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Sports TwitterRaudabaugh: Red zone offense key for RedHawks
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
I'm really pleased with how practice has been going so far.
One thing we really emphasized during the offseason is that we need to be able to score points from inside the 20-yard line. Being able to control and ball and move the chains is a big thing that we were able to do last year, but we need to be able to punch it in for touchdowns. You make your money in the red zone. You can't score from the red zone unless you're in the red zone, so that's step one.
We've got a couple more weeks of camp before the season opener against Vanderbilt to work on it. Coach has designed some great schemes to punch it in, so we'll be alright.
Every receiver we have can take it to the house. They are all big-time play-makers, and they all play well off each other. Last year they were young and inexperienced and didn't always run the right routes, but this year these guys are on the ball. They know how to get open , and they know who's going to get the ball in certain situations. They're playing to win. They're not worrying about how many catches they get. They know that they're going to get the ball at some point, but they also want to see their buddy get a catch that scores a touchdown and wins the game.
They're out there flying around and having fun, and it's fun to watch. Among our young players, Andy Cruse is special. He's big and he has great soft hands.
