If you wonder why Mike Leach refers to the Wildcat as a passing fad, this might give you some insight.
As much as I enjoyed watching Darren McFadden tear up opposing defenses with it, I wondered why anyone treated Casey Dick as a serious option at wide receiver (although he did throw the occasional nasty block). Basically, once you quit doing that, you diminish the blocking advantage the Wildcat is designed to give the offense. Combine that with someone taking the snaps who isn’t a threat to pass and that’s how you get to a dead end.
Get The Picture 
I never understood teams lining up in the wildcat. You basically script exactly what you are going to do. (That only works against Tennessee if you are Kentucky). You at least need some trickeration like the QB walking away from the center like he is calling a timeout then snapping the ball to the back. Everytime I’ve seen the Dawgs the past few years line up in the Wild Dawg I just cringed.
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+10000
All the wildcat does is remove one hand off. The entire stadium now knows who’s going to carry the ball.
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The only “wildcat” that works are the ones with Tebow and Newton. For every other team, EVERYONE knew what was going to happen. Any success was then just bad defense. The threat to throw is so negligible you actually want them to try to throw as a def.
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I always wondered why teams facing the Wildcat didn’t just line over the top of the QB and drive him into the dirt as soon as the ball was snapped. It’s not like you really had to worry about him getting off the jam and beating you long.
Sure the offense may get a few yards on the play but the defense would/should get it back over the course of the game by wearing down (knocking-out) the QB.
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Check out Michael Dyer getting stoned in the Iron Bowl. Describes your post.
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I think you could make the case that Alabama has a pretty effective Wildcat package (albeit one that led to an interception that helped lose the LSU game).
They do a number of things to help its effectiveness:
1) Don’t run it often.
2) Utilize motion, fake hand offs and hand offs.
3) Utilizes the pass.
Sure, McCarron will line up at WR and not be used. BUT at some point some team will get lazy and we’ll throw the ball to him.
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Everything Bama does is perfect, always. Nick Saban was born 2011 years and 355 days ago.
Sorry, couldn’t resist. I do like your posts.
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Chuckle. 🙂
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You did not lose the LSU game (in regulation). You are undefeated during the regular “scheduled” season. You are deserving of the BCS Championship game. Regardless of that outcome, you will claim you are the 2011 National Champions (because the BCSCG is played in 2012 of course, and thus you are tied with LSU). You are Bama. You had a coach named Bear. You always win. Roll Tide.
/tebowing…
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Seemed to work most of the time when McFadden ran it. It’s just another tool in the toolbox. Like most plays, if it’s well executed and you have the right players it can be tough to stop. Not sure what Leach would say about us running a walk-on 170 lb RB up the middle til he pukes. But it got Harton 100 yds and UGA a win.
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It sounds like you just explained why Georgia Tech won’t ever be successful without a passing game.
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Are you kidding me? With 71 passes this year?
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Of course they had 2,832 attempted passes.
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And 6 yards. Not counting sacks.
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