One of the biggest misconceptions in the NFL right now is that the
Wildcat offense, made famous by the
Miami Dolphins and now being run in various forms by many teams across the league, is just a "gimmick" that will eventually flame out. But many of those who believe this are the same people who don't understand exactly what the 'Wildcat' is and why it is used.
Essentially, the
Wildcat is simply a power running formation that allows the
Dolphins the ability to get their two best offensive players - Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams - involved in the offense. It's no more "gimmicky" than the 'Power I' formation or any other run-heavy formation.
But, while there might not be a real passing threat out of the formation when a running back is taking the snap, what is being done is an evening out of the numbers. With a traditional quarterback under center, the defense has a one player advantage in terms of defenders to blockers. But in the
Wildcat - even with the quarterback split out wide - the defense still has to account for him, which alleviates the number advantage the defense did have. And it also allows the back - in this case, Ronnie Brown - to get the ball in his hands faster and hit the correct gap faster before the defense has time to react.
