2002 Indianapolis Colts season

50th season in franchise history; first one in the AFC South division From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2002 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 50th in the National Football League (NFL) and 19th in Indianapolis. The Colts made it to the playoffs after a one-year absence, improving upon their 6–10 record from the 2001 season. This was the first of nine consecutive playoff appearances for the Colts. The 2002 season marked the first for the Colts in the newly formed AFC South after competing for 32 seasons in the AFC East. The season is memorable for the team hiring former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy. He would later take the Colts to a victory in Super Bowl XLI after a successful 2006 season.

OwnerJim Irsay
General managerBill Polian
Head coachTony Dungy
Home stadiumRCA Dome
Quick facts Indianapolis Colts season, Owner ...
2002 Indianapolis Colts season
OwnerJim Irsay
General managerBill Polian
Head coachTony Dungy
Home stadiumRCA Dome
Results
Record10–6
Division place2nd AFC South
PlayoffsLost Wild Card Playoffs
(at Jets) 0–41
Pro BowlersQB Peyton Manning
WR Marvin Harrison
Uniform
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In the Wildcard round, the Colts were soundly embarrassed by the New York Jets, as they ended up losing the game 41–0. The Jets would go on to lose to the eventual AFC champion Oakland Raiders the following week.

Offseason

More information Signings, Departures ...
SigningsDepartures
CB Walt Harris (Bears)TE Ken Dilger (Buccaneers)
WR Troy Walters (Vikings)SS Chad Cota (Rams)
QB Brock Huard (Seahawks)WR Tony Simmons (Texans)
WR Qadry Ismail (Ravens)WR Terrence Wilkins (Rams)
FB Detron Smith (Broncos)CB Jeff Burris (Bengals)
WR Jerome Pathon (Saints)
DT Ellis Johnson (Falcons)
G Steve McKinney (Texans)
G Larry Moore (Redskins)
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NFL draft

Main article: 2002 NFL draft
More information Round, Pick ...
2002 Indianapolis Colts draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 11 Dwight Freeney * †  Defensive end Syracuse
2 42 Larry Tripplett  Defensive tackle Washington
3 74 Joseph Jefferson  Defensive back Western Kentucky
4 106 David Thornton  Linebacker North Carolina
6 182 David Pugh  Defensive tackle Virginia Tech
6 183 James Lewis  Defensive back Miami (FL)
6 204 Brian Allen  Running back Stanford
7 220 Josh Mallard  Defensive end Georgia
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career
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[1]

Undrafted free agents

More information Player, Position ...
2002 undrafted free agents of note
Player Position College
David Collett Kicker Tennessee Tech
Todd Delamielleure Linebacker Boise State
Ricky Williams Running Back Texas Tech
Mike Souza Center Northwestern
Kurt Vollers Tackle Notre Dame
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Personnel

Staff

2002 Indianapolis Colts staff

Front office

  • Owner and chief executive officer – Jim Irsay
  • President – Bill Polian
  • Senior executive vice president – Pete Ward
  • Executive vice president – Bob Terpening
  • Director of football operations – Dom Anile
  • Director of pro player personnel – Clyde Powers
  • Assistant director of football operations – Chris Polian
  • Director of player development – Steve Champlin
  • Coordinator of player personnel – John Becker
  • Director of college scouting – Mike Butler

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Jon Torine
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Richard Howell

[2]

Roster

2002 Indianapolis Colts roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

 Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

 Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

 Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 8 reserve, 5 practice squad

[3]

Preseason

More information Week, Date ...
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 10 at Seattle Seahawks W 28–10 1–0 Qwest Field Recap
2 August 20 Cincinnati Bengals L 10–22 1–1 RCA Dome Recap
3 August 24 Buffalo Bills W 19–7 2–1 RCA Dome Recap
4 August 30 at New Orleans Saints L 21–25 2–2 Louisiana Superdome Recap
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Regular season

Schedule

More information Week, Date ...
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 8 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 28–25 1–0 Alltel Stadium Recap
2 September 15 Miami Dolphins L 13–21 1–1 RCA Dome Recap
3 September 22 at Houston Texans W 23–3 2–1 Reliant Stadium Recap
4 Bye
5 October 6 Cincinnati Bengals W 28–21 3–1 RCA Dome Recap
6 October 13 Baltimore Ravens W 22–20 4–1 RCA Dome Recap
7 October 21 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 10–28 4–2 Heinz Field Recap
8 October 27 at Washington Redskins L 21–26 4–3 FedExField Recap
9 November 3 Tennessee Titans L 15–23 4–4 RCA Dome Recap
10 November 10 at Philadelphia Eagles W 35–13 5–4 Veterans Stadium Recap
11 November 17 Dallas Cowboys W 20–3 6–4 RCA Dome Recap
12 November 24 at Denver Broncos W 23–20 7–4 Invesco Field at Mile High Recap
13 December 1 Houston Texans W 19–3 8–4 RCA Dome Recap
14 December 8 at Tennessee Titans L 17–27 8–5 Adelphia Coliseum Recap
15 December 15 at Cleveland Browns W 28–23 9–5 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap
16 December 22 New York Giants L 27–44 9–6 RCA Dome Recap
17 December 29 Jacksonville Jaguars W 20–13 10–6 RCA Dome Recap
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Game summaries

Week 1: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 1: Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 7 7728
Jaguars 0 7 10825
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at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

In the 2002 season, the Colts and Jaguars faced off for the first time as divisional rivals in their season opener on September 8 in Jacksonville. The Colts initiated the scoring with a touchdown in the first quarter. The Jaguars tied it in the second quarter. In the final minutes of the second quarter, Mark Brunell threw a 40–yard pick–six to LB Marcus Washington. The Jaguars then missed a 52–yard field goal attempt, resulting in a halftime score of 14–7 in favor of the Colts. In the third quarter, a fumble by Colts RB Edgerrin James led to a Jaguars' field goal, followed by another fumble from Colts TE Marcus Pollard that led to a Jaguars touchdown, giving them the lead. However, after the Jaguars forced a Colts three–and–out, return specialist Damon Gibson mishandled the catch, allowing Colts DB Clifton Crosby to recover the ball at Jacksonville's 19–yard line. The Colts capitalized on this opportunity, scoring a touchdown to regain the lead. In the fourth quarter, the Colts added another touchdown to widen their advantage. The Jaguars mounted a lengthy drive, scoring a touchdown and converting a two–point attempt to narrow the Colts' lead. The Colts effectively managed the Jaguars' timeouts, leaving them with the ball and about a minute remaining. The Jaguars advanced to the Colts' 46–yard line but ultimately ran out of time, resulting in a 28–25 victory for the Colts.[4][5]

Week 2: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week 2: Miami Dolphins (1–0) at Indianapolis Colts (1–0) – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 14 7 0021
Colts 0 3 01013
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at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Week 17: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 17: Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 3 7 0313
Colts 0 10 01020
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at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

More information Game information ...
Game information
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Although the Colts had lost the inaugural AFC South title to the Titans the week prior, they still had the opportunity to secure a playoff berth with a victory against the eliminated Jaguars.[6] The Colts began the game sluggishly, but a fumble by the Jaguars at their 23–yard line enabled the Colts to score a quick touchdown, leveling the score by halftime. In the third quarter, as the Colts advanced into Jacksonville territory, James fumbled the ball, allowing the Jaguars to convert it into a field goal and take a 13–10 lead heading into the fourth quarter. On the subsequent drive, the Jaguars appeared to force a three–and–out, but a penalty for running into the kicker granted the Colts a fresh set of downs. Capitalizing on this opportunity, the Colts tied the game with a field goal. After forcing another three–and–out, a strong punt return positioned the Colts at Jacksonville's 47–yard line. Manning then connected with Pollard for an 11–yard touchdown, putting the Colts ahead. In the closing moments, the Colts' defense held firm, securing a 20–13 victory over the Jaguars, completing a sweep in their initial matchups as divisional rivals and earning a wild card spot in the playoffs.[7]

Standings

Division

More information AFC South, W ...
AFC South
 W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Tennessee Titans 11 5 0 .688 6–0 9–3 367 324 W5
(5) Indianapolis Colts 10 6 0 .625 4–2 8–4 349 313 W1
Jacksonville Jaguars 6 10 0 .375 1–5 4–8 328 315 L2
Houston Texans 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 213 356 L3
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Conference

More information #, Team ...
AFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV
Division leaders
1[a] Oakland Raiders West 1150.688 4–29–3.529.531
2[a] Tennessee Titans South 1150.688 6–09–3.479.474
3 Pittsburgh Steelers North 1051.656 6–08–4.486.451
4[b] New York Jets East 970.563 4–26–6.500.500
Wild Cards
5 Indianapolis Colts South 1060.625 4–28–4.479.400
6[c] Cleveland Browns North 970.563 3–37–5.486.413
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[c][d] Denver Broncos West 970.563 3–35–7.527.486
8[b][c][d][e] New England Patriots East 970.563 4–26–6.525.455
9[b][e] Miami Dolphins East 970.563 2–47–5.508.486
10[f] Buffalo Bills East 880.500 2–45–7.473.352
11[f][g] San Diego Chargers West 880.500 3–36–6.492.453
12[g] Kansas City Chiefs West 880.500 2–46–6.527.516
13 Baltimore Ravens North 790.438 3–37–5.506.384
14 Jacksonville Jaguars South 6100.375 1–54–8.506.438
15 Houston Texans South 4120.250 1–52–10.518.492
16 Cincinnati Bengals North 2140.125 0–61–11.537.406
Tiebreakers[h]
  1. [a]
    Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based on head-to-head victory.
  2. [b]
    N.Y. Jets finished ahead of New England based on win percentage in common games (8–4 to 7–5) after both finished ahead of Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4).
  3. [c]
    Cleveland finished ahead of Denver and New England based on conference record (7–5 vs 5–7/6–6)
  4. [d]
    Denver finished ahead of New England based on head-to-head victory.
  5. [e]
    New England finished ahead of Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4).
  6. [f]
    Buffalo finished ahead of San Diego based on head-to-head victory.
  7. [g]
    San Diego finished ahead of Kansas City based on division record (3–3 to 2–4).
  8. [h]
    When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
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Postseason

Further information: 2002–03 NFL playoffs
More information Round, Date ...
RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordVenueNFL Recap
Wild CardJanuary 4, 2003at New York Jets (4)L 0–410–1Giants StadiumRecap
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Game summaries

AFC Wild Card Playoff Game: vs. New York Jets

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: (#5) Indianapolis Colts at (#4) New York Jets
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 0 000
Jets 7 17 10741
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at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

More information Game information ...
Game information
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References

External links

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