Miami Dolphins "Wildcat Formation" is Sweeping the NFL

Since the Miami Dolphins had so much success running a handful of plays against the New England Patriots utilizing running back Ronnie Brown as a QB and either running, handing to Rickey Williams or even throwing the football, the formation has swept the NFL. Now, about a third of the league's teams are using some version of the "wildcat formation".

The Arizona Cardinals use Anquan Boldin, their star receiver who was a high school QB. The Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and several other NFL teams use a running back, wide receiver, or kick returner at QB to throw defenses off balance. The Oakland Raiders have used their version with Darren McFadden, who created a sensation in 2006 running the formation in college at Arkansas. Unfortunately, McFadden has been injured most of the 2008 season, so a sluggish Raider offense has been unable to spice up their offense using football's new, old, sensational offensive set.

What are the origins of the "wildcat offense", where did it get it's name, and how do defenses stop the wildcat?

The "wildcat formation", wildcat offense", "wildcat package", whatever you prefer to call it, is a variation of the old single-wing offense. Invented by Pop Warner in about 1907, the formation was widely used into the 40's by Knute Rockne at Notre Dame and other schools. In the formation, there were usually three backs in the backfield, bunched tightly together, with a "shotgun snap" going to one of the three.

Some say, most notably, ESPN, that the offensive set gets it's name from Dolphin assistant coach Steve Bush. Bush was head coach at West Genesee, N.Y.and ran the offense a few years ago. West Genesee's nickname is Wildcats.

Reports in Arkansas two years ago were that after then-offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn put in what he called the "wildcat package" featuring Darren McFadden at QB in a late October game vs. Ole Miss, that Springdale AR Har-Ber coach Chris Wood had installed the offense for Malzahn at Springdale High School. Springdale Har-Ber is known as "Wildcats". However, Har-ber only began as a school in 2006, so it's unlikely that that is the origiin of the name. Ironically, the formation was first used at UA versus Ole Miss, now the home of then-Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt.

In about 1997, a high school coach by the name of Hugh Wyatt in Washington state or Oregon, according to his website www.coachwyatt.com, came up with a double-wing offense he dubbed the "wildcat formation", named for the high school he was coaching at the time. That seems like the most likely origin of the current offensive set to me, but who knows for sure?

However the offense got it's name, it has taken the NFL by storm as a situational offense in the league in 2008, just as it did at Arkansas in 2006-07 in the SEC. The beauty of the wildcat is that an offense can use the same personnel to run it and simply split the regular quarterback out as a reciever. That way opposing defensive coordinators, who rely on coaches up in the coaching booth to spot the personnel of the offense on the field at any given time to align their defense and make their defensive calls are in a bind. There is no way to know except by situation from game film for them to know who will be taking the snap until right before the play unfolds.

At Arkansas, not only did defensive coaches have Darren McFadden to worry about, but fellow first round draft pick Felix Jones, as well. Sometimes the Hogs would have both in the game at the same time and split one out wide with a regular QB. Other times, the QB would be split out with both DMac and Felix in the game, with Felix Jones going in motion and taking a pitch or handoff from McFadden.

After Gus Malzahn left Arkansas in Jan. 2007 for a lower paying position at Tulsa, strange for a man selected as Rivals.com's national offensive coordinator of the year for 2006, David Lee was brought in to lead Arkansas' offense. It seems Malzahn got wind of Houston Nutt's plan to demote him and left. Nutt, who will never be confused with an offensive innovator, had tried to credit the running backs coach, his brother Danny, for the wildcat's implementation. Anyway, David Lee continued to use the wildcat in 2007 with much success, but only after Houston Nutt renamed it the "wildhog". After Houston Nutt was fired at UA last November, Lee went as quarterbacks coach to the Miami Dolphins after a brief stay at Ole Miss..

Now, as everyone who follows the NFL knows, the Dolphins started using the wildcat in the third game as a way to try to breathe a little life into what had been a listless offense. It worked so well against the Patriots, of course Miami continues to use the wildcat. Several teams have followed suit. It's long been said that the NFL is a copycat league, football in general is that way as numerous college teams use the formation also.

I don't think the wildcat will ever be a base offense in the NFL. It's best used in the "redzone" or as a change of pace against defenses geared up to stop the pass, which defenses must do or they will be singed when playing top passers. However, due to the ability of some running backs to handle the ball and find a crease or even pass to an open receiver out of the wildcat, I don't think this fad will run its' course this season. Again, the best part of the wildcat is the offenses' ability to use their regular personnel to run it.

If the wildcat offense has a short shelf life as some say it will, it was still fun while it lasted. The thing for defenses, the wildcat forces defenses to watch a lot of film so as to know offensive tendencies and the situations the offense uses it in. There is usually a pattern of down and distance or position on the field that the offenses rely on the wildcat. When the defense knows the wildcat is coming, the defense will simply "load the box" with defenders and play assignment football. A problem with that is that most defenses are geared to attack the offense so much in this era, defenders must switch gears and stay at home, carry out their assignment and strike the ballcarrier rather than shoot through gaps and attack.

That's often easier said than done, just ask some of the NFL defenses that have been burned by the Miami Dolphins duo of Ronnie Brown and Rickey Williams this season. Again, I don't expect the wildcat to be used for a long period of time, NFL defenses will catch on at some point, they just about always do. However, in a season marred by Brett Favre's messy exit from Green Bay, the Tom Brady injury, nagging injuries to Tony Romo and Peyton Manning, and Carson Palmer, and the continued hijinks of Adam "Pacman" Jones, the wildcat offense has been the highlight of the NFL season so far.