Watch for a Wild Bear

Major innovation comes along rarely in sports play calling, but when it does, it makes a big difference. Think of how much the pick-and-roll changed basketball: the point guard was cleared from his defender, switched onto another opponent, and given the option to either drive to the basket or dish it to a teammate. The pick-and-roll is one play - maybe the only one in all of sports - that when perfectly executed, it’s impossible to defend.

Last season, the Miami Dolphins had a football innovation. Well, sort of. They brought back an offense called the Single Wing, but they made some minor changes and re-named it the Wildcat. With running back Ronnie Brown behind center instead of a quarterback, it gave Brown the option of keeping the ball on a draw or handing it off to fellow back Ricky Williams. Opposing teams were thrown off guard by this formation, and Miami used it in its run to the playoffs last season.

A year later, the Wildcat has exploded onto the NFL scene. Nearly every team uses it, though still nobody does it as well as the Dolphins. In last week’s Monday Night game against the Jets, the ‘Phins ran for 103 yards out of the ‘gimmick’ formation, including the game-winning two-yard TD run by Brown with five seconds left.

This week, and this is one of the craziest predictions I’ve ever made on this blog, I’m predicting the Bears will use the Wildcat for the first time in their game against the Falcons. You want reasons why? Here’s three of them:

1) They’ve got the perfect player for it: Devin Hester. He’s no longer an elite kick/punt returner, but he would be dynamic in the backfield alongside Matt Forte. Hester is still good at finding a gap in the defense, and when he finds it, it’s over - six points. He’s also a versatile player, meaning he would know when to hand it to Forte, when to keep it, maybe even when to throw it on a trick play.

2) They are starting a six-week stretch of inter-division opponents. That means no Lions, Packers or Vikings until Nov. 29. It also means they are facing teams that are un-familiar with the Bears’ personnel. Adding a new package makes perfect sense at this time of the season, because it allows them to put more plays and formations on film for those final six weeks of the year, when the opponents know the Bears as well as anybody.

3) Atlanta isn’t a great run defense team, ranking 24th in the league with 127 rushing yards per game. Meaning they are the perfect squad to try something new against. If the Bears were playing say, Baltimore, maybe it’s not a great idea to give the ball to a wide receiver in the backfield. But a team that struggles tacking like Atlanta does is ideal for a squad trying out something new. I expect Jay Cutler to be out wide and Hester in the shotgun at least twice this Sunday.

But will the Bears win? We all remember last year’s game in the Georgia Dome, and now comes time for revenge. Find out who I like below in my Week 6 picks, winners in bold.

Houston at Cincinnati

Detroit at Green Bay

Baltimore at Minnesota

New York Giants at New Orleans

Cleveland at Pittsburgh

Carolina at Tampa Bay

Kansas City at Washington

St. Louis at Jacksonville

Philadelphia at Oakland

Arizona at Seattle

Tennessee at New England

Buffalo at New York Jets

Chicago at Atlanta

Denver at San Diego

Last Week: 9-5
Season to Date: 55-21

In the survival pool, I'm still alive after taking the Eagles last week. This Sunday, another green and white team, as I'm going with the Jets.