former AFL teams becoming what is now known as the American Football Conference, the AFC and the former NFL teams being the National Football Conference, the NFC. The merger meant that teams, primarily in the NFC had to adapt to the new passing ways, or be left in the dust.

The 1970's, Bill Walsh and the West Coast Offense

The West Coast offense is a household name for any football fan and rightfully so. This style and this offensive way of thinking changed passing from primarily a vertical approach to a sharp, timing based horizontal attack that utilized receivers, running backs and tight ends.

As an assistant for the Oakland Raiders Bill Walsh had mastered the vertical passing game that had began to dominate the NFL in the 1960's. Walsh then moved onto Cincinnati and the Bengals and after an injury to his starting quarterback, Walsh unknowingly created what is today's West Coast offense. Walsh developed a system of short, timing based passing routes that were hard to cover and highly effective.

Walsh began to spread out his offense from sideline-to-sideline, setting up what is known as a horizontal system of passing. Walsh used this idea to slowly gain yards with short, very easy to complete passes to work his way down field. This worked perfect for the weaker armed backup Virgil Carter and the Bengals saved their season.

Walsh's storied carrier had him on the move again and this time it was northern California and Stanford. At Stanford, the Hall of Fame coach continued to refine his new, proven system but had one major problem, a small, unproven class of offensive linemen.

To solve this, Walsh came up with a timing system that to this day is taught on all levels of football. Walsh labeled various wide receiver routes as 3-step, 5-step and 7-step pattern. This correlated to how many steps the quarterback would take before the route was completed. For example, a slant route involves a receiver taking three steps and taking a sharp turn inward to face the quarterback. The quarterback takes the snap, he takes three steps back, and by the time he takes that third step, the receiver should be making his cut simultaneously and be clearly open for the catch. Walsh knew all he needed was one second for his receivers to be open coming out of their breaks.

The timing routes solved the blocking issues for Walsh and Stanford. His line no longer needed to hold blocks for long periods of time because even the fastest defender would have a hard time getting to the quarterback. The genius of the timing routes mixed in with Walsh's horizontal scheme and vertical attack made this the ideal offense for the NFL.

Walsh believed in a two running back, two receivers, one tight end system that is known today, as the Pro Set of Pro Form. The two running backs line up in split form horizontally in the backfield giving both backs the ability to run, block and receive. Walsh's scheme to attack horizontally as well as vertically forced slower linebackers and safeties into coverages. He believed in throwing on any down, with the simple three-yard pass replacing many of the rushing plays.

Walsh also understood that if his bigger receivers were able to break just one tackle, one of those three-yard passes could become a 30 or 40-yard gain. Precision timing, with receivers running hard into and out of their cuts, was a key. From multiple formations, there were infinite possibilities.

This was the first horizontal passing system in the NFL. Even the Run and Shoot, the first primary passing system was 99 percent vertical and focused on yards per catch and getting the ball down field in one or two passes. Walsh’s system was less reckless, controlling the ball, while requiring less physically gifted players. A new statistic was born from the new West Coast system, YAC, or yards after catch. Previously, the only way to track receiving statistics was receptions, receiving yards, and per-catch average.

The Walsh system, schemes and coaching lineage is found throughout the NFL. Walsh worked with and mentored the likes of Gillman, Don Coryell, Joe Gibbs, Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese. The Walsh coaching tree seems never ending and further includes Dennis Green, Mike Shanahan, Tony Dungy, Mike Holmgren, Steve Mariucci and George Seifert to name just a few. Walsh will always be remembered for his four Super Bowls victories with the San Francisco 49ers but his legacy will always live large in the NFL because of his creation of the West Coast offense.

The 1990's NFL Offense

The late 1980's and 1990's saw teams using the West Coast offense either exclusively or in a mixed system with the Air Coryell (created by Don Coryell and adopted by Joe Gibbs and Norv Turner) and Run and Shoot style, creating a Stretch offense. The Run and Shoot of the 1940's and early 50's was never abandoned, just merely altered.

The offensives of the 1990's were some of the best in the history of the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills all put up huge numbers and enjoyed much success offensively. The Cowboys, Rams, Broncos and Packers were also Super Bowl winners.

The unique element of the Stretch offense is that it calls for receivers to think like quarterbacks. The difference is receivers must do it while on the run. The key to success is getting the quarterback and receiver on the same page through timing, ideally, making the same reads. A typical offensive play is filled with several routes. Each play can have as many as 10 options depending on what coverage the defense deploys.

The Run and Shoot/Stretch offense of the 1990's was an offense loaded with options. Teams would rarely use the tight end in passing formations, opting to go with a faster, four wide receiver set. The Stretch Offense was a glimpse into the future. Today's Spread Offense that is very popular in the college level and is making its way into the NFL is a true spin off the Run and Shoot, Stretch offenses of the 1990's.

Today's NFL Offense

Since 2001, the San Diego Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson has arguably been the NFL's best overall player. L.T.'s dominance and success has much to do with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and with the system that is in place in San Diego. In 2006, L.T. set the NFL record with 31 total touchdowns (three receiving). The West Coast offensive feel is alive and well in places like San Diego, Washington, Indianapolis, Seattle, Detroit, and St. Louis.

Today's complex, read and react game requires a mixture of offensive schemes. The best offensive teams understand this and use a power running game mixed with a West Coast and Stretch or Spread system to create a truly balanced attack. Teams however play to their strengths and will continue to do this. In Denver and Washington, the run game comes first but in New England and Indianapolis, the pass reigns supreme.

The NFL has recently started shifting to a two running back system with teams finding tremendous success. In today's NFL, teams need a running back that can catch the ball out of the backfield, block and run between the tackles. With players faster and stronger today on defense, there are just a select few NFL backs that posses the complete package to do it all.

Teams like the Dallas Cowboys feature Julius Jones as their primary, slash back but then hit you with Marion Barber III, their knock out punch. The Cowboys are not the only team in the league using the two back system to perfection. In Jacksonville, Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew combined have proven too much for opposing defenses. The Jaguars two-pronged rushing attack is one of the best in the NFL.

The Spread Offense behind a rushing quarterback has also been effective, of course, mixed with some aspects of the West Coast offense. The emergence of the Spread and West Coast combination offense with a running quarterback is a new trend in the NFL. Donte Culpepper and Michael Vick showed us how potent that scheme is with the right personnel. Vince Young is today's best rushing quarterback behind a Spread, Option (handoff or quarterback keeper) attack, Tennessee Titan team.

Football.com believes in football education. Here is a quick look at our football101 breakdown of a common NFL playbook and the plays associated. Enjoy the in depth, more personal look at an NFL offense.

Goal line - The goal line package utilizes three tight ends and a full back for maximum blocking. This is the most common set seen around the goal line and in short yardage situations. The tight ends seal the outside linebackers and defensive ends creating opportunities for inside and outside runs.

Single back - Single back features just one running back. This set is one of the most essential packages for any West Coast offense. Teams can choose to run the ball with a power set, two tight ends or choose to spread it out with four receivers. The most common forms of the Single back are single back BIG or JUMBO with two tight ends, one receiver and the feature back. This is an ideal running set with the extra tight end in. The Normal form consists of three receivers (one lined up in the slot position), one tight end and the feature back. This set is much more balanced with teams running and passing equally effective.

Common Formations: Single back BIG, Single back Normal, Single back Trips, Single back Four Receivers

I Form - The I Form is one of the most used sets in the NFL today and is another West Coast creation. The I Form features the full back and running back stacked in an I. The concept behind the I Form is simple. The full back leads the way for the running back, clearing the hole. This is an ideal running package and with two and three receiver sets, the I Form is a solid passing formation as the backs can offer extra pass blocking or become available as extra receivers.

Common Formations: I Form BIG, I Form Twin Receivers, I Form Normal, I Form Twin Receivers, I Form Three Receivers

Weak - The Weak Form refers to the alignment of the full back and is essentially a spin off the I Form with the full back shifting slightly to the weak side. The full back lines up on the weak side of the offensive line (away from the tight end) creating ideal pass blocking lanes and weak side coverage. The full back is also in excellent position to block on counter and trap run plays. Like the I Form, the full back leads the way, opening holes for the run game and acting as the last line of defense during pass blocking assignments.

Common Formations: Weak BIG, Weak Normal, Weak Twin Receivers, Weak Three Receivers

Strong - The Strong Form is the exact opposite of Weak and is another spin off the I Form. In Strong, the full back lines up on the strong side (side with the tight end), countering the defensive positioning of the linebackers for optimal run and pass blocking. The Strong Form is best suited for running plays but when multiple receivers are included in the set, this package creates strong pass blocking opportunities, like the I Form.

Common Formations: Strong BIG, Strong Normal, Strong Twin Receivers, Strong Three Receivers

Pro Set - The Pro Set is the West Coast offense at its finest. Two running backs aligned split behind the quarterback with one tight end and two receivers create matchup problems for defenses both vertically and horizontally. The Pro Set is the ideal NFL formation as teams can both run and pass the football out of it with an equal amount of success. Once the run has been established, it is the most dangerous formation in football because of the real threat of a team running out of the Pre Set, defenses must respect the play fake and play run.

Common Formations: Pro Set Two Tight Ends, Pro Set Normal, Pro Set Three Receivers

Shotgun - The Shotgun formation is the backbone of the Run and Shoot offense and is today being recreated and used in conjunction with West Coast offensive schemes. The Shotgun formation was developed to give the quarterback extra time in receiving the snap and making his passing reads. Shotgun is an obvious passing formation, although teams recently have reformed the formation to include various running plays and schemes. In the shotgun, instead of the quarterback receiving the snap from center at the line of scrimmage, he stands around seven yards back. Sometimes the quarterback will have a back on one or both sides before the snap, while other times he will be the lone player in the backfield with everyone spread out as receivers.

Common Formations: Shotgun Normal, Shotgun Trips, Shotgun Spread, Shotgun Four Receivers, Shotgun Two Running Backs