patterns and other underneath stuff. Going over the top would only have gotten them into further trouble, and that is if Romo would have had time to do so.
Why, one time when the Cowboys went three wide from the New England 22, the Patriots lined up six guys across the front and five guys across the 15-yard line, seven yards off the line of scrimmage. And at the snap of the ball - Doug Free false started - the two safeties made a B-line backward to the 10.
And now, let's deal with the two times the Cowboys didn't score a touchdown on their three trips inside the red zone.
First, first-and-goal from the seven. Play-fake, and throw right to DeMarco Murray. The throw is a tad low, but catchable. Murray doesn't. If he does, he has a chance to score. Good call. Bad execution.
Second down, the idea was to throw to tight end Jason Witten to the left. Three Patriots bracket him. Dez is singled to the right, but smothered. And here comes Miles Austin, breaking right out of the left slot on a standing still Patrick Chung. Easy touchdown, right? Nope, Andre Carter beats Tyron Smith for the 11-yard sack. So, afraid to trust Romo to throw the ball in the end zone? Nope, and Romo saw it, needed another second and it would have been a touchdown.
Then the first-and-goal at the 10 possession that created so much contention. Tight end screen to Marty B, left, picks up five. Would have been a touchdown if Phil Costa gets his block on Carter. He didn't.
Second-and-goal, Dez is singled covered to the left. Romo seemed unsure of what Dez was going to do, momentarily open at the left goal-line pylon. But here comes Laurent Robinson streaking across the back of the end zone wide open. Unfortunately, the pocket is badly collapsing thanks to Wilfork (yes, him again) and Romo couldn't wait, dumping the ball left to Choice incomplete, the outlet, not the called play.
So again, not trusting Romo to throw the ball into the end zone or running out of time? And on the now ignominious shovel pass to Choice, if Doug Free gets his block on a blitzing Brandon Spikes, Choice is heading for a touchdown. But Spikes luckily is blitzing into the hole vacated by a pulling Kevin Kowalski and Free doesn't get the guy who runs Choice down from behind for a three-yard loss.
So not trusting Romo or poor execution?
Come on. Garrett better trust Romo, otherwise the Cowboys aren't scoring touchdowns. The Cowboys have scored 10 touchdowns in five games, a rather humble average of two a game. Eight of those touchdowns are compliments of Romo throwing, and one thanks to Jon Kitna. The other, a one-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Cowboys as many rushing touchdowns as 0-5 St. Louis.
This also meant, since the Cowboys had to kick a field goal, that only one team has a worse touchdown percentage once reaching the red zone than the Cowboys' 33.3 percent. That would be St. Louis' 25. And it's getting worse, the Cowboys going an OK 3-of-7 the first two games and then 3-of-11 the past three.
Oh, by the way, the only other team with a red-zone percentage as poor as the Cowboys? That would be Miami, and the Dolphins have all of two rushing touchdowns. Coincidence? Me thinks not.
Well, this Sunday, the Cowboys will counter any big-boying going on out there with the 330-pound Montrae Holland, the original plan at left guard, now that Nagy is out for the season with the fractured ankle. Fullback Tony Fiammetta will be available. Maybe the Cowboys will be able to run a little on the league's 32nd-ranked rushing defense, one yielding 4.9 yards a carry.
Said Jones, "We all agree we need to get that running game going so we can balance the passing game with the running game."
And that's the gosh-honest truth, all of it. That is, if you can handle the truth.
