Bashaud Breeland, David Amerson Give Redskins Young Stars to Build Around

Bashaud Breeland and David Amerson are blossoming into a quality cornerback pairing for the Washington Redskins. The young cover men, both just 22, played a key role in the blitz-happy game plan that allowed Washington to upset the Dallas Cowboys 20-17 on the road to end Week 8.

Breeland and Amerson were always going to be under the spotlight on Monday Night Football. After all, they were pitted against Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams, two excellent wide receivers, even if the former is a little overrated.

But Washington's youthful cornerback pairing was put under even more intense scrutiny by defensive coordinator Jim Haslett's risky approach. Haslett boldly sent blitz after blitz at Dallas passer Tony Romo.

His pressure schemes worked superbly. The Redskins logged five sacks, with four coming on third downs, against the Cowboys' heralded offensive line.

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But Haslett's aggressive plan was only made possible thanks to the stellar coverage provided by his young corners. Amerson was solid, while Breeland in particular excelled, according to Todd Dybas of The Washington Times:

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During the week of preparation, Breeland watched film of Bryant from 2013. He saw how patient the big receiver was. That forced Breeland to try to be patient. He was, and finished with six tackles, four passes defensed and a forced fumble, putting together his best game. Bryant finished with three catches for a season-low 30 yards.

David Amerson, also 22, is in his second year as a pro. He worked the other side effectively enough to keep the blitzes coming.

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A hallmark of the coverage Amerson and Breeland delivered was its physicality. Both cornerbacks played to their size and weren't afraid to rough up Cowboys receivers.

ESPN.com Redskins reporter John Keim was left particularly impressed by Breeland's brutal approach to shackling receivers:

Even when they played off, Amerson and Breeland broke on the ball decisively and allowed very few opportunities for clean catches. Two great examples came in the first half as Breeland and Amerson set a tone for the kind of aggressive attention Dallas pass-catchers were in for all night long.

The first came when the Cowboys attempted to run Williams on a deep inside post off play action against Breeland on 1st-and-20. The fourth-round pick out of Clemson narrowed Williams' inside release and got between the receiver and Romo:

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Having fought to beat Williams to the inside, Breeland was perfectly positioned to break up the pass:

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The next example came courtesy of Amerson. He was matched up against Bryant in single coverage on 2nd-and-5.

The Cowboys tried a quick slant to their big-bodied pass-catcher. However, Amerson used his 6'1", 205-pound frame to overpower Bryant at the catch point:

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Amerson timed his contact perfectly and made sure Byrant couldn't make the catch. This was the kind of coverage Washington's young playmakers on the outside produced throughout the game.

Williams entered the game averaging 16.3 yards per reception. But his big-play threat was nullified by Breeland's aggressive technique.

Meanwhile, Amerson played rough and rowdy to deny Bryant space over the middle, where the 6'2", 220-pounder often destroys defenses.

Plays of this quality were only made possible because Haslett gave Amerson and Breeland license to play to their strengths. Amerson arrived at Redskins Park via the second-round of the 2013 NFL draft as an opportunistic ball hawk, one who had intercepted 13 passes in 2011, per CFBStats.com.

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Amerson was naturally inconsistent as a rookie, but he was given more responsibility heading into year two by new head coach Jay Gruden, according to Tim Pearrell of the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

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'I think he’s really got a chance to be one of the top corners in the NFL for a long time if he keeps going on the pace that he’s going,' Gruden said.

Amerson said the difference is 'from the neck up' after playing partly on instinct. He also has improved his technique after not playing a lot of press coverage at the line of scrimmage in college.

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As for Breeland, the 5'11", 197-pounder joined the team as a lengthy cover man with a nasty disposition. Prior to the 2014 draft, CBS Sports analyst Dane Brugler succinctly highlighted the best and worst of Breeland's game:

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He is a good-sized athlete who uses his length and aggressive nature well in coverage to blanket and get his hands on the ball, but he tends to be too physical at times and will draw penalties. Breeland, who has a soon-to-be one year old daughter, played mostly off-man in college with good anticipation and eye use to break on the ball, but he lacks elite speed or quick-twitch movements and found himself in trouble when biting on fakes or hesitating for a moment.

He is a willing run defender, but needs to be more reliable in this area and do a better job finishing tackles. Breeland needs technique work and time to develop, but his raw cover skills and size project him as an eventual starter.

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Both Amerson and Breeland have the size and temperament to get physical with receivers and take a few risks in coverage. Haslett has thankfully finally let his young terriers off the leash.

That represents a significant shift in his planning during the last few weeks. Since DeAngelo Hall, the team's de facto best cover man, suffered an Achilles injury in Week 3, Haslett has been cautious with his young corners.

He's sought to protect Amerson and Breeland. Before Week 8, it was common to see both cover men playing too far off receivers, Haslett thinking a healthy cushion would minimize the risk of surrendering big plays.

The problem was that plan all but eliminated Washington's potential to create some big plays of its own. By turning Amerson and Breeland loose in Texas, Haslett reversed that trend.

Big plays seemed to follow Breeland around all night. One of his best came when he tore the ball from the grasp of star running back DeMarco Murray early in the second quarter.

It was a classic example of how to force a takeaway. The Redskins gang tackled Murray and stood him up. That gave Breeland the opportunity to pull the ball loose. He was intelligent and aggressive enough to take it.

He's already establishing a niche as a source of turnovers, as Mike Jones of The Washington Post noted immediately after the play:

Breeland is showing the instincts of a natural playmaker. That is something this defense, the secondary in particular, has lacked for far too long.

It's also something Haslett can build around as he shapes a defensive backfield that can support his pressure schemes. The key to those schemes is cornerbacks who can be trusted in single coverage.

Haslett put that level of faith in Amerson and Breeland in Dallas. A huge part of his game plan was the safety blitz.

Brandon Meriweather tallied a pair of sacks on the blitz, while Ryan Clark also applied pressure in key situations. Sending safeties so often meant that Amerson and Breeland rarely had any help, something Romo noted after the game, per ESPN.com Cowboys reporter Todd Archer:

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They are banking on one guy making a tackle every single time. The ball has to come out of your hand when they are sending them. That was the most Cover 0 blitzes we have seen in a game. You don't necessarily think a team is going to run 10 snaps of it in a game. I'm not sure how many they did, but it was a lot.

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Play-calling that aggressive is certainly a vote of confidence in young cornerbacks to hold up on the edges. What was most impressive was how Haslett trusted his young corners even with the game on the line.

It was Breeland's breakup on 4th-and-3 in overtime that confirmed the win. Haslett began the play by showing Romo and the Cowboys another all-out blitz look.

However, this time it was a bluff. Haslett dropped defenders out underneath but still sent five rushers after Romo:

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Meriweather blitzed off the edge, in part to occupy tight end Jason Witten, normally a prolific outlet for Romo in clutch situations.

Having Meriweather blitz and using Clark to help double the slot receiver meant Breeland had to cover Bryant one-on-one with the game in the balance:

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The first-year pro handled the task superbly:

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What stood out was how well Breeland stayed plastered to Bryant even as Romo was scrambling away from pressure in the pocket. Single coverage most often breaks down whenever a quarterback starts to run. Corners usually split focus and lose track of their receivers.

Romo is one of the best in the NFL at manufacturing plays when on the move. That's something Washington has painful experience of.

But this time, the Dallas escape artist was denied by Breeland's savvy and discipline, qualities that belie his tender years and inexperience. His final contribution was an appropriate exclamation point to a great performance, as 106.7 The Fan host Grant Paulsen pointed out:

In Washington's biggest game of the season, Haslett went from protecting his young corners to trusting them to be the platform for a blitz-happy game plan that demanded single coverage against top receivers.

Both Amerson and Breeland more than delivered. Their performances provide plenty of optimism at a position long shrouded in uncertainty and undermined by mediocre athletes.

Talented young playmakers are the building blocks needed to construct a winning roster. Having spent years opting for veteran stopgaps such as E.J. Biggers, Tracy Porter and Josh Wilson, Washington may have found a cornerback pairing ready to be the basis of a quality defensive backfield for years.

That sort of sustainability is especially relevant when Hall is 30 and recovering from a serious injury. If Breeland and Amerson can continue locking down the outside, Hall may answer this team's glaring need for a dependable slot corner.

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Having entered the season with a shaky secondary, the Redskins now boast the seventh-toughest pass defense in football. Amerson and Breeland are the main reason why.

The task now should be to place more faith in these young playmakers and build around them. Haslett can do the former by realizing that he now has cover men aggressive and competent enough to let him build more game plans around the blitz. That certainly seems to bring the best out of this defense and its personnel.

Speaking of personnel, if Washington really wants to provide its playmaking cornerbacks with a platform for success, recruiting a similarly young and dynamic safety has to be a top priority this offseason.

For now, though, Amerson and Breeland's continued development will be fascinating viewing for the rest of the season.

All statistics via NFL.com, unless otherwise stated.

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