2000 San Francisco 49ers season

2000 San Francisco 49ers season
Owner	Edward J. DeBartolo Jr.
General manager	Bill Walsh
Head coach	Steve Mariucci
Home field	3Com Park
Results
Record	6–10
Division place	4th NFC West
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	QB Jeff Garcia [1] WR Terrell Owens [1] RB Charlie Garner [1]
AP All-Pros	Terrell Owens (1st team)
←  1999 49ers seasons 2001  →

The 2000 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 51st season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 55th overall. Jerry Rice entered the 2000 season as the oldest player in the league at the wide receiver position. ^[2] At the end of the year, however, with the emergence of Terrell Owens, Rice decided to leave the team after sixteen seasons to join the Raiders. Running back Charlie Garner would join Rice in Oakland.

The 49ers improved from 4–12 in 1999 to 6–10, but still suffered back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since their four consecutive losing seasons from 1977 to 1980.

Without Steve Young, who retired after the 1999 season, the 49ers fully relied on second-year quarterback Jeff Garcia, who enjoyed his best year and was named to the Pro Bowl at the end of this season.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 2000 NFL draft

2000 San Francisco 49ers draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	16	Julian Peterson  *	Linebacker	Michigan State
1	24	Ahmed Plummer	Cornerback	Ohio State
2	35	John Engelberger	Defensive end	Virginia Tech
2	48	Jason Webster	Cornerback	Texas A&M
3	65	Giovanni Carmazzi	Quarterback	Hofstra
3	86	Jeff Ulbrich	Linebacker	Hawaii
4	108	John Keith	Safety	Furman
5	132	Paul Smith	Fullback	UTEP
5	150	John Milem	Defensive end	Lenoir–Rhyne
7	212	Tim Rattay	Quarterback	Louisiana Tech
7	230	Brian Jennings	Long snapper	Arizona State
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Source: ^[3]

Personnel

Staff

2000 San Francisco 49ers staff

Front office Owner – Denise DeBartolo York Owner – The DeBartolo Corporation Director/owner's representative – John York President/chief executive officer – Peter L. Harris Vice president/general manager – Bill Walsh Vice president/director of football operations – John McVay Assistant general manager – Terry Donahue Director of pro personnel – Bill McPherson Head coaches Head coach – Steve Mariucci Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Marty Mornhinweg Quarterbacks – Greg Knapp Running backs – Tom Rathman Wide receivers – George Stewart Tight ends – Tom Batta Offensive line – Patrick Morris Offensive assistant – Andy Sugarman

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Jim Mora Defensive line – Dwaine Board Linebackers – Richard Smith Assistant secondary – Brett Maxie Defensive assistant – Chris Beake Defensive quality control – Joe Barry Special teams coaches Special teams – Bruce DeHaven Strength and conditioning Physical development coordinator – Jerry Attaway

Roster

2000 San Francisco 49ers final roster

	Quarterbacks 19 Giovanni Carmazzi  5 Jeff Garcia  3 Rick Mirer 13 Tim Rattay Running backs 40 Fred Beasley FB 25 Charlie Garner 20 Garrison Hearst 22 Terry Jackson 43 Jonas Lewis 27 Paul Smith FB Wide receivers 81 Terrell Owens 80 Jerry Rice 83 J.J. Stokes 89 Tai Streets 82 Kevin Williams Tight ends 85 Greg Clark 88 Justin Swift		Offensive linemen 65 Ray Brown G 63 Derrick Deese T 79 Dan Dercher T 74 Dave Fiore G 78 Scott Gragg T 66 Tyrone Hopson G 60 Ben Lynch C 62 Jeremy Newberry C 69 Phil Ostrowski G 77 Matt Willig T Defensive linemen 99 Brentson Buckner DT 95 John Engelberger DE 76 Nate Hobgood-Chittick DT 71 Cedric Killings DT 92 Reggie McGrew DT 93 John Milem DE 91 Chike Okeafor DE 94 Anthony Pleasant DE 97 Bryant Young DT		Linebackers 57 Jason Kyle MLB 51 Ken Norton Jr. MLB 98 Julian Peterson OLB 96 Jeff Posey OLB 55 Winfred Tubbs OLB 50 Artie Ulmer OLB Defensive backs 31 Zack Bronson FS 38 Ronnie Heard SS 24 Monty Montgomery CB 33 Jason Moore SS 26 Anthony Parker CB 29 Ahmed Plummer CB 23 Pierson Prioleau FS 36 Jason Webster CB Special teams 86 Brian Jennings LS  7 Wade Richey K  4 Chad Stanley P		Reserve lists 90 Junior Bryant DT (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) 67 Chris Dalman C (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) 84 Terrence Dupree TE (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) 32 Travis Jervey RB (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) 28 John Keith S (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) 30 Lance Schulters S (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) 53 Jeff Ulbrich LB (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Practice squad 14 Dwight Carter WR 75 Matt Keneley DT Rookies in italics 53 active, 7 inactive, 2 practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue
HOF	July 31	vs. New England Patriots	L 0–20	0–1	Fawcett Stadium (Canton, Ohio)
1	August 5	San Diego Chargers	L 20–23	0–2	3Com Park
2	August 13	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 33–10	1–2	Arrowhead Stadium
3	August 20	at Seattle Seahawks	L 21–25	1–3	Husky Stadium
4	August 25	Denver Broncos	L 24–28	1–4	3Com Park

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 3	at Atlanta Falcons	L 28–36	0–1	Georgia Dome	54,626
2	September 10	Carolina Panthers	L 22–38	0–2	3Com Park	66,879
3	September 17	at St. Louis Rams	L 24–41	0–3	Trans World Dome	65,945
4	September 24	at Dallas Cowboys	W 41–24	1–3	Texas Stadium	64,127
5	October 1	Arizona Cardinals	W 27–20	2–3	3Com Park	66,985
6	October 8	Oakland Raiders	L 28–34 (OT)	2–4	3Com Park	68,344
7	October 15	at Green Bay Packers	L 28–31	2–5	Lambeau Field	59,870
8	October 22	at Carolina Panthers	L 16–34	2–6	Ericcson Stadium	61,350
9	October 29	St. Louis Rams	L 24–34	2–7	3Com Park	68,109
10	November 5	at New Orleans Saints	L 15–31	2–8	Louisiana Superdome	64,900
11	November 12	Kansas City Chiefs	W 21–7	3–8	3Com Park	68,002
12	November 19	Atlanta Falcons	W 16–6	4–8	3Com Park	67,447
13	Bye
14	December 3	at San Diego Chargers	W 45–17	5–8	Qualcomm Stadium	57,255
15	December 10	New Orleans Saints	L 27–31	5–9	3Com Park	67,892
16	December 17	Chicago Bears	W 17–0	6–9	3Com Park	68,306
17	December 23	at Denver Broncos	L 9–38	6–10	Mile High Stadium	76,098
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Season summary

Week 1 at Atlanta Falcons

Jeff Garcia opened scoring on a four-yard touchdown to Fred Beasley but after four consecutive Morten Anderson field goals the Falcons got touchdown catches from Terance Mathis and Shawn Jefferson while Ashley Ambrose picked off Garcia and scored. Beasley and Terrell Owens caught additional San Francisco touchdowns in the 36–28 loss.

Week 2 vs. Carolina Panthers

San Francisco's home opener was a disaster as four straight Panthers touchdowns ultimately led to a 38–22 Niners loss. With the game out of reach Garcia was benched and former Seahawks washout Rick Mirer completed a touchdown to J. J. Stokes and a two-point conversion throw to Owens on a subsequent Fred Beasley score.

Week 3 at St. Louis Rams

The Niners led 10–3 and closed to 27–24 but the defending Super Bowl champs put the game away 41–24. Garcia was intercepted twice, the second time at the Rams goal line with 47 seconds to go.

Week 4 at Dallas Cowboys

1 2 3 4 Total • 49ers 3 14 10 14 41 Cowboys 0 10 0 14 24 Date: September 24 Location: Texas Stadium Game attendance: 64,127 Game weather: Clear Referee: Jeff Triplette TV announcers (FOX): Kenny Albert, Tim Green, Mike Doocy

Scoring summary Q1 1:16 SF Richey 38 yard field goal SF 3–0 Q2 11:13 DAL Seder 40 yard field goal Tie 3–3 Q2 7:02 SF Garner 1 yard run (Richey kick) SF 10–3 Q2 2:49 SF Owens 3 yard pass from Garcia (Richey kick) SF 17–3 Q2 1:42 DAL Smith 1 yard run (Seder kick) SF 17–10 Q3 13:14 SF Rice 68 yard pass from Garcia (Richey kick) SF 24–10 Q3 10:43 SF Richey 47 yard field goal SF 27–10 Q4 14:15 SF Rice 5 yard pass from Garcia (Richey kick) SF 34–10 Q4 11:08 DAL Harris 11 yard pass from Aikman (Seder kick) SF 34–17 Q4 4:05 SF Owens 1 yard pass from Garcia (Richey kick) SF 41–17 Q4 3:23 DAL Harris 16 yard pass from Stoerner (Seder kick) SF 41–24

• Charlie Garner 36 Rush, 201 Yds

^[4]

• Terrell Owens poses on the midfield star

This was the game famous for Terrell Owens posing on the Cowboys mid-field star after his first touchdown of the game. This led to a more emphatic gesture by Emmitt Smith when he scored as he slammed the ball securely to the star. When Owens scored again he repeated his gesture then was hammered by George Teague in response.

Though the Niners won 41–24 it was a costly affair for coach Steve Mariucci; not only was Owens suspended for their following game (creating a rift between the two) but Mariucci clashed with an enraged Jerry Rice during the game, Rice angry after coming into the game with only eleven catches – in a bigger irony Rice would catch two touchdowns.

Week 5 vs. Arizona Cardinals

The Niners led wire to wire in winning 27–20. Jerry Rice led Niners receivers with seven catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Week 6 vs. Oakland Raiders

The two Bay Area NFL teams met for only the ninth time and first since the Raiders returned to Oakland. After two Sebastian Janikowski field goals the Niners took a 14–6 lead on scores to Owens and Rice. In the third after a Tyrone Wheatley score and two pointer tied the game the Raiders forced a fumble, completed a deep strike to Andre Rison, then Tim Brown caught a 30-yard score. The Raiders next scored on a Rich Gannon run. Garcia then completed a touchdown to Owens where he outmaneuvered five Raiders defenders. A missed Janikowski attempt led to the tying Niners score. In overtime Janikowski missed again but Wade Richey’s kick was blocked and in the ensuing Raiders drive Brown caught the game-winning touchdown (34–28 final).

Week Seven at Green Bay Packers

San Francisco’s perennial struggle against the Packers continued in a competitive game as Jeff Garcia threw four touchdowns in erasing a 21–7 gap then tying the game at 28 in the final five minutes. The Packers faced third down only once on their final field goal drive and Garcia’s final pass to Charlie Garner reached the Packers 28.

Week Eight at Carolina Panthers

The Niners in a 34–16 loss were swept for the second straight season, second time by their former coach, and third time in the six seasons of the Panthers’ existence. Steve Beuerlein had three touchdown throws while Garcia had two scores and also a pick six by the Panthers' Mike Minter.

Week Nine vs. St. Louis Rams

With Trent Green forced to start in Kurt Warner's stead the Rams at Candlestick Park had themselves a battle as the Niners led four different times and Terrell Owens caught two scores. Green's score to Marshall Faulk in the third tied the game then after an exchange of punts Faulk caught another score. A Pete Stoyanovich field goal made for a 34–24 Niners loss.

Week Ten at New Orleans Saints

Former Bengals washout Jeff Blake threw three touchdowns and led five scoring drives to a 31–0 Saints lead, enough to absorb 15 points by the Niners who fell to 2–8 while the long-luckless Saints reached 6–3.

Week Eleven vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Niners ended their five-game slide and a two-game slide against Kansas City by scoring three times on the ground (by Charlie Garner and Jeff Garcia) in the second quarter, limiting the Chiefs to one touchdown while intercepting former 49ers quarterback Elvis Grbac once.

Week Twelve vs. Atlanta Falcons

Jason Webster’s 70-yard pick six was the lone touchdown amid five field goals by both teams as the Niners ground out a 16–6 win. San Francisco sacked Chris Chandler four times.

Week Fourteen at San Diego Chargers

Off their bye week the Niners had an easy time of it, winning 45–17 as they intercepted Ryan Leaf four times. Watching from the sidelines was Leaf’s backup and a future Niners head coach, while Jerry Rice, embroiled in a salary cap dispute with the Niners front office, caught what would be his final two scores with the team that drafted him.

Week Fifteen vs. New Orleans Saints

The Saints were on their way to their best season in nearly a decade and took an important step in a 31–27 comeback win at San Francisco. Following a 69-yard Garcia touchdown to Terrell Owens the Saints mounted two touchdown drives and Garcia was intercepted with 23 seconds remaining.

Week Sixteen vs. Chicago Bears

Rumor of a Jerry Rice divorce from the Niners would come true subsequently as San Francisco’s last home game of the season saw a ceremony honoring Rice and Flash 80 caught seven passes for 76 yards. But it would be Terrell Owens who made history with twenty catches, setting a new NFL single-game record previously held by Tom Fears in 1950.

Week Seventeen at Denver Broncos

The Niners’ disappointing season ended in ugly fashion as the playoff-bound Broncos erupted to lead 38–0. The Niners ended their season and a 38–9 loss on a Garcia touchdown to J. J. Stokes in the final minute.

Standings

NFC West
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
(3) New Orleans Saints	10	6	0	.625	354	305	L1
(6) St. Louis Rams	10	6	0	.625	540	471	W1
Carolina Panthers	7	9	0	.438	310	310	L1
San Francisco 49ers	6	10	0	.375	388	422	L1
Atlanta Falcons	4	12	0	.250	252	413	W1

Awards and records

• Jeff Garcia, Franchise Record, Most Passing Yards in One Season, 4,278 Passing Yards ^[5]
• Charlie Garner, Franchise Record, Most Rushing Yards in One Game, 201 Rushing Yards (September 24, 2000) ^[5]
• Terrell Owens, Franchise Record, Most Receptions in One Game, (20) (December 17, 2000) ^[5]
• Terrell Owens, NFL Record, Most Receptions in One Game, (20) (December 17, 2000) ^[5]

References

1. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN   0-7611-2480-2, p. 362
2. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN   0-7611-2480-2, p. 249
3. "2000 San Francisco 49ers Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
4. The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Nov-10.
5. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN   0-7611-2480-2, p. 142

External links

• 2000 49ers on Pro Football Reference
• 49ers Schedule on jt-sw.com