I do believe so. Apparently the guy likes the West Coast type and the media is trying to make it seem to be a difficult transition from the Malzahn offense. Not sure I agree with that but I'm not the local offensive guru. That would be JR.
This is the first I've heard West Coast offense and Loeffler together, but the words came out of his mouth, so I guess that what he's working on installing. The thing is, the WCO really has no identity anymore. It's what everybody in the NFL runs, and they all run the same stuff. Some use more gun, while others more under center.
I heard Malzahn speak a couple of weeks ago, as well as his RB coach (who was Grime's GA last year). I also talked to both of them. Everyone with me came away with the impression that he'd been handcuffed by Chizik this past season. That when things went bad, he made Malzahn do things that were not within his philosophy. Chiz, I suspect, is like all defensive coaches. Conservative. When he realized that were weren't going to have a prolific offense, he wanted to help the defense by speeding the games up. Gus has a very specific formula for play calling, and I think he was told to alter that.
My gut feeling is this (and it's just my opinion, nothing more): I think the reason the OC search took so long is that Chiz may have been interviewing people and giving them the impression he wanted them to alter their philosophy to suit a more defensive minded overall plan. (if that's the case, then I give him credit for being honest with them, and more importantly for the ones that said no thanks, which Tony Franklin should have done when Tubs asked him to come in and alter what he does) I think Chiz was ok with Gus in 09 to start to rebuild (off the excitement of a prolific offense), and in 10 because the offense could score at will, but I think Chiz has an overall plan to get back to grind it out, defense, field position football. I think Chiz is sort of dictating that Loeffler "create an offense" that fits the overall team philosophy, not Loeffler's, which frankly is probably still forming. Good move? If it works, yeah. If not? Well we all know how that goes. Bottom line, it will come down more to players, not scheme. The one caveat to that is that you can create a scheme that is either nonsensical, grabbag, or try to do more than you can get good at in the practice time you have. I think Loeffler is a bright guy, and I guess he took the job being a team player, so I guess his attitude will be right. We'll have to see. We still need to find a QB, or Loeffler needs to break out that magic wand so many fans think coaches have and wave it over one of them and "create" one.
That's why you see the recruitment of all the big OL, and TEs. Jovon Robinson is a true big back, and I've heard some that are close to him say he was underrated and will be a nice surprise at Auburn. I think Chiz looks to the West and sees a very simple offense based in Zone Running, and play action, "pro style", and instead of trying to do something unique, he's going to take them on head on.
The WCO, at it's core, is just a 2 back offense that runs to set up play action passing. Walsh believed play action passing was an offenses greatest weapon when properly set up with the run. Call it the WCO, or the Gulf Coast offense, a la Borges, or whatever. More TE, more FB, and power running. The "Pro Style" so many here have pined for. Unless it's not.
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