2002 Detroit Lions season

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2002 Detroit Lions season
OwnerWilliam Clay Ford Sr.
General managerMatt Millen
Head coachMarty Mornhinweg
Home fieldFord Field
Results
Record3–13
Division place4th NFC North
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersNone
Uniform

The 2002 season was the Detroit Lions' 73rd in the National Football League (NFL). It was the Lions’ inaugural season at the new Ford Field in Downtown Detroit and their first in the city since the team left Tiger Stadium after the 1974 season. Following the season, Marty Mornhinweg was fired and Steve Mariucci was hired as the Lions' head coach. The Lions entered the 2002 season looking to improve on their 2–14 record from 2001 and make the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

They improved on their record, winning 3 games. However, the new stadium didn't help the team overall, and they continued to disappoint, beginning the season with three consecutive losses. By week 9, the Lions had a 3–5 record after a win over the Dallas Cowboys. However, after that win, the Lions lost their remaining 8 games to finish the season 3–13 and failed to reach the playoffs. The Lions also went 0–8 on the road for the second straight season. As a result, Marty Mornhinweg was fired after the season. In his 2 seasons as head coach, the Lions went 5–27 for a winning percentage of .156.

Offseason

Signings Departures
G Ray Brown (49ers) QB Charlie Batch (Steelers)
FS Corey Harris (Ravens) LB Scott Kowalkowski (retirement)
WR Bill Schroeder (Packers) WR Johnnie Morton (Chiefs)
TE Mikhael Ricks (Chiefs) DE Tracy Scroggins (retirement)
TE David Sloan (Saints)

NFL Draft

2002 Detroit Lions draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 3 Joey Harrington  Quarterback Oregon
2 35 Kalimba Edwards  Defensive end South Carolina
3 68 André Goodman  Cornerback South Carolina
4 134 Johnathan Taylor  Defensive end Montana State
5 138 John Owens  Tight end Notre Dame
6 175 Chris Cash  Cornerback USC
7 214 Luke Staley  Running back BYU
7 252 Matt Murphy  Tight end Maryland
7 259 Victor Rogers  Tackle Colorado
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Eddie Drummond Wide receiver Penn State
Antwan Lake Defensive tackle West Virginia
James Mungro Running back Syracuse
Kris Ryan Fullback Penn

Personnel

Staff

2002 Detroit Lions staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Jason Arapoff
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Malcolm Blacken

[1]

Roster

2002 Detroit Lions final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 14 inactive, 5 practice squad

Regular season

In addition to their regular games against NFC North rivals, the Lions under the NFL's new scheduling formula played games against teams from the NFC South and from the AFC East. They also played the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals, who had the fourth best records from 2001 of the teams placed in their respective divisions.

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 8 at Miami Dolphins L 21–49 0–1
Pro Player Stadium
72,216
2 September 15 at Carolina Panthers L 7–31 0–2 Ericsson Stadium 71,951
3 September 22 Green Bay Packers L 31–37 0–3 Ford Field 61,505
4 September 29 New Orleans Saints W 26–21 1–3 Ford Field 60,023
5 Bye
6 October 13 at Minnesota Vikings L 24–31 1–4 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 64,013
7 October 20 Chicago Bears W 23–20 (OT) 2–4 Ford Field 60,421
8 October 27 at Buffalo Bills L 17–24 2–5
Ralph Wilson Stadium
72,710
9 November 3 Dallas Cowboys W 9–7 3–5 Ford Field 61,789
10 November 10 at Green Bay Packers L 14–40 3–6 Lambeau Field 63,313
11 November 17 New York Jets L 14–31 3–7 Ford Field 61,720
12 November 24 at Chicago Bears L 17–20 (OT) 3–8
Memorial Stadium
62,375
13 November 28 New England Patriots L 12–20 3–9 Ford Field 62,109
14 December 8 at Arizona Cardinals L 20–23 (OT) 3–10
Sun Devil Stadium
28,640
15 December 15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 20–23 3–11 Ford Field 61,942
16 December 22 at Atlanta Falcons L 15–36 3–12 Georgia Dome 69,307
17 December 29 Minnesota Vikings L 36–38 3–13 Ford Field 60,233

Game summaries

Week 1: at Miami Dolphins

Week 1: Detroit Lions at Miami Dolphins
Period 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 7 7721
Dolphins 7 21 14749

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

  • Date: September 8, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Sunny, 87 °F (31 °C)
  • Game attendance: 72,216
  • Referee:
    FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 2: at Carolina Panthers

Week 2: Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers
Period 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 0 707
Panthers 0 10 14731

at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: September 15, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 71,951
  • Referee:
    FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers

Game information

Week 4: vs. New Orleans Saints

Game information