2002 Green Bay Packers season

2002 Green Bay Packers season
Head coach	Mike Sherman
Home field	Lambeau Field
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st NFC North
Playoff finish	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Falcons) 7–27
Pro Bowlers	QB Brett Favre RB Ahman Green WR Donald Driver TE Bubba Franks G Marco Rivera FS Darren Sharper
AP All-Pros	QB Brett Favre (2nd team) FS Darren Sharper (2nd team)
← 2001 Packers seasons 2003 →

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

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

. 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

Signings	Departures
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)

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 Green Bay Packers Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	25	Javon Walker	WR	Florida State
3	92	Marques Anderson	FS	UCLA
4	135	Najeh Davenport	RB	Miami
5	156	Aaron Kampman	DE	Iowa
	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 Offensive coordinator – Tom Rossley Running backs – Sylvester Croom Wide receivers – Ray Sherman Tight ends – Jeff Jagodzinski Offensive line – Larry Beightol Assistant offensive line – Pat Ruel Offensive assistant – Darrell Bevell

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Ed Donatell Defensive line – Jethro Franklin Linebackers – Bo Pelini Assistant defensive backs – Lionel Washington Defensive assistant/quality control – Brad Miller Special teams coaches Special teams – Frank Novak Quality control assistant/special teams-offense – Stan Drayton 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  4 Brett Favre 12 Craig Nall 18 Doug Pederson Running backs 39 Tony Carter 40 Tony Fisher 30 Ahman Green 33 William Henderson FB 22 Eric Metcalf Wide receivers 85 Karsten Bailey 80 Donald Driver 89 Robert Ferguson 83 Terry Glenn 84 Javon Walker Tight ends 81 Tyrone Davis 88 Bubba Franks 87 David Martin		Offensive linemen 71 Kevin Barry T 69 Jeff Blackshear G 72 Earl Dotson T 63 Bill Ferrario G 58 Mike Flanagan C 62 Marco Rivera G 68 Mike Wahle G 52 Frank Winters C 77 Jerry Wisne T Defensive linemen 93 Gilbert Brown DT 94 Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila DE 90 Vonnie Holliday DE 97 Cletidus Hunt DT 74 Aaron Kampman DE 98 Billy Lyon DT 73 Keith McKenzie DE 99 Jamal Reynolds DE 95 Rod Walker DT 96 Steve Warren DT		Linebackers 59 Na'il Diggs OLB 53 Paris Lenon OLB 51 Torrance Marshall MLB 56 Hardy Nickerson MLB 54 Nate Wayne OLB 55 Marcus Wilkins OLB Defensive backs 20 Marques Anderson FS 28 Matt Bowen SS 24 Antuan Edwards SS 27 Tod McBride CB 34 Mike McKenzie CB 42 Darren Sharper FS 26 Erwin Swiney CB 32 Bryant Westbrook CB 37 Tyrone Williams CB Special teams  9 Josh Bidwell P 60 Rob Davis LS  8 Ryan Longwell K		Reserve lists 76 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 44 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 91 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 21 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 65 IRTooltip Injured reserve) Practice squad 61 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 79 Jay Humphrey T 82 Devin Lewis WR 78 Terdell Sands DT 43 Reggie White RB 16 Greg Zolman QB Rookies in italics 53 active, 6 inactive, 5 practice squad

Preseason

Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
August 10, 2002	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 13–20	0–1	Veterans Stadium	58,546
August 17, 2002	at Arizona Cardinals	W 29–21	1–1	Sun Devil Stadium	35,716
August 26, 2002	Cleveland Browns	W 27–20	2–1	Lambeau Field	62,668
August 30, 2002	Tennessee Titans	W 21–20	3–1	Lambeau Field	62,485

Regular season

Schedule

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

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 8	Atlanta Falcons	W 37–34 (OT)	1–0	Lambeau Field	63,127
2	September 15	at New Orleans Saints	L 20–35	1–1	Louisiana Superdome	67,958
3	September 22	at Detroit Lions	W 37–31	2–1	Ford Field	61,505
4	September 29	Carolina Panthers	W 17–14	3–1	Lambeau Field	63,329
5	October 7	at Chicago Bears	W 34–21	4–1	Memorial Stadium	63,226
6	October 13	at New England Patriots	W 28–10	5–1	Gillette Stadium	68,436
7	October 20	Washington Redskins	W 30–9	6–1	Lambeau Field	63,363
8	Bye
9	November 4	Miami Dolphins	W 24–10	7–1	Lambeau Field	63,284
10	November 10	Detroit Lions	W 40–14	8–1	Lambeau Field	63,313
11	November 17	at Minnesota Vikings	L 21–31	8–2	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	64,153
12	November 24	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 7–21	8–3	Raymond James Stadium	65,672
13	December 1	Chicago Bears	W 30–20	9–3	Lambeau Field	64,196
14	December 8	Minnesota Vikings	W 26–22	10–3	Lambeau Field	64,070
15	December 15	at San Francisco 49ers	W 20–14	11–3	3Com Park	67,947
16	December 22	Buffalo Bills	W 10–0	12–3	Lambeau Field	64,106
17	December 29	at New York Jets	L 17–42	12–4	Giants Stadium	78,733

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Game information

First quarter GB – Ryan Longwell 28-yard field goal, 4:08. Packers 3–0. Drive: 15 plays, 77 yards, 8:45. Second quarter ATL – Michael Vick 2-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 11:26. Falcons 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 7:42. ATL – Warrick Dunn 3-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 8:43. Falcons 14–3. Drive: 4 plays, 28 yards, 2:31. GB – David Martin 3-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 5:54. Falcons 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:49. ATL – Alge Crumpler 2-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 1:15. Falcons 21–10. Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 3:01. GB – Ryan Longwell 42-yard field goal, 0:00. Falcons 21–13. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 1:15. Third quarter GB – Rondell Mealey 2-yard run (Ryan Longwell kick), 12:48. Falcons 21–20. Drive: 4 plays, 59 yards, 2:12. ATL – Jay Feely 21-yard field goal, 5:24. Falcons 24–20. Drive: 15 plays, 76 yards, 7:24. GB – Javon Walker 13-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 0:30. Packers 27–24. Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 4:54. Fourth quarter ATL – Warrick Dunn 2-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 8:07. Falcons 31–27. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 3:36. GB – William Henderson 1-yard run (Ryan Longwell kick), 1:10. Packers 34–31. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 6:57. ATL – Jay Feely 52-yard field goal, 0:05. Tied 34–34. Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards, 1:05. Overtime GB – Ryan Longwell 34-yard field goal, 5:15. Packers 37–34. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 4:15. Top passers ATL – Michael Vick – 15/23, 209 yards, TD GB – Brett Favre – 25/36, 284 yards, 2 TD Top rushers ATL – Michael Vick – 9 rushes, 72 yards, TD GB – Ahman Green – 27 rushes, 155 yards Top receivers ATL – Willie Jackson – 4 receptions, 73 yards GB – Donald Driver – 7 receptions, 78 yards