Why Not Wild Cat?

We’ve all seen it…it’s an exotic formation.  The Dolphins from 2008-2010 used this formation:

The Wild Cat!!! 

This formation proved successful in 2008 in taking out the New England Patriots and running them over on their field.  The next week after the bye it turned into a Flea flicker type play where Henne hit a waiting Patrick Cobbs and Cobbs was able to prance toward the endzone for the score.  We saw the Dolphins run this with Ronnie and Ricky in goal line situations and it proved successful in getting a game winning touchdown in 2009 in a comeback versus the Jets on Monday night football with incredible blocking over the top by Justin Smiley.

The Wild Cat formation forces teams into a mismatch because you don’t know if the Quarterback is going to be in the play or if the running back is going to throw or run.  It’s also a situation where the offense goes Tackle heavy on one side to bring in extra blockers.  The formation has about six different possibilities and the QB can be in the play as a decoy.  The defense is forced to put 9-10 in the box to stop it.  It becomes a guessing game for the defense.  The element of surprise can prove useful in game situations.

So my question to you is why not bring this formation back?  Why not use it to close out a game?

I could see a nice misdirection play with Reggie Bush and Steve Slaton to get “chunk” yardage.  Could you imagine Bush on a jet sweep or Slaton on an end around?    If Daniel Thomas was the QB of this formation at Kansas State, why not have him lead it?

Back in 2008-2009, everyone was wondering why no one could stop the Dolphins Wild Cat.  Now the Dolphins stopped using it after the departures of both Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown.  New coordinator had it in Cleveland.  Why not here?

Is it personnel?  Is it a lack of guys on the o-line?  Is it Jake Long’s balky knee?  Is it John Jerry’s inability to pull as a guard?  Or do the Dolphins have such confidence running out of the base formations to run the ball? I know the running game has improved, but not to the point that the Dolphins can close at a game with a run. 

I know that we all want to see this team win and some of us want to Suck for Luck, but in reality we are in need of a game changer/breaker and a way of closing out a game if we want to win.

So, let’s hope that this week in Kansas City that Sparano & Daboll figure out how to implement the Wild Cat for everyone’s enjoyment and a first win.  If they want to practice “hard” at it all week and then run it against the 3-4 that KC runs, 3-4 can’t stop the Wild Cat. 

If you like Xs and Os on this formation, then do two things: Watch how Andrew Luck successfully ran it on Saturday at USC in the 4^th quarter and how Nebraska ran it with an End around or Jet Sweep v. Michigan State.  If you can’t do that then do this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYEmxO1xzF0
 

Happy Monday and Go Dolphins!

-Michael Serrania

Follow @DolphinMick