2002: Brad Johnson Throws for 5 TDs as Bucs Beat Vikings

Under the leadership of defensive-minded Head Coach Tony Dungy, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had gone from being perennial bottom feeders to contenders. However, while they made it to the postseason in four of the five seasons prior to 2002, they got as far as the NFC Championship game once and, in 2000 and ’01, had not gotten beyond the Wild Card playoff round. The problem had been that, while the defense was solid, the offense, directed by a series of coordinators, was conservative and tended to have difficulty scoring points – especially in the postseason. As a result, Dungy was fired following the 2001 season (and of course resurfaced in Indianapolis, where he enjoyed greater success) and was replaced by the more offense-minded Jon Gruden, late of the Oakland Raiders (and after being turned down by Bill Parcells).

Key to the offense was QB Brad Johnson (pictured above), a nine-year NFL veteran in his second season with Tampa Bay. While immobile and not much of a deep passer, he was very accurate on short passes, which made him a good fit in Gruden’s version of the West Coast offense. He also had good leadership skills and toughness. His abilities in the revamped offense were especially evident in a Week 9 matchup against Minnesota.

The Buccaneers were 6-2 as they hosted the Vikings on November 3, 2002 at Raymond James Stadium, but the defense was still largely carrying the club (they had scored just 11 offensive TDs in the eight games) and Johnson had missed the previous contest due to a rib injury. Minnesota, under Head Coach Mike Tice, lost its first four games and was 2-5 coming into the contest, although coming off a good win against Chicago.

Things got off to a good start for Tampa Bay very quickly as safety Jermaine Phillips recovered a fumble by Minnesota WR Nick Davis on the opening kickoff at the Vikings’ 21 yard line. Three plays later, Johnson tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to WR Karl Williams for a quick 7-0 lead.

The Bucs went on to score on each of their first four possessions. A 12-play, 86-yard drive ended with Johnson completing a two-yard TD pass to TE Rickey Dudley and the score stood at 14-0 after one quarter. Early in the second quarter, Martin Gramatica kicked a 36-yard field goal, and Johnson threw another short touchdown pass of two yards to WR Keyshawn Johnson.

Down 24-0 and still in the second period, the Vikings finally got on the board thanks to a big play as RB Michael Bennett ran for an 85-yard touchdown. 43-year-old Gary Anderson kicked a 26-yard field goal before the quarter was over to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 24-10 at halftime (Gramatica missed a 40-yard field goal attempt that would have added to the lead).

Brad Johnson tossed a third quarter touchdown pass to Keyshawn Johnson of 19 yards and FB Mike Alstott scored in the fourth quarter on a five-yard reception. The Vikings had two one-yard runs by RB Moe Williams, but Minnesota was never able to mount a credible comeback in the second half – even a successful onside kick led to failure when QB Daunte Culpepper was intercepted by DT Warren Sapp. The Buccaneers won convincingly, 38-24.

For a team that had been considered offensively-challenged, it was an impressive showing. Tampa Bay rolled up 446 yards, to 387 for the Vikings, and only punted once. They gave up no turnovers and Johnson wasn’t sacked (pass protection had been an issue in prior weeks). In addition, Minnesota was hurt by a total of 12 penalties.


Brad Johnson completed 24 of 31 passes for 313 yards and a club-record tying five touchdowns while not being intercepted. Keyshawn Johnson (pictured at left) caught 9 passes for 133 yards and two of the TDs (of his career-high 106 receptions in 2001, only one had been for a score). RB Aaron Stecker carried the ball just once, but it was for a 59-yard gain to lead the team in rushing. Mike Alstott ran for 55 yards on 26 carries and caught three passes for 16 yards, including a TD.

Daunte Culpepper went to the air 29 times for the Vikings, with 18 completions for 225 yards, but had no touchdown passes and surrendered two interceptions. Thanks to the long scoring run, Michael Bennett gained 114 yards on just 10 carries. Moe Williams had the two short rushing touchdowns while gaining 43 yards on 7 attempts, and also led Minnesota with 5 pass receptions, for 24 yards. TE Jim Kleinsasser gained 64 yards on three catches.

Tampa Bay lost only twice more the rest of the way and finished atop the NFC South with a 12-4 record. They finally broke through in the postseason, beating the Eagles in Philadelphia for the NFC Championship (the site of their losses in the preceding two playoff appearances) and defeating Oakland in the Super Bowl. Minnesota went 6-10 for second place in the NFC North.

Brad Johnson led the NFC in passing (92.9 rating) and was among the league leaders in completion percentage (62.3) and touchdown passes (22). He threw for 3049 yards and was intercepted only six times, for a league-low 1.3 INT percentage. Johnson was named to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career (and only time in Tampa Bay).

While the Tampa Bay offense ranked 18th in the league, that was higher than at any time during the Dungy years. Combined with the NFL’s top-ranked defense, it was enough to win a championship.

2002: Texans Defeat Cowboys in Franchise’s Debut

For the first time since the Oilers departed for Tennessee following the 1996 season, NFL football returned to Houston on September 8, 2002. The Houston Texans hosted the Dallas Cowboys in their regular season debut at the equally new Reliant Stadium. There were 69,604 fans on hand on a Sunday night to watch the new team take on their intrastate rival in what Commissioner Paul Tagliabue dubbed “the Texas Super Bowl.”

The Houston franchise had been awarded to Bob McNair for $700 million in 1999. Charley Casserly was hired as general manager and began building a scouting organization two years prior to the team’s taking the field. Dom Capers was hired as head coach, who had the experience of coaching an expansion team previously in Carolina.

The club looked to sign younger veterans in the expansion draft, and picked up several notable players including OT Tony Boselli and DT Gary Walker from Jacksonville, CB Aaron Glenn of the Jets, and WR Jermaine Lewis and LB Jamie Sharper from Baltimore. With the first choice in the college draft, the Texans picked QB David Carr from Fresno State (pictured above).

The stadium’s retractable roof was closed and the decibel level high as the Texans came out throwing in their first series. Carr threw a deep pass intended for WR Corey Bradford, who drew an interference call that resulted in a 43-yard gain. Three plays later, Carr passed to TE Billy Miller for a 19-yard touchdown and the Texans were up 7-0.

The contest settled into a defensive struggle, with Houston scoring again early in the second quarter on a 42-yard field goal by Kris Brown. The Cowboys got on the board before the half when Billy Cundiff kicked a field goal from 33 yards out, but their offense had sputtered much of the way as the first seven possessions ended in six punts and an interception. QB Quincy Carter failed to complete a pass until the second quarter.

Nevertheless, the Cowboys tied the score at 10-10 in the third quarter when RB Michael Wiley ran 46 yards for a touchdown. The Texans went back in front to stay early in the fourth quarter when Bradford made an outstanding catch of a pass from Carr for a 65-yard touchdown.

Houston regained possession on the ensuing kickoff thanks to a fumble, but was unable to capitalize when a Carr pass was deflected for an interception. However, the Texan defense continued to frustrate the Dallas offense and scored the final points of the game when NT Seth Payne tackled Carter in the end zone for a safety with under three minutes remaining. The Texans won by a score of 19-10.


David Carr completed 10 of 22 passes for 145 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Ominously, he was sacked six times, which would be a chronic problem throughout the inaugural season – Carr took every snap for the Texans and was sacked an NFL-record 76 times. RB James Allen led the team in rushing with 56 yards on 19 carries. Corey Bradford (pictured at left) was the top receiver with four catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.

The Cowboys largely won the statistical battle, outrushing the Texans 155 yards on 24 carries to 87 yards on 35 attempts. They also had the most total yards, 267 to 210. RB Emmitt Smith, who was closing in on the career rushing record, led the team with 67 yards on 17 carries (Wiley’s 46-yard TD run was his only carry of the day). Quincy Carter completed just 13 of 30 passes for 131 yards with one picked off. WR Joey Galloway was the top receiver, catching 6 passes for 69 yards.

Both teams were heavily penalized, with the Texans drawing 11 flags and Dallas 9. There were few turnovers, as the Cowboys lost the ball twice (one fumble and one interception) and Houston gave up the one interception.

Said Dallas owner Jerry Jones afterward, “I’m disappointed for Cowboys fans everywhere.” An embarrassed Emmitt Smith added that “We did nothing good.” Nevetheless, there were some bright spots for the Cowboys, such as the play of the defense and in particular that of DT La’Roi Glover. Glover, a six-year veteran who had been signed as a free agent, recorded 1.5 sacks and intercepted Carr’s deflected pass in his regular season debut with the Cowboys. Dallas went on to a 5-11 record for the third consecutive season – the last under Head Coach Dave Campo.

As for Houston, it was the first time that a modern NFL expansion team had won its initial regular season game since the Vikings did so in 1961, and as was the case in that instance there were few wins thereafter. The Texans lost their next five games on the way to finishing the season with a 4-12 record, placing them at the bottom of the AFC South.

The opening game against the Cowboys set the tone for the rest of the year: the defense played respectably, but the offense ranked at the bottom of the NFL. David Carr showed toughness but also made plenty of rookie mistakes. The offensive line performance was spotty, and the loss of Tony Boselli to shoulder surgery (he ended up never playing for the team) was a major blow. The running game suffered accordingly, as rookie RB Jonathan Wells led the club with 529 yards on the ground, but with an average gain of only 2.7 yards-per-carry. And while veterans like Gary Walker and Aaron Glenn made the Pro Bowl, others were disappointments (Boselli and Jermaine Lewis).

But at least for one week, Carr and the Texans were 1-0 and had reason to exult.

2002: 49ers Defeat Giants in Thursday Night Opening Game

The NFL chose to open the 2002 regular season with a Thursday night game prior to the weekend contests. The New York Giants hosted the San Francisco 49ers at Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands on September 5. There was a celebrity-filled concert at Times Square prior to the kickoff, much of it in tribute to the recovery efforts in New York City following the previous year’s terrorist attack.

The Giants, coached by Jim Fassel and NFC champions in 2000, had slipped to 7-9 in ’01 and there had been dissension sown along the way. Even a bright spot like DE Michael Strahan breaking the single-season record for sacks with 22.5 was clouded by controversy when it appeared that Green Bay QB Brett Favre had set himself up for the record-setting sack in the season finale. In the ensuing offseason, defensive coordinator John Fox left the club to become head coach of the Carolina Panthers and a mainstay at linebacker, Jessie Armstead, moved on to Washington as a free agent.

San Francisco had finished second in the NFC West under Head Coach Steve Mariucci in ’01 with a 12-4 mark and lost to Green Bay in the Wild Card round of the postseason. It was a step in the right direction after the club had run into salary cap trouble and fell below .500 in both 1999 and 2000. The passing combination of QB Jeff Garcia to WR Terrell Owens had been highly productive, although the temperamental Owens (pictured above) clashed with both coach and teammates.

For all of the pregame hoopla, the contest itself seemed anticlimactic as both teams started slowly. The 49ers got the first break on the game’s third play when safety Tony Parrish intercepted a pass by New York QB Kerry Collins. After a 16-yard run by Garcia, the Niners had a first and goal situation at the Giants seven yard line, but couldn’t get into the end zone and the resulting 25-yard field goal attempt by Jose Cortez was blocked.

New York proceeded to drive 69 yards on 11 plays with Matt Bryant, who had been cut the week before but re-signed when PK Owen Pochman had to be placed on injured reserve, booting a 29-yard field goal to give the Giants the early lead.

Cortez, the top placekicker in the XFL in 2001 with the Los Angeles Xtreme, made good on his second field goal attempt from 23 yards to tie the game at 3-3 at the end of the first quarter. That was it for the scoring until the last play of the half when Bryant narrowly made a 33-yard field goal that allowed the Giants to take a 6-3 lead into halftime.

San Francisco went ahead 10-6 in the third quarter as Garcia connected with RB Garrison Hearst on a swing pass that produced a nine-yard touchdown. The Niners seemed in control in the fourth quarter when Cortez kicked a 33-yard field goal following the third interception of a Collins pass.

However, the Giants fought back, driving 77 yards on 14 plays highlighted by Collins passes of 23 yards to WR Amani Toomer in a third-and-16 situation and 20 yards to rookie TE Jeremy Shockey. RB Tiki Barber capped the possession by diving into the end zone from a yard out, and with the successful PAT the score was tied at 13-13 with 1:49 remaining in regulation.

San Francisco’s offense took over on its 30 yard line following the kickoff, and Garcia immediately threw to Owens, who had streaked past Giants CB Jason Sehorn to make the catch on his way to a 33-yard gain. From the New York 37, Garcia passed again, this time to WR J.J. Stokes for 12 yards. After a seven-yard run by Hearst, Cortez was successful on the game-winning field goal from 36 yards. The 49ers went home with a hard-earned 16-13 victory.

Said 49ers Coach Mariucci afterward “It took us the whole game to get going, but we won. Can you call this game ugly? I guess you could say that.”

Indeed, sloppy play and penalties had marred the contest. There were 15 penalties, including 10 by the Giants. New York outgained the 49ers, 361 yards to 279, but had been undone by untimely interceptions (neither team fumbled) and penalty flags.

Terrell Owens was held to just eight yards receiving prior to the clutch catch that helped set up the winning field goal; he ended up with four receptions for 41 yards. TE Eric Johnson had the most receiving yards for the Niners with 44 on three catches. Jeff Garcia completed 16 of 26 passes for 166 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Garrison Hearst was the leading rusher with 40 yards on 12 carries.

Kerry Collins went to the air 45 times and completed 28 of those passes for 342 yards; however, he had the three interceptions as opposed to no TDs. Amani Toomer had an outstanding performance, catching 9 passes for 134 yards, but also had a 44-yard catch to inside the San Francisco 10 yard line wiped out by a holding penalty. The Giants gained just 43 yards on the ground, on 22 carries, with Tiki Barber leading the club with 29 yards on 15 attempts and the one score.


Both teams went on to finish the season with 10-6 records; in the case of the 49ers, it was good enough to win the NFC West while the Giants finished second in the NFC East and qualified for the postseason as a wild card team. They met in the Wild Card round, with San Francisco again coming out on top, 39-38, in a far-more exciting and high-scoring game that came down to a botched field goal attempt and missed pass interference call by the officials.

Terrell Owens caught a career-high 100 passes for 1300 yards and led the league with 13 touchdown receptions. The journeyman placekicker Jose Cortez (pictured above left) failed to last through the year with the 49ers and ended the 2002 season with Washington; he went on to see action with four more teams (as well as a brief second stint with the 49ers in 2005).

The Thursday night opening game was deemed a success and became an annual event, although since 2004 the host team has been the defending Super Bowl champion.