The Eagles were one of the teams that ran the Wildcat last year, after the
Miami Dolphins stunned the
Patriots and the rest of the league with it. The Eagles' results in just a handful of plays were mixed with DeSean Jackson as the Wildcat. He ran 9 yards for a touchdown against the
Giants out of the Wildcat, but he also was intercepted on his only passing attempt.
Coach Andy Reid calls the Wildcat "a good wrinkle," and the Eagles had already bulked up their Wildcat package of plays during training, before Vick was even signed. But Reid is one of the
NFL's most innovative and aggressive offensive minds, and you could see the twinkle in his eye when he was asked if the progress of the Wildcat influenced the Vick signing.
"To say that I've added to it since we signed him? I wouldn't say that, no," Reid said. "He's got to get back into the swing. But at the same time, I can't tell you that things wouldn't be padded to a package here and there."
You think? The Wildcat in the NFL has so far been almost exclusively about the run. Ronnie Brown, the Dolphins' Wildcat last year, attempted only three passes and completed two (one for a touchdown). Jackson attempted one pass and it was intercepted. Vick can run with the ball, of course, although his preferred scrambling style is to the edges, while Brown feasted on running behind his tackles in the Wildcat. A straight-ahead run won't be Vick's strength -- his forte is his shiftiness, and the stout defensive linemen in the
National Football Conference East (hello, Giants) have had an entire off-season to study up on the Wildcat.
