Patriots

Bills

Dolphins

Jets

Bengals

Ravens

Steelers

Browns

Colts

Titans

Jaguars

Texans

Broncos

Chiefs

Raiders

Chargers

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AFC teams: West, North, South, East

Cowboys

Giants

Eagles

Redskins

Bears

Lions

Packers

Vikings

Falcons

Panthers

Saints

Buccaneers

Cardinals

Rams

Seahawks

49ers

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NFC teams: West, North, South, East

The2002 NFL season was the 83rdregular season of theNational Football League (NFL).

The league went back to an even number of teams with the addition of theHouston Texans; the league has remained static with 32 teams since. The clubs were realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each. Also,the Chicago Bears played their home games in 2002 inChampaign, Illinois, atMemorial Stadium because of the reconstruction ofSoldier Field.

The NFL title was won by theTampa Bay Buccaneers when they defeated theOakland Raiders 48–21 inSuper Bowl XXXVII, atQualcomm Stadium inSan Diego, California, on January 26, 2003. It is the last Super Bowl held in January and the last to be hosted in San Diego.

This was the first season to feature the "Equipment NFL" logo on the Yoke of the jerseys.

On November 10, during Week 10, a game between theAtlanta Falcons andPittsburgh Steelers atHeinz Field ended in a 34–34 tie,the first NFL tie game since November 23,1997, when theNew York Giants andWashington Redskins ended in a 7–7 draw. No more games would end in a tie until2008.

With the Houston Texans joining the NFL, the teams wererealigned into eight divisions: four teams in each division and four divisions in each conference. The league tried to maintain historical rivalries from the old alignment while organizing the teams geographically. Legally, three teams from the AFC Central (Cincinnati,Cleveland, andPittsburgh) were required to be in the same division as part of any realignment proposals; this was part of the NFL's settlement with the city ofCleveland in the wake of the 1995Cleveland Browns relocation controversy.^{[1][failed verification]}

The major changes were:^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

• TheIndianapolis Colts from theAFC East,Jacksonville Jaguars andTennessee Titans from theAFC Central, and expansionHouston Texans were placed into the newly formedAFC South. The owners of the Jaguars, Titans, and Texans tried to convince Dolphins ownerWayne Huizenga for the Dolphins to take the 4th spot in the AFC South instead of the Colts but Huizenga ultimately decided for the Dolphins to remain with their longtime rivals in the new AFC East.
• TheAtlanta Falcons,Carolina Panthers, andNew Orleans Saints from theNFC West andTampa Bay Buccaneers from theNFC Central were placed into the newly formedNFC South.
• The teams in the AFC Central and NFC Central were placed in the newAFC North andNFC North respectively, apart from the Titans, Jaguars, and Buccaneers.
• TheSeattle Seahawks became the first team since 1977 to switch conferences, and the only team to do it twice, returning from theAFC West to theNFC West, where they had played in their first season, 1976.
• TheArizona Cardinals moved from theNFC East to the NFC West. OwnerBill Bidwill was publicly disappointed by the decision but said he would accept it.

Additionally, the arrival of the Texans meant that the league could return to its pre-1999 scheduling format in which no team received a bye during the first three weeks or last seven weeks of the season. From 1999 to 2001, at least one team sat out each week (including the preseason) because of an odd number of teams in the league (this also happened in 1960, 1966, and other years wherein the league had an odd number of teams). It nearly became problematic duringthe previous season due to theSeptember 11 attacks, since theSan Diego Chargers had their bye week during that week and the league considered cancelling that week's slate of games before ultimately rescheduling them after Week 17.

The league also introduced a new eight-year scheduling rotation designed so that all teams will play each other at least twice during those eight years, and play in every other team's stadium at least once. Under scheduling formulas in use from 1978 to 2001, there were several instances of two teams in different divisions going over 15 seasons without playing each other.^{[7][note 1]} Under thenew scheduling formula, only two of a team's games each season are based on the previous season's record, down from four under the previous system. All teams play four interconference games. An analysis of win percentages in 2008 showed a statistical trend upward for top teams since this change; the top team each year then averaged 14.2 wins, versus 13.4 previously.^{[8][citation needed]}

The playoff format was also modified from the one first used in1990: the number of playoff teams remained the same at 12, but four division winners and two wild cards from each conference advanced to theplayoffs, instead of three division winners and three wild cards. In each conference, the division winners were now seeded 1 through 4, and the wild cards were seeded 5 and 6. The only way a wild card team could host a playoff game was if both teams in the conference's championship game were wild cards. This 2002 revised format lasted until2019. In2020, the number of playoff teams expanded to 14, and the number of wild card teams went back to three.

The2002 NFL draft was held from April 20 to 21, 2002, atNew York City'sTheater at Madison Square Garden. With the first pick, theHouston Texans selected quarterbackDavid Carr fromFresno State University.

The2002 NFL expansion draft was held on February 18, 2002. 155 players were left unprotected by their teams for the Houston Texans to select to fill their initial roster. With the first overall pick, the Texans selected offensive tackleTony Boselli from theJacksonville Jaguars.

• A player who touches a pylon remains in-bounds until any part of his body touches the ground out-of-bounds.
• Continuing-action fouls now become dead-ball fouls and will result in the loss of down and distance.
• Any dead-ball penalties by the offense after they have made the line to gain will result in a loss of 15 yards and a new first down. Previously, the 15 yard penalty was enforced but the down was replayed.

• The act of batting and stripping the ball from a player is officially legal.
• Chop-blocks are illegal on kicking plays.
• Hitting a quarterback helmet-to-helmet anytime after a change of possession is illegal.
• After a kickoff, the game clock will start when the ball is touched legally in the field of play. Previously, the clock started immediately when the ball was kicked.
• Inside the final two minutes of a half/overtime, the game clock will not stop when the player who originally takes the snap is tackled behind the line of scrimmage (i.e. sacked).

Also, with the opening of the NFL's first stadium with aretractable roof,Reliant Stadium, the following rules were enacted:

• The home team must determine whether their retractable roof is to be opened or closed 90 minutes before kickoff (regular season only; in the playoffs, the NFL determines whether the roof is open or closed).
• If it is closed at kickoff, it cannot be reopened during the game.
• If it is open at kickoff, it cannot be closed during the game unless the weather conditions become severe.

This rule was amended in2015 to allow a roof to be opened or closed at halftime, at the home team's discretion.^[9]

• Johnny Unitas who died on September 11, 2002, from a heart attack. On Week 2 of the season, each game played held a moment of silence pre-game tribute to Unitas.
• Dick "Night Train" Lane
• Mike Webster
• Al Lerner, owner of the Cleveland Browns died during the 2002 season. The Browns wore a patch on their uniforms to commemorate Lerner.

Within each conference, the four division winners and the top twonon-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners areseeded 1–4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5–6. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. In the first round, dubbed thewild-card playoffs orwild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosts the sixth-seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference received afirst-round bye. In the second round, thedivisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the worst-surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5, or 6), while the number 2 seed will play the other team (seed 3, 4, or 5). The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games met in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although theSuper Bowl, the championship round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference.^[10]

*IndicatesOT victory

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

Head coach

• Houston Texans –Dom Capers was hired as the Texans’ first head coach on January 19th, 2001.
• Carolina Panthers –John Fox replacedGeorge Seifert, who was fired following the2001 season
• Indianapolis Colts –Tony Dungy replacedJim Mora, who was fired following the2001 season
• Minnesota Vikings –Mike Tice replacedDennis Green, who was fired before Week 17 of the2001 season. Tice served as interim coach for the final game and officially became the new head coach three days later.
• Oakland Raiders –Bill Callahan replacedJon Gruden, who was traded to Tampa for two 1st round draft picks, two 2nd round draft picks and cash.
• San Diego Chargers –Marty Schottenheimer replacedMike Riley, who was fired following the2001 season
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers –Jon Gruden replaced Tony Dungy, who was fired following the2001 season
• Washington Redskins –Steve Spurrier replaced Marty Schottenheimer, who was fired following the2001 season

Front office

• Houston Texans –Charley Casserly was hired as the first executive vice president/GM of the Texans on January 19th, 2000.
• Carolina Panthers –Marty Hurney replacedGeorge Seifert, who was fired following the2001 season
• Denver Broncos –Ted Sundquist was promoted to replaceNeal Dahlen, who became the team's director of football administration.
• Minnesota Vikings –Rob Brzezinski replaced former head coachDennis Green asde facto general manager.
• Washington Redskins –Vinny Cerrato was rehired as vice president of football operations following the firing of Marty Schottenheimer. Cerrato had previously been the director of player personnel in 1999 and 2000 before being fired by the incoming Schottenheimer in 2001.
• New Orleans Saints –Mickey Loomis replacedRandy Mueller, who was unexpectedly fired on May 9th, 2002, not even a week after ownerTom Benson had offered him a contract extension.
• Atlanta Falcons – Head coachDan Reeves became de-facto general manager after the resignation ofHarold Richardson on May 9, 2002.
• Cleveland Browns – Head coachButch Davis replacedDwight Clark, who resigned from his position on May 14, 2002.
• Baltimore Ravens –Ozzie Newsome was named the first general manager of the Ravens on November 22, 2002.

• Baltimore Ravens: PSINet Stadium reverted toRavens Stadium after naming rights holderPSINet filed for bankruptcy
• Chicago Bears: The Bears temporarily played atMemorial Stadium inChampaign, Illinois, whileSoldier Field underwent a major renovation
• Dallas Cowboys:Texas Stadium's AstroTurf was replaced with new RealGrass turf surface by week 5 of the season.
• Detroit Lions: The Lions moved from theSilverdome inPontiac, Michigan, toFord Field inDowntown Detroit, with theFord Motor Company acquiring the naming rights
• Houston Texans: The expansion Texans began playing atReliant Stadium, the league's first stadium with aretractable roof, withReliant Energy acquiring the naming rights
• New England Patriots: The Patriots moved fromFoxboro Stadium to CMGI Field (known better asGillette Stadium), with the tech companyCMGI acquiring the naming rights
• St. Louis Rams: The former Trans World Dome was renamed theEdward Jones Dome afterEdward Jones Investments acquired the naming rights
• Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks moved fromHusky Stadium toSeahawks Stadium
• Tennessee Titans: Adelphia Coliseum reverted toThe Coliseum after naming rights holderAdelphia Communications Corporation filed for bankruptcy

This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "2002 NFL season" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Reebok took over the contract to be the official athletic supplier to the NFL for all 32 teams' uniforms. Previously, all teams had individual contracts with athletic suppliers.American Needle, which had a contract with a few teams before the Reebok deal, challenged the NFL in court over Reebok's exclusive deal, with the NFL effectively stating that it was a "single-entity league" instead of a group consisting of various owners. The case eventually went all the way to theSupreme Court of the United States. In 2009, the Supreme Court agreed to hearAmerican Needle, Inc. v. National Football League. In 2010, the court ruled that the NFL is not a single entity.^[12] Reebok remained the league's athletic supplier through the2011 NFL season, whenNike took over the contract for the2012 NFL season.^[13]

Reebok had initially announced when the deal was signed in 2000 that aside from the expansion Texans, all NFL teams would be wearing new uniforms for the 2002 season. However, after protests from several owners—most vocallyPittsburgh Steelers ownerDan Rooney^[14]—Reebok later rescinded the proposal. Reebok did, however (by player request to reduce holding calls), shorten the sleeves on the jerseys for teams that hadn't done so already (most players had been for the previous decade tying the sleeves tight around their arms to prevent holding) and made the jerseys tighter-fitting. This is perhaps most noticeable on theIndianapolis Colts jerseys, where the shoulder stripes, which initially went from the top of the shoulders all the way underneath the arms, were truncated to just the top portion of the shoulders.

Although Reebok rescinded the idea of all NFL teams wearing new uniforms for the 2002 season,the Buffalo Bills andSeattle Seahawks did redesign their uniforms, with the Seahawks also unveiling an updated logo in honor of their move to Seahawks Stadium and the NFC.

• TheArizona Cardinals wore white pants with white jerseys for two games, and red pants with red jerseys for one game. It was the first time they wore all-white since 1989, and first time they ever wore all-red.
• TheBuffalo Bills introduced new uniforms featuring, among others, a darker shade of blue, nickel gray as an accent color, and red side panels on both the home and away jerseys
• TheCarolina Panthers added blue third alternate uniforms
• TheCleveland Browns added orange third alternate uniforms
• TheDenver Broncos added orange third alternate uniforms
• TheHouston Texans expansion team introduced dark blue helmets; dark blue and white jerseys, both with red trim; and white pants to be worn with the blue jerseys and blue pants with the white jerseys. The new helmet logo features a bull head colored and shaped in such a way to resemble theflag of Texas and the state of Texas.
• TheJacksonville Jaguars added black third alternate uniforms, and introduced new black pants with home uniforms for selected games.
• TheNew Orleans Saints returned to wearing gold pants with their black jerseys, and with their white jerseys for selected games. They introduced a gold alternate jersey but only wore it for one game (week 15 vs. Minnesota).
• TheNew York Jets began wearing green pants with either their green or white jerseys
• TheSan Diego Chargers switched back to navy pants with white jerseys, also brought back throwback powder blue uniforms for one game.
• TheSeattle Seahawks introduced new uniforms featuring, among others, a lighter "Seahawks Blue", a darker "Seahawks Navy" and lime green piping. The helmet was changed from silver to the darker navy color. The helmet logo was also modified, re-colored accordingly to the new team colors, and the eyebrows and eyes redrawn to make it a more aggressive bird.
• TheSt. Louis Rams removed the side panels from their jerseys.
• TheWashington Redskins introduced replicas of their 1960s design as a third alternate uniform.

This was the fifth year under the league's eight-year broadcast contracts withABC,CBS,Fox, and ESPN to televiseMonday Night Football, the AFC package, the NFC package, andSunday Night Football, respectively.

This was the first season since1980 without aPat Summerall–John Madden lead broadcast team. Although Summerall had previously announced his retirement as a full-time NFL broadcaster after the 2001 season ended, he continued to call mostly Dallas Cowboys games for Fox in 2002. Meanwhile, ABC hired Madden from Fox to joinAl Michaels in a two-man booth, dropping the network's experiment with Micheals,Dan Fouts, and comedianDennis Miller onMNF.

Joe Buck,Troy Aikman, andCris Collinsworth replaced Summerall and Madden as Fox's new lead broadcast team. Fox opted to leaveDick Stockton andDaryl Johnston as Fox's #2 team in a two-man booth, and not find a replacement for Aikman there. To replace Collinsworth onFox NFL Sunday, the network initially used a rotating series of guest analysts beforeJimmy Johnson took over the seat permanently midway through the season.

Boomer Esiason andDan Marino joinedThe NFL Today as analysts, whileRandy Cross went back to color commentating for CBS,Mike Ditka left the program, andJerry Glanville was a reserve color commentator from 2002 to 2003.

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)

• Football Outsiders 2002 Team Efficiency Ratings
• 2002 OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY RATINGS
• 2002 DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY RATINGS
• Pro Football Reference.com – 2002
• NFL History 2001– (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
• NFL adopts changes to rules (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
• New alignment takes effect in 2002 from ESPN.com, May 22, 2001 (Last accessed March 11, 2009)
• NFL Announces 2002–2009 Schedule Rotation (Last accessed January 19, 2008)
• Seattle moved to NFC in approved realignment plan from CNNSI.com, May 22, 2001 (Last accessed December 9, 2005)

• NFL seasons
• 2002 NFL season
• 2002 in American football

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