2002 Carolina Panthers season

2002 Carolina Panthers season
2002 Carolina Panthers season
Owner	Jerry Richardson
Head coach	John Fox
General manager	Marty Hurney
Home field	Ericsson Stadium
Results
Record	7–9
Division place	4th NFC South
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	DT Kris Jenkins; P Todd Sauerbrun
AP All-Pros	DT Kris Jenkins (1st team); P Todd Sauerbrun (1st team)
	← 2001; Panthers seasons; 2003 →;

The 2002 season was the Carolina Panthers' eighth in the National Football League and their first under head coach John Fox. They tried to improve upon their 1–15 record in 2001, and make it to the playoffs for the second time in franchise history.

After moving from the NFC West to the more geographically accurate NFC South, they improved by six games to finish 7–9, but were still five games behind the division champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and failed to make the playoffs. As of the 2021 season, their week 7, 30–0 loss against the Atlanta Falcons is the last time the Panthers have been shutout in any game.

Offseason[]

Signings	Departures
DE Shane Burton (Jets)	WR Donald Hayes (Patriots)
CB Terry Cousin (Dolphins)	FB Chris Hetherington (Rams)
LB Mark Fields (Rams)	DE Jay Williams (Dolphins)

NFL Draft[]

The 2002 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 15 and April 16, 2002. The Panthers selected nine players in seven rounds. Despite having the worst record in the league the previous season, the Panthers picked 2nd overall due to the Houston Texans picking first overall in their inaugural draft, as is tradition with expansion teams.

NFL Draft[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
2002 Carolina Panthers draft
1	2	Julius Peppers *	DE	North Carolina
2	34	DeShaun Foster	RB	UCLA
3	73	Will Witherspoon	LB	Georgia
4	100	Dante Wesley	CB	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
5	137	Randy Fasani	QB	Stanford
5	145	Kyle Johnson	FB	Syracuse
6	174	Keith Heinrich	TE	Sam Houston State
7	213	Pete Campion	G	North Dakota State
7	258	Brad Franklin	CB	Louisiana-Lafayette
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel[]

Staff[]

**2002 Carolina Panthers staff**

	Front office Owner/Founder – Jerry Richardson President – Mark Richardson General Manager – Marty Hurney Director of Player Personnel – Jack Bushofsky Head coaches Head Coach – John Fox Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Dan Henning Running Backs – Jim Skipper Wide Receivers – Richard Williamson Tight Ends – Don Breaux Offensive Line – Paul Boudreau Offensive Assistant/Quarterbacks – Mike McCoy			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Jack Del Rio Defensive Line – Mike Trgovac Linebackers – Sam Mills Secondary – Rod Perry Defensive Assistant – Alvin Reynolds Defensive Assistant – Sal Sunseri Special teams coaches Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams – Scott O'Brien Assistant Special Teams Coordinator/Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Darrin Simmons Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Jerry Simmons

^[1]

Roster[]

**2002 Carolina Panthers final roster**

	Quarterbacks 12 Randy Fasani 9 Rodney Peete 16 Chris Weinke Running backs 22 Dee Brown 37 Nick Goings 42 Skip Hicks 45 Brad Hoover FB 33 Joe Montgomery 32 Rod Smart Wide receivers 83 82 Isaac Byrd 88 Karl Hankton 87 Muhsin Muhammad 89 Steve Smith RS Tight ends 49 Shawn Draper 86 Kris Mangum 85 Wesley Walls 84 Jermaine Wiggins		Offensive linemen 65 Kevin Donnalley G 74 Derrick Fletcher G 78 Jeno James G 60 Jeff Mitchell C 63 Jamar Nesbit G 76 Tutan Reyes T 75 Todd Steussie T 73 Melvin Tuten T 66 Louis Williams C Defensive linemen 99 Brentson Buckner DT 98 Shane Burton DT 92 Mario Fatafehi DT 77 Kris Jenkins DT 97 Kemp Rasmussen DE 93 Mike Rucker DE 91 Josh Taves DE 96 Al Wallace DE		Linebackers 52 Brian Allen OLB 58 Mark Fields OLB 50 Brad Jackson MLB 52 Kory Minor OLB 53 Hannibal Navies OLB 54 Will Witherspoon MLB Defensive backs 35 Deke Cooper SS 21 Terry Cousin CB 36 Brad Franklin CB 27 Deon Grant FS 23 Reggie Howard CB 25 Emmanuel McDaniel CB 30 Mike Minter SS 39 Damien Richardson FS 29 Dante Wesley CB Special teams 11 Shayne Graham K 56 Jason Kyle LS 10 Todd Sauerbrun P		Reserve lists 46 Rashard Anderson CB (Suspended) 24 Michael Bates RB (IR) 40 Jarrod Cooper S (IR) 28 Terry Fair CB (IR) 20 DeShaun Foster RB (IR) 94 Sean Gilbert DT (IR) 80 Keith Heinrich TE (IR) 4 John Kasay K (IR) 55 Dan Morgan LB (IR) 90 Julius Peppers DE (Suspended) 71 Fernando Smith DE (IR) 26 Lamar Smith RB (IR) 3 Ryan Tolhurst WR (IR) 57 Lester Towns LB (IR) Practice squad 15 Rob Johnson WR 12 Chris Robinson S 62 Tim Stuber G 18 Bashir Yamini WR Rookies in italics , 5 practice squad

Regular season[]

Schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 8	Baltimore Ravens	W 10–7	1–0	Ericsson Stadium	70,386
2	September 15	Detroit Lions	W 31–7	2–0	Ericsson Stadium	71,951
3	September 22	at Minnesota Vikings	W 21–14	3–0	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	63,945
4	September 29	at Green Bay Packers	L 14–17	3–1	Lambeau Field	63,329
5	October 6	Arizona Cardinals	L 13–16	3–2	Ericsson Stadium	72,286
6	October 13	at Dallas Cowboys	L 13–14	3–3	Texas Stadium	61,773
7	October 20	at Atlanta Falcons	L 0–30	3–4	Georgia Dome	68,056
8	October 27	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 9–12	3–5	Ericsson Stadium	72,892
9	Bye
10	November 10	New Orleans Saints	L 24–34	3–6	Ericsson Stadium	72,566
11	November 17	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 10–23	3–7	Raymond James Stadium	65,527
12	November 24	Atlanta Falcons	L 0–41	3–8	Ericsson Stadium	72,533
13	December 1	at Cleveland Browns	W 13–6	4–8	Cleveland Browns Stadium	72,718
14	December 8	Cincinnati Bengals	W 52–31	5–8	Ericsson Stadium	66,799
15	December 15	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 14–30	5–9	Heinz Field	58,586
16	December 22	Chicago Bears	W 24–14	6–9	Ericsson Stadium	72,602
17	December 29	at New Orleans Saints	W 10–6	7–9	Louisiana Superdome	66,946

Game summaries[]

Week 2: vs. Detroit Lions[]

Week 2: Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	0	7	0	7
Panthers	0	10	14	7	31

at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Date: September 15, 2002
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
Game attendance: 71,951
Referee: Gerald Austin (34)
TV announcers (FOX): Kenny Albert, Tim Green, and Paul Butler
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays.

Second quarter

CAR – John Kasay 23-yard field goal, 3:27. Panthers 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 19 yards, 2:09.
CAR – Muhsin Muhammad 22-yard pass from Rodney Peete (John Kasay kick), 0:16. Panthers 10–0. Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 0:46.

Third quarter

DET – Mike McMahon 11-yard run (Jason Hanson kick), 8:21. Panthers 10–7. Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 3:10.
CAR – Lamar Smith 3-yard run (John Kasay kick), 6:44. Panthers 17–7. Drive: 4 plays, 77 yards, 1:37.
CAR – Mike Minter 40-yard interception return (John Kasay kick), 5:49. Panthers 24–7.

Fourth quarter

CAR – Lamar Smith 1-yard run (John Kasay kick), 9:43. Panthers 31–7. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 5:44.

Top passers

DET – Mike McMahon – 9/23, 95 yards, INT
CAR – Rodney Peete – 21/32, 310 yards, TD

Top rushers

DET – James Stewart – 12 rushes, 53 yards
CAR – Lamar Smith – 20 rushes, 60 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

DET – Scotty Anderson – 2 receptions, 31 yards
CAR – Muhsin Muhammad – 8 receptions, 107 yards, TD

Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings[]

Week 3: Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	0	7	14	21
Vikings	0	7	0	7	14

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: September 22, 2002
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
Game attendance: 63,945
Referee: Bernie Kukar (86)
TV:
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays.

Second quarter

MIN – Michael Bennett 1-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 12:58. Vikings 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 17 yards, 2:02.

Third quarter

CAR – Steve Smith Sr. 14-yard pass from Rodney Peete (Jon Hilbert kick), 5:14. Tied 7–7. Drive: 2 plays, 28 yards, 0:47.

Fourth quarter

CAR – Lamar Smith 12-yard run (Jon Hilbert kick), 13:28. Panthers 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:38.
CAR – Lamar Smith 24-yard run (Jon Hilbert kick), 7:54. Panthers 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 4:42.
MIN – Chris Walsh 4-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Gary Anderson kick), 3:29. Panthers 21–14. Drive: 9 plays, 89 yards, 4:25.

Top passers

CAR – Rodney Peete – 20/30, 221 yards, TD, 2 INT
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 19/30, 191 yards, TD, 4 INT

Top rushers

CAR – Lamar Smith – 30 rushes, 154 yards, 2 TD
MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 4 rushes, 32 yards

Top receivers

CAR – Steve Smith Sr. – 5 receptions, 81 yards, TD
MIN – Moe Williams – 4 receptions, 66 yards

Week 4: at Green Bay Packers[]

Week 4: Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	7	0	0	7	14
Packers	3	7	0	7	17

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: September 29, 2002
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: Overcast, 65 °F (18 °C)
Game attendance: 63,329
Referee: Bill Carollo (63)
TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and Brian Baldinger
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

GB – Ryan Longwell 30-yard field goal, 8:52. Packers 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 5:07.
CAR – Lamar Smith 3-yard run (Shayne Graham kick), 0:23. Panthers 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards, 4:50.

Second quarter

GB – Donald Driver 31-yard pass from Bubba Franks (Ryan Longwell kick), 1:43. Packers 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 2:04.

Third quarter

No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter

CAR – Lamar Smith 2-yard run (Shayne Graham kick), 12:55. Panthers 14–10. Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 2:51.
GB – Donald Driver 22-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 4:10. Packers 17–14. Drive: 4 plays, 65 yards, 2:19.

Top passers

CAR – Rodney Peete – 10/24, 202 yards
GB – Brett Favre – 18/32, 200 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

CAR – Lamar Smith – 22 rushes, 66 yards, 2 TD
GB – Ahman Green – 17 rushes, 73 yards

Top receivers

CAR – Steve Smith Sr. – 5 receptions, 116 yards
GB – Donald Driver – 5 receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD

Week 16: vs. Chicago Bears[]

Week 16: Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	7	0	0	7	14
Panthers	0	21	0	3	24

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 announcers (FOX): Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger, and Dan Jiggetts
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

CHI – Dez White 76-yard pass from Chris Chandler (Paul Edinger kick), 14:13. Bears 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:47.

Second quarter

CAR – Dee Brown 2-yard run (Shayne Graham kick), 12:12. Tied 7–7. Drive: 6 plays, 85 yards, 2:33.
CAR – Dee Brown 1-yard run (Shayne Graham kick), 8:38. Panthers 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 11 yards, 0:51.
CAR – Muhsin Muhammad 3-yard pass from Rodney Peete (Shayne Graham kick), 3:52. Panthers 21–7. Drive: 4 plays, 41 yards, 1:54.

Third quarter

No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter

CHI – Dez White 5-yard pass from Henry Burris (Paul Edinger kick), 11:48. Panthers 21–14. Drive: 3 plays, 8 yards, 1:32.
CAR – Shayne Graham 25-yard field goal, 5:16. Panthers 24–14. Drive: 4 plays, -1 yard, 2:08.

Top passers

CHI – Chris Chandler – 7/8, 113 yards, TD
CAR – Rodney Peete – 18/35, 179 yards, TD

Top rushers

CHI – Leon Johnson – 16 rushes, 29 yards
CAR – Dee Brown – 23 rushes, 55 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

CHI – Dez White – 2 receptions, 81 yards, 2 TD
CAR – Steve Smith Sr. – 4 receptions, 97 yards

Standings[]

NFC South
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽²⁾ Tampa Bay Buccaneers	12	4	0	.750	4–2	9–3	346	196	W1
⁽⁶⁾ Atlanta Falcons	9	6	1	.594	4–2	7–5	402	314	L1
New Orleans Saints	9	7	0	.563	3–3	7–5	432	388	L3
Carolina Panthers	7	9	0	.438	1–5	4–8	258	302	W2

References[]

^ "Assistant Coaches". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2014.

[1] "Assistant Coaches". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2014.

[1]

v t Carolina Panthers
Founded in 1995 Based and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina
Franchise	Franchise Team history Seasons Coaches Players Expansion draft First-round draft picks Starting quarterbacks Records and statistics Broadcasters
Stadiums	Memorial Stadium Bank of America Stadium
Culture and lore	David Tepper Jerry Richardson Sir Purr Carolina Topcats Cardiac Cats "Sweet Caroline"
Rivalries	Atlanta Falcons Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Hall of Honor	Jake Delhomme Jordan Gross Mike McCormack Sam Mills PSL Owners Steve Smith Sr. Wesley Walls
Wild card berths (2)	2005 2017
Division championships (6)	1996 2003 2008 2013 2014 2015
Conference championships (2)	2003 2015
Retired numbers	51
Media	Broadcasters Mick Mixon Eugene Robinson Bill Rosinski TV: WCCB Radio Network: WBT
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: South Division

v t Carolina Panthers seasons
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance