CLICK HERE FOR A BREAKDOWN OF THE "WILDCAT OFFENSE"
http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80b1831e
This formation single handedly took down the always-dominant New England Patriots in Week 3 and also helped Miami to a win over the San Diego Chargers in Week 5. According to Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano, offensive coordinator David Lee is responsible for installing this wicked formation which has baffled the previous two Miami opponents.
I, for one, simply love the play calling by David Lee. He is smart in using this offensive scheme. He normally will not run plays from that formation until he is either at midfield or just inside the opposing team's territory. Additionally, he doesn't overuse the formation which increases the success for his offense to execute.
I'm a huge college football fan and, quite frankly, that's exactly what this offense reminds me of. Today's college football programs are running the spread offense as if it's going out of style. The "Wildcat Offense" has almost the same makings but has the running back take direct snaps in the shotgun while the quarterback lines up as a wide receiver. See where I'm going with this? The excitement factor explodes when the ball is snapped because there are so many options. When I saw live game action of the Dolphins last Sunday, I had no idea if Ronnie Brown was going to hand the ball off to the once-pothead Ricky Williams coming in motion behind the center, if Brown would keep the ball and run it himself or, heaven forbid, launch a deep ball to quarterback Chad Pennington running his Randy Moss-like fly pattern down the sideline!
If I'm nearly on the edge of my seat second guessing myself as to who's hands the football is in or whether the Dolphins are going to pass or run the ball for that matter in a matter of a few seconds, can you imagine why opposing defenses are struggling with this mastermind offense?
Now let's give credit where credit is due. Football has never seen anything like this at the NFL level. Defensive players are quick and agile nowadays so much that offensive coordinators neglect calling such plays and formations several times over because they feel it will either end up a bust or a loss of yards. Not so with the Dolphins. David Lee was the brainchild for this gameplay when he was offensive coordinator for Houston Nutt at the University of Arkansas the past few years. During his tenure with the Razorbacks, he allowed Darren McFadden, the Oakland Raiders #1 draft pick this season, to run wild. Speaking of which, there seems to be no ryhme or reason as to why this play calling is referred to as the "Wildcat Offense". Shouldn't it have been named the "Razorback Offense" or the "Hog-Wild Offense"?
In any event, we can all agree that this "Wildcat Offense" creates excitement amongst the fans and the players who run it, but NFL coaches and coordinators beware. The only reason why Miami is so successful in this offense is because Ronnie Brown is making the right decisions when the football is in his hands. His decision making has earned him 238 yards rushing and 6 total touchdowns in the Dolphins last two games. Similar stats were true for McFadden when was under this system at Arkansas. The team was great at running plays from the formation because Lee trusted his Heisman hopeful running back to make the right decisions at the right time. Also, don't discount the Miami offensive line. Those hog mollies have been outstanding with their blocking assignments as they clear lanes that semi trucks could drive through and provide pass blocking when needed.
Have you seen this offense that his been run lately by none other than the Miami Dolphins this season? If not, you need to order up NFL Sunday Ticket from DirecTV or get to your local sports bar for the next Fins' game on Sunday. Or if you're a real couch potato, just keep it locked to SportsCenter. I'm sure David Lee's offense will have a few highlights to share with you by the end of the day.