The 'Wildcat' and other gimmicks

It was novel, even cute, when the Miami Dolphins decided to take the quarterback out of the equation and snap the ball directly to Ronnie Brown. And they've had success with their "Wildcat" formation this season, spawning imitators in the NFL and in college.

The question is: Why?

In college, where QB play can be considerably less refined, maybe it makes some sense. But NFL teams are using a considerable chunk of their salary cap on the quarterback position, and this gimmick is essentially a waste of resources. (Cynical New York Jets fans -- is there any other kind? -- might argue that taking Chad Pennington out of the equation is the smartest move the Dolphins could make.)

Digging into the playbook for something out of the past is hardly a new tactic -- the "Wildcat" is merely a reworking of the old single- and double-wing formations -- but there's a reason coaches aren't still running Pop Warner's plays. They don't work any more -- except as a gimmick.

And in the NFL, defenses already are starting to do the math. The surprise factor is gone. Let the Dolphins have their fun as long as it lasts and leave it at that.

Which brings us to this week's Tuesday Top Five: The top five recent developments that make no sense.

5. THE HURRICANES. Should they be commended for winning ugly and putting away some early season points when they're clearly not playing their best hockey? Or will those chickens come home to roost? The Canes should be dominating teams like Atlanta, not capitulating to them.

4. GAS PRICES. We were paying $4 a gallon six months ago. Less than a month before the election, prices plunged to almost half that. Thankfully, we can be sure Big Oil has our best interests at heart.

3. DUKE'S DOUBLE-CLUTCH OFFENSE. Peyton Manning may have made it trendy to change every play at the line, but he's Peyton Manning. The Blue Devils are the latest team to participate in the infuriating practice of setting up at the line of scrimmage, then looking back to the sideline for a new play call. Every. Single. Time.

It's bad enough when Jim Furyk does it over a putt, but it's worse during a football game. It's OK to audible, but please -- not every play.

2. THE PREVALENCE OF MOVIE ACTORS DOING TV SHOWS. Is this a result of the writers' strike? The battle between cable and broadcast TV? Whatever the reason, the unprecedented migration of accomplished film stars (Donald Sutherland, Timothy Hutton, Holly Hunter, and so on) to the once-shunned hinterland of television is baffling. Entertaining, perhaps, but baffling.

1. THE "WILDCAT" FORMATION. Everything old becomes new again, but any coach who thinks it's a good idea now should be fined for being unoriginal.