2000 NFL season

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2000 National Football League season
Regular season
DurationSeptember 3 – December 25, 2000
Playoffs
Start dateDecember 30, 2000
AFC ChampionsBaltimore Ravens
NFC ChampionsNew York Giants
Super Bowl XXXV
DateJanuary 28, 2001
SiteRaymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
ChampionsBaltimore Ravens
Pro Bowl
DateFebruary 4, 2001
SiteAloha Stadium

The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants, 34–7, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000. It would be the last NFL season to date to start on Labor Day weekend. It would also be the last time until 2015 that CBS televised the late afternoon games in Week 1, because both Week 1 of the NFL season and CBS's coverage of the U.S. Open tennis finals would take place on the same day beginning next season.

Player movement[]

  • July 24: The Carolina Panthers sign defensive end Reggie White.[1]
  • July 24: The San Diego Chargers sign tight end Ben Coates.[1]
  • July 24: The San Diego Chargers sign linebacker Steve Tovar.[1]
  • July 25: The Carolina Panthers sign defensive end Eric Swann.[1]
  • July 26: The Seattle Seahawks sign wide receiver Sean Dawkins.[1]
  • July 28: The Chicago Bears sign kicker Michael Husted.[1]

Trades[]

  • July 11: The Green Bay Packers trade tight end Lawrence Hart to the New Orleans Saints for running back Marvin Powell.[2]
  • July 31: The Green Bay Packers trade quarterback Aaron Brooks and tight end Lamont Hall to the New Orleans Saints for linebacker K.D. Williams.[2]

Draft[]

The 2000 NFL Draft was held from April 15 to 16, 2000 at New York City's Theater at Madison Square Garden. With the first pick, the Cleveland Browns selected defensive end Courtney Brown from Pennsylvania State University. Taken by the New England Patriots with the 199th pick in the sixth round was Michigan quarterback Tom Brady. Tom Brady went on to win 3 NFL MVP awards, a record 7 Super Bowl titles and 5 Super Bowl MVP awards.

Major rule changes[]

  • In order to cut down on group celebrations, unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and fines will be assessed for celebrations by two or more players.
  • Anyone wearing an eligible number (1 to 49 or 80 to 89) can play quarterback without having to first report to the referee before a play.
    • This rule change resulted in the increase of trick plays teams can employ on offense.
  • The “Bert Emanuel” rule was implemented, stating that when making a catch and falling to the ground, the ball is allowed to touch the ground and still be considered a catch if the player maintains clear control of the ball.

2000 deaths[]

Pro Football Hall of Fame[]

Texas State Cemetery
  • Tom Fears: The first Mexico-born NFL player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Fears won an NFL championship as a player with the Los Angeles Rams, and a pair of NFL championships as a member of the Green Bay Packers coaching staff. During the 1950 NFL season, Fears recorded 84 receptions, an NFL record (since broken). A November 12, 1950 contest versus the Green Bay Packers saw Fears record 18 receptions.
  • Tom Landry: The first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, leading the franchise to five Super Bowl appearances in the 1970s died February 12. As a tribute, the Cowboys wore a patch of Landry's hat on their jerseys. Landry was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
  • Derrick Thomas: Taken in the 1989 NFL Draft, Thomas, a Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, died on February 8 as a result of injuries suffered in a January 23 automobile accident.

Regular season[]

Scheduling formula[]

    Inter-conference
AFC East vs NFC Central
AFC Central vs NFC East
AFC West vs NFC West

Highlights of the 2000 season included:

Final regular season standings[]

Tiebreakers[]

  • Green Bay finished ahead of Detroit in the NFC Central based on better division record (5–3 to Lions’ 3–5).
  • New Orleans finished ahead of St. Louis in the NFC West based on better division record (7–1 to Rams’ 5–3).
  • Tampa Bay was the second NFC Wild Card based on head-to-head victory over St. Louis (1–0).

Playoffs[]

Dec. 31 – PSINet Stadium Jan. 7 – Adelphia Coliseum
5 Denver 3
4 Baltimore 24
4 Baltimore 21 Jan. 14 – Network Associates Coliseum
1 Tennessee 10
AFC
Dec. 30 – Pro Player Stadium 4 Baltimore 16
Jan. 6 – Network Associates Coliseum
2 Oakland 3
6 Indianapolis 17 AFC Championship
3 Miami 0
3 Miami 23* Jan. 28 – Raymond James Stadium
2 Oakland 27
Wild Card playoffs
Divisional playoffs
Dec. 30 – Louisiana Superdome A4 Baltimore 34
Jan. 6 – Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
N1 NY Giants 7
6 St. Louis 28 Super Bowl XXXV
3 New Orleans 16
3 New Orleans 31 Jan. 14 – Giants Stadium
2 Minnesota 34
NFC
Dec. 31 – Veterans Stadium 2 Minnesota 0
Jan. 7 – Giants Stadium
1 NY Giants 41
5 Tampa Bay 3 NFC Championship
4 Philadelphia 10
4 Philadelphia 21
1 NY Giants 20


* Indicates overtime victory

AFC[]

  • Wild-Card playoffs: Miami 23, Indianapolis 17 (OT); Baltimore 21, Denver 3
  • Divisional playoffs: Oakland 27, Miami 0; Baltimore 24, Tennessee 10
  • AFC Championship: Baltimore 16, Oakland 3 at Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California, January 14, 2001

NFC[]

  • Wild-Card playoffs: New Orleans 31, St. Louis 28; Philadelphia 21, Tampa Bay 3
  • Divisional playoffs: Minnesota 34, New Orleans 16; N.Y. Giants 20, Philadelphia 10
  • NFC Championship: N.Y. Giants 41, Minnesota 0 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, January 14, 2001

Super Bowl[]

  • Super Bowl XXXV: Baltimore (AFC) 34, N.Y. Giants (NFC) 7 at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida, January 28, 2001

Milestones[]

The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:

Record Player/Team Date/Opponent Previous Record Holder[4]
Most Rushing Yards Gained, Game Corey Dillon, Cincinnati (278) October 22, vs. Denver Walter Payton, Chicago vs. Minnesota, November 20, 1977 (275)
Most Pass Receptions, Game Terrell Owens, San Francisco (20) December 17, vs. Chicago Tom Fears, L.A. Rams vs. Green Bay, December 3, 1950 (18)
Most Points, Career Gary Anderson, Minnesota October 22, vs. Buffalo George Blanda 1949–1975 (2,002)
Most Two-Point Conversions by a Team, Game St. Louis (4) October 15, vs. Atlanta Tied by 2 teams (3)
Most Yards Gained by a Team, Season St. Louis (7,075) N/A Miami, 1984 (6,936)
Most Passing Yards Gained by a Team, Season St. Louis (5,232) N/A Miami, 1984 (5,018)

Statistical leaders[]

Team[]

Points scored St. Louis Rams (540)
Total yards gained St. Louis Rams (7,075)
Yards rushing Oakland Raiders (2,470)
Yards passing St. Louis Rams (5,232)
Fewest points allowed Baltimore Ravens (165)
Fewest total yards allowed Tennessee Titans (3,813)
Fewest rushing yards allowed Baltimore Ravens (970)
Fewest passing yards allowed Tennessee Titans (2,423)

Individual[]

Scoring Marshall Faulk, St. Louis (160 points)
Touchdowns Marshall Faulk, St. Louis (26 TDs)
Most field goals made Matt Stover, Baltimore (35 FGs)
Rushing Edgerrin James, Indianapolis (1,709 yards)
Passing Brian Griese, Denver (102.9 rating)
Passing touchdowns Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota and Peyton Manning, Indianapolis (33 TDs)
Receptions Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis and Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina (102 catches)
Receiving yards Torry Holt, St. Louis (1,635)
Receiving touchdowns Randy Moss, Minnesota (15 touchdowns)
Punt returns Jermaine Lewis, Baltimore (16.1 average yards)
Kickoff returns Darrick Vaughn, Atlanta (27.7 average yards)
Interceptions Darren Sharper, Green Bay (9)
Punting Darren Bennett, San Diego (46.2 average yards)
Sacks La'Roi Glover, New Orleans (17)

Awards[]

Most Valuable Player Marshall Faulk, Running back, St. Louis
Coach of the Year Jim Haslett, New Orleans
Offensive Player of the Year Marshall Faulk, Running back, St. Louis
Defensive Player of the Year Ray Lewis, Linebacker, Baltimore
Offensive Rookie of the Year Mike Anderson, Running Back, Denver
Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Urlacher, Linebacker, Chicago
NFL Comeback Player of the Year Joe Johnson, Defensive End, New Orleans
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Jim Flanigan, Defensive Tackle, Chicago and Derrick Brooks, Linebacker, Tampa Bay
Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Ray Lewis, Linebacker, Baltimore

Coaching changes[]

  • Arizona CardinalsVince Tobin fired seven games into season; replaced by Dave McGinnis. McGinnis held job through the 2003 season.
  • Cincinnati BengalsDick LeBeau; replaced Bruce Coslet who was fired during the 2000 season.
  • Dallas CowboysDave Campo; replaced Chan Gailey who was fired after the 1999 season.
  • Green Bay PackersMike Sherman; replaced Ray Rhodes who was fired after the 1999 season.
  • Miami DolphinsDave Wannstedt; replaced Jimmy Johnson who retired after the 1999 season.
  • New England PatriotsBill Belichick; replaced Pete Carroll who was fired after the 1999 season.
  • New Orleans SaintsJim Haslett; replaced Mike Ditka who was fired after the 1999 season.
  • New York JetsAl Groh; replaced Bill Belichick who replaced Bill Parcells who retired to become the full-time General Manager after the 1999 season. Belichick was hired by the New England Patriots shortly after he resigned from the Jets.
  • St. Louis RamsMike Martz; replaced Dick Vermeil who retired after winning Super Bowl XXXIV.

Stadium changes[]

  • The Cincinnati Bengals moved from Cinergy Field to Paul Brown Stadium, named after team founder Paul Brown
  • The Seattle Seahawks began playing at Husky Stadium while the Kingdome was demolished and a new Seahawks stadium built in its place
  • Giants Stadium’s Astroturf was replaced with Natural Grass

Uniform and logo changes[]

  • The Baltimore Ravens introduced a new Ravens wordmark logo, a new Ravens shield logo was placed on the sleeve ends, and there was new pants stripping with the "B" logo on hips.
  • The Kansas City Chiefs began wearing red pants with their white jerseys for first time since 1988.
  • The New England Patriots introduced new uniforms, changing their primary color from royal to nautical blue. The new white jerseys were worn with blue block numbers and blue pants.
  • The New Orleans Saints updated their fleur-de-lis helmet logo to be a bit smaller but with a wider white and black outline. Also introduced was an alternative old gold logo. They also returned to wearing old gold pants with their white jerseys.
  • The New York Giants unveiled new uniforms. The blue jerseys were a modernized version of the team's design used in the 1950s. The white jerseys still retained elements of the 1980s design (such as the 1980s' blue collars and nameplates, and missing the 1950s' red sleeve stripes) but with red numbers like the 1950s version. Gray pants were worn with both the blue and white jerseys. The helmet also returned to featuring the lowercase "ny" logo.
  • The St. Louis Rams introduced new uniforms, darkening the shades of blue and gold to "New Century Blue" and "Millennium Gold". Among other modifications, the curling rams horns on the sleeves were replaced by a new logo featuring charging ram's head.

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "2000 NFL Transactions. Signings - July". National Football League. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "2000 NFL Transactions. Trades - July". National Football League. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "Gastric cancer rare, but deadly".
  4. ^ "Records". 2005 NFL Record and Fact Book. NFL. 2005. ISBN 978-1-932994-36-0.

External links[]

References[]

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