2000 Arizona Cardinals season
NFL team season
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The 2000 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 81st season in the National Football League (NFL), their 102nd overall and their 13th in Arizona. The Cardinals ranked 24th in the NFL in total offense and 30th in total defense.[2] The Cardinals ranked last in the NFC in Takeaways/Giveaways with a rating of −24.[2]
OwnerBill Bidwill
Head coachVince Tobin (fired October 23, 2-5 record)
Dave McGinnis (interim; 1-8 record)
Dave McGinnis (interim; 1-8 record)
| 2000 Arizona Cardinals season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bill Bidwill |
| Head coach | Vince Tobin (fired October 23, 2-5 record) Dave McGinnis (interim; 1-8 record) |
| Offensive coordinator | Marc Trestman |
| Defensive coordinator | Dave McGinnis |
| Home stadium | Sun Devil Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–13 |
| Division place | 5th NFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | P Scott Player[1] |
The Cardinals surrendered 443 points in 2000, the second-worst in the NFL that season, and second-worst in franchise history.[3] Arizona's minus-233 point differential is the worst in team history.[4]
Two of the Cardinals' three victories came by one point each (vs. NFC East rivals Dallas and Washington), and they were 0–8 on the road. Following the most lopsided of those eight road losses, 48–7 at Dallas in week eight, coach Vince Tobin was fired, ending his tenure in the desert after 4½ seasons with a 29–44 record. Defensive coordinator Dave McGinnis was named interim coach, and he held the job through the end of the 2003 season. The 3–13 mark would be matched in 2018.
The Cardinals suffered through their poorest season since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, eclipsing the 4–12 marks of 1991, 1992, 1995 and 1997. The Cardinals also went 4–9–1 in 1971, 1972 and 1973, and 4–11–1 in 1986, and would suffer through another 4–12 campaign in 2003.
Offseason
Signings
| Position | Player | 1999 team | Date signed | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PK | Cary Blanchard | New York Giants | February 28 | Undisclosed |
| G | Norberto Davidds-Garrido | Carolina Panthers | April 20 | 2 years |
| C | Mike Gruttadauria | St. Louis Rams | February 19 | 4 years, $8.6 million |
| DT | Tony McCoy | Indianapolis Colts | June 9 | 2 years |
Re-signings
| Position | Player | Designation | Date signed | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB | Tommy Bennett | UFA | July 22 | |
| QB | Dave Brown | UFA | February 22 | 2 years |
| TE | Derek Brown | UFA | April 28 | Undisclosed |
| DE | Jerry Drake | UFA | May 23 | Undisclosed |
| OL | Matt Joyce | UFA | February 22 | 3 years |
| TE | Chris Gedney | Other | February 23 | Undisclosed |
| LB | Mark Maddox | UFA | Undisclosed | |
| LB | Ronald McKinnon | UFA | February 24 | 3 years |
| DT | Brad Ottis | UFA | March 29 | 2 years |
| DT | Mark Smith | RFA | June 28 | Undisclosed |
Departures
| Position | Player | Reason | 2000 team |
|---|---|---|---|
| RB | Mario Bates | Released | Detroit Lions |
| OT | James Dexter | UFA | Carolina Panthers |
| C | Aaron Graham | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs |
| TE | Johnny McWilliams | UFA | Minnesota Vikings |
| RB | Adrian Murrell | UFA | Washington Redskins |
| LB | Patrick Sapp | UFA | Indianapolis Colts |
| DE | Eric Swann | Released | Carolina Panthers |
NFL draft
| 2000 Arizona Cardinals draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Thomas Jones * | RB | Virginia | |
| 2 | 41 | Raynoch Thompson | LB | Tennessee | |
| 3 | 71 | Darwin Walker | DT | Tennessee | |
| 4 | 102 | David Barrett | CB | Arkansas | |
| 5 | 136 | Mao Tosi | DT | Idaho | |
| 5 | 164 | Jay Tant | TE | Northwestern | compensatory selection |
| 6 | 176 | Jabari Issa | DE | Washington | |
| 7 | 215 | Sekou Sanyika | LB | California | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Deke Cooper | Safety | Notre Dame |
| Renard Cox | Cornerback | Maryland |
| Greg Debolt | Punter | Pittsburgh |
| Bryan Gilmore | Wide receiver | Midwestern State |
| Sean Keenan | Quarterback | Williams |
| Matt Keller | Fullback | Ohio State |
| John Shoemaker | Wide receiver | UC Davis |
| David Walden | Guard | Stephen F. Austin |
| Jordan Younger | Cornerback | UConn |
Personnel
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 5 | Denver Broncos | L 17–31 | 0–1 | Sun Devil Stadium |
| 2 | August 12 | Seattle Seahawks | W 21–3 | 1–1 | Sun Devil Stadium |
| 3 | August 18 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 17–35 | 1–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome |
| 4 | August 25 | at San Diego Chargers | L 20–24 | 1–3 | Qualcomm Stadium |
Regular season
On December 18, Dave McGinnis was named as the 38th head coach in franchise history. He had been interim coach since October 23, when Vince Tobin was fired.[5]
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 3 | at New York Giants | L 16–21 | 0–1 | Giants Stadium | 77,434 | |
| 2 | September 10 | Dallas Cowboys | W 32–31 | 1–1 | Sun Devil Stadium | 66,008 | |
| 3 | Bye | ||||||
| 4 | September 24 | Green Bay Packers | L 3–29 | 1–2 | Sun Devil Stadium | 71,801 | |
| 5 | October 1 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 20–27 | 1–3 | 3Com Park | 66,985 | |
| 6 | October 8 | Cleveland Browns | W 29–21 | 2–3 | Sun Devil Stadium | 44,296 | |
| 7 | October 15 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–33 | 2–4 | Sun Devil Stadium | 38,293 | |
| 8 | October 22 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 7–48 | 2–5 | Texas Stadium | 62,981 | |
| 9 | October 29 | New Orleans Saints | L 10–21 | 2–6 | Sun Devil Stadium | 35,286 | |
| 10 | November 5 | Washington Redskins | W 16–15 | 3–6 | Sun Devil Stadium | 52,244 | |
| 11 | November 12 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 14–31 | 3–7 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 64,223 | |
| 12 | November 19 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 9–34 | 3–8 | Veterans Stadium | 65,356 | |
| 13 | November 26 | New York Giants | L 7–31 | 3–9 | Sun Devil Stadium | 42,094 | |
| 14 | December 3 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 13–24 | 3–10 | Paul Brown Stadium | 50,289 | |
| 15 | December 10 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 10–44 | 3–11 | Alltel Stadium | 53,472 | |
| 16 | December 17 | Baltimore Ravens | L 7–13 | 3–12 | Sun Devil Stadium | 37,452 | |
| 17 | December 24 | at Washington Redskins | L 3–20 | 3–13 | FedExField | 65,711 | |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: at New York Giants
Week 1: Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 16 |
| Giants | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: September 3
- Game time: 1:05 p.m. EST/11:05 a.m. MST
- Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C)
- Game attendance: 77,434
- Referee: Bill Carollo
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 2: Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 7 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
| Cardinals | 3 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 32 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 4: Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 7 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 29 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Date: September 24
- Game time: 2:05 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 87 °F (31 °C)
- Game attendance: 71,801
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 5: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| 49ers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
at 3Com Park, San Francisco, California
- Date: October 1
- Game time: 1:15 p.m. PST/2:15 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C)
- Game attendance: 66,985
- Referee: Mike Carey
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 6: vs. Cleveland Browns
Week 6: Cleveland Browns at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 29 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 7: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 7 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 33 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 8: at Dallas Cowboys
Week 8: Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Cowboys | 14 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 48 |
at Texas Stadium, Dallas, Texas
- Date: October 22
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/11:00 a.m. MST
- Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C)
- Game attendance: 62,981
- Referee: Bernie Kukar
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 9: vs. New Orleans Saints
Week 9: New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Date: October 29
- Game time: 2:05 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C)
- Game attendance: 35,286
- Referee: Larry Nemmers
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 10: vs. Washington Redskins
Week 10: Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 3 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| Cardinals | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Date: November 5
- Game time: 2:05 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 52,244
- Referee: Bill Carollo
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 11: at Minnesota Vikings
Week 11: Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Vikings | 7 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: November 12
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST/12:00 p.m. MST
- Game weather: None (Indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 64,223
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 12: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 12: Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Eagles | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 34 |
at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Date: November 19
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST/12:00 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C)
- Game attendance: 65,356
- Referee: Phil Luckett
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 13: vs. New York Giants
Week 13: New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Date: November 26
- Game time: 6:35 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 42,094
- Referee: Walt Coleman
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 14: Arizona Cardinals at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| Bengals | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Date: December 3
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST
- Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C)
- Game attendance: 50,289
- Referee: Johnny Grier
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 15: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 15: Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Jaguars | 10 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 44 |
at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
- Date: December 10
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST
- Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C)
- Game attendance: 53,472
- Referee: Mike Carey
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 16: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 16: Baltimore Ravens at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravens | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
- Date: December 17
- Game time: 2:15 p.m. MST
- Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C)
- Game attendance: 37,452
- Referee: Larry Nemmers
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 17: at Washington Redskins
Week 17: Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Redskins | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
- Date: December 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/11:00 a.m. MST
- Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C)
- Game attendance: 65,711
- Referee: Jeff Triplette
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Standings
| NFC East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1) New York Giants | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 328 | 246 | W5 |
| (4) Philadelphia Eagles | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 351 | 245 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 281 | 269 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 294 | 361 | L2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 210 | 443 | L7 |
Best performances
- David Boston, Week 1, 128 Receiving Yards vs. New York Giants[7]
- David Boston, Week 2, 102 Receiving Yards vs. Dallas Cowboys[7]
- David Boston, Week 7, 123 Receiving Yards vs. Philadelphia Eagles[7]
- David Boston, Week 14, 184 Receiving Yards vs. Cincinnati Bengals[7]
- Jake Plummer, Week 1, 318 Passing Yards vs. New York Giants[8]
- Simeon Rice, Week 12, 3.0 Quarterback Sacks vs. Philadelphia Eagles[9]