2003 Oakland Raiders season

Last updated

2003 Oakland Raiders season
OwnerAl Davis
General manager Al Davis
Head coach Bill Callahan
Home stadium Network Associates Coliseum
Results
Record4–12
Division place3rd AFC West
PlayoffsDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers None

The 2003 Oakland Raiders season was the 44th season of professional football for the Oakland Raiders franchise, their 34th season as members of the National Football League (NFL), and their ninth season since returning to Oakland. They were led by head coach Bill Callahan in his second and final year as head coach of the Raiders. The Raiders played their home games at Network Associates Coliseum as members of the AFC West. They finished the season 4–12 to finish in a tie with the Chargers for last place, but the Raiders finished in 3rd place because they had a better conference record than the Chargers did. It marked the first time since 1999 that the Raiders failed to make the playoffs and finished with a losing record for the first time since 1997.

Contents

Quarterback Rich Gannon, who had been the league MVP the previous season, injured his shoulder in seventh game of the season and was put on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. [1] He was replaced by Marques Tuiasosopo and Rick Mirer. The Raiders had a five-game losing streak in the middle of the season and lost seven games by a touchdown or less. Their 4–12 record tied them with the San Diego Chargers, New York Giants, and Arizona Cardinals as the worst team in football in 2003 and they received the second pick in the 2004 NFL draft.

The season was the last year in Oakland for wide receivers Tim Brown and Jerry Rice. Both future Hall of Fame members were held to four total touchdowns for the season.

Following the season, Raiders owner Al Davis fired head coach Bill Callahan [2] [3] and replaced him with Norv Turner. [4]

The 2003 season marked a turning point in Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders history, as it started a long period of futility and decline for the team. From 2003 to present, the Raiders only made the playoffs twice in 2016 and 2021 with only 5 seasons with a .500 or better record in the same timespan.

In Week 13, after a 22-8 loss to the Denver Broncos, head coach Bill Callahan stated "We've got to be the dumbest team in America in terms of playing the game. I'm highly critical because of the way we give games away. We give 'em away! Period. It's embarrassing, and I represent that. And I apologize for that, but that’s the best we can do, and that’s a sad product.”

Previous season

The Raiders finished the 2002 season 11–5 to win the AFC West. As the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, they defeated the Jets and Titans to advance to their first Super Bowl since 1984, where they were defeated by the Buccaneers who were led by former Raider head coach Jon Gruden.

Offseason

The Raiders lost defensive tackle Sam Adams, cornerback Tory James, defensive end Regan Upshaw and fullback Jon Ritchie in free agency.

NFL draft

2003 Oakland Raiders draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
131 Nnamdi Asomugha *  CB California
132 Tyler Brayton   DE Colorado
263 Teyo Johnson   TE Stanford
383 Sam Williams   LB Fresno State
396 Justin Fargas   RB USC
4129 Shurron Pierson  DE South Florida
5167 Doug Gabriel   WR UCF
6204Dustin Rykert  OT BYU
7246Siddeeq Shabazz  SS New Mexico State
7262Ryan Hoag WR Gustavus Adolphus
      Made roster        Pro Football Hall of Fame     *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[5]

Staff

2003 Oakland Raiders staff

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Tim Adams

Roster

2003 Oakland Raiders roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Injured Reserve

Practice squad

rookies in italics

53 active, 14 inactive, 5 practice squad

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
1September 7at Tennessee Titans L 20–250–1 The Coliseum 68,809
2September 14 Cincinnati Bengals W 23–201–1 Network Associates Coliseum 50,135
3September 22at Denver Broncos L 10–311–2 Invesco Field at Mile High 76,753
4September 28 San Diego Chargers W 34–31 (OT)2–2 Network Associates Coliseum 54,078
5October 5at Chicago Bears L 21–242–3 Soldier Field 61,099
6October 12at Cleveland Browns L 7–132–4 Cleveland Browns Stadium 73,318
7October 20 Kansas City Chiefs L 10–172–5 Network Associates Coliseum 62,391
8Bye
9November 2at Detroit Lions L 13–232–6 Ford Field 61,561
10November 9 New York Jets L 24–27 (OT)2–7 Network Associates Coliseum 51,909
11November 16 Minnesota Vikings W 28–183–7 Network Associates Coliseum 56,653
12November 23at Kansas City Chiefs L 24–273–8 Arrowhead Stadium 78,889
13November 30 Denver Broncos L 8–223–9 Network Associates Coliseum 57,201
14December 7at Pittsburgh Steelers L 7–273–10 Heinz Field 53,079
15December 14 Baltimore Ravens W 20–124–10 Network Associates Coliseum 45,398
16December 22 Green Bay Packers L 7–41 4–11 Network Associates Coliseum 62,298
17December 28at San Diego Chargers L 14–214–12 Qualcomm Stadium 62,222

Standings

AFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(2) Kansas City Chiefs 1330.8135–110–2484332W1
(6) Denver Broncos 1060.6255–19–3381301L1
Oakland Raiders 4120.2501–53–9270379L2
San Diego Chargers 4120.2501–52–10313441W1

Game summaries

Week 1: at Tennessee Titans

Week 1: Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Raiders3701020
Titans6631025

at The Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Week 2: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week 2: Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Bengals373720
Raiders10031023

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

Game information

Week 3: at Denver Broncos

Week 3: Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Raiders007310
Broncos2137031

at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

Week 4: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week 4: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234OTTotal
Chargers71437031
Raiders77017334

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

Game information

The Chargers jumped out to a 31–17 lead with just under 6 minutes left in regulation, but the Raiders scored 17 unanswered points to tie the game with 1:24 left in the 4th quarter. San Diego started the following drive at its own 20-yard line and made it to the Oakland 32-yard line, but ran out of time before being able to score, and the game went into overtime. The Chargers received the opening kickoff in overtime, but only gained 12 yards before punting. The two teams would trade punts before Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski made a 46-yard field goal to win the game for the Raiders.

Week 5: at Chicago Bears

Week 5: Oakland Raiders at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Raiders6120321
Bears0331824

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: October 5
  • Game time: 10:00 a.m. PDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 61,099
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
  • Box score

Week 6: at Cleveland Browns

Week 6: Oakland Raiders at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Raiders70007
Browns037313

at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Week 7: vs. Kansas City

Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs730717
Raiders0001010

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: October 20
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,391
  • Referee: Mike Carey
  • TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, John Madden, and Lisa Guerrero
  • Box score
Game information

Week 9: at Detroit Lions

Week 9: Oakland Raiders at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Raiders037313
Lions1007623

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

  • Date: November 2
  • Game time: 10:00 a.m. PST/1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 61,561
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, Marcus Allen
  • Box score
Game information

Week 10: vs. New York Jets

Week 10: New York Jets at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234OTTotal
Jets73014327
Raiders71403024

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

Week 11: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 11: Minnesota Vikings at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Vikings037818
Raiders777728

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

Game information

Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 12: Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Raiders0771024
Chiefs1473327

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 13: Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Broncos0140822
Raiders53008

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: November 30
  • Game time: 1:15 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Light rain, 55 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 57,201
  • Referee: Ron Blum
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Randy Cross
  • Box score
Game information

Week 14: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 14: Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Raiders70007
Steelers0177327

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: December 7
  • Game time: 10:00 a.m. PST/1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 30 °F (−1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 53,079
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
  • Box score

Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week 15: Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Ravens336012
Raiders1070320

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: December 14
  • Game time: 1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 55 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 45,398
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots
  • Box score

Week 16: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 16: Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Packers14173741
Raiders70007

at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: December 22
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Clear, 54 °F (12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,298
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, John Madden, and Lisa Guerrero
  • Box score

The day before the game, Irvin Favre, father of Packers' quarterback Brett Favre, died suddenly of a heart attack. Favre elected to play and passed for four touchdowns in the first half, and 399 yards in a 41–7 defeat of the Raiders. Afterwards, Favre said, "I knew that my dad would have wanted me to play. I love him so much and I love this game. It's meant a great deal to me, to my dad, to my family, and I didn't expect this kind of performance. But I know he was watching tonight." [6]

Week 17: at San Diego Chargers

Week 17: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Raiders0140014
Chargers770721

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

See also

References

  1. "Rice Is Traded to Seattle; Gannon Is Out for Season". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 19, 2004. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  2. "Raiders fire head coach Callahan". SFGate. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  3. "Raiders Officially Fire Callahan". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. January 1, 2004. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  4. "Dolphins coordinator a head coach again". ESPN.com. January 26, 2004. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  5. Football Database. Retrieved 2014-Mar-24.
  6. "Official Packers press release regarding the 12/22/03 game". Archived from the original on March 9, 2006. Retrieved August 6, 2006.