Warren Sapp isn't a fan of the Dolphins new offense - Photo courtesy of David E. Klutho/SI
Dancing With the Stars competitor and former NFL star Warren Sapp doesn’t like the Dolphins new offensive formation, dubbed the “Wildcat.”
“This is disrespectful to all defenses,” Sapp said Wednesday night. “It’s disrespectful. You’re taking the best player in the game, the quarterback, and you’re putting him out wide, outside the numbers, and you put the running back in the back.
“How the hell you going to throw the ball? I’m not even thinking about throw right now. I’m going to get everybody in the gap. It’s just power ‘O.’ You have the running back with the ball already in his hand.”
Basically, the “Wildcat” formation lines the running back in shotgun where the quarterback is usually found. The Dolphins unveiled the formation two weeks ago when they bewildered the Patriots defensive players and defensive coordinators are trying to find its weakness. Ronnie Brown rushed for four touchdowns, and, though Sapp must have missed it, Brown also threw a touchdown pass.
And I think that Sapp misses the point: it’s not disprespectful; it’s smart. Defenses need to find a way to stop Miami or they’ll continue to use it. The formation is no more disprespectful than the unveiling of the West Coast offense (which led to several San Francisco Super Bowls) or the T-formation (which led to the Bears defeating the Washington Redskins in the NFL Championship game, 73-0). It’s a movement into the unexplored; it’s inventive.
I don’t think we’ll see the Dolphins using the formation too often this season - perhaps a half dozen times per game - but it is fun to watch. Defenses better find a way to stop it, too, or we could see other offensive coordinators follow suit and begin “disprespecting” their opponents.
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