2002 Green Bay Packers season

The 2002 season was the Green Bay Packers' 82nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their 84th overall.

2002 Green Bay Packers season
Head coachMike Sherman
Home fieldLambeau Field
Results
Record12–4
Division place1st NFC North
Playoff finishLost Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Falcons) 7–27
Pro BowlersQB Brett Favre
RB Ahman Green
WR Donald Driver
TE Bubba Franks
G Marco Rivera
FS Darren Sharper
AP All-ProsQB Brett Favre (2nd team)
FS Darren Sharper (2nd team)

For the first time since 1989, LeRoy Butler was not on the opening day roster.

This was the first of three consecutive NFC North titles for the Packers. They achieved a 12–4 record in the regular season, before losing in the NFC Wild Card playoffs round to quarterback Brett Favre's former team, the Atlanta Falcons, at Lambeau Field.[1] This marked the first time in franchise history that the Packers had lost at home in the playoffs.[2]

Background

In 2001, the Packers achieved the franchise's best record since 1997, finishing 12–4 and advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs. There, they lost to the eventual NFC champion St. Louis Rams. During the game, it became clear that the Packers would need wide receivers with greater speed and ability to compete with the conference's best teams. GM Mike Sherman spent the 2002 offseason revamping Green Bay's receiving corps. The team promoted Donald Driver to starter, acquired veteran Terry Glenn from the New England Patriots and drafted Javon Walker in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. The influx of new players seemed to position the Packers as one of the strongest contenders in the NFC.

Season summary

Green Bay started the season with eight wins in their first nine games, led by quarterback Brett Favre and running back Ahman Green. The Packers led the NFC North throughout the year, winning the division by a six-game margin. Green Bay became the first team to win the newly rechristened division, formerly known as the NFC Central. It was the Packers' first division title since 1997, and the team would go on to win the NFC North for three consecutive seasons.

For the first time in years, it appeared that the Packers had a legitimate chance of reaching the Super Bowl heading into the final Sunday of the regular season. With one game left, Green Bay was 12–3, and a victory away from clinching home field advantage throughout the playoffs after the Philadelphia Eagles failed to clinch home field advantage themselves one day prior in an overtime defeat to the New York Giants. The Packers had never lost a home playoff game in franchise history, had achieved an 8–0 record at home in 2002, and had established a run of Lambeau Field dominance since the Mike Holmgren era. As a result, playing home games at Lambeau Field would seemingly give the Packers a significant advantage in the playoffs. The final game was on the road against the New York Jets, who beat the Packers handily to win the AFC East division title. The loss which coincided with the Buccaneers winning was a blow to the Packers, who dropped down to the number three seed in the NFC and had an incredibly difficult road to the Super Bowl. Six days later, the Packers were beaten by Michael Vick's Atlanta Falcons, the first home playoff loss in Packers history.

The 2002 season was another memorable year for quarterback Brett Favre. Throughout the season, Favre was a favorite to win his fourth Most Valuable Player award. The Packers' lopsided loss to the Jets in the regular season finale may have swayed voters, as Favre lost the MVP award by merely two votes to Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon.

Offseason

SigningsDepartures
WR Terry Glenn (Patriots)WR Bill Schroeder (Lions)
LB Hardy Nickerson (Jaguars)WR Charles Lee (Buccaneers)
DE Joe Johnson (Saints)RB Dorsey Levens (Eagles)
WR Karsten Bailey (Seahawks)WR Antonio Freeman (Eagles)
CB Darrien Gordon (Falcons)LB Bernardo Harris (Ravens)
T Barry Stokes (Browns)
DE John Thierry (Falcons)
WR Corey Bradford (Texans)
CB Allen Rossum (Falcons)
DT Santana Dotson (Redskins)

2002 NFL draft

In the 2002 NFL draft, the Packers selected 20th overall, drafting future all-pro wide receiver Javon Walker with their first round pick.[3]

2002 NFL Draft selections
Round Sel# Player Pos. College
1 20 Javon Walker WR Florida State
3 92 Marques Anderson FS UCLA
4 135 Najeh Davenport RB Miami
5 156 Aaron Kampman DE Iowa
5 164 Craig Nall QB Northwestern State, La.
6 200 Mike Houghton T San Diego State

Players highlighted in yellow indicate players selected to the Pro Bowl during their NFL career.

Undrafted free agents

2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Kevin Barry Offensive Tackle Arizona
Andy Eby Center Kansas State
Tony Fisher Running back Notre Dame
Ken Kocher Defensive Tackle UCLA
Bill Seymour Tight end Michigan
Jeremy Unertl Safety UW–La Crosse
Marcus Wilkins Linebacker Texas

Personnel

Staff

2002 Green Bay Packers staff
Front office
  • President and chief executive officer – Bob Harlan
  • Executive vice president and chief operating officer – John Jones
  • Vice president of player finance/general counsel – Andrew Brandt
  • Vice president of football operations – Mark Hatley
  • Director of college scouting – John Dorsey
  • Director of pro personnel – Reggie McKenzie
  • Personnel analyst to general manager – John Schneider
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Shaun Herock
  • Assistant director of pro personnel – Sean Howard

Head coaches

  • Executive vice president/general manager/head coach – Mike Sherman
  • Assistant head coach/defensive backs – Bob Slowik

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Barry Rubin
  • Strength and conditioning assistant – Mark Lovat
  • Weight room assistant – Vince Workman

Roster

2002 Green Bay Packers final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • 76 Chad Clifton T (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 44 Najeh Davenport RB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 91 Joe Johnson DE (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 21 Bhawoh Jue CB/S (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 65 Mark Tauscher T (IRTooltip Injured reserve)


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 6 inactive, 5 practice squad

Preseason

DateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
August 10, 2002at Philadelphia EaglesL 13–200–1Veterans Stadium58,546
August 17, 2002at Arizona CardinalsW 29–211–1Sun Devil Stadium35,716
August 26, 2002Cleveland BrownsW 27–202–1Lambeau Field62,668
August 30, 2002Tennessee TitansW 21–203–1Lambeau Field62,485

Regular season

Schedule

The Packers finished 12–4 overall, winning the NFC North crown by a six-game margin.[4]

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
1September 8Atlanta FalconsW 37–34 (OT)1–0Lambeau Field63,127
2September 15at New Orleans SaintsL 20–351–1Louisiana Superdome67,958
3September 22at Detroit LionsW 37–312–1Ford Field61,505
4September 29Carolina PanthersW 17–143–1Lambeau Field63,329
5October 7at Chicago BearsW 34–214–1Memorial Stadium63,226
6October 13at New England PatriotsW 28–105–1Gillette Stadium68,436
7October 20Washington RedskinsW 30–96–1Lambeau Field63,363
8Bye
9November 4Miami DolphinsW 24–107–1Lambeau Field63,284
10November 10Detroit LionsW 40–148–1Lambeau Field63,313
11November 17at Minnesota VikingsL 21–318–2Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome64,153
12November 24at Tampa Bay BuccaneersL 7–218–3Raymond James Stadium65,672
13December 1Chicago BearsW 30–209–3Lambeau Field64,196
14December 8Minnesota VikingsW 26–2210–3Lambeau Field64,070
15December 15at San Francisco 49ersW 20–1411–33Com Park67,947
16December 22Buffalo BillsW 10–012–3Lambeau Field64,106
17December 29at New York JetsL 17–4212–4Giants Stadium78,733

Week 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week 1: Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Falcons 0 21 310034
Packers 3 10 147337

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 2: at New Orleans Saints

Week 2: Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints
Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 10 7320
Saints 7 14 7735

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

Week 3: at Detroit Lions

Week 3: Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 7 10 14637
Lions 7 10 01431

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Game information

Week 4: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 4: Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 7 0 0714
Packers 3 7 0717

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 5: at Chicago Bears

Week 5: Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 14 10 7334
Bears 7 7 0721

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

Game information

Week 6: at New England Patriots

Week 6: Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots
Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 14 7728
Patriots 0 3 0710

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game information

Week 7: vs. Washington Redskins

Week 7: Washington Redskins at Green Bay Packers
Period 1 2 34Total
Redskins 3 3 309
Packers 7 10 01330

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 9: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week 9: Miami Dolphins at Green Bay Packers
Period 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 0 01010
Packers 0 14 10024

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 10: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
Period 1 2 34Total
Lions 7 0 0714
Packers 3 27 10040

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 11: at Minnesota Vikings

Week 11: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 7 7721
Vikings 14 0 71031

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Week 12: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 12: Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 7 0 007
Buccaneers 0 3 11721

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, Florida

Game information

Week 13: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 13: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 7 7 0620
Packers 3 3 101430

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 14: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 14: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 10 3 9022
Packers 0 6 71326

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 15: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 15: Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers
Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 3 0 14320
49ers 0 6 8014

at 3Com Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week 16: Buffalo Bills at Green Bay Packers
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 0 0 000
Packers 0 3 0710

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 17: at New York Jets

Week 17: Green Bay Packers at New York Jets
Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 10 0717
Jets 0 14 141442

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Standings

NFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) Green Bay Packers 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 398 328 L1
Minnesota Vikings 6 10 0 .375 4–2 5–7 390 442 W3
Chicago Bears 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 281 379 L2
Detroit Lions 3 13 0 .188 1–5 3–9 306 451 L8

Playoffs

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
WildcardJanuary 4, 2003Atlanta FalconsL 7–270–1Lambeau Field65,358

NFC Wild Card: vs. Atlanta Falcons

NFC Wild Card Game: (6) Atlanta Falcons at (3) Green Bay Packers
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 14 10 3027
Packers 0 0 707

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Awards and records

  • Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Attempts (551)
  • Brett Favre, NFC Leader, Completions (341)
  • Brett Favre, NFC Leader(tied), Touchdown Passes (27)

References

  1. "2002 Packers' schedule". Packers.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  2. "Vick, Falcons shock Packers in Lambeau". NFL.com. January 4, 2003. Archived from the original on December 11, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  3. "Draft History – Green Bay Packers". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  4. "NFL History – 2002 Regular Season Standings". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
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