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Pat White Boosts ‘Wild’ in Miami Dolphins’ Wildcat
Published: June 6, 2009
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June 6, 2009
Dolphins coach Tony Sparano is unwavering in his statement that rookie Pat White is in camp strictly as a quarterback. That’s fine.
Rookies – especially those who play quarterback—need time to get their NFL bearings. And you know a Bill Parcells grad isn’t inclined to give away missile codes.
But you can sense the wheels turning in the map room somewhere.
White and Chad Pennington breaking the huddle together. White and Ronnie Brown lined up in a twin-backs set. How about White, Pennington and Brown in the same backfield?
In the time it took the Dolphins to send White’s name to the draft podium, the options grew exponentially.
If the Dolphins weren’t envisioning another gear in the Wildcat package, they were in good shape with Chad Henne as the rising backup. Certainly they wouldn’t have spent a second-round pick on another quarterback.
For now, though, Sparano plays it straight.
“Pat White is here to be a quarterback right now,” the coach told reporters as offseason team drills began. “I’ve got a guy [Brown] that carried the ball pretty well in the Wildcat. Until I see something different out here, he’s a quarterback.”
White has struggled with accuracy in Miami’s first two blocks of minicamps, but that’s not unusual for someone adjusting to a new playbook.
For all the attention given to his running skills—White’s 6,049 rushing yards are the NCAA record for a quarterback—fewer notice that he completed 64.8 percent of his passes at the trigger of West Virginia’s spread offense.
White even threw for 332 yards and three TDs in the Mountaineers’ bowl win over North Carolina, in what looked to be an attempt to showcase his arm. Weeks later, he earned MVP honors in the Senior Bowl.
Though conventional wisdom always seemed to peg White for a receiver job in the NFL, none of the 25 teams who attended his predraft throwing audition asked to see him at wideout.
But that doesn’t mean White couldn’t move out there for a few snaps. Observers learned that at one of the Dolphins’ open sessions, when White shifted out to the slot as Brown ran the Wildcat.
If nothing else, White provides Wildcat insurance. If Brown had gotten hurt last season, the Wildcat likely would have gone down with him. Not so with White on board.
Moreover, the Wildcat options multiply with a third snap-taker in the mix—a Wild-Wildcat, if you will.
Picture the Dolphins lining up in an I-formation set—Pennington behind center, Brown in the fullback spot and White at tailback. Then begin shifting people out.
Or put White and Ricky Williams in an offset I, Brown split just outside the tackle box and then motion Pennington out from behind center. Another wrinkle might switch White and Brown, leaving foes guessing whether White might shift inside for the snap.
You can be sure defensive coordinators will be operating on even less sleep.
20 Questions for Miami Dolphins’ Prodigal Jason Taylor
Published: June 5, 2009
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June 5, 2009
1. So what is it about this relationship with Parcells/Ireland/Sparano that makes it work this time, as opposed to 12 months ago?
2. How much fence-mending was required to smooth things over for a return? And who wound up doing more of the mending?
3. Looking back now on how everything played out in the months to follow, was “Dancing With the Stars” still a good move?
4. Your Redskins tenure was marked by injury and time in an unfamiliar position, interspersed with flashes of the old Jason. How would you describe your time in Washington?
5. According to reports, you took a $7 million hit to obtain your freedom from the Redskins. The typical fan tells himself he could “suffer” for the $7 million. How difficult was it to leave money like that on the table?
6. Various reports also had you in talks with the Patriots, which obviously would have created a huge uproar in South Florida. How close was that from becoming a reality?
7. Were there any other teams that you would have been willing to play for?
8. How strange was it to walk into the Dolphins’ training facility on that first day back? Or did it even feel strange to you?
9. For a decade you and Zach Thomas were the faces of the Dolphins defense. Then you and Zach left during the same offseason. Now you’re back and he’s in Kansas City. Tough to look across this locker room and not find him there?
10. Was there anything you learned in Washington that you now put to use coming back to the Dolphins?
11. You’re now on the roster as an outside linebacker. Could you play defensive end in this 3-4 system, or does that require a different body type?
12. You’re also penciled in as Matt Roth’s backup. The prevailing line of thinking has you as a pass-rush specialist, with Roth handling first and second downs. Or would your role be broader than that?
13. You’ve always had your best games when you’ve had the flexibility to shift around, anyway. Could we see you and Roth on the field at the same time? What about you and Roth and Joey Porter?
14. What improvement have you seen from Roth in the year you were away?
15. What have you found to be the biggest difference in the organization under Parcells & Co. as compared to the management by Cameron/Mueller, Nick Saban, and Dave Wannstedt?
16. You’re working on a one-year deal. At age 34, is football now a year-to-year decision?
17. Could you ever see yourself walking away from the game and then getting a serious itch to get back in, as we’ve seen with the Brett Favre chronicles?
18. Not to chase you out of the NFL yet, but how soon until we see Jason Taylor on the big screen? Could you do a small role in the offseason, or after the “Dancing” saga is that fully on the back burner until football’s over?
19. The obvious Hollywood comparison is made between you and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Have you had the chance to speak with him about making the transition from sports to showbiz? Any other brains you’ve tried to pick?
20. Name the actor/actress that would prompt you to work for peanuts just for the chance to share the stage. Why?
