2 minute drill

[Kellsbells]

Time can be a real motivator. There is something about having a fire lit to you that gets you going. But I love the question. Thank you for posting.

I get that. And I also get that they are willing to take more risks when the game is on the line. But it always looks like the defenses are just letting it happen.

 

[JohnBoy]

The best teams have a tendancy to avoid those tendancies, and simply play disciplined, smart football all the way to the bitter end. See San Francisco.

 

[JoeKing]

I get that. And I also get that they are willing to take more risks when the game is on the line. But it always looks like the defenses are just letting it happen.

Defenses like to call it bend but don't break, but then they break.

 

[Kellsbells]

Defenses like to call it bend but don't break, but then they break.

More like bend over.

 

[Coogiguy03]

Still doesn’t make sense to me. Playing tendencies is a lot like gambling - sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But what they do under 2 minutes should be much more predictable. By playing soft in an effort to prevent a big play and keep them from getting out of bounds, you end up giving up 15-20 yards big chunk plays. 3-4 of them and you’re done. Why not play tight and force them to do something they had been unable to do the entire game?

I don't know who you are, but you are on fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These are great great thoughts

 

[joseephuss]

When the defense fails in the final 2 minutes, it tends to make headlines. There are many times when the defense shuts down the opposing offense in the final 2 minutes and little is said or repeated.

 

[Captain43Crash]

Also, at the end of the game. Teams are not punting on 4th down if they are behind. The D must now stop 4 downs not just 3. It makes a big difference. The O has a 25% better chance of getting a 1st down every time they move the chains.

 

[Kellsbells]

Also, at the end of the game. Teams are not punting on 4th down if they are behind. The D must now stop 4 downs not just 3. It makes a big difference. The O has a 25% better chance of getting a 1st down every time they move the chains.

Seemed like the Lions went for it on 4th down pretty much all game.

 

[nightrain]

Against the Lions, Quinn should have deployed the pressure scheme he attacked Seattle with on their last drive.

Goff, behind an excellent OL, was able to torch the Cowboys on that final drive given the lack of pressure with a 4 man rush.

 

[Nova]

Fatigue is another culprit.

Once the offense gets 1 or 2 completions, the DL is physically spent and no longer gets pressure. This is made worse by the offense's hurry up mode.

The key is to keep the offense out of that rhythm.

Forcing incompletions is a way to do that, but that's hard to do when you're sitting in a soft zone.

For some reason, DCs lose sight of that very obvious fact and they rely too heavily on the clock, but that's a relic of yesteryear.

Offenses today can, and do, score TDs in under 40 seconds. The Chiefs got into FG range in 13 seconds.

 

[1942willys]

Problem is that way too often a prevent defense is too loose; too worried about giving up the big play that they get killed by a half a dozen slices

Also a lot of secondaries do not have the people to tackle guys right there; keep them from getting out of bounds and killing the clock.

And only rushing three linemen is beyond stupid to me except maybe if you are up against a hail mary

 

[blueblood70]

One thing that has always driven me crazy about football is the end of games. How is it that a team that only managed one touchdown through 58 minutes can march down the field with a minute forty seconds with no timeouts and score a touchdown? What is the offense doing differently that they couldn’t do the entire game? What is the defense doing to allow it to happen? What is the line of thinking on either side (why didn’t the offense have more urgency the entire game, why did the defense go away from what worked for them the entire game)? One thing my dad always said was “the prevent defense only prevents you from winning”. Can someone enlighten me?

Yes I hate the prevent defense and at Miami game it pretty much killed us and in this game also but I'm gonna keep reminding people if it hadn't been for that ghost tripping call that should have went against them stop the clock it ruined our milking of the clock and that would drive would have never happened and we wouldn't be talking about that two point conversion... It changed the nature of our last drive,,,, so a lot of scary things happened at the end of the Detroit game I don't want to hear about it also in the Miami game could have went our way at the end of the Arizona game as well with the flag being picked up on Gallup there's a lot of things we can go back and show the league how they screwed us so I don't wanna hear about the crying for the lions the Cowboys have been on the wrong end of many of these calls...

 

[Creeper]

One thing that has always driven me crazy about football is the end of games. How is it that a team that only managed one touchdown through 58 minutes can march down the field with a minute forty seconds with no timeouts and score a touchdown? What is the offense doing differently that they couldn’t do the entire game? What is the defense doing to allow it to happen? What is the line of thinking on either side (why didn’t the offense have more urgency the entire game, why did the defense go away from what worked for them the entire game)? One thing my dad always said was “the prevent defense only prevents you from winning”. Can someone enlighten me?

To answer the question, defenses change in the last two minutes, or late in the game. It depends on the situation. Against Detroit, the Lions had no timeouts left. So Dallas allowed them to throw passes over the middle thinking that every completion keeps the clock running and eventually Detroit would run out of time outs. But with 1:40 left in the game this makes non sense since they could easily run enough plays to get down the field and stop the clock with quick snaps and throwing the ball into the ground. This is why McCarthy calling pass plays on the Cowboys drive was so stupid. If they run the ball they take another 45 or 50 seconds off the clock and the Lions would not have had enough time to use the middle of the field. Of course they could use the sidelines and go out of bounds to stop the clock. But the defense would play outside and try to force everything inside then prevent the receivers from getting out of bounds.

Dallas played very soft on that last drive and more importantly did not bring any pressure. Maybe if they threw a couple of blitzes at Goff they would force a mistake, or get a sack to run the clock and stall the drive. I think the best way to kill those late drive to tie or win the game is with pressure. I know it's a risk, but that is the Cowboys defense. It is how they play best. Get so much pressure on Goff he can't find the open guy down the field.

That last Lions drive was one of the most disappointing aspects of the game. If the Cowboys didn;t get lucky on that 2 point conversions we would be talking a lot more about how they allowed that drive at home.

 

[conner01]

Defensive coordinators build their game plan around tendencies. In the last 2 minutes, tendencies go out the window and everything changes.

That’s is a huge part of it for sure. Also defenses defend the big play with no personnel so it opens up underneath stuff. defenders don’t take risks since a mistake jumping a route is so huge, but desperation is also a very good motivator

 

[Eddie]

Prevent D is the reason why teams lose.

 

[blueblood70]

To answer the question, defenses change in the last two minutes, or late in the game. It depends on the situation. Against Detroit, the Lions had no timeouts left. So Dallas allowed them to throw passes over the middle thinking that every completion keeps the clock running and eventually Detroit would run out of time outs. But with 1:40 left in the game this makes non sense since they could easily run enough plays to get down the field and stop the clock with quick snaps and throwing the ball into the ground. This is why McCarthy calling pass plays on the Cowboys drive was so stupid. If they run the ball they take another 45 or 50 seconds off the clock and the Lions would not have had enough time to use the middle of the field. Of course they could use the sidelines and go out of bounds to stop the clock. But the defense would play outside and try to force everything inside then prevent the receivers from getting out of bounds.

Dallas played very soft on that last drive and more importantly did not bring any pressure. Maybe if they threw a couple of blitzes at Goff they would force a mistake, or get a sack to run the clock and stall the drive. I think the best way to kill those late drive to tie or win the game is with pressure. I know it's a risk, but that is the Cowboys defense. It is how they play best. Get so much pressure on Goff he can't find the open guy down the field.

That last Lions drive was one of the most disappointing aspects of the game. If the Cowboys didn;t get lucky on that 2 point conversions we would be talking a lot more about how they allowed that drive at home.

Yes and no but the reality of it the lions got the gift with the illegal tripping penalty on hendershot when it should have been on the lions that's a free time out it changed the way we played calls and had to throw the football instead of run it took away a 7 yard run by Tony Pollard that would have been second and three with the time running down literally they were gifted that last drive and I'm gonna say it in every one of these lions got screwed tight post I'm tired of hearing it the Cowboys have been on the wrong end of many of these and it's about time someone made it right..

 

[Boyzmamacita]

Is it a Dan Quinn thing? Didn't he have the Super Bowl fiasco with his Falcons defense? I hope he makes some adjustments. It's time to roll in all phases.