Week 10 Preview
Meet the Redskins
After making the playoffs as
a wildcard team last year, the 2006 Washington Redskins have had some problems repeating that same success
in 2006. The Redskins are known for their rampant spending during the off-season
thanks to a loyal fan-base and their billionaire owner Dan Snyder and this
off-season was no different. To compliment the sure handed speedster Santana
Moss at WR, Snyder signed former 49er Brandon Lloyd and former
The Redskins are coached by
the legend himself, Joe Gibbs. Gibbs who had success during the 1980s with the
team and most recently got into NASCAR, was lured back by Dan Snyder a few
years ago. After initially struggling in 2004, Gibbs and the Redskins had a
good year in 2005 but have struggled in 2006, sitting last in the NFC East with
a record of 3-5.
The Redskins were facing a
must win game last week against their hated rival the Dallas Cowboys. This game
more than lived up to its potential as it had a lot of unusual things occur
including a safety recorded by the Washington defense. The real fun came in the
final minute. After
On offense, the Redskins have
several weapons, but a very inconsistent quarterback. The veteran Mark Brunell
has been unpredictable this year and he has had a hard time finding his
receivers. Part of the problem for Brunell has been his offensive line which
hasn’t given up too many sacks given Brunell’s mobility but has not been as
good as they could have been. The ‘Skins have arguably one of the best RBs in
the game in Clinton Portis. Portis is a great running back who can do it all
for your team, but has had his issues this year given the unpredictable
offensive line. Behind Portis is the big bruising back of Ladell Betts. At WR,
the Redskins have a powerful tandem in Moss, Randel El, and Lloyd. Moss has
been battling a hamstring injury as of late and was listed as Questionable as
of Thursday; still no word on whether he is playing or not. Lastly, at TE the
Redskins have a solid player in Chris Cooley. Cooley will remind Eagles fans of
Chad Lewis given his ability to both run block and catch. Cooley is often used
for third down conversions. Despite having a high paid coordinator in Al
Saunders, the ‘Skins offense has struggled.
On defense, the Redskins have
struggled even more ranking 30th in yards per game and passing yards
allowed. A big reason for this is a defensive line that has had difficulty
getting pressure. Even more confusing is the passing yards allowed. The ‘Skins
have an aging, but still good secondary with the names of Shawn Springs, Adam
Archuleta, Carlos Rodgers, Troy Vincent, and Sean Taylor. Archuleta’s play has
drawn the ire of Coach Gibbs and you can expect to see Vincent starting at
strong safety. The Redskins have beaten some good teams but lost to some bad
ones. Which Redskins team will show up on Sunday?
What to watch for on Sunday
During their bye week, the
Eagles have deservedly gotten a lot of criticism for being at 4-4; some even
calling for the ouster of Andy Reid. This game means a lot to both the Eagles
and the Redskins. The Eagles are playing to keep their playoff hopes alive
while the Redskins are playing to keep their season respectable. In the Andy
Reid era, his teams are 7-0 in the week following a bye. Look for this Eagles
team to be rested and hungry for a W in this game. The Eagles were embarrassed
at home by the Jaguars in Week 8 and players on all sides of the ball will be
looking to make a statement to show the critics what kind of team they really
are. The Eagles have lost 3 in a row and desperately need a W in this one.
When the Eagles have the ball
You can expect one thing when
the Eagles have the ball: lots of passing. Lots of passing usually occurs
anyway, but it will especially happen today. You may even see a trick play or
two. The Redskins as previously noted are 30th in total defense and
passing yards allowed. McNabb will be utilizing all his weapons in this one to
keep the defense guessing. The offensive line for the Eagles will also have to
do a much better job then it did against
There are two match ups to
pay particular attention to on offense. The first is LJ Smith against former
Eagle and current Redskin SS Troy Vincent. Vincent is a classy guy and the
president of the NFL Players Union, but he also holds a grudge against the
Eagles for letting him go a few years back. Smith, as usual will be a common target for McNabb and one of the few
TEs with big play capability. It is up to Vincent to try and stop Smith from
helping McNabb keep the offense in sync. The other match up will be Brian
Westbrook against FS Sean Taylor. Since the Eagles will be passing more, look
for Westbrook to line up as WR and get a
lot of screen passes thrown his way. Westbrook has had some good games this
year, but he’s also had some bad ones. In his last game, Westbrook dropped two
passes on what would be the final drive of the game for the Eagles. Westbrook
has a lot to prove in this one and he is definitely capable of producing for
this team.
Lastly, the Eagles WRs will
have a chip on their shoulder during this game. After doing a great job each
week, the WRs put in a terrible effort against
When the Redskins have the ball
The Eagles defense was a
strange story last week. While they held
While forcing Brunell to
throw the ball, several people on that defensive line for the Eagles have to
step up and get nasty, but not play stupid. Trent Cole and Darwin Walker have
been consistent, but other people haven’t. Everyone on that line needs to do
their job against Brunell to keep him from getting the ball to his WRs or TE.
Therefore, Patterson, Rayburn, Bunkley, Howard, Thomas, and McDougle all have
to do their part while not committing stupid penalties.
The key matchup on defense
besides Trotter vs. Portis is Dhani Jones vs. Chris Cooley. Compared to the
other TEs in the division that Jones faces (Jeremy Shockey of the Giants, Jason
Whitten of the Cowboys), Chris Cooley is not nearly as good. That is irrelevant
though because Cooley is a drive maintainer for the Redskins and a preferred
target of Brunell. Dhani will have to stick to Cooley like glue and keep him
from having any kind of impact on this game. Cooley’s production sets up guys
like Portis, Moss, and Lloyd and when those guys get going, this offense can put
up points.
Lastly the Eagles secondary
needs to be able to cover the WRs of Moss, Lloyd, Randel El, and James Thrash.
Their secondary has improved a good deal in recent games and hopefully they can
continue that improvement.
Special Teams
The Eagles recently released
Dexter Wynn who was returning kicks and punts for the team to make room for new
CB William James. As a result, Reno Mahe will be handling the kickoff duties.
Prediction: Eagles 28 Redskins 17