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Cornerbacks can go one-on-one with best  | | PAUL SAKUMA ASSOCIATED PRESS | | Nnamdi Asomugha, returning an interception for a score against the Steelers, and fellow Raiders cornerback Fabian Washington are showing they can play man-to-man coverage in the NFL. |
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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 Columbus Dispatch http://columbusdispatch.com/bengals/bengals.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/08/20061208-F9-00.html |
