2001 Detroit Lions season
2001 Detroit Lions season | |
---|---|
Owner | William Clay Ford Sr. |
General manager | Matt Millen |
Head coach | Marty Mornhinweg |
Home field | Pontiac Silverdome |
Results | |
Record | 2–14 |
Division place | 5th NFC Central |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | DE Robert Porcher |
All-Pros | None |
Uniform | |
|
The 2001 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 72nd season in the National Football League (NFL). Marty Mornhinweg was named the 21st 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, although all NFC Central teams except the Tampa Bay Buccaneers formed the new NFC North Division.
The Lions closed the Silverdome by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 15–10 in the regular season finale. Coincidentally, the Cowboys defeated the Lions 36–10 in the first regular season game at the Silverdome (then known as Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium) in 1975.
This would also be the first season under new general manager Matt Millen, as he would be the team's general manager 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 general manager.
Offseason
[edit ]Additions | Subtractions |
---|---|
QB Ty Detmer (Browns) | G Jeff Hartings (Steelers) |
G Matt Joyce (Cardinals) | TE Walter Rasby (Redskins) |
TE Pete Mitchell (Giants) | G Mike Compton (Patriots) |
G Brendan Stai (Jaguars) | |
CB Todd Lyght (Rams) |
NFL Draft
[edit ]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
[edit ]Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|
Neo Aoga | Quarterback | Azusa Pacific |
Brad Bohn | Kicker | Utah State |
Matt Childers | Defensive end | USC |
Eugene Clinton | Safety | Mississippi State |
Keith Cottrell | Punter | Florida State |
Will Cuthbert | Tackle | Alabama |
Versie Gaddis | Wide receiver | Indiana |
Dennis Gibbs | Cornerback | Idaho |
Toby Golliday | Defensive tackle | Mississippi State |
Anthony Herron | Defensive end | Iowa |
Chidi Iwuoma | Cornerback | California |
Khary Jackson | Tight end | Oklahoma State |
Ligarius Jennings | Cornerback | Tennessee State |
Sly Johnson | Wide receiver | Miami (OH) |
Loran Kaiser | Defensive tackle | Nebraska |
Dustin Kroeker | Tackle | Cal Poly |
Josh Lovelady | Guard | Houston |
Donald Malloy | Safety | New Mexico State |
Rich Mazza | Guard | Rutgers |
Andre Offing | Linebacker | East Carolina |
Jonathan Ordway | Cornerback | Boston College |
Darnell Robinson | Linebacker | Oregon State |
Wayne Rogers | Linebacker | Houston |
Stephen Trejo | Fullback | Arizona State |
Eric Wilson | Defensive tackle | Michigan |
Staff
[edit ]Front office
- Owner and chairman – William Clay Ford Sr.
- Vice chairman – William Clay Ford Jr.
- President and chief executive officer – Matt Millen
- Vice president of stadium development and salary cap – Tom Lewand
- Senior director of football administration/staff counsel – Martin Mayhew
- Executive director of player personnel – Bill Tobin
- Director of pro personnel – Sheldon White
- Director of college scouting – Russ Bolinger
- Assistant director of pro personnel – Charlie Sanders
Head coaches
- Head coach – Marty Mornhinweg
Offensive coaches
- Offensive coordinator/running backs – Maurice Carthon
- Quarterbacks – Kevin Higgins
- Wide receivers – Larry Kirksey
- Tight ends – Sean Kugler
- Offensive line – Carl Mauck
- Offensive assistant/quality control – Mike McHugh
- Defensive coordinator – Vince Tobin
- Defensive line – Bill Young
- Assistant defensive line/pass rush specialist – Charles Haley
- Linebackers – Glenn Pires
- Defensive backs – Richard Selcer
- Defensive assistant/quality control – Don Clemons
Special teams coaches
- Special teams – Chuck Priefer
Strength and conditioning
- Strength and conditioning – Jason Arapoff
- Assistant strength and conditioning – Malcolm Blacken
Roster
[edit ]- 14 Ty Detmer
- 12 Scott Dreisbach
- 8 Mike McMahon
Running backs (RB)
- 31 Aveion Cason
- 21 Reuben Droughns
- 26 Brock Olivo FB
- 30 Cory Schlesinger FB
- 34 James Stewart
- 36 Stephen Trejo
- 25 Lamont Warren
Wide receivers (WR)
- 88 Scotty Anderson
- 83 Bert Emanuel
- 81 Larry Foster
- 80 Desmond Howard
- 87 Johnnie Morton
Tight ends (TE)
- 89 Bradford Banta LS
- 86 David Sloan
- 76 Jeff Backus T
- 79 Eric Beverly C
- 65 Kerlin Blaise G
- 64 Tyrone Hopson G
- 75 Matt Joyce G/T
- 73 Stockar McDougle G/T
- 51 Dominic Raiola C
- 72 Tony Semple G
- 66 Brendan Stai G
Defensive linemen (DL)
- 95 Jared DeVries DE
- 94 Luther Elliss DT
- 96 James Hall DE
- 77 Anthony Herron DE
- 67 Travis Kirschke DT
- 91 Robert Porcher DE
- 93 Kelvin Pritchett DT
- 92 Shaun Rogers DT
- 97 Tracy Scroggins DE
- 55 Allen Aldridge OLB
- 50 Chris Claiborne MLB
- 54 Barrett Green OLB
- 52 Scott Kowalkowski MLB
- 58 Clint Kriewaldt OLB
- 59 Khari Samuel MLB
- 99 Brian Williams OLB
Defensive backs (DB)
- 39 Lamar Campbell S
- 38 Marty Carter SS
- 23 Terry Fair
- 40 Chidi Iwuoma CB
- 24 Todd Lyght CB
- 47 Ray McElroy CB/S
- 45 Kurt Schulz FS
- 32 Bryant Westbrook CB
- 27 Jimmy Wyrick CB
- 4 Jason Hanson K
- 19 John Jett P
- 15 Latef Grim WR
- 60 Josh Lovelady G (IR)
- -- Eugene McCaslin LB
- 53 Wayne Rogers LB
- 46 John Waerig TE
Reserve
- 35 Robert Bailey CB (IR)
- 10 Charlie Batch QB (IR)
- 42 Tommy Bennett S (Susp.)
- 57 Stephen Boyd LB (IR)
- 82 Germane Crowell WR (IR)
- 33 Sedrick Irvin RB (IR)
- 84 Herman Moore WR (IR)
- 28 Ron Rice S (IR)
- 29 Kywin Supernaw S (IR)
53 active, 10 reserve, 4 practice squad
Regular season
[edit ]Schedule
[edit ]Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 9 | at Green Bay Packers | L 6–28 | 0–1 | Lambeau Field | Recap |
2[A] | September 23 | at Cleveland Browns | L 14–24 | 0–2 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap |
3 | Bye | |||||
4 | October 8 | St. Louis Rams | L 0–35 | 0–3 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
5 | October 14 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 26–31 | 0–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | Recap |
6 | October 21 | Tennessee Titans | L 24–27 | 0–5 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
7 | October 28 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 27–31 | 0–6 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
8 | November 4 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 13–21 | 0–7 | 3Com Park | Recap |
9 | November 11 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 17–20 | 0–8 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
10 | November 18 | at Arizona Cardinals | L 38–45 | 0–9 | Sun Devil Stadium | Recap |
11 | November 22 | Green Bay Packers | L 27–29 | 0–10 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
12 | December 2 | at Chicago Bears | L 10–13 | 0–11 | Soldier Field | Recap |
13 | December 9 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 12–15 | 0–12 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
14 | December 16 | Minnesota Vikings | W 27–24 | 1–12 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
15 | December 23 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 14–47 | 1–13 | Heinz Field | Recap |
16 | December 30 | Chicago Bears | L 0–24 | 1–14 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
17[A] | January 6 | Dallas Cowboys | W 15–10 | 2–14 | Pontiac Silverdome | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
[7] |
Game summaries
[edit ]Week 1: at Green Bay Packers
[edit ]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Packers | 21 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
Game information |
---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Week 2: at Cleveland Browns
[edit ]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Browns | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: September 23
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C)
- Game attendance: 73,168
- Referee: Terry McAulay
- TV: Fox
- Box score
Game information |
---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Quarterback Ty Detmer made his first start for the Lions, ending the game with seven interceptions. Despite this, the Lions' defense kept the game somewhat close, picking off Cleveland quarterback Tim Couch twice, including a 26-yard pick six by cornerback Terry Fair.
Week 4: vs. St. Louis Rams
[edit ]Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: October 8
- Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 77,765
- Referee: Tom White
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, and Melissa Stark
- Box score
Game information |
---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
|
Standings
[edit ]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 |
Notes
[edit ]- ^ a b The Lions were originally scheduled to host the Dallas Cowboys during Week 2 of the original NFL schedule (September 16) at Pontiac Silverdome. However, due to the September 11 attacks, the game was rescheduled to Week 17.
References
[edit ]- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Infamy Awaits the Lions" in The Free Lance Star , Sunday December 16, 2001; p. C11
- ^ "Bloomberg Politics - Bloomberg". Bloomberg News .
- ^ "2001 Detroit Lions Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ "Administration and Coaching Staff". 2001 Detroit Lions Media Guide. pp. 4–32.
- ^ "2001 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com .