# The Wildcat: Isn't this the Wing T? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 18, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wildcat-isnt-this-the-wing-t/514238 "2009-10-18T19:35:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wildcat-isnt-this-the-wing-t/514238/1 "2009-10-18T19:35:07Z")
What’s up with everyone running the “Wildcat”. It looks like Knute Rockne’s 4 horsemen formation. While I understand having a trick play with the RB throwing a pass, why would you want that several times a game? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wildcat-isnt-this-the-wing-t/514238/2 "2009-10-18T19:50:02Z")
If an offense has the personnel to pull it off, a formation that says “We’re coming straight at you, and there’s nothing you can do to stop us,” has got to be extremely demoralizing. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wildcat-isnt-this-the-wing-t/514238/3 "2009-10-18T20:24:42Z")
Against teams with poor gap control it works well. Against good defenses it doesn’t work as well. The LBs and safeties mind their gaps and don’t get gouged too bad by it. I think it will hang around a few years and then go back to gadget play status. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wildcat-isnt-this-the-wing-t/514238/4 "2009-10-19T01:52:27Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > What’s up with everyone running the “Wildcat”. It looks like Knute Rockne’s 4 horsemen formation. [Rockne’s Four Horsemen formation](http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/0721/four_horsemen2_390.jpg). [Miami Dolphins’ wildcat](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/PT-AM513_WILDCA_G_20090911164300.jpg). These are nothing alike. ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wildcat-isnt-this-the-wing-t/514238/5 "2009-10-19T02:12:18Z")
There is a whole thread about the Wildcat [still on the first page](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=533720). ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wildcat-isnt-this-the-wing-t/514238/6 "2009-10-19T14:04:23Z")
Right, in particular watch this video that’s linked in the other thread. Also [this article](http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/jets-at-dolphins-how-the-wildcat-works/) (link broken in other thread). HB-pass trick plays really have almost nothing to do with it. > [@HongKongFooey](#): > > Against teams with poor gap control it works well. Against good defenses it doesn’t work as well. The LBs and safeties mind their gaps and don’t get gouged too bad by it. I think it will hang around a few years and then go back to gadget play status. I don’t know about that. The Jets have a good defense and it worked gangbusters against them. Ditto the Colts, who are pretty good. My current theory is that being a good defense generally and being good at defending the wildcat are two different, mostly independent things. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wildcat-isnt-this-the-wing-t/514238/7 "2009-10-19T15:10:48Z")
A still picture of the old Rockne formation isn’t much help to see how it worked. The “Notre Dame Box” formation involved all four members of the backfield going in motion before the snap. Notre Dame was so dominate with that offense they changed the rule book to limit presnap motion. Confusingly, the Box was an alternative to the “single wing” formation which also gets compared to the modern Wildcat. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wildcat-isnt-this-the-wing-t/514238/8 "2009-10-19T15:46:23Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > A still picture of the old Rockne formation isn’t much help to see how it worked. The “Notre Dame Box” formation involved all four members of the backfield going in motion before the snap. Notre Dame was so dominate with that offense they changed the rule book to limit presnap motion. Confusingly, the Box was an alternative to the “single wing” formation which also gets compared to the modern Wildcat. How about a [youtube video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7ime26U58k)? The formation is significantly different. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wildcat-isnt-this-the-wing-t/514238/9 "2009-10-19T16:06:07Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > I don’t know about that. The Jets have a good defense and it worked gangbusters against them. Ditto the Colts, who are pretty good. The Colts aren’t good against the run. The Jets are good though. I think they’ll adapt to it, they’re still learning a new defense. The Steelers and Ravens who have a lot of veterans who know the system should be able to stop the Wildcat more consistently. Granted if the Wildcat works against everyone but them that’s not much of an argument against it, is it? If I were an offensive co-ordinator I would be running it right now until teams show they can adapt to it but I think I would be more inclined to try an unbalanced line to exploit a weak run defense. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wildcat-isnt-this-the-wing-t/514238/10 "2009-10-30T19:27:23Z")
It’s the fake handoff to Ricky Williams that does it, at least for the 'phins. At least three players runs towards the offensive left to contain Williams, which leaves Brown with only five in-the-box defenders to worry about (assuming both safeties move up, which is likely). Williams is in effect tying up three defenders - not even Anthony Munoz could do _that._ ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wildcat-isnt-this-the-wing-t/514238/11 "2009-10-30T20:41:11Z")
The Wildcat, by replacing the QB (who gets out of the way after a hand-off in most situations), with a running back who can block/decoy defenders. In effect, the offense gets to play with an extra man, making the defense’s job harder.