Washington Redskins: Breeland on Beckham Jr. crucial

By Andrew Long | Nov 28, 2015

The Washington Redskins will square-off against the New York Giants this Sunday in what may be considered their biggest game of the year up until this point in the season. Big Blue currently sits atop of the division at 5-5, while the Burgundy and Gold aren’t far behind with a record of 4-6. If Washington can find a way to beat New York – something that they haven’t done since 2012 – the two teams will be tied for the NFC East lead.

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If the Redskins are to accomplish that feat, their secondary will have to figure out how to slow down Odell Beckham Jr., something that is easier said than done. Their best bet, in my opinion, is to stick Bashaud Breeland on the superstar wideout for the entirety of the game. The second-year cornerback is Washington’s best man-to-man player, and it’s because of that reason that I believe he should be responsible for covering Beckham.

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Breeland has covered Beckham in a few contests, and, up until this point, his efforts haven’t been great. He’s allowed the agile wideout to breach the end zone on a number of occasions and has played a significant role in Beckham’s success against the Redskins. With that being said, a large reason that Breeland has struggled while covering him is because of the defensive schemes that Washington has opted to utilize.

In the team’s last game against the Giants, they played a lot of off-man coverage and zone. Both of these things play to the strengths of Beckham and the weaknesses of Breeland. Having watched every game that Breeland has competed in since being drafted by Washington last season, I can definitively say that he plays his best when he is in press-man coverage.

Breeland’s ability to control his opposition and redirect their routes is hampered when he’s playing in zone or off-man coverage. When he plays press-man coverage, though, things, for the most part, play out differently. It’s almost like he’s a different player when he’s given the opportunity to play press.

If the Washington Redskins and their coaching staff opt to play a lot of zone and off-man coverage, I believe that Odell Beckham Jr. will have a monster day. But, on the flip side, if they decide to play more press-man coverage, I believe that Breeland, if he’s in charge of Beckham on the day, will have a strong chance of limiting the amount of success that New York’s passing offense will have.

Breeland had very little success the last time the two teams played, as he allowed eight catches for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the day. While those numbers are concerning, the fact that Washington ran a lot of off-man and zone coverages played a large role in Breeland’s struggles.

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I say that because off-man and zone coverages aren’t designed to create incomplete passes, but rather limit the amount of yardage gained on said passes. Those type of coverages basically allow opposing offenses to run a lot of underneath routes and plays. If Breeland and the Redskins are going to limit the amount of success that Beckham and the Giants’ passing game has, they’re going to have to play more press coverage.

Eli Manning is simply to knowledgeable to play zone and off-man coverage against all day. If the Washington Redskins are going to win this game, Bashaud Breeland and the rest of the secondary are going to have to step up and man up. Allowing the Giants to simply pick apart their defense on dink and dunk passes will bury them and their chances of winning this game.

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