Cowboys Don't Want Red Zone To Be Dead Zone In 2010
Dallas Morning News

Irving, TX., Saturday, June 12, 2010. Three months from now, on a late summer evening a few miles from our nation's capital in the season opener, the Cowboys should find themselves in the red zone.

The question then becomes will they find the end zone?

That didn't happen nearly enough last season. One of the most prolific offenses in the league too often lost its equilibrium the closer it got to the goal line.

"When you're second in the league in offense and whatever we were in the red zone and scoring, it just doesn't add up," tight end Jason Witten said.

No. 2 in yards gained.

No. 14 in scoring.

No. 14 in red zone efficiency, scoring touchdowns only 52 percent of the time inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

This is the sort of flawed math that got AIG in so much trouble.

The coaching staff has spent the last month-and-a-half analyzing this disconnect. They have challenged their own offensive theory and installed a few different schemes.

"We feel some of the things we did last year didn't fit us well enough," coach Wade Phillips declared earlier in the week. "We will take a different approach this season than we did in 2009."

It's a little early for specifics. But let's just say that more is not always better, unless that means more Witten near the goal line.

It means fewer penalties that disrupt the flow and put the Cowboys in a frenetic state. It will likely mean fewer snaps out of the shotgun in the shadow of the goal posts.

Diversity is a founding principle of the offense under coordinator Jason Garrett. That's a positive. But you wondered at times last season if Garrett was too democratic with his play calling in the red zone, if the players had been in the scheme long enough to maximize all of the options.

A flurry of formations can confuse a defense, but it can also make offensive execution sporadic.

Phillips has intimated he prefers to repeat successful plays in the red zone rather than adhere to a philosophy that attempts to keep a defense off balance with surprises. Witten is a prime example.

The tight end had 14 passes thrown his way in the red zone and came away with four touchdowns in 2007.

He had just 13 passes directed his way over the last two seasons and came away with four touchdowns. Only two of his 94 receptions in '09 resulted in scores.

"I think Witten comes to mind more than anybody," Phillips said. "We had been getting it to him a lot in the red zone. We didn't do it quite as much last year. We shouldn't have gotten away from that."

Witten will still be asked to stay in and block when the Cowboys are near the goal line. Certain protections will demand it. But look for the offense to make a conscious effort to spring him into the pattern more.

Miles Austin in the slot is another option to watch.

The Cowboys must also watch penalties.

"I think the biggest thing is we've got to eliminate some of the negative plays that we had," Garrett said. "I think the biggest thing is being efficient, particularly on early downs, and continue to stay in some reasonable down-and-distance situations where you can run your offense."

That has been an emphasis of the organized team activities and this minicamp.

"It's hard to coach not committing penalties," Garrett said. "You try to coach being efficient, using good technique, understanding what you're doing. If your feet are in good position and your hands are in good position, it's easier to finish a block without committing a holding penalty at the end of the down."

Here's the only math the Cowboys need to know when they take the field against the Redskins in September.

"You can't walk away with a three," Witten said, "when you should have seven."
 

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