REC: 69 | YDS: 1,313 | AVG: 19.0 | TD: 17
By Mark Malone
Special to ESPN.com
It's highly unlikely Aeneas Williams will be able to shut Randy Moss down like he did the Cowboys' Michael Irvin last week.
Irvin has been one of the league's better receivers for a lot of years, but he's lost a step. He's certainly not the athlete Moss is. The Vikings rookie is light years faster at this point than Irvin.
Williams has great speed, but if the Cardinals believe they can cover Moss one-on-one, Randall Cunningham will throw the ball out there all day long. He doesn't care. If he sees that coverage, that's where the Vikings are going to go with the football.
Even though it is Moss' first playoff game, I like Moss in this situation. Even in a situation where Williams has him covered well, there will be some jump balls. And as we've seen all year long, that's Moss' forte. He will catch more of those than he will let fall to the ground.
Williams can't cover Moss alone, but neither can anyone else in the NFL. When you do cover him well and the ball arrives and the cornerback is right there in his hip pocket, it doesn't matter. He still finds a way to make the play.
At this point in Moss' career, especially with Minnesota's ability to spread defenses out, the Vikings will get a lot of one-on-one coverages. Even against a Pro Bowl cornerback like Williams, Moss is going to make plays.
|
|
PRO BOWLS: 5 | CAREER INTs: 28
By Sean Salisbury
Special to ESPN.com
It's almost unfair to ask who will get the better of this matchup, because Randall Cunningham is going to throw it to Randy Moss about 15 times. So Moss will get his catches. But Aeneas Williams has a great chance to shut him down.
Williams runs fairly well and has technique as good as any cornerback in football. He might not be the most athletic cornerback in the league, but he is as smart as anyone, and he will play physical against Moss. He'll read keys and study all week long to get ready for Moss.
With Jake Reed and Cris Carter on the field as the same time as Moss, there will be problems covering him one-on-one. You can only hope to contain Moss. But Williams can give Moss a good show.
Moss won't do what he did against Green Bay or Dallas, unless Williams isn't covering him or Arizona is playing a soft zone. Williams will give Moss as much problems as the rookie has had all year long.
Nobody can play off Moss and expect to handle his speed. Williams will have to win this battle with technique. From a week of study, he understands what Moss' strengths are and that if it becomes a jumping match, he won't win. So Williams will do anything to keep out of those situations.
It's like playing Michael Jordan in basketball. When you give Jordan the ball, what happens? He scores. So you try to do everything you can so he doesn't get the ball. For Williams, it's about denying Moss the ball.
Technique and experience will be huge factors for Williams. If he shuts Moss down, it shouldn't surprise anyone.
|
