The Good Point Interview

Recently, a Mr. Andrew Bucholtz wrote me a nice email asking me to do an interview for The Good Point on unconventional thinking in the NFL. I looked up his credentials and was amazed. He writes for The Good Point regularly, writes for The Sporting Madness, and is also a Fanball Blogger like myself over at CanuckPuck. If you haven’t done so at this point in the post, open up those sites in new windows and check him out. He’s a really talented writer and if you’re like me and don’t understand hockey all that well, you’ll still enjoy it because he’s just that good!

Well, enough of boosting his ego…now to boost mine. I got the email a little later than he had hoped, but I replied as soon as I did receive it. He asked me some very interesting questions, so this will be my post today.

AB: The Dolphins found remarkable success with the Wildcat offense last year, to the point where other teams like the Vikings have talked about trying to institute Wildcat packages. In your mind, was the Wildcat a one-off gimmick, useful only when the opponent was surprised by it, or can it still be successful now that everyone knows it’s there?

ME: The Wildcat will be used this year by the Vikings. With the drafting of WR/RB Percy Harvin, the Vikings have already inserted a few new formations to the playbook including the Wildcat with Harvin lining up in the backfield. I’m not sure, considering the conservative nature of Coach Brad Childress’ playcalling, that it will be used in games. But, it has been shown in mini-camps and OTAs and may just be a tool to make defenses prepare for it just in case.

AB: Much of the Wildcat discussion around the Vikings seems to have come after they drafted Percy Harvin in the first round, thanks to his skill set. Do you think the Vikings drafted him largely because of his Wildcat potential, or did they pick him for other reasons and then decide to implement some Wildcat plays thanks to his talent?

ME: They picked Harvin because he was the most talented offensive player available at that point in the draft. He came gift wrapped at 22 and they ahd no choice but to take him. Their other need was OT, but the top tier of OTs had been taken already so they wouldn’t get as much value at the 22 pick if they grabbed an OT in that spot. They needed another playmaker to take attention off of Adrian Peterson. No longer will defenses be able to load the box to try and stop Peterson. They will have to account for Harvin at all times. He may not have the ball in his hands as much as people expect this year, but it’s threat of him having the ball in his hands that will help keep defenses honest.

AB: Do you think the Vikings have any other unconventional player-acquisition or play-design moves up their sleeves for this coming season? If so, what?

ME: I think the possibility of acquiring Brett Favre would be unconventional. The Vikings, especially under their latest owners, have been conservative when deciding whether or not to go with older players. They let Matt Birk go this year as well as Darren Sharper, but they signed an aging Antoine Winfield and possibly Brett Favre. I don’t think they have anything different planned as far as the playbook, with the exception of adding the Wildcat. I think the only difference will be if Favre is signed, because then the team will more than likely become a 50/50 run/pass offense.

AB: How important do you think it is for NFL teams to try unconventional strategies, whether in player acquisition or in play design and selection?

ME: It is hugely important and that answer is apparent when you look at last year’s Miami Dolphins. They brought in Bill Parcells and he totally re-structured that team and the front office. He instituted a new philosophy and the coaches had a new attitude that “Hey we’ll try anything to win, because we can’t do much worse than last year.” So they bring in a bunch of hybrid WR/RBs to run the Wildcat and look where it got them. 11-5 from 1-15 the previous season. Obviously there are cases for the opposite as well, mainly the Oakland Raiders. Al Davis has run that franchise into the ground by trying to be unconventional and he’s showed that, when taken to extremes, it can be negative philosophy as well.

You can check out the article in which he used that interview.

One more thing to note is that so far in training camp, Harvin has been reputed as being a quick learner and extremely talented. These comments coming from veteran defensive players. Look out for him this year to be a huge part in the Vikings offense.

Tags: andrew bucholtz, canuckpuck, he good point, NFL, Percy Harvin, Vikings, wildcat