RED ZONE...need killer instinct

[Big Country]

We need more of a killer instinct in the red zone. IMHO this has been a plague of the Cowboys for a long time now... We need to focus more and stop all the little things that are killing this team inside their opponents 20 yard line. False starts, missed blocking assignments, clock mismanagement, loss of focus, and lack of intensity are killing this team each week. Way too many field goals remind us of how Dallas can lose its effectiveness when the second half of games (especially on the road) come around. Dallas has a handy lead in time of posession and yardage, but too often the score is 9-7 or 6-0 when back in the days of "the Triplets" the score would be 21 to 7 or 14 to 3.

I remember back in the season of 2001, in Texas Stadium, the first game of the season against the Tampa Bay Bucs. Quincy was thrust into the starting lineup with the scrapping of Tony Banks during the middle of pre-season. There was talk of the wishbone making its way into the playbook for the Cowboys and they were coming off of one of the worst performances of run defense from the season before. During interviews, Warren Sapp was laughing at the notion of the offensive playcalling for Dallas during the week before the game, "It's their quarterbacks funeral", he snickered.

I remember that game vividly. Quincy was overthrowing, underthrowing, and basically trying to throw a spiral altogether. Trying to throw on the run was probably the most ugliest thing a fan could watch. Remember, Wade "The Blade" Wilson was teaching Q-Car how to take a snap from under center and how to throw a nice tight spiral. But the play that stood out the most was Dallas trying to score with Emmitt Smith running the ball from the one yard line.

Fourth down and goal, Emmitt gets handed the ball and he runs left, behind the wall of Adams and Allen (and remind you this is Allen one year before his much publicized ankle problems). Emmitt gets his hole to score and winds up face to face with one defensive back between him and the end zone. Emmitt, instead of running through the cornerback and into the end zone with all the effort of a power running back, decides to break off and run for the pylon to the left. The cornerback grabs him and hangs on for dear life tugging while Emmitt strains to get to the blue carpet. At the last second, John Lynch catches up to the two bodies and crashes into them sending them both out of bounds just two feet short of the end zone.

Result, first down Tampa Bay. We need to find that killer instinct again, it's been gone for way too long.

[Fletch]

Originally Posted by aardvark

We need more of a killer instinct in the red zone. IMHO this has been a plague of the Cowboys for a long time now... We need to focus more and stop all the little things that are killing this team inside their opponents 20 yard line. False starts, missed blocking assignments, clock mismanagement, loss of focus, and lack of intensity are killing this team each week. Way too many field goals remind us of how Dallas can lose its effectiveness when the second half of games (especially on the road) come around. Dallas has a handy lead in time of posession and yardage, but too often the score is 9-7 or 6-0 when back in the days of "the Triplets" the score would be 21 to 7 or 14 to 3.

[View Full Quote]I remember back in the season of 2001, in Texas Stadium, the first game of the season against the Tampa Bay Bucs. Quincy was thrust into the starting lineup with the scrapping of Tony Banks during the middle of pre-season. There was talk of the wishbone making its way into the playbook for the Cowboys and they were coming off of one of the worst performances of run defense from the season before. During interviews, Warren Sapp was laughing at the notion of the offensive playcalling for Dallas during the week before the game, "It's their quarterbacks funeral", he snickered.

I remember that game vividly. Quincy was overthrowing, underthrowing, and basically trying to throw a spiral altogether. Trying to throw on the run was probably the most ugliest thing a fan could watch. Remember, Wade "The Blade" Wilson was teaching Q-Car how to take a snap from under center and how to throw a nice tight spiral. But the play that stood out the most was Dallas trying to score with Emmitt Smith running the ball from the one yard line.

Fourth down and goal, Emmitt gets handed the ball and he runs left, behind the wall of Adams and Allen (and remind you this is Allen one year before his much publicized ankle problems). Emmitt gets his hole to score and winds up face to face with one defensive back between him and the end zone. Emmitt, instead of running through the cornerback and into the end zone with all the effort of a power running back, decides to break off and run for the pylon to the left. The cornerback grabs him and hangs on for dear life tugging while Emmitt strains to get to the blue carpet. At the last second, John Lynch catches up to the two bodies and crashes into them sending them both out of bounds just two feet short of the end zone.

Result, first down Tampa Bay. We need to find that killer instinct again, it's been gone for way too long.

Hello Vark! Yeah, I remember that play as if it was yesterday. 10-6 Bucs was how it ended. The redzone is definitely a problem area for the Cowboys. We need a running game for the redzone, which we don't have with Eddie in the backfield.

[Big Country]

Originally Posted by Fletch

Hello Vark! Yeah, I remember that play as if it was yesterday. 10-6 Bucs was how it ended. The redzone is definitely a problem area for the Cowboys. We need a running game for the redzone, which we don't have with Eddie in the backfield.

Remember how running the ball was so easy with Tuinei, Newton, Stepnoski, Gogan, and Erik Williams... Man we had the nastiest big dudes in the business... Then along came Larry Allen. I just look at the Chiefs today and see the old Cowboys. Oh to have memories.

[ghst187]

well, first we need a running back. If Julius sucks, we need to use a draft pick on Benson.
Secondly, we need a WR. Ever since Irvin left, we haven't been able to score in the redzone. He always fought for the ball. The QB could throw it his way and rest assured that if wasn't going to catch it there was no way Irvin would let the DB catch it either. Look at the teams that score TDs in the redzone... Philly, Minny,..they have that unstoppable WR
hence my campaign to go after Mike Williams in the upcoming draft. The redzone was his specialty.

[es22]

Originally Posted by Fletch

Hello Vark! Yeah, I remember that play as if it was yesterday. 10-6 Bucs was how it ended. The redzone is definitely a problem area for the Cowboys. We need a running game for the redzone, which we don't have with Eddie in the backfield.

We need to get the attitude back. We haven't had that since Campo was hired. I remember the Boys of tehe 90's. They had an attitude of 'you know the play, but we will still kick your ***."

[Jimz31]

We need the killer instinct from TC on.

You don't get that from ball-control offense.

[Nors]

Blowing up a play over middle