2001 Minnesota Vikings season
| 2001 Minnesota Vikings season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |
Dennis Green (15 games) Mike Tice (1 game) |
| Owner | Red McCombs |
| Home field | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Division place | 4th NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers |
2
|
| Uniform | |
 | |
2001 was the 41st year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.
Tragedy struck the Minnesota Vikings in the summer of 2001, when Offensive Lineman Korey Stringer died of heat stroke in training camp in Mankato, Minnesota. Although Minnesota has a reputation for cold weather, in late July and early August it can be brutally hot.
The 2001 season started off with a 24–13 home loss to the Carolina Panthers (This would be Carolina's only win of the season; they finished 1–15). Over the next sixteen weeks, wins for Minnesota were few and far between. They did not win on the road at all during this season. Some season highlights included a 35–13 win over the rival Green Bay Packers in week six, and a week ten victory over the Giants in which Randy Moss pulled in 10 receptions for 171 yards and 3 touchdowns leading to a 28–16 victory. But despite having a 12th ranked offense, their defense was in the bottom five, and the Vikings finished 5–11 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1995.
After the disappointing season, the Vikings bought out the contract of Dennis Green, who had become a polarizing force in the Viking fan base despite his successful coaching tenure with the team. Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001, losing to the Ravens.
This was Cris Carter's final season in Minnesota, having played 12 seasons there, making eight consecutive Pro Bowl appearances (1993-2000), all with the Vikings. He is the team's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He retired at the end of the disappointing season, but would briefly return to play for the Miami Dolphins midway through next season. Along with Carter and coach Green, the Vikings let defensive back Robert Griffith, linebacker Ed McDaniel punter Mitch Berger, who were members of the 1998 team, go at the end of the season. One-time interception leader Orlando Thomas also decided to leave the team.
Offseason
2001 Draft
| =Pro Bowler |
| 2001 Minnesota Vikings Draft | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes | ||
| Round | Choice | Overall | ||||
| 1 | 27 | 27 | Michael Bennett | Running Back | Wisconsin | |
| 2 | 26 | 27 | Willie Howard | Defensive end | Stanford | |
| 3 | 7 | 69 | Eric Kelly | Cornerback | Kentucky | from Patriots[a] |
| 24 | 86 | Traded to the New England Patriots[a] | ||||
| 4 | 24 | 119 | Traded to the New England Patriots[a] | |||
| 35 | 130 | Shawn Worthen | Defensive tackle | Texas Christian | Compensatory pick[b] | |
| 36 | 131 | Cedric James | Wide receiver | Texas Christian | Compensatory pick[b] | |
| 5 | 26 | 118 | Patrick Chukwurah | Linebacker | Wyoming | |
| 6 | 26 | 189 | Carey Scott | Cornerback | Kentucky State | |
| 7 | 25 | 225 | Brian Crawford | Defensive Tackle | Western Oregon | |
- ^[a] Minnesota traded their 3rd round selection (86th overall) and 4th round selection (119th overall) to New England to move up 17 spots to the 69th overall selection and make this pick.
- ^[b] Minnesota was awarded two compensatory pick in the 4th round for the loss of free agents Jeff Christy, Duane Clemons, Jeff George, and Jimmy Hitchcock in the 2000 offseason.
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Kickoff (CT) | Opponent | Results | Venue | TV | NFL Recap | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | ||||||||
| 1 | September 9 | 12:00 pm | Carolina Panthers | L 13–24 | 0–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | FOX | Recap | |
| 2 | September 23 | 12:00 pm | at Chicago Bears | L 10–17 | 0–2 | Soldier Field | FOX | Recap | |
| 3 | September 30 | 12:00 pm | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 31–26 | 1–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | FOX | Recap | |
| 4 | October 7 | 12:00 pm | at New Orleans Saints | L 15–28 | 1–3 | Louisiana Superdome | FOX | Recap | |
| 5 | October 14 | 12:00 pm | Detroit Lions | W 31–26 | 2–3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | FOX | Recap | |
| 6 | October 21 | 3:00 pm | Green Bay Packers | W 35–13 | 3–3 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | FOX | Recap | |
| 7 | October 28 | 12:00 pm | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 14–41 | 3–4 | Raymond James Stadium | FOX | Recap | |
| 8 | Bye week | ||||||||
| 9 | November 11 | 3:00 pm | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–48 | 3–5 | Veterans Stadium | FOX | Recap | |
| 10 | November 19 | 8:00 pm | New York Giants | W 28–16 | 4–5 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | ABC | Recap | |
| 11 | November 25 | 7:30 pm | Chicago Bears | L 6–13 | 4–6 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | ESPN | Recap | |
| 12 | December 2 | 12:00 pm | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 16–21 | 4–7 | Heinz Field | FOX | Recap | |
| 13 | December 9 | 12:00 pm | Tennessee Titans | W 42–24 | 5–7 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | CBS | Recap | |
| 14 | December 16 | 12:00 pm | at Detroit Lions | L 24–27 | 5–8 | Pontiac Silverdome | FOX | Recap | |
| 15 | December 23 | 12:00 pm | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 3–33 | 5–9 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | CBS | Recap | |
| 16 | December 30 | 12:00 pm | at Green Bay Packers | L 13–24 | 5–10 | Lambeau Field | FOX | Recap | |
| 17 | January 7 | 8:00 pm | at Baltimore Ravens | L 3–19 | 5–11 | M&T Bank Stadium | ABC | Recap | |
| Note: Team names in bold indicate that the game indicated is a Vikings home game. | |||||||||
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (2) Chicago Bears | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 338 | 203 | W4 |
| (3) Green Bay Packers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 390 | 266 | W3 |
| (6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 324 | 280 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 290 | 390 | L4 |
| Detroit Lions | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 270 | 424 | W1 |
Statistics
Team leaders
| Category | Player(s) | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | Daunte Culpepper | 2,612 |
| Passing Touchdowns | Daunte Culpepper | 14 |
| Rushing Yards | Michael Bennett | 682 |
| Rushing Touchdowns | Daunte Culpepper | 5 |
| Receiving Yards | Randy Moss | 1,233 |
| Receiving Touchdowns | Randy Moss | 10 |
| Points | Gary Anderson | 74 |
| Kickoff Return Yards | Nate Jacquet | 1,012 |
| Punt Return Yards | Nate Jacquet | 219 |
| Tackles | Kailee Wong | 98 |
| Sacks | Chris Hovan | 6 |
| Interceptions | Robert Griffith Eric Kelly | 2 |
| Forced Fumbles | Patrick Chukwurah | 3 |
League rankings
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 31) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing Offense | 3,576 Yards | 223.5 YPG | 7th |
| Rushing Offense | 1,609 Yards | 100.6 YPG | 25th |
| Total Offense | 5,185 Yards | 324.1 YPG | 12th |
| Passing Defense | 3,367 Yards | 210.4 YPG | 18th |
| Rushing Defense | 2,299 Yards | 143.7 YPG | 30th |
| Total Defense | 5,666 Yards | 354.1 YPG | 27th |
Personnel
Staff
| 2001 Minnesota Vikings staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
| |||||
Final roster
| 2001 Minnesota Vikings final roster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends |
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
| ||||||
References
- ↑ 2009 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 251. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
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