How Do We Get Better in the Redzone?

[CowboyMcCoy]

We sucked at it last year. It's one of Garrett's biggest flaws. How do we get better inside the 20 this year?

 

[roughneck266]

You get a tight end in the draft that can go vertical. At least I think that is what they are wanting out of Escobar. Speed aside, he supposedly has really good hands and is very tall.

 

[CF74]

Get good at the fade or running the ball for starters..

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

Get Romo to shed a few more pounds so he can run faster . . . . . . . . . . .

 

[jobberone]

If you cannot run the ball in short yardage situations then you're forced to pass. That makes play calling very problematic and the D gains a lot of leverage. Forcing the D to play against the run and pass in all their forms makes it much more difficult and that's the first big key. Obviously the OL improving falls here.

The NFL is about matchups. Get Escobar, Dez, Hanna and Miles in good situations for them and your odds go up significantly.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

Also running effectively between the tackles. If you can do that, you can do almost anything to a defense.

 

[Eskimo]

We come out with the 13 package. You put Dez out on one side and Escobar out wide on the other side.

If teams decide they don't want to double them you give them a chance to work 1-on-1 for the TD.

If teams double team then you only have 7 guys in the box to deal with our 7 blockers. If everyone gets a hat on their guy we should be able to score.

Otherwise, I think we'll probably try and run a fair bit behind TFred up the middle or Tyron to the outside.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

The two TE O should help.....so should the 4/3 D.

 

[tm1119]

Yup, running the ball is the answer. When the defense knows you can't run the ball effectively and have to cover 20 yards or less it becomes a lot easier for them. Run the ball so the opposing defense can't drop everybody back in coverage and it creates matchup problems along with keeping the D guessing.

 

[Hardline]

One way to improve red zone offense is to stop penalizing your way out of it when you get there. Or taking a sack that knocks you out of field goal range.

 

[KJJ]

Reducing penalties in the redzone would be one way of improving down there. They've caused many a drive to bog down. The Cowboys always seem to shoot themselves in the foot with stupid penalties in the redzone.

 

[XxTDxX]

Throw the ball up to dez and let him win on a ball.. It works more often than not and I don't understand why we give him more chances at some jump balls..

That play has never resulted in a pick only a TD or incompletion.

Aside from that I think that Escobar should help put him out wide one one side and Dez out wide on the other they can't double them both

 

[TheCount]

If your answer wasn't "Run the ball better.", you were wrong. :laugh2:

 

[jnday]

Garrett has had this problem for years with his offense. I don't expect anything to change. His reply is usually the fault is with the execution. In other words, it is the players fault, not his.

 

[Derinyar]

The answer is the same as it has been for years, improve the offensive line. The offensive line keeps us from running in situations that are obvious times to run. The offensive line is what gives up the sacks. We have to hope that Fredrick and either a motivate Free or an improving Parnell help out the line. Maybe if we get really lucky Leary will be able to take a guard slot.

 

[blindzebra]

Interior OL.

Guys that can get push and create a seam in the running game and stone wall the rush making the fade much easier.

 

[AMERICAS_FAN]

If you cannot run the ball in short yardage situations then you're forced to pass. That makes play calling very problematic and the D gains a lot of leverage. Forcing the D to play against the run and pass in all their forms makes it much more difficult and that's the first big key. Obviously the OL improving falls here.

The NFL is about matchups. Get Escobar, Dez, Hanna and Miles in good situations for them and your odds go up significantly.

Solidifying C and drafting a RB that can go vertical if needed to fill in for Murray helps that also.

Don't look now, but this past draft was all about establishing a running game and red zone scoring effectiveness.

Those who criticize this draft and/or claim that Dallas lacks a philophy are to naive to really see what's been going on to address this team's weaknesses and establish a smash mouth football identity.

 

[Idgit]

I believe we ended up in the top ten in TD/first down percentage on all rushing plays in the red zone in 2012. It's something I know Callahan puts a lot of emphasis on, and it's probably one of the big reasons we decided to select Frederic in the first.

OXNARD, Calif. – If you want to see Bill Callahan really smile, mention short-yardage and goal-line running to the Cowboys' offensive coordinator/offensive line coach.

“One of my favorite situations in football,” Callahan said. “It begins with an attitude and a conviction that players embrace the philosophy that you have. Whatever the package you have, whatever you have going into a game with, you got to have conviction you’re going to make that yard.”

In the long run, the 12 and 13 sets are going to help a lot more than red zone rushing. Having both Dez and Escobar in those situations is going to give us options who will hopefully go up and get the football--something Miles doesn't didn't do as well as he could have last season and that KO was reluctant to do. It's supposed to be a strength of Terrance Williams', too, though I don't imagine he'll be in on all that many red zone attempts early on.

Limiting OL penalties down there is important, too, and I'm not sure why so many of those happen, other than the miscommunications we've had at C, and the problems Free had trying to cheat on getting set in pass protection.

 

[Floatyworm]

The answer is easy........And it's been the same since Garrett took over as Offensive Co.

RUN THE FOOTBALL

Easier said than done.....

But it's gonna be the same story over and over until we get better up front.

 

[big dog cowboy]

How do we get better inside the 20 this year?

Review our draft picks.