Puttin' on the blitz is Eagles' way

Coach Brad Childress said the New York Giants blitzed his offense 80 percent of the time in the Vikings' 20-19 victory Sunday.

"That's high for anybody," he said.

Not this week. Childress said he thinks 80 percent might be on the low end of the number of blitzes his team will face Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles in their first-round playoff game. That's because Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is known for his array of exotic blitz packages and likes to bring players from every position imaginable.

Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is a disciple of Johnson, having spent eight seasons on Johnson's staff in Philadelphia. Childress called the Giants game a dress rehearsal for what to expect this week.

"Well, I guess the good thing is Jim is probably not going to be able to call Steve and talk to him about what he was thinking, what he was looking at," Childress said. "But he will certainly be able to see some of his stuff. I don't have illusions about it. If we saw about 80 percent blitz this time, we might see 90 percent come next Sunday."

The question is, did the Vikings gain an advantage by facing so many blitzes Sunday, or did the Giants expose some weaknesses for Johnson to exploit? Childress worked with Johnson on Andy Reid's staff in Philadelphia, so he has intimate knowledge of his creative blitz packages. But as he noted on Monday, "I imagine they'll have some surprises."

Childress said with the exception of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson's interception in the end zone near the end of the third quarter, he thought his offense handled the pressure fairly well Sunday, especially on third down when they converted 54 percent of their opportunities. Jackson said the Giants blitzed more than any team he's ever played.

"We pretty much knew they were going to do that because they are in the playoffs and they were going to try and give other teams stuff to work on," he said. "We knew they were going to bring the house, and they did. That is part of their defensive strategy."

The Vikings will face perhaps an even greater challenge against an Eagles team that finished the regular season ranked third in the NFL in total defense, third in pass defense, fourth in run defense and fourth in scoring defense.

From 2000-2007, the Eagles ranked tied for first in the NFL with 342 sacks. They finished third this season with 48 sacks.

"Their model is blitz, blitz, blitz," tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said.

Asked if he had any advice for Jackson, Shiancoe said: "They're going to come after your butt."

"They're going to try and disrupt us," Shiancoe said. "We're definitely going to have to have poise in the hurricane."

Childress said it takes time to "calibrate" to that kind of constant pressure.

"To see how they are throwing people at the formation [and] what they are trying to take away," he said. "There is no downside to putting pressure on the quarterback."