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After a lackluster draft, the Dave Campo head coaching era would have an inauspicious start with an embarrassing blow-out defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles at home. The loss would prove to be even more costly as quarterback Troy Aikman would suffer a serious concussion early in the game and newly acquired wide receiver Joey Galloway would and miss the rest of the season after being injured in the fourth quarter when the game was already well out of hand. New faces like veteran quarterback Randall Cunningham and wide receiver James McKnight would fill in on offense under new offensive coordinator Jack Reilly who was hand picked by owner Jerry Jones. On defense, the loss of both starting cornerbacks in the off-season including long time NFL star Deion Sanders(now on the decline), required an overhaul of the secondary. Veteran additions Phillipi Sparks and Ryan McNeil combined with perennial Pro Bowl safety Darren Woodson to provide the Cowboys with one of the NFL's best pass defenses. Unfortunately, this would not be enough to save the season as a leaky run defense combined with an inconsistent and aging offense and a quickly fading supporting cast would lead to a 5-11 record. In a loss to the San Francisco 49ers, then controversial 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens would cause an uproar by celebrating a pair of touchdowns on the large Cowboys star at midfield in Texas Stadium, prompting anger off the field and short brawl on the field. Emmitt Smith's tenth consecutive 1,000 yard season(an NFL record), along with a season sweep of the rival Washington Redskins would prove to be the only highlights in an otherwise dismal season. Other notable additions to the team this year include future starting cornerback Mario Edwards, as well as Dwayne Goodrich. Goodrich would gain notoriety after being involved in a hit run which resulted in the deaths of two people. He was subsequently convicted of vehicular manslaughter.
[edit] Offseason
[edit] NFL Draft
[edit] Regular Season
[edit] Season Standings
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[edit] Season Schedule
[edit] Roster
[edit] Postseason
[edit] Awards and records
[edit] Milestones
[edit] References
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 290