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'Skins cold on getting rivals to cough it up

November 8, 2009 12:36 am

BY RICH CAMPBELL

ASHBURN--

Linebacker Chris Wilson and defensive end Andre Carter met in the backfield where Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb had set up to pass. Carter delivered the sack and forced a fumble. Wilson saw McNabb had lost the ball, but he couldn't find it.

He frantically scanned right. He scanned left. He scanned right again. And by the time he looked down--right between his feet--Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy had recovered the loose ball that was there the whole time.

Wilson knew then that he had missed a glorious opportunity to make a big play the Redskins desperately needed. And he felt even worse after he watched the play on film the following day.

"I told my wife to take the bullets out of the gun so I don't kill myself," Wilson cracked this week. "It's frustrating, you know."

But that's life for the Redskins' defense again this season. It ranks among the NFL's top five in forced fumbles, yards and points allowed, but it has produced a league-low seven turnovers--not enough to compensate for the offense's ineffectiveness.

"We have the numbers, but we don't have numbers in areas that change games," secondary coach Jerry Gray said. "We don't have the interceptions, the turnovers and stuff like that. I think if we did, we would be a lot better off."

It's not a new problem. The failure to force turnovers has prevented several good Redskins defenses in recent years from achieving elite status.

But there's a difference this season.

The offseason additions of defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and rookie defensive end/linebacker Brian Orakpo were supposed to fortify the pass rush, which in turn was supposed to force opposing quarterbacks into making bad passes more likely to be intercepted.

But while the pass rush has improved, Washington is still last in takeaways. The Redskins' 18 sacks rank seventh in the NFL, but their three interceptions (all by cornerback DeAngelo Hall) are the fewest.

There's a disconnect in the formula, and the Redskins are trying to pinpoint where.

"I think it's a combination of playing tight coverage and getting a good pass rush," safety Reed Doughty said. "We've had a lot more sacks this year, and we've had batted balls that we haven't necessarily got. You see those bouncing around, and some teams get those."

Defensive coordinator Greg Blache likes his corners to frequently play off-man coverage and give opposing receivers a cushion of several yards. It is designed to prevent big plays, and it also gives the defenders more time to read the quarterback.

The downside, though, is that the Redskins have proven to be vulnerable to short, quick passes when they play that coverage.

"I watched the film, and I'm sure that can be a part of it sometimes--that we've got to play a little bit tighter in some situations," Doughty said. "But sometimes they'll throw the ball away. We've dropped some picks. It's creating and taking advantage of turnovers when we have the opportunity. We've had some opportunities."

Blache also prefers to rush only four defenders on most passing situations instead of blitzing heavily with six or seven. Washington, for example, rushed more than four only twice in its Monday night loss to Philadelphia last month. The idea is to keep more players in coverage to limit the quarterback's options.

It's a stark contrast to some teams' approach. Philadelphia, for example, rushed six players more frequently against the Redskins. One such play resulted in a sack and strip of quarterback Jason Campbell.

Don't expect a change of philosophy, though. Gray, who is speaking for Blache during Blache's media boycott, says bringing more pass rushers isn't the answer.

"I think our [front four] should keep being relentless like they have been," Gray said. "If you look at our games, our guys have been relentless up front. They have done a great job of getting there or almost there. If you just keep working, the thing has to start turning our way sometime soon."

The notion that the breaks will eventually even out is how the Redskins are addressing the disparity between their fumbles forced and recovered. It's one of the most maddening aspects of their season so far.

Washington has forced 11 fumbles (fifth-most in the NFL) but has recovered only four. They have faith that the ball will eventually start bouncing their way.

"As long as our defense is hustling, that's what it is," Doughty said. "If you think somebody is down, they're not. Keep running to the ball because there might be a ball out. I think we have been, it has just been a couple of times where it has literally bounced off us right back to the guy who fumbled it. As long as you're hustling, that's all you can really ask for."

Wilson agrees. When he failed to recover the loose ball between his feet two weeks ago, he hadn't stopped on the play. He wasn't celebrating or otherwise diverting his focus.

"They got lucky, man," Wilson said. "But we're going to get them."

Rich Campbell: 540/735-1974
Email: rcampbell@freelancestar.com