WildcatReady

As illustrated in the above diagram there are four basic running wildcat plays. The Base Wildcat which with a guard an eligible tight end and a slot receiver on one side of the center. The strong side of the formation features a guard two tackles , a receiver and a quarterback. In the speed sweep the lefthand slot receiver receives a handoff while sweeping. The QB Counter fakes a handoff to the quarterback with the running back who receives the snap taking the ball running in the opposite direction of the quarterback. In the Splite zone the running back taking the snap simply runs upfield with the ball. With the addition now of a “wildcat” Pat White who can throw no doubt the Dolphins will be adding to these base plays for the 2009 season.

The Wildcat Formation in Football is a variation of the single wing formation used by college teams in the earlier part of the 20th century. During the past 50 years most college teams and all professional football teams have adopted the standard balanced T formation currently used . The Standard T formation is a balanced formation as opposed to the unbalanced “Wildcat”. The Standard T utilizes a Center who hikes the ball flanked by two offensive guards who are in turn flanked by two offensive tackles with a Tight End placed next to one of the Tackles or both of the Tackles in a two Tight end set.

The “Wildcat” differs as it is an unbalanced formation. The player taking the snap is called the “Wildcat”. Since the “Wildcat” unlike most QB’s in the standard T formation is a serious running threat, the “Wildcat” presents opposing defenses with problems requiring adjustments that the defense must take into account to deal with this additional running threat. The Dolphins unveiled the “Wildcat” against the heavily favored defending Super Bowl champ New England Patriots on September 21st 2008 . The “Wildcat was utilized in 6 plays during the game and resulted in in 5 touchdowns, four rushing and one passing. The “Wildcat” player was all-pro Dolphin running back Ronnie Brown.

The Dolphins utilized the “Wildcat” throughout the remainder of the season and while it’s success diminished as teams were no longer surprised, it still was an effective weapon as the Dolphins netted an average of 6 yards per play. No doubt the overall success of the “Wildcat” was credited with the Dolphins winning the AFC East.

The drawback to the “Wildcat” was that with Ronnie Brown running it the passing threat out of the formation was limited as while Brown did throw for one touchdown most opposing defenses had little respect for his passing ability.

With the 2009 draft, the Dolphins decided to take a gamble and add a new dimension to the “Wildcat”. With the 12th pick in the 2nd round they chose Pat White a Quarterback out of West Virginia. Known as a quarterback who could both run and throw with a strong arm, White’s selection immediately put new claws into the old cat.Now with White quarterbacking the “Wildcat” opposing defenses would now have to respect the throwing threat. The Philadelphia Eagles also seeing the possibilities signed former Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick for the purpose of implementing their own version of the “Wildcat.” It’s estimated that almost half the teams in the NFL are experimenting with their own versions of this offense.

So far after the 6th game against the New Orleans Saints in the young 2009 NFL season,The Miami Dolphin version of the Wildcat has produced 364 total yards on 60 attempts for an average gai of 6.1 yards per attempt. 

Since it's inception against the New England Patriots last year the Miami Dolphins have run the Wildcat 120 times for 791 yds. or 6.6 yds per play. The Dolphins have now scored 11 TD's out of the formation.For the 2009 season the Dolphins have gotten away from the unbalanced line and are now employing a balanced line for the most part.

While others have tried to copy it no one executes it like the Dolphins. The key of course is Ronnie Brown who simply seems to have a feel for how to run the offense. Pat White who the Dolphins took as the 12thpcik i the 2nd roundof the 2009 draft is learning however he has yet to complete a successful pass. Once White gets a grasp of the offense watch out as the "Wildcat will really get wild as opposing defenses will have to respect White's throwing ability.

As the Dolphins say some call the "Wildcat" a gimmick. To the Dolphins it's simply their offense. Try to stop it.The Jets ceraily couldn't as the "Wildcat accounted for over 100 yds. on 16 attempts. Miami used the offense more often then they have in the past with devasting effect on the #3 defense in the NFL. Miami while primarily using Ronnie Brown as the "Wildcat" also used Ricky Williams and rookie quarterback Pat White.Calvin Pace of the Jets derided the "Wildcat as a gimmick however what Pace and the Jets couldn't do is stop it.

The reason for the success of the Wildcat is not only the brilliant execution and running ability of Dolphin RB Ronnie Brown. The Dolphin offensive line which Parcells and company have invested over 30 million in is what makes the Dolphin version of the Wildcat so successful. Another unheralded reason seldom spoken about and given credit is the unselfish run blocking of Mosaka Polite. Polite's key block have been instrumental in springing Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams for extra yards.

The Wildcat could even get more wilder should rookie QB Pat White get involved more in the mix. Drafted 2nd round 12 th pick in the 2009 draft White adds the promise of bringing a passing dimension to the "Wildcat." White however so far has been used sparingly for just a few plays in two games and has only attempted one pass,an overthrow to a wide open Ted Ginn in the opening season Atlanta game. In the Jet game, White was surprisingly brought in late int he 4th quarter when the Dolphins were trailing the Jets 27-24 with just a few minutes in the game. It's highly unusual to take out a starting QB,Chad Henne, who had been having an excellent night and bring in an untested rookie in the midle of a game ending drive ,especially when behind but Dolphin Offensive Coordinator Dan Henning is know for the unusual. White performed fine leading the Dolphin offense to a critical first down on three plays scambling for a big six yards.

The Dolphins now have a bye week before they take on the so far undefeated NewOrleans Saints. With the "Wildcat being so successful you can bet the defensive coordinator for the Saints is not looking forward to that encounter.

Against the New Orleans Saints the Dolphins had limited success with the Wildcat. While they scored two touchdowns with the "Cat" they had trouble moving the ball against the Saints defense thanks to the outstandng play of Saint Linebacker Jonathan Vilma. The Dolphins only managed 30 yards on the ground in 14 plays. Their one attempt to pass out of the formation resulted in a beautifully thrown pass by RB Ronnie Brown dropped by Dolphin TE Anthony Fasano.

The Dolphin who jumped out to a big early 24-3 lead uncharacteristically decided to abandon the "Wildcat" in favor of a conventional offense. Passing out of that convnetional offense resulted in Dolphin QB Chad Henne throwing two pick sixes. After the game there were many criticisms of offensive coordinator Dan Henning for abandoning the "Wildcat".

It will be interesting to see whether the Dolphins unleash the "Wildcat" frequently against the Jets this week. No doubt the Jets have been preparing as they were victimized severely by the Dolphins with it just a few weeks ago. 

Against the Jets the Dolphins only managed a meager 15 yards using the Wildcat. The Jets were definitely uscccessful in stoppig the "Cat". Of course they couldn't figure out how to cover kickoffs, as Ted Ginn returned 2 kcioffs for touchdowns in the Dolphins 30-25 win.