09-18-2017, 09:28 PM
Quote: @greediron said:
Here is an analysis from last year: http://zonecoverage.com/2016/vikings/i-watched-every-vikings-wildcat-snap-and-this-is-what-i-saw/ . "McKinnon has received the majority of carries in the Wildcat, all on keepers. Seven out of the 14 Wildcat snaps he has run the football for 34 yards and a 4.9-yard average – two full yards better than his yards per carry for the season (2.9)."@Bullazin said:
Yeah, not a fan of the old wildcat. It is just a run play. Unless you are going to do a lateral to the QB and throw deep, but it is such a gimmick and easy to defend.@VikingOracle said:
You know I love the shovel pass and I would think any of our 3 RBs would be great at receiving one. I don't know why it is not a permanent part of the game plan.
I also don't know why we have not seen the wildcat yet this year. I thought McKinnon ran it okay last year with a poor oline. It also makes the opposing defense prepare for one more look. looks like the wildcat has run its course, defenses dont seem to be honoring the pass in that formation anymore, which they shouldnt. and to quote Z, " have you seen him throw". Quigley looked like a better option from his pass than Jet
And his follow-up: http://www.105thevibe.com/2017/04/19/ekstrom-i-watched-every-vikings-wildcat-snap-2/ . "While the Wildcat, as a whole, was successful relative to the team’s traditional run game, its usefulness slowed over the team’s final five games, bringing into question how frequently the Vikings will utilize it moving forward."
This observation may be why the wildcat is now dead for the Vikings: "The only detectable difference between Good Wildcat and Bad Wildcat might be the absence of Cordarrelle Patterson in many of the plays. While the Vikings weren’t 100 percent on Wildcat plays when Patterson was in the backfield, he was a critical diversion in a number of the most success attempts, freezing defenders for a split second to free up McKinnon."
I still think it is worth trying once early in the season if only to give upcoming teams something else to think about.