Is Joe McKnight the New Wildcat Quarterback?

One play late in yesterday's game was notable for two reasons. The first was Mark Sanchez was called for a holding on a Wildcat run by Joe McKnight. This leads to plenty of questions about why the Jets would leave Sanchez exposed to injury like that with the game out of hand.

The second is we saw New York's Wildcat package return, and McKnight was the trigger man. Jeremy Kerley took the snaps in preseason for the package, which the team has seldom used. Kerley had experience playing it in college and looked like a decent thrower for the role.

I am all for McKnight taking over. It is an extra chance to utilize him, putting the ball into the hands of the roster's most explosive player to try and break something big. McKnight did just that if not for the hold on Sanchez. I am not sure the Jets would be wise to trust him throwing the ball, but I think he could have a lot of success in the role.

Wildcat plays are usually not based on deception as much as many think. It is primarily a running package. Defenses can play up and stack the box. It is mainly about execution, both blocking and running. New York's offensive line is certainly capable of getting a push in power sets. The most surprising thing to me about McKnight with the Jets is how well he reads his blocks and cuts accordingly. I knew he was a great athlete, but the way he sees things develop sets him apart.

I hope to see more of this experiment in coming weeks. How about you?