Wildcat Formation
In the Wildcat a running back or another non-quarterback takes the snap in the shotgun, while the real quarterback splits out wide or leaves the field.
Tip: With letters on, find the QB: if he is split out wide and someone else stands deep behind the center, it is Wildcat.
How to Spot It
At first glance the Wildcat looks like a shotgun play. One player stands a few yards behind the center, ready for the ball. The difference is who that player is. In the Wildcat it is a running back, a receiver or another non-quarterback, and he takes a direct snap, meaning the center sends the ball straight to him.
So where is the quarterback? Usually split out wide like a receiver, and sometimes off the field entirely. If your mode shows letters on the dots, look for QB near the sideline. Without letters, look for a busy backfield. A second back often stands beside the snap-taker or comes across in motion, ready to take a handoff on a sweep.
The defense tends to crowd the line, because a run is coming. Expect a full box, the area near the ball between and just outside the offensive tackles. One more thing to know: Wildcat plays in cover0 all come from the 2016 to 2022 seasons, since FTN's charting from 2023 on does not label it.
When Teams Use It
The Wildcat is a running play first. The snap-taker can keep the ball, hand it to a back sweeping across, or fake one and do the other. In a normal handoff the quarterback gives the ball away and stops being part of the play. Here the snap-taker is a real runner, so on a run the offense has one more blocker than it would with a quarterback handoff. That makes it useful on short yardage and near the goal line.
Teams also use it as a surprise. If the snap-taker can throw, a short pass off a run fake can catch a defense that has crowded the line. It is rare. In the plays cover0 draws from, the Wildcat shows up on about 0.1 to 0.3 percent of snaps each season from 2016 to 2022.
History
The idea is very old. The single wing, a favorite offense in football's early days that is linked to Pop Warner, also snapped the ball directly to a tailback standing a few yards deep.
The modern version grew up at the University of Arkansas. In 2006, offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and quarterbacks coach David Lee began snapping the ball to star running back Darren McFadden in the shotgun, which let McFadden and Felix Jones share the field. Arkansas called it the Wild Hog. Lee kept it going as coordinator in 2007, then joined the Miami Dolphins as quarterbacks coach.
On September 21, 2008, Miami was 0-2 and New England had won 21 straight regular-season games. Under first-year head coach Tony Sparano, the Dolphins put running back Ronnie Brown at the snap with quarterback Chad Pennington split wide. Brown ran for four touchdowns and threw for another in a 38-13 win in Foxborough. New England won the rematch 48-28 that November, and the Wildcat stayed in NFL playbooks as a change-up.
Coaches Known for It
Gus Malzahn. As Arkansas' offensive coordinator in 2006, he and quarterbacks coach David Lee built a direct-snap package around Darren McFadden that Arkansas called the Wild Hog.
David Lee. He ran the package again as Arkansas' offensive coordinator in 2007, then brought it to Miami as the Dolphins' quarterbacks coach in 2008.
Tony Sparano. After an 0-2 start in his first year as Miami's head coach, he and David Lee decided to use the Wildcat against New England. The 38-13 win at New England on September 21, 2008, was his first as an NFL head coach.
How Often It's Used
Share of the plays cover0 could label each season.
| Season | Share |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.2% |
| 2019 | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.2% |
| 2021 | 0.3% |
| 2022 | 0.3% |
| 2023 | — |
| 2024 | — |
| 2025 | — |
Charted by NFL Next Gen Stats through 2022 and by FTN Data from 2023, so part of any jump between 2022 and 2023 comes from the change of source. A dash means the source doesn't chart it that season.
More offensive formations
Sources
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: Wildcat immortalized (opens in a new tab)
- ESPN: Wildcat strike, how the 2008 Dolphins shocked the Patriots and the NFL (opens in a new tab)
- ESPN: Miami coaches had Wildcat familiarity (2008) (opens in a new tab)
- The Ringer: The history of the Wildcat (2018) (opens in a new tab)
- The Daily Northwestern: Wildcat formation making waves (2009) (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Wildcat formation (opens in a new tab)
Written for cover0. Usage numbers come from the play data credited on the About page.