Dallas Cowboys Information
The Dallas Cowboys are still “America’s Team” in the minds of many, especially people that live in the south. Cowboy fans are loyal to the team and can be seen at almost every stadium in every city. The team started up in 1960 under Coach Tom Landry who would go on to coach the team through 1988, winning two Super Bowls in the process. Jimmy Johnson became the new coach and led the team to another two championships. Barry Switzer took over in 1994 and won the fifth championship in franchise history. In all, the Cowboys also have 10 conference championships, 18 division championships, and 27 playoff appearances. Legendary coach Bill Parcells even came out of retirement to coach the team in 2003. Parcells, also known as “The Tuna”, will be back for the 2004 season. The team rebounded from three straight losing seasons to post a 10-6 record and find themselves in the playoffs for the first time in five years.
Quincy Carter established himself as a legitimate NFL QB in 2003 and will start the season as the team’s leader. The team acquired Vinny Testaverde and Drew Henson in the off-season as backup for Carter. After all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith left the team following the 2002 season, Troy Hambrick moved up as the team’s first choice running back. Hambrick ran for 972 yards last season but only averaged 3.5 yards per carry, one of the lowest in the league. Hambrick has moved on and the Cowboys drafted Julius Jones out of Notre Dame in the 2004 draft. Julius Jones, the younger brother of NFL running back Thomas Jones, will likely be the team’s starter out of training camp. Joey Galloway, the team’s second receiver in 2003, was traded to Tampa bay for Keyshawn Johnson, who will team up with Terry Glenn and Antonio Bryant to form a solid receiving corps.
The team will rally around its star defense again in the hopes of reaching the playoffs for a second consecutive year. The defensive unit is young and explosive with a lot of great players that can work together. Dat Nguyen led the team with 121 tackles and an amazing 12 tackles for loss last season while Greg Ellis recorded eight sacks and four forced fumbles. Terence Newman had a team high four interceptions last season while defending 20 passes. The team also had four other players defense at least nine passes during the season. One player on defense that no offensive player will ever forget is Roy Williams. Williams, a safety out of Oklahoma, is known to deliver bone-jarring hits on running backs, quarterbacks, and receivers alike. His aggressive play shows a passion for the game that can likely only be matched by Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, one of the most intimidating people on the planet.
The Cowboys made eight draft picks in the 2004 draft, but a few moves surprised some people on draft day. It was quite obvious the team was looking to upgrade at running back, and when their pick in the first round came up, Oregon State running back Steven Jackson was still on the board, but the team elected to trade down and pick up an extra pick. Jackson was thought by many to be the most complete running back in the draft, and it was also noted that he had been a huge Cowboys fan since he was a child, but he later went to the St. Louis Rams. Their first selection came in the second round when they selected Jones with the 43rd overall pick. The Cowboys used a second and third round pick to select offensive lineman and upgrade a weak position from the 2003 season. Their only three picks on the defensive side of the ball were all used to select corner backs although it is unlikely all three will be on the opening day roster.