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Redskins' defense no sure thing Date published: 10/17/2006
By ADAM HIMMELSBACH LANDOVER, Md.--It was not quite an evening at the movies, but on Saturday night, Redskins coach Joe Gibbs showed his team a film. It was a videotape that showed the Tennessee Titans' first possession during their Oct. 8 game against the Indianapolis Colts. That drive was like a good day at the office: efficient, productive and full of purpose. The Titans marched 88 yards on eight plays against a solid Indianapolis defense. And it wasn't as if they benefited from one long and lucky gain, as none of the plays went for more than 19 yards. Gibbs showed this tape to his players to be sure they realized that though the Titans were winless, they were dangerous. "I think our guys understood what they were up against," Gibbs said. Then on Sunday at FedEx Field, the Titans piled up 344 yards against the Redskins' depleted, unimpressive defense, and the visitors took a 25-22 win. With rookie quarterback Vince Young at the helm, Tennessee maintained possession for 35 minutes, 40 seconds, far surpassing the 24:20 that the Redskins held the ball. Over the past three seasons, the Redskins' defense has been strong and extremely consistent. The players flourished in the all-for-one scheme of assistant head coach Gregg Williams, and the unit incessantly kept Washington close in low-scoring games. "It's not about year-to-year," cornerback Shawn Springs said after Sunday's loss. "It's not about what you've done in the past, it's what you've done today. We ain't had no success. People are running through us. We haven't done anything to make people fear us." This season, the Redskins are allowing 333.2 yards per game, which is the 21st-worst mark in the league. Washington's pass defense is ranked 23rd in the league, though there are signs of hope for the secondary. Yesterday the Redskins signed five-time Pro Bowl defensive back Troy Vincent, who was released by the Buffalo Bills last week after spending the beginning of the season on injured reserve because of a hamstring ailment. Vincent, 35, had 102 tackles and four interceptions for the Bills last season, though his finest moments came as a cornerback with the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he spent eight seasons.
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