Rare man-to-man defense awaits Bengals' receivers

[Guest oldschooler]

[quote][size=5][b]Rare man-to-man defense awaits Bengals' receivers [/b][/size]

By Kevin Goheen
Post staff reporter


The scouting reports the Bengals' offense received this week included an intriguing phrase: man coverage. That would be as in: "The Oakland Raiders like to play a lot of man coverage in their pass defense."

The Bengals haven't seen a lot of that coverage this season. Every once in a while defenses will leave their cornerbacks matched up one-on-one with Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and/or Chris Henry without help from any safeties or linebackers, but it's not a common occurrence. The Cincinnati receivers and quarterback Carson Palmer will see plenty of it Sunday when the Bengals host Oakland at Paul Brown Stadium.

There wasn't the celebration on Wednesday that might have been expected, however. While there has been plenty of bad about a Raiders season in which the team has just two wins in its first 12 games since 1962 - the season before owner Al Davis took control of the franchise - the defense, and specifically the pass defense, is not among those areas.

Oakland is ranked No. 3 in overall defense and first against the pass this season. Part of that is a function of opponents running the ball against the Raiders, who are 25th in the league against the run, but the defense has allowed more than 300 yards of offense just four times this season. In their last four games they have lost by a combined 24 points.

No quarterback has thrown a touchdown pass against Oakland since Denver's Jake Plummer threw two scoring passes against the Raiders in a come-from-behind 17-13 win on Nov. 12. That amounts to 191 minutes and six seconds.

Nnamdi Asomugha (pronounced NAHM-Dee Asso-Moo-WAH) and Fabian Washington are the starting corners. They are both former No. 1 draft choices for the Raiders.

"The reason a lot of people don't play man-to-man is because they can't and these guys can," said Palmer, who is tied with Peyton Manning of Indianapolis for the NFL lead with 22 touchdown passes. "If you have two physical, fast corners like they do and a pass rush it makes it tough offensively. We like to see man-to-man. We rarely get it."

The Bengals rank No. 4 in the NFL in passing yards per game, averaging 245 yards per game. Palmer is in the top 10 of every quarterback statistical category, including fifth with 3,102 yards and third with a 99.7 passer rating. Chad Johnson leads the league with 1,146 yards receiving. Johnson, Houshmandzadeh and Henry have combined to catch 20 of Palmer's 22 touchdown passes.

"You can't say enough about Chad and the rest of those guys," Oakland head coach Art Shell said Wednesday in a conference call. "Our kids like a challenge, so it will do well for a good football game between our defense and their offense."

The Raiders have put pressure on the quarterback this season. Their 27 sacks is just one more than the Bengals have, but teams have attempted 124 fewer passes against Oakland than Cincinnati's opponents. Defensive end Derrick Burgess has 10 sacks, his second consecutive double-digit sack season, while veteran tackle Warren Sapp has seven sacks. That ups his career total to 91½.

The Raiders have been shut out in the second half of games six times this season and only once, in a 20-13 win against pissburgh, have they scored more than seven points in the second half this season. Oakland got 10 points against the stealers but their touchdown came on a 100-yard interception return by cornerback Chris Carr.

Oakland has 15 touchdowns this season and four of them have been scored by the defense.

"I focus on the defensive backs and they are good when you watch them," said Johnson. "They have done it all year long and there hasn't been any big plays on them all year. Some big plays but no long passes for touchdowns like we've gotten the past couple of weeks. It's going to be a good challenge."

Said Houshmandzadeh: "I think everybody that they play, their eyes light up but they haven't been able to capitalize on it as much as they would like. I think we have guys here that I think that's our best asset, going against guys that play man-to-man. That's their best asset, so we'll see."[/quote]


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[Guest oldschooler]

[quote][size=5][b]Raiders play role of spoiler[/b][/size]
By Chick Ludwig

Staff Writer

Thursday, December 07, 2006

CINCINNATI — The Oakland Raiders can put a smiling face on an ugly season if they pull off some upsets down the stretch.

Their final four opponents — Cincinnati, St. Louis, Kansas City and the New York Jets — are in playoff contention, so the Raiders are eager to play spoiler.

"We're going down the stretch with teams that are vying to get in line for the playoffs," Raiders coach Art Shell said. "And we can have a say-so in that decision. So it's a great opportunity for us. It's going to give us a chance to match up with some outstanding teams and see where we are, and hopefully go into the offseason with a nice taste in our mouth instead of the sour taste right now."

[b]Wipe the drool[/b]

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is drooling at the thought of facing Raiders cornerbacks Fabian Washington and Nnamdi Asomugha because they play man-to-man coverage. Bengals wideout Chad Johnson normally gets double teamed.

"The reason a lot of people don't play man-to-man is because they can't, and these guys can," Palmer said. "If you have two physical, fast corners like they do and a pass rush, it makes it tough offensively.

"We like to see man-to-man. We rarely get it. But in saying that, it's not going to be easy on us. They've got (tackle) Warren Sapp and (left end) Derrick Burgess. It's a great pass rush. Behind that you've got guys that can cover for three or four seconds. You've got your hands full offensively."

[b]Crank it up[/b]

The Bengals' rushing yards have steadily declined during their three-game winning streak — 119 (New Orleans), 88 (Cleveland) and 67 (Baltimore). They want to reverse that trend.

"We have to get our running game going," right offensive tackle Willie Anderson said. "It has to be up to par to win these last four games because we're going against some good defenses."[/quote]

[Memphis_Bengal]

[quote]rank it up

The Bengals' rushing yards have steadily declined during their three-game winning streak — 119 (New Orleans), 88 (Cleveland) and 67 (Baltimore). They want to reverse that trend.

"We have to get our running game going," right offensive tackle Willie Anderson said. "It has to be up to par to win these last four games because we're going against some good defenses."[/quote]

A successfull running game is going to be very important. We have to put ourselves in good down and distances to avoid 3rd and longs which is where the Raiders can sit back and try and force bad throws. This should be a low scoring game that resembles the game we had with the Ravens.

[Scoutforlife591]

[quote name='Memphis_Bengal' post='402456' date='Dec 7 2006, 08:36 AM']A successfull running game is going to be very important. We have to put ourselves in good down and distances to avoid 3rd and longs which is where the Raiders can sit back and try and force bad throws. This should be a low scoring game that resembles the game we had with the Ravens.[/quote]

Rudi wearing down?

[Guest Bengals1181]

[quote name='Scoutforlife591' post='402460' date='Dec 7 2006, 08:44 AM']Rudi wearing down?[/quote]


not really. Its a combination of our carousel o-line which makes it difficult to get consistency in run blocking, and the fact that Cleveland and Baltimore are pretty good against the run.

I also think to an extent that we've been passing a little more, and running in obvious situations (with a big lead) so that the defense is able to stack the line.

[Jeb]

[quote name='Scoutforlife591' post='402460' date='Dec 7 2006, 08:44 AM']Rudi wearing down?[/quote]

Naaa, its the opponents we're up against right now.

[Scoutforlife591]

It's something to look for though, I know he's supposed to be healthier and more fit this year, but he is a LOT lighter.

[Guest Bengals1181]

[quote name='Scoutforlife591' post='402575' date='Dec 7 2006, 12:39 PM']It's something to look for though, I know he's supposed to be healthier and more fit this year, but he is a LOT lighter.[/quote]


he only lost like 12 pounds I think.

[scharm]

Rudi wearing down? I guess just like Chad Johnson lost a step.


If you can win the game, you take what the defense gives you without forcing the issue.

Against SD, NO, and Cle the long ball was there. Against Balt the last thing you want to do is start forcing the issue against a ball hawking defense with struggling offense.

Same with Chad in the first 4 games, there was no need to force the issue in winning 3 of the 4. His numbers hurt but anyone honestly watching the game knew what was happening and the results.

[Guest oldschooler]

[quote][size=5][b]Raiders DBs are more than man enough[/b] [/size]
[size=3][b]Cornerbacks can go one-on-one with best[/b][/size]
Friday, December 08, 2006
Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


CINCINNATI — Normally, the Bengals would be drooling about the prospect of playing an opponent with the defensive philosophy of the Oakland Raiders.

With its high-powered offense, Cincinnati is used to facing teams intent on confusing it with complex zone coverages designed to prevent big plays. In their defensive scheme, as with most things, the Raiders aren’t like the rest of the NFL.

Oakland will line up cornerbacks Fabian Washington and Nnamdi Asomugha against Bengals receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh and essentially say, "May the better men win."

Asked whether the Raiders defense reminded him of any other team, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer replied, "Nobody that we’ve seen. We’re so used to getting so much Cover-2 and 2-high coverage, and they like to play a lot of man and leave a safety in the middle of the field. It’s a defense that we haven’t faced. They have a great pass rush, fast, physical linebackers, and these corners are probably two of the best corners we’ve seen so far. It’s a great challenge for us."

Palmer isn’t just blowing smoke. The Raiders are 2-10, but their pass defense is ranked first in the league, allowing 143 yards per game. Bad teams sometimes have misleading pass-defense numbers because opponents are content to run the ball while nursing a lead, but the Raiders have not been blown out since their second game. Their ranking is not a mirage.

"The reason a lot of people don’t play man-to-man is because they can’t and these guys can," Palmer said.

Washington and Asomugha (pronounced Asso-Moo-WAH) are former first-round picks who’ve lived up to their draft billing. The Raiders’ front seven is also formidable. Their linebackers are fast and their line is punishing, led by end Derrick Burgess and tackle Warren Sapp, who have combined for 17 sacks.

"When behind that (front seven), you’ve got guys that can cover for three or four seconds, you’ve got your hands full offensively," Palmer said.

Still, the Bengals’ receivers aren’t exactly slugs. Johnson, Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry rank among the top trios in the league. Coming off four big games, Johnson leads the NFL with 1,146 yards. Houshmandzadeh is on pace for his first 1,000-yard season.

"You can’t say enough about Chad and the rest of those guys," Raiders coach Art Shell said. "Our kids like a challenge, so it (should be) a good football game between our defense and their offense."

Johnson and Houshmandzadeh aren’t above asserting their prowess, but they’ve been subdued about this matchup.

Johnson’s eyes normally light up when he gets a rare chance to face man coverage. Yesterday, though, he wouldn’t bite.

"I would get more lit up about double coverage than man-to-man," he said.

Houshmandzadeh is confident Cincinnati can attack the Raiders, but he recognizes other teams have felt the same way, only to struggle.

"I think everybody they play, their eyes light up, but they haven’t been able to capitalize on it as much as they would like," Houshmandzadeh said. "I think we have guys here who that’s our best asset — going against guys that play man-toman. That’s their best asset, so we’ll see."


brabinowitz@dispatch.com[/quote]


[url="http://www.dispatch.com/bengals/bengals.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/08/20061208-F9-00.html"]http://www.dispatch.com/bengals/bengals.ph...1208-F9-00.html[/url]

[Guest oldschooler]

[quote][size=5][b]Bengals WR isn't talking trash, and Raiders' defense is leery[/b][/size]
David White, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, December 8, 2006


Bengals receiver Chad Johnson didn't ship a box of Pepto-Bismol to Raiders headquarters this week, like he did the Cleveland Browns in 2003.

He isn't doing the Ohio River Dance for joy, like he did after a touchdown last season.

He isn't offering their secondary CPR, like he administered to a football after a score last year.

Asked what he thought about the Raiders' pass defense this week, Johnson practically took a bended knee in mock marriage proposal, like he did a cheerleader after a six-point catch last season.

"They are good," Johnson said in a teleconference. "I mean, can I curse? You can bleep me out. They're ... good."

As if, Raiders cornerback Fabian Washington said. He isn't buying this, not from Chad the Flamboyant who never found a defensive back he couldn't burn on the field, or otherwise.

If Johnson is saying good stuff about the Raiders, he must be up to no good.

"I haven't heard anything," Washington said with a leery shake of his head. "I ain't saying nothing. We're just gonna play ball."

Serious, Johnson said. He watched film of the NFL's top-rated pass defense, and he thinks Washington is "superb." Johnson has started in three straight Pro Bowls, and he hasn't complimented a cornerback before a game since Denver's Champ Bailey two years ago:

"Watching film of this dude all morning, I sat there with my receivers coach and I'm like, 'This fool can really play.' "

Don't listen to that, defensive end Derrick Burgess told Washington. He's trying to get in your head, defensive tackle Warren Sapp warned.

"He trying Jedi mind tricks on you, Fab?" Sapp yelled out.

Johnson's doing something, all right. He always is, whether it's taping ocho cinco on the back of his No. 85 pregame jersey, wearing a gold-tooth grill for games or using a pylon for a victory putt after a touchdown.

He's famous for trash talk before, after and sometimes during pass routes. If he gets chatty, he'll be the first against Washington.

"Nobody talks this year," Washington said. "Most receivers are good at talking when they want to. I just haven't faced one this year that wanted to talk. If you look at the receivers we've run against, they haven't had much to talk about.

"You can't just be talking if you ain't doing nothing."

Houston's Andre Johnson led the NFL in receptions before last week's game in Oakland. Washington kept him to one catch for 9 yards.

Arizona's Anquan Boldin (4-59) and Seattle's Darrell Jackson (5-36) were nearly as ineffective against a secondary that hasn't given a receiver more than 87 yards this season. This secondary has allowed five touchdown receptions in seven games.

"They are freakin' blanketing everybody they play," Chad Johnson said. "Everybody."

Yeah, but Chad Johnson isn't everybody.

His 1,146 receiving yards are tops in the league. He had an NFL-record 450 yards in consecutive games - think about it, Randy Moss has 525 yards all season.

What are the Raiders going to do about that?

The same thing they've done all year: assign man coverage, usually with Washington. That'll be a first for Johnson this year, who said he "never, never, never, never ever" sees that.

He isn't complaining. You see, his song and dance only goes so far before the humility wears off.

"That's surprising to me for a team to have that kind of trust in corners," Johnson said. "That says a lot about their corners, it does, seriously. It's hard to play on that island by yourself, and for them to do it through a 16-game period ...

"It's going to be an interesting matchup."

Late-game woes: The Raiders' fourth-quarter struggles are backed by some of the worst numbers in the league.

The two quarterbacks with the lowest fourth-quarter quarterback rating are Aaron Brooks (31.3) and Andrew Walter (19.8). They have eight interceptions and no touchdowns in the final 15 minutes of each game.

Oakland hasn't scored in the fourth quarter for five straight games -- all losses -- and are scoreless in nine of 12 fourth quarters.

Wide receiver Randy Moss hasn't had a fourth-quarter catch in four straight games and in nine of 12 overall.

"I don't know what it is," fullback ReShard Lee said. "No idea."

Briefly: Sunday's forecast in Cincinnati calls for a high of 48 degrees, making it Oakland's second sub-55 game of the season. ... The team leaves today, instead of Saturday, to adjust to the Eastern time zone.

E-mail David White at dwhite@sfchronicle.com.[/quote]


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[Actium]

[quote name='Scoutforlife591' post='402460' date='Dec 7 2006, 07:44 AM']Rudi wearing down?[/quote]

We dont' run the ball enough. I sometimes yell at the TV after we throw for the 10th time in a row. But while Rudi occasionally breaks off a few big runs, it does seem like he gets stuffed frequently for minimal gain.

[Scoutforlife591]

[quote name='scharm' post='402669' date='Dec 7 2006, 02:25 PM']Rudi wearing down? I guess just like Chad Johnson lost a step.
If you can win the game, you take what the defense gives you without forcing the issue.

Against SD, NO, and Cle the long ball was there. Against Balt the last thing you want to do is start forcing the issue against a ball hawking defense with struggling offense.

Same with Chad in the first 4 games, there was no need to force the issue in winning 3 of the 4. His numbers hurt but anyone honestly watching the game knew what was happening and the results.[/quote]

He may or may not be. I'd say he hasn't in the past. He's a different composition this year.

Plus, I think he lost more than 12 lbs. I think he lost upwards of 20 lbs. He is MUCH smaller looking.

People DO where down though, it's a fact. Especially smaller running backs who take a pounding, and DLmen.

[Actium]

[quote name='Scoutforlife591' post='403208' date='Dec 8 2006, 01:37 PM']He may or may not be. I'd say he hasn't in the past. He's a different composition this year.

Plus, I think he lost more than 12 lbs. I think he lost upwards of 20 lbs. He is MUCH smaller looking.

People DO where down though, it's a fact. Especially smaller running backs who take a pounding, and DLmen.[/quote]

The career lifespan of a RB is not that long. Especially bruiser types like Rudi. Hopefully still has a lot left in the tank.

[stinger223]

I can't wait! When we line up in 3-wide sets it's gonna be fun. I expect Carson to have a big day.

[natethesnake]

Man to man on Chad, TJ, Henry... heck even KW if he is back... could be bad news for Raider Nation.

[Cricket]

[quote name='natethesnake' post='403237' date='Dec 8 2006, 03:49 PM']Man to man on Chad, TJ, Henry... heck even KW if he is back... could be bad news for Raider Nation.[/quote]

According to "Football Outsiders", the Raiders are 4th best vs the #1 WR....but 27th best vs. the #2 WR.

Can you say "Big game for TJ" ???


[url="http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef.php"]http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef.php[/url]

[SlantNGo]

[quote name='Cricket' post='403239' date='Dec 8 2006, 04:58 PM']According to "Football Outsiders", the Raiders are 4th best vs the #1 WR....but 27th best vs. the #2 WR.

Can you say "Big game for TJ" ???
[url="http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef.php"]http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef.php[/url][/quote]

I wonder if Fabian is often matched up on the #2. Last time I checked up on him (last season), Stanford Routt was outplaying him.

[|Dr Tarzan|]

One character that I like (and dislike) about the Bengal offense is that it plays to level of its opponent. I.e., it plays great against hot/good defenses; however, it also plays down to the mediocre one's. Thus, as challenging as the media is making out the Raider D to be (rightfully so I might add, they've checked some very good offenses this year), I'm expecting a big offensive day--especially with the weather cooperating (clear 40's).