Key Match Up #2: Matt Schaub vs. Sam Shields
A funny thing happened on Sunday….I didn't see it happen but after watching the game I swear this is how things went down. Coming out of the tunnel for the second half Reggie Wayne realized that the Colts really needed to win the game. So he turned to Andrew Luck and said "Okay rook, we really can’t lose this game for coach so this is what you are going to do. You are going to throw me the ball. Just keep doing that however the hell you want and I’ll catch it. Even if I have to sell my soul to Satan I’ll catch that darn thing." Wayne then went out and did just that (though I don’t know if he did actually sell his soul). Moral of the story is that Wayne played really, really good.
The sad thing is that I can’t get too down on the Packers secondary. Yes, statistically they got torched and it was gut wrenching to watch, but I swear every third catch Wayne made I just couldn't help but think….how do you defend that?
So this week the Packers go from a near once in a lifetime performance by a receiver (who really isn't getting much credit for a freakish game), to an offense that has more options than ours…and that’s really saying something. The good news is that the secondary isn't as bad as most of you are feeling it is. I know, it doesn't seem that way after the last two weeks, but trust me…it’s not that bad. The safety play is generally solid and the corner play is surprisingly good. We don’t have two lock-down corners on either side of the defense, but Tramon Williams is one of the better man on man defenders and Sam Shields is pretty good considering how raw he is. Throw in a young Casey Hayward and promising Davon House and there is real potential there. The bad news is that we get one of the better QB’s in the league (Matt Schaub) throwing to a freakish receiver(Andre Johnson) and then a whole host of other options as well when the Packers face the Texans. This means that Schaub is going to have the ability to pick the match up that feels the most comfortable with and exploit it.
So why do I pick Shields as the guy going against Schaub this week? Because I am firmly convinced this is the guy Schaub is going to go after time and time again. It’s not that Shields is bad, but he is the weakest link generally. This means that Shields is going to have to step up his game and show how far he’s come this year. So whether Shields draws Kevin Walter, Lestar Jean, Owen Daniels, or even Andre Johnson he’s got to hold up his end of the deal and break up that pass.
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