New York Giants Official Website

DECEMBER 18, 2009

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - The Giants will face a new-look and improved Washington Redskins team when they travel to the nation's capital for a game Monday night that is critical to their postseason prospects. A 45-38 loss to Philadelphia last week left the Giants at 7-6, two games behind the Eagles in the NFC East race and a game out of the final wild card position. The Giants defeated the Redskins, 23-17, in the season-opener on Sept. 13 and lead the regular season series, 88-61- 4.

Redskins who played in that game and are now on injured reserve include running backs Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts, tight end Chris Cooley, tackle Chris Samuels, guard Randy Thomas, safety Chris Horton and defensive end Jeremy Jarmon. But the more players Washington loses, the better it seems to play. The Redskins are 4-9 but are coming off a 34-13 victory at Oakland and lost the three games prior to that by a total of seven points to Dallas, Philadelphia and New Orleans. Washington is 0-4 vs. the NFC East.

Offense

The Redskins are ranked 22nd in the NFL, gaining an average of 319.2 yards a game. They are 23rd in rushing (100.9), 17th in passing (218.2) and 24th in scoring (18 points a game). But Washington scored at least 30 points in each of its last two games, the first time the Redskins have done that since Weeks 3 and 4 of the 2006 season.

Washington has an unusual play-calling arrangement. Offensive coordinator Sherman Smith calls the run plays. Sherman Lewis, officially a consultant who was brought in prior to the Oct. 26 game vs. Philadelphia, calls the pass plays. Lewis replaced Smith in the coaches' box. Head coach Jim Zorn calls the plays when the Redskins are in their two-minute offense.

Quarterback Jason Campbell is playing confidently and proficiently. He has completed a career-best 65.3 percent of his passes and threw for three touchdowns and a career-high 367 yards two weeks ago in an overtime loss to undefeated New Orleans. Campbell is using shorter drops, he's reading the entire field and he is making quick and smart decisions. He has not thrown an interception in the red zone all season. As Campbell has improved, so have the Redskins as their recent scoring increases have indicated. Campbell's backup is veteran Todd Collins.

After Betts joined Portis on injured reserve, Washington turned to veteran Rock Cartwright, a hard runner with good receiving skills. But Cartwright ran for only 77 yards in two games, so last week in Oakland Quinton Ganther started and rushed for 50 yards and two touchdowns. Ganther was a seventh-round draft choice by the Tennessee Titans in 2006. He was signed by Washington on Oct. 20, waived on Nov. 6 and re-signed five days later. Now he's starting and has 33 rushing attempts - 24 more than he had in his first three seasons combined. He also caught a 42-yard pass last week. Fullback Mike Sellers was inactive in Oakland after suffering a groin injury on the play in which he fumbled in overtime the previous week vs. the Saints. Tight end Todd Yoder started in his place.

Speaking of the tight ends...Cooley, a Pro Bowler the last two seasons, is on injured reserve with a broken ankle. Taking his place is Fred Davis, a second-year pro who caught two touchdown passes last week, has at least one in three consecutive games and leads the team with five. Davis has legitimate vertical speed, but he's been particularly effective on crossing and intermediate routes. Yoder is a handyman who has two receptions this season, both for touchdowns. Defensive end Lorenzo Alexander lines up as an extra tight end in goal line and short yardage situations.

The Redskins like to mix and match their wide receivers, but only Santana Moss and Devin Thomas have scored touchdowns this season (three apiece). Moss is still a dangerous speedster who leads the team in catches (53) and yards (700). Thomas replaced fellow 2008 second-round draft choice Malcolm Kelly as a starter in Week 6 and had season highs of seven catches, 100 yards and two scores vs. New Orleans. He does a good job of making himself available when Campbell has to scramble. Kelly is a big, strong receiver who runs through press coverage. He has 15 receptions, 11 for first downs. Antwaan Randle El has a catch in every game this season except one but is not on the field as often as he was in the past. Rookie Marko Mitchell also plays.

Washington has a smart, competitive offensive line that has two new starters since the teams' first meeting because Samuels and Thomas are on injured reserve. The new tackle is Levi Jones, who was the 10th overall selection of the 2002 draft by Cincinnati. Jones was not in any team's training camp this summer and was signed off the street on Oct. 20. He became a starter on Nov. 15 vs. Denver. Jones has good size and long arms and the talent to make all the blocks. Mike Williams played a game at guard, moved to tackle for three weeks and has been the right guard the last two games. He is a productive blocker when he gets his hands on the defender and he has the strength to launch linebackers on contact.

Left guard Derrick Dockery is a power player who has started 106 consecutive games and is the steadiest performer on the line. Center Casey Rabach has missed only one start the last five seasons. Stephon Heyer started the first five games at right tackle, moved to the left side for three games and was back on the right side the previous five games. He is a tough, smart, aggressive player.

Defense

The Redskins are ranked a strong seventh in the NFL, allowing 305.5 yards a game. They are 22nd against the run (117.5) and fourth vs. the pass (188.0). Washington has allowed 19.3 points a game, which is 12th in the league. The only defensive starter from Week 1 on injured reserve is safety Chris Horton. The Redskins have 36 sacks, 12 more than they had the entire 2008 season. The defense has allowed only 20 touchdowns in 13 games and Washington is easily the NFL leader in red zone defense, allowing a touchdown just 29 percent of the time (nine of 31 opposing trips inside the 20-yard line).

Right end Andre Carter and rookie strongside linebacker Brian Orakpo - the first-round draft choice who plays end in the sub defenses - have 11 sacks apiece to form the top combo in the NFL. Carter is a professional pass rusher with a plan and a variety of moves. He has 63.5 career sacks and is playing at a Pro Bowl level this year. Elsewhere on the line, former Giant Cornelius Griffin has been a solid player at tackle against both the run and pass. Albert Haynesworth, the Redskins' big free agency acquisition, was inactive three of the last four weeks with an ankle injury. When healthy, he has the strength and quickness to be a force in the middle of the line. Left end Phillip Daniels is a savvy veteran with good explosiveness. Cedric Golston is the line's top reserve when he's not starting for Haynesworth. Rob Jackson and Lorenzo Alexander also get their share of snaps.

Middle linebacker London Fletcher is a tackling machine who has played in 189 consecutive games and is on the field for every snap. His 144 tackles (89 solo) are 48 more than his closest teammate, Rocky McIntosh. Fletcher is a smart, instinctive player who runs all over the field and hits hard upon arrival. McIntosh plays the weak side, where he locates the ball quickly and is a sure tackler. Orakpo has been sensational in his rookie season. He had four sacks of Washington's eight sacks last week in Oakland to earn NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Orakpo plays on the line as the strongside backer, then moves to end in passing situations. H.B. Blades is a capable reserve at all three spots and the top tackler on special teams.

In the secondary, left corner DeAngelo Hall has been inactive the last three weeks with a knee injury. When healthy, he usually covers the opposing team's best receiver. Hall is a tough, explosive player who can run deep and has a knack for batting away the ball. He leads the Skins with four interceptions and is the only player on the team with more than one. The other corner, Carlos Rogers, does not have a pick and has been benched each of the last two games. Fred Smoot has started each of the last four games at three different positions because of Hall's injury and Rogers' demotion. Justin Tryon has been the nickel back. Safety LaRon Landry is the secondary's only every-game starter. Though listed as the free safety, he has been playing more frequently in the box as a strong safety as the Redskins try to take advantage of his aggressiveness. The other safety is Reed Doughty, who is third on the team with 83 tackles (71 solo) and is a good line of scrimmage tackler and an effective blitzer (two sacks).

Special Teams

Scott Suisham missed three critical field goals that cost Washington a pair of victories, so he was released and replaced by Graham Gano, who kicked field goals of 46 and 41 yards against the Raiders. Gano was in training camp with Baltimore last summer and helped Las Vegas win the championship of the United Football League before joining the Redskins. Punter and holder Hunter Smith scored a touchdown on an eight-yard run on a fake field goal in the opener vs. the Giants and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass vs. Denver. He has a 43.3-yard gross average and a 37.4-yard net average on 40 punts. The Redskins are last in the NFL with a 3.6-yard punt return average. Thomas and Cartwright are averaging 23.6 and 23.0 yards, respectively, on kickoff returns.

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