2002 Chicago Bears season

The 2002 season was the Chicago Bears' 83rd in the National Football League and their fourth under head coach Dick Jauron.

2002 Chicago Bears season
Head coachDick Jauron
General managerJerry Angelo
OwnerThe McCaskey Family
Home fieldMemorial Stadium
(Champaign, Illinois)
Results
Record4–12
Division place3rd NFC North
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersMarty Booker
Olin Kreutz
Brian Urlacher[1]
AP All-ProsLB Brian Urlacher (1st team)

The team had hopes of returning to the playoffs after an unexpected 13–3 season the previous year, However, the team failed to improve on that record and finished with a 4–12 record and missed the postseason for the second time in three years. The Bears had problems on both sides of the ball, finishing 27th in the league in points scored and 23rd in points allowed.[1] The Bears began the season 2–0, but things quickly fell apart as the team fell into an eight-game losing streak, including a loss at home to the New England Patriots where, despite having a 27–6 lead at some point, the Patriots came back and won the game late in the fourth quarter. After this, the Bears never recovered, finishing 4–12 and in third place in their division, the newly aligned NFC North.

Because Soldier Field was being rebuilt, the Bears were forced to play all of their home games Downstate in Champaign, at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois.[2] The Bears never seemed to get used to their new home field, and injuries piled up as the season went on for both offense and defense. Starting QB Jim Miller was injured throughout the year, leaving the team no choice but to use backup Chris Chandler and rookie third-string QB Henry Burris for both spot relief and as starters. 2001 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Anthony Thomas suffered a broken right index finger in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers.[3] These injuries and the league's 23rd worst turnover differential contributed to the team's franchise record-tying eight-game losing streak and their poor record.[4]

Offseason

SigningsDepartures
QB Chris Chandler (Falcons)QB Shane Matthews (Redskins)
DB Damon Moore (Eagles)RB James Allen (Texans)
LB Mike Caldwell (Eagles)WR D'Wayne Bates (Vikings)
DT Christian Peter (Colts)T Blake Brockermeyer (Broncos)
CB Walt Harris (Colts)
FS Tony Parrish (49ers)

2002 Expansion Draft

Chicago Bears selected during the Expansion Draft
Round Overall Name Position Expansion Team
17Danny WuerffelQuarterbackHouston Texans

Draft

Round Overall pick Player Position College
1 29 Marc Colombo Offensive tackle Boston College
3 72 Roosevelt Williams Cornerback Tuskegee
3 93 Terrence Metcalf Guard Ole Miss
4 104 Alex Brown Defensive end Florida
5 140 Bobby Gray Safety Louisiana Tech
5 165 Bryan Knight Linebacker Pittsburgh
6 199 Adrian Peterson Running back Georgia Southern
6 203 Jamin Elliott Wide receiver Delaware
6 210 Bryan Fletcher Tight end UCLA

[5]

Undrafted free agents

2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Luke Butkus Center Illinois
Travis Coleman Defensive back Hampton
Eric McCoo Running back Penn State
Edell Shepherd Wide receiver San Jose State

Training camp

2002 marked the first Bears Training Camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, after practicing at University of Wisconsin–Platteville from 1984 to 2001. Other candidates in the selection process included universities like Eastern Illinois in Charleston, Illinois State in Normal, Millikin in Decatur, Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Southern Illinois Carbondale and Edwardsville, and Urbana–Champaign; smaller schools like Knox College in Galesburg, Monmouth College in Monmouth, and Rockford College in Rockford; and the Chanute Air Force Base near Rantoul, where the Illinois Fighting Illini held their offseason camps.[6]

The list was eventually narrowed to Eastern Illinois, Millikin, Northern Illinois, and Olivet Nazarene. On July 17, 2001, the Bears announced Olivet Nazarene as the new Training Camp site on a two-year deal.[7]

Staff

2002 Chicago Bears staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Physical Development Coordinator – Russ Riederer
  • Assistant Physical Development Coordinator – Steve Little

Roster

2002 Chicago Bears final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad

  • 63 Chris Demaree DE
  • 62 Kiah Johnson LB


Rookies in italics
active, inactive, practice squad

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue NFL.com
recap
1 August 10 Denver Broncos L 3–27 0–1 Memorial Stadium Summary
2 August 16 St. Louis Rams W 19–17 1–1 Edward Jones Dome Summary
3 August 23 Jacksonville Jaguars L 16–24 1–2 Memorial Stadium Summary
4 August 29 Miami Dolphins L 22–24 1–3 Pro Player Stadium Summary

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue NFL.com
recap
1 September 8 Minnesota Vikings W 27–23 1–0 Memorial Stadium Summary
2 September 15 at Atlanta Falcons W 14–13 2–0 Georgia Dome Summary
3 September 22 New Orleans Saints L 23–29 2–1 Memorial Stadium Summary
4 September 29 at Buffalo Bills L 27–33 2–2 Ralph Wilson Stadium Summary
5 October 7 Green Bay Packers L 21 – 34 2–3 Memorial Stadium Summary
6 Bye
7 October 20 at Detroit Lions L 20–23 2–4 Ford Field Summary
8 October 27 at Minnesota Vikings L 7–25 2–5 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Summary
9 November 3 Philadelphia Eagles L 13–19 2–6 Memorial Stadium Summary
10 November 10 New England Patriots L 30–33 2–7 Memorial Stadium Summary
11 November 18 at St. Louis Rams L 16–21 2–8 Edward Jones Dome Summary
12 November 24 Detroit Lions W 20–17 3–8 Memorial Stadium Summary
13 December 1 at Green Bay Packers L 20–30 3–9 Lambeau Field Summary
14 December 9 at Miami Dolphins L 9–27 3–10 Pro Player Stadium Summary
15 December 15 New York Jets W 20–13 4–10 Memorial Stadium Summary
16 December 22 at Carolina Panthers L 14–24 4–11 Ericsson Stadium Summary
17 December 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 0–15 4–12 Memorial Stadium Summary

Game Summaries

Week 1: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 1: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
1 2 34Total
Vikings 3 17 0323
Bears 7 3 31427

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

  • Date: September 8, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 85 °F (29 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,226
  • Referee: Mike Carey (94)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 2: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 2: Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons
1 2 34Total
Bears 0 7 7014
Falcons 0 10 3013

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Week 3: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 1: New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears
1 2 34Total
Saints 0 14 7829
Bears 10 10 0323

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

  • Date: September 22, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 68 °F (20 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,216
  • Referee: Ron Blum (7)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: at Buffalo Bills

Week 4: Chicago Bears at Buffalo Bills
1 2 34OTTotal
Bears 7 7 310027
Bills 7 10 37633

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

Week 5: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 5: Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
1 2 34Total
Packers 14 10 7334
Bears 7 7 0721

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

Game information

Week 7: at Detroit Lions

Week 7: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
1 2 34OTTotal
Bears 0 10 100020
Lions 0 14 33323

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

  • Date: October 20, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: none (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 60,421
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar (86)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 8: at Minnesota Vikings

Week 8: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
1 2 34Total
Bears 0 0 077
Vikings 0 13 12025

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: October 27, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: none (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 64,122
  • Referee: Bill Leavy (127)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 9: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 9: Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears
1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 7 6619
Bears 0 13 0013

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

  • Date: November 3, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Light rain 38 °F (3 °C)
  • Game attendance: 54,049
  • Referee: Terry McAulay (77)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 10: vs. New England Patriots

Week 10: New England Patriots at Chicago Bears
1 2 34Total
Patriots 0 6 101733
Bears 0 6 21330

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

  • Date: November 10, 2002
  • Game time: 4:15 p.m.
  • Game weather: Overcast, 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,105
  • Referee: Bob McElwee (95)
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 11: at St. Louis Rams

Week 11: Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams
1 2 34Total
Bears 0 6 7316
Rams 7 7 0721

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

  • Date: November 18, 2002
  • Game time: 9:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 66,250
  • Referee: Gerry Austin (34)
  • TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, John Madden and Melissa Stark
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 12: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 12: Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
1 2 34OTTotal
Lions 0 3 140017
Bears 0 7 010320

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

Game information

Week 13: at Green Bay Packers

Week 13: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
1 2 34Total
Bears 7 7 0620
Packers 3 3 101430

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: December 1, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 pm
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 23 °F (−5 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,196
  • Referee: Ron Winter (14)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 14: at Miami Dolphins

Week 14: Chicago Bears at Miami Dolphins
1 2 34Total
Bears 3 0 3612
Dolphins 7 7 7627

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Game information

Week 15: vs. New York Jets

Week 15: New York Jets at Chicago Bears
1 2 34Total
Jets 0 0 10313
Bears 0 10 7320

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

  • Date: December 15, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 pm
  • Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 43 °F (6 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,226
  • Referee: Mike Carey (94)
  • TV: CBS
  • Recap. Game Book
Game information

Week 16: at Carolina Panthers

Week 16: Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
1 2 34Total
Bears 7 0 0714
Panthers 0 21 0324

at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: December 22, 2002
  • Game time: 1:00 pm
  • Game weather: Sunny, 56 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 72,602
  • Referee: Terry McAulay (77)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1 2 3 4 Total
Buccaneers 0 6 0 9 15
Bears 0 0 0 0 0

The Bears returned to Memorial Stadium one last time to host the eventual Super Bowl XXXVII champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. The Buccaneers were notoriously poor in the cold weather, having lost 21 straight games when the temperature dropped below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. With the gametime temperature at 38 °F and Bucs QB Brad Johnson out with a back contusion, many fans thought the Bears, even with their 4–11 record, had a good chance of winning the game. With Green Bay's loss that night, Tampa Bay needed to win to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs. [9]

The Buccaneers offense was not prolific. Bucs backup QB Rob Johnson was sacked five times during the game by the Bears defense, but he did not turn the ball over and managed the game well enough for kicker Martin Gramatica to kick five field goals, none more than 33 yards. The Bucs established their ground game against the Bears, rushing for 161 yards with their halfback-fullback tandem, Michael Pittman and Mike Alstott.[9]

The Bears fared worse. Former third-string rookie QB Henry Burris found himself at a loss against the league's #1 defense. The Bucs intercepted him four times over the course of the game, and the Bears were shut out in their final game at Memorial Stadium.[9]

With the loss, the Bears finished the season with a record of 4–12.

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

References

  1. "2002 Chicago Bears Statistics and Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  2. "2002 Chicago Bears". Chicago Bears History. Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  3. "Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers – Recap – December 01, 2002". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  4. "Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions – Recap – October 20, 2002". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  5. "2002 NFL Draft". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
  6. Isaacson, Melissa (May 4, 2001). "The state of camp-site wooing". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  7. "Bears choose Olivet Nazarene in Bourbonnais as new training camp location". The Pantagraph. Associated Press. July 17, 2001. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  8. "Game summary – Buccaneers at Bears" (PDF). NFL.com. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  9. "Game Recap – Buccaneers at Bears – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
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