The WVBR Sports Blog:
The Voice of the Big Red
The Voice of the Big Red
Wildcat
Original Airdate: Friday, October 16, 2009. This is a part of the 93-Second Sports Shot series. 93-Second Sports Shots air weekday nights at 6pm.
The wildcat offense is not what it used to be: it's better. It began last year in the NFL as a trick play the Dolphins used to confuse the defense or tire them out. Now, teams know what to expect with the wildcat…and still no one can stop it. But why? Well to get the answer, we have to look at three different things.
The running backs are the most important aspect of the wildcat offense. Without at least two very good backs, the offense fails. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are two of the best in the league at making something out of nothing, which helps move the offense even when the play breaks down.
The offensive lineman are almost equally as important as the running backs, the only problem is that you need all five guys to be quality blockers. The Miami Dolphins have the highest paid O-line in all of football, and right now it's showing because these guys do not let up. Against a dominating Jets defense last week they were able to sustain a consistent run game as well as give Chad Henne a lot of time to make accurate passes.
The last aspect of the wildcat that actually may go a bit overlooked is the receiving core. If Miami had more talented receivers, their wildcat offense would NOT be as effective because those receivers would be looking at making more catches than blocking downfield, but because the Dolphins are a run-first team, the receivers understand their role and block very well for Williams and Brown. And once the run game wears down the defense, receivers like Ted Ginn Jr. find themselves wide open for 40-50 yard touchdowns.
So, as you can see, the wildcat offense is no longer a trick formation. But the Dolphins have done a good job at making sure that even if the defense knows what's coming, they can't stop it. All around the NFL, coaches and defensive coordinators are scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to stop the Wildcat.
The wildcat offense is not what it used to be: it's better. It began last year in the NFL as a trick play the Dolphins used to confuse the defense or tire them out. Now, teams know what to expect with the wildcat…and still no one can stop it. But why? Well to get the answer, we have to look at three different things.
The running backs are the most important aspect of the wildcat offense. Without at least two very good backs, the offense fails. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are two of the best in the league at making something out of nothing, which helps move the offense even when the play breaks down.
The offensive lineman are almost equally as important as the running backs, the only problem is that you need all five guys to be quality blockers. The Miami Dolphins have the highest paid O-line in all of football, and right now it's showing because these guys do not let up. Against a dominating Jets defense last week they were able to sustain a consistent run game as well as give Chad Henne a lot of time to make accurate passes.
The last aspect of the wildcat that actually may go a bit overlooked is the receiving core. If Miami had more talented receivers, their wildcat offense would NOT be as effective because those receivers would be looking at making more catches than blocking downfield, but because the Dolphins are a run-first team, the receivers understand their role and block very well for Williams and Brown. And once the run game wears down the defense, receivers like Ted Ginn Jr. find themselves wide open for 40-50 yard touchdowns.
So, as you can see, the wildcat offense is no longer a trick formation. But the Dolphins have done a good job at making sure that even if the defense knows what's coming, they can't stop it. All around the NFL, coaches and defensive coordinators are scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to stop the Wildcat.
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