goldenster95 Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Why To Watch The lead in the NFC East is at stake as the upstart Giants host longtime rival Washington. The Giants, Redskins and Eagles are tied atop the division at 4-2 with the Cowboys a half-game back at 4-3. Washington's resurgence is led by veteran quarterback Mark Brunell, who has teamed with wide receiver Santana Moss to create excitement in the passing game. Brunell, 35, is moving and throwing like he did before the multiple knee surgeries. He is making plays on the run and in the short and intermediate passing game to H-back Chris Cooley and wide receiver David Patten. Clinton Portis is benefiting and back among the leading rushers in the NFL. The defense has been surprisingly suspect against the run but ranks fourth in the league in total defense, keeping Washington in games. The Giants have an explosive passing game led by emerging quarterback Eli Manning. His primary targets are wide receiver Plaxico Burress and tight end Jeremy Shockey. That has led to almost constant man-to-man coverage on wide receiver Amani Toomer, who has responded with several big plays in recent weeks, including five receptions and the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds last week. As Manning flourishes, the load on running back Tiki Barber has been reduced. Defense is the Giants' problem. Although the Giants are in a first-place tie heading into Week 8, they must develop a defensive playmaker to beat Washington this week or make the playoffs. Redskins Keys For Success 1. Throw short. Cooley is a big, reliable target for Brunell. The Giants' defensive linemen run straight upfield in the pass rush, and the linebackers drop back in coverage, leaving the middle of the field open. Throwing to Cooley, fullback Mike Sellers or Patten will loosen up the defense for Portis. 2. Stop return men Chad Morton and Willie Ponder. Statistically, the Giants lead the Redskins in every special teams category. Ponder ranks fourth in the NFL in kickoff return average (28.4 yards), and Morton ranks fourth in punt return average (10.4 yards), and each already has a return touchdown this season. Washington's coverage teams are good but need punter Derrick Frost to do better than his 37.3-yard net average or Morton will be dancing in the end zone. Nick Novak also must drive his kickoffs high and long to stymie Ponder. A touchback would be nice but improbable; Washington is one of two NFL teams yet to record a touchback on kickoffs in '05. 3. Run the ball. The Redskins like to use one-back, two-tight end sets. They use zone-blocking techniques and run behind right tackle Jon Jansen and right guard Randy Thomas, using Cooley to seal the backside. Portis follows the blockers to the right, forcing the defense to flow that way. He then will wait for a hole to open inside, using his cutback ability to take the run up the middle and against the grain of the flowing defense. Giants Keys For Success 1. Defend the deep ball. The Giants' pass defense is struggling and has been especially susceptible to downfield passes. Brunell and Moss have become a lethal downfield combination. The Giants must provide safety help to cornerback Will Allen, who can't run with Moss. But that will leave Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis with a tough choice: A) Cover Cooley with a linebacker, or try to stop Barber with only seven men in the box. 2. Run off-tackle. If right tackle Kareem McKenzie and left tackle Luke Petitgout can seal off Redskins ends Renaldo Wynn and Phillip Daniels, Barber has the speed and power to cut back and take advantage of middle linebacker Lemar Marshall's inability to cut quickly. The Redskins' 15th-ranked run defense is not as strong after allowing Antonio Pierce to bolt to New York via free agency. 3. Keep Brunell in the pocket. Pressuring Brunell and getting him out of rhythm is an important part of the game plan. The pass rushers, though, must be cautious and not let him escape the pocket. Brunell still is athletic enough to create when forced to scramble or on designed bootlegs. He is poised and will make plays with second and third receivers or move the chains with a scramble upfield. Keeping Brunell in the pocket could lead to sacks because Brunell often holds the ball too long. Look for the Giants to rarely blitz and instead use the extra men to mix coverages and force bad throws. It'll be up to Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora to generate pressure. The Bottom Line Washington is a more complete team with more depth and veteran presence. The Redskins' balanced offense and fourth-ranked defense gives them the advantage over the Giants' high-flying attack. The Giants lack the playmakers on defense to consistently get Washington's offense off the field. Pick: Redskins 24, Giants 23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenster95 Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 Here's (hopefully) a picture of the graph that TSN uses in its matchup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I'd take that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsterp Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Why To Watch Giants Keys For Success 1. Defend the deep ball. The Giants' pass defense is struggling and has been especially susceptible to downfield passes. Brunell and Moss have become a lethal downfield combination. The Giants must provide safety help to cornerback Will Allen, who can't run with Moss. But that will leave Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis with a tough choice: A) Cover Cooley with a linebacker, or try to stop Barber with only seven men in the box. The Bottom Line Washington is a more complete team with more depth and veteran presence. The Redskins' balanced offense and fourth-ranked defense gives them the advantage over the Giants' high-flying attack. The Giants lack the playmakers on defense to consistently get Washington's offense off the field. Pick: Redskins 24, Giants 23 I think he means Portis here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Here's (hopefully) a picture of the graph that TSN uses in its matchup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swchang Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I think he means Portis here. Or maybe, "try to stop Barber from fumbling..." (I kid, gotta support Barber as he's a former Cav. Just not against the 'Skins. :helmet:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey T Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I'll take a W anyway we can get it. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWB Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Receivers? Ya ok giants.....bs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdarugar Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 We have the #1 WR in the league and they get the nod over our recievers? I can't say I agree with that. :2cents: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orlskinsfan Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I agree with all the ratings except for recievers...dont we have the leading receiver in the NFL right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnFoRcEr_uPu Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Ummmm..."try to stop Barber with only 7 men in the box" You think they meant PORTIS? LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidFan Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 When did they add a checkbox for "pass rushers"?? Isn't that brand new? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terpfan Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 So wait their expert predicition has us winning but both the experts picked the Giants? No comprendo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Type-TNA Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 the statement that the giants dominate the redskins on every special teams category is false. The redskins are in first (or were before last week's game) in opponent return yards with something like 3.4 yards per return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Why To Watch Giants Keys For Success 1. Defend the deep ball. The Giants' pass defense is struggling and has been especially susceptible to downfield passes. Brunell and Moss have become a lethal downfield combination. The Giants must provide safety help to cornerback Will Allen, who can't run with Moss. But that will leave Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis with a tough choice: A) Cover Cooley with a linebacker, or try to stop Barber with only seven men in the box. Um, he means Portis right? Will Allen is going to get torched all day. Portis is going to go over 100 and find the endzone AGAIN. Maybe im still high from last weekends win, but i feel really good about this game......not predicting a blowout, but we will win this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 3. Run the ball. The Redskins like to use one-back, two-tight end sets. They use zone-blocking techniques and run behind right tackle Jon Jansen and right guard Randy Thomas, using Cooley to seal the backside. Portis follows the blockers to the right, forcing the defense to flow that way. He then will wait for a hole to open inside, using his cutback ability to take the run up the middle and against the grain of the flowing defense. Apparently TSN saw one play on televsion, and assumed that this play was indicative of our entire running scheme. So lazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 That's about as close as they get. Weird that the article says we have more depth, yet the graphic says they do. And why is there an extra category for 'pass rushers?' shouldn't that fall under the DL, BL and secondary categories? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnFoRcEr_uPu Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Receivers? Ya ok giants.....bs. I think because Moss has so many yards, they assume he's our only good receiver. I feel sorry if they underestimate guys like Patten and Cooley. Or even Thrash and sellers(4 TD's!!, LOL) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnFoRcEr_uPu Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Apparently TSN saw one play on televsion, and assumed that this play was indicative of our entire running scheme. So lazy. Agreed. Betts(and even cartwright against SF) have been putting up some good numbers also. Personally, to have Betts as a back-up RB is as good as it gets. I could see him starting elsewhere, but he sticks it out here and does great as a back-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TC4 Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 So how come in the Bottom Line they say the Redskins have better depth, but their graph has the checkmark on the Giants side for Depth? :whoknows: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom [Giants fan] Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Come on guys. OVerall the edge go to the Giants in WR's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelvincent Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 We have the #1 WR in the league and they get the nod over our recievers? I can't say I agree with that. :2cents: Moss is spectacular. But they have three - Burress, Shockey, Toomer - who are solid to excellent. The Redskin Nation believes that Moss, Patten, Cooley and/or Jacobs are just as good but the rest of the world who don't follow as closely as we do can't see that. 24-23 is a chickensh** pick. They pick the score in favor of the Redskins but prefer the Giants overall (experts). Whatever. I like it that we can have #2 offense and #4 defense and still somehow fly under the radar of "experts"... :gaintsuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelvincent Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 ']Come on guys. OVerall the edge go to the Giants in WR's. Overall - slight edge, yes. Not much, but a slight edge. Difference is we have the defense that can stay with NYG recievers - particularly ST versus Shockey - something that other teams don't... That is the key matchup - NYG 'O' versus WAS 'D' NYG 'D' is clearly overmatched with WAS 'O' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xsinner Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 These TSN guys are as drunk as Eli. They gave the Giants two checks as the winner while predicting the score of 24-23 in favor of the Skins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-O-G Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I don't know why they gave the check to the Giants for the Recieving category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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