Boldin in the Wildcat...who's with me?

[SuperSpck]

Anybody remember the play where Kurt looks like somebody screwed up the play call and he walks off like he's about to call timeout, the center snaps the ball to a RB I think and he waltzes into the endzone. Think it was when Green was still here, and they actually stole it from the Steelers.

You see it in HS football mostly. It's called "bad ball" or "dead fish".

I'm not really a fan.

 

[SuperSpck]

I thought this thread was about seeing Quan naked.

We can always update the Anquan photoshop thread for you.

 

[CardLogic]

The thing about the Wildcat (which sets it apart a little from the Single Wing) is that it splits the QB wide as a WR.

The good thing about using Boldin in it is that, unlike most deep backs taking the direct snap - Boldin (a former QB) can also throw.

The negative, however, is that while many QB's are athletic enough to be a legitimate wideout threat split wide, Warner would essentially fill the role of a life-sized cardboard cutout.

Still, I'd like to see us use the Wildcat (but at least give it credit for actually being a version of the Single Wing).

As was pointed out during yesterday's game, one advantage of the "Wildcat" formation is that there is "no QB" in the formation.

Typical defensive calls do not designate a defender to have responsibility for the QB. By not having a QB in the formation there is one more offensive player that a defense must assign a defender to cover. Even if a player with Warner's limitations split wide there must be a defensive player assigned to cover him.

On a couple of those plays where Delhomme was split out as a reciever he literally just stood there with a grin on his face. Yet the Cardinals had to assign a DB to defend him, thus removing that defender from being able to otherwise impact the play.

So cardboard cut-out or not, employment of the formation still give the offense an additional advantage. Having said that, NFL defenses will quickly develop strategies for countering the advantage.

 

[DeAnna]

As was pointed out during yesterday's game, one advantage of the "Wildcat" formation is that there is "no QB" in the formation. . Yet the Cardinals had to assign a DB to defend him, thus removing that defender from being able to otherwise impact the play.

What if they don't? Would it be an illegal formation penalty?

 

[Pariah]

What if they don't?

Then you pass it to him and hope he doesn't get killed before he can get out of bounds. But a guy like Vince Young is obviously a lot more of a legot threat there than a guy like Warner.

It wouldn't be an illegal defensive formation (not sure there is such a thing), just dumb.

And, as stated earlier, the QB that's flanked out is also a threat to come back and get the ball behind the line to throw it again...but a guy like Warner isn't likely to get back there in time for plays like that.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Yep, if it were Leinart instead of Warner, we'd have a better chance to see it.



The threat of the receiver (WR) coming around on the end around to throw the ball is what makes it work. No way Warner could move those 10-15 steps needed to make it successful.

I would think that would be an innovative way to get Leinart into the game. He ran out at wide and even caught a TD pass in the Rose Bowl IIRC with SC.

If Wisenhunt saw it beneficial to bring Kurt in the 2 minute offense last year I could see the option of Boldin getting the snap and Leinart split wide could be a great play 2-3 times a game.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I would think that would be an innovative way to get Leinart into the game. He ran out at wide and even caught a TD pass in the Rose Bowl IIRC with SC.

If Wisenhunt saw it beneficial to bring Kurt in the 2 minute offense last year I could see the option of Boldin getting the snap and Leinart split wide could be a great play 2-3 times a game.

Not only that, but he is a left handed QB. So in a Wildcat, he would be scrambling left to take a possible endaround. Perfect.

I'd really like to see Boldin Wildcat formation, only if Leinart were in.

 

[SightsSoundsBach13]

The way to maximize this play is to have Boldin get a direct snap, everyone pulls to the direction where he's running, and he gets a big gain. The second time this happens (particularly in 3rd and short) will be a touchdown through the air.

 

[red desert]

We ran him as an H-Back a few times. Not in a direct snap formation. The QB was there as well, and an option was the direct snap to Q.

I personally loved him in the H-Back but it was more meant to get him the ball in swing passes or handoffs. In the Wildcat, it puts the ball in his hands directly, immediately.

I don't like it all. He doesn't have the burst of a good running back. Of say, Ronnie Brown. Which means he's going to get nailed by some 300 poud lineman and 260 pound lbs going downhill. The way Q plays, no thank you.

He's fine out there in the secondary punishing 190 defensive back. The guy is too damn valuable out there.

 

[gusmahler]

So don't put Warner out there? Or is that a big part of why the WC works?

The threat of the receiver (WR) coming around on the end around to throw the ball is what makes it work. No way Warner could move those 10-15 steps needed to make it successful.

Not true. The way the Dolphins run the play, Brown (a RB) takes the snap. The guy coming on the end around is Ricky Williams, another RB. Pennington just stands there as a decoy or to throw the pass downfield if the play is run to him.

If we were to run it, we'd probably use Arrington or Hightower coming on the end around.

As for not putting Kurt in there, the whole point of the Wildcat is surprise when the QB lines up wide. If Kurt left the field and were replaced by a TE or by Breaston, the defense will see and adjust quicker.

With options to throw, pass, run, or handoff to the other HB, WR or the QB coming back from the flanker position.

It's really pretty ingenuous. While I think the NFL will figure it out soon enough, I also think it's something that's going to stay in a lot of team's playbooks if they have the right personnel.

When Vick comes back to the NFL (you know he will), I'd wager whoever signs him uses this formation a lot.

A portion of the Wildcat is that it is a Triple Option type play. Vick used the option at Atlanta his last year in the NFL. Depending on how he read the defense, he would either handoff to Dunn or keep it himself.

So cardboard cut-out or not, employment of the formation still give the offense an additional advantage. Having said that, NFL defenses will quickly develop strategies for countering the advantage.

The Falcons option was figured out in 2-3 weeks. Quick enough that they stopped running it. AFAIK (I didn't see the Dolphins game yesterday), the Dolphins are still running the Wildcat and still throwing new wrinkles (like the lateral to Pennington to make it a glorified Flea Flicker.)

 

[Pariah]

the Dolphins are still running the Wildcat and still throwing new wrinkles (like the lateral to Pennington to make it a glorified Flea Flicker.)

They're not throwing in new wrinkles, they're running more plays from it. The Wildcat is a formation, not a play.