All Day Battle

David Diehl and rookie Will Beatty are going to have their hands full Monday with the Redskins' pair of pass-rushers, veteran Andre Carter and Rookie of the Year candidate Brian Orakpo.

They figure to see equal amounts of each, as Carter plays over Diehl on running downs, and then switches to the strong side when Orakpo slides up and over from his strongside linebacking spot to right defensive end on passing downs. As I told you in previous posts, the pair has 11 sacks each, and Orakpo is considered an absolute beast.

That should come as rather unsettling news to Beatty, who makes only his second start while Kareem McKenzie nurses his sprained left knee. But he has sat next to McKenzie in meetings all week, trying to absorb as much information as he can. Besides that, Diehl has been in his ear constantly about what he can expect from Carter, a force Diehl has dealt with many times in the past.

Beatty's done a good job filling in for McKenzie when called upon, but he's never had to face something like the Redskins have. Should be quite an education for the young man from UConn.

Here are Beatty, Diehl, and Chris Snee talking about the rookie's development and the challenge immediately ahead of him.

And here's Diehl talking about matching up with Orakpo.

EP