Wildcat formation

Common card · No. 242574

Wildcat formation is a formation for the offense in football in which the ball is snapped not to the quarterback but directly to a player of another position lined up at the quarterback position. (In most systems, this is a running back, but some playbooks have a wide receiver, fullback, or tight end taking the snap.) The wildcat features an unbalanced offensive line and looks to the defense like a sweep behind zone blocking. A player moves across the formation prior to the snap. However, once this player crosses the position of the running back who will receive the snap, the play develops unlike the sweep. The wildcat is a gambit rather than an overall offensive philosophy. It can be a part of many offenses. For example, a spread-option offense might use the wildcat formation to confuse the defense, or a West Coast offense may use the power-I formation to threaten a powerful run attack. The wildcat scheme is a derivation of Pop Warner's single wing offense dating back to the 1920s. The...

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