And so on Sept. 21, 2008, with the Dolphins pummeling the Patriots 38-13, the Wildcat craze began in the NFL.

No one seems to know exactly how to defend it. Some people love it, some purists hate it, and aside from the Dolphins, no one has really perfected it.

And now that Michael Vick is eligible to play, everyone in the league will be watching today to see what the Eagles do with it.

"When I think about a Wildcat quarterback, I think Mike Vick," Jackson said.

On Monday night, Indianapolis struggled against the Dolphins' Wildcat. Through the first three quarters, Miami ran 58 plays, 11 out of the Wildcat, to Indianapolis' 25. They controlled the football for 33 minutes to Indy's 11. Whenever Ronnie Brown or Pat White lined up at quarterback, the Colts looked mystified.

"Ron Rivera is calling me during the game about the Wildcat," Ron Jaworski said, referring to San Diego's defensive coordinator. "I said, 'You shouldn't call me, you should call [Colts defensive coordinator] Larry Coyer, because they haven't made an adjustment yet.' "

Last Wednesday, Jaworski sat at his desk at NFL Films debating the effectiveness of the Wildcat with NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock and Greg Cosell, executive producer of ESPN's fantastic Sunday morning NFL Matchup show. It was a spirited debate that showed the schism that exists over the Wildcat.

Mayock loves it. Jaworski is indifferent. And Cosell can't believe teams haven't figured out how to better defend it.

"With Pat White or Michael Vick, he can come downhill at a defensive end who has no idea how to feather a quarterback, and force pitch," Mayock said. "Then you've got problems. . . . I'm saying 10-12 plays a game with a talented kid who can throw and run, I'm in."

"We've all got our theories," Jaworski said. "If I'm Julius Peppers, you come down that line and option me, I'm taking my Riddell [helmet] and my face and putting it in your sternum and putting you in the hospital."

"For 10-12 plays a game, where I have a chance to make a big play outside the context of my offense, I'm in," said Mayock.

Retorted Jaworski: "What if you don't get those plays? There's no guarantee. The speed of the NFL defense, it ain't even close. It's so much faster than collegiate defense."

"The quarterback, it's about timing, rhythm, feel for the game," Jaworski added. "You're out there, you're playing, and then suddenly every two or three snaps you have to run to the sideline or line up as a receiver and get hit in the mouth? If you've got Peyton Manning, you're not doing this [stuff]. To me, if you have Donovan McNabb, why are you taking him off the field?"

Given the position he played, Jaworski is biased toward the quarterbacks. In part, that explains why he's not a huge Wildcat fan.

"It's been productive right now," he said. "You can't question that part of it. I think what will be interesting now that it's on tape, is how teams will adjust to it."

Does Jaworski see a revolution, or a fad?

"It'll be a fad," Jaworski said. "This stuff historically has never worked as a consistent offense in the NFL. When John Sciarra came to the Eagles from UCLA when I was there, we ran the veer in short yardage and goal line. It didn't work. There are plays that are great college plays. You get to the pros, it's a different game. . . . You've got to be a fundamental football team first.

"I'm not saying this doesn't have a place, because I think it's actually some cool stuff. But you start running this thing 15 times a game, I think you break down your entire offense."

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