Why Does The Wildcat Work? (1 Viewer)

[theprince]

Why is it so much different than just handing off the ball? Anybody out there run this offense in high school or college?

 

[Oils_well]

I think its really a matter of giving Ronnie Brown more time to look at the opposing teams alignment and giving him a little extra space to gather speed

 

[Tau837]

On ESPN Primetime they discussed it and said it is because it freezes the linebackers just long enough to allow the blockers to get into better position to establish a running lane.

 

[Johnny Ice]

The defense is stressed because they have to hold their lanes and cover all sides. There is no attacking this formation just reacting. The only real way to defend it is to have speed everywhere. The "QB" has so many options to choose from on any given play. You have the option run to either side, direct runs to either side, handoff to the motion man, play-action passes, etc. It just so many wrinkles to defend off of it. When you combine that with a back like Ronnie Brown who seems like a master at picking the right hole and having the patience to let things develop in front of him. It's trouble.

 

[baconisgood]

The number one reason the Wildcat works is because it attacks the weakest point in the run defense, which is the CB. The CB is out there for his speed and coverage skills, not his ability to take on a 5'10 230 lb Ricky Williams one on one. The primary play is to bring R Williams on an end around (essentially) and give him the ball at high speed going toward the weak link, which is the CB. You use Williams speed advantage against the LBs and D-line to get away from them and his power advantage against the CB. Then you have Pennington out at the WR position throwing a block on a CB, now commentators will laud Chad for throwing a block, but lest face it- he has 35 lbs on the average CB in this league. He should be able to effectively (if not efficiently or beautifully) block a CB. This play forces the outside LB to start going with Williams to make sure he doesn't get burned on the edge which naturally leaves a lane for RB on that side of the defense. If the whole defense shifts they have to open up running lanes for Ronnie Brown on the backside which creates the same problem that the Williams end around does, namely a big RB boring down on a small CB (who is also being blocked by your WR). Thats basically it, your using the threat of the RB/CB mismatch to open up lanes in the middle of the field.

There is a simple, but difficult, way to counteract it. When they line up in the Wildcat formation you don't want a CB on Pennington on the outside, and you want both safeties up for run support. If your D is fast enough (in reacting) you have your CB drop deep to the center of the field and play free safety, bring your two safeties up and shift a LB on top of Pennington. Your LB should be much better at shedding Pennington's block and making the tackle should Williams get the ball and your safeties help plug the gaps up the middle and on the backside.

 

[identikit]

The number one reason the Wildcat works is because it attacks the weakest point in the run defense, which is the CB. The CB is out there for his speed and coverage skills, not his ability to take on a 5'10 230 lb Ricky Williams one on one. The primary play is to bring R Williams on an end around (essentially) and give him the ball at high speed going toward the weak link, which is the CB. You use Williams speed advantage against the LBs and D-line to get away from them and his power advantage against the CB. Then you have Pennington out at the WR position throwing a block on a CB, now commentators will laud Chad for throwing a block, but lest face it- he has 35 lbs on the average CB in this league. He should be able to effectively (if not efficiently or beautifully) block a CB. This play forces the outside LB to start going with Williams to make sure he doesn't get burned on the edge which naturally leaves a lane for RB on that side of the defense. If the whole defense shifts they have to open up running lanes for Ronnie Brown on the backside which creates the same problem that the Williams end around does, namely a big RB boring down on a small CB (who is also being blocked by your WR). Thats basically it, your using the threat of the RB/CB mismatch to open up lanes in the middle of the field. There is a simple, but difficult, way to counteract it. When they line up in the Wildcat formation you don't want a CB on Pennington on the outside, and you want both safeties up for run support. If your D is fast enough (in reacting) you have your CB drop deep to the center of the field and play free safety, bring your two safeties up and shift a LB on top of Pennington. Your LB should be much better at shedding Pennington's block and making the tackle should Williams get the ball and your safeties help plug the gaps up the middle and on the backside.

Nice job!

 

[theprince]

The number one reason the Wildcat works is because it attacks the weakest point in the run defense, which is the CB. The CB is out there for his speed and coverage skills, not his ability to take on a 5'10 230 lb Ricky Williams one on one. The primary play is to bring R Williams on an end around (essentially) and give him the ball at high speed going toward the weak link, which is the CB. You use Williams speed advantage against the LBs and D-line to get away from them and his power advantage against the CB. Then you have Pennington out at the WR position throwing a block on a CB, now commentators will laud Chad for throwing a block, but lest face it- he has 35 lbs on the average CB in this league. He should be able to effectively (if not efficiently or beautifully) block a CB. This play forces the outside LB to start going with Williams to make sure he doesn't get burned on the edge which naturally leaves a lane for RB on that side of the defense. If the whole defense shifts they have to open up running lanes for Ronnie Brown on the backside which creates the same problem that the Williams end around does, namely a big RB boring down on a small CB (who is also being blocked by your WR). Thats basically it, your using the threat of the RB/CB mismatch to open up lanes in the middle of the field. There is a simple, but difficult, way to counteract it. When they line up in the Wildcat formation you don't want a CB on Pennington on the outside, and you want both safeties up for run support. If your D is fast enough (in reacting) you have your CB drop deep to the center of the field and play free safety, bring your two safeties up and shift a LB on top of Pennington. Your LB should be much better at shedding Pennington's block and making the tackle should Williams get the ball and your safeties help plug the gaps up the middle and on the backside.

Awesome insight. Thanks.

 

[David Yudkin]

IMO, if a defender popped Pennington pretty hard being totally exposed as a WR, the Phins might not be so eager to run this play into the ground.

 

[baconisgood]

IMO, if a defender popped Pennington pretty hard being totally exposed as a WR, the Phins might not be so eager to run this play into the ground.

Another benefit to putting your SS or LB over top of him instead of a CB.

 

[GroveDiesel]

IMO, if a defender popped Pennington pretty hard being totally exposed as a WR, the Phins might not be so eager to run this play into the ground.

I've been thinking the same thing. It would only take a linebacker destroying Pennington once for the Dolphins to re-think lining Pennington up as a WR so much. I don't know how ethical/sporting it would be, but I think if I were a defensive coordinator I'd tell my outside linebackers that if they see Brown under center, shadow Pennington and as soon as the ball crosses the line of scrimmage level Pennington. If the team is going to line him up as a blocker/receiver, then he should be treated like one.

 

[Tau837]

The number one reason the Wildcat works is because it attacks the weakest point in the run defense, which is the CB. The CB is out there for his speed and coverage skills, not his ability to take on a 5'10 230 lb Ricky Williams one on one. The primary play is to bring R Williams on an end around (essentially) and give him the ball at high speed going toward the weak link, which is the CB. You use Williams speed advantage against the LBs and D-line to get away from them and his power advantage against the CB. Then you have Pennington out at the WR position throwing a block on a CB, now commentators will laud Chad for throwing a block, but lest face it- he has 35 lbs on the average CB in this league. He should be able to effectively (if not efficiently or beautifully) block a CB. This play forces the outside LB to start going with Williams to make sure he doesn't get burned on the edge which naturally leaves a lane for RB on that side of the defense. If the whole defense shifts they have to open up running lanes for Ronnie Brown on the backside which creates the same problem that the Williams end around does, namely a big RB boring down on a small CB (who is also being blocked by your WR). Thats basically it, your using the threat of the RB/CB mismatch to open up lanes in the middle of the field. There is a simple, but difficult, way to counteract it. When they line up in the Wildcat formation you don't want a CB on Pennington on the outside, and you want both safeties up for run support. If your D is fast enough (in reacting) you have your CB drop deep to the center of the field and play free safety, bring your two safeties up and shift a LB on top of Pennington. Your LB should be much better at shedding Pennington's block and making the tackle should Williams get the ball and your safeties help plug the gaps up the middle and on the backside.

Good description. It seems to me that one way to stop this would be to focus on just hammering Pennington every time he splits wide. Especially if you can bring a LB, as you suggest, but I would think even a CB could hammer him, if focused on doing so.

 

[Tau837]

IMO, if a defender popped Pennington pretty hard being totally exposed as a WR, the Phins might not be so eager to run this play into the ground.

Ah, I see this was obvious to others as well.

 

[Short Corner]

IMO, if a defender popped Pennington pretty hard being totally exposed as a WR, the Phins might not be so eager to run this play into the ground.

This is how Lee Corso defended it when he was at Louisville. He didn't really care how sucessful it was, they would stop running the formation when they started running out of QB's.

 

[Tigerbot Hesh]

IMO, if a defender popped Pennington pretty hard being totally exposed as a WR, the Phins might not be so eager to run this play into the ground.

I've been thinking the same thing. It would only take a linebacker destroying Pennington once for the Dolphins to re-think lining Pennington up as a WR so much. I don't know how ethical/sporting it would be, but I think if I were a defensive coordinator I'd tell my outside linebackers that if they see Brown under center, shadow Pennington and as soon as the ball crosses the line of scrimmage level Pennington. If the team is going to line him up as a blocker/receiver, then he should be treated like one.

Yeah, I've been wondering about that, too. If Pennington goes out wide, it's open season on him. I'll give up a nifty run up the middle once or twice to knock the starting QB out of the game.This is probably going to happen sometime in the coming month, and the defensive coordinator and LB/safety that blasts Pennington will be villified and fined. But I agree with Yudkin and Grove Diesel; if you put Pennington out there to block, don't complain if a football game breaks out around him.

 

[Gatorman]

The Dolphins also run an unbalanced line with this at times, which also causes problems with the D line alignment (They move Long to a second RT, and then bring in another tackle).

The dolphins also have a package where Ginn is the QB instead of Ronnie. They have not trucked this out yet.

Do you think this may bode well for Tebow in the NFL? He is the ultimate wildcat QB.

 

[nutssfan]

Why is Pennington out there at all? Wouldn't the play be more effective if you had a TE out wide? You know, a guy who could block and catch.

Or is there some kind of QB substitution rule I don't know about?

 

[gregjcross]

The number one reason the Wildcat works is because it attacks the weakest point in the run defense, which is the CB. The CB is out there for his speed and coverage skills, not his ability to take on a 5'10 230 lb Ricky Williams one on one. The primary play is to bring R Williams on an end around (essentially) and give him the ball at high speed going toward the weak link, which is the CB. You use Williams speed advantage against the LBs and D-line to get away from them and his power advantage against the CB. Then you have Pennington out at the WR position throwing a block on a CB, now commentators will laud Chad for throwing a block, but lest face it- he has 35 lbs on the average CB in this league. He should be able to effectively (if not efficiently or beautifully) block a CB. This play forces the outside LB to start going with Williams to make sure he doesn't get burned on the edge which naturally leaves a lane for RB on that side of the defense. If the whole defense shifts they have to open up running lanes for Ronnie Brown on the backside which creates the same problem that the Williams end around does, namely a big RB boring down on a small CB (who is also being blocked by your WR). Thats basically it, your using the threat of the RB/CB mismatch to open up lanes in the middle of the field. There is a simple, but difficult, way to counteract it. When they line up in the Wildcat formation you don't want a CB on Pennington on the outside, and you want both safeties up for run support. If your D is fast enough (in reacting) you have your CB drop deep to the center of the field and play free safety, bring your two safeties up and shift a LB on top of Pennington. Your LB should be much better at shedding Pennington's block and making the tackle should Williams get the ball and your safeties help plug the gaps up the middle and on the backside.

The defense should probably change to a 4 DL , 5 LB and two safety alignment against the Wildcat however since Miami has its base offense in, they could shift back to a basic set but Ricky would be playing Fullback. Where the heck is good old R.C. Slocum when you need him most

 

[Short Corner]

Why is Pennington out there at all? Wouldn't the play be more effective if you had a TE out wide? You know, a guy who could block and catch.Or is there some kind of QB substitution rule I don't know about?

Because the formation can be schemed against if you know it's coming.

 

[Dolfan]

The number one reason the Wildcat works is because it attacks the weakest point in the run defense, which is the CB. The CB is out there for his speed and coverage skills, not his ability to take on a 5'10 230 lb Ricky Williams one on one. The primary play is to bring R Williams on an end around (essentially) and give him the ball at high speed going toward the weak link, which is the CB...

I have to disagree with you here... I've watched every Dolphins game this year and it seems to me it has been more successful when Ronnie Brown has kept it (and usually gone stright up the middle)..I think the key to it's success is just that it causes the defenders to think for a second instead of playing..I agree somebody should lay a hit on Pennington -- really surprised (and happy as a Dolphin fan) that hasn't happened yet... Makes me wonder why Miami keeps Pennington in at all on those plays.. Makes me think they have plans on one of these plays to have Ronnie give it to Ricky on the end-around and then Ricky pitch it back to Pennington like a flea-flicker....I agree that guys like Tebow and Pat White have to be loving the success Miami is having running this formation. I think it increases the odds of those guys actually getting to play quarterback in the NFL...

 

[GroveDiesel]

Why is Pennington out there at all? Wouldn't the play be more effective if you had a TE out wide? You know, a guy who could block and catch.Or is there some kind of QB substitution rule I don't know about?

Several reasons I can think of:1) You would allow the defense to change up their formation to better defend against it2) You lose the flexibility of pitching it to Pennington and have him throw3) You would no longer have a player on the field with a speaker in his helmet to get playcalls from the sideline

 

[footballnerd]

Why is Pennington out there at all? Wouldn't the play be more effective if you had a TE out wide? You know, a guy who could block and catch.Or is there some kind of QB substitution rule I don't know about?

Several reasons I can think of:1) You would allow the defense to change up their formation to better defend against it2) You lose the flexibility of pitching it to Pennington and have him throw3) You would no longer have a player on the field with a speaker in his helmet to get playcalls from the sideline

But he's lined up wide, are they really going to swing the ball out there for him to throw? I can understand if Pennington is lined up as a halfback. Put a mic in Ronnies helmet too? haha.

 

[footballnerd]

Actually now that I think about it, it prevents teams from getting the personnel right. If they see no Pennington in the huddle, they know its coming. As long as he's in there they have to have defenders on the field that can defend a normal pass formation.

 

[gregjcross]

Actually now that I think about it, it prevents teams from getting the personnel right. If they see no Pennington in the huddle, they know its coming. As long as he's in there they have to have defenders on the field that can defend a normal pass formation.

Its pretty simple. Defenses have to force them to throw long whatever the offensive set. Blitz 8 or 9 and leave a safety on both sides of hte field in case they break through the front line. Pennington struggles with long balls anyway, you force the Fins to start throwing over 20 yards and anything can happen, 2/3 of it being bad. Wildcat = law of diminishing returns

 

[bro1ncos]

Another big reason this formation works is because it turns offense into 10 vs 10 instead of the normal 10vs11. I will explain my thoughts.

On a normal play with Pennington at QB, you will have (on avg. just for simplicity) 5 offensive lineman on 5 pass rushers and you have 5 receivers vs 6 defenders in coverage. There isn't a "spy" to account for Pennington, there is very little concern about Pennington running the ball, so in affect you have 10 offensive players being covered by 11 defenders.

When you split Pennington out wide someone has to account for him. I am sure that Ronnie Brown is instructed that if Pennington is all alone then Ronnie will throw the ball to him. So now that someone is "on" Pennington then it turns the rest of the field into 10 vs 10. Slightly improves the offensive side's odds of running an effective play.

 

[Johnny Ice]

NFL Network videos breaks down this formation in a four minute video called "Week 3 Anatomy: Wildcat Formation". There is no direct link to post but in can easily be found under Videos/Playbook section. When Ronnie handed Ricky the ball on the sweep Jake Long and Fasano switched positions on the line and the Dolphins just had more blockers than the Patriots had defenders. Then off that same alignment you have the TD pass from Brown to Fasano and the corner (opposite side of Pennington) who had deep third responsibility bit on the run action from Brown coming his way leaving Fasano wide open behind him. This set attacks all areas of the defense and requires excellent read and react skill by the collective defensive unit.

 

[footballnerd]

Another big reason this formation works is because it turns offense into 10 vs 10 instead of the normal 10vs11. I will explain my thoughts.On a normal play with Pennington at QB, you will have (on avg. just for simplicity) 5 offensive lineman on 5 pass rushers and you have 5 receivers vs 6 defenders in coverage. There isn't a "spy" to account for Pennington, there is very little concern about Pennington running the ball, so in affect you have 10 offensive players being covered by 11 defenders.When you split Pennington out wide someone has to account for him. I am sure that Ronnie Brown is instructed that if Pennington is all alone then Ronnie will throw the ball to him. So now that someone is "on" Pennington then it turns the rest of the field into 10 vs 10. Slightly improves the offensive side's odds of running an effective play.

Miami should trade for Randel El or Matt Jones to run this offense. Didn't both play some QB in college?

 

[Bri]

thread from a couple weeks ago

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...=425650&hl=

some good links in there

 

[Black]

NFL Network videos breaks down this formation in a four minute video called "Week 3 Anatomy: Wildcat Formation". There is no direct link to post but in can easily be found under Videos/Playbook section. When Ronnie handed Ricky the ball on the sweep Jake Long and Fasano switched positions on the line and the Dolphins just had more blockers than the Patriots had defenders. Then off that same alignment you have the TD pass from Brown to Fasano and the corner (opposite side of Pennington) who had deep third responsibility bit on the run action from Brown coming his way leaving Fasano wide open behind him. This set attacks all areas of the defense and requires excellent read and react skill by the collective defensive unit.

A video is worth 1,000,000 words...http://www.truveo.com/Week-3-Anatomy-of-a-...n/id/1945441888

 

[Bri]

The Fins are not necessarily lining up like

T G C G T as you'd expect, they're shifting power to one side. The DL needs to recognize it and shift where they line up. Pretending it's normal is just silly.

The Ravens run an offensive set with the line shifted to one side too. I was reading how Cam even started to put a C in at where you'd figure a TE would lineup.

 

[Bri]

The defense is stressed because they have to hold their lanes and cover all sides. There is no attacking this formation just reacting. The only real way to defend it is to have speed everywhere. The "QB" has so many options to choose from on any given play. You have the option run to either side, direct runs to either side, handoff to the motion man, play-action passes, etc. It just so many wrinkles to defend off of it. When you combine that with a back like Ronnie Brown who seems like a master at picking the right hole and having the patience to let things develop in front of him. It's trouble.

A former HS coach I emailed told me one of his LBs didn't recognize this in a game and being concerned about giving up a big play, he told his fellow LBs to take a step back. They matched up and planned for it better in future weeks but, simply taking a step back was the key to everything. Without that step back they couldn't react well at all-as you mentioned above. HS is not NFL, just thought it was interesting so...

 

[theprince]

NFL Network videos breaks down this formation in a four minute video called "Week 3 Anatomy: Wildcat Formation". There is no direct link to post but in can easily be found under Videos/Playbook section. When Ronnie handed Ricky the ball on the sweep Jake Long and Fasano switched positions on the line and the Dolphins just had more blockers than the Patriots had defenders. Then off that same alignment you have the TD pass from Brown to Fasano and the corner (opposite side of Pennington) who had deep third responsibility bit on the run action from Brown coming his way leaving Fasano wide open behind him. This set attacks all areas of the defense and requires excellent read and react skill by the collective defensive unit.

A video is worth 1,000,000 words...http://www.truveo.com/Week-3-Anatomy-of-a-...n/id/1945441888

 

[Steeler]

.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

It works because it's a contrarian strategy. What team in the NFL practices to stop this formation? None of them. Even when you know the Dolphins are next on your schedule, your scout team isn't going to run the wildcat as well as the Dolphins do. Your defense may stop it in practice, but trying to stop it against a team that practices it week in week out, while you're practicing to stop something for just one week is not going to be easy.

I like it, and I think it will be effective a lot longer than people were saying after the Patriots win. Eventually an equilibrium is going to be reached, but I think this stays pretty successful for some time. Just like Vick was nightmare for opposing defenses for a few seasons.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

Something about this also reminds me of Dante Hall when he was having that great season for the Chiefs returning kicks. I can't remember who said it (I think Shannon Sharpe), but it was along the lines of what the NFL can't stop it will destroy basically saying someone was going to take a couple big shots at Dante Hall. I expect in the coming weeks for someone to try taking a few "cheap" shots at Pennington.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Why is it so much different than just handing off the ball?

The offense gets an extra blocker.Try penciling out some Xs and Os on a sheet of paper. Have the Os block the Xs. Try it with a QB doing the handoff, and then with a direct snap to the RB. With the QB doing the handoff, there will be two unblocked defenders. With a direct snap to the RB, there is only one unblocked defender.

 

[Lord Lucan]

The crunch time for the Wildcat probably comes in two weeks when Miami face Baltimore. Assuming they try and run it there, that's going to be compulsive viewing, as that defense is going to take a pretty dim view of it.

 

[Chairshot]

Why is it so much different than just handing off the ball?

The offense gets an extra blocker.Try penciling out some Xs and Os on a sheet of paper. Have the Os block the Xs. Try it with a QB doing the handoff, and then with a direct snap to the RB. With the QB doing the handoff, there will be two unblocked defenders. With a direct snap to the RB, there is only one unblocked defender.

This is the biggest reason...on a normal run play, the QB has no added value. In the Wildcat, the RB gets the ball quicker and Pennington picks up a block. On the keeper play, if everyone throws their blocks correctly, it's basically one on one with Ronnie Brown and a defender, which is a great match up. Throw in the fact that there are probably a half dozen things that can happen on the play, it makes it really hard to read for defenders. It's almost impossible to read the keeper right, keeper left, keeper up the middle, the end around and the pass fast enough to stop it. Especially when those keeper plays mean you have an Pro Bowl caliber RB and with an extra blocker sprinting up field.As far as someone putting a lick on Pennington, I don't know if that's a great danger for the Dolphins, probably no more danger then Pennington is in from just playing the QB position. Every player on the field will take a shot now and then but I think the way they have the play drawn up protects Pennington pretty well. He is set up far wide and everyone else is bunched up in the middle of the field. It's basically Pennington and a defender one on one out in space. If you swap out a LB for the CB, I guess that might work, but even then, you aren't going to have an LB with a full head of steam laying Pennington out. All Pennington does is try to get a 2 second block on his man and then he falls behind the play. For someone to really take a shot at Pennington it would probably have to be real cheap shot, behind the play. And while you were worried about that, you have Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams killing you.Since they basically run the play about 5 times a game, I'm don't know that Pennington is in that much more danger then if he was taking 5 more drop backs a game. It's not like QBs don't get clobbered standing in the pocket on a regular basis. If anything, I'd guess that most of the time he is in a better position to defend himself as opposed to being a sitting duck in the pocket.I think the best way to defend it is to have the CB play off Pennington. He can read the play and then either cover Pennington if it's a pass or make a play on the run. I'm betting that the Dolphins aren't going to counter that with short passes to Pennington, so you really don't have to play the short route on him. Have the CB play the run primarily and keep an eye out on the off chance that Pennington runs a go route. Even if he does, I'm betting it's a lot easier to recover on that play then it is to recover on the run plays.

 

[baconisgood]

The number one reason the Wildcat works is because it attacks the weakest point in the run defense, which is the CB. The CB is out there for his speed and coverage skills, not his ability to take on a 5'10 230 lb Ricky Williams one on one. The primary play is to bring R Williams on an end around (essentially) and give him the ball at high speed going toward the weak link, which is the CB...

I have to disagree with you here... I've watched every Dolphins game this year and it seems to me it has been more successful when Ronnie Brown has kept it (and usually gone stright up the middle)..I think the key to it's success is just that it causes the defenders to think for a second instead of playing..I agree somebody should lay a hit on Pennington -- really surprised (and happy as a Dolphin fan) that hasn't happened yet... Makes me wonder why Miami keeps Pennington in at all on those plays.. Makes me think they have plans on one of these plays to have Ronnie give it to Ricky on the end-around and then Ricky pitch it back to Pennington like a flea-flicker....I agree that guys like Tebow and Pat White have to be loving the success Miami is having running this formation. I think it increases the odds of those guys actually getting to play quarterback in the NFL...

Let me rephrase the first part. The Ricky Williams end around is the INITIAL THREAT that sets up every other variation. Because the CB is alone and the worst tackler on the field (in general) AND Ricky has a head of steam the defense MUST react to this side to prevent a huge play BEFORE they know if Ricky is getting the ball or not. IF they wait for the handoff hes got a step on the linebackers or more. The shift of the defense to this side of the field must open up lanes somewhere else while at the same time sending defenders in the wrong direction (when RB keeps it). Think play action pass. The passes may more productive than the running plays they build off of, but the threat of the run is what opens up the pass.To the second point if Pennington wasn't in the game the WC would be obvious and the D could send in a run stopping squad, by having CP out there the D has to keep its CBs on the field.

 

[Delusions Of Adequacy]

In the NFL it works so far because it's novel and rare, and teams haven't really paid attention to it. If it continues to be run defenses will find the counter for it.

 

[Ice Cream Man]

Why is it so much different than just handing off the ball?

The offense gets an extra blocker.Try penciling out some Xs and Os on a sheet of paper. Have the Os block the Xs. Try it with a QB doing the handoff, and then with a direct snap to the RB. With the QB doing the handoff, there will be two unblocked defenders. With a direct snap to the RB, there is only one unblocked defender.

This is the biggest reason...on a normal run play, the QB has no added value. In the Wildcat, the RB gets the ball quicker and Pennington picks up a block. On the keeper play, if everyone throws their blocks correctly, it's basically one on one with Ronnie Brown and a defender, which is a great match up. Throw in the fact that there are probably a half dozen things that can happen on the play, it makes it really hard to read for defenders. It's almost impossible to read the keeper right, keeper left, keeper up the middle, the end around and the pass fast enough to stop it. Especially when those keeper plays mean you have an Pro Bowl caliber RB and with an extra blocker sprinting up field.As far as someone putting a lick on Pennington, I don't know if that's a great danger for the Dolphins, probably no more danger then Pennington is in from just playing the QB position. Every player on the field will take a shot now and then but I think the way they have the play drawn up protects Pennington pretty well. He is set up far wide and everyone else is bunched up in the middle of the field. It's basically Pennington and a defender one on one out in space. If you swap out a LB for the CB, I guess that might work, but even then, you aren't going to have an LB with a full head of steam laying Pennington out. All Pennington does is try to get a 2 second block on his man and then he falls behind the play. For someone to really take a shot at Pennington it would probably have to be real cheap shot, behind the play. And while you were worried about that, you have Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams killing you.

Since they basically run the play about 5 times a game, I'm don't know that Pennington is in that much more danger then if he was taking 5 more drop backs a game. It's not like QBs don't get clobbered standing in the pocket on a regular basis. If anything, I'd guess that most of the time he is in a better position to defend himself as opposed to being a sitting duck in the pocket.

I think the best way to defend it is to have the CB play off Pennington. He can read the play and then either cover Pennington if it's a pass or make a play on the run. I'm betting that the Dolphins aren't going to counter that with short passes to Pennington, so you really don't have to play the short route on him. Have the CB play the run primarily and keep an eye out on the off chance that Pennington runs a go route. Even if he does, I'm betting it's a lot easier to recover on that play then it is to recover on the run plays.

 

[David Yudkin]

It works because it's a contrarian strategy. What team in the NFL practices to stop this formation? None of them. Even when you know the Dolphins are next on your schedule, your scout team isn't going to run the wildcat as well as the Dolphins do. Your defense may stop it in practice, but trying to stop it against a team that practices it week in week out, while you're practicing to stop something for just one week is not going to be easy.

I like it, and I think it will be effective a lot longer than people were saying after the Patriots win. Eventually an equilibrium is going to be reached, but I think this stays pretty successful for some time. Just like Vick was nightmare for opposing defenses for a few seasons.

Can't say that the answer is none of them. The Patriots practiced defending this formation and some variants in prepping for the Jets the week before they played Miami. They were concerned that the Jets would run it with either Brad Smith or Leon Washington. Belichick was the one that spilled the beans on this, as no one would have known otherwise.NE just didn't expect it against the Dolphins and they did not have answer (obviously). But at least the Patriots have tried to scheme against it in practice, and I'm sure future Miami oppoents will start to as well.

 

[Football Jones]

Just trying to knock Pennington out of the game is much easier said than done, IMO. Just because you line up a LB across from Pennnington & he gives him a good shot, doesn't mean Pennington is going to go into the fetal position. Pennington is a good-sized guy & probably much tougher than he looks. I'm sure Miami thought of this initially. What are you willing to do? Target him after the play is over? I honestly don't believe an NFL team will do that. Maybe I'm wrong.

I definitely understand the theory behind trying to destroy the QB, but I don't know how effective it will be in reality. I guess it depends on the QB. Not sure how effective the Wildcat will be in the long-run, but it's given the two teams they've used it against fits. I find it really interesting & I'm curious to see how often Miami uses it going forward (& if anybody else will start using the Wildcat package).

 

[-baller]

yeah, I was listening to a little nfl network on sirius today and the feeling was one reason that it works so well is because it's so different from the endless repetition of 'standard' plays that players have become accustomed to that they take a little longer to react.

whoever it was talking about it also said that the chargers looked completely confused, like they had never even seen it before, even though it was run just the same as it had been the week before.

 

[Sake-Bombers]

Let me rephrase the first part. The Ricky Williams end around is the INITIAL THREAT that sets up every other variation.

I heard Clinton Hart out here on the radio yesterday, and this is what he talked about. He basically said that it was the extra time they had to spend figuring out who had the ball -Ricky or Ronnie- that slowed them up.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

It works because it's a contrarian strategy. What team in the NFL practices to stop this formation? None of them. Even when you know the Dolphins are next on your schedule, your scout team isn't going to run the wildcat as well as the Dolphins do. Your defense may stop it in practice, but trying to stop it against a team that practices it week in week out, while you're practicing to stop something for just one week is not going to be easy.

I like it, and I think it will be effective a lot longer than people were saying after the Patriots win. Eventually an equilibrium is going to be reached, but I think this stays pretty successful for some time. Just like Vick was nightmare for opposing defenses for a few seasons.

Can't say that the answer is none of them. The Patriots practiced defending this formation and some variants in prepping for the Jets the week before they played Miami. They were concerned that the Jets would run it with either Brad Smith or Leon Washington. Belichick was the one that spilled the beans on this, as no one would have known otherwise.NE just didn't expect it against the Dolphins and they did not have answer (obviously). But at least the Patriots have tried to scheme against it in practice, and I'm sure future Miami oppoents will start to as well.

The fact that they DID prep for this (amazing foresight) and looked so pathetic trying to stop it (even if they prepped a week before), makes it look worse for other teams trying.

 

[Lord Lucan]

Just trying to knock Pennington out of the game is much easier said than done, IMO. Just because you line up a LB across from Pennnington & he gives him a good shot, doesn't mean Pennington is going to go into the fetal position. Pennington is a good-sized guy & probably much tougher than he looks. I'm sure Miami thought of this initially. What are you willing to do? Target him after the play is over? I honestly don't believe an NFL team will do that. Maybe I'm wrong.

If it were that easy to knock an important guy out of the game just by puttting a LB on him, then Wes Welker (5'9", 185lb), who routinely lines up against LBs, would have been a non-factor a long time ago.

 

[FUBAR]

Another big reason this formation works is because it turns offense into 10 vs 10 instead of the normal 10vs11. I will explain my thoughts.On a normal play with Pennington at QB, you will have (on avg. just for simplicity) 5 offensive lineman on 5 pass rushers and you have 5 receivers vs 6 defenders in coverage. There isn't a "spy" to account for Pennington, there is very little concern about Pennington running the ball, so in affect you have 10 offensive players being covered by 11 defenders.When you split Pennington out wide someone has to account for him. I am sure that Ronnie Brown is instructed that if Pennington is all alone then Ronnie will throw the ball to him. So now that someone is "on" Pennington then it turns the rest of the field into 10 vs 10. Slightly improves the offensive side's odds of running an effective play.

Miami should trade for Randel El or Matt Jones to run this offense. Didn't both play some QB in college?

That's what I was thinking.Get Jacksonville, Washington, the Jets (Brad Smith), Steelers (Ward), San Diego (Naanee) or a few other teams to start doing this and I'd be interested to see the results. Of course, they will probably have to set it up by occasionally using the guy as a real QB, as perhaps the biggest reason this works is the surprise factor.Tennessee should do this with VY. If Ben gets healthy, he could probably pull it off better than most QBs too.

 

[FUBAR]

Why is it so much different than just handing off the ball?

The offense gets an extra blocker.Try penciling out some Xs and Os on a sheet of paper. Have the Os block the Xs. Try it with a QB doing the handoff, and then with a direct snap to the RB. With the QB doing the handoff, there will be two unblocked defenders. With a direct snap to the RB, there is only one unblocked defender.

So, basically it's a QB sneak / rush with a better runner getting the ball.

 

[FUBAR]

This has me thinking now.

I expect to see modifications on this once teams prep for it. Get a RB like Portis or LT behind center, take the snap, but instead of running, they pass it. Everyone's reacting to the wildcat, then they throw deep to a WR (QB?) Could work with the right RB throwing.

 

[Lord Lucan]

This has me thinking now. I expect to see modifications on this once teams prep for it. Get a RB like Portis or LT behind center, take the snap, but instead of running, they pass it. Everyone's reacting to the wildcat, then they throw deep to a WR (QB?) Could work with the right RB throwing.

Like Ronnie Brown throwing to Anthony Fasano?