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PRO: After selecting the Jim Thorpe award winner (Roy Williams) in the 2002 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys helped solidify their young defensive backfield when they drafted Terence Newman - college football's 2002 Jim Thorpe award winner - with the fifth overall choice in the 2003 NFL Draft. Newman, the most decorated defensive player in Kansas State history, quickly established himself as one of the NFL's top young cornerbacks when he earned All-Rookie honors, tied for the league lead among rookies in interceptions and was named an alternate to the Pro Bowl all in his first professional season. After a solid second season that saw him become the first player since Everson Walls in 1981-82 to lead the team outright in interceptions in consecutive seasons, Newman turned in his most productive season as a professional player in 2005. The free agent additions of Anthony Henry and Aaron Glenn in '05 gives Dallas as fine a trio of talented and experienced corners as any NFL roster can boast. Newman's productivity and playmaking ability have him on the cusp of making a Pro Bowl run as he enters his fourth NFL season. He has proven himself as one of the NFL's top cover men with 11 career interceptions in three seasons. But covering receivers is not his only strength as he also plays the run well - as evidenced by his 11 career tackles for losses and his 216 career tackles. Blessed with tremendous athletic ability, Newman has outstanding speed (4.37 40-yard dash), that translated into two Big 12 Conference titles in the 100 meters (junior and senior seasons), as well as a Big 12 indoor title in the 60 meters and a fifth place finish in the 60 meters at the NCAA Championships.
2005: Newman finished his finest season as a pro third on the team in tackles with 70 stops. He also led the team in passes defensed with a career high 15, while tying for second in interceptions with three. Newman was fifth on the club in tackles for losses with three. In the season opening win at San Diego (9/11), he recorded five tackles and had a season-best two tackles behind the line of scrimmage on Charger pass plays. He also broke up a pass as the Chargers were limited to 188 net passing yards. In the Monday night loss to Washington (9/19), Newman was second on the team with six tackles and broke up two passes. He also recorded an interception against Washington, marking his fifth career theft against Redskins quarterbacks in five career games against Washington. In the win at San Francisco (9/25), he was second on the team with six tackles while also breaking up two passes, including one on the 49ers final play that Dat Nguyen picked off to seal the Cowboys 34-31 win. In the loss at Oakland (10/2), he recorded three tackles and made the defensive play of the game by running down Randy Moss from behind at the Dallas seven-yard line to save a touchdown and force a Raiders field goal. In the key divisional win over Philadelphia (10/9), Newman tied for the lead in the secondary with three tackles while adding his only sack of the season and the second of his career. His effort helped limit the Eagles top ranked offense entering the day to 119 total yards, including just 110 net passing yards. In the following week's overtime win over the Giants (10/16), he recorded four tackles while helping limit the Giants to a one-of-11 success rate on third downs. In the last-minute loss at Seattle (10/23), he was second on the team with six tackles. He also broke up two passes, and recorded an interception of a Matt Hasselbeck pass at the Dallas seven-yard line on the Seahawks opening drive. Later in the first quarter, he forced a Joe Jurevicius fumble following a reception (ball went out of bounds). Newman helped limit the NFL's top ranked offense entering the game to 289 total yards, 118 below their season average, and one touchdown. In the win over Arizona (10/30), he recorded three tackles and broke up a pass as the Cardinals were held to 142 net passing yards. In the Monday night win at Philadelphia (11/14), Newman recorded five tackles while also breaking up a pass. The Eagles were limited to 178 net passing yards and an 8.7 yard-per-catch average. The Philadelphia wideouts had just one catch of over 10 yards (18-yard catch by Greg Lewis). In the victory over Detroit (11/20), he was second on the team with a season-high seven tackles and broke up a pass. His play helped limit the Lions to 169 net passing yards on the afternoon. In the overtime loss to Denver (11/24) on Thanksgiving, Newman was a major force on defense with one of his best outings of the season. He was involved in two takeaways that led to two Dallas touchdowns and had four tackles. His second quarter interception was the first off Jake Plummer in 230 pass attempts. His fourth quarter fumble recovery at the Broncos 10-yard line set up the game-tying touchdown. The Broncos were limited to 149 net passing yards and Denver wide receivers had just six catches for 64 yards - with just one catch, a 20-yarder, over 13 yards. In the following week's loss at the N.Y. Giants (12/4), he recorded one tackle and broke up a pass while helping limit Amani Toomer to one reception for eight yards. Eli Manning completed just 12-of-31 passes for 152 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns - the first time all season he had not thrown for a score. Newman also applied pressure on a blitz that resulted in Glenn's end zone interception in the second quarter. On special teams Newman recorded a career-long 26-yard punt return - the club's best of the season. In the last-minute victory over Kansas City (12/11), he recorded five tackles and broke up a pass. He also lined up at wide receiver for a play to start the second quarter. In the loss at Washington (12/18), he recorded three tackles, a tackle for a loss and broke up a pass despite suffering a blow to the head early in the game. In the big win at Carolina (12/24), he shadowed Pro Bowler Steve Smith all across the field and helped limit him to one catch for 18 yards on the day before Smith was ejected midway through the third quarter. Newman finished the day with three tackles and two passes defensed, giving him a career-high 15 for the season. In the season ending loss to St. Louis (1/1/06), he recorded his fourth six-tackle game of the season while helping limit the Rams to 147 net passing yards. For the night Tory Holt and Isaac Bruce were limited to five catches for 48 yards. Offensively he logged his first career carry, picking up four yards on an end around. As a returner he fielded three punts, returning them for a total of 13 yards.
2004: Newman struggled early during his sophomore season but managed to straighten things out and finish the year in solid fashion. He closed out the season with a team-high 13 pass deflections while placing fourth with 66 tackles. He also became the first player since Everson Walls in 1981-82 to lead the team outright in interceptions in consecutive seasons with his four interceptions. He opened the season at Minnesota (9/12) by recording three tackles. The following week against Cleveland (9/19), he picked off his first pass of the season while helping limit the Browns passing game to 66 net yards and their starting receivers to four catches for 50 yards. He also recorded his first career punt return in the third quarter with a seven-yard pick up. He was second on the team at Washington (9/27) with 10 tackles. He totaled a team- and career-high 13 tackles the following week against Pittsburgh (10/17). He broke up a season-high two passes against Detroit (10/31) before matching that with four tackles and two pass deflections at Cincinnati (11/7). The following week against Philadelphia (11/15), Newman finished with five stops, including his first tackle for a loss. He totaled four tackles and forced his first career fumble to end a Ravens drive at the end of the first half at Baltimore (11/21). On Thanksgiving Day against Chicago (11/25), he recorded his second interception of the season when he picked off a Jonathan Quinn fourth quarter pass. He returned the theft 11 yards to the Bears 42-yard line, setting up the Cowboys final touchdown. For the game, the Bears were limited to 91 net passing yards. Newman kicked off the final month of the season by tallying eight tackles, breaking up a pass and forcing a fumble at Seattle (12/6). His second quarter forced fumble was recovered by Lynn Scott, who returned it 26 yards to set up Dallas on the Seattle 39-yard line. The ensuing drive resulted in a touchdown that got Dallas back in the game at 14-12. At Philadelphia (12/19), Newman totaled two tackles, broke up two passes and picked off his third pass of the season. He shadowed Eagles receiver Terrell Owens all over the field, limiting him to two catches for 24 yards prior to Owens's third quarter ankle injury. For the day, Eagles receivers were held to four catches for 58 yards, while Donovan McNabb - the NFL's third ranked passer (107.2) entering the game - was limited to a 62.0 rating with two interceptions. He posted three stops and intercepted his fourth pass of the season against Washington (12/26) while helping limit the Redskins to 149 passing yards. Newman closed out the season at the N.Y. Giants (1/2/05) with one tackle as the Giants threw away from his side of the field all night. The Giants ended the game with only 137 net passing yards.
2003: Newman became just the third rookie cornerback in club history to start a season-opener, and he went on to lead the team, finish tied for 10th in the NFC and tied for the lead among all NFL rookies with four interceptions. He was also second on the club with 14 passes defensed. A solid force against the run as well, Newman was fifth on the team with 80 tackles, including six for losses (second best on the team). With 80 tackles, he became just the fifth cornerback in club history to record 80-or-more stops in a season since 1979 when the club began keeping tackle records. His play helped the Dallas defense jump from a ranking of 18th in 2002 to tops in the league with a 75 yard-per-game improvement in 2003. Dallas was the only team in the league that had an opponents' pass completion percentage under 50%. In the season opener against Atlanta (9/7), he recorded five tackles. Along with Mario Edwards, he helped limit the Falcons wide receivers to six catches for 89 yards, including just two catches for 30 yards by Peerless Price. Newman recorded his first career interception when he picked off a second quarter pass intended for Jeremy Shockey at the Cowboys 20-yard line to end a potential scoring drive at the N.Y. Giants (9/15). He also tied for second on the team with five tackles and broke up a season-high three passes. At the N.Y. Jets (9/28), he recorded four tackles and helped limit the Jets starting wide receivers (Curtis Conway and Wayne Chrebet) to six catches for 61 yards (10.2 avg.). Newman recorded his first career sack when he ran Jeff Blake out of bounds on a scramble against Arizona (10/5). The Cardinals were limited to 119 net passing yards, including just four catches for 39 yards by their starting wide receivers. With four tackles, he helped limit the Eagles to 115 net passing yards, including just four catches for 42 yards by their three wide receivers, in the Cowboys 23-21 win against Philadelphia (10/12). Newman then broke up two passes and helped hold the Lions to 74 net passing yards, including just two catches for 30 yards by the Lions wide receivers, at Detroit (10/19). At Tampa Bay (10/26), the Dallas defense limited the Bucs to 133 net passing yards. Newman's play against Washington (11/2) held starting wide receivers Coles and Gardner to five catches for 41 yards (8.2 avg.) and the Redskins to 124 net passing yards. Against Buffalo (11/9), Newman logged five tackles and broke up a pass. While the starting receiver duo of Eric Moulds and Josh Reed recorded nine catches, they were held to 62 yards (6.9 avg.) with a long of 11 yards as the Bills managed just 85 net passing yards on the day. Newman was second on the team with seven tackles and helped force Jake Delhomme into a nine-of-24 passing day (37.5%) in the Cowboys 24-20 win over NFC Champion Carolina (11/23). He topped that four days later with a season-high eight tackles against Miami (11/27) on Thanksgiving Day. Newman also recovered a Ricky Williams fumble at the Dallas 28-yard line to end a potential scoring drive. The following week at Philadelphia (12/7), he tied for the team lead with seven tackles. Newman's game continued to improve as the temperature dropped when he earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his play at Washington (12/14). In that game, he tied the club record and became the fourth player, and first rookie, to record three interceptions in a game. The first ended a Redskins scoring drive at the Dallas seven-yard line. He returned the second 25 yards to the Redskins nine-yard line to set up a Dallas touchdown, and the third led to a Dallas field goal. He also added six tackles as Washington was limited to 161 total yards, including just 55 through the air - the lowest total by an opponent since Nov. 11, 2001 at Atlanta. Washington wide receivers were held to four catches for 29 yards in the game, including none by Coles. At New Orleans (12/28) in the regular season finale, Newman recorded six tackles and a tackle of Deuce McAllister for a three-yard loss on third-and-goal from the three-yard line to force a field goal on the Saints opening possession. Newman added five tackles at Carolina (1/3/04) in his postseason debut.
COLLEGE: A consensus All-America selection as a senior cornerback, Newman was also an honorable mention All-America kickoff returner. He became the first player in school history to win the Thorpe Award while also finishing as a finalist for the Nagurski Award. An All-Big 12 Conference first-team choice and Defensive Player of the Year in 2002, Newman also became only the second player in school history to score a touchdown on a kickoff and punt return in the same season. In 48 collegiate games, he recorded 133 tackles, 10 interceptions, 32 pass deflections and a pair of forced fumbles. His 10 interceptions tied for sixth on the school's career list. He also gained 834 yards with one touchdown on 32 kickoff returns (26.1 avg.) and another 417 yards with three touchdowns on 27 punt returns (15.4 avg.). As a senior, he intercepted five passes and deflected 14 others. Newman also posed a threat on offense as a wide receiver, catching four passes for 98 yards (24.5 average) and a touchdown. A consensus All-Big 12 Conference second-team selection as a junior, Newman ranked fifth in the Big 12 and 16th in the nation in passes defensed with 19. He also intercepted three passes and blocked two kicks. On the track in the spring, Newman defended his Big 12 outdoor title in the 100 meters and reached the NCAA semifinals. Along the way, he broke his own outdoor school record in the 100 meters with a clocking of 10.20. He also finished second in the 200 meters at the Big 12 meet with a time of 21.42. Newman collected his first All-America honor by finishing fifth in the 60 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championship with a time of 6.67 and was the Big 12 indoor champ at 60 meters, clocking a 6.65 in the finals after posting a school-record 6.62 in the prelims. As a sophomore, Newman saw action in every game with one start, recording 20 tackles and a four-yard interception return. On the track, Newman captured his first Big 12 outdoor title in the 100 meters, setting a school record with a 10.22 mark. He represented the Wildcats at the 2001 NCAA Outdoor Nationals, reaching the semifinals in the 100 meters. During the indoor season, Newman set a pair of school records at the 2001 Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championships, clocking a 6.67 in the 60-meter semifinals and a 21.20 in the 200. As a redshirt freshman, Newman played in every game, recording eight tackles and one interception.
PERSONAL: Newman attended Central High School in Salina, Kan., where he was an All-Class 5A selection. Coming out of high school, he was listed as one of the top 20 recruits in the state of Kansas by First Down Recruiting. He lettered twice in football, three times in track, three times in basketball and once in baseball. As a senior, he had 10 receptions for 251 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver while recording 45 tackles, five interceptions and five deflected passes on the defensive side of the ball. He also returned 13 punts for 271 yards (20.9 avg.), including two for touchdowns. The business major was involved with the ?Breakfast Buddy program in his hometown of Salina, which is similar to the nationwide Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. As a member of the Cowboys 2003 Rookie Club - a program designed to introduce rookie team members to community service in the Dallas area - Newman participated in charity visits to various non-profit organizations serving children and adults. Visits included work with the ChildCareGroup, The Salvation Army, Children's Medical Center Dallas and Kid's Cafe at The Voice of Hope Ministries. During the 2004-06 offseasons, he served as a celebrity escort at the Children's Cancer Fund Fashion Show. The event, annually co-chaired by former Cowboys quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, raises over $400,000 to help fund pediatric oncology research. Newman participated in the 2004 Rookie Club Alumni visit to ChildCareGroup where the alumni rookie club members joined the ?04 rookies to carve pumpkins with 140 preschool children from low-income families. He kept very active in the community during the 2005 offseason participating in the St. Valentine's Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Style Show. For two consecutive years, Newman and teammate Lousaka Polite distributed bicycle helmets to underprivileged children in honor of Brain Awareness Week hosted by UT Dallas. He also attended Stars of Texas?Racing Against the Odds fundraiser hosted by local radio personality and newspaper columnist Randy Galloway at Lone Star Park for the American Diabetes Association in 2005 and 2006 - an event that helped raise over $300,000 in ?06. Newman has also been a fan favorite at the Cowboys annual NFL Draft Day party as he attends to sign autographs for the team's loyal fans. Newman's signature program included his participation and support of the NFL Flag Football program in Dallas for youth. He attends the kick off events, spends time coaching the children and signs autographs for the participants. He looks to continue his involvement with Cowboys NFL Flag to recruit even more youth to participate in the program. During the 2005 holiday season, Newman found time to shop and participate in the teams annual support of The Salvation Army Angel Tree program which provides Christmas gifts to children in need. In 2005 and 2006 Newman hosted a golf tournament to raise funds for The Arthritus Foundation. |
