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 (Falcons) 27–7

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

The Packers achieved a 12–4 record in the regular season, before losing in the 2003 NFL Wild Card playoffs round to Michael Vick's Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field.[1] This marked the first time in NFL 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 the divisional round of the playoffs. There the Packers 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.

2002 season

Green Bay started the season with a dominating 8–1 record, led by the brilliant play of quarterback Brett Favre and power running game of Ahman Green. The Packers maintained a commanding division lead throughout the year, winning the NFC North 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 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. With one game left, Green Bay was 12–3, and a victory away from clinching home field advantage throughout the playoffs. 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 was a devastating blow to the Packers. The team was bumped down to a 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

AdditionsSubtractions
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)
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 Tackle Arizona
Tony Fisher Running back Notre Dame
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 roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

 Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

 Injured Reserve

Practice Squad

  • 82 Devin Lewis WR

Rookies in italics

Preseason

DateOpponentResultGame siteRecordAttendance
August 10, 2002at Philadelphia EaglesL 13–20Veterans Stadium0–1
58,546
August 17, 2002at Arizona CardinalsW 29–21Sun Devil Stadium1–1
35,716
August 26, 2002Cleveland BrownsW 27–20Lambeau Field2–1
62,668
August 30, 2002Tennessee TitansW 21–20Lambeau Field3–1
62,485

Schedule

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

WeekDateOpponentResultGame siteRecordTV TimeAttendance
1September 8, 2002Atlanta FalconsW 37–34 (OT)Lambeau Field1–0FOX 1:00pm
63,127
2September 15, 2002at New Orleans SaintsL 20–35Louisiana Superdome1–1FOX 1:00pm
67,958
3September 22, 2002at Detroit LionsW 37–31Ford Field2–1FOX 4:15pm
61,505
4September 29, 2002Carolina PanthersW 17–14Lambeau Field3–1FOX 1:00pm
63,329
5October 7, 2002at Chicago BearsW 34–21Memorial Stadium (Champaign)4–1ABC 9:00pm
63,226
6October 13, 2002at New England PatriotsW 28–10Gillette Stadium5–1FOX 1:00pm
68,436
7October 20, 2002Washington RedskinsW 30–9Lambeau Field6–1FOX 4:15pm
63,363
8Bye
9November 4, 2002Miami DolphinsW 24–10Lambeau Field7–1ABC 9:00pm
63,284
10November 10, 2002Detroit LionsW 40–14Lambeau Field8–1FOX 1:00pm
63,313
11November 17, 2002at Minnesota VikingsL 21–31Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome8–2FOX 1:00pm
64,153
12November 24, 2002at Tampa Bay BuccaneersL 7–21Raymond James Stadium8–3FOX 4:15pm
65,672
13December 1, 2002Chicago BearsW 30–20Lambeau Field9–3FOX 1:00pm
64,196
14December 8, 2002Minnesota VikingsW 26–22Lambeau Field10–3ESPN 8:30pm
64,070
15December 15, 2002at San Francisco 49ersW 20–143Com Park11–3FOX 4:15pm
67,947
16December 22, 2002Buffalo BillsW 10–0Lambeau Field12–3CBS 1:00pm
64,106
17December 29, 2002at New York JetsL 17–42The Meadowlands12–4FOX 4:15pm
78,733

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

WeekDateOpponentResultGame siteTV TimeAttendance
WildcardJanuary 4, 2003Atlanta FalconsL 7–27Lambeau FieldABC 7:30pm
65,358

NFC Wild Card vs Atlanta Falcons

NFC Wild Card: Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Falcons 14 10 3027
Packers 0 0 707

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: January 4, 2003
  • Game time: 8 p.m. EDT
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 2007-01-24. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
  2. ↑ "Vick, Falcons shock Packers in Lambeau". NFL.com. 2003-01-04. Archived from the original on 2006-12-11. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
  3. ↑ "Draft History – Green Bay Packers". NFL.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-29. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
  4. ↑ "NFL History – 2002 Regular Season Standings". NFL.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
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