The man who once described the Miami Wildcat offense as a form of cheating now says that the Patriots’ no-huddle attack is close to it.
“It’s borderline illegal because sometimes the guys aren’t always set when they snap the ball,” Pace said Wednesday, via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. “But it’s smart. Why not hurry a team up? I wish we would do it. For a defense, it just puts pressure on you.”
It would make sense for the Jets to adopt the no-huddle given that the Jets eventually copycatted the Wildcat, since Pace thought the Wildcat was more than borderline illegal. At least this time he not only recognizes the potential irony of his remarks -- he embraces it.
Of course, teams need to have the personnel to kick the offense into overdrive at the drop of the hat. And it’s not about conditioning; it’s about versatility. That’s why players like Aaron Hernandez are so important to the Pats. He can line up in the slot on an obvious passing down when the defense has a nickel or dime package on the field and then, if the Pats convert, they can go hurry-up to freeze the defensive lineup on the field and shift to a run formation (possibly with Hernandez in the backfield) and pound the ball for a couple of plays against a defensive group aimed at stopping the pass.