R.I.P. Don Coryell

[Moderator 2]

[url="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Don-Coryell-San-Diego-Chargers-legend-dies-at-85"]Don Coryell dies[/url] at the age of 85. Now he was an offensive genius.

[theFRANCHISE]

We Ravens fans owe a huge debt of gratitude to Don Coryell and his famed Air Coryell offense, which influenced so many other high-powered offenses that followed -- including Cam Cameron's offense with the Chargers and the Ravens.

It's more than a playbook, it's a philosophy of using the entire field and attacking it piece-by-piece. It's not merely throwing the ball deep, it's hitting the sidelines and going underneath to set up the deep ball. It's about maximizing the strength of each skill player on offense and adjusting the play call and scheme to fit them, rather than teaching players a set of plays and hoping they succeed.