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New team, same 'D': Redskins' zone scheme will look familiar
The Washington Redskins might play the same game of dare with the Green Bay Packers the Chicago Bears played last week. Chicago came back to defeat the Packers on Sunday in part because it played the entire second half in the Tampa-2 zone defense that dared the Packers to run the ball, which coach Mike McCarthy did without the slightest success. Washington is coming off an impressive 34-3 win over the Detroit Lions in which the Redskins' talented secondary shut down Detroit playing almost exclusively zone coverage, much of it the Tampa-2-type scheme. So, coach Mike McCarthy again might have to decide whether to stick with conventional wisdom and attack a seven-man front with the run even though that part of the Packers' offense has been unreliable for nine of 10 halves this season and failed to come through in last week's loss, or stick with the short-to-intermediate passing game that helped the Packers win their first four games, albeit in a scarily unbalanced, pass-oriented game plan. Either way, it figures to be a difficult game against one of the NFL's most-improved teams and a defense coordinated by the NFL's highest-paid assistant coach, Gregg Williams. The Redskins go into Sunday ranked third in the league in fewest yards allowed and tied for third in fewest points allowed.
The 4-1 Packers and 3-1 Redskins arguably are the two most surprising early-season winners in the NFL going into Sunday's game at Lambeau Field. The Packers, though, are coming off their worst half this season, a 98-yard, three-point effort in the second half of their loss to the Bears, whereas Washington is coming off a dominant 60-minute performance. McCarthy will be looking to recapture the rhythm of the previous three games, or of the Packers' 341-yard performance in the first half against the Bears. But this week he'll face probably the best defense the Packers have seen. Washington, which finished last season ranked 31st in yards allowed and 27th in points, has turned around defensively because of the return to health of starting cornerback Shawn Springs, the addition of free agent London Fletcher at middle linebacker and the drafting of the talented LaRon Landry at safety with the sixth overall pick in this year's draft.
The Redskins' starting secondary consists of four players taken in the top 10 of their drafts: Springs (No. 3 overall in 1997) and Carlos Rogers (No. 9 in 2005) at cornerback, and Landry and Sean Taylor (No. 5 in '04) at safeties. That draft status alone doesn't make them good players, but it's an indication at least of physical talent, and the resources coach Joe Gibbs has put into building his defense — Springs was a free-agent signee in '04. Also, the Redskins' nickel back is free agent Fred Smoot, who started at cornerback for Washington from 2001 to 2004, then played the last two seasons for Minnesota. If McCarthy returns to a more ball-control passing game this week, he'll be doing it against a better secondary than the Packers faced in their wins the first four weeks: Philadelphia, the New York Giants, San Diego and Minnesota. The Redskins also are solid in the front seven, with the 32-year-old Fletcher a surprisingly dynamic defensive quarterback at middle linebacker, and another linebacker, Rocky McIntosh, who is becoming a standout in his second NFL season.
With Favre playing well (97.3 passer rating) and having three quality receivers (Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and James Jones), along with regularly throwing to his tight ends and halfbacks, the Packers have the top-rated passing game in the NFL in yards per game. McCarthy, who aspires to a ball-control run game that can function well as the weather turns bad, has to decide how much of the game he's willing to put in a running attack that's been unreliable through five games.
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Redskins-Packers Preview
The Green Bay Packers hope Brett Favre can maintain his perfect record against the Washington Redskins as they look to bounce back from their first loss when two of the NFC's improving teams meet Sunday at Lambeau Field. Green Bay (4-1) failed to remain undefeated after a 27-20 home loss to Chicago last Sunday night as Favre threw two second-half interceptions and the NFC North-leading Packers blew a 10-point halftime lead. The Packers, who had an eight-game winning streak snapped, will try to rebound against Washington (3-1), which rolled to a 34-3 home win over Detroit last Sunday and is second to unbeaten Dallas in the NFC East.
With an emerging Jason Campbell at quarterback, Washington looks to avoid a fourth straight loss to Green Bay dating to a 20-17 victory at Lambeau Field on Oct. 23, 1988. Favre is 3-0 as a starter against the Redskins with Green Bay outscoring Washington 95-23 in those meetings. The Packers hope that holds up Sunday as they continue to try to prove they are serious contenders despite falling to the rival Bears. "I fully understand how this works," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. "We were glorified for four weeks, and now they get it this week, and they deserve it. But we need to clean our own house right now. It's sloppy and we need to get it cleaned up." Favre is 51-for-77 for 614 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions as a starter against Washington. He threw for 289 yards, but also had three interceptions in a 28-14 win over the Redskins on Oct. 31, 2004 in the teams' most recent meeting. Though Favre leads the NFL with 1,527 passing yards and has the Packers on the verge of their first 5-1 start since 2002, he's coming off his worst outing of the season. He was 29-for-40 for 322 yards, but was 10-for-18 for 79 yards in the second half. His third-quarter interception led to a Bears' touchdown on the next play as Chicago scored the final 17 points of the game.
"We got out of a rhythm," said Favre, who has 277 career interceptions to tie George Blanda for the most all-time. "It just wasn't clicking." Green Bay committed five turnovers and had just 19 of its 121 rushing yards in the second half. Despite that success, Green Bay is averaging 67.6 yards on the ground to rank 31st in the league. The Packers could face a bigger challenge Sunday against a Washington defense that is third in the NFL, allowing 268.0 yards per contest. The Redskins held Detroit's high-octane offense to just 142 yards. Washington also hopes for another strong game from third-year quarterback Campbell. Last weekend, Campbell, who grew up 100 miles from Favre's hometown in Mississippi and idolized the future Hall of Famer, finished 23-for-29 with a career-high 248 yards and two touchdowns. Campbell hopes to have receivers Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El back in the lineup as the Redskins look to start 4-1 for the first time since 1999. Moss missed last week's game with a groin injury and Randle El could be a longshot since leaving last Sunday's game with a hamstring injury after catching seven balls for 100 yards. The Redskins are 4-9-1 all-time at Green Bay.
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New team, same 'D': Redskins' zone scheme will look familiar
The Washington Redskins might play the same game of dare with the Green Bay Packers the Chicago Bears played last week. Chicago came back to defeat the Packers on Sunday in part because it played the entire second half in the Tampa-2 zone defense that dared the Packers to run the ball, which coach Mike McCarthy did without the slightest success. Washington is coming off an impressive 34-3 win over the Detroit Lions in which the Redskins' talented secondary shut down Detroit playing almost exclusively zone coverage, much of it the Tampa-2-type scheme. So, coach Mike McCarthy again might have to decide whether to stick with conventional wisdom and attack a seven-man front with the run even though that part of the Packers' offense has been unreliable for nine of 10 halves this season and failed to come through in last week's loss, or stick with the short-to-intermediate passing game that helped the Packers win their first four games, albeit in a scarily unbalanced, pass-oriented game plan. Either way, it figures to be a difficult game against one of the NFL's most-improved teams and a defense coordinated by the NFL's highest-paid assistant coach, Gregg Williams. The Redskins go into Sunday ranked third in the league in fewest yards allowed and tied for third in fewest points allowed.
The 4-1 Packers and 3-1 Redskins arguably are the two most surprising early-season winners in the NFL going into Sunday's game at Lambeau Field. The Packers, though, are coming off their worst half this season, a 98-yard, three-point effort in the second half of their loss to the Bears, whereas Washington is coming off a dominant 60-minute performance. McCarthy will be looking to recapture the rhythm of the previous three games, or of the Packers' 341-yard performance in the first half against the Bears. But this week he'll face probably the best defense the Packers have seen. Washington, which finished last season ranked 31st in yards allowed and 27th in points, has turned around defensively because of the return to health of starting cornerback Shawn Springs, the addition of free agent London Fletcher at middle linebacker and the drafting of the talented LaRon Landry at safety with the sixth overall pick in this year's draft.
The Redskins' starting secondary consists of four players taken in the top 10 of their drafts: Springs (No. 3 overall in 1997) and Carlos Rogers (No. 9 in 2005) at cornerback, and Landry and Sean Taylor (No. 5 in '04) at safeties. That draft status alone doesn't make them good players, but it's an indication at least of physical talent, and the resources coach Joe Gibbs has put into building his defense — Springs was a free-agent signee in '04. Also, the Redskins' nickel back is free agent Fred Smoot, who started at cornerback for Washington from 2001 to 2004, then played the last two seasons for Minnesota. If McCarthy returns to a more ball-control passing game this week, he'll be doing it against a better secondary than the Packers faced in their wins the first four weeks: Philadelphia, the New York Giants, San Diego and Minnesota. The Redskins also are solid in the front seven, with the 32-year-old Fletcher a surprisingly dynamic defensive quarterback at middle linebacker, and another linebacker, Rocky McIntosh, who is becoming a standout in his second NFL season.
With Favre playing well (97.3 passer rating) and having three quality receivers (Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and James Jones), along with regularly throwing to his tight ends and halfbacks, the Packers have the top-rated passing game in the NFL in yards per game. McCarthy, who aspires to a ball-control run game that can function well as the weather turns bad, has to decide how much of the game he's willing to put in a running attack that's been unreliable through five games.
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http://jsonline.stats.com/fb/preview.asp?g=20071014009&home=9&vis=28
Redskins-Packers Preview
The Green Bay Packers hope Brett Favre can maintain his perfect record against the Washington Redskins as they look to bounce back from their first loss when two of the NFC's improving teams meet Sunday at Lambeau Field. Green Bay (4-1) failed to remain undefeated after a 27-20 home loss to Chicago last Sunday night as Favre threw two second-half interceptions and the NFC North-leading Packers blew a 10-point halftime lead. The Packers, who had an eight-game winning streak snapped, will try to rebound against Washington (3-1), which rolled to a 34-3 home win over Detroit last Sunday and is second to unbeaten Dallas in the NFC East.
With an emerging Jason Campbell at quarterback, Washington looks to avoid a fourth straight loss to Green Bay dating to a 20-17 victory at Lambeau Field on Oct. 23, 1988. Favre is 3-0 as a starter against the Redskins with Green Bay outscoring Washington 95-23 in those meetings. The Packers hope that holds up Sunday as they continue to try to prove they are serious contenders despite falling to the rival Bears. "I fully understand how this works," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. "We were glorified for four weeks, and now they get it this week, and they deserve it. But we need to clean our own house right now. It's sloppy and we need to get it cleaned up." Favre is 51-for-77 for 614 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions as a starter against Washington. He threw for 289 yards, but also had three interceptions in a 28-14 win over the Redskins on Oct. 31, 2004 in the teams' most recent meeting. Though Favre leads the NFL with 1,527 passing yards and has the Packers on the verge of their first 5-1 start since 2002, he's coming off his worst outing of the season. He was 29-for-40 for 322 yards, but was 10-for-18 for 79 yards in the second half. His third-quarter interception led to a Bears' touchdown on the next play as Chicago scored the final 17 points of the game.
"We got out of a rhythm," said Favre, who has 277 career interceptions to tie George Blanda for the most all-time. "It just wasn't clicking." Green Bay committed five turnovers and had just 19 of its 121 rushing yards in the second half. Despite that success, Green Bay is averaging 67.6 yards on the ground to rank 31st in the league. The Packers could face a bigger challenge Sunday against a Washington defense that is third in the NFL, allowing 268.0 yards per contest. The Redskins held Detroit's high-octane offense to just 142 yards. Washington also hopes for another strong game from third-year quarterback Campbell. Last weekend, Campbell, who grew up 100 miles from Favre's hometown in Mississippi and idolized the future Hall of Famer, finished 23-for-29 with a career-high 248 yards and two touchdowns. Campbell hopes to have receivers Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El back in the lineup as the Redskins look to start 4-1 for the first time since 1999. Moss missed last week's game with a groin injury and Randle El could be a longshot since leaving last Sunday's game with a hamstring injury after catching seven balls for 100 yards. The Redskins are 4-9-1 all-time at Green Bay.
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