2001 Detroit Lions season
| 2001 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Marty Mornhinweg |
| General manager | Matt Millen |
| Owner | William Clay Ford, Sr. |
| Home field | Pontiac Silverdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–14 |
| Division place | 5th NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 2001 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 72nd season in the National Football League.
Marty Mornhinweg was named the twenty-first head coach in franchise history on January 21, 2001,[1] after owner William Clay Ford, Sr. controversially fired 2000 interim coach Gary Moeller.[2]
The season began with much optimism, with the Lions hoping to improve on their 9–7 record from 2000; however, the Lions were extremely disappointing and had the worst start to an NFL season since the 1986 Indianapolis Colts began 0–13. They were widely believed to be likely to suffer the NFL’s first 0–16 season[3] before they defeated the Minnesota Vikings. Prior to that, they had lost an NFL record nine consecutive games by eight points or less.[3]
Seven seasons later, the Lions went 0–16 after a week 17 loss to the Green Bay Packers. [4]
This was the final season that the Lions played at the Pontiac Silverdome before moving to Ford Field the following season, as well as the final season for the NFC Central Division, which would dissolve following the NFL's realignment in 2002.
This would also be the first season under new general manager Matt Millen, as he would be the team's GM for the next six seasons and first 3 games of the 2008 season. This would start a stage of futility for the Lions, as they would fail to post a winning record with Millen as GM.
Offseason
NFL Draft
| 2001 Detroit Lions draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Jeff Backus | Offensive tackle | Michigan | |
| 2 | 50 | Dominic Raiola | Center | Nebraska | |
| 2 | 61 | Shaun Rogers * | Defensive tackle | Texas | |
| 5 | 148 | Scotty Anderson | Wide receiver | Grambling State | |
| 5 | 149 | Mike McMahon | Quarterback | Rutgers | |
| 6 | 173 | Jason Glenn | Linebacker | Texas A&M | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Lovelady | Guard | Houston |
Personnel
Staff
| 2001 Detroit Lions staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Lions' Points | Opponents' Points | Record | Streak | Attendance | TV Time |
| 1 | 09/09/01 | at Green Bay Packers | L | 6 | 28 | 0–1 | L-1 | 1:00pm FOX | |
| 2 | 09/23/01 | at Cleveland Browns | L | 14 | 24 | 0–2 | L-2 | 1:00pm FOX | |
| 3 | Bye | ||||||||
| 4 | 10/08/01 | St. Louis Rams | L | 0 | 35 | 0–3 | L-3 | 9:00pm ABC | |
| 5 | 10/14/01 | at Minnesota Vikings | L | 26 | 31 | 0–4 | L-4 | 1:00pm FOX | |
| 6 | 10/21/01 | Tennessee Titans | L | 24 | 27 | 0–5 | L-5 | 1:00pm CBS | |
| 7 | 10/28/01 | Cincinnati Bengals | L | 27 | 31 | 0–6 | L-6 | 1:00pm CBS | |
| 8 | 11/04/01 | at San Francisco 49ers | L | 13 | 21 | 0–7 | L-7 | 4:15pm FOX | |
| 9 | 11/11/01 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L | 17 | 20 | 0–8 | L-8 | 1:00pm FOX | |
| 10 | 11/18/01 | at Arizona Cardinals | L | 38 | 45 | 0–9 | L-9 | 4:15pm FOX | |
| 11 | 11/22/01 | Green Bay Packers | L | 27 | 29 | 0–10 | L-10 | 12:30pm FOX | |
| 12 | 12/02/01 | at Chicago Bears | L | 10 | 13 | 0–11 | L-11 | 1:00pm FOX | |
| 13 | 12/09/01 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L | 12 | 15 | 0–12 | L-12 | 1:00pm FOX | |
| 14 | 12/16/01 | Minnesota Vikings | W | 27 | 24 | 1–12 | W-1 | 1:00pm FOX | |
| 15 | 12/23/01 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L | 14 | 47 | 1–13 | L-1 | 1:00pm FOX | |
| 16 | 12/30/01 | Chicago Bears | L | 0 | 21 | 1–14 | L-2 | 1:00pm FOX | |
| 17 | 01/06/02 | Dallas Cowboys | W | 15 | 10 | 2–14 | W-1 | 1:00pm FOX | |
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (2) Chicago Bears | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 338 | 203 | W4 |
| (4) Green Bay Packers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 390 | 266 | W3 |
| (6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 324 | 280 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 290 | 390 | L4 |
| Detroit Lions | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 270 | 424 | W1 |
References
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.117
- ↑ "Mornhinweg Hired To Coach the Lions." New York Times, January 25, 2001. Retrieved on July 14, 2009.
- 1 2 “Infamy Awaits the Lions” in The Free Lance Star, Sunday December 16, 2001; p. C11
- ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aAxVc5OuvWyA
- ↑ "2001 Detroit Lions Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Administration and Coaching Staff". 2001 Detroit Lions Media Guide. pp. 4–32.
- ↑ https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/det/2001.htm?redir