Philly's Defensive Fanatic

Coordinator Johnson Employs a Blitz-Happy Scheme That Will Be Part of a Hostile Environment for the Redskins

There is no way truly to prepare to face Jim Johnson's blitz-tastic defense. It's impossible to mimic all of his nuances and predict how much pressure Philadelphia's defensive coordinator will bring at anytime and from where it will originate. For the Washington Redskins, at least, their best simulations come on the practice fields, going against their own aggressive defense and hyperkinetic defensive guru, Gregg Williams.

The Redskins expect Johnson to add to the hostile atmosphere tonight, playing before a rabid crowd on "Monday Night Football." Johnson's lust for sacks feeds the fans' thirst for wounded quarterbacks, and the synergy between gambling defense and riotous spectators has derailed more than one opponent over the years. Washington hopes its months of work competing against its defense dating from the spring will work in its favor.

"They are an aggressive style of defense," said Al Saunders, Washington's associate head coach. "They'll pressure you much like Gregg does with his defense, so you've got to be very aware of where the safeties are and the linebackers are, and where the linebackers are established and situated. And they do a great job of penetrating the gap between the center and guards, so they present a lot of problems from a protection standpoint, and a lot of problems from a run game standpoint."

Much like Williams, Johnson wants to go all out to win first down, and thus put the offense on its heels. But he goes about it differently using more run blitzes from his secondary personnel to try to thwart the ballcarrier at the line, or behind it.

"One first down they try to stop the run, and blitz is going to be a run blitz," Saunders said, "and if they get you in second and long you know now the defense has the upper hand from a down-and-distance standpoint. So their pressure is the number one thing -- and where it's coming from -- that concerns you about this defense."

While Saunders believes Johnson does not call for an all-out blitz -- leaving no one in pass coverage duties in the secondary -- as often as some portray, he said, "I wouldn't say they do it more than anybody, but certainly as much as anybody."

Johnson also is legendary for disguising his intensions and making offenses expect an overload on one side, but, given the abundant pre-snap motion of his players, the attack is really coming from someplace else. Safety Brian Dawkins, among the best in the game, is deployed in various means, and end Javon Kearse has multidimensional athletic talents as well.

"Both defenses [Washington and Philadelphia] are blitz-happy and believe in stopping the run first," center Casey Rabach said. "Both are big on trying to confuse you from a protection standpoint and bring guys from everywhere and moving guys around and what not. They're pretty similar."