After working on a version of the Wildcat offense during their offseason practices and training camp, the Vikings unveiled the look with 4 minutes, 59 seconds left in the first quarter Sunday at Detroit.

There was one interesting difference from what we had seen previously. This time there was no true quarterback on the field. As usual, wide receiver Percy Harvin worked out of the shot-gun formation. Because the majority of practice is closed to the media after about the third week of training camp, I'm guessing the Vikings went to work on this after using the Wildcat twice in their third preseason game in Houston.

That's the game in which Brett Favre threw an illegel crack-back block on Texans safety Eugene Wilson and got himself fined $10,000. He probably also scared the living daylights out of a team that is paying him $12 million this season to be its quarterback and thus stay away from throwing blocks. (Although he threw another one Sunday on a 14-yard run by Adrian Peterson in the third quarter.)

The Wildcat formation the Vikings used Sunday had right tackle Phil Loadholt swung over to the left side and playing beside left tackle Bryant McKinnie. (Together the two weigh a combined 678 pounds.) Sidney Rice was split out wide left, Bernard Berrian was in the slot, Loadholt was outside of McKinnie with Steve Hutchinson, John Sullivan and Anthony Herrera completing the line left to right. It was a two tight end set with Jim Kleinsasser and Jeff Dugan lined up just off the line of scrimmage behind Loadholt and Herrera, respectively. Peterson was wide right and then came in motion right to left and took a handoff from Harvin ... that went for a 1-yard gain.

With the left side over-stacked, the Lions didn't seem to have any trouble sniffing out what the Vikings were going to do.

The Vikings ran the Wildcat on their first play of a possession, allowing Favre to watch from the sideline before re-entering the game.

Coach Brad Childress called the Wildcat "a mixer" when asked about it Monday. Childress also tried to plant the thought that at some point Harvin could throw out of the formation. "You never know, it might happen sometime," he said.

Harvin said during training camp that he certainly could throw the ball, although I seem to recall he added that he didn't know how pretty the pass would be. Of course, as long as it's complete that's all the Vikings would care about..