2007 Dallas Cowboys season

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2007 Dallas Cowboys season
OwnerJerry Jones
General managerJerry Jones
Head coachWade Phillips
Home fieldTexas Stadium
Results
Record13–3
Division place1st NFC East
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Giants) 17–21
Pro Bowlers
13
AP All-Pros
5
Uniform
Dallas vs. Philadelphia in the 2007 season, week 15, with Tony Romo in the shotgun

The

home field advantage throughout the playoffs, both for the first time since 1995
.

However, they were upset by the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants 21–17, a team that they had defeated in their two regular-season matchups, both by ten points or more. With the loss, it extended the Cowboys’ drought of playoff wins to eleven seasons and tied the NFL record of six consecutive playoff games lost. 13 players were named to the Pro Bowl, an NFL record (since tied by the 2019 Baltimore Ravens).[1]

Offseason

Head coach

Wade Phillips entered the first year of his contract with the Cowboys. He was hired on February 8, 2007, after former head coach Bill Parcells decided to retire.

Signings

On March 5, the Cowboys signed tackle Leonard Davis, formerly with the Cardinals, to a 7-year, $50 million contract.
On March 6, the Cowboys signed quarterback Brad Johnson, formerly with the Vikings, to a 3-year, $7.5 million contract.
On March 23, the Cowboys signed safety Ken Hamlin, formerly with the Seahawks, to a 1-year, $2.5 million contract.

Departures

On March 1, the Cowboys released quarterback

E.J. Whitley, and tight end Ryan Hannam
.
On August 26, The Cowboys released Jamel Richardson

Free agents heading into the 2007 season

[note 1]

Position Player Free agency
tag 		Date signed 2007 team
DE Stephen Bowen ERFA
DE Kenyon Coleman UFA March 6 New York Jets
OT Marc Colombo UFA March 9 Dallas Cowboys
WR Patrick Crayton RFA April 5 Dallas Cowboys
S Abram Elam ERFA New York Jets
LB Ryan Fowler RFA[note 2] Tennessee Titans
LB Junior Glymph RFA[note 3]
K
Martín Gramática
 UFA March 5 Dallas Cowboys
C Andre Gurode UFA February 20 Dallas Cowboys
C Al Johnson RFA March 7 Arizona Cardinals
CB Nathan Jones RFA[note 4]
LS
L.P. Ladouceur
 ERFA
P Mat McBriar RFA February 28 Dallas Cowboys
SS Tony Parrish UFA
OG Cory Procter ERFA
DE Jeremiah Ratliff ERFA
CB Jacques Reeves RFA[note 5]
LB
Al Singleton
 UFA

2007 draft class

Main article: 2007 NFL draft
2007 Dallas Cowboys draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 26
Anthony Spencer
 *  		LB Purdue
3 67 James Marten 
OT
 Boston College
4 103 Isaiah Stanback  WR Washington
4 122 Doug Free  OT Northern Illinois
6 178 Nick Folk *  K Arizona
6 195 Deon Anderson 
FB
 Connecticut
7 212 Courtney Brown  DB Cal Poly
7 237 Alan Ball  CB Illinois
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Notes

  • The Cowboys traded their first-round (No. 22 overall) selection to the Cleveland Browns for 2007 second-round (No. 36 overall) and 2008 first-round (No. 22 overall) selections.
  • The Cowboys traded their second, (No. 36 overall) third (No. 87 overall) and fifth-round (No. 159 overall) selections in exchange for the Philadelphia Eagles' first-round (No. 26 overall) selection.
  • The Cowboys traded their second (No. 53 overall) and sixth-round (No. 195 overall) selections to the Browns in exchange for third, (No. 67 overall) fourth (No. 103 overall) and sixth-round (No. 178 overall) selections.
  • The Cowboys traded their sixth (No. 200 overall) and seventh-round (No. 234 overall) selections to the Browns in exchange for Dallas' original sixth-round (No. 195 overall) selection.
  • The Cowboys traded tight end Sean Ryan to the New York Jets for a seventh-round (No. 212 overall) selection.
  • The Cowboys traded linebacker Scott Shanle to the New Orleans Saints for a seventh-round (No. 237 overall) selection.

[2]

2007 Undrafted free agents

2007 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Richard Bartel Quarterback
Tarleton State
Matt Moore Quarterback Oregon State

Rosters

Opening training camp roster

Dallas Cowboys 2007 opening training camp roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • Currently vacant

Rookies in italics
 86 active, 0 inactive

Week one roster

Dallas Cowboys 2007 week one roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  •  7
    Martín Gramática K (IR)

Practice Squad

Rookies in italics
 53 active, 1 inactive, 8 PS

Final roster

Dallas Cowboys 2007 final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Practice Squad

Rookies in italics
 53 active, 2 inactive, 8 practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 August 9 Indianapolis Colts W 23–10 1–0 Texas Stadium Recap
2 August 18 Denver Broncos W 31–20 2–0 Texas Stadium Recap
3 August 25 at Houston Texans L 16–28 2–1
Reliant Stadium
 Recap
4 August 30 at Minnesota Vikings L 14–23 2–2 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Recap

Regular season

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 September 9 New York Giants W 45–35 1–0 Texas Stadium Recap
2 September 16 at Miami Dolphins W 37–20 2–0
Dolphin Stadium
 Recap
3 September 23 at Chicago Bears W 34–10 3–0 Soldier Field Recap
4 September 30 St. Louis Rams W 35–7 4–0 Texas Stadium Recap
5 October 8 at Buffalo Bills W 25–24 5–0
Ralph Wilson Stadium
 Recap
6 October 14 New England Patriots L 27–48 5–1 Texas Stadium Recap
7 October 21 Minnesota Vikings W 24–14 6–1 Texas Stadium Recap
8 Bye
9 November 4 at Philadelphia Eagles W 38–17 7–1 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
10 November 11 at New York Giants W 31–20 8–1 Giants Stadium Recap
11 November 18 Washington Redskins W 28–23 9–1 Texas Stadium Recap
12 November 22 New York Jets W 34–3 10–1 Texas Stadium Recap
13 November 29 Green Bay Packers W 37–27 11–1 Texas Stadium Recap
14 December 9 at Detroit Lions W 28–27 12–1 Ford Field Recap
15 December 16 Philadelphia Eagles L 6–10 12–2 Texas Stadium Recap
16 December 22 at Carolina Panthers W 20–13 13–2 Bank of America Stadium Recap
17 December 30 at Washington Redskins L 6–27 13–3
FedExField
 Recap

Standings

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Dallas Cowboys 13 3 0 .813 4–2 10–2 455 325 L1
(5) New York Giants 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 373 351 L1
(6) Washington Redskins 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 334 310 W4
Philadelphia Eagles 8 8 0 .500 2–4 5–7 336 300 W3

Regular season

Week 1: vs. New York Giants

Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 6 10 31635
Cowboys 3 14 141445

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

(sideline reporter)

The Cowboys began their 2007 campaign at home against their NFC East rival New York Giants. In the first quarter, Dallas trailed early as QB Eli Manning completed a 60-yard TD pass to WR Plaxico Burress to give New York an early 6–0 lead (botched hold on PAT). Afterwards, the Cowboys got on the board with rookie kicker Nick Folk getting a 31-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Dallas took the lead with RB Marion Barber getting an 18-yard TD run, while QB Tony Romo completed an 18-yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten. Afterwards, the Giants would end up trailing by one at halftime, as Manning & Burress hooked up with each other again on a 4-yard TD pass, while kicker Lawrence Tynes got a 44-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, Dallas responded with Romo completing a 22-yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens. New York would climb back with Tynes kicking a 48-yard field goal, but the Cowboys answered with Romo running into the end zone from 9 yards out. In the fourth quarter, the Giants managed to try to come back with Tynes' 24-yard field goal, yet Dallas would reply with Romo & Owens hooking up with each other again on a 47-yard TD pass. Just when it looked like New York was drawing closer with Manning's 9-yard TD pass to RB Derrick Ward (with a failed 2-point conversion) and his 10-yard TD pass to Burress, the Cowboys sealed the win with Romo completing a 51-yard TD pass to WR Sam Hurd.

With the win, Dallas began its season at 1–0.

Scoring summary

  • Q1 – NYG – 13:42 –60-yard TD pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress (PAT failed) (NYG 6–0)
  • Q1 – DAL – 6:36 – Nick Folk 31-yard FG (NYG 6–3)
  • Q2 – DAL – 9:49 – Marion Barber 18-yard TD run (Folk kick) (DAL 10–6)
  • Q2 – DAL – 4:01 – 18-yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten (Folk kick) (DAL 17–6)
  • Q2 – NYG – 0:25 – 4-yard TD pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress (Lawrence Tynes kick) (DAL 17–13)
  • Q2 – NYG – 0:07 – Lawrence Tynes 44-yard FG (DAL 17–16)
  • Q3 – DAL – 12:07 – 22-yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Terrell Owens (Folk kick) (DAL 24–16)
  • Q3 – NYG – 5:51 – Lawrence Tynes 48-yard FG (DAL 24–19)
  • Q3 – DAL – 1:18 – Tony Romo 9-yard TD run (Folk kick) (DAL 31–19)
  • Q4 – NYG – 13:33 – Lawrence Tynes 24-yard FG (DAL 31–22)
  • Q4 – DAL – 11:52 – 47-yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Terrell Owens (Folk kick) (DAL 38–22)
  • Q4 – NYG – 7:26 – 9-yard TD pass from Eli Manning to Derrick Ward (Conversion failed) (DAL 38–28)
  • Q4 – NYG – 4:15 – 10-yard TD pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress (Tynes kick) (DAL 38–35)
  • Q4 – DAL – 3:11 – 51-yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Sam Hurd (Folk kick) (DAL 45–35)

Week 2: at Miami Dolphins

Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 3 7 101737
Dolphins 3 3 7720

at

Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Coming off their divisional home win over the Giants, the Cowboys flew to

Dolphin Stadium for a Week 2 interconference fight with the Miami Dolphins. In the first quarter, Dallas trailed early with Dolphins kicker Jay Feely getting a 37-yard field goal. The Cowboys would tie the game with rookie kicker Nick Folk getting a 26-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Dallas took the lead with RB Marion Barber
getting a 1-yard TD run. Miami would close out the first half with Feely getting a 45-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, the Cowboys trailed as Dolphins QB Trent Green completed an 18-yard TD pass to WR Marty Booker. Dallas jumped back into the lead with QB Tony Romo completing a 2-yard TD pass to TE Tony Curtis, along with Folk's 28-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys took control with Folk's 47-yard field goal and Romo's 34-yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens. Miami's Green completed a 21-yard TD pass to WR Derek Hagan, but Dallas responded with Barber's 40-yard TD run.

On defense, they managed to force 5 turnovers, 4 of which came from intercepting Trent Green passes.

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 2–0.

Scoring summary

  • Q1 – MIA – 7:03 – Jay Feely 37-yard FG (MIA 3–0)
  • Q1 – DAL – 0:03 – Nick Folk 26-yard FG (3–3)
  • Q2 – DAL – 1:54 – Marion Barber 1-yard TD run (Folk kick) (DAL 10–3)
  • Q2 – MIA – 0:05 – Jay Feely 45-yard FG (DAL 10–6)
  • Q3 – MIA – 9:41 – 18-yard TD pass from Trent Green to Marty Booker (Feely kick) (MIA 13–10)
  • Q3 – DAL – 4:41 – 2-yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Tony Curtis (Folk kick) (DAL 17–13)
  • Q3 – DAL – 2:10 – Nick Folk 28-yard FG (DAL 20–13)
  • Q4 – DAL – 11:00 – Nick Folk 47-yard FG (DAL 23–13)
  • Q4 – DAL – 4:01 – 34-yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Terrell Owens (Folk kick) (DAL 30–13)
  • Q4 – MIA – 3:26 – 21-yard TD pass from Trent Green to Derek Hagan (Feely kick) (DAL 30–20)
  • Q4 – DAL – 3:17 – Marion Barber 40-yard TD run (Folk kick) (DAL 37–20)

Week 3: at Chicago Bears

Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 3 141734
Bears 3 0 7010

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

(sideline reporter)

Following their road win over the Dolphins, the Cowboys traveled to Soldier Field to play a Sunday night match with the defending NFC Champion Bears. The game was close early as the Bears' Robbie Gould and the Cowboys' Nick Folk each hit field goals respectively to make it a 3–3 tie at halftime. The Cowboys took the opening drive of the third quarter and ended it with a Tony Romo to Jason Witten touchdown pass. The Bears responded on the ensuing drive with a Cedric Benson goal line plunge. The Cowboys struck again before the end of the third quarter, Romo connecting on his second touchdown pass, this time to running back Marion Barber. Folk converted a 44-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, and on the next play from scrimmage, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman threw an interception to Cowboys cornerback Anthony Henry, who ran it back for the score. The Cowboys proceeded to kill the clock, with Barber, who capped the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run. Barber ended the night with over 100 yards rushing, and Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens caught eight passes for 145 yards. The Cowboys improved to 3–0, while the Bears dropped to 1–2.

Scoring summary

  • Q1 – CHI – 3:09 – Robbie Gould 20-yard FG (CHI 3–0)
  • Q2 – DAL – 8:49 – Nick Folk 30-yard FG (3–3)
  • Q3 – DAL – 10:14 – 3-yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten (Folk kick) (DAL 10–3)
  • Q3 – CHI – 7:14 – Cedric Benson 1-yard TD run (Gould kick) (10–10)
  • Q3 – DAL – 1:18 – 10-yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Marion Barber (Folk kick) (DAL 17–10)
  • Q4 – DAL – 12:10 – Nick Folk 44-yard FG (DAL 20–10)
  • Q4 – DAL – 11:49 – Anthony Henry 28-yard interception return TD (Folk kick) (DAL 27–10)
  • Q4 – DAL – 3:10 – Marion Barber 1-yard TD run (Folk kick) (DAL 34–10)

Week 4: vs. St. Louis Rams

Period 1 2 34Total
Rams 0 7 007
Cowboys 0 14 21035

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

(sideline reporter)

The Dallas Cowboys returned home to Texas Stadium to take on the 0–3 St. Louis Rams. Both teams remained scoreless in the 1st quarter. Also, starting cornerback Anthony Henry left with a sprained right ankle late in the first quarter. He'd return to the sidelines later in the game after x-rays were negative, but would not return to game.

Texas Stadium pictured before the St. Louis game, September 30, 2007

Early in the 2nd quarter, the Rams' Jeff Wilkins attempted a 28-yard field goal and missed. On the next possession, the Cowboys would cap an 80-yard drive down the field with a hand-off to Julius Jones for 2 yards and the first touchdown of the game. On the next Dallas possession, the Cowboys would punt after failing to convert on a 3rd down. Mat McBriar punt went 56 yards to the St. Louis 15 and Dante Hall returned it 86 yards for a Rams TD, tying the game.

Late in the 2nd quarter, Tony Romo turned a bad snap from center Andre Gurode, 33-yards behind the line of scrimmage, into a 4-yard gain for a 3rd-down conversion. It kept the drive alive and enabled the Cowboys to regain the lead with 11 seconds left before halftime when Romo again ran with the ball for 15 yards and the second Cowboy touchdown of the game.

In the second half, the Cowboys scored three more times as Romo connected twice with Patrick Crayton for 59- and 37-yard TDs, and with Jason Witten for a 17-yard TD. The Rams would get another chance to score, but QB Marc Bulger (playing with two broken ribs) would throw an interception in the end zone to Dallas' Ken Hamlin. Gus Frerotte would come in for Bulger in the 3rd quarter.

The 35–7 victory marked the Cowboys' first 4–0 start since 1995, and left the Rams 0–4.

Scoring summary

  • Q2 – DAL – 7:15 – Julius Jones 2-yard TD run (Nick Folk kick)(DAL 7–0)
  • Q2 – STL – 2:11 – Dante Hall punt return 85 yards TD (Jeff Wilkins kick) (7–7)
  • Q2 – DAL – 00:11 – Tony Romo 15-yard TD run (Folk kick) (DAL 14–7)
  • Q3 – DAL – 12:41 – Romo to Patrick Crayton 59-yard pass TD (Folk kick) (DAL 21–7)
  • Q3 – DAL – 9:40 – Romo to Crayton 37-yard pass TD (Folk kick) (DAL 28–7)
  • Q3 – DAL – 2:22 – Romo to Jason Witten 17-yard pass TD (Folk kick) (DAL 35–7)

Week 5: at Buffalo Bills

Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 10 31225
Bills 7 10 7024

at

Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

(color commentators)