2002 San Diego Chargers season

2002 San Diego Chargers season
2002 San Diego Chargers season
Owner	Alex Spanos
Head coach	Marty Schottenheimer
General manager	John Butler
Home field	Qualcomm Stadium
Results
Record	8–8
Division place	3rd AFC West
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	RB LaDainian Tomlinson; LB Junior Seau; LB Donnie Edwards
AP All-Pros	RB LaDainian Tomlinson (2nd team); LB Donnie Edwards (2nd team)
	← 2001; Chargers seasons; 2003 →;

The 2002 season was the San Diego Chargers' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall and their first under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. Their stadium, Qualcomm Stadium, hosted Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the season, but the Chargers' failure to secure a playoff berth marked the 18th straight season that the Super Bowl did not include the team in whose region the game was being played. Their division was reduced to four teams at the start of the season, with the Seattle Seahawks moving to the NFC. Despite going into their bye week at 6–1, the Chargers won just two of their nine games after the break and missed the playoffs.

Offseason[]

Additions	Subtractions
TE Stephen Alexander (Redskins)	TE Steve Heiden (Browns)
LB Donnie Edwards (Chiefs)	LB John Holecek (Falcons)
G Bob Hallen (Falcons)	LB Sam Rogers (Falcons)
C Cory Raymer (Redskins)	G Raleigh Roundtree (Cardinals)
DT Jason Fisk (Titans)	TE Freddie Jones (Cardinals)
SS Keith Lyle (Redskins)	G DeMingo Graham (Texans)

NFL Draft[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
2002 San Diego Chargers draft
1	5	Quentin Jammer	Cornerback	Texas
2	39	Toniu Fonoti	Guard	Nebraska
2	48	Reche Caldwell	Wide receiver	Florida
3	71	Ben Leber	Linebacker	Kansas State
4	103	Justin Peelle	Tight end	Oregon
5	142	Terry Charles	Wide receiver	Portland State
6	178	Matt Anderle	Tackle	Minnesota
7	216	Seth Burford	Quarterback	Cal Poly
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents[]

2002 undrafted free agents of note
Player	Position	College
Jason Ball	Center	New Hampshire
Jesse Chatman	Running back	Eastern Washington
Vernon Fox	Safety	Fresno State
Josh Norman	Tight end	Oklahoma

Personnel[]

Staff[]

**2002 San Diego Chargers staff**

	Front office chairman of the board – Alex Spanos President/chief executive officer – Dean Spanos Executive Vice President – Michael Spanos Executive Vice President/general manager – John Butler Assistant general manager/Director of Pro Personnel – A. J. Smith Vice President of Football Operations – Ed McGuire Director of Player Personnel – Buddy Nix Director of College Scouting – Jimmy Raye Head coaches Head Coach – Marty Schottenheimer Associate Head Coach/Defense – Bill Arnsparger Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Cam Cameron Quarterbacks – Brian Schottenheimer Running Backs – Clarence Shelmon Wide Receivers – James Lofton Tight Ends – Tim Brewster Offensive Line – Hudson Houck Offensive Assistant/Quality Control – Pete Carmichael, Jr.			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Dale Lindsey Defensive Line – Wayne Nunnely Linebackers – Greg Manusky Defensive Backs – Jerry Holmes Defensive Assistant/Quality Control – John Pagano Special Projects – Joe Pascale Special teams coaches Special Teams – Steve Crosby Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Dave Redding Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Matt Schiotz

^[1]

Roster[]

**2002 San Diego Chargers final roster**

	Quarterbacks 9 Drew Brees 7 Doug Flutie 12 Running backs 24 Jesse Chatman 41 Terrell Fletcher 45 Joey Goodspeed FB 28 Ronney Jenkins 44 Fred McCrary FB 21 LaDainian Tomlinson Wide receivers 82 Reche Caldwell 80 Curtis Conway 85 Tim Dwight 86 Dondre Gilliam 88 Eric Parker 87 Tamarick Vanover Tight ends 81 Stephen Alexander 83 Josh Norman 84 Justin Peelle		Offensive linemen 60 Jason Ball C 69 Ed Ellis T 71 Toniu Fonoti G 63 Kelvin Garmon G 62 Bob Hallen G 61 Michael Keathley G/C 77 Damion McIntosh T 70 Vaughn Parker T 79 Sammy Williams T Defensive linemen 96 Leonardo Carson DT 93 DE 90 Adrian Dingle DE 92 Jason Fisk DT 99 Raylee Johnson DE 75 Marcellus Wiley DE 78 DeQuincy Scott DT		Linebackers 59 Donnie Edwards OLB 51 Ben Leber OLB 52 Carlos Polk OLB 56 Orlando Ruff ILB 55 Junior Seau ILB 57 Zeke Moreno ILB Defensive backs 42 Rogers Beckett SS 36 Vernon Fox CB 37 Rodney Harrison FS 32 23 Quentin Jammer CB 35 Keith Lyle SS 47 Ryan McNeil CB 25 Alex Molden CB 33 Davis Sanchez CB 20 Jerry Wilson FS Special teams 2 Darren Bennett P 50 David Binn LS 8 Steve Christie K 5 Wade Richey K		Reserve lists 13 Terry Charles WR (IR) 27 Tay Cody CB (IR) 34 CB (IR) 66 Cory Raymer C (IR) 97 DT (IR) 76 Jamal Williams NT (IR) Practice squad 53 Luke Butkus C 65 C 67 C/G 87 WR Rookies in italics

Regular season[]

Schedule[]

In addition to their regular games with AFC West rivals, the Chargers played teams from the AFC East and NFC West as per the schedule rotation, and also played intraconference games against the Texans and the Bengals based on divisional positions from 2001.

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 8	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 34–6	1–0	Paul Brown Stadium	53,705
2	September 15	Houston Texans	W 24–3	2–0	Qualcomm Stadium	56,098
3	September 22	at Arizona Cardinals	W 23–15	3–0	Sun Devil Stadium	28,980
4	September 29	New England Patriots	W 21–14	4–0	Qualcomm Stadium	66,463
5	October 6	at Denver Broncos	L 9–26	4–1	Invesco Field	75,065
6	October 13	Kansas City Chiefs	W 35–34	5–1	Qualcomm Stadium	58,995
7	October 20	at Oakland Raiders	W 27–21(OT)	6–1	Network Associates Coliseum	60,974
8	Bye
9	November 3	New York Jets	L 13–44	6–2	Qualcomm Stadium	59,772
10	November 10	at St. Louis Rams	L 24–28	6–3	Edward Jones Dome	66,093
11	November 17	San Francisco 49ers	W 20–17(OT)	7–3	Qualcomm Stadium	67,161
12	November 24	at Miami Dolphins	L 3–30	7–4	Pro Player Stadium	73,138
13	December 1	Denver Broncos	W 30–27(OT)	8–4	Qualcomm Stadium	66,357
14	December 8	Oakland Raiders	L 7–27	8–5	Qualcomm Stadium	67,968
15	December 15	at Buffalo Bills	L 13–20	8–6	Ralph Wilson Stadium	61,838
16	December 22	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 22–24	8–7	Arrowhead Stadium	77,899
17	December 29	Seattle Seahawks	L 28–31(OT)	8–8	Qualcomm Stadium	52,159

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries[]

Week 4: vs. New England Patriots[]

Week 4: New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	7	7	0	0	14
Chargers	7	7	7	0	21

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Date: September 29, 2002
Game time: 4:15 p.m.
Game weather: Partly cloudy, 67 °F (19 °C)
Game attendance: 66,463
Referee: Ron Blum (7)
TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

NE – Christian Fauria 5-yard pass from Tom Brady (Adam Vinatieri kick), 9:26. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 67 yards, 5:34.
SD – Curtis Conway 52-yard pass from Drew Brees (Steve Christie kick), 4:17. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 87 yards, 2:33.

Second quarter

NE – Mike Vrabel 1-yard pass from Tom Brady (Adam Vinatieri kick), 14:13. Patriots 14–7. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 5:04.
SD – LaDainian Tomlinson 37-yard run (Steve Christie kick), 2:19. Tied 14–14. Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 4:33.

Third quarter

SD – LaDainian Tomlinson 58-yard run (Steve Christie kick), 14:14. Chargers 21–14. Drive: 2 plays, 67 yards, 0:46.

Fourth quarter

No scoring plays.

Top passers

NE – Tom Brady – 36/53, 353 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
SD – Drew Brees – 10/18, 104 yards, TD

Top rushers

NE – Antowain Smith – 16 rushes, 78 yards
SD – LaDainian Tomlinson – 27 rushes, 217 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

NE – Deion Branch – 13 receptions, 128 yards
SD – Curtis Conway – 3 receptions, 69 yards, TD

Week 9: vs. New York Jets[]

Week 9: New York Jets at San Diego Chargers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	14	17	3	10	44
Chargers	0	7	6	0	13

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Date: November 3, 2002
Game time: 4:05 pm
Game weather: Sunny, 69 °F (21 °C)
Game attendance: 59,772
Referee: Bill Leavy (127)
TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

NYJ – Chad Pennington 8-yard run (John Hall kick), 3:45. Jets 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 91 yards, 6:55.
NYJ – Santana Moss 52-yard punt return (John Hall kick), 1:10. Jets 14–0.

Second quarter

NYJ – Anthony Becht 1-yard pass from Chad Pennington (John Hall kick), 6:17. Jets 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards, 3:40.
SD – Curtis Conway 13-yard pass from Drew Brees (Steve Christie kick), 3:44. Jets 21–7. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:48.
NYJ – Curtis Martin 17-yard run (John Hall kick), 1:10. Jets 28–7. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 2:28.
NYJ – John Hall 24-yard field goal, 0:06. Jets 31–7. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 0:16.

Third quarter

NYJ – John Hall 32-yard field goal, 6:18. Jets 34–7. Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 6:00.
SD – LaDanian Tomlinson 7-yard run (kick blocked), 2:00. Jets 34–13. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:22.

Fourth quarter

NYJ – John Hall 38-yard field goal, 8:02. Jets 37–13. Drive: 7 plays, 17 yards, 4:43.
NYJ – LaMont Jordan 61-yard run (John Hall kick), 2:00. Jets 44–13. Drive: 8 plays, 90 yards, 3:31.

Top passers

NYJ – Chad Pennington – 28/37, 253 yards, TD
SD – Drew Brees – 22/35, 192 yards, TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

NYJ – LaMont Jordan – 13 rushes, 107 yards, TD
SD – LaDanian Tomlinson – 12 rushes, 60 yards, TD

Top receivers

NYJ – Laveranues Coles – 5 receptions, 60 yards
SD – Stephen Alexander – 7 receptions, 84 yards

Week 12: at Miami Dolphins[]

Week 12: San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	3	0	0	0	3
Dolphins	10	10	7	3	30

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Date: November 24, 2002
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny, 77 °F (25 °C)
Game attendance: 73,138
Referee: Jeff Triplette (42)
TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

MIA – Olindo Mare 20-yard field goal, 10:06. Dolphins 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 29 yards, 4:01.
SD – Steve Christie 38-yard field goal, 4:27. Tied 3–3. Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 5:39.
MIA – James McKnight 20-yard pass from Ray Lucas (Olindo Mare kick), 1:43. Dolphins 10–3. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 2:44.

Second quarter

MIA – Ricky Williams 1-yard run (Olindo Mare kick), 6:45. Dolphins 17–3. Drive: 14 plays, 86 yards, 7:24.
MIA – Olindo Mare 38-yard field goal, 0:15. Dolphins 20–3. Drive: 13 plays, 48 yards, 2:43.

Third quarter

MIA – Ricky Williams 12-yard run (Olindo Mare kick), 2:14. Dolphins 27–3. Drive: 4 plays, 28 yards, 2:04.

Fourth quarter

MIA – Olindo Mare 23-yard field goal, 13:02. Dolphins 30–3. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 2:52.

Top passers

SD – Drew Brees – 15/22, 107 yards, INT
MIA – Ray Lucas – 14/23, 194 yards, TD

Top rushers

SD – LaDanian Tomlinson – 14 rushes, 45 yards
MIA – Ricky Williams – 29 rushes, 143 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

SD – Stephen Alexander – 8 receptions, 61 yards
MIA – James McKnight – 3 receptions, 111 yards, TD

Week 15: at Buffalo Bills[]

Week 15: San Diego Chargers at Buffalo Bills

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	3	7	0	3	13
Bills	7	6	0	7	20

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Date: December 15, 2002
Game time: 1:00 pm
Game weather: Light rain, 36 °F (2 °C)
Game attendance: 61,838
Referee: Gerald Austin (34)
TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

SD – Steve Christie 39-yard field goal, 6:49. Chargers 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 2:31.
BUF – Travis Henry 4-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 3:13. Bills 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 3:36.

Second quarter

BUF – Mike Hollis 42-yard field goal, 9:05. Bills 10–3. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 2:57.
SD – LaDanian Tomlinson 2-yard run (Steve Christie kick), 3:21. Tied 10–10. Drive: 9 plays, 83 yards, 5:44.
BUF – Mike Hollis 36-yard field goal, 1:08. Bills 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 17 yards, 2:13.

Third quarter

No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter

SD – Steve Christie 53-yard field goal, 5:45. Tied 13–13. Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 2:38.
BUF – Travis Henry 26-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 0:52. Bills 20–13. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 2:12.

Top passers

SD – Drew Brees �� 13/24, 148 yards
BUF – Drew Bledsoe – 11/33, 107 yards

Top rushers

SD – LaDanian Tomlinson – 28 rushes, 110 yards, TD
BUF – Travis Henry – 22 rushes, 144 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

SD – Tim Dwight – 5 receptions, 81 yards
BUF – Eric Moulds – 5 receptions, 61 yards

Standings[]

AFC West
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽¹⁾ Oakland Raiders	11	5	0	.688	4–2	9–3	450	304	W2
Denver Broncos	9	7	0	.563	3–3	5–7	392	344	W1
San Diego Chargers	8	8	0	.500	3–3	6–6	333	367	L4
Kansas City Chiefs	8	8	0	.500	2–4	6–6	467	399	L1

Playoffs[]

The Chargers did not make the playoffs, but they had a chance to clinch a wild card spot with victory over the Seahawks in Week 17, provided that the Browns lost to the Falcons; however, the Browns beat the Falcons, making the Chargers' loss to the Seahawks immaterial.

References[]

^ 2012 San Diego Chargers Media Guide. pp. 263–264. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.

[1] 2012 San Diego Chargers Media Guide. pp. 263–264. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.

[1]

v t Los Angeles Chargers
Founded in 1960 Played in San Diego (1961–2016) Based in Inglewood, California Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California
Franchise	Franchise History in San Diego Coaches Seasons Retired numbers Hall of Fame Anniversary teams 40th 50th Starting quarterbacks First-round draft picks
Stadiums	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Balboa Stadium SDCCU Stadium San Diego stadium proposals Dignity Health Sports Park SoFi Stadium
Culture	Fearsome Foursome Air Coryell Alex Spanos "San Diego Super Chargers" Los Angeles Charger Girls Bruise Brothers
Lore	Holy Roller Epic in Miami Freezer Bowl Herschel Walker trade Snowball Game 2006 playoff game vs. New England Patriots
Rivalries	Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders
Wild card berths (3)	1995 2013 2018
Division championships (15)	1960 1961 1963 1964 1965 1979 1980 1981 1992 1994 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009
Conference championships (1)	1994
League championships (1)	1963
Media	Broadcasters KYSR Matt "Money" Smith
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: West Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)
Category

v t Los Angeles Chargers seasons
Played in San Diego (1961–2016)
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 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
Bold indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory Italics indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) appearance