Pat White: Nourishing the Wildcat?

Pat White: Nourishing the Wildcat?- Written by: Daniel Phillips
In 2008 NFL defences were thrown off guard with the instalment of the “Wildcat” formation. Many offenses tried to copy the Miami Dolphins’ scheme, but few had the personnel to execute. Last season saw the Dolphins run the formation 91 times, scoring eight touchdowns. It was run successfully by Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, and Chad Pennington. Now there is a new factor that should make this scheme more difficult for defences to stop: Pat White.


Pat White has the athletic ability to scare defences into a whole new level of preparation. In his four year career White passed for 6,051 yards with 56 touchdowns and rushed for a total 4,480 yards piling up 47 touchdowns. His athletic ability will likely lead the Dolphins to move him to WR, as was the case with Antwaan Randle-el and Hines Ward. Or possibly he could be used as the next “Slash” (Kordell Stewart). He is already a threat that must be prepared for, and if he proves to be an adequate receiver his impact could be exponentially greater.
Most defensive co-ordinators in the NFL are quick learners, meaning that the Dolphins may not be as successful as one thinks in executing this offence often, especially on teams within their division that meet twice a year. In order for the Wildcat to thrive in Miami the element of surprise must still exist, and the only way to do this is to run an NFL style offense the majority of the time. But do defences really have the time to prepare for Pat White when they already have to focus on the Wildcat abilities of Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, and Chad Pennington? And not only do they have to prepare for these scenarios, but naturally the more conservative ones as well. Mike Mayock of the NFL network makes an excellent point to illustrate the dynamic of Pat White in the Wildcat: “What do you do with that free safety that you’ve been moving up in the box against Ronnie Brown? Do you bring him up or do you leave him back there? If you bring him up, then White is going to have one-on-one [coverage] on the outside with no help.” This could be a dangerous scenario for opposing teams.
White’s threat does not exist in the Wildcat yet, but his knowledge of the spread offense allows the Dolphins more options for helping this style of attack grow. As of now, the key staple of this offensive set is a direct snap to the RB, so don’t be surprised to see White lined up all over the field in prototypical scenarios. Any team with the Dolphins on their schedule needs to circle this game with a tremendously bulky orange highlighter.


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