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Can anyone post this, thanks!

http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfl/mismatch

What's intersting is that they said Bledsoe v. Taylor. I like Bledsoe v. Springs better.
Williams will blitz him often, and he's good at stuffing the run and he covers well.

I think Shawn Springs has very quietly established himself as one of the premier corners in the league. Parcells would be remiss not game plan for this guy, IMO.

I don't like Bledsoe's odds of coming out of this game on his feet.

I was interested in the actual article, which I don't have access to. Anyone provide the Clif Notes version, please?

I don't like Bledsoe's odds of coming out of this game on his feet.

I was interested in the actual article, which I don't have access to. Anyone provide the Clif Notes version, please?


Isn't that what we said about Orton last week? While doing an excellent job against a rookie and containing the Bears offense, IMHO, the D didn't really get put a big hurt on Orton.

This week I want "Shock and Awe" on D.

Isn't that what we said about Orton last week? While doing an excellent job against a rookie and containing the Bears offense, IMHO, the D didn't really get put a big hurt on Orton.

This week I want "Shock and Awe" on D.If I,m correct we did not get to Orton until the second half.

It didn't look like they were trying to get to him in the first half, blitz-wise. Just D-line pressure, couple of blitzes to keep it perky.

This is going to be long...


Why To Watch
These long-time NFC East rivals both won their openers, but the Redskins are looking at an uphill battle if they are to go 2-0. Dallas returns home following an impressive road win in San Diego. With its upgraded defense, a "bell-cow" running back in Julius Jones and the efficient play of veteran QB Drew Bledsoe, this team finally has coach Bill Parcells' signiature on it.
Converseley, long-time nemesis Joe Gibbs is still searching for an identity in his second go-around with the Redskins and his quick hook of Patrick Ramsey is just another in a long line of setbacks. First-round draft pick Jason Campbell may be the future, but aging veteran Mark Brunell is the present. If the Redskins have any chance of pulling off the road upset after their abysmal 9-point offensive outing last week, Brunell will have to reach deep into his old bag of tricks -- and, more likely, rely heavily on RB Clinton Portis.


When the Redskins have the ball
Rushing: One of the biggest problems the Redskins rushing attack will have in this game -- and for the rest of the season, for that matter -- is that their opponents will not fear the pass. The Cowboys like to play a lot of press-man coverage and get SS Roy Williams heavily involved in run support as essentially a fourth linebacker in "the box". Until proven otherwise, the Cowboys will load up and focus on stopping the run first.

The Cowboys have a six-man rotation along their defensive line, which showed more three-man fronts than four-man fronts a week ago. La'Roi Glover and Jason Ferguson rotate at the NT position in the 3-4, and both play DT in the 4-3. Ferguson does a good job of occupying space, while Glover is more of a one-gap disruptive force along the interior. By rotating the two schemes and keeping each other fresh, it looks as if the Cowboys have found a solid formula for the interior of their line.

The key this week will be to keep blockers off LBs Dat Nguyen and Bradie James, and for OLBs Demarcus Ware and Al Singleton to play with discipline in order to avoid getting burnt by Portis on the cutback run. Portis averaged 5.8 yards per carry last week and the team also got some help from Ladell Betts, who chipped in with 12 carries for 41 yards. If the Redskins have any chance of pulling off the upset, Portis needs 25-plus carries and Betts needs 10-plus carries of his own. The Redskins will struggle to establish the run early on, but they must remain patient.

Passing: The other thing the Redskins must do is take some vertical shots early on in the passing game. When they do throw, the biggest key is to challenge the Cowboys deep. Even if they don't connect on a big play to WRs Santana Moss or David Patten, at least it will plant the seed in the Cowboys' mind that the Redskins aren't afraid to attack single-man coverage on the perimeter.

The problem for the Redskins, however, is that they simply do not match up well in this area of the game. They lack great athletic ability along the offensive line and will have trouble protecting Brunell in the pocket. Look for the Cowboys to take several chances with blitzes and to focus on the gaps of LOG Derrick Dockery and OC Casey Rabach. With Terence Newman and Anthony Henry working the perimeter versus Moss and Patten, the Cowboys have to feel good about their odds of holding up one-on-one.

Moss is the more explosive of the two receivers, so if the Cowboys are to roll FS Keith Davis it will be to Moss' side. One weapon to keep an eye out for is TE Chris Cooley, who chipped in with three receptions in last week's loss. With the Cowboys expecting to be so aggressive with their safeties and linebackers, there should be room for Cooley to work the middle of the field. Brunell has always done a good job of checking down to his tight end as a passer.

When the Cowboys have the ball
Rushing: As expected, Jones handled the heaviest load with 26 carries for 93 yards and a touchdown against a stiff Chargers' run defense. Jones lacks great size, but is a tough, shifty runner who wears on opponents after a while. He does a great job of finding holes and bursting through them. He also will exploit defenses for being overaggressive, which will put a lot of pressure on Redskins' DEs Phillip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn. However, while the Cowboys will be patient and will rely on their running game to set up the pass, don't expect huge returns from Jones in this game.

The one area the Redskins do actually match up well in is versus the run. They were strong in that area at the end of last season and it looks as if it is still a strength, after holding the Bears to just 2.3 yards per carry in the opener. DTs Cornelius Griffin and Joe Salave'a do a good job of being disruptive in the middle and MLB Lamar Marshall proved up to the task last week.

SLB Marcus Washington will make things difficult for TE Jason Witten as a blocker, and Warrick Holdman is athletic enough to chase Jones down in space. Until Bledsoe can prove capable of burning the Redskins' secondary deep, look for DSs Pirson Prioleau and Sean Taylor to be very much involved near the line of scrimmage supporting the run.

Passing: The Cowboys will continue to make the running game their priority, but it will take a good deal of help from the passing attack in order to loosen up a stout Redskins' run defense. The Redskins, in all likelihood, will come after Bledsoe with a heavy dose of stunts, dogs and blitzes, in order to put consistent pressure on the immobile quarterback. Bledsoe took four sacks last week, but did not put the ball up for grabs and finished with zero interceptions on the afternoon. So long as he avoids the big turnovers, the Cowboys should be in good shape.

The other big key is to exploit the few opportunities that he does get. When the play-action is working, and when he gets the man-to-man coverage downfield on his wide receivers and TE Witten over the middle. Witten had just one reception in the opener and needs to become a bigger factor in the passing game this week for the Cowboys.

It was Patrick Crayton who led the team with six receptions for 89 yards last week and Keyshawn Johnson finished second in receptions with five for 65 yards. Terry Glenn did not have a big game, but he at least contributed with three receptions. Johnson may struggle to get open this week in his matchup versus RDC Shawn Springs, but Glenn still has the speed to get on top of LDC Walt Harris. Crayton should provide some mismatches against the Redskins' safeties and sub-package cornerbacks (rookie Carlos Rogers and Ade Jimoh).

[SECOND ARTICLE]

Tuesday, our scouts filed their advance advance scouting report on this week's matchup between the Redskins and Cowboys. Now they're back with a second look.

QB Patrick Ramsey missed his target on a few occasions, but the Redskins' offensive woes cannot be put squarely on his shoulders. In fact, as the game progressed against the Bears last week, Ramsey seemed to settle in and become more accurate.
Don't expect an upgrade in play at the position with Mark Brunell being inserted. For starters, Brunell proved last season that he no longer has the physical tools of a solid starting quarterback in the NFL. Even more importantly, the Redskins offensive line is atrocious when it comes to picking up stunts and blitzes in pass protection. Ramsey was sacked three times and was under pressure throwing on almost every one of his pass attempts in that game. It won't be any different for Brunell this week.

Look for the Cowboys to take an aggressive approach with the blitz. La'Roi Glover will give OC Casey Rabach trouble up the middle and RDE Greg Ellis also has the quickness to consistently penetrate. Once the Redskins are forced to give double-team attention to one or both of those defensive linemen, the floodgates will open. Rookie Demarcus Ware should make an impact as a perimeter pass rusher from the ROLB position, and also look for SS Roy Williams and ILB Dat Nguyen to get involved on the blitz.

The Cowboys' new 3-4 scheme proved up to the task in its Week 1 victory against the Chargers in San Diego. After going back and studying the film, it is clear that this unit is going to be much more physical and stout up front versus the run. The unit is using four defensive linemen in what typically is a three-man front.

Glover and Jason Ferguson are keeping each other fresh at the NT position, and DEs Kenyon Coleman and Greg Ellis are playing with good discipline. Nguyen and fellow ILB Bradie James are getting the protection they need in order to roam freely to the football, and Williams continues to be a big contributor in run support.

When Tomlinson did have success, it was on designed inside runs that he bounced outside. RB Clinton Portis has the speed to do the same and, after watching the film, coach Joe Gibbs will probably instruct his running back to be on the lookout. By pinching so much to the inside and getting their outside linebackers upfield quickly, the Cowboys will occasionally leave gaping holes for backs to bounce outside or hit off the cutback pivot.

The other area of the Cowboys' defense that looks vulnerable is the safety position in deep coverage. As good as Roy Williams is versus the run, and as much of a presence as he is underneath in coverage, Williams does not have great man-to-man or deep-middle coverage ability. His safety-mate, Keith Davis, is inexperienced and it showed on a couple of occasions last week. When the Redskins do throw, look for them to use WRs Santana Moss and David Patten on deep-post and post-corner routes that test Williams and Davis in coverage.

The center-quarterback exchange between OC Al Johnson and QB Drew Bledsoe was a problem in the first quarter of last week's game and it resulted in a turnover that led to a Chargers' touchdown. The Cowboys are the better team in this matchup and they have a big advantage playing at home on Monday Night Football, but they can't afford to give the Redskins any easy scores.

The Redskins are a little bit more banged up than the Cowboys entering this game. WR Taylor Jacobs missed almost the entire preseason with a toe injury and is listed as questionable for the upcoming game. He continues to increase his practice load, but he has been out so long and is so far from game-shape that coach Gibbs likely will inactivate him. It does not come as a surprise but it is worrisome for the Redskins. Jacobs is the fourth and final wide receiver on their roster.

An even bigger loss is that of DT Brandon Noble, who will miss at least four weeks with a knee injury. Noble was not starting but was the team's No. 3 defensive tackle, which means the depth of this unit is severely affected.

Coach Bill Parcells and the Cowboys are usually patient with their running game, but this week they should be extra committed to the ground attack. For starters, Noble's injury really thins out the Redskins' interior defensive line and makes them vulnerable to a clock-guzzling offensive attack that keeps starters Cornelius Griffin and Joe Salave'a on the field too long.

Secondly, if the Cowboys can wear down the Redskins' defensive front seven over time and force DSs Pierson Prioleau and Sean Taylor to become more involved in run support than usual, it will lead to some big plays in the vertical passing off of the play-action.

Prioleau and Taylor both have tendencies to get caught peeking in the backfield and will take false steps that take them out of position. With Patrick Crayton emerging as a vertical threat along with Terry Glenn, Bledsoe has the weapons to strike deep versus man-to-man coverage.

There's a lot to like about Crayton's NFL future. The second-year pro has adequate size, good speed and big, soft hands. He showed the ability to pluck on the run last week and shows good burst after the catch. The youngster also is a physical runner after the catch and showed the ability to carry defensive backs on his first touchdown reception last week. If Crayton continues his ascent, the once-maligned Cowboys' wide receiving corps could become a deep and respectable unit.

Special Teams
Redskins' PK John Hall has a strained quadricep and likely will not play in Monday night's game. That means rookie Nick Novak will take over against the Cowboys. Novak has good mechanics and accuracy within 40 yards, but when he kicks for distance he starts to press too much and it affects his accuracy. With Novak's first NFL appearance coming on the road, on Monday Night Football, this aspect of the Redskins' special teams has to be considered potentially weakness.

Ironically, when the Cowboys lost their field goal kicker, Billy Cundiff, to injury, they brought in Novak to compete with Jose Cortez for the starting job. Cortez beat out Novak and subsequently has taken over the kicking duties.

Cortez does not have much more leg strength than Novak, but he has similar accuracy and much more NFL kicking experience. Cortez did not attempt a field goal in the Cowboys' opener but connected on all four PAT's. He showed a good leg on kickoffs last wee,k but his coverage teams must improve in that area.

Another special teams advantage the Cowboys should have is in the punting game, as Mat McBriar is far more experienced and skilled than Redskins' rookie PT Andy Groom. McBriar has a huge leg and is on the verge of breaking out as one of the top punters in the league. His consistency, directional skills and accuracy continue to improve.

Groom, on the other hand, has just adequate leg strength and will be making only his second NFL appearance. In his first outing, Groom showed good hang-time and the ability to kick within his coverage, but his gross average was just 37.7 yards and he only sailed one of three attempts into the end zone for a touchback.

The one area that Washington will need to make up the difference is in the return game, where PR Santana Moss and KOR Ladell Betts are considerably more experienced and explosive than Dallas PR Patrick Crayton and KOR Tyson Thompson. Moss did not have a return last week and Betts only had one kickoff return, which he took for 25 yards.

Matchups
• Dallas QB Drew Bledsoe vs. Washington FS Sean Taylor • Dallas RB Julius Jones vs. Washington WLB Warrick Holdman and MLB Lemar Marshall • Dallas WR Terry Glenn vs. Washington LDC Walt Harris • Washington LOT Chris Samuels vs. Dallas ROLB Demarcus Ware • Washington WR Santana Moss vs. Dallas LDC Terence Newman

Scouts' Edge
There are a lot of similarities between these two teams -- veteran quarterbacks, future Hall of Fame coaches, playmaking running backs and stout defensive fronts. However, the Cowboys have the better overall team because their coach is more in tune with today's game. In addition, Bledsoe's skills have not diminshed as much as Brunell's and Dallas' offensive line is a more dominant group.

Playing at home on Monday Night Football gives the Cowboys an even bigger advantage in this particular case. Expect a physical, low-scoring affair between these intense rivals. The Redskins will keep it close for a few quarters on the strength of their defense, but turnovers and overall offensive ineptitude will eventually prove fatal.

Prediction: Cowboys 23, Redskins 16

Bon Appetit RedskinRat.

Is it just me or is that 2nd article almost all about the Cowboys?

I personally give us the edge in all of the matchups, especially Bledsoe vs Taylor

The one thing they didn't mention is the false starts by the Cowboys last week. I think when they see 9 guys rush to the line to blitz (which has to look like 30 guys from the Cowboys Oline standpoint) they will get jittery and cause dumb penalties again.

I see Bledsoe going down alot in this game too. We specialize in pressure. We didn't bring it alot early last week as our threat was the Bear running game. I expect to see alot of pressure on Bledsoe this week.

Dallas' WRs don't scare me against our DBs, period. Nothing else to say really.

Our speed and big play ability at WR should match up well against the Dallas DBs.

I expect to win and score alot this week.