2002 NFL season
| Regular season | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 5 – December 30, 2002 |
| Playoffs | |
| Start date | January 4, 2003 |
| AFC Champions | Oakland Raiders |
| NFC Champions | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Super Bowl XXXVII | |
| Date | January 26, 2003 |
| Site | Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California |
| Champions | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Pro Bowl | |
| Date | February 2, 2003 |
| Site | Aloha Stadium |
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.
The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each. Also, the Chicago Bears played the 2002 season in Champaign, Illinois at Memorial Stadium because of the reconstruction of their home stadium Soldier Field.
The NFL title was eventually won by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they defeated the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California on January 26, 2003.
Expansion and realignment
With the Houston Texans joining the NFL, the league's teams were realigned into eight divisions: four teams in each division and four divisions in each conference. In creating the new divisions, the league tried to maintain the historical rivalries from the old alignment, while at the same time attempting to organize the teams geographically. Legally, three teams from the AFC Central (Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh) were required to be in the same division as part of any realignment proposals; this was part of the NFL's settlement with the city of Cleveland in the wake of the 1995 Cleveland Browns relocation controversy.[1]
The major changes were: [2]
- The Seattle Seahawks became the only team to switch conferences twice; moving from the AFC West to the NFC West (where they originally were in their inaugural season).
- The Arizona Cardinals moved from the NFC East to the NFC West. They had originally played in Chicago and then St. Louis before moving to Phoenix in 1988.
- The Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans and the inaugural Houston Texans were placed into the newly formed AFC South.
- The Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were placed into the newly formed NFC South.
- Both the AFC Central and the NFC Central were renamed AFC North and NFC North, respectively. They retained their team placement, minus the Titans, Jaguars and Buccaneers of their respective conferences.
Additionally, the arrival of the Texans meant that the league could return to its pre-1999 scheduling format in which no team got a bye during the first two weeks or last seven weeks of the season. From 1999 to 2001, at least one team sat out each week (including the preseason) because of an odd number of teams in the league (this also happened in 1960, 1966, and other years wherein the league had an odd number of teams). It nearly became problematic during the previous season due to the September 11 attacks, since the San Diego Chargers had their bye week during the week following 9/11 and the league nearly outright canceled that week's slate of games.
The league also introduced a new eight-year scheduling rotation designed so that all teams will play each other at least twice during those eight years, and will play in every other team's stadium at least once. Under the new scheduling formula, only two of a team's games each season are based on the previous year's record, down from four under the previous system. All teams play four interconference games. An analysis of win percentages in 2008 showed a statistical trend upwards for top teams since this change; the top team each year then averaged 14.2 wins, versus 13.4 previously.[3]
The playoff format was also modified: four division winners and two wild cards from each conference now advance to the playoffs, instead of three division winners and three wild cards. In each conference, the division winners are now seeded 1 through 4, and the wild cards are seeded 5 and 6. In the current system, the only way a wild card team can host a playoff game is if both teams in the conference's championship game are wild cards. Since 1990, the number of playoff teams is still 12.
Major rule changes
A player who touches a pylon remains in-bounds until any part of his body touches the ground out-of-bounds.
- Continuing-action fouls now become dead-ball fouls and will result in the loss of down and distance.
- Any dead-ball penalties by the offense after they have made the line to gain will result in a loss of 15 yards and a new first down. Previously, the 15 yard penalty was enforced but the down was replayed.
- The act of batting and stripping the ball from a player is officially legal.
- Chop-blocks are illegal on kicking plays.
- Hitting a quarterback helmet-to-helmet anytime after a change of possession is illegal.
- After a kickoff, the game clock will start when the ball is touched legally in the field of play. Previously, the clock started immediately when the ball was kicked.
- Inside the final two minutes of a half/overtime, the game clock will not stop when the player who originally takes the snap is tackled behind the line of scrimmage (i.e. sacked).
Also, with the opening of the NFL's first stadium with a retractable roof, Reliant Stadium, the following rules were enacted:
- The home team must determine whether their retractable roof is to be opened or closed 90 minutes before kickoff.
- If it is closed at kickoff, it cannot be reopened during the game.
- If it is open at kickoff, it cannot be closed during the game unless the weather conditions become severe.
Uniform changes
In addition, Reebok took over the contract to be the official athletic supplier to the NFL for all 32 teams's uniforms. Previously, teams had individual contracts with athletic suppliers. American Needle, which had a contract with a few teams before the Reebok deal, challenged the NFL in court over Reebok's exclusive deal, with the NFL effectively stating that it was a "single-entity league" instead of a group consisting of 32 owners. The case eventually went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. In 2009, the Supreme Court agreed to hear American Needle, Inc. v. National Football League. In 2010, the court ruled that the NFL is not a single entity.[4] The legality of the NFL's exclusive contract with Reebok is still in question by the lower courts as of October 2010. Reebok remained the league's athletic supplier through the 2011 NFL season, when Nike took over the contract for the 2012 NFL season.[5]
Reebok had initially announced when the deal was signed in 2000 that aside from the expansion Texans, all NFL teams would be wearing new uniforms for the 2002 season. However, after protests from several owners—most vocally Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney[6]—Reebok later rescinded the proposal. Reebok did, however (by player request to reduce holding calls), shorten the sleeves on the jerseys for teams that hadn't done so already (players had been for the previous decade tying the sleeves tight around their arms to prevent holding) and made the jerseys tighter-fitting. This is perhaps most noticeable on the Indianapolis Colts jerseys, where the shoulder stripes, which initially went from the top of the shoulders all the way underneath the arms, were truncated to just the top portion of the shoulders. This did not affect jerseys sold for retail, though, although special "authentic, gameday-worn" jerseys with the shorter sleeves are available at a much higher premium. Reebok later had more success convincing teams to change uniforms with the NHL when Reebok introduced the Rbk Edge uniforms for the 2007–08 NHL season.
Although Reebok rescinded the idea of all NFL teams wearing new uniforms for the 2002 season, the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks did redesign their uniforms, with the Seahawks also unveiling an updated logo in honor of their move to Qwest Field and the NFC.
2002 NFL Changes
- Houston Texans – New expansion team
- Buffalo Bills – New Uniforms that would be worn through the 2010 season.
- Washington Redskins – Added an alternative home Uniforms. Burgundy helmets with bow and arrow logo. Burgundy uniforms with white numbers with gold pants. 70th season logo on uniform.
- New England Patriots – New stadium; Gillette Stadium
- Detroit Lions – New stadium; Ford Field, new tweaked logo and uniforms.
- Seattle Seahawks – New Logo. New Uniforms. New Stadium; Seahawks Stadium. And in a new conference the NFC (see above).
- Chicago Bears – Played in Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL while Soldier Field was being remodeled for the season.
- San Diego Chargers – Navy pants with road uniforms.
- St. Louis Rams – Removed side panels on uniforms.
- Cleveland Browns – Added third alternative uniforms. Orange uniforms with white number with brown shadow in the back.
- Carolina Panthers – Added third alternative uniforms. Panther blue with white number and black trim.
- New Orleans Saints – Added third alternative uniforms. Old gold uniforms with black numbers and white trim. Brought back old gold pants.
- Denver Broncos – Added third alternative uniforms. Orange.
Coaching changes
- Carolina Panthers – John Fox; replaced George Seifert who was fired following the 2001 season
- Houston Texans – Dom Capers became first head coach in Texans history.
- Indianapolis Colts – Tony Dungy; replaced Jim Mora who was fired following the 2001 season
- Oakland Raiders – Bill Callahan; replaced Jon Gruden who was traded to Tampa for two 1st round draft picks, two 2nd round draft picks and cash.
- San Diego Chargers – Marty Schottenheimer; replaced Mike Riley who was fired following the 2001 season
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jon Gruden; replaced Tony Dungy who was fired following the 2001 season
- Washington Redskins – Steve Spurrier; replaced Marty Schottenheimer who was fired following the 2001 season
Final regular season standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
Clinched playoff seeds are marked in parentheses and shaded in green
| AFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (4) New York Jets [a] | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 359 | 336 |
| New England Patriots [b] | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 381 | 346 |
| Miami Dolphins | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 378 | 301 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 379 | 397 |
| AFC North | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| (3) Pittsburgh Steelers | 10 | 5 | 1 | .656 | 390 | 345 |
| (6) Cleveland Browns [c] | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 344 | 320 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 316 | 354 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 279 | 456 |
| AFC South | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| (2) Tennessee Titans | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 367 | 324 |
| (5) Indianapolis Colts | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 349 | 313 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 328 | 315 |
| Houston Texans | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 213 | 356 |
| AFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| (1) Oakland Raiders [d] | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 450 | 304 |
| Denver Broncos | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 392 | 344 |
| San Diego Chargers [e] | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 333 | 367 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 467 | 399 |
| NFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) Philadelphia Eagles [f] | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 415 | 241 |
| (5) New York Giants | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 320 | 279 |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 307 | 365 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5 | 11 | 0 | .312 | 217 | 329 |
| NFC North | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| (3) Green Bay Packers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 398 | 328 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 390 | 442 |
| Chicago Bears | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 281 | 379 |
| Detroit Lions | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 306 | 451 |
| NFC South | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| (2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers [g] | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 346 | 196 |
| (6) Atlanta Falcons | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | 402 | 314 |
| New Orleans Saints | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 432 | 388 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 258 | 302 |
| NFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| (4) San Francisco 49ers | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 367 | 351 |
| St. Louis Rams [h] | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 316 | 369 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 355 | 369 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 5 | 11 | 0 | .312 | 262 | 417 |
Tiebreakers
- a N.Y. Jets finished ahead of New England in the AFC East based on better record in common games (8–4 to 7–5) and Miami based on better division record (4–2 to 2–4).
- b New England finished ahead of Miami in the AFC East based on better division record (4–2 to 2–4).
- c Cleveland clinched the AFC 6 seed instead of Denver or New England based on better conference record (7–5 to Denver's 5–7 and New England's 6–6).
- d Oakland clinched the AFC 1 seed instead of Tennessee based on a head-to-head victory.
- e San Diego finished ahead of Kansas City in the AFC West based on better division record (3–3 to 2–4).
- f Philadelphia clinched the NFC 1 seed instead of Green Bay or Tampa Bay based on better conference record (11–1 to Green Bay's 9–3 and Tampa Bay's 9–3).
- g Tampa Bay clinched the NFC 2 seed instead of Green Bay on a head-to-head victory.
- h St. Louis finished ahead of Seattle in the NFC West based on better division record (4–2 to 2–4).
Playoffs
Within each conference, the four division winners and the two wild card teams (the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5 and 6. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosts the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference then receive a bye in the first round. In the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the worst surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5 or 6), while the number 2 seed will play the other team (seed 3, 4 or 5). The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference.
| Playoff seeds | ||
| Seed | AFC | NFC |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakland Raiders (West winner) | Philadelphia Eagles (East winner) |
| 2 | Tennessee Titans (South winner) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (South winner) |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers (North winner) | Green Bay Packers (North winner) |
| 4 | New York Jets (East winner) | San Francisco 49ers (West winner) |
| 5 | Indianapolis Colts (wild card) | New York Giants (wild card) |
| 6 | Cleveland Browns (wild card) | Atlanta Falcons (wild card) |
Bracket
| Jan. 5 – Heinz Field | Jan. 11 – The Coliseum | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Cleveland | 33 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Pittsburgh | 31 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Pittsburgh | 36 | Jan. 19 – Network Assoc. Coliseum | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Tennessee | 34* | ||||||||||||||||
| AFC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jan. 4 – Giants Stadium | 2 | Tennessee | 24 | |||||||||||||||
| Jan. 12 – Network Assoc. Coliseum | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Oakland | 41 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Indianapolis | 0 | AFC Championship | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | N.Y. Jets | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | N.Y. Jets | 41 | Jan. 26 – Qualcomm Stadium | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Oakland | 30 | ||||||||||||||||
| Wild Card Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
| Divisional Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jan. 5 – Candlestick Park | A1 | Oakland | 21 | |||||||||||||||
| Jan. 12 – Raymond James Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Tampa Bay | 48 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | N.Y. Giants | 38 | Super Bowl XXXVII | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | San Francisco | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | San Francisco | 39 | Jan. 19 – Veterans Stadium | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Tampa Bay | 31 | ||||||||||||||||
| NFC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jan. 4 – Lambeau Field | 2 | Tampa Bay | 27 | |||||||||||||||
| Jan. 11 – Veterans Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Philadelphia | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Atlanta | 27 | NFC Championship | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | Atlanta | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Green Bay | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Philadelphia | 20 | ||||||||||||||||
- * Indicates overtime victory
Milestones
The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:
| Record | Player/Team | Date/Opponent | Previous Record Holder[7] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Pass Receptions, Season | Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis (143) | December 29, vs. Jacksonville | Herman Moore, Detroit, 1995 (123) |
| Longest Return of a Missed Field Goal | Chris McAlister, Baltimore (107 yards) | September 30, vs. Denver | Aaron Glenn, N.Y. Jets vs. Indianapolis, November 15, 1998 (104) |
| Yards From Scrimmage, Career | Jerry Rice, Oakland (21,284) | September 29, vs. Tennessee | Walter Payton, 1975–1987 (21,264) |
| Most Rushing Yards Gained, Career | Emmitt Smith, Dallas | October 27, vs. Seattle | Walter Payton, 1975–1987 (16,726) |
| Most Rushing Yards by a Quarterback, Game | Michael Vick, Atlanta (173) | December 1 vs. Minnesota | Tobin Rote, Green Bay vs. Chicago, November 18, 1951 (150) |
| Most First Downs by Both Teams, Game | Seattle (32) vs. Kansas City (32) [64 total] | November 24 | Tied by 2 games (62 total) |
| Fewest Fumbles by a Team, Season | Kansas City (7) | N/A | Cleveland, 1959 (8) |
| Fewest Fumbles Lost by a Team, Season | Kansas City (2) | N/A | Tied by 2 teams (3) |
| Most Punts by a Team, Season | Houston (116) | N/A | Chicago, 1981 (114) |
Statistical leaders
Team
| Points scored | Kansas City Chiefs (467) |
| Total yards gained | Oakland Raiders (6,237) |
| Yards rushing | Minnesota Vikings (2,507) |
| Yards passing | Oakland Raiders (4,475) |
| Fewest points allowed | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (196) |
| Fewest total yards allowed | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4,044) |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | Pittsburgh Steelers (1,375) |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2,490) |
Individual
| Scoring | Priest Holmes, Kansas City (144 points) |
| Touchdowns | Priest Holmes, Kansas City (24 TDs) |
| Most field goals made | Martin Gramatica, Tampa Bay (32 FGs) |
| Rushing | Ricky Williams, Miami (1,853 yards) |
| Passing | Chad Pennington, New York Jets (104.2 rating) |
| Passing touchdowns | Tom Brady, New England (28 TDs) |
| Pass receiving | Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis (143 catches) |
| Pass receiving yards | Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis (1,722) |
| Punt returns | Jimmy Williams, San Francisco (16.8 average yards) |
| Kickoff returns | MarTay Jenkins, Arizona (28.0 average yards) |
| Interceptions | Charles Woodson, Oakland and Brian Kelly, Tampa Bay (8) |
| Punting | Todd Sauerbrun, Carolina (45.5 average yards) |
| Sacks | Jason Taylor, Miami (18.5) |
Awards
External links
- Football Outsiders 2002 Team Efficiency Ratings
- 2002 OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY RATINGS
- 2002 DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY RATINGS
- Pro Football Reference.com – 2002
Notes
- ↑ http://articles.courant.com/2001-05-21/features/0105210578_1_afc-north-divisions-of-four-teams-realignment
- ↑
- ↑ "16–0: The Myth of Perfection". The Fount. Archived from the original on February 7, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
- ↑ "American Needle Supreme Court Ruling: NFL Loses Lawsuit". Huffington Post. May 24, 2010. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- ↑ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5677387
- ↑ Bouchette, Ed; Dulac, Gerry (December 25, 2000). "Steelers Report: 12/25/00". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 1, 2008.
- ↑ "Records". 2005 NFL Record and Fact Book. NFL. 2005. ISBN 978-1-932994-36-0.
References
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 2001– (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
- NFL adopts changes to rules (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
- New alignment takes effect in 2002 from ESPN.com, May 22, 2001 (Last accessed March 11, 2009)
- NFL Announces 2002–2009 Schedule Rotation (Last accessed January 19, 2008)
- Seattle moved to NFC in approved realignment plan from CNNSI.com, May 22, 2001 (Last accessed December 9, 2005)
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