2003 Oakland Raiders season

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.

2003 Oakland Raiders season
OwnerAl Davis
General managerAl Davis
Head coachBill Callahan
Home fieldNetwork Associates Coliseum
Results
Record4–12
Division place3rd AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersNone

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 Raiders history, as it started a long period of futility and decline for the team. From 2003 to 2015, the Raiders failed to make the playoffs or have a winning season.

In Week 13, after a loss to the Denver Broncos, 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."

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
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 31 Nnamdi Asomugha *  CB California
1 32 Tyler Brayton  DE Colorado
2 63 Teyo Johnson  TE Stanford
3 83 Sam Williams  LB Fresno State
3 96 Justin Fargas  RB USC
4 129 Shurron Pierson  DE South Florida
5 167 Doug Gabriel  WR UCF
6 204 Dustin Rykert  OT BYU
7 246 Siddeeq Shabazz  SS New Mexico State
7 262 Ryan 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
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 7 at Tennessee Titans L 20–25 0–1 The Coliseum 68,809
2 September 14 Cincinnati Bengals W 23–20 1–1 Network Associates Coliseum 50,135
3 September 22 at Denver Broncos L 10–31 1–2 Invesco Field at Mile High 76,753
4 September 28 San Diego Chargers W 34–31 (OT) 2–2 Network Associates Coliseum 54,078
5 October 5 at Chicago Bears L 21–24 2–3 Soldier Field 61,099
6 October 12 at Cleveland Browns L 7–13 2–4 Cleveland Browns Stadium 73,318
7 October 20 Kansas City Chiefs L 10–17 2–5 Network Associates Coliseum 62,391
8 Bye
9 November 2 at Detroit Lions L 13–23 2–6 Ford Field 61,561
10 November 9 New York Jets L 24–27 (OT) 2–7 Network Associates Coliseum 51,909
11 November 16 Minnesota Vikings W 28–18 3–7 Network Associates Coliseum 56,653
12 November 23 at Kansas City Chiefs L 24–27 3–8 Arrowhead Stadium 78,889
13 November 30 Denver Broncos L 8–22 3–9 Network Associates Coliseum 57,201
14 December 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 7–27 3–10 Heinz Field 53,079
15 December 14 Baltimore Ravens W 20–12 4–10 Network Associates Coliseum 45,398
16 December 22 Green Bay Packers L 7–41 4–11 Network Associates Coliseum 62,298
17 December 28 at San Diego Chargers L 14–21 4–12 Qualcomm Stadium 62,222

Standings
AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Kansas City Chiefs 13 3 0 .813 5–1 10–2 484 332 W1
(6) Denver Broncos 10 6 0 .625 5–1 9–3 381 301 L1
Oakland Raiders 4 12 0 .250 1–5 3–9 270 379 L2
San Diego Chargers 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 313 441 W1

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.
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