2001 Dallas Cowboys season

The 2001 Dallas Cowboys season was the team’s 42nd in the National Football League. The Cowboys matched their record from the season before, going 5-11 and missing the playoffs, finishing last in the NFC East. Prior to the 2001 season, Cowboys’ quarterback Troy Aikman retired, after playing for the team from 1989 to 2000.

2001 Dallas Cowboys season
Head coachDave Campo
Home fieldTexas Stadium
Results
Record5–11
Division place5th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersG Larry Allen
LB Dexter Coakley

Offseason
AdditionsSubtractions
WR Darrin Chiaverini (Browns)QB Randall Cunningham (Ravens)
QB Ryan Leaf (Chargers)QB Troy Aikman (retirement)

An eventful off-season created a lot buzz but little change in the Cowboys’ fortunes. Franchise quarterback Troy Aikman, after suffering a pair of concussions the previous season, was released by the team. Unable to sign on with another team — in part due to his long history of concussions — Aikman announced his retirement at an emotional and lengthy press conference later in the off-season. This left running back Emmitt Smith as the last of the famed “triplets” from the Cowboys’ Super Bowl victories. Veteran quarterback Tony Banks was signed in the off-season from the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens as an immediate replacement, and owner Jerry Jones hand picked Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter with a second round draft choice as the quarterback of the future. Many saw the Carter pick as quite a reach considering Carter’s inconsistent career at Georgia and his low draft rating by several other teams.

2001 draft class
Main article: 2001 NFL draft
2001 Dallas Cowboys draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
2 53 Quincy Carter  QB Georgia
2 56 Tony Dixon  SS Alabama
3 93 Willie Blade  DT Mississippi State compensatory
4 122 Markus Steele  LB Southern California
5 137 Matt Lehr  G Virginia Tech
6 171 Daleroy Stewart  DT Southern Mississippi
7 207 Colston Weatherington  DL Central Missouri State
7 240 John Nix  DT Southern Mississippi compensatory
7 242 Char-ron Dorsey  OT Florida State compensatory
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Notes

  • The Cowboys traded their 2000 first-round (No. 19 overall) and 2001 first-round (No. 7 overall) selections to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for wide receiver Joey Galloway.
  • The Cowboys traded their original second-round selection (No. 37 overall) to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for second (No. 52 overall) and third-round (No. 81 overall) selections.
  • The Cowboys traded their second-round (No. 52 overall, from Indianapolis) selection to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for second (No. 56 overall) and fourth-round (No. 122 overall) selections.
  • The Cowboys traded two third-round (Nos. 70 and 81 overall) selections to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a second-round (No. 53 overall) selection.
  • The Cowboys traded their fourth-round (No. 102 overall) and 2002 seventh-round (No. 217 overall) selections to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for tight end O.J. Santiago. [1]

Undrafted free agents
2001 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Jason Bell Cornerback UCLA
Demetric Evans Defensive end Georgia
Lynn Scott Safety Northwestern Oklahoma State

Roster
Dallas Cowboys 2001 roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

 Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

 Reserve Lists

Rookies in italics
53 Active, 13 Inactive

Coaching staff
Dallas Cowboys 2001 coaching staff
Front Office

Head coaches

Offensive Coaches

  

Defensive Coaches

Special Teams Coaches

  • Strength and Conditioning – Joe Juraszek

Source:[2]

Regular season

Despite what seemed a promising outing in the first pre-season game by starter Tony Banks, the Cowboys, in a very surprising move, released Banks in the middle of training camp and handed the reins over to their rookie quarterback. Unfortunately, a combination of injuries and ineffectiveness led to the Cowboys starting a total of four different quarterbacks over the course of the season including journeyman Anthony Wright and former Arkansas Razorback Clint Stoerner. In an attempt to provide more depth at the quarterback position, the team signed former second-overall draft pick Ryan Leaf mid-season, however he provided no improvement in his limited playing time. His only start of the season, a Week 9 loss to the Falcons, was the final start of his career. The game also marked the first start for Falcons QB Michael Vick.

Even with the injection of new blood, the Cowboys suffered through another 5–11 campaign and a last place finish in the NFC East. The lack of development at quarterback and the offense as a whole would be blamed on offensive coordinator Jack Reilly who was dismissed after the season. Fans became weary of the Cowboys’ performance and blamed owner Jerry Jones, who by now had taken a more hands-on approach to running the team.

One notable game included week 7, where the Cowboys led the Giants 24–7 at halftime, but (thanks in part to Clint Stoerner’s throwing 4 interceptions) the Giants rallied to win in overtime. In an unusual move, Stoerner was pulled from the game for Ryan Leaf late in the 4th quarter of a tie game. It was Leaf’s debut with the team, but he couldn't lead them to victory.

Another infamous game was on Thanksgiving Day against the Broncos. Dallas trailed 26–10 and scored a touchdown in the 4th quarter. Coach Dave Campo decided against “going for 2” which if successful would have made it an eight-point (and one possession game). Campo instead kicked the extra point, keeping the margin at 9. Dallas did score one more late TD but that was not enough to tie the game and they never got the ball back, and lost 26–24.

A fourth consecutive season sweep of rival Washington Redskins and a victory over the San Francisco 49ers were the only victories of note. Much of the focus turned towards Emmitt Smith and his pursuit of the all-time career rushing yardage record. During an early-season game against the San Diego Chargers, Bob Hayes was inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor.

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result TV Time (CT) Attendance
1 September 9, 2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 10–6 FOX 12:00pm
61,521
Postponed to week 17 due to September 11
2 September 23, 2001 San Diego Chargers L 32–21 CBS 12:00pm
63,430
3 September 30, 2001 at Philadelphia Eagles L 40–18 ESPN 7:35pm
66,621
4 October 7, 2001 at Oakland Raiders L 28–21 FOX 3:15pm
61,535
5 October 15, 2001 Washington Redskins W 9–7 ABC 8:05pm
63,941
6 Bye
7 October 28, 2001 Arizona Cardinals W 17–3 FOX 3:05pm
63,114
8 November 4, 2001 at New York Giants L 27–24 FOX 12:00pm
78,673
9 November 11, 2001 at Atlanta Falcons L 20–13 FOX 12:00pm
69,010
10 November 18, 2001 Philadelphia Eagles L 36–3 FOX 12:00pm
63,204
11 November 22, 2001 Denver Broncos L 26–24 CBS 3:15pm
64,104
12 December 2, 2001 at Washington Redskins W 20–14 FOX 3:15pm
85,112
13 December 9, 2001 New York Giants W 20–13 FOX 12:00pm
61,821
14 December 16, 2001 at Seattle Seahawks L 29–3 FOX 3:15pm
63,366
15 December 23, 2001 at Arizona Cardinals L 17–10 FOX 3:05pm
48,883
16 December 30, 2001 San Francisco 49ers W 27–21 FOX 12:00pm
64,366
17 January 6, 2002 at Detroit Lions L 15–10 FOX 12:00pm
77,512

Standings
NFC East
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(3) Philadelphia Eagles 11 5 0 .688 343 208 W2
Washington Redskins 8 8 0 .500 256 303 W2
New York Giants 7 9 0 .438 294 321 L2
Arizona Cardinals 7 9 0 .438 295 343 L1
Dallas Cowboys 5 11 0 .313 246 338 L1

References
  1. "2001 NFL Draft Pick Transactions". ProSportsTransactions.com.
  2. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 113

Publications
  • The Football Encyclopedia ISBN 0-312-11435-4
  • Total Football ISBN 0-06-270170-3
  • Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes ISBN 0-446-51950-2
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