Steve Spurrier’s offense clashes with Bill Belichick’s defense today in Washington.

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) – They are two of the mad scientists of football, masterminds of deception on opposite sides of the ball, and they’ve had a week in the game-planning laboratory to cook up something special for each other.

Steve Spurrier, with an offense ranked No. 1 in the NFL, tests his play-calling skills against defensive guru Bill Belichick on Sunday when the Washington Redskins host the New England Patriots.

“I think it’s going to be as competitive for the coaches as it is for the players,” New England cornerback Ty Law said. “I can see them now going in there and trying to fool us, Belichick trying to fool them. It’s going to be a hard fought game, and mentally it’s going to be just as challenging.”

Both teams are 2-1, with the Redskins coming off an overtime loss to the New York Giants. New England has won two straight after an opening week shutout against Buffalo.

Belichick says he can’t think of another offense similar to Spurrier’s, with its multiple formations, constant audibles and the coach’s knack for attacking where the defense is weakest. Asked whether he relishes this week’s challenge, Belichick quickly said no.

“It’s not exactly a ball of fun here,” Belichick said. “It’s a tough challenge.”

Belichick’s defense is just as unpredictable as Spurrier’s offense. Quarterbacks get confused because they don’t recognize the coverages. The top offensive weapon gets neutralized.

“They may storm the gates every play, or they may storm only a few times,” Spurrier said. “That’s sort of his trademark as a coach – he doesn’t do the same thing every week.”

The key to the game, therefore, could be how second-year quarterback Patrick Ramsey reads what he sees when he approaches the line of scrimmage. A few bad audibles, and the day could belong to Belichick.

“He’ll have something in the game plan that’ll be totally different from what we’ve seen,” offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said. “And we’ll have to make adjustments and handle it.”

But even if Ramsey isn’t at his best, the Redskins could have the advantage because Belichick is having to perform football science without a complete set of players.

Linebackers Rosevelt Colvin and Ted Johnson and nose tackle Ted Washington are out with injuries. Linebacker Mike Vrabel is doubtful with a broken right arm. Law is questionable with a sprained ankle, but he’s making his best effort to play because his team badly needs him to help contain Laveranues Coles, the league’s leading receiver.

“We’re going down,” Law said. “We have guys who have to step up and step up in a big way. If you let it, it could get discouraging, but we’re a pretty confident team and we have enough veteran leadership to pick up the slack.”

Belichick might even have to abandon his 3-4 defense and play with four down linemen to compensate for the loss of linebackers.

“It’s been a challenging week,” Belichick said. “We’ll have to make some adjustments and changes in what we do.”

Belichick made one intriguing signing this week that could make a world of difference. The Patriots added offensive lineman Wilbert Brown, an off-and-on castoff this season with the Redskins, and they’ve been picking his brain to get some inside knowledge of Spurrier’s schemes.

The Patriots aren’t saying it, but Brown’s signing looks like the perfect retaliation for the Lawyer Milloy affair. The Redskins are being investigated by the NFL for tampering with Milloy when he was still under contract to the Patriots; Milloy was later released and signed with Buffalo.

Belichick sidestepped the matter this week by saying Brown was signed because another offensive lineman, Mike Compton, was lost for the season with an injury.

“We’re just trying to win football games here – nothing more, nothing less,” the coach said.

Also noteworthy is Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s sore elbow, which perhaps is offset by the fractured left wrist and sprained left shoulder that will hamper Redskins top cornerback Champ Bailey.

The Patriots haven’t beaten the Redskins in 31 years, going 0-5 since 1972. But none of those games pitted Spurrier vs. Belichick.

“We have to try to do what we can to confuse them,” Law said. “But their offense is so diverse that they’re probably going to play the same type of mind games with us.”

AP-ES-09-27-03 1657EDT