What an exciting finish to the New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins Monday Night Football game last night. There were 35 points scored and 5 lead changes in the 4th quarter alone. The two young quarterbacks, Mark Sanchez and Chad Henne, were slinging the rock all over the field. It’s one of the best finishes I’ve seen to a regular season game in a long time. But the ending is not what I wanted to talk about today. I want to chat about Miami’s ‘Wildcat’ offense.

Some coaches/players/fans think the wildcat offense is a gimmick. For those of you unfamiliar with the wildcat, it is a type of offense that features direct snaps to the running back and an unbalanced offensive line. You will see a running back take the snap under center then he can either run the ball, pass the ball or hand it off to another running back. The wildcat is great at confusing opposing defenses. It works well at all levels of football, but in the NFL the Miami Dolphins are really the only team to run it regularly.

This is a picture from a previous game. See Ronnie Brown in the backfield ready for the direct snap. The defense has no idea what to expect.

The Dolphins run it to perfection because they have two very good running backs, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Both have power, speed, vision, and great hands for catching the ball out of the backfield. Ronnie Brown is the key player in the wildcat because he can also throw the ball. In last night’s game, Brown and Williams combined for 32 rushing attempts for 142 yards, 6 receptions for 84 yards, 2 passes for 21 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Jets knew the run was coming, yet they still couldn’t stop the wildcat.

What do you think of the wildcat offense? Please comment below.