First Radio Experience

I have to tell you this so you don't continue to embarrass yourself in the paper, radio, or anywhere else you may find a captured audience. But high schools have been using the "Wildcat" offense, and its several incantations for years. I would guess the 90% of all high school teams use wing-T concepts in their offense. That is exactly what the "Wildcat" is, a variation of the wing-T. Urban Meyer made it truly mainstream at Utah. The NFL is jumping on the"Wildcat" bandwagon late, but the media has really latched on to this "new" offense. Maybe because it has a cool name, I don't know. Maybe doing some background would help your writing. I notice it is lacking in most of what you write.

Everyone that follows football knows the Wildcat is not a new offense. Everything in football is cyclical and "copycat," especially in the NFL, where I spent the past two years covering the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans.

The Wildcat formation, actually, became mainstream among the media and national consciousness at the University of Arkansas with Felix Jones, Darren McFadden, and Houston Nutt. The modern reinsertion actually began with Kansas State in the late 90s. It has a long pedigree, including Pop Warner and Knute Rockne's Notre Dame teams.

As to your notion that 90 percent of all high school teams "use wing-T concepts," you must use that term loosely. The point I was making: teams are utilizing the formation to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers and take advantage of defensive mismatches. Many times in high school the best athlete is the quarterback. It's not like with the Browns, where Josh Cribbs is much more explosive than Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson.

Plus, if you do your background, you'll notice that even the Miami Dolphins are adding some new wrinkles to their "Wildcat" formation as NFL defenses adapt. The blocking schemes resemble zone blocking with a few twists and are a bit complex for a high school offense if it isn't going to be used multiple times a game.

The "Wildcat," as "us media types" refer to it, involves a player other than the quarterback receiving the snap (although not necessary, this is how it's being used), something that I maintain isn't prevelant among high school football teams. The current NFL version, loosely, is a RB or WR taking a direct snap and usually running the ball.

Some teams, a small percentage, will employ that type of play, but typically five times or fewer throughout the course of a game.

The Eagles, for example, have eight players that have taken snaps this season. Last season, 18 teams in the NFL ran plays with direct snaps to non-QBs. That's over half the teams. That's not nearly as prevelant in high school.

A "wing-T concept" is markedly different than a Wildcat formation, which is a specific variation.

I resent your comment about doing background work. Parts of your comment are ignorant to what I stated originally.