Defending Against The Miami Dolphins Wild-Cat Formation

[Darth Vader]

Defending Against The Miami Dolphins Wild-Cat Formation

The Wildcat is meant to take advantage of an abnormally quick transfer of the ball to the RB, who receives the ball in a direct snap from the center, which throws the timing of the defense off, allowing it less time to react, and skewing the angles of attack and contain.

The Wildcat then becomes more tricky with the fact that it allows for myriad options in the play's development, including misdirection on reverses, and RB passes downfield. Ronnie Brown is 2 for 2 in passing situations this year with one TD and an average of 20 yards a pass.

The Dolphins hadn't unveiled the Wildcat when we played them in week one. They saved that revelation for the Patriots, who got whooped by it. The Wildcat will be effective against our defense because it will stretch the perimeter and allow the RB to pick the open holes off tackle and outside. We haven't really shown over the past month or more the team speed, the toughness in contain or the tackling fundamentals to set and maintain the edge consistently and shut the outside (or inside) down for four quarters. Also, at our second level, some in the secondary especially at both safeties are not in the least bit willing to or capable of coming up to cut the runners down, or as important, the blockers, at the point, with any consistency.

By the LBs - Barton cannot get outside for his life and Harris has shown some worrisome weaknesses in his game this year, especially since his return. Bryan Thomas is the best LB on the team setting the edge, and moreover we don't blitz him, but rather we blitz Pace (only on occasion). the Fins, then, will probably not run to BT's side if they can help it, but rather try to capitalize on anticipated Blitzes or Pass Dropbacks from Pace's side.

Now to the defense of the Wildcat. When the Dolphins send a RB in at QB, Pennington has to flex outside to WR. This is a precarious position for a QB because at the line as a WR, he isn't protected by the regime of QB protection rules recently enacted by the NFL. I'm surprised this hasn't been done before. After all, risk is a part of the game, and teams go to unreal lengths to protect their prize possessions - their QBs. What needs to be done is to attack the QB each and every time the WC is enacted. Hit him hard, drive him to the ground. Show no mercy. The Wildcat disenables a defense from doing what it does against a set reality. There is not much of a novelty on defense to protect against it. However there is a major flaw in the strategy of employing it. Seizing on this flaw will dissolve thew Wildcat from being employed in the NFL when a team employing it considers the risks.

Chad Pennington is most responsible for the Dolphins turnaround this year. The minute that team switches to Chad Henne, the team diminishes its chances of winning. Chad's savvy, his leadership, even his tangibles, have proven this year to be invaluable. Threaten them, and threaten the Dolphins at their most vulnerable point. Injure Chad, and the Dolphins are done. The point however isn't to hurt indiscriminately or without conscience. The point is to play football. Put your QB out in the field of play, like a grunt in the trenches, and let him get hit by a grunt. Let's see how long he lasts if every time they go Wldcat, we put a player on him with free reign to get after him, hit him, and hit him like a grunt. I'm not kidding.

Goodbye Wildcat.

[CTM]

Here's Belichicks answer on that:

1) Getting physical with the quarterback. When the Dolphins run the package, they split quarterback Chad Pennington out wide, so some might say "Why not get physical with Pennington?" Belichick said he has not seen many opponents take that approach and he explained why:

[Darth Vader]

Here's Belichicks answer on that:

Even Cowher said he would cheat the Qb, reason being is that you can get outflanked so quickly from the formation that teams opt to have the CB on the QB cheat inside in support..

here's a link to how COwher says to defend if interested:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80c9ec68&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

Finally, given Chad's injury history, I think I'd risk giving up a big play to wallop him with a LB. I'm real surprised the Pats never did it..

that's exactly it. they'd have to stop....

/end wildcat

[Aqua4ever04]

Here's Belichicks answer on that:

Even Cowher said he would cheat the Qb, reason being is that you can get outflanked so quickly from the formation that teams opt to have the CB on the QB cheat inside in support..

here's a link to how COwher says to defend if interested:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80c9ec68&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

Finally, given Chad's injury history, I think I'd risk giving up a big play to wallop him with a LB. I'm real surprised the Pats never did it..

First off, you're right about the corner cheating in. It takes up a defender if you man up on Chad. We'll gladly take 10 defenders compared to 11.

Second, all Chad has to do is run to the sideline. As bad as it would look, there's nothing you could do about it.

As for the general Wildcat, we unvieled another wrinkle last week that I'm pretty sure was being saved for the New York game. Unfortunatley, we got behind and needed the yards it produced. I'm sure there's something new in store for the Jets, but I don't suspect we'll see the base run with Ronnie more than a couple of times.

[Samphin]

Defending the wildcat really isn't too hard. In fact, its effectiveness has been next to nothing recently.

Miami has used it less and less and I doubt that trend changes on Sunday.

[joebabyny]

what-the-f##k-ever, the fins don't even need the wildcat, why bother running on us when you can dink and dunk up and down the field on our defense and you have the prototypical qb for that type of offense.

I do say though that if you want to take pennington and his twice busted chicken wing and line him up without the protection of being a qb, then the defense should just say screw it with whatever yards they allow on the play and just let Barton try to run right through pennington's chest cavity like Neo running through the agent in the Matrix.

[Pragmatic Bus]

what-the-f##k-ever, the fins don't even need the wildcat, why bother running on us when you can dink and dunk up and down the field on our defense and you have the prototypical qb for that type of offense.

I do say though that if you want to take pennington and his twice busted chicken wing and line him up without the protection of being a qb, then the defense should just say screw it with whatever yards they allow on the play and just let Barton try to run right through pennington's chest cavity like Neo running through the agent in the Matrix.

dolphags will find out this sunday why we jets fan hate chad nothingdone.

[Pragmatic Bus]

i would love to see chad nuthingdone choke again like he always does.

[joebabyny]

i would love to see chad nuthingdone choke again like he always does.

like he has done with their 10 wins this year?

I think we need to face the obvious, Chad left us and flourished on a team that is mostly unchanged from last year at 1-15 while we were the biggest players by far in free agency on both sides of the ball and took Brett Favre and made him a dink and dunker who has thrown like 1 td in the last 4 games. Maybe Chad was never the real problem? Maybe it was the team, the way it is being run?

[Pragmatic Bus]

like he has done with their 10 wins this year?

I think we need to face the obvious, Chad left us and flourished on a team that is mostly unchanged from last year at 1-15 while we were the biggest players by far in free agency on both sides of the ball and took Brett Favre and made him a dink and dunker who has thrown like 1 td in the last 4 games. Maybe Chad was never the real problem? Maybe it was the team, the way it is being run?

he has always been a **** tease. he sucks you in and then at precice moment he fails. have you forgotten chadwick already

[joebabyny]

he has always been a **** tease. he sucks you in and then at precice moment he fails. have you forgotten chadwick already

isn't that precisely what has gone on this year without him?

Let's face the hard facts here, look at the player favre was last year and the player he is this year, and then look at the player chad was here and the player he is now elsewhere. Logic and reason will tell you that maybe Chad wasn't to blame, at least not nearly as much as we have blamed him in the past.

[Pragmatic Bus]

isn't that precisely what has gone on this year without him?

Let's face the hard facts here, look at the player favre was last year and the player he is this year, and then look at the player chad was here and the player he is now elsewhere. Logic and reason will tell you that maybe Chad wasn't to blame, at least not nearly as much as we have blamed him in the past.

actually chad would have won the seattle game but lose against dollfish. thats more heart wrenching

[Pragmatic Bus]

chad has impecable timing to throw interceptions. he doesn't throw middle of the game int. he'll always throw the last second to lose the game duck

[joebabyny]

chad has impecable timing to throw interceptions. he doesn't throw middle of the game int. he'll always throw the last second to lose the game duck

How many times has that happened with him this year?

When the team sucks and puts the qb in terrible positions every single game then what do you expect will happen? In 07 and 06 the jets have very few blowout wins, they were mostly all close low scoring games. If you force your qb into a 2 minute offense every game to have to win in the last minutes, sometimes it is going to go wrong, especially with inept playcalling.

What you are saying is just backing up my point. Why does it ever come down to the end of the game? And why is it not happening for him this year on a crappier team with better coaches? Lets be honest, if there is a team out there with crappier wr's than us it is surely the fins.

[Aqua4ever04]

he has always been a **** tease. he sucks you in and then at precice moment he fails. have you forgotten chadwick already

You area aware that we only won one game last year, right?

In a way, he's already done more than enough.

However, I'm not a fan that's just satisfied with improvement. Sunday is everything. We beat you, we had a successful season. We lose, it was a failure.

[Aqua4ever04]

chad has impecable timing to throw interceptions. he doesn't throw middle of the game int. he'll always throw the last second to lose the game duck

Chad has been the most clutch player in the NFL this year. Six different times, we have possessed the ball for more than 10 minutes in the fourth quarter. Four differnet times, we had a drive in the fourth quarter that lasted 7 minutes or more.

He's not throwing key interceptions, he's engineering key touchdown drives when we need them most. We've won a lot of close games this year and just about all of them are due mainly to Chad Pennington.

[joebabyny]

chad has impecable timing to throw interceptions. he doesn't throw middle of the game int. he'll always throw the last second to lose the game duck

How many times has that happened with him this year?

When the team sucks and puts the qb in terrible positions every single game then what do you expect will happen? In 07 and 06 the jets have very few blowout wins, they were mostly all close low scoring games. If you force your qb into a 2 minute offense every game to have to win in the last minutes, sometimes it is going to go wrong, especially with inept playcalling.

What you are saying is just backing up my point. Why does it ever come down to the end of the game? And why is it not happening for him this year on a crappier team with better coaches? Lets be honest, if there is a team out there with crappier wr's than us it is surely the fins.

Chad has been the most clutch player in the NFL this year. Six different times, we have possessed the ball for more than 10 minutes in the fourth quarter. Four differnet times, we had a drive in the fourth quarter that lasted 7 minutes or more.

He's not throwing key interceptions, he's engineering key touchdown drives when we need them most. We've won a lot of close games this year and just about all of them are due mainly to Chad Pennington.

I am actually in a debate against a jets fan and agreeing with a fins fan. My head is going to explode.

F$$K YOU eric mangini for doing all of this to me!

[Pragmatic Bus]

well sunday will be the real litmus test. chad has taken the jets to a few playoff births so to say that his play in miami surprises you is stupid. it might surprise you guys that he is playing good in a nice weather city but i dont forget the ducks he throws in the windy meadowlands.

calling chad clutch is like calling dolphins "America's Team"

if i have to drive 90 yrds in 2 minutes to score 7 points to win the superbowl, lets just say i am not giving chad the ball