2002 Carolina Panthers season
NFL team season
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The 2002 season was the Carolina Panthers' eighth in the National Football League and their first under head coach John Fox. They tried to improve upon their 1–15 record in 2001, and make it to the playoffs for the second time in franchise history.
| 2002 Carolina Panthers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jerry Richardson |
| General manager | Marty Hurney |
| Head coach | John Fox |
| Home stadium | Ericsson Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–9 |
| Division place | 4th NFC South |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| All-Pros | DT Kris Jenkins (1st team) P Todd Sauerbrun (1st team) |
| Pro Bowlers | DT Kris Jenkins P Todd Sauerbrun |
After moving from the NFC West to the more geographically accurate NFC South, they improved by six games to finish 7–9, but were still five games behind the division champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and failed to make the playoffs. Their Week 12, 41–0 loss against the Atlanta Falcons was the Panthers' last shutout for 21 years.
Offseason
| Signings | Departures |
|---|---|
| DE Shane Burton (Jets) | WR Donald Hayes (Patriots) |
| CB Terry Cousin (Dolphins) | FB Chris Hetherington (Rams) |
| LB Mark Fields (Rams) | DE Jay Williams (Dolphins) |
NFL draft
The 2002 NFL draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 15 and April 16, 2002. The Panthers selected nine players in seven rounds. Despite having the worst record in the league the previous season, the Panthers picked 2nd overall due to the Houston Texans picking first overall in their inaugural draft, as is tradition (under NFL rules) with expansion teams.
| 2002 Carolina Panthers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Julius Peppers * † | DE | North Carolina | |
| 2 | 34 | DeShaun Foster | RB | UCLA | |
| 3 | 73 | Will Witherspoon | LB | Georgia | |
| 4 | 100 | Dante Wesley | CB | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | |
| 5 | 137 | Randy Fasani | QB | Stanford | |
| 5 | 145 | Kyle Johnson | FB | Syracuse | |
| 6 | 174 | Keith Heinrich | TE | Sam Houston State | |
| 7 | 213 | Pete Campion | G | North Dakota State | |
| 7 | 258 | Brad Franklin | CB | Louisiana-Lafayette | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Ken Amato | Linebacker | Montana State |
| Nathan Black | Wide receiver | Northwestern State |
| Eric Brackins | Linebacker | Michigan |
| Ben Coleman | Defensive tackle | Florida A&M |
| Lonnie Ford | Defensive end | USC |
| Guilian Gary | Wide receiver | Maryland |
| Billy Dee Greenwood | Safety | North Carolina |
| Terrell Harris | Wide receiver | Tulane |
| Mark Inkrott | Tight end | Findlay |
| Shannon Money | Guard | Arkansas |
| Aries Monroe | Linebacker | Alabama |
| Tavarreus Pounds | Linebacker | Auburn |
| Kemp Rasmussen | Defensive end | Indiana |
| Darian Tate | Defensive tackle | Walsh |
| Ryan Tolhurst | Wide receiver | Richmond |
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
Under the NFL’s new scheduling formula put in place for this season, the Panthers would play two games each season against their NFC South division rivals. A schedule rotation would see them play the NFC North in full in 2002 and every three seasons subsequently, and the AFC North in 2002 and every four seasons subsequently. As the Panthers had the worst record in the NFL in 2001, they would also play the Arizona Cardinals, who had the worst 2001 record amongst teams in the reconstituted NFC West, and the Dallas Cowboys, who had the worst 2001 record amongst teams in the NFC East.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | Baltimore Ravens | W 10–7 | 1–0 | Ericsson Stadium | 70,386 |
| 2 | September 15 | Detroit Lions | W 31–7 | 2–0 | Ericsson Stadium | 71,951 |
| 3 | September 22 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 21–14 | 3–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 63,945 |
| 4 | September 29 | at Green Bay Packers | L 14–17 | 3–1 | Lambeau Field | 63,329 |
| 5 | October 6 | Arizona Cardinals | L 13–16 | 3–2 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,286 |
| 6 | October 13 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 13–14 | 3–3 | Texas Stadium | 61,773 |
| 7 | October 20 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 0–30 | 3–4 | Georgia Dome | 68,056 |
| 8 | October 27 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 9–12 | 3–5 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,892 |
| 9 | Bye | |||||
| 10 | November 10 | New Orleans Saints | L 24–34 | 3–6 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,566 |
| 11 | November 17 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10–23 | 3–7 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,527 |
| 12 | November 24 | Atlanta Falcons | L 0–41 | 3–8 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,533 |
| 13 | December 1 | at Cleveland Browns | W 13–6 | 4–8 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,718 |
| 14 | December 8 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 52–31 | 5–8 | Ericsson Stadium | 66,799 |
| 15 | December 15 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 14–30 | 5–9 | Heinz Field | 58,586 |
| 16 | December 22 | Chicago Bears | W 24–14 | 6–9 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,602 |
| 17 | December 29 | at New Orleans Saints | W 10–6 | 7–9 | Louisiana Superdome | 66,946 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
Game summaries
Week 2: vs. Detroit Lions
Week 2: Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Panthers | 0 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Date: September 15, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
- Game attendance: 71,951
- Referee: Gerald Austin (34)
- TV announcers (FOX): Kenny Albert, Tim Green, and Paul Butler
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings
Week 3: Carolina Panthers (2–0) at Minnesota Vikings (0–2) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| Vikings | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: September 22, 2002
- Game time: 12:00 p.m.
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 63,945
- Referee: Bernie Kukar (86)
- TV announcers (FOX): Curt Menefee (play-by-play), Tim Ryan (color), Jeff Grayson (sideline)
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: at Green Bay Packers
Week 4: Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Packers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Date: September 29, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Overcast, 65 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,329
- Referee: Bill Carollo (63)
- TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and Brian Baldinger
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5: vs. Arizona Cardinals
Week 5: Arizona Cardinals (2–2) at Carolina Panthers (3–1) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
| Panthers | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Date: October 6
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST/11:00 a.m. MST
- Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C)
- Game attendance: 72,286
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (FOX): Curt Menefee, Tim Ryan
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 16: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 16: Chicago Bears (4–10) at Carolina Panthers (5–9) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Panthers | 0 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Date: December 22, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Sunny, 56 °F (13 °C)
- Game attendance: 72,602
- Referee: Terry McAulay (77)
- TV announcers (FOX): Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger, and Dan Jiggetts
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Standings
Division
| NFC South | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 346 | 196 | W1 |
| (6) Atlanta Falcons | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 402 | 314 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 432 | 388 | L3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 258 | 302 | W2 |
Conference
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division leaders | ||||||||||
| 1[a] | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 11–1 | .469 | .432 |
| 2[a][b] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .482 | .432 |
| 3[a][b] | Green Bay Packers | North | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .451 | .414 |
| 4 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .504 | .450 |
| Wild Cards | ||||||||||
| 5 | New York Giants | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .482 | .450 |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons | South | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .494 | .429 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason | ||||||||||
| 7 | New Orleans Saints | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .498 | .566 |
| 8[c] | St. Louis Rams | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 5–7 | .508 | .446 |
| 9[c] | Seattle Seahawks | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .506 | .433 |
| 10[d] | Washington Redskins | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .527 | .438 |
| 11[d] | Carolina Panthers | South | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .486 | .357 |
| 12 | Minnesota Vikings | North | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4–2 | 5–7 | .498 | .417 |
| 13[e] | Arizona Cardinals | West | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 5–7 | .500 | .400 |
| 14[e] | Dallas Cowboys | East | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .500 | .475 |
| 15 | Chicago Bears | North | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .521 | .430 |
| 16 | Detroit Lions | North | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .494 | .375 |
| Tiebreakers[f] | ||||||||||
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