The Eagles have been a killer at coming back in the fourth quarter after wearing out defenses thanks to the one two punch of Shady McCoy and Darren Sproles and their hurry up offense. In particular, Sproles has been especially dangerous in the passing game.
The Redskins defense has looked fantastic in the first half and a bit winded in the second half for the first two games. This is where disaster strikes when playing the Eagles.
Besides rotating Defensive Linemen, the Redskins need to rotate their Middle Linebackers to stay fresh for the fourth quarter. It’s very likely going to come down to a Keenan the Barbarian Robinson vs. Darren Sproles in the fourth quarter to determine this game. Sproles will have given over half the load to McCoy. If Robinson hasn’t had some rest, there could be trouble.
That’s where subbing in Will Compton in several series in the second quarter and third quarter comes in. Hopefully the Redskins can build up a good lead early to allow this rotation.
How to build the lead? Silas Redd could be a surprise key. Give the Eagles a taste of their own medicine by rotating Morris and Redd. Why is Redd more key than Roy Helu? First, because he’s a tough inside, POSSESSION runner. The Redskins most win the time of possession war dramatically in this game. Second, Redd is also more physical than Helu and the Redskins need to wear and tear the Eagles defense down, slowly.
Gruden has yet to unveil a Running Back screen game so far. Redd is MUCH better at receiving screens than people will expect. Nothing like unveiling a new weapon to do well on offense and uproot a defense’s plans. Last week, it was Niles Paul.
Silas Redd, Jr. image borrowed from Redskins.com.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
