TK Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 http://www.redskins.com/story.asp?ContentID=12392 Key to Dallas Game: Beat The Blitz 12/12/2003 Inside the Redskins By Gary Fitzgerald Redskins.com The Redskins know the blitz is coming. They will not be surprised should Dallas send Roy Williams on a safety blitz or Dat Nguyen on a linebacker blitz. They know that the top-ranked Cowboys defense will continue to bring the heat—until the Redskins prove they can beat it. That seems to be one of the mantras at Redskin Park this week. Beat the blitz and make the Cowboys pay. In the first Dallas game, a game which the Cowboys won 21-14, Patrick Ramsey was sacked four times and pressured often. Early in the first quarter, Nguyen set the tone with a blitz between the tackles, sacking Ramsey for a 12-yard loss. Darren Woodson, Dexter Coakley and Williams also recorded sacks on blitzes as Ramsey threw for only 124 yards passing. Head coach Steve Spurrier called several maximum protections—but at times Dallas sent nine defenders on the pass rush. Spurrier said communication breakdowns contributed to the problems. Flash forward to the fourth quarter of that game. Williams came on a safety blitz and laid a hard hit on Ramsey. But the Redskins’ quarterback was able to get the ball off in time to rookie wide receiver Taylor Jacobs on a 19-yard touchdown pass. Jacobs was in man-to-man coverage with Woodson. Tim Hasselbeck remembers the Dallas game vividly. He made his NFL debut when he came in for a series midway through the fourth quarter after Ramsey had sustained a dislocated pinky finger. Six weeks later, Hasselbeck has become the starter, with Ramsey on injured reserve due to a bruised bone in his right foot. “The Cowboys’ blitz is something we’re going to have to have an answer for,” Hasselbeck said. “We’re going to have to make them pay for blitzing us and covering our receivers man-to-man across the whole field.” By all accounts, Hasselbeck has improved since he became the Redskins’ starting quarterback and may have had his best performance in last week’s 20-7 win over the New York Giants. He was 13-of-19 for 154 yards and two touchdowns at cold and blustery Giants Stadium. Hasselbeck now has a firmer grasp of Spurrier’s offense. “When I got here, I was very concerned with things like, ‘Where are the backs in the protection scheme? Where’s the check-down?’ That had been how I had been coached,” he explained. “This offense is a little different because there’s more of an emphasis on throwing downfield. I think I’m learning to do that better and the coaches have been patient with me.” Spurrier and offensive coordinator Hue Jackson haven’t offered up any specifics about how he intends to adjust to beating Dallas’s blitz, but it’s possible that shorter passing routes and draw plays could be in the offing. Hasselbeck has been taking five-step drops instead of seven-step drops. “We’re going to try and do better,” Spurrier said. “We’re going to try and get rid of it quicker and block them better. We’re going to try something hopefully a little bit smarter than the last time we played them.” In the Cowboys’ last two games, a 40-21 loss to Miami on Thanksgiving and a 36-10 loss at Philadelphia last Sunday, the defense has blitzed less often because those offenses were able to complete shorter passes. While studying the Redskins’ pass protection schemes in film study this week, the Cowboys have noticed changes. “They’ve shored up a lot of things as far as their pass protection,” Woodson said during a conference call with Washington, D.C. reporters. “The last time, we had a lot of blitzes and the Redskins didn’t handle it very well. We brought a lot of pressure and Ramsey just couldn’t find the guy he wanted. Now I think they’re protecting the quarterback a lot better.” Added head coach Bill Parcells: “I think they’re doing a good job with Tim Hasselbeck. I think he’s getting the ball out of there pretty quickly. It looks they’ve shortened some of the stuff for him and are using the running game as a better balance now.” For the Redskins, another key to stopping the blitz could be fullback/tailback Rock Cartwright. He saw his first extensive playing time of the season at tailback in the Week 9 game, due to injuries to Trung Canidate, Ladell Betts and Chad Morton. Spurrier said afterwards that it may have been difficult for Cartwright to learn all the pass blocking schemes out of the tailback position on such short notice. This time, Cartwright has more experience and is confident that he can pick up the blitz. “I’m sure they’ll bring a lot of pressure,” Cartwright said this week. “If they do, we’re capable of picking it up. We’ll be ready for it.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsNumberOne Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Given all this press about beating the blitz, and the potential for the Redskins preparing A LOT for it... I wonder if the Cowboys don't just try it a bit, and then just show blitz more often then run it. Or maybe they'll.... I'm not paid to think about all the possibilities anyway.... GO SKINS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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