2001 Minnesota Vikings season

Minnesota Vikings
2001 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach	Dennis Green (Weeks 1–16); Mike Tice (Week 17)
Owner	Red McCombs
Home field	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Results
Record	5–11
Division place	4th NFC Central
Playoff finish	did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	2 TE Byron Chamberlain (bench); C Matt Birk;

The 2001 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 41st in the National Football League. Despite having a 12th ranked offense, the Vikings finished 5–11 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1995. Before the end of the season, the team fired head coach Dennis Green, who had become a polarizing force among the Viking fan base despite his successful coaching tenure with the team. Mike Tice coached the final game of 2001, a loss to the Ravens.

The season began in tragic circumstances when offensive lineman Korey Stringer died of heat stroke in training camp.

The season started off with a 24–13 home loss to the Carolina Panthers (which would be the Panthers' lone win). They did not win on the road at all during this season. Some season highlights included a 35–13 win over the rival Green Bay Packers in Week 6, and a Week 10 victory over the Giants in which Randy Moss pulled in 10 receptions for 171 yards and three touchdowns leading to a 28–16 victory.

This was Cris Carter's final season in Minnesota, having played 12 seasons there, making eight consecutive Pro Bowl appearances (1993–2000), all with the Vikings. He is the team's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He retired at the end of the disappointing season, but would briefly return to play for the Miami Dolphins midway through next season.

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
WR Jake Reed (Saints)	LB Dwayne Rudd (Browns)
TE Byron Chamberlain (Broncos)	DT John Randle (Seahawks)

2001 Draft

Pro Bowler

2001 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order		Player name	Position	College	Notes
Round	Selection	Player name	Position	College	Notes
1	27	Michael Bennett	Running back	Wisconsin
2	57	Willie Howard	Defensive end	Stanford
3	69	Eric Kelly	Cornerback	Kentucky	From Patriots^[a]
3	86	Traded to the New England Patriots^[a]
4	119	Traded to the New England Patriots^[a]
	130	Shawn Worthen	Defensive tackle	Texas Christian	Compensatory pick^[b]
	131	Cedric James	Wide receiver	Texas Christian	Compensatory pick^[b]
5	157	Patrick Chukwurah	Linebacker	Wyoming
6	189	Carey Scott	Cornerback	Kentucky State
7	225	Brian Crawford	Defensive tackle	Western Oregon

^{^[a]} The Vikings traded their third- and fourth-round selections (86th and 119th overall) to the New England Patriots in exchange for New England's third-round selection (69th overall).

^{^[b]} The Vikings were awarded two compensatory picks in the fourth round for the losses of Jeff Christy, Duane Clemons, Jeff George and Jimmy Hitchcock.

Undrafted free agents

2001 Undrafted Free Agents
Player	Position	College
Brian Russell	Safety	San Diego State
Mike Solwold	Long snapper	Wisconsin

Preseason

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Game recap
1	August 11	at New Orleans Saints	W 28–21	1–0	Alamodome, (San Antonio, TX)	46,752	Recap
2	August 16	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 24–10	2–0	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	63,790	Recap
3	August 24	Indianapolis Colts	W 28–21	3–0	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	63,804	Recap
4	August 31	at Miami Dolphins	W 20–7	4–0	Pro Player Stadium	60,136	Recap

Game summaries

Week 1: at New Orleans Saints

Week 1: Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	7	14	0	7	28
Saints	7	0	7	7	21

at Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

Date: August 11
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
Game attendance: 46,752
Referee: Walt Coleman (65)
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

MIN – Randy Moss 60-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 7:36. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:38.
NO – Willie Jackson 23-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (John Carney kick), 2:56. Tied 7–7. Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 4:40.

Second quarter

MIN – Daunte Culpepper 11-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 12:53. Vikings 14–7. Drive: 12 plays, 84 yards, 5:03.
MIN – Michael Bennett 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 2:39. Vikings 21–7. Drive: 3 plays, 46 yards, 0:45.

Third quarter

NO – Deuce McAllister 11-yard pass from Jake Delhomme (Jon Hilbert kick), 2:50. Vikings 21–14. Drive: 12 plays, 70 yards, 5:45.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Michael Bennett 5-yard run (Andy Crosland kick), 12:53. Vikings 28–14. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:57.
NO – Onomo Ojo 6-yard pass from Jake Delhomme (Jon Hilbert kick), 8:43. Vikings 28–21. Drive: 9 plays, 37 yards, 4:10.

Top passers

MIN – Todd Bouman – 6/15, 79 yards
NO – Jake Delhomme – 14/23, 192 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

MIN – Michael Bennett – 9 rushes, 79 yards, 2 TD
NO – James Fenderson – 4 rushes, 14 yards

Top receivers

MIN – Randy Moss – 1 reception, 60 yards, TD
NO – Boo Williams – 3 receptions, 111 yards

Week 2: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 2: Pittsburgh Steelers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	0	3	0	10
Vikings	0	17	0	7	24

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: August 16
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
Game attendance: 63,790
Referee: Bernie Kukar (86)
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

PIT – Kordell Stewart 1-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 3:57. Steelers 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 89 yards, 7:20.

Second quarter

MIN – Daunte Culpepper 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 5:10. Tied 7–7. Drive: 17 plays, 84 yards, 9:52.
MIN – Randy Moss 3-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 1:55. Vikings 14–7. Drive: 2 plays, 57 yards, 0:41.
MIN – Gary Anderson 39-yard field goal, 0:05. Vikings 17–7. Drive: 6 plays, 11 yards, 0:44.

Third quarter

PIT – Kris Brown 42-yard field goal, 8:21. Vikings 17–10. Drive: 12 plays, 55 yards, 6:39.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Lamanzer Williams 21-yard fumble return (Andy Crosland kick), 0:35. Vikings 24–10.

Top passers

PIT – Kordell Stewart – 6/9, 50 yards, INT
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 14/24, 178 yards, TD

Top rushers

PIT – Amos Zereoué – 7 rushes, 40 yards
MIN – James Wofford – 7 rushes, 33 yards

Top receivers

PIT – Chris Fuamatu-Maʻafala – 2 receptions, 29 yards
MIN – Randy Moss – 4 receptions, 77 yards, TD

Week 3: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week 3: Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	10	0	8	3	21
Vikings	0	14	7	7	28

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: August 24
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
Game attendance: 63,804
Referee: Tom White (123)
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

IND – Jerome Pathon 15-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Mike Vanderjagt kick), 10:59. Colts 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 78 yards, 4:01.
IND – Mike Vanderjagt 28-yard field goal, 2:09. Colts 10–0. Drive: 9 plays, 36 yards, 3:47.

Second quarter

MIN – Michael Bennett 14-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 9:36. Colts 10–7. Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards, 2:28.
MIN – Randy Moss 74-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 3:35. Vikings 14–10. Drive: 1 play, 74 yards, 0:14.

Third quarter

MIN – Randy Moss 54-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 13:04. Vikings 21–10. Drive: 4 plays, 73 yards, 1:56.
IND – Jim Finn 45-yard pass from Mark Rypien (Brett Millican run), 8:06. Vikings 21–18. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 4:58.

Fourth quarter

IND – Mike Vanderjagt 43-yard field goal, 14:50. Tied 21–21. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 1:21.
MIN – Nate Jacquet 76-yard punt return (Andy Crosland kick), 11:14. Viking 28–21.

Top passers

IND – Peyton Manning – 18/30, 208 yards, TD, 2 INT
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 9/15, 172 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

IND – Edgerrin James – 11 rushes, 44 yards
MIN – Michael Bennett – 6 rushes, 33 yards, TD

Top receivers

IND – Trevor Insley – 6 receptions, 66 yards
MIN – Randy Moss – 2 receptions, 128 yards, 2 TD

Week 4: at Miami Dolphins

Week 4: Minnesota Vikings at Miami Dolphins – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	10	3	7	20
Dolphins	0	7	0	0	7

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida

Date: August 31
Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT/6:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Partly cloudy, 87 °F (31 °C)
Game attendance: 60,136
Referee: Perry Havener (61)
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays.

Second quarter

MIA – Ray Lucas 1-yard run (Olindo Mare kick), 14:09. Dolphins 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 26 yards, 2:28.
MIN – Randy Moss 6-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 10:00. Tied 7–7. Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 4:09.
MIN – Gary Anderson 36-yard field goal, 0:00. Vikings 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 2:04.

Third quarter

MIN – Gary Anderson 43-yard field goal, 0:03. Vikings 13–7. Drive: 5 plays, 5 yards, 1:28.

Fourth quarter

MIN – Doug Chapman 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 8:29. Vikings 20–7. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 6:23.

Top passers

MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 7/15, 96 yards, TD, 2 INT
MIA – Jay Fiedler – 5/7, 50 yards

Top rushers

MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 4 rushes, 55 yards
MIA – Travis Minor – 8 rushes, 46 yards

Top receivers

MIN – Cris Carter – 1 reception, 35 yards
MIA – James McKnight – 2 receptions, 23 yards

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Game recap
1	September 9	Carolina Panthers	L 13–24	0–1	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	64,108	Recap
2	September 23	at Chicago Bears	L 10–17	0–2	Soldier Field	66,944	Recap
3	September 30	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 20–16	1–2	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	64,105	Recap
4	October 7	at New Orleans Saints	L 15–28	1–3	Louisiana Superdome	70,020	Recap
5	October 14	Detroit Lions	W 31–26	2–3	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	64,048	Recap
6	October 21	Green Bay Packers	W 35–13	3–3	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	64,165	Recap
7	October 28	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 14–41	3–4	Raymond James Stadium	65,558	Recap
8	Bye week
9	November 11	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 17–48	3–5	Veterans Stadium	65,638	Recap
10	November 19	New York Giants	W 28–16	4–5	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	64,283	Recap
11	November 25	Chicago Bears	L 6–13	4–6	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	64,214	Recap
12	December 2	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 16–21	4–7	Heinz Field	62,661	Recap
13	December 9	Tennessee Titans	W 42–24	5–7	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	64,271	Recap
14	December 16	at Detroit Lions	L 24–27	5–8	Pontiac Silverdome	72,190	Recap
15	December 23	Jacksonville Jaguars	L 3–33	5–9	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	64,150	Recap
16	December 30	at Green Bay Packers	L 13–24	5–10	Lambeau Field	59,870	Recap
17	January 7	at Baltimore Ravens	L 3–19	5–11	M&T Bank Stadium	69,465	Recap

Notes

Intradivision opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 1: Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	7	3	7	7	24
Vikings	0	0	13	0	13

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: September 9
Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
Game attendance: 64,108
Referee: Wayne McKreight (166)
TV: Fox
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

CAR – Steve Smith Sr. 93-yard kickoff return (John Kasay kick), 14:43. Panthers 7–0.

Second quarter

CAR – John Kasay 23-yard field goal, 11:43. Panthers 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 3:34.

Third quarter

MIN – Daunte Culpepper 7-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 9:09. Panthers 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 51 yards, 3:09.
MIN – Cris Carter 12-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (kick blocked), 6:05. Vikings 13–10. Drive: 5 plays, 49 yards, 2:03.
CAR – Muhsin Muhammad 16-yard pass from Chris Weinke (John Kasay kick), 2:53. Panthers 17–13. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:12.

Fourth quarter

CAR – Chris Weinke 1-yard run (John Kasay kick), 9:52. Panthers 24–13. Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 3:45.

Top passers

CAR – Chris Weinke – 13/22, 223 yards, TD, INT
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 22/38, 236 yards, TD, 3 INT

Top rushers

CAR – Nick Goings – 25 rushes, 86 yards
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 12 rushes, 57 yards, TD

Top receivers

CAR – Wesley Walls – 3 receptions, 74 yards
MIN – Byron Chamberlain – 7 receptions, 83 yards

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

Statistics

Team leaders

Category	Player(s)	Value
Passing yards	Daunte Culpepper	2,612
Passing touchdowns	Daunte Culpepper	14
Rushing yards	Michael Bennett	682
Rushing touchdowns	Daunte Culpepper	5
Receiving yards	Randy Moss	1,233
Receiving touchdowns	Randy Moss	10
Points	Gary Anderson	74
Kickoff return yards	Nate Jacquet	1,012
Punt return yards	Nate Jacquet	219
Tackles	Kailee Wong	98
Sacks	Chris Hovan	6
Interceptions	Robert Griffith Eric Kelly	2
Forced fumbles	Patrick Chukwurah	3

League rankings

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank (out of 31)
Passing offense	3,576	223.5	7th
Rushing offense	1,609	100.6	25th
Total offense	5,185	324.1	12th
Passing defense	3,367	210.4	18th
Rushing defense	2,299	143.7	30th
Total defense	5,666	354.1	27th

Staff

**2001 Minnesota Vikings staff**

	Front office Owner – Red McCombs President – Gary Woods Vice President of Football Administration – Rob Brzezinski Head coaches Head Coach – Dennis Green Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs – Willie Shaw Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line – Mike Tice Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Sherman Lewis Quarterbacks – Alex Wood Running Backs – Carl Hargrave Wide Receivers – Charlie Baggett Tight Ends – John Tice Assistant Offensive Line/Quality Control – Dean Dalton			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Emmitt Thomas Defensive Line – Brian Baker Inside Linebackers – Richard Solomon Outside Linebackers – Chuck Knox Jr. Defensive Assistant – Trent Walters Special teams coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Gary Zauner Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Steve Wetzel Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Daryl Lawrence

[1]

Roster

**2001 Minnesota Vikings final roster**

	Quarterbacks 8 Todd Bouman 11 Daunte Culpepper 19 Scott Mitchell 3 Spergon Wynn Running backs 23 Michael Bennett 34 Doug Chapman 33 Harold Morrow FB 30 Travis Prentice Wide receivers 80 Cris Carter 83 Nate Jacquet 84 Randy Moss 86 Jake Reed 81 Chris Walsh 82 Troy Walters Tight ends 87 Byron Chamberlain 85 Andrew Jordan 40 Jim Kleinsasser		Offensive linemen 74 Brad Badger T 78 Matt Birk C 65 Calvin Collins G 71 David Dixon G 61 Lewis Kelly G 63 Corbin Lacina G 62 Everett Lindsay T 76 Chris Liwienski T 60 Cory Withrow C Defensive linemen 93 Stalin Colinet DE 92 Winfield Garnett DT 99 Chris Hovan DT 51 Lance Johnstone DE 98 Fred Robbins DT 97 Talance Sawyer DE 95 Shawn Worthen DT		Linebackers 50 Patrick Chukwurah OLB 55 Lemanski Hall OLB 58 Ed McDaniel OLB 94 Pete Monty OLB 96 Andre O'Neal OLB 54 Antonio Wilson OLB 52 Kailee Wong MLB 59 Fearon Wright OLB Defensive backs 21 Dale Carter CB 22 Tyrone Carter FS 25 Eric Kelly CB 24 Robert Griffith SS 31 Don Morgan CB 29 Wasswa Serwanga CB 28 Robert Tate CB 42 Orlando Thomas FS 20 Kenny Wright CB Special teams 1 Gary Anderson K 12 Lee Johnson P 43 Brody Liddiard LS		Reserve lists 17 Mitch Berger P (IR) -- Michael Boireau DE (IR) 90 Jeff Hazuga DE (IR) 91 Willie Howard DE (IR) 89 Cedric James WR 41 Carey Scott CB Practice squad 48 Matt Cercone TE 15 Kenny Clark WR 49 Jeff Kostrewa TE 38 Mesene Louisdor CB 69 Mike Malano G -- DeWayne Miles FB 27 Brian Russell FS Rookies in italics 53 active, 6 inactive, 7 practice squad

References

2009 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 251. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] 2009 Minnesota Vikings Media Guide. p. 251. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.

[a]

[b]

Minnesota Vikings
Founded in 1961 Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota Headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Franchise	Franchise History Expansion draft Players First-round draft picks Quarterbacks Head coaches Seasons Statistics Draft Broadcasters
Stadiums	Metropolitan Stadium Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome TCF Bank Stadium U.S. Bank Stadium
Culture	Purple People Eaters "Skol, Vikings" Herschel Walker trade Love Boat scandal "Little Minnesota" (How I Met Your Mother episode) Cheerleaders
Lore	The Wrong Way Run Hail Mary Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy Miracle at the Met Gary Anderson's missed field goal 2010 Metrodome roof collapse Minneapolis Miracle
Rivalries	Chicago Bears Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers
Division championships (20)	1968 1969 1970 1971 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1980 1989 1992 1994 1998 2000 2008 2009 2015 2017
Conference championships (4)	1969 1973 1974 1976
League championships (1)	1969
Retired numbers	10 53 70 77 80 88
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: North Division
Seasons (59)	1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Championship seasons in bold