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McNabb Doesn’t Know Overtime Rule

Nov 19

Posted by admin in Fantasy, Fantasy Sports, Football, NFL, Pro Sports, Sports, Sports Events, Sports Stars, Uncategorized, online sports community | 1 Comment

By Matt Valentine

In what has to be on eof the most ridiculous things to ever come out of a professional quarterbacks mouth, Donovan McNabb stated during a postgame press conference, that he was unaware of the overtime rule in the NFL.

The rule McNabb was referring to is of course the fact that an NFL game can end in a tie if neither team scores during the overtime period. This was the case when the Eagles and Bengals played on Sunday ending in a 13-13 tie.

When asked McNabb said, “I’ve never been a part of a tie. I never even knew that was in the rule book. It’spart of the rules and we have to go with it. I was looking forward to the next opportunity to get out there and try to drive to win the game.”

McNabb in a postgame press conference talks about the overtime rule.

McNabb in a postgame press conference talks about the overtime rule.

I mean this really has to be the silliest thing a professional QB could possibly say. Not only did McNabb not know the rule, but he didn’t help his team much on the field either, turning the ball over 4 times in the contest, the first time he’s done that since 2003.

While the tie does not entirely destroy the Eagles post season hopes it sure doesn’t help. At 5-4-1 the Eagles find themselves in last place in the NFC East and unless they go on a winning streak have little chance at a wild card berth either.

Now to be fair many people have suggested that had McNabb known the rule perhaps he would have played more agrresively in overtime. One, McNabb has been throwing the ball agressively all day long and it resulted in the 3 interceptions. Two, to suggest that he would have some how tried harder to win the game had he known that it would end in a tie is just plain silly. McNabb was out there trying to win no matter what the rule was that’s his job.

The Eagles will move on this season and make no mistake about it, McNabb will be the quarterback, despite Eagles fans calling for his job and possibly his head. What should be noted is that McNabb’s contract is up next season and its likely that the two will part ways. The real question is will head coach Andy Reid remain in Philadelphia if they don’t make the playoffs this season? That remains to be seen, for now the Eagles must refocus their attention on making a postseason run.

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Oakland releases CB Hall

Nov 7

Posted by admin in Fantasy, Fantasy Sports, Football, NFL, Pro Sports, Sports, Sports Events, Sports Stars, Uncategorized, online sports community | No Comments

By Matt Valentine

Well, what is there really to say about the Oakland Raiders at this point? Talk about a franchise in absolute turmoil, this team seems not to even know which way is up at this point.

The Raiders in usual Al Davis fashion went on a free agent spending spree in the off season and inked corner back Deangelo Hall to a $70 million contract. Apparently the Raiders decided that they didn’t like Hall or the deal all that much and have since released him after just 8 games.

The move is perhaps one of the most shocking moves seen at the half way point of an NFL season in quite some time. It seems to have left a number of Oakland’s own players stupefied, “I’ve never been in a situation where you cut one of the best players,” said safety Gibril Wilson, another of the team’s off season acquisitions. “That’s strange to me. It’s almost like we’re throwing in the towel.”

Granted Hall may not have demonstrated that he was worthy of a 7 year $70 million contract, but he was still adjusting to Oakland’s mainly man-to-man defensive scheme and was showing signs of improvement in recent weeks.

Since taking over for the fired Lane Kiffin, Tom Cable and his coaching staff have made a number of questionable personnel moves. Cable took safety Michael Huff out of the starting lining and has actually relegated him to third on the depth chart. Cable has also relegated Ronald Curry the teams leading receiver the past two seasons to special teams duty, but has stated that high priced wide receiver Javon Walker who has just 13 receptions this year is in no danger of losing his job?

Guess what Tom the only person whose going to be in danger of losing his job is you, especially when you make moves like this that completely destroy the players confidence in your ability to do what is right for the team.

Doing what is right for the team isn’t always necessarily what you think is right for the team, you must also consider how the players in your locker room will respond to the decisions you make and from everything that has been coming out of Oakland it does not look like they are responding positively.

So, as usual things just keep deteriorating in the black hole and I’m betting most players and fans are waiting for the day when Al Davis, or Tom Cable for that fact are no longer calling the shots.

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NFL First Half Surprises

Nov 7

Posted by admin in Fantasy, Fantasy Sports, Football, NFL, Pro Sports, Sports, Sports Events, Sports Stars, Uncategorized, online sports community | No Comments

As with my previous post there have been a fair number of pleasant surprises in the first eight weeks of the NFL season. Teams which many thought would pose little challenge to their opponents have demonstrated that they are a more then legitimate threat and have proven the old adage that on any given Sunday anyone can win. Once again I’d like to note that this list is in no particular order.

1. The Miami Dolphins:

Chad Pennington leading the Dolphins to a surprising first half record.

Chad Pennington leading the Dolphins to a surprising first half record.

The Dolphins may be the biggest surprise of the first half of the NFL season. The team has already tripled their win total from all of last season and has done so in surprising fashion with wins over San Diego, Buffalo, and New England. In fact the way Brett Favre has played of late the Jets might be regretting letting him go, especially to a division rival.  The Dolphins have definitely surprised a few people in the NFL and though they may not make the playoffs this season, Parcells and company seem to have things headed in the right direction.

2. The Atlanta Falcons:

After losing franchise player Mike Vick to a prison sentence the Falcons were a franchise in complete disarray. They seem to have found their answer though in QB Matt Ryan who has exceeded everyone’s expectations in his rookie campaign, and who along with free agent signee Michael Turner has led the Falcons to a surprising 4-3 record. The Falcons face a tough second half schedule, but if Matt Ryan and Roddy White continue to develop their chemistry, and if Michael Turner continues his own success then the Falcons could continue to surprise in the final 8 weeks of the season.

3. The Tennessee Titans:

Titans dynamic rookie Chris Johnson.

Titans dynamic rookie Chris Johnson.

At 7-0 the Titans stand alone as the only undefeated team in the NFL and have done so in convincing fashion. The Titans have a stout defense that has surrendered just 88 points so far this year, by far the fewest in the NFL. They also have the NFL’s fourth ranked rushing attack with dynamic rookie Chris Johnson and goal line beast Lendale White. Yet, perhaps the most surprising thing about the Titans season to date is that they have done all this without the services of Vince Young, who has been supplanted by the steady if unspectacular hand of Kerry Collins at QB position. It unlikely that the Titans will run the table, but they have almost gauranteed themselves a spot in the postseason and could be primed for a deep run if everyone stays healthy.

4. Kyle Orton and the Chicago Bears:

Until Orton sustained a high ankle sprain while playing against the woeful Detroit Lions he had looked nothing like the quarterback that many remembered. To date Orton had the 10th best QB rating in the league at 90.8, he had also thrown for 1777 yards with 10 TD and just 4 INT. Meanwhile, the Bears a team who many thought would struggle mightily on offense, have scored the 5th most points in the NFL and lead the NFC North division at 5-3. If Orton can return from his injury in due time look for the Bears to capture the NFC North crown, and be a legitimate threat in the postseason.

5. Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers has finally stepped out from Favres shadow.

Aaron Rodgers has finally stepped out from Favre's shadow.

After riding the pine for years behind legendary quarterback Brett Favre, Rodgers finally got his chance to emerge from the “gunslingers” shadow. And emerge he has. Rodgers’ play thus far has given a reprieve to everyone in the Green Bay front office who wanted to start him over Favre, a move which incurred the ire of many a Green Bay fan and was one of the most heavily covered media frenzies since Brett Favre’s last retirement extravaganza. Rodgers ranks 5th in the league with a QB rating of 95.3, he has thrown for 1982 yards with 13 touchdwons against just 5 interception. Though the Packers are just 4-4 they are easily the best 4-4 team in the league right now and could make a nice run to the playoffs in the second half especially if Rodgers continues to play at this high level.

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Were the Phillies Robbed of a World Series Championship?

Oct 29

Posted by admin in Baseball, Fantasy, Fantasy Sports, Game 5, MLB, Pitching, Pro Sports, Sports, Sports Events, Sports Stars, Uncategorized, World Series, delayed, innings, online sports community, outs, rain, resume play, suspended | No Comments

By Matt Valentine

With rain pouring down on Citizen Bank Park the Phillies clung to a 2-1 lead. If the game had been played during the regular season the game would have been called and the Phillies would have been declared the winner. Yet, despite the terrible conditions the game went on and Carlos Pena’s single tied it up for the Rays.

So the question on most people’s minds is when exactly did MLB decide to change its own rules?

Rain delays Game 5 of World Series

Rain delays Game 5 of World Series

Under Major League rule 4.12(6), the game is suspended with the Phillies due to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning. Selig said that he would not have permitted the game — which could clinch a championship for the Phillies — to be called without nine full innings being played. Both clubs were aware of that fact before the first pitch was thrown.

“I have to use my judgment. It’s not a way to end a World Series,” Selig said.

So, the question really is did Selig make the right call?

In my opinion ABSOLUTELY! I mean anyone who would dare to argue otherwise has to be the most diehard Philly fan of all time. Because if I was a Philly fan (and I’m not) I would no want to win in a game shortened because of inclement weather.

The fact is that had the game been called and Philly declared the winner, it would be marked in the annals of baseball history with a large asterisks. It wouldn’t exactly have been a win as much as it would have been a lucky break from Mother Nature.

With that said, I can still understand why many Philly fans would be upset. The fact is that the Phillies were relying on their ace Cole Hamels to close out the series and now that chance has gone by the wayside. Hamels was looking to become the first pitcher in major league history to win 5 straight postseason starts and has been remarkable thus far this postseason.

Now the Phillies will have to rely on someone else to shut down the Rays for the final 4 innings of Game 5 of the World Series.

Phillies players look on as rain soaks the infield.

Phillies players look on as rain soaks the infield.

Hell, the Phillies must feel like they’ve been cursed by the baseball gods. They’ve come so close to claiming their first championship since 1980 only to watch the Rays be injected with new life by raindrops from the heavens.

Now the Phillies will take the field tonight and will fight not just the Tampa Bay Rays, but whatever cosmic forces seem to be consipiring against them.

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Easy E or Big Ben: The Debate of the Class of 2004

Oct 25

Posted by admin in 2004 Nfl Draft, Fantasy, Fantasy Sports, Football, NFL, New York, Pro Sports, QB controversy, Sports, Sports Events, Sports Stars, Steelers, Uncategorized, draft, giants, online sports community, pittsburgh, quarterback | 1 Comment

By Matt Valentine

The 2004 NFL deaft will certainly go down as one of the best drafts for Quarterbacks, perhaps in the history of the game.

That draft gave us 3 outstanding QB’s in Eli Manning the Number 1 overall pick, Ben Roethlisberger, and Phillip Rivers. Roethlisberger felt overlooked by the Giants when they chose Rivers with the fourth overall pick and packaged him in a trade to San Diego.

Big Ben vs. Easy E

Big Ben vs. Easy E

This Sunday’s marquee match-up between the 5-1 Steelers and the 5-1 Giants takes us back to a question many have been asking since that 2004 NFL draft: Which QB was the better pick?

It’s really a tough call, even for a Giants fan like myself, both QB’s have excelled at the game since entering the league though it is undeniable that it took Eli Manning more time to mature.

If based on pure stats Big Ben would seem to have the edge on Easy E. In his career thus far Roethlisberger has a better completion percentage (63.2), more yards (12,836), more TD (93), and less interceptions (57) then Eli.

In Eli’s career thus far he has a completion percentage of 55.4 has thrown for 12,774 yards, and has tossed 85 TD’s with 68 INT.Eli also led his team to a Super Bowl win last season against the undefeated Patriots.

In Roethlisberger’s first season he was dominant, going 13-0 and leading his team to a 15-1 record. In his next season he won the Super Bowl.

Manning’s first season was nowhere near as dominant. The Giants went 6-10 that year, with Manning compiling a 1-6 record.

In fact, Roethlisberger holds the edge in every statistical category including wins. Big Ben’s career record stands at 44-17 while Mannings’ stands at 35-26

So, if the game was measured in statistics alone clearly Roethlisberger would have the edge, but there are other factors to take into consideration.

For example, Manning was instrumental in leading the Giants on their playoff run and eventual Super Bowl win. Roethlisberger on the other hand, struggled mightily in his Super Bowl appearance and many would argue that his team won in spite of him not because of him.

Manning played superb in the Super Bowl and throughout his playoff run, leading his team on one of the most classic drives in history culminating with a 17 yard TD strike to Plaxico Burress to seal a 17-14 win over the then undefeated New England Patriots.

Also, Roethlisberger went to a team that was ready to win, and could suffer the occasional rookie mistake. Manning went to a team that was on a down swing and in just four years took them to a Super Bowl.

The debate will continue long after Sunday’s game and can only truly be measured when one of the two ends their football career. However, this Sunday at Heinz Field we get a measure of an answer with the winner taking the crown…at least for the time being.

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What is Really Up With Tom Brady?

Oct 23

Posted by admin in American Football, Boston, Fantasy, Fantasy Sports, Football, Knee surgery, NFL, Patroits, Pro Sports, Sports, Sports Events, Surgery, Uncategorized, infection, injury, online sports community, out, rehab, season, setback, tom brady | No Comments

By Matt Valentine

Most of us already know that Tom Brady suffered a season ending knee injury that required surgery to reapir. During the Patriots first game Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard hit Brady during the first quarter of the Patriots’ 17-10 win at Gillette Stadium sidelining him for the rest of the season.

Tom Brady clutches his injured knee in the teams first game against Kansas City.

Tom Brady clutches his injured knee in the teams first game against Kansas City.

We all know that Bill Belichick has never been to forth coming about about his players injuries, actually I think Brady is still listed as questionable on the Pats injury report. But, most have discovered that Brady sustained tears in both his ACL and MCL a serious knee injury that would sideline any athlete for an extended period of time even if everything went 100% right. However, for Tom Brady things seem to be going far from 100% right, and Brady seemingly has suffered a string of setbacks after his inital surgery.

Brady himself reported on his own website that he had an arthroscopic procedure done to “clean and to test the wound” last Wednesday, but recently the Boston Herald reported that Brady has undergone two additional surgeries since that “clean up” surgery.

Now, I am no doctor but common sense tells me that something is not going right with Tom Brady’s knee right now as evidenced by the two additional surgeries Brady required. Either the doctor is being overly cautious in treating this infection or Brady is at risk of having a second reconstructive surgery on his knee.

According to the source that spoke with the Boston Herald, the fear is the patellar tendon graft used to replace Brady’s anterior cruciate ligament is in danger of becoming compromised and may have to be removed. Extremely bad news for Patriots hoping to see Brady return to the field as quickly as possible.

If the infection does not subside and Brady is forced to undergo a second reconstructive surgery he may find himself not ready to start the beginning of next season and the Pats could be without their star QB much longer then they expected.

For his part Brady has wrote on TomBrady.com that “the infection is very treatable and, through a course of antibiotics, it will be knocked out of my system.” Brady referred to the second procedure as being “proactive” by doctors and said results have been positive.

We’ll know more as the situation develops, but if I am a New England fan I would be on my knees praying that nothing more goes wrong with Brady  otherwise they could be watching Matt Casell take more snaps then any of them originally suspected.

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Fantasy Football Start Em: Running Backs

Oct 17

Posted by admin in Fantasy, Fantasy Sports, Football, NFL, Pro Sports, Sports, Sports Events, Sports Stars, Uncategorized, online sports community | 1 Comment

Week 7 is fast approaching and for most leagues this marks the halfway point in thir fantasy season. Hopefully by now you’ve solidified your position as one of the league’s strongest GM’s, but even if you haven’t theres still plenty of time to get back into contention. Maybe this list will help you make the best choices in your lineup calls for week 7.

1. Chris Johnson vs. Kansas City

Kansas City is a pretty dismal team right now. Larry Johnson wants to be traded, Tony Gonzalez wanted to be traded and the team has absolutely no shot of being a contender this season. Which is great news if you’re one of the lucky people who own Chris Johnson this week.The K.C. defense surrenders 182.2 rushing yards a game and Johnson has been averaging 90 total yards a game so far this year. Lendale White is suffering from a shoulder injury at the moment which may give Johnson some more goal-line chances. Look for Johnson to have a nice fantasy week this week.

2. Dominic Rhodes vs. Green Bay

Rhodes disappeared off the fantasy radar for a while when he went to Oakland (as most people do). However, hes back in Indy and both Joseph Addai and Mike Hart are sidelined this week with injuries making Rhodes a very serviceable option. The Packers have been struggling with their rush defense allowing 153 yards per game. Rhodes should get plenty of touches and could find the end zone. A nice start here, especially if you’re an Addai owner.

3. Mewelde Moore vs. Cinncinatti

Moore is most likely available in a number of leagues and can be a nice pick up n’ play this week against a struggling Bengals defense. With Willie Parker sidelined for another week due to injury Moore is once again Pittsburgh top rusher. The Bengals rush defense is giving up 156.8 yards per game so Moore has a chance to go off. He gave a solid performance in his first start and should follow it up nicely with this favorable match up.

4. Thomas Jones vs. Oakland

Ah just when you were about to give up on Jones he comes up with a huge performance. Jones scored three times last week (2 rushing, 1 receiving) surpassing his total from all of last season. This week Jones is facing off against an Oakland defense that’s surrendering 115 rushing yards and 1.6 rushing touchdowns per game. With Oakland’s offense unable to muster much production the Jets offense should have plenty of chances to score and Jones could be the primary beneficiary.

5.  Steve Slaton vs. Detroit

At first glance this may not look like the best match up especially considering what Detroit was able to do to Adrian Peterson last week, but Houston has a much better QB then Minnesota and Schaub should open up the field with his ability to throw the long ball to Andre Johnson. With a deep passing threat established Slaton could find plenty of open holes and could have a nice fantasy day.

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Cowboys Get Roy Williams

Oct 15

Posted by admin in American Football, Dalls Cowboys, Fantasy, Fantasy Sports, Football, NFL, Pro Football, Pro Sports, Roy Williams, Sports, Sports Events, Sports Star, Sports Stars, Uncategorized, online sports community, position, receiver, star, trade, trade deadline, wide receiver | No Comments

By Matt Valentine

In a last minute trade at the seldom used NFL trade deadline the Dallas Cowboys added WR Roy Williams to their roster.

Now, the only problem will be finding someone to throw him the ball the first three weeks while Tony Romo is sidelined with a broken pinkie for 4 weeks.

Roy Williams is now a Cowboy.

Roy Williams is now a Cowboy.

The move upgrades the Cowboys at a position that already has plenty of depth with receivers Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton, Miles Austin and Sam Hurd. Hurd went down with an injury in the Cowboys loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but Miles Austin has progressed better then expected and has developed into a solid receiving option, with 8 receptions for 186 yards and 3 TD.

Williams should presumably be the successor to the T.O. throne in Dallas, with Owens nearing the age of 36. Though Owens shows no signs of becoming a less then elite option in the near future, the time will come when he will have to pack it in and Dallas has made steps to prevent a major drop off at the position.

Williams was a Matt Millen draft pick,one of the few good ones that Millen made, and has been productive with some very mediocre quarterbacks in the past. In his career Williams has 262 receptions for 3,884 yards and 29 touchdowns.Williams’ best season was 2006, when he went to the Pro Bowl after catching 82 passes for 1,310 yards and seven touchdowns

The trade came as a surprise to some seeing as the Cowboys could most likely use help on the defensive side of the ball, with the recent suspension of corner back Adam Jones and numerous injuries in their secondary leaving them depleted at the position.

Also, its my opinion that Cowboys gave up far too much for Williams. Perhaps the new GM in Detroit actually has a plan for the future and is doing so by stock piling draft picks at the Cowboys expense. The Cowboys gave the Lions a first, third, and sixth round pick in 2009. Detroit gave the Cowboys a seventh-rounder as well as Williams.

The addition of Williams will only heighten the Super Bowl expectations of the Cowboys who now trail the Giants by one game in the NFC East. Though at the moment the Cowboys have plenty of other things to worry about before they even think about getting to a Super Bowl.

The Cowboys will play their next three games without star QB Tony Romo who suffered a broken pinkie on his throwing hand during the teams loss to Arizona. During that stretch the Cowboys will Saint Louis, Tampa Bay and the Giants. Backup Brad Johnson has been named the started in the interim, but the Cowboys face trouble if they lose any of these games especially their match up against the Giants.

While in the long run the trade may prove to be beneficial for the Cowboys who now have one of the best 1-2 punches in the league. The trade may not pay immediate dividends with Brad Johnson throwing them the ball.

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Fantasy Football Start em: Quarterback

Oct 10

Posted by admin in Browns, Fantasy, Fantasy Sports, Football, NFL, Pro Sports, Quarterbacks, Secondary, Sports, Sports Events, Sports Stars, defense, fantasy football, giants, online sports community, passing game | No Comments

By Matt Valentine

Week six is approaching and if your fantasy team isn’t looking good thus far you still have plenty of time to get back into playoff contention. With that said, let’s take a look at some week 6 match ups that should be beneficial to fantasy quarterbacks.

1.  Kyle Orton- Chicago Bears

Wow,what a difference a year makes. The Chicago Bears easily had one of the NFL’s most dismal passing attacks last season but all that has changed with Kyle Orton under center. Orton has tossed multiple TD’s n his last two games and should do the same this week against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are surrendering 222 yards and 1.8 passing touchdowns per game. Now that the Bears are finally beginning to utilize the speedy Devin Hester in their passing attack Orton could end up being one of this weeks best fantasy options.

2. Jason Campbell- Washington Redskins

Campbell is QB on the rise. He has posted back to back wins on the road against division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. Now he gets to go up against one of the worst teams in the NFl in the St. Louis Rams whose passing defense ranks 28th in the league allowing 245.8 yards and 2 TD’s per game. Campbell finally looks comfortable in coach Jim Zorn’s offense and with a number of nice options including Santana Moss and Chris Cooley  he should have an explosive day against the woeful rams.

3. Kurt Warner- Arizona Cardinals

Warner came off another nice fantasy performance against the Buffalo Bills last Sunday and looks to return with another strong performance agaisnt a banged up Dallas secondary at home this week.  Terrence Newman is out, Roy Williams is most likely out, and the Dallas pass rush has been very inconsistent thus far this year. Thats all good news for Warner who should post his fourth straight multiple touchdown game in what should be a shootout in the desert.

4.  Brett Favre- New York Jets

After posting a career high 6 TD’s against the Cardinals in his last game Favre and the Jets hope to continue the trend in this weeks game against the Bengals. If you look at the numbers it doesn’t look like a good match up for Favre with Cincy’s D ranking 6th in the league in passing defense. That is a more then deceptive number becuase everyone just dominates Cincy’s D on the ground instead of through the air. The Jets have yet to establish their ground game this year and Favre has had an extra week to heal and work on his timing with his receivers, that should bode well for a strong fanatsy day.

5- Eli Manning- New York Giants

Make no mistake about it the Giants are the nest all around team in the NFL right now. Thanks in large part to their consistent ground game Eli has had ample time to pick opposing secondary’s apart this season and has the Giants passing attacked ranked 6th in the NFL. The Giants face off against the dissapointing Cleveland Browns who have a weak secondary and have yet to play well on either side of the ball. Consider also that Plaxico is back from his one game suspension and that the Giants have one of the deepest receiving corps in the league with the likes of Steve Smith, Amani Toomer, Sinorice Moss, Mario Manningham and last weeks fantasy darling Dominick Hixon and the Browns secondary shouldn’t stand a chance.

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Wildcat Formation Leading Dolphins to Victory

Oct 10

Posted by admin in Fantasy, Fantasy Sports, Football, NFL, Pro Sports, Sports, Sports Events, Sports Stars, Uncategorized, Wildcat, dolphins, formations, gimmick play, online sports community, playbook, ronnie brown | No Comments

By Matt Valentine

Usually reserved for games played on Fridays or Saturdays the wildcat formation has found a home on Sundays.

The wildcat formation a formation popular among high school football coaches and some college coaches (or at least a variation thereof) has found its way to the Miami Dolphins playbook.

Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown taking a direct snap in the Wildcat formation

Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown taking a direct snap in the Wildcat formation

For those of us who enjoy watching football, but dont get too deep into the technical side of the sport here’s a very brief explanation of the Wildcat formation. The Wildcat is a variant of the single-wing formation which was founded by legendary coach Pop Warner in 1907. Basically, in the wildcat formation you have a running back that lines up in a simliar position to a quarterback in shotgun formation. This back will take a direct snap from the center while another back is sent in motion from a slot position just prior to the snap. Furthermore, it calls for an unbalanced, reshuffled line, often with two natural tackles playing on the weak side

The quarterback doesn’t even need to be on the field or can line up as a wideout in this formation. The formation is primiarly a run offense, but can be used to draw defenders in while a TE or WR sneaks out where he can receive a pass from the back.

Now the defense is left with a number of possible options: A. the back can take the direct snap and run the ball, B. the back can take the direct snap and hand off to the other back that is set in motion, or C. the back can take the direct snap roll out and look for a passing option downfield.

So, this leads us to Week 3 in the NFL the Miami Dolphins square off against the New England Patriots.  The Dolphins lined up in the wildcat formation a number of times and guess what….it resulted in five touchdowns all accounted for by Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown, 4 TD’s on the ground and one through the air, when Brown connected with TE Anthony Fasano for a 19 yard TD strike. For once Bill Bellicheck and his famed genius was nowhere to be found. His defense looked lost every single time the Dolphins lined up in the wildcat and it resulted in 38-13 blowout. In total the wildcat formation was employed six times during the Dolphins, Patriots game…I’d day the results speak for themselves.

Ronnie Brown is the key to the wildcat formation success in Miami.

Ronnie Brown is the key to the wildcat formation success in Miami.

The Dolphins would employ the wildcat again in their week 5 match-up against the San Diego Chargers. And while the wildcat would have a limited success this time around (47 net yards gained), it still resulted in a key touchdown that would give the Dolphins the lead and an eventual victory.

The Dolphins head coach Tony Sporano who is in his first year with the team, has stated that the Dolphins are just scratching the surface of how the wildcat can be employed this season. So far, the wildcat has helped lead a team that was 1-15 last year to a 2-2 record this season, with wins over some of the AFC’s best teams.

Now the question becomes will the wildcat catch on elsewhere in the NFL? The Patriots used the formation in their game against the 49ers, and the Dolphins have no plans to stop using the formation, at least until it stops working. Like the spread offense that is sweeping college football and lighting up scoreboards, the wildcat may soon have NFL defensive coordinators scratching their heads and NFL offensive coordinators salivating at the mouth.

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