omac
12-01-2007, 12:13 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_7595238
Broncos see red inside 20
By Woody Paige
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 11/30/2007 12:12:24 AM MST
The Red Zone was not invented by Red Grange, Red Miller, Red Auerbach, Red Buttons, the Red Sox, a communist, John Madden, the Woman In Red, Red Herring or the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Dave Plati, who nobly has served as the sports information director at the University of Colorado for a quarter of a century, does not have red hair (or much at all), but he does have a red flair for fascinating, unusual and oft-times worthless statistics — like "most yardage by a tailback who has four toes on his left foot and a pet viper: 122."
Plati moonlights for the Broncos as a statistician, someone who turns numbers into chicken salad. Years ago, he came up with this enlightening stat: "Scoring percentage inside the 20-yard line." He should have called the area "The Plati Zone." Instead, it became known as "The Red Zone," and Plati was responsible for one of the most important inventions since the Macarena.
So Mike Shanahan can blame Plati. If he hadn't thought up "The Red Zone," we wouldn't know how awful the Broncos are at scoring touchdowns when they get inside the opponents' 20-yard line this season.
If the Broncos hadn't failed to score touchdowns five times when they were in "The Red Zone" against Chicago and Green Bay, they would own a 7-4 record and be an elite playoff contender rather than a crumb-snatcher. The Broncos also butchered three opportunities in "The Red Zone" that might have changed the outcomes of the Jacksonville and Indianapolis games.
To be more specific, the Broncos have reached "The Red Zone" 33 times in 11 games, an average of three per. That's wretched, to begin with. New England has been to at least the 20 on 52 occasions, and Indianapolis 51.
As a result of those 33 trips, the Broncos have ended up with 16 touchdowns and 12 field goals. Five resulted in zilch. Their TD scoring percentage is 48.5 — 20th in the NFL.
New Orleans scores a touchdown on 74 percent of its drives that penetrate "The Red Zone. Eleven of the top 14 teams in "The Red Zone" are legitimate postseason teams.
The Broncos are down with the dregs.
"The Red Zone" statistic is very statistic in a world where figures lie and liars figure.
In the overtime loss to the Bears, the Broncos did move inside the 20 five times — and scored three touchdowns. But on the other two, they had first down at the 3-yard line and lost 2 yards before kicking a field goal. Later, it was first down at the 4, and the Broncos got zero yards in three plays before adding three points.
Their touchdown percentage in "The Red Zone" was 40.0 — not good enough.
Against Green Bay earlier, in the other overtime defeat, the Broncos scored a touchdown on their first visit to the hallowed land, but then stuttered and stopped three times. Jay Cutler fumbled to the Packers on their 1-yard line. Then the Broncos reached the Pack 16 before falling back on two holding calls and a sack. Field goal. With 25 seconds left in regulation, the Broncos reached the 4-yard line, but a pass and a run accomplished nothing, and the Broncos kicked to tie at 13. Brett Favre threw a touchdown pass on the first play of OT.
One-for-four — 25 percent.
Nobody can expect the Broncos to score a touchdown every time they move down the field, but six out of 10 is reasonable. Cleveland is at 61.0, San Diego 56.7.
If the Broncos had scored a touchdown from the Jacksonville 2-yard line in the third quarter, they wouldn't have been forced to throw a long, long pass for an interception in the final minute. A field goal at that point would have sufficed.
Shanahan can blame Plati, the defense, the special teams, the execution, the injuries, the moon and the stars, but he is responsible for calling the plays in "The Red Zone," and we can demand better selection and more creativity from a coach who does possess one of the most brilliant minds in the game. It was once said of Shanahan that if you cut open his skull, tiny footballs would tumble out of his brain. And they would have landed in the end zone, not gone over the cross bar.
Ever heard of "The Refrigerator" in goal-line situations? Is there any play worse than the fade at the 2? What about the Elway "Helicopter," a tight end drag, the rollout pitch, the Broncos' old fullback pass play into the end zone, a toss to a tackle-eligible Matt Lepsis?
If Shanahan wants to beat his Raiders of the Lost Arch Enemy and the rest of the adversaries on the December wish list, he must put the onus on himself to come up with a strategy other than a last-second timeout on a field goal.
"The Red Zone" has to become "The Orange Zone." Predominantly.
Broncos see red inside 20
By Woody Paige
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 11/30/2007 12:12:24 AM MST
The Red Zone was not invented by Red Grange, Red Miller, Red Auerbach, Red Buttons, the Red Sox, a communist, John Madden, the Woman In Red, Red Herring or the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Dave Plati, who nobly has served as the sports information director at the University of Colorado for a quarter of a century, does not have red hair (or much at all), but he does have a red flair for fascinating, unusual and oft-times worthless statistics — like "most yardage by a tailback who has four toes on his left foot and a pet viper: 122."
Plati moonlights for the Broncos as a statistician, someone who turns numbers into chicken salad. Years ago, he came up with this enlightening stat: "Scoring percentage inside the 20-yard line." He should have called the area "The Plati Zone." Instead, it became known as "The Red Zone," and Plati was responsible for one of the most important inventions since the Macarena.
So Mike Shanahan can blame Plati. If he hadn't thought up "The Red Zone," we wouldn't know how awful the Broncos are at scoring touchdowns when they get inside the opponents' 20-yard line this season.
If the Broncos hadn't failed to score touchdowns five times when they were in "The Red Zone" against Chicago and Green Bay, they would own a 7-4 record and be an elite playoff contender rather than a crumb-snatcher. The Broncos also butchered three opportunities in "The Red Zone" that might have changed the outcomes of the Jacksonville and Indianapolis games.
To be more specific, the Broncos have reached "The Red Zone" 33 times in 11 games, an average of three per. That's wretched, to begin with. New England has been to at least the 20 on 52 occasions, and Indianapolis 51.
As a result of those 33 trips, the Broncos have ended up with 16 touchdowns and 12 field goals. Five resulted in zilch. Their TD scoring percentage is 48.5 — 20th in the NFL.
New Orleans scores a touchdown on 74 percent of its drives that penetrate "The Red Zone. Eleven of the top 14 teams in "The Red Zone" are legitimate postseason teams.
The Broncos are down with the dregs.
"The Red Zone" statistic is very statistic in a world where figures lie and liars figure.
In the overtime loss to the Bears, the Broncos did move inside the 20 five times — and scored three touchdowns. But on the other two, they had first down at the 3-yard line and lost 2 yards before kicking a field goal. Later, it was first down at the 4, and the Broncos got zero yards in three plays before adding three points.
Their touchdown percentage in "The Red Zone" was 40.0 — not good enough.
Against Green Bay earlier, in the other overtime defeat, the Broncos scored a touchdown on their first visit to the hallowed land, but then stuttered and stopped three times. Jay Cutler fumbled to the Packers on their 1-yard line. Then the Broncos reached the Pack 16 before falling back on two holding calls and a sack. Field goal. With 25 seconds left in regulation, the Broncos reached the 4-yard line, but a pass and a run accomplished nothing, and the Broncos kicked to tie at 13. Brett Favre threw a touchdown pass on the first play of OT.
One-for-four — 25 percent.
Nobody can expect the Broncos to score a touchdown every time they move down the field, but six out of 10 is reasonable. Cleveland is at 61.0, San Diego 56.7.
If the Broncos had scored a touchdown from the Jacksonville 2-yard line in the third quarter, they wouldn't have been forced to throw a long, long pass for an interception in the final minute. A field goal at that point would have sufficed.
Shanahan can blame Plati, the defense, the special teams, the execution, the injuries, the moon and the stars, but he is responsible for calling the plays in "The Red Zone," and we can demand better selection and more creativity from a coach who does possess one of the most brilliant minds in the game. It was once said of Shanahan that if you cut open his skull, tiny footballs would tumble out of his brain. And they would have landed in the end zone, not gone over the cross bar.
Ever heard of "The Refrigerator" in goal-line situations? Is there any play worse than the fade at the 2? What about the Elway "Helicopter," a tight end drag, the rollout pitch, the Broncos' old fullback pass play into the end zone, a toss to a tackle-eligible Matt Lepsis?
If Shanahan wants to beat his Raiders of the Lost Arch Enemy and the rest of the adversaries on the December wish list, he must put the onus on himself to come up with a strategy other than a last-second timeout on a field goal.
"The Red Zone" has to become "The Orange Zone." Predominantly.