FOXBORO, Mass. — It has been over a year since the Miami Dolphins unveiled this offensive monster known as "Wildcat" for all the NFL to copy. By now, defensive coordinators from Atlanta to Seattle have broken down film, honed techniques and drilled their troops on solving the formation. So why, with the 3-4 Dolphins here at Gillette Stadium today (1 p.m.), does the thought of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams slicing up the turf at Patriots Place have New England football fans petrified? The angst stems not from what Miami has accomplished from the Wildcat in the past. It's how the offense evolves that muddies the defensive waters. Pass, run, sweep, off tackle. You have to wonder what the Dolphins and coordinator Dan Henning are about to come out with next. Give Bill Belichick an offense and five minutes. He can tell you where the specific weaknesses are at the point of attack. There's little about this game that Belichick hasn't mastered. Yet, listen to the coach talk about defending the Williams speed sweep out of the Wildcat. "If you're not wide enough, then Ricky gets out there on that flat and if you get out there wide then it opens up the inside runs for Ronnie (Brown) after he fakes it. They kind of compliment those two plays and make them look the same. It's not a read," New England's coach explained.
"When you are defending one it's kind of hard to defend the other or you're a little lighter in one or the other. If you try to play them both equally, I'm not sure if you're good enough at either spot. I don't think he reads it on that play. I don't think they read that because the blocking's different. In other words, when they hand it to Ricky then everybody's running out there to try stretch and get the edge." Not sure? Think? Those are not usually heard in the Belichick vernacular.
ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ Cleary, with the Wildcat now utilized on a full quarter of Miami's offensive snaps, every Patriot defender has studied long and hard on that formation this week, more than any other, right up until kickoff. So what is the Wildcat and what makes it go? The offense starts without a traditional quarterback. In Miami's case, Chad Henne will either go to the sideline or head to a receiver slot. That in itself creates a mismatch for the defense. Usually defenses won't account for the
quarterback. If it's a run, he just hands off. But now, the QB is either a blocker or runner and draws attention. Brown slides into a shotgun position to take the snap. The attack hinges on a potential handoff between Brown and Williams, who either lines up aside him or will come in motion from a receiver spot. Williams' speed and ability to stretch the defense becomes the key. "It doesn't always go way outside to the sideline. Sometimes it goes — if the guy runs up the field, he will dip it inside and still run back out there; it's got two entry points really," said Belichick. "If they hook the edge, then he just runs around the edge. If the guy on the edge runs up field, then he cuts in, but then he tried to dip back out away from the inside linebackers and stuff like that. Like a lot of running plays, there is kind of more than one option." But slowing down the former Heisman winner Williams may just be one third of the equation. Brown will also pull the handoff back, and pivot into a hole away from the flow. A Pro Bowler at age 27, the 230-pound Brown can hammer at a defense that has already been stretched thin with its linebackers flowing away from the action. "It's not that the handoff is (so deceiving)," said safety Brandon Meriweather. "But if I understood what made it work so well, I don't think they'd be running it anymore." Most recently, Brown has added a rollout throw to the Miami arsenal, albeit in a minor way, with only one 25-yard completion in four attempts. Still, the threat is there.
ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ The Wildcat stresses a defense in a handful of areas. A week ago, the Jets stuck eight and nine men in the box, attempting to shackle the ground game. To an extent, even in defeat, they were successful as Miami ran for a season-low 52 yards. Of course, the Jets were able to utilize their super shutdown corner Darrelle Revis in man-to-man coverage all afternoon, freeing up both safeties to remain inside. Can the Patriots do the same with Leigh Bodden, Shawn Springs, Jonathan Wilhite or Darius Butler? "I'm prepared any week for one-on-one coverage," boasted Bodden this week. "That's what cornerbacks do." Miami's receivers — Ted Ginn Jr., Greg Camarillo et. al. — with Henne under center or Brown under the gun do not exactly leap off the field as game-breaking weapons from scrimmage. The Wildcat, a painful memory from Week 3 last year, could actually play into the Patriots' strength with the recent emergence of Meriweather and Brandon McGowan from their safety spots in stopping the ground game. Save for the Denver loss, the safeties have come forward and taken people down with sure tackling. Defending the Wildcat calls for aggressive safety play. Up the middle, Vince Wilfork plus Jerod Mayo should be enough to blunt Brown, especially with both Brandons creeping up. Where the Patriots could be exposed some is at the edge, where Belichick is still looking for answers. If New England tries to return to a 3-4 set, it will ask an awful lot out of Ty Warren and potentially Mike Wright (with Jarvis Green out injured) to penetrate up the field and disrupt the sweep. Also, can Adalius Thomas, Rob Ninkovich and Derrick Burgess be counted on to slam the door? The jury's still out when it comes to that trio.
ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ The Wildcat stresses a defense in a handful of areas. A week ago, the Jets stuck eight and nine men in the box, attempting to shackle the ground game. To an extent, even in defeat, they were successful as Miami ran for a season-low 52 yards. Of course, the Jets were able to utilize their super shutdown corner Darrelle Revis in man-to-man coverage all afternoon, freeing up both safeties to remain inside. Can the Patriots do the same with Leigh Bodden, Shawn Springs, Jonathan Wilhite or Darius Butler? "I'm prepared any week for one-on-one coverage," boasted Bodden this week. "That's what cornerbacks do." Miami's receivers — Ted Ginn Jr., Greg Camarillo et. al. — with Henne under center or Brown under the gun do not exactly leap off the field as game-breaking weapons from scrimmage. The Wildcat, a painful memory from Week 3 last year, could actually play into the Patriots' strength with the recent emergence of Meriweather and Brandon McGowan from their safety spots in stopping the ground game. Save for the Denver loss, the safeties have come forward and taken people down with sure tackling. Defending the Wildcat calls for aggressive safety play. Up the middle, Vince Wilfork plus Jerod Mayo should be enough to blunt Brown, especially with both Brandons creeping up. Where the Patriots could be exposed some is at the edge, where Belichick is still looking for answers. If New England tries to return to a 3-4 set, it will ask an awful lot out of Ty Warren and potentially Mike Wright (with Jarvis Green out injured) to penetrate up the field and disrupt the sweep. Also, can Adalius Thomas, Rob Ninkovich and Derrick Burgess be counted on to slam the door? The jury's still out when it comes to that trio.
ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ Stop Williams and you stop the Wildcat, right? "They run a lot of different ball fakes," said Bodden. "They've fooled some people." New Englanders simply aren't used to this team being outcoached or outschemed. It's no wonder why the Patriots top priority is to preempt today's potential Wildcat strike.
