2003 Season

he 2003 Dallas Cowboys season was the 44th season for the team in the National Football League. 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.

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 would be followed by a reunion with Emmitt Smith (now with the Arizona Cardinals) in Dallas. Smith would injure his shoulder early in the game and 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 and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick seemingly^{[according to whom?]} 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 the decade. 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 JohnsonCowboys (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	Kickoff Time (CST)	Attendance
1	September 7, 2003	Atlanta Falcons	L 27–13	FOX 3:15pm	64,104
2	September 15, 2003	at New York Giants	W 35–32	ABC 8:00pm	78,907
3	Bye
4	September 28, 2003	at New York Jets	W 17–6	FOX 3:15pm	77,863
5	October 5, 2003	Arizona Cardinals	W 24–7	FOX 12:00pm	63,601
6	October 12, 2003	Philadelphia Eagles	W 23–21	FOX 12:00pm	63,648
7	October 19, 2003	at Detroit Lions	W 38–7	FOX 12:00pm	61,160
8	October 26, 2003	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 16–0	FOX 12:00pm	65,602
9	November 2, 2003	Washington Redskins	W 21–14	FOX 3:15pm	64,002
10	November 9, 2003	Buffalo Bills	W 10–6	CBS 3:15pm	63,770
11	November 16, 2003	at New England Patriots	L 12–0	ESPN 7:30pm	68,436
12	November 23, 2003	Carolina Panthers	W 24–20	FOX 12:00pm	63,871
13	November 27, 2003	Miami Dolphins	L 40–21	CBS 3:00pm	64,110
14	December 7, 2003	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 36–10	FOX 12:00pm	69,773
15	December 14, 2003	at Washington Redskins	W 27–0	FOX 3:15pm	70,284
16	December 21, 2003	New York Giants	W 19–3	FOX 12:00pm	64,118
17	December 28, 2003	at New Orleans Saints	L 13–7	FOX 12:00pm	68,451

Roster

Dallas Cowboys 2003 roster
Quarterbacks 17 Quincy Carter  7 Chad Hutchinson  9 Tony Romo Running Backs 20 Richie Anderson FB 29 Michael Bates 46 Erik Bickerstaff 42 Troy Hambrick 34 Jamar Martin FB Wide Receivers 88 Antonio Bryant 84 Joey Galloway 83 Terry Glenn 80 Cedric James 87 Zuriel Smith RS 89 Randal Williams Tight Ends 86 Dan Campbell 81 James Whalen 82 Jason Witten		Offensive Linemen 76 Flozell Adams T 73 Larry Allen G 70 Javiar Collins T 65 Andre Gurode G/C 68 Matt Lehr C/G 77 Torrin Tucker G/T 78 Kurt Vollers T 71 Tyson Walter C 75 Ryan Young T Defensive Linemen 99 Willie Blade DT 92 Jermaine Brooks DT 93 Kenyon Coleman DE 96 Ebenezer Ekuban DE 98 Greg Ellis DE 97 La'Roi Glover DT 90 Eric Ogbogu DE 64 Daleroy Stewart DT		Linebackers 50 Jamal Brooks MLB 52 Dexter Coakley OLB 56 Bradie James OLB/MLB 59 Dat Nguyen MLB 54 Keith O'Neil MLB 58 Scott Shanle MLB 51 Al Singleton OLB 55 Markus Steele OLB Defensive Backs 24 Tony Dixon SS 27 Mario Edwards CB 47 Pete Hunter CB 41 Terence Newman CB 25 Jemeel Powell CB 38 Lynn Scott FS 31 Roy Williams FS 28 Darren Woodson SS Special Teams  3 Billy Cundiff K  4 Toby Gowin P 85 Jeff Robinson LS/TE		Reserve Lists 91 Leonardo Carson DT (IR)  23 Aveion Cason RB (IR)  26 Andrew Davison CB (IR)  63 Gennaro DiNapoli G/C (IR)  62 Al Johnson C (IR)  30 Donald Mitchell CB (IR)  Rookies in italics 53 Active, 6 Inactive