The 2006 Dallas Cowboys season was the 47th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and the fourth and final under head coach Bill Parcells. The season began with the team trying to improve on their 9–7 record in 2005. The base offense was changed to a 2-tight end formation. Several high-profile free agents were signed including colorful, yet controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens and kicker Mike Vanderjagt. Veteran defensive end Greg Ellis was also converted into a linebacker.
Although veteran Drew Bledsoe was the initial starter at quarterback, fourth-year backup Tony Romo replaced Bledsoe at halftime of their Week 7 matchup with the New York Giants. Romo became the starter in Week 8 due to Bledsoe's rough starts with frequent sacks and interceptions. Romo initially played very well, going 5–1 in his first six NFL starts, including a win over the previously unbeaten Indianapolis Colts, but he finished the season 1–3 with six touchdowns, six interceptions, and two fumbles lost. The Cowboys secured a playoff berth for the first time since 2003, but they did not win the division when in the final week they were defeated by a 2 win Detroit Lions team. The Cowboys lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs to the Seattle Seahawks 21–20, a game in which Romo famously botched the hold on a go-ahead field goal inside the final two minutes.
When Romo started the Thanksgiving Day game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it marked the 7th different Cowboys starting quarterback in seven consecutive Thanksgiving Day games (Troy Aikman, Ryan Leaf, Chad Hutchinson, Quincy Carter, Drew Henson, Drew Bledsoe, and Romo).
Bill Parcells retired after the season ended.
Offseason
During the 2006 offseason, the team signed several high-profile players, including kicker Mike Vanderjagt, linebacker Akin Ayodele, offensive linemen Jason Fabini and Kyle Kosier, safety Marcus Coleman, and highly controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens, who has developed a reputation for causing conflicts with teammates, coaches, opposing players, and fans. The signing of Terrell Owens received a lot of media attention, and was arguably the biggest news story during the NFL offseason. Vanderjagt had the highest field goal percentage in NFL history coming into the season and his signing was expected to solve the inconsistency problems in the Cowboys kicking game. However, Vanderjagt missed most of the pre-season with an injury and missed three very short kicks (including an extra point) in the final pre-season game (which ended in a tie).
The Cowboys also lost veteran leadership in the locker room after losing tight end Dan Campbell to the Detroit Lions, wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, left guard Larry Allen to the San Francisco 49ers, defensive tackle La'Roi Glover to the St. Louis Rams, and linebacker Dat Nguyen to a career-ending injury.
The team didn't receive much help from the 2006 NFL draft, but experienced much more success with that year's rookie undrafted free agents: Miles Austin, Stephen Bowen, Sam Hurd and Oliver Hoyte. Abram Elam, who was an undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins in 2005 and was out of football after being released in training camp that year, also contributed in special teams and in some defensive packages.
Before the season, there were high expectations for the Dallas Cowboys. Sports Illustrated writer Peter King predicted the Cowboys would win Super Bowl XLI.
2006 draft class
Notes The Cowboys traded their second-round (No. 49 overall) selection to the New York Jets in exchange for second (No. 53 overall), sixth (No. 189 overall) and seventh-round (No. 211 overall) selections. The Cowboys traded their third-round (No. 80 overall) selection to the Jacksonville Jaguars for third (No. 92 overall) and fourth-round (No. 125 overall) selections. The Cowboys traded their 2005 fifth-round (No. 148 overall) and 2006 fourth-round (No. 116 overall) selections to the Philadelphia Eagles for 2005 fourth-round (No. 132 overall) and 2006 sixth-round (No. 182 overall) selections. The Cowboys traded their fifth (No. 150 overall) and sixth-round (No. 189 overall, from New York Jets) selections to the Jets in exchange for a fifth-round (No. 138 overall) selection. The Cowboys traded their sixth-round (No. 186 overall) and 2007 conditional (not exercised) selections to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for linebacker Scott Fujita.
Schedule
Preseason Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL Recap August 12 at Seattle Seahawks W 13–3 1-0 Qwest Field Recap August 21 at New Orleans Saints W 30–7 2-0 Independence Stadium Recap August 26 San Francisco 49ers W 17–7 3-0 Texas Stadium Recap August 31 Minnesota Vikings T 10–10 (OT) 3-0-1 Texas Stadium Recap
Regular season Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL Recap 1 September 10 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 17–24 0-1 Alltel Stadium Recap 2 September 17 Washington Redskins W 27–10 1-1 Texas Stadium Recap 3 September 24 Bye 4 October 1 at Tennessee Titans W 45–14 2-1 LP Field Recap 5 October 8 at Philadelphia Eagles L 24–38 2-2 Lincoln Financial Field Recap 6 October 15 Houston Texans W 34–6 3-2 Texas Stadium Recap 7 October 23 New York Giants L 22–36 3-3 Texas Stadium Recap 8 October 29 at Carolina Panthers W 35–14 4-3 Bank of America Stadium Recap 9 November 5 at Washington Redskins L 19–22 4-4 FedExField Recap 10 November 12 at Arizona Cardinals W 27–10 5-4 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 11 November 19 Indianapolis Colts W 21–14 6-4 Texas Stadium Recap 12 November 23 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 38–10 7-4 Texas Stadium Recap 13 December 3 at New York Giants W 23–20 8-4 Giants Stadium Recap 14 December 10 New Orleans Saints L 17–42 8-5 Texas Stadium Recap 15 December 16 at Atlanta Falcons W 38–28 9-5 Georgia Dome Recap 16 December 25 Philadelphia Eagles L 7–23 9-6 Texas Stadium Recap 17 December 31 Detroit Lions L 31–39 9-7 Texas Stadium Recap
Standings
Regular season
Week 1: at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Cowboys opened the regular season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 10. The Cowboys built a lead of 10–0 just 10 minutes into the game, but allowed 24 consecutive points in later quarters. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe threw two interceptions, and placekicker Shaun Suisham missed a field goal off the right upright. The Cowboys scored again during the final minutes of the fourth quarter, when newly signed wide receiver Terrell Owens caught his first touchdown in a Dallas uniform, which was also his first regular-season game since October 2005. Dallas attempted and failed an onside kick, but received the ball again when their defense prevented the Jaguars from getting a first down. The Cowboys drive to tie the game ended with a Bledsoe interception. With the loss, the Cowboys started out their season at 0–1. Stats
Scoring summary Q1 – 8:06 – 23-yard TD run by Julius Jones (7–0 DAL) Q1 – 5:35 – 32-yard FG by Shaun Suisham (10–0 DAL) Q2 – 8:48 – 35-yard FG by Josh Scobee (10–3 DAL) Q2 – 0:07 – 6-yard TD pass from Byron Leftwich to Reggie Williams (10–10) Q4 – 11:27 – 3-yard TD run by Byron Leftwich (17–10 JAC) Q4 – 3:13 – 5-yard TD run by Fred Taylor (24–10 JAC) Q4 – 1:54 – 21-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe to Terrell Owens (24–17 JAC)
Week 2: vs. Washington Redskins
Mike Vanderjagt kicked two field goals, one of which was 50 yards long. Drew Bledsoe threw for a touchdown in the first and the fourth quarters for the first time since 2005. The Cowboys defense allowed no touchdowns, with the only touchdown for the Redskins coming from a kickoff return by Rock Cartwright. It was also the first time that the Cowboys had allowed zero second-half points since November 20, 2005 against the Detroit Lions. Stats
In the game, Terrell Owens broke his finger.
With the win, the Cowboys went into their bye week at 1–1.
Scoring summary Q1 – 7:59 – 26-yard FG run by Mike Vanderjagt (3–0 DAL) Q1 – 2:33 – 4-yard TD pass from Drew Bledsoe to Patrick Crayton (10–0 DAL) Q2 – 14:20 – 39-yard FG by John Hall (10–3 DAL) Q2 – 8:38 – 1-yard TD run by Marion Barber (17–3 DAL) Q2 – 8:25 – 100-yard kickoff return TD by Rock Cartwright (17–10 DAL) Q4 – 14:53 – 40-yard TD pass from Drew Bledsoe to Terry Glenn (24–10 DAL) Q4 – 7:43 – 50 FG by Mike Vanderjagt (27–10 DAL)
Week 4: at Tennessee Titans
After their Bye Week, the Cowboys traveled to LP Field to face the Tennessee Titans. Rookie Quarterback Vince Young made his first NFL start for the Titans. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe threw two touchdowns in the first half to Terry Glenn. Each of the three Cowboys running backs, Julius Jones, Marion Barber, and Tyson Thompson, rushed for a touchdown in the second half. Bradie James returned an interception 15 yards for his first career touchdown. Tony Romo played during the final two drives after Dallas took a 38–14 lead. Kicker Mike Vanderjagt missed a 26-yard field goal wide right late in the first half, but later kicked a 43-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Despite breaking a finger two weeks earlier, wide receiver Terrell Owens started and caught five passes for 88 yards. Also, rookie Pat Watkins returned a lost Titans fumble 53 yards during the fourth quarter as the Cowboys held on for the win to improve their record to 2–1. Stats
During the game, Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth stomped on Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode. Haynesworth was suspended for five games without pay. . Later during the week, Terrell Owens accidentally overdosed on painkillers causing a media circus, but recovered within a day.
Scoring summary Q1 – 7:26 – 33-yard FG by Rob Bironas (3–0 TEN) Q1 – 0:34 – 13-yard TD pass from Drew Bledsoe to Terry Glenn (7–3 DAL) Q2 – 12:43 – 13-yard TD pass from Drew Bledsoe to Terry Glenn (14–3 DAL) Q2 – 0:00 – 39-yard FG by Rob Bironas (14–6 DAL) Q3 – 11:53 – 5-yard TD run by Julius Jones (21–6 DAL) Q3 – 6:38 – 1-yard TD run by Marion Barber (28–6 DAL) Q3 – 3:40 – 17-yard TD pass from Vince Young to Ben Troupe, and Vince Young run for two-point conversion (28–14 DAL) Q4 – 13:04 – 43-yard FG by Mike Vanderjagt (31–14 DAL) Q4 – 8:23 – 15-yard TD interception return by Bradie James (38–14 DAL) Q4 – 5:43 – 5-yard TD run by Tyson Thompson (45–14 DAL)
Week 5: at Philadelphia Eagles
The game received significant attention due to Terrell Owens' return to Philadelphia, where he had played for 2 years with considerable controversy. Owens had 3 receptions for 45 yards. The Eagles capitalized on early Dallas turnovers, and the Cowboys fell behind 10–0. The Cowboys rallied to score a touchdown. At halftime, the Cowboys were up 21–17. However, in the second half the Cowboys offense was dominated by the Eagles defense and were held to only 3 points. In the fourth quarter, the defining play took place as the Cowboys, assisted by a pass interference penalty, managed to reach the Eagles six-yard line with less than a minute left. On second and goal, Drew Bledsoe threw an interception in the end zone that was returned 102 yards by Lito Sheppard for a touchdown, essentially ending any chance of a Dallas victory as the team fell to 2–2. Stats
Scoring summary Q1 – 11:37 – 5-yard TD run by Brian Westbrook (7–0 PHI) Q1 – 9:59 – 27-yard FG by David Akers (10–0 PHI) Q1 – 4:11 – 2-yard TD run by Marion Barber (10–7 PHI) Q2 – 10:30 – 69-yard TD opponent fumble return by DeMarcus Ware (14–10 DAL) Q2 – 9:13 – 1-yard TD run by Donovan McNabb (17–14 PHI) Q2 – 3:23 – 7-yard TD run by Drew Bledsoe (21–17 DAL) Q3 – 7:28 – 87-yard TD pass from Donovan McNabb to Hank Baskett (24–21 PHI) Q4 – 11:14 – 39-yard FG by Mike Vanderjagt (24–24) Q4 – 8:23 – 40-yard TD pass from Donovan McNabb to Reggie Brown (31–24 PHI) Q4 – 0:16 – 102-yard TD interception return by Lito Sheppard (38–24 PHI)
Week 6: vs. Houston Texans