Ronnie Brown is back, his broken right foot fully healed, his spirit renewed as the Miami Dolphins prepare to open their season at Buffalo Sunday afternoon.
The NFL's original and still foremost Wildcat operator is ready to reclaim the steering wheel.
"I feel like there's some room for improvement in every aspect of my game, and obviously the Wildcat is part of that," says Brown, the Dolphins' star running back.
"Just handling the ball a little bit better, seeing things, recognizing the defenses, the things that they're doing, how they're switching things up on us. As far as recognition, there's a lot I can improve in that area."
The site of Brown's return is fitting, since it was on the Dolphins' last visit to Ralph Wilson Stadium that the Wildcat misfired to the point it was essentially shelved for the rest of the 2009 season.
When Ricky Williams, taking direct snaps in Brown's injury absence, threw an end-zone interception to kill the Dolphins' game-opening drive in what became a 31-14 loss, it set off alarms within the risk-averse minds of coach Tony Sparano and his offensive assistants.
There would be just six more direct snaps to Williams the rest of the season. Those snaps would total just 13 yards of offense, and in four of their final five games the Dolphins eschewed the Wildcat entirely.
With the offseason addition of superstar wide receiver Brandon Marshall, some wondered if the Wildcat would be caged for good, but the preseason seemed to provide the opposite answer.
Fans – and the rest of the NFL universe -- saw at least one Wildcat play in each of the Dolphins' final three preseason games, a stark contrast from the first two years of its existence, when it was broken out only briefly in the second game of the 2009 preseason and not at all in 2008, Sparano's first year.
As long as he can stay healthy, Brown will be a productive fantasy back, whether he lines up in the Wildcat or more traditional looking offenses.
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