2002 Chicago Bears season

Last updated

2002 Chicago Bears season
Owner The McCaskey Family
General manager Jerry Angelo
Head coach Dick Jauron
Home stadium Memorial Stadium
(Champaign, Illinois)
Results
Record4–12
Division place3rd NFC North
PlayoffsDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers Marty Booker
Olin Kreutz
Brian Urlacher [1]
All-Pros LB Brian Urlacher (1st team)

The 2002 season was the Chicago Bears' 83rd in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth under head coach Dick Jauron.

Contents

The team had hopes of returning to the playoffs after an unexpected 13–3 season the previous year, However, the team failed to improve on that record and finished with a 4–12 record and missed the postseason for the second time in three years. The Bears had problems on both sides of the ball, finishing 27th in the league in points scored and 23rd in points allowed. [1] The Bears began the season 2–0, but things quickly fell apart as the team fell into an eight-game losing streak, including a loss at home to the New England Patriots where, despite having a 27–6 lead at some point, the Patriots came back and won the game late in the fourth quarter. After this, the Bears never recovered, finishing 4–12 and in third place in their division, the newly aligned NFC North.

With Soldier Field being rebuilt, the Bears opted to play all of their home games Downstate in Champaign, at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois. [2] The arrangement was similar to the one made by the newly-relocated Tennessee Oilers five years earlier, in that the Bears continued to be based in Chicago and travelled to Champaign (a two-hour drive to the southwest) only for games, essentially consigning themselves to playing sixteen games on the road.

While (unlike the 1997 Oilers) the venture was reasonably successful at the box office, with the Bears drawing more than 50,000 fans to every game in Champaign and more than 60,000 to all but two games, the Bears never seemed to get used to their "new" home field. Injuries piled up as the season went on for both offense and defense. Starting quarterback Jim Miller was injured throughout the year, leaving the team no choice but to use backup Chris Chandler and rookie third-string quarterback Henry Burris for both spot relief and as starters. 2001 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Anthony Thomas suffered a broken right index finger in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers. [3] These injuries and the league's 23rd worst turnover differential contributed to the team's franchise record-tying eight-game losing streak and their poor record. [4]

Offseason

SigningsDepartures
QB Chris Chandler (Falcons)QB Shane Matthews (Redskins)
DB Damon Moore (Eagles)RB James Allen (Texans)
LB Mike Caldwell (Eagles)WR D'Wayne Bates (Vikings)
DT Christian Peter (Colts)T Blake Brockermeyer (Broncos)
CB Walt Harris (Colts)
FS Tony Parrish (49ers)

2002 expansion draft

Chicago Bears selected during the expansion draft
RoundOverallNamePositionExpansion team
17 Danny Wuerffel Quarterback Houston Texans

Draft

RoundOverall pickPlayerPositionCollege
129 Marc Colombo Offensive tackle Boston College
372 Roosevelt Williams Cornerback Tuskegee
393 Terrence Metcalf Guard Ole Miss
4104 Alex Brown Defensive end Florida
5140 Bobby Gray Safety Louisiana Tech
5165 Bryan Knight Linebacker Pittsburgh
6199 Adrian Peterson Running back Georgia Southern
6203 Jamin Elliott Wide receiver Delaware
6210 Bryan Fletcher Tight end UCLA

[5]

Undrafted free agents

2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note
PlayerPositionCollege
Luke Butkus Center Illinois
Travis Coleman Defensive back Hampton
Eric McCoo Running back Penn State
Edell Shepherd Wide receiver San Jose State

Training camp

2002 marked the first Bears Training Camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, after practicing at University of Wisconsin–Platteville from 1984 to 2001. Other candidates in the selection process included universities like Eastern Illinois in Charleston, Illinois State in Normal, Millikin in Decatur, Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Southern Illinois Carbondale and Edwardsville, and Urbana–Champaign; smaller schools like Knox College in Galesburg, Monmouth College in Monmouth, and Rockford College in Rockford; and the Chanute Air Force Base near Rantoul, where the Illinois Fighting Illini held their offseason camps. [6]

The list was eventually narrowed to Eastern Illinois, Millikin, Northern Illinois, and Olivet Nazarene. On July 17, 2001, the Bears announced Olivet Nazarene as the new Training Camp site on a two-year deal. [7]

Staff

2002 Chicago Bears staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Physical development coordinator – Russ Riederer
  • Assistant physical development coordinator – Steve Little

Roster

2002 Chicago Bears 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, 14 reserve, 5 practice squad

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueNFL.com
recap
1August 10 Denver Broncos L 3–270–1 Memorial Stadium Summary
2August 16 St. Louis Rams W 19–171–1 Edward Jones Dome Summary
3August 23 Jacksonville Jaguars L 16–241–2 Memorial Stadium Summary
4August 29 Miami Dolphins L 22–241–3 Pro Player Stadium Summary

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueNFL.com
recap
1September 8 Minnesota Vikings W 27–231–0 Memorial Stadium Summary
2September 15at Atlanta Falcons W 14–132–0 Georgia Dome Summary
3September 22 New Orleans Saints L 23–292–1 Memorial Stadium Summary
4September 29at Buffalo Bills L 27–33 (OT)2–2 Ralph Wilson Stadium Summary
5October 7 Green Bay Packers L 21–342–3 Memorial Stadium Summary
6 Bye
7October 20at Detroit Lions L 20–23 (OT)2–4 Ford Field Summary
8October 27at Minnesota Vikings L 7–252–5 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Summary
9November 3 Philadelphia Eagles L 13–192–6 Memorial Stadium Summary
10November 10 New England Patriots L 30–332–7 Memorial Stadium Summary
11November 18at St. Louis Rams L 16–212–8 Edward Jones Dome Summary
12November 24 Detroit Lions W 20–17 (OT)3–8 Memorial Stadium Summary
13December 1at Green Bay Packers L 20–303–9 Lambeau Field Summary
14December 9at Miami Dolphins L 9–273–10 Pro Player Stadium Summary
15December 15 New York Jets W 20–134–10 Memorial Stadium Summary
16December 22at Carolina Panthers L 14–244–11 Ericsson Stadium Summary
17December 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 0–154–12 Memorial Stadium Summary

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 1: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Quarter1234Total
Vikings3170323
Bears7331427

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

  • Date: September 8, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 85 °F (29 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,226
  • Referee: Mike Carey (94)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 2: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 2: Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons
Quarter1234Total
Bears077014
Falcons0103013

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 3: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 3: New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears
Quarter1234Total
Saints0147829
Bears10100323

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: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: at Buffalo Bills

Week 4: Chicago Bears at Buffalo Bills
Quarter1234OTTotal
Bears77310027
Bills71037633

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

Week 5: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 5: Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Quarter1234Total
Packers14107334
Bears770721

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

Game information

Week 7: at Detroit Lions

Week 7: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
Quarter1234OTTotal
Bears010100020
Lions01433323

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

  • Date: October 20, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: none (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 60,421
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar (86)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 8: at Minnesota Vikings

Week 8: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Quarter1234Total
Bears00077
Vikings01312025

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: October 27, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: none (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 64,122
  • Referee: Bill Leavy (127)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 9: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 9: Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears
Quarter1234Total
Eagles076619
Bears0130013

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

  • Date: November 3, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Light rain 38 °F (3 °C)
  • Game attendance: 54,049
  • Referee: Terry McAulay (77)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 10: vs. New England Patriots

Week 10: New England Patriots at Chicago Bears
Quarter1234Total
Patriots06101733
Bears0621330

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

  • Date: November 10, 2002
  • Game time: 4:15 p.m.
  • Game weather: Overcast, 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,105
  • Referee: Bob McElwee (95)
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 11: at St. Louis Rams

Week 11: Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams
Quarter1234Total
Bears067316
Rams770721

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

  • Date: November 18, 2002
  • Game time: 9:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 66,250
  • Referee: Gerry Austin (34)
  • TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, John Madden and Melissa Stark
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 12: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 12: Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
Quarter1234OTTotal
Lions03140017
Bears07010320

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

Game information

Week 13: at Green Bay Packers

Week 13: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
Quarter1234Total
Bears770620
Packers33101430

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: December 1, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 pm
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 23 °F (−5 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,196
  • Referee: Ron Winter (14)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 14: at Miami Dolphins

Week 14: Chicago Bears at Miami Dolphins
Quarter1234Total
Bears303612
Dolphins777627

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Game information

Week 15: vs. New York Jets

Week 15: New York Jets at Chicago Bears
Quarter1234Total
Jets0010313
Bears0107320

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

  • Date: December 15, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 pm
  • Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 43 °F (6 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,226
  • Referee: Mike Carey (94)
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap. Game Book
Game information

Week 16: at Carolina Panthers

Week 16: Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
Quarter1234Total
Bears700714
Panthers0210324

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: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 17: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears
Quarter1234Total
Buccaneers060915
Bears00000

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

Game information

Standings

Division

NFC North
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(3) Green Bay Packers 1240.7505–19–3398328L1
Minnesota Vikings 6100.3754–25–7390442W3
Chicago Bears 4120.2502–43–9281379L2
Detroit Lions 3130.1881–53–9306451L8

Conference

#TeamDivisionWLTPCTDIVCONFSOSSOV
Division leaders
1 [a] Philadelphia Eagles East1240.7505–111–1.469.432
2 [a] [b] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South1240.7504–29–3.482.432
3 [a] [b] Green Bay Packers North1240.7505–19–3.451.414
4 San Francisco 49ers West1060.6255–18–4.504.450
Wild Cards
5 New York Giants East1060.6255–18–4.482.450
6 Atlanta Falcons South961.5944–27–5.494.429
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 New Orleans Saints South970.5633–37–5.498.566
8 [c] St. Louis Rams West790.4384–25–7.508.446
9 [c] Seattle Seahawks West790.4382–45–7.506.433
10 [d] Washington Redskins East790.4381–54–8.527.438
11 [d] Carolina Panthers South790.4381–54–8.486.357
12 Minnesota Vikings North6100.3754–25–7.498.417
13 [e] Arizona Cardinals West5110.3131–55–7.500.400
14 [e] Dallas Cowboys East5110.3131–53–9.500.475
15 Chicago Bears North4120.2502–43–9.521.430
16 Detroit Lions North3130.1881–53–9.494.375
Tiebreakers [f]
  1. 1 2 3 Philadelphia finished ahead of Tampa Bay and Green Bay based on conference record (11–1 vs 9–3/9–3).
  2. 1 2 Tampa Bay finished ahead of Green Bay based on head-to-head victory.
  3. 1 2 St. Louis finished ahead of Seattle based on division record (4–2 to 2–4).
  4. 1 2 Washington finished ahead of Carolina based on common games (2–3 to 1–4)
  5. 1 2 Arizona finished ahead of Dallas based on head-to-head victory.
  6. 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.

References

  1. 1 2 "2002 Chicago Bears Statistics and Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  2. "2002 Chicago Bears". Chicago Bears History. Archived from the original on March 26, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  3. "Packers capitalize on turnovers to stop Bears". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  4. "Bears snap eight-game slide with OT victory". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  5. "2002 NFL Draft". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
  6. Isaacson, Melissa (May 4, 2001). "The state of camp-site wooing". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved August 20, 2018. Lock-green.svg
  7. "Bears choose Olivet Nazarene in Bourbonnais as new training camp location". The Pantagraph . Associated Press. July 17, 2001. Retrieved August 20, 2018. Lock-green.svg