2009 NFL Season Storylines to Watch (Part 2) - The Wildcat 2.0

The Wildcat will evolve. (Note: Because you demanded it I am going to expand on my point now 8 hours after the original post. jerks)

Sure Michael Vick has soaked up most of the attention with his arrival in Philly. However, the story I am interested in is Pat White's arrival in Miami. For those of you who don't know, Pat ran the spread-option offense at the University of West Virginia. This is much different than the more vertical version of the spread that evolved out of the Run-N-Shoot. That version has really not been seen in the NFL since the NY Jets executed it to pull out the Monday Night Miracle in the Meadowlands way back in 2000.

More...In the Spread-Option, the field is "spread" by up to 5 eligible receivers and the QB has the the "option" of running or passing. Lanes are available for both because there are too many options on the field to defend. Thanks in part to this system, the athletic White finished his career at West Virginia with 6,051 yards and 56 touchdowns passing and 4,480 yards and 47 touchdowns rushing - a total of 10,531 yards and 103 touchdowns over his career. Several important points to address here:
-First, let's define the wildcat. The wildcat is a direct snap to the a player on the overloaded side of an offensive line. By overloaded, I mean there is either a lineman shift or an tight end on the side where the ball is snapped to. The QB and RB (or two RBs) are both on the overload side - either can receive the snap and then generally run, but you can pass. Ronnie Brown did this last year. The Ravens also introduced a wildcat formation with a direct snap to Troy Smith who used it once to complete a 46yd pass to a streaking Joe Flacco. At this point we are basically looking at a spread-option, just from an overloaded formation with two potential passers on the field. Last year Flacco and Smith even tried to throw the ball to each other back and forth on the same play. Awesome.
-If you think about a traditional running play, you basically give up a player on the field. On most runs, a QB hands off the ball and then desperately gets out of the way so as to not get hurt. QBs take up a lot of salary cap room, you can't not have them on the field. The Wildcat is more interesting because the QB is now an "active" part of any hand off (or direct snap) scenario. He either has a blocking or (now) a receiving responsibility on any play. Awesome.
-The spread is exactly the sort of thing that makes college football so much fun but usually doesn't work in the NFL because quarterbacks are generally "too expensive" and can't be risked in minimal protection packages. That's not the case here. Though both are serviceable QBs neither Chad nor Pat is irreplaceable. Having Chad race down the sideline laying down a block down field is totally reasonable. It's not like he's Peyton Manning or Eli Manning's contract (which must be protected at all costs).
-Pat White is perfect for all of this. If he had come out 2 years ago, he would have gone in the 5th round and been made a defensive back. Here, thanks to the wildcat, his hybrid nature is now an important. Pat White is on the field, there is an equal chance that he will be passing, rushing or receiving. Unless your name is Rex Ryan, you just can't plan for that.
-Lastly, this is a way better scenario for the Wildcat to flourish than in Philly, where egos will undermine everything. Chad is a class act and Pat is just glad to be in the league. Also Parcells and Sparano are motherf*cking crazy. They will do just about anything.
Watch out!