ASHBURN, Va. — And you thought all of the Washington Redskins' wrinkles were on offense.
Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett has deployed a new defensive scheme — the Swift Package — which was unveiled in Washington's 30-7 preseason rout of the Buffalo Bills last week. The six-linebacker front wreaked havoc and netted two sacks and plenty of confusion in that game.
Now Haslett and the Redskins are hoping the new alignment will confuse the heck out of the Philadelphia Eagles' up-tempo offense, just as new Philly coach Chip Kelly's guys are trying to vex the Redskins.
The Swift Packages is designed to create mismatches and disguise pressure, and as linebacker Brian Orakpo said, "It's doing great for us so far."
The hope is, when the Redskins meet the Eagles in a Week 1 Monday Night Football showdown Sept. 9, the defense will create more chaos than Kelly's high-speed offense can.
Haslett's creative alignment, from left to right, starts with eighth-year pro Darryl Tapp, rookie Brandon Jenkins and Ryan Kerrigan taking three-point stances along the line of scrimmage. Orakpo stands up behind Kerrigan at right outside linebacker, while Perry Riley lines up at the left outside position, and London Fletcher, in his 16th season, mans the middle.
Head coach Mike Shanahan and Haslett have tried to prepare their defense for the highly anticipated opener since the first day of training camp by having the Redskins first-team offense mimic the Eagles attack run by quarterback Michael Vick. Orakpo and others said part of this week has been dedicated to studying and stopping the Eagles.
"We've been doing a lot of no-huddle offense and a lot of two-minute situations for several weeks now to help the defense play and get lined up quickly," Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins said. "Our defense also got a taste of the up-tempo in the last preseason game against Buffalo. They'll certainly be as prepared as they can be for Week 1, considering we haven't seen much tape of the Eagles."
Defensive end Stephen Bowen says the Redskins will be ready.
"We've been working on the up-tempo offense every day," Bowen said. "Coaches have put a lot of emphasis on it. Honestly, the practices have been way harder than when we got to the games. We're all conditioned at this point. But we've also done a good job of communicating, getting the defensive calls in quick across the board."
And now they have a counterpunch of their own — with the potential to keep Vick and his protectors on their heels.
Haslett's idea for the package was to maximize the strengths of Jenkins, a pass-rusher from Florida State taken in the fifth round, alongside Tapp and Kerrigan, who have defensive end experience.
"It's just something to try to get a little more speed on the field, and we're just trying some things out right now," Haslett said. "We ran it last week to see what it looked like. And I thought those guys did a nice job with it."
Bowen believes a unit infused with more speed — given that rookie cornerback David Amerson and safety Bacarri Rambo will start in a remade secondary — has the potential to be one of the league's best.
And there's no better way to help ease the strain on a young secondary than with a more effective pass rush, even if it takes a gimmick or two.
"We really can be a top-five defense," Bowen said. "With the Swift Package, the more we can do to be creative, then offensive lines can't just lock in on one guy. That package is going to confuse a lot of teams."
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