2001 Detroit Lions season
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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
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 |
Staff
| Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
| ||||||
Regular season
Schedule
| 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
Week 1: at Green Bay Packers
Week 1: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Packers | 21 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: at Cleveland Browns
Week 2: Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
| Period | 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
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
Week 4: St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions – Game summary
| Period | 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
|
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 |
Notes
- ^ 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
- ^ 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.
External links
- 2001 Detroit Lions at Pro-Football-Reference.com
