2002 Dallas Cowboys season

The 2002 Dallas Cowboys season was the 43rd season for the team in the National Football League. It was Emmitt Smith's 13th and final season with the team, officially marking the end of the famed "triplets" tenure in Dallas after wide receiver Michael Irvin was forced to retire prematurely after the 1999 season and quarterback Troy Aikman retired prior to the start of the 2001 season. All three players would eventually be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was also the last of three consecutive 5-11 finishes for the Cowboys, beginning in 2000. Texas Stadium also saw new RealGrass Turf surface by week 5 replacing the AstroTurf.

2002 Dallas Cowboys season
OwnerJerry Jones
Head coachDave Campo
General managerJerry Jones
Home fieldTexas Stadium
Results
Record5–11
Division place4th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersLa'Roi Glover DT
AP All-ProsLa'Roi Glover (2nd team)
Uniform

Offseason
AdditionsSubtractions
TE Tony McGee (Bengals)QB Ryan Leaf (Seahawks)
LB Kevin Hardy (Jaguars)LS Mike Solwold (Buccaneers)
DT La'Roi Glover (Saints)WR Darrin Chiaverini (Falcons)
WR Darnay Scott (Bengals)FS Izell Reese (Broncos)

Despite an off-season filled with promise, the season would again prove to be a disaster. Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator and head coach Bruce Coslet was brought in to run the offense for Dallas. Even though he was dismissed by Cincinnati, his history of high-powered offenses while running the Bill Walsh–style West Coast offense provided hope for the Cowboys. A promising draft which included former Oklahoma Sooners All-American selection safety Roy Williams in the first round and the free agent addition of Pro Bowl defensive tackle La'Roi Glover provided even more hope for weary Cowboy fans. The team was also covered throughout training camp and featured on the HBO series Hard Knocks with a strong emphasis on the anticipation of running back Emmitt Smith's road to the NFL's all-time rushing record.

2002 draft class
Main article: 2002 NFL draft
2002 Dallas Cowboys draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 8 Roy Williams *  S Oklahoma
2 37 Andre Gurode *  C Colorado
2 63 Antonio Bryant  WR Pittsburgh
3 75 Derek Ross  CB Ohio State
4 129 Jamar Martin  FB Ohio State
5 168 Pete Hunter  DB Virginia Union
6 179 Tyson Walter  G Ohio State
6 208 Deveren Johnson  WR Sacred Heart compensatory
6 211 Bob Slowikowski  TE Virginia Tech compensatory
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Notes

  • The Cowboys traded their original first-round (No. 6 overall) selection to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for first (No. 8 overall) and third-round (No. 75 overall) selections, and a 2003 sixth-round (No. 186 overall) selection.
  • The Cowboys traded their original third (No. 72 overall), fourth (No. 104 overall) and fifth-round (No. 140 overall) selections to the Chicago Bears in exchange for second (No. 63 overall) and fourth-round (No. 129 overall) selections.
  • The Cowboys traded return man Jeff Ogden to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a seventh-round (No. 237 overall) selection.
  • The Cowboys traded their seventh-round (No. 237 overall) and 2003 fifth-round (No. 168 overall) selection to the New England Patriots for a fifth-round (No. 168 overall) selection.
  • The Cowboys traded their 2001 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
2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Khary Campbell Linebacker Bowling Green
Billy Cundiff Placekicker Drake
Woodrow Dantzler Running back Clemson
Keith Davis Safety Sam Houston State
Filip Filipović Punter South Dakota
Chad Hutchinson Quarterback Stanford

Regular season

The air would immediately be let out of the Cowboys' balloon in the opening regular season contest which saw the team suffer a defeat to first year expansion team and new cross state rival, the Houston Texans. Though quarterback Quincy Carter again opened the season as the starter, he would eventually be benched in favor of newly signed Chad Hutchinson who, until that year, had been a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals after leaving Stanford as a two sport star. Many believed that owner Jerry Jones pressured head coach Dave Campo into starting Hutchinson much too early, due in part to the large signing bonus Jones paid to acquire the quarterback. Regardless, neither quarterback proved effective and the team once again spiraled towards a losing season.

It is believed 2002 was the first time a NFL franchise had five African American starters on their offensive line, when the Cowboys lined up rookie center Andre Gurode, tackles Flozell Adams and Solomon Page, guards Larry Allen and Kelvin Garmon.[2]

The Cowboys kept making NFL history on October 27 at home against the Seattle Seahawks. Despite a close loss, Emmitt Smith would break the all-time career yardage rushing record previously held by Walter Payton.[3] The game was stopped momentarily in recognition of the moment, allowing an emotional Smith to briefly celebrate with teammates both current and past who attended the game, as well as members of Payton's family. Smith would also later score his 125th rushing touchdown of his career on the same drive. The milestone moment would provide the lone bright spot of the year for the team and Smith, who would fail to reach the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the season for the first time in his career since his rookie season of 1990. Overshadowed by the NFL rushing landmark, safety Darren Woodson quietly also became the Dallas Cowboys all-time leading tackler.

During a late season loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, reports began to surface that owner Jerry Jones had secretly met with former New York Giants, New England Patriots and New York Jets head coach Bill Parcells in relation to the head coaching position with the Dallas Cowboys on board Jones' private jet. Though this would prove to be a critical move to the Cowboys future success, it was nonetheless embarrassing for current head coach Dave Campo who had received no word that any potential moves were pending, and Jerry Jones was roundly criticized for the incident. On field ineptitude and off field controversy would once again lead to a 5–11 season, the team's third consecutive such finish. Dave Campo would be predictably dismissed after the season.

Notable additions to the team include wide receiver Antonio Bryant, and center Andre Gurode.

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Attendance Record
1
 September 8, 2002 at Houston Texans L 19–10
69,604
 0–1
2
 September 15, 2002 Tennessee Titans W 21–13
62,527
 1–1
3
 September 22, 2002 at Philadelphia Eagles L 44–13
65,537
 1–2
4
 September 29, 2002 at St. Louis Rams W 13–10
66,165
 2–2
5
 October 6, 2002 New York Giants L 21–17
63,447
 2–3
6
 October 13, 2002 Carolina Panthers W 14–13
61,773
 3–3
7
 October 20, 2002 at Arizona Cardinals L 9–6
59,702
 3–4
8
 October 27, 2002 Seattle Seahawks L 17–14
63,854
 3–5
9
 November 3, 2002 at Detroit Lions L 9–7
61,789
 3–6
10
 Bye
11
 November 17, 2002 at Indianapolis Colts L 20–3
57,057
 3–7
12
 November 24, 2002 Jacksonville Jaguars W 21–19
62,204
 4–7
13
 November 28, 2002 Washington Redskins W 27–20
63,606
 5–7
14
 December 8, 2002 San Francisco 49ers L 31–27
64,097
 5–8
15
 December 15, 2002 at New York Giants L 37–7
78,698
 5–9
16
 December 21, 2002 Philadelphia Eagles L 27–3
63,209
 5–10
17
 December 29, 2002 at Washington Redskins L 20–14
84,142
 5–11

Week 9: at Detroit Lions
Week 9: Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions
1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 0 077
Lions 0 0 639

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

  • Date: November 3, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 pm
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 64,013
  • Referee: Walt Coleman (65)
  • TV: Fox
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 12 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
See also: 2002 Jacksonville Jaguars season
Jacksonville Jaguars at Dallas Cowboys
1 2 34Total
Jaguars 0 5 01419
Cowboys 0 7 7721

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

Standings
NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Philadelphia Eagles 12 4 0 .750 5–1 11–1 415 241 L1
(5) New York Giants 10 6 0 .625 5–1 8–4 320 279 W4
Washington Redskins 7 9 0 .438 1–5 4–8 307 365 W2
Dallas Cowboys 5 11 0 .313 1–5 3–9 217 329 L4

Personnel

Staff
2002 Dallas Cowboys staff
Front office
  • Owner, President and General Manager – Jerry Jones
  • COO, Director of Player Personnel, and Executive Vice President – Stephen Jones
  • Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Vice President, and General Counsel – Jerry Jones, Jr.
  • Assistant Director Player Personnel – Todd Williams
  • Director of Football Operations – Bruce Mays
  • Director of College and Pro Scouting – Larry Lancewell

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Joe Juraszek
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Tony Ollison
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Bennie Wylie

[4]

Roster
Dallas Cowboys 2002 roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

 Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

 Reserve Lists

Rookies in italics
53 Active, 11 Inactive

Awards and records

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

References
  1. "2002 NFL Draft Pick Transactions". ProSportsTransactions.com.
  2. http://a.espncdn.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1417470.html
  3. Numbelivable!, p.159, Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano, Triumph Books, Chicago, Illinois, 2007, ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0
  4. "Media Guide Dallas Cowboys". Dallas Cowboys. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
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