A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 2003 Dallas Cowboys season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jerry Jones |
| General manager | Jerry Jones |
| Head coach | Bill Parcells |
| Home field | Texas Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Panthers) 10–29 |
| Pro Bowlers | Flozell Adams T Larry Allen G Dexter Coakley LB La'Roi Glover DT Roy Williams S |
| AP All-Pros | Roy Williams (1st team) La'Roi Glover (2nd team) Dat Nguyen (2nd team) |
The 2003 Dallas Cowboys season was the 44th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). For the first time since 1989, Emmitt Smith was not on the opening day roster, culminating with for the first time since 1987, neither Michael Irvin (1988-1999), Aikman (1989-2000) on the roster either. Coming off three consecutive 5–11 seasons, Dallas hired former New York Giants, New York Jets, and New England Patriots coach Bill Parcells. In a scheduling coincidence, the Cowboys faced all three said teams in the 2003 regular season. The team was vastly improved and posted a 10–6 record. In the Wild Card round of the playoffs the team lost to the Carolina Panthers 29–10.
Draft class
| 2003 Dallas Cowboys draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Terence Newman * | CB | Kansas State | |
| 2 | 38 | Al Johnson | C | Wisconsin | |
| 3 | 69 | Jason Witten * | TE | Tennessee | [1] |
| 4 | 103 | Bradie James | LB | LSU | |
| 6 | 178 | B. J. Tucker | CB | Wisconsin | |
| 6 | 186 | Zuriel Smith | WR | Hampton | |
| 7 | 219 | Justin Bates | G | Colorado | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Notes
- The Cowboys traded their 2002 seventh-round (No. 237 overall) and 2003 fifth-round (No. 140 overall) selections to the New England Patriots for a 2002 fifth-round (No. 168 overall) selection.
- The Cowboys traded their 2002 first-round (No. 6 overall) selection to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for 2002 first (No. 8 overall) and third-round (No. 75 overall) selections, and a 2003 sixth-round (No. 186 overall) selection.[2]
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Erik Bickerstaff | Running back | Wisconsin |
| Keith O'Neil | Linebacker | Northern Arizona |
| Tony Romo | Quarterback | Eastern Illinois |
| Torrin Tucker | Tackle | Southern Miss |
Roster
Regular season
Despite the release of team legend Emmitt Smith, the Cowboys' fortunes began to change with the introduction of Parcells as head coach. Parcells began to reshape the team, particularly on offense, with an overhaul of the coaching staff, including former New York Giants offensive coordinator Sean Payton. Parcells retained much of the defensive staff, including defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, and maintained the team's basic 4–3 defense instead of immediately installing the 3–4 defense which was a trademark of all Parcells's prior teams. This proved a wise decision, as the Cowboys finished the season with the top-ranked overall defense. As in his previous stops, Parcells started to rebuild his team through the draft. In his first year in Dallas, Parcells picked future Pro Bowl players cornerback Terence Newman, tight end Jason Witten and future Cowboys defensive captain linebacker Bradie James. One of the biggest rookie acquisitions came via free agency when the team signed undrafted rookie and future franchise quarterback Tony Romo (although that move got little attention for a few years). Also typical of his prior teams, Parcells brought in veteran players who had played for him at his previous coaching stops, signing fullback Richie Anderson and speedy wide receiver Terry Glenn with whom Parcells had a checkered history.
Though the Cowboys opened the season with a loss, a dramatic come-from-behind victory the next week against the Giants at New York spurred the team's confidence, particularly in third-year quarterback Quincy Carter. This was followed by a reunion with Emmitt Smith (now with the Arizona Cardinals) in Dallas. Smith injured his shoulder early in the game and did not return. After starting with a 7–2 record, the Cowboys went 3–4 in the second half of the season including a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in Foxboro. The game received a lot of hype due to Bill Parcells's and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's seemingly strained relationship due to the events following their final season coaching together with the New York Jets. Though the Cowboys finished 10–6 and earned a playoff berth, they lost in the first round to the eventual NFC champions, the Carolina Panthers.
The Cowboys ranked first in total defense (253.5 yards per game), third in rushing defense, and second in scoring (16.3 points per game), which helped the team qualify for the playoffs for the first time in four years. In October, the Cowboys snapped a six-game losing streak to the Philadelphia Eagles (at halftime of the Eagles game, Tex Schramm was posthumously inducted into the club's Ring of Honor).
This turned out to be the final season for long-time (and often Pro Bowl) Cowboys safety Darren Woodson. Woodson represented the last player link to the Jimmy Johnson Cowboys (and to all three Super Bowl teams of the 1990s). Woodson was on the roster the following season (2004) but never saw action due to injury.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | Atlanta Falcons | L 13–27 | 0–1 | Texas Stadium | 64,104 |
| 2 | September 15 | at New York Giants | W 35–32 (OT) | 1–1 | Giants Stadium | 78,907 |
| 3 | Bye | |||||
| 4 | September 28 | at New York Jets | W 17–6 | 2–1 | Giants Stadium | 77,863 |
| 5 | October 5 | Arizona Cardinals | W 24–7 | 3–1 | Texas Stadium | 63,601 |
| 6 | October 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 23–21 | 4–1 | Texas Stadium | 63,648 |
| 7 | October 19 | at Detroit Lions | W 38–7 | 5–1 | Ford Field | 61,160 |
| 8 | October 26 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 0–16 | 5–2 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,602 |
| 9 | November 2 | Washington Redskins | W 21–14 | 6–2 | Texas Stadium | 64,002 |
| 10 | November 9 | Buffalo Bills | W 10–6 | 7–2 | Texas Stadium | 63,770 |
| 11 | November 16 | Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=2003_Dallas_Cowboys_season|||||