NFL Copycats: Adoption of the Wildcat Is Only Domesticating the Offense

(Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

I'm sorry, I-formation, but we no longer have anything in common. We had some great times, but sadly...the thrill is gone.

The element of surprise is critical to maintaining a healthy relationship in the NFL, and the base offensive packages that once dictated the pace of the game are no longer doing the trick.

And so, the Wildcat offense has captivated the league, emerging as every team's latest method of trickery.

It's the offensive flavor of the month.

The Miami Dolphins piqued everyone's interest in 2008 after using the formation to perfection against the New England Patriots.

Therefore, it's only natural for every other team to want to employ its own variations in 2009.

If Lightning Strikes Twice...

The Oakland Raiders stand out immediately as a team with enough speed to make the offense work. Al Davis' commitment to making the fastest team in the NFL looks like the best attempt at creating a dangerous Wildcat team.

With three running backs on the roster and the addition of Darrius Heyward-Bey, a Raiders' Wildcat offense would only need to find open space.

Darren McFadden proved he could take snaps in college, making him the ideal candidate to lead the formation in 2009.

Aside from the Raiders, the Minnesota Vikings drafted Percy Harvin for the versatility he displayed in college.

However, unless he can establish himself as a legitimate receiving threat in the NFL, his presence on the field will only be associated with some form of Wildcat trickery.

With Adrian Peterson being a one-man wrecking crew, running the Wildcat would be a step back for the Vikings offense.

Then again, this is the same team that's courting a retired Brett Favre.

How the Wildcat is Stopping Itself

With the Dallas Cowboys developing the Razorback—another variation of the Wildcat offense—it has become even clearer that the NFL's latest bright idea is en route to being driven directly into the ground.

New attempts at the offense will only succeed in rendering a creative formation completely useless. Thinking logically, the more common the formation becomes, the less impressive the results will ultimately be.

The writing is already on the wall for the Wildcat.

The death of the formation is imminent.

With most offensive coordinators having no flair and completely abandoning the concept of creativity, the Wildcat is being beaten into submission as they attempt to concoct their own cheap imitations.

PETA has yet to provide a statement.

Miami's success with the formation has everyone fooled.

While the Wildcat was effective for the Dolphins, the formation is most useful for teams with weaknesses they're hoping to mask.

Teams without strong offensive lines or game-changing receiving options rely heavily upon their speed at running back to make the offense work. It takes a unique blend of strengths and weaknesses to run a believable Wildcat.

On the flip side, the rampant incorporation of the Wildcat into offensive playbooks is only helping to familiarize defenses with the formation.

With more coordinators looking to utilize it, more defenses have opportunities to practice against it.

The success of the Wildcat is largely predicated on the ability to catch a defense completely off guard. But if a defense is prepared at the sight of the formation, then the offense has already been neutralized.

The element of surprise becomes commonplace.

Defensive coordinators can develop audible packages with altered assignments to neutralize any mismatches, and linebackers can instantly blitz to disrupt the blocking schemes that make the offense work.

There are a multitude of shifts and motions that can add more variety to the Wildcat, so the chances of the formation disappearing overnight are none.

But at some point, an offense is going to have to line up and play straight football, and if they can't, their Wildcat illusion is going to lose its prestige sooner than expected.

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