TIMES’ NFL WRITER T.J. SIMERS POSES--AND ANSWERS--THE BURNING QUESTIONS ON : GAME DAY

Question: Why have the Cowboys had so much trouble scoring?

Answer: San Francisco Coach Steve Mariucci knows. After hearing that Dallas Coach Barry Switzer insists on calling the “red” zone the “green” zone because “when you play offense it’s the green zone,” Mariucci told reporters: “It’s red zone, red zone, red zone. The whole world calls it red zone. Maybe that’s why they’re having problems. They changed the name.”

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Q: Who is the most overrated coach in football?

A: Washington Coach Norv Turner. Mr. Mediocre is 4-4 this year, 22-34 overall and the only active coach in his fourth season yet to make the playoffs.

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Q: What happens to the Atlanta Falcons now that owner Rankin Smith has died?

A: They continue to lose. Smith, who paid $8.5 million for the expansion opportunity in Atlanta in 1965 for a team now valued at $191 million, directed the Falcons to the playoffs five times in 31 years.

The Falcons, who have never had consecutive winning seasons, will continue the losing tradition under Smith’s son, Taylor.

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Q: Everyone knows Ram quarterback Tony Banks cannot hang on to the ball, but who is No. 2 in lost fumbles in the NFL?

A: Pittsburgh running back Jerome Bettis. Banks has six lost fumbles, but Bettis is right there with five.

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Q: Which player has the record for consecutive 100-yard rushing performances on the road?

A: Marcus Allen. Allen hit the 100-yard mark seven times in a row on the road between 1985 and 1986, but now Detroit’s Barry Sanders has the opportunity to tie that record against the Packers tonight. Sanders has six in a row, tying him with Atlanta’s Gerald Riggs and Cleveland’s Jim Brown.