ASHBURN -- Every season, at every level, coaches assure players that they don't believe in the concept of "starters" and "backups."

It's the coaching equivalent of insisting the check's in the mail.

"Then we'd start playing," said Washington Redskins defensive back Pierson Prioleau, "and once the starters were in the game, the starters were in the game. That was it. Nobody remembered what had been said before."

Gregg Williams and the Redskins' defensive staff remember, and it's a fundamental reason why Washington is in Seattle today to face the Seahawks in a divisional playoff game.

Since his arrival in Washington, Williams has told anyone who would listen, over and over, that his unit has no starters. He doesn't believe in them. When someone would ask a question about who was starting at a certain spot, Williams would correct their phraseology before he would say anything else.

"I've been on other teams before where they say everyone's a starter, but when it came to playing time, that wasn't always the case," said defensive back Omar Stoutmire. "Here, it's something that's lived, not just talked about."

Twenty-five defensive players have made at least one tackle this season. While that tells part of the story, there's no way to fully detail the revolving-door strategy Williams and his staff employ.

"I'm proud that I'm [like] that," Williams said. "The best guy is always going to play. That happens through competition and practice every day and matchups on game day. I've always believed in it, and I don't see myself changing."

Williams preaches his philosophy to every free agent he can find, especially the veterans whose experience makes them more valuable. Some, such as defensive end Demetric Evans, don't have much choice but to take Williams at his word.

Evans had few options after being waived by Dallas in 2003 and spending a year in NFL Europe.

"I was a long shot just to make it this far," said Evans, who today replaces injured Renaldo Wynn.

Nothing takes the place of money, but for players such as Prioleau and Stoutmire, the best carrot a team can dangle in front of a free agent is what this staff sells: real opportunity.

And they stick by their word in a unique manner, by developing "packages" in which they design schemes around a player's greatest skill. That's one reason linebacker LaVar Arrington leaves the field on obvious passing downs. Linebacker Chris Clemons, now injured, was better at getting heat on the quarterback.

When safety Sean Taylor was ejected from last Saturday's playoff game for spitting at a Tampa Bay player, Williams and his staff didn't chafe, nor did they make massive changes in their strategy.

Instead, they simply increased the use of the packages involving Prioleau and Stoutmire.

This wasn't a problem, because Williams' staff makes players learn a variety of positions. Prioleau and Stoutmire are versed in every position in the secondary. There's even a package in which Taylor plays middle linebacker.

"The coaches did a good job of that from training camp to now," Stoutmire said. "They just don't coach you on what the safeties do. They coach what the nickel backs do, what the corners do. That's a big reason why when someone goes down, someone else steps in right away and we don't have big drop-offs."

What's created, the players say, is a sense of heightened responsibility, sharper focus and increased enthusiasm.

"When you've got as many guys as we have getting significant playing time during the playoffs, it makes you feel like a starter and part of the system," Stoutmire said. "They're counting on you. You don't want to let your teammates down, let the coaches down or let the organization down."