Things are going so well for the Bears -- well, for their offense, anyway -- that it might be a good time to dust off the old playbook and unleash some fun. Will the Bears work on the Wildcat offense during their bye week?
''We have played around with some of it,'' offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. ''We actually did some things last year in practice and in training camp this year that we haven't gotten to yet. You have to find ways to get your playmakers the ball. It's something we'll explore as our offense evolves.''
The Wildcat formation has taken the NFL by storm since the Dolphins unleashed it against the Patriots this season and produced four of their touchdowns in a surprise victory. If you haven't seen it yet, it's unique. The quarterback splits out wide and the ball is directly snapped to a running back, who either runs with the ball himself, hands off to another running back or begins some kind of gimmick play designed to stop a defense cold. Since the Dolphins used the formation to beat the Patriots and then the Chargers, it has found its way to Jacksonville, Cleveland, Atlanta, Oakland and most points in between. The Bucs unveiled a Wildcat play Sunday.
Ask any of the Bears' assorted playmakers about the possibility of taking a direct snap from center, and you will see their face light up.
''I would love to do that,'' said Devin Hester, the man most likely to get a direct snap in the Bears' offense. ''Oh, yeah. It's a great scheme. It seems like it is working for a lot of teams. ... I hope we get it in a game.''
Said running back Kevin Jones: ''It brings a little fun back to the game. That's some old-school stuff.''
Turner isn't lacking for volunteers when it comes to the Wildcat. Hester is the obvious choice, and the Bears have worked on direct snaps to him in training camp. Jones and Garrett Wolfe would be options to run the ball. Several receivers can throw. Marty Booker has as strong an arm as anyone on the team.
It seems inevitable the Bears will run some version of the Wildcat before the season is over. Hester is too perfect for the role. Turner admitted one of the reasons he hasn't gotten to it yet has been the number of new starters -- six -- working together for the first time to open the season. Now that the unit is working in harmony, it might be time to open up the playbook.
''I just wish we had done it before because now people will say we're copying,'' Turner said. ''We have done elements of it. Not all the stuff they are doing, but we have done a couple of things -- the direct snap and all that. We just haven't gotten to it in a game yet.''
Turner seemed pleased to talk about it and all but winked when using the word ''yet.'' Sometimes you don't even have to run a formation to give a foe something to prepare for. Now that's having fun.
I hope we pull it out against the Titans in week 10. This is going to cause some chaos and I'm happy Turner knows that Hester must be utilized.
