2002 New Orleans Saints season
NFL team season
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The 2002 season was the New Orleans Saints' 36th in the National Football League (NFL), their 27th playing home games at the Louisiana Superdome, and third under head coach Jim Haslett. They improved upon their previous season's performance of 7–9, winning nine games.[1] Despite the winning season, and ranking third in total offense in 2002, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons. This was the first season in which the Saints wore gold jerseys. They did so during a home game against the Minnesota Vikings in week 15. They would not wear them again until the 2025 season
| 2002 New Orleans Saints season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Mickey Loomis |
| Head coach | Jim Haslett |
| Home stadium | Louisiana Superdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC South |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| All-Pros | Deuce McAllister (1st team) Michael Lewis (ST) Fred McAfee (ST) |
| Pro Bowlers | Deuce McAllister (RB) Joe Horn (WR) Michael Lewis (KR) Fred McAfee (ST) |
A bright moment during the season for the Saints was sweeping the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those two wins were almost guaranteed to make New Orleans a playoff team; however, three consecutive losses, all to losing teams, including one to the 1–13 Cincinnati Bengals, knocked New Orleans out of playoff contention.
Offseason
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| WR Jerome Pathon (Colts) | RB Ricky Williams (Dolphins) |
| TE David Sloan (Lions) | T Willie Roaf (Chiefs) |
| CB Ken Irvin (Bills) | DT La'Roi Glover (Cowboys) |
| WR Jake Reed (Vikings) | CB Fred Weary (Falcons) |
| T Victor Riley (Chiefs) | DE Joe Johnson (Packers) |
| CB Dale Carter (Vikings) | T Daryl Terrell (Jaguars) |
NFL draft
| 2002 New Orleans Saints draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Donté Stallworth | Wide receiver | Tennessee | |
| 1 | 25 | Charles Grant | Defensive end | Georgia | |
| 2 | 44 | LeCharles Bentley * | Guard | Ohio State | |
| 3 | 82 | James Allen | Linebacker | Oregon State | |
| 4 | 125 | Keyuo Craver | Defensive back | Nebraska | |
| 5 | 150 | Mel Mitchell | Defensive back | Western Kentucky | |
| 6 | 186 | J. T. O'Sullivan | Quarterback | UC Davis | |
| 6 | 196 | John Gilmore | Tight end | Penn State | |
| 7 | 224 | Derrius Monroe | Defensive end | Virginia Tech | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Cutolo | Wide receiver | Eastern Illinois |
| Todd Elstrom | Wide receiver | Washington |
| Chonn Lacey | Safety | Temple |
| Andrew LeClair | Linebacker | North Dakota State |
| Derrick Lewis | Wide receiver | San Diego State |
| Jerry Montgomery | Defensive tackle | Iowa |
| Jeff Reed | Placekicker | North Carolina |
| Rick Sherrod | Safety | West Virginia |
| Demetrius Smith | Fullback | Southwest Missouri State |
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, the Saints' non-divisional conference opponents in 2002 were primarily from the NFC North, although they also played former divisional rival the San Francisco 49ers from the NFC West, and the Washington Redskins from the NFC East. Their non-conference opponents were from the AFC North.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 26–20 (OT) | 1–0 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,554 |
| 2 | September 15 | Green Bay Packers | W 35–20 | 2–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 67,958 |
| 3 | September 22 | at Chicago Bears | W 29–23 | 3–0 | Memorial Stadium | 63,216 |
| 4 | September 29 | at Detroit Lions | L 21–26 | 3–1 | Ford Field | 60,023 |
| 5 | October 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 32–29 | 4–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 67,734 |
| 6 | October 13 | at Washington Redskins | W 43–27 | 5–1 | FedExField | 80,768 |
| 7 | October 20 | San Francisco 49ers | W 35–27 | 6–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 67,903 |
| 8 | October 27 | Atlanta Falcons | L 35–37 | 6–2 | Louisiana Superdome | 67,883 |
| 9 | Bye | |||||
| 10 | November 10 | at Carolina Panthers | W 34–24 | 7–2 | Ericsson Stadium | 72,566 |
| 11 | November 17 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 17–24 | 7–3 | Georgia Dome | 70,382 |
| 12 | November 24 | Cleveland Browns | L 15–24 | 7–4 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,295 |
| 13 | December 1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 23–20 | 8–4 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,226 |
| 14 | December 8 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 37–25 | 9–4 | Ravens Stadium | 69,334 |
| 15 | December 15 | Minnesota Vikings | L 31–32 | 9–5 | Louisiana Superdome | 67,851 |
| 16 | December 22 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 13–20 | 9–6 | Paul Brown Stadium | 43,544 |
| 17 | December 29 | Carolina Panthers | L 6–10 | 9–7 | Louisiana Superdome | 66,946 |
Game summaries
Week 2: vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 2: Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Saints | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: September 15, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 pm
- Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 88 °F (31 °C)
- Game attendance: 67,958
- Referee: Johnny Grier (23)
- TV announcers (FOX): Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston, Ron Pitts
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: at Chicago Bears
Week 3: New Orleans Saints (2–0) at Chicago Bears (2–0) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 0 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
| Bears | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois
- Date: September 22, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 68 °F (20 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,216
- Referee: Ron Blum (7)
- TV announcers (FOX): Kenny Albert, Tim Green, Dan Jiggets
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: at Detroit Lions
Week 4: New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 0 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 21 |
| Lions | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: September 29, 2002
- Game time: 1:03 pm
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 60,023
- Referee: Ron Winter (14)
- TV announcers (Fox): Curt Menefee, Tim Ryan, Jennifer Hammond
- Recap, Game Book
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 15: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Week 15: Minnesota Vikings (3–10) at New Orleans Saints (9–4) – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 14 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 32 |
| Saints | 10 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 31 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: December 15, 2002
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 67,851
- Referee: Bob McElwee (95)
- TV announcers (FOX): Ron Pitts, John Jurkovic, Joe Trahan
- 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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