There's more than one way to skin Wildcat

METARIE, La. -- Sometimes we ask questions because we know what the answer will be, in part to validate our own beliefs.

So that was why I posed this question to New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton:

Why don't you use the super-trendy Wildcat offensive package, the one that has the NFL media salivating over its every mention?

Payton bit just the way I expected he would.

"I just don't want to take snaps away from this guy," Payton said.

"This guy" is quarterback Drew Brees, who nearly broke Dan Marino's single-season record for passing yards in 2008. There is no way, Payton said, that he can justify taking the ball out of the hands of his skilled passer.

The Wildcat offense, which features direct snaps to a running back and makes the quarterback a glorified decoy, is the rage of the NFL as we head to the 2009 season. But for those wise enough not to take the ball out of the hands of the most valuable players on the field -- the quarterbacks -- it isn't part of their offense.

Strangely, the national media now has a love affair with the Wildcat and all versions of it popping up throughout the league. The Miami Dolphins used it to help jumpstart their season in 2008, and now it's spreading like a bad Mel Gibson rumor.

•  9/21/08: Fins let 'cat out of the bag | Bleacher Report

The reality is it is nothing more than a gimmick. I hate gimmicks.

I HATE THE WILDCAT. I HATE THE WILDCAT.

You don't jeopardize a player like Drew Brees by using him as a decoy. (Getty Images)

My official definition of the Wildcat offense goes like this: Team that doesn't have a quarterback.

If you did, why would you take the ball out of his hands?

Can you imagine the look on Peyton Manning's face if the Colts told him on install day that the Wildcat was coming?

How about Tom Brady?

Brees, thanks to a coach wise enough to realize his value, need not worry about it.

"I can understand the reasons for using it when you're trying to take advantage of the skill set that you have," Payton said. "That's not to say I would never use it. If I was in a position where I didn't have a Drew Brees or the guys you mentioned [Brady and Manning], then you're looking for a way to try and manufacture yards. When you choose to go down that path, which is exciting and different, it does take away practice time from different aspects of what you want to do offensively. For us, I'd rather spend that much more time on specific packages for us where Drew is taking the snaps."

The basic concept of the Wildcat is to have a back line up behind center and take direct snaps in the shotgun with the idea that it will help create more space to run. He can run it himself or hand off in an option-like play to another back or receiver. In that set, the quarterback is flexed wide, which renders him a decoy, and the thinking is that it helps lessen the box to boost the run game.

That poses an interesting question that seems to be overlooked among the love-fest with the Wildcat: Why would a coach subject his quarterback to the risk of getting hurt?

Poll What do you think of the Wildcat?   24%  It's fun to watch     42%  It's a useful weapon     35%  It's a minor league gimmick     Total Votes: 17822

"When a defensive player blasts the starting quarterback in the mouth and he goes down is when you'll see this thing fade away," one coach said.

The Dolphins are credited for bringing the Wildcat to the NFL. Offensive assistant David Lee used it at Arkansas in 2007, mainly because he had great backs in Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

He had no choice. Did you see Casey Dick throw passes for the Razorbacks?

The Dolphins decided to use it last season after an airplane conversation between Lee and coach Tony Sparano over ways to amp up their offense. That's why they get credit for the wrinkle.

I would blame them, but didn't Michael Vick run a similar-type package when he was with the Atlanta Falcons?

The Carolina Panthers used it against the Falcons one year when they had injuries at quarterback. Their offensive coordinator was current Dolphins coordinator Dan Henning.

It's a lot older than that. The package is basically the single wing offense that my father's high school team ran back in the 1950s. Back then pass was a bad word. Now it's the way of the game. The rules are made now to favor the passing game, so what's the point of going the other way?

"It will be tougher to defend when the guy taking snaps can throw it," one NFC defensive coordinator said.

That's what Miami hopes it has in Pat White. The Dolphins drafted the West Virginia quarterback in the second round in April with the idea he would take over as the key player in their Wildcat package from running back Ronnie Brown.

The new version is to be called the Wild-Pat.

The Dolphins used a second-round pick on Pat White to give their Wildcat more of a passing threat. (US Presswire)

That will prevent teams from doing what the Baltimore Ravens did last year in two games against it, which was to blitz the heck out of it. The Ravens won both those games and kept the Miami running game in check. Miami's backs ran 38 times for 99 yards in the two games against the Ravens. The Wildcat was the Mildcat.

White's ability to pass might help the Dolphins add another dimension. Even Brees, who said he is OK not running that package, thought that a passing threat might be key to making the Wildcat go.

"Otherwise they will put everybody in the box," Brees said. "You have to be able to throw it."

Wouldn't the Dolphins rather have Chad Pennington throwing it than White? I would think so.

The Atlanta Falcons open the regular season against Miami. They have to be ready for all forms of the Wildcat. But I told Falcons coach Mike Smith to quit worrying about it. Any team that uses that package is admitting defeat before the game starts.

It means they don't think their passing game, or specifically the quarterback, is good enough to win.

In a quarterback-driven league, that's a loss before the game starts. That gimmick might work for a game or two, but in the long run it's not the way the game is supposed to be played.

Physics lesson: Ball moves faster in the air than on the ground. Find somebody who can throw it. The rules favor that now, even more and more.

It's stupid to try and go the other way. Yet we hear more and more teams working on it. I saw the Jacksonville Jaguars doing it with my own eyes last week, although they said they were doing it for their defense. Yeah, sure they were.

Jacksonville struggled in the passing game last season, so that might make some sense. But the word the Cowboys are tinkering with Felix Jones running it is surprising. Don't they have Tony Romo?

The teams with quarterbacks -- the Colts, Patriots, Saints, Chargers, Cardinals, Steelers -- don't use the Wildcat. Nor should they. Why would they want to take the ball away from THOSE guys, just like Payton said?

Here's a prediction: A year from now the Wildcat will be fading away, almost gone, another toy gone to the gimmick gravesite.

I, for one, sure hope that's the case.

Did I tell you? I HATE THE WILDCAT.