Redskins' CBs face tall order in stopping Lions' potent passing attack
ASHBURN, Va. — To demonstrate how to frustrate a tall receiver, Washington Redskins safety Pierson Prioleau stretched both arms high above his head.
"When they go up and get the ball up high, they've always got to come back down," said Prioleau, bringing his hands down in front of his chest. "And this is one of the techniques that's been used throughout the years. If you play low, then on the way down, come up through their body and through their arms, a lot of times you do get the ball out."
The Redskins secondary faces multiple challenges Sunday against the high-octane Detroit Lions (3-1), who lead the NFL in yards passing.
Offensive coordinator Mike Martz, creator of the "Greatest Show on Turf" with the St. Louis Rams, attacks the entire field. Three players already have 20 catches or more - no other NFL team can say that. Jon Kitna has completed 71 percent of his passes. The Lions set an NFL record last week with 34 fourth-quarter points against Chicago.
And if No. 2 overall draft pick Calvin Johnson returns from a back injury, the Lions will be trotting out a 6-foot-5 receiver (Calvin Johnson) and a 6-foot-3 wideout (Roy Williams) against a Redskins secondary that doesn't have a cornerback listed above 6 feet. The only safety taller than that is 6-foot-2 Sean Taylor.
"You've just got to look forward to it and be up to the challenge," cornerback Shawn Springs said. "As a corner, you invite that challenge."
The game will be the biggest test to date of the upgrades the Redskins made in the offseason. Washington was the worst team in the NFL in giving up big plays last year - 55 completions of 20 yards or more - so they added cornerbacks Fred Smoot and David Macklin and drafted safety LaRon Landry in the first round.
After three games this season, the Redskins (2-1) have allowed only seven 20-plus catches, even though Smoot has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. Smoot practiced Wednesday and appears set to return Sunday, although it's an open question whether he can last the entire game.
"We've got to have all our troops for this one," Smoot said. "It's going to be a shootout."
Cornerbacks coach Jerry Gray, a former Pro Bowl cornerback himself, said this is the type of matchup his players should live for.
"Good DBs want that," Gray said. "They don't want to have to always come up and make tackles and stuff like that. If you're a complete player, you'll love when they're throwing the ball. ... I love offenses like this. It gives you a chance to say, 'Hey, my best guys are going against your best guys."'
Gray said his players can make the height issue irrelevant if they jam the receivers effectively at the line of scrimmage.
"My deal is, if you don't let him get off the jam, then the quarterback doesn't throw his way," Gray said. "You've got to keep pounding them, keep hitting them. You've got to make it a physical ball game."
The Redskins also will want to keep the pressure on Kitna, who has already been sacked 18 times. Assistant coach Gregg Williams will have to strike a balance between blitzing - with the risk of getting burned - and trusting his defensive backs to hold the fort.
"Their quarterback has taken a lot of hits," cornerback Carlos Rogers said. "The thing about it is they don't seem to really care about that. They just want the ball back so they can score again, just like the Rams did."
The Redskins' defensive backs will earn their money in October. Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers are next on the schedule, and Tom Brady and the New England Patriots pop up two weeks later.
"You can't say we'd like a running team," Rogers said. "Because at times for a corner you get bored out there. This game, we'll have a lot of action. It'll show what we're made of."
Notes: RB Clinton Portis was limited in practice Wednesday with a mildly sprained and bruised knee. Coach Joe Gibbs said he misspoke Monday when he said Portis was having a recurrence of the tendinitis that sidelined him for most of training camp. "I think Clinton will be fine," Gibbs said. ... Of greater concern is WR Santana Moss, who remains unable to practice because of a groin injury. Asked about his chances for Sunday, Moss said: "You won't know until I know." ... WR Brandon Lloyd got kicked in the shin during practice. X-rays showed nothing of concern. ... S Taylor was limited with a bruised knee.
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