The Patriots will play your game and beat you too

The Redskins have become a Cover 2 team and the Patriots decided to exploit it. I get the idea by Gregg Williams and his staff, sit back in Cover 2, take away any deep balls to Randy Moss, making Brady settle for check downs and 15 yard deep in routes, and holding the Patriots run game in check with a seven man front. It's a sound theory, but the Patriots will play any way you want. What makes them so good is their ability to change on the fly, to play your game and beat you down. One week they'll use an empty set for the first half; the next week they'll line up in heavy sets, with two tight ends, and run. Sunday, they put Brady in the shotgun, dominated the line, and threw underneath those two deep safeties. I loved Williams' game plan, but you can't play Cover 2 against any quarterback, let alone Tom Brady, and not pressure him with your front four. There is always proof in the stats, and Brady threw only nine incompletions en route to 300-plus yards. Just another day at the office.

I don't think there is an answer with the Patriots. Line up and bring pressure all day? Sure, if you don't mind covering Moss with man coverage and no help. No thanks. What about zone blitzes? Well, for starters, they never get there against the Patriots, and suddenly your secondary is defenseless, while Brady's boys run up, down and across the field. I really wouldn't want to game plan this team, not even while playing Madden on Xbox.

Indy is another Cover 2 team. Some say Indy has a front four that can make Brady unload the ball early and often. But if that is the case, they will just run something else. Play what you want, and they will exploit it, making for a miserable and depressing Sunday.

Former Redskins safety Matt Bowen, a seven-year NFL veteran, contributes a weekly column to The Examiner during the NFL season.