Dolphins Could Kill the Wildcat

Sparano mum on whether Miami will revive the Wildcat without Brown or Williams

Now that Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have signed with other teams for the 2011 season, could the Wildcat formation be on the outs at Dolphins training camp?

According to the Miami Herald, the Dolphins have not run any Wildcat plays so far in training camp, suggesting the scheme could be on the outs.

But when asked whether the team had given up on the Wildcat, head coach Tony Sparano told the Herald "No" Tuesday, adding "I think some of the new guys can certainly handle it.”

Brown and Williams keyed a Wildcat attack that was surprisingly effective during the team's 2008 AFC East title run, but stalled as opposing defenses adjusted their preparation for the quarterback-free formation.

By 2010, plays out of the Wildcat averaged 3.4 yards per play, worse than the team's 3.7 yard per play average on rushing downs (and they were almost always rushing out of the Wildcat, thanks to Brown's inability to throw a decent pass and keep defenses off balance).

If a special formation is succeeding below average relative to regular formations, then it makes little sense to keep trotting it out onto the field.

Even so, if the Dolphins abandon the Wildcat it would be somewhat of a surprise. In May, the Palm Beach Post reported that the Dolphins seemed likely to revive the scheme with new personnel and recently-hired offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who utilized the Wildcat while running the Cleveland Browns' offense.

According to the Post, the team went so far as to give first round draft pick Mike Pouncey "material pertaining to the Wildcat, to allow him to start familiarizing himself with some of the various plays and concepts."

But Sparano hinted Tuesday that the Dolphins could have something else up their sleeve that resembles the Wildcat with some added wrinkles. "We're working on some other things," he told the Herald. "We will see where we go with that down the road."

Dolfans might not mind using a formation that keeps Chad Henne off the field, so perhaps the Dolphins shouldn't give up on the Wildcat just yet.

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