Today In Patriots History 2002: Worst to first; Pats clinch AFC East title

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Pats Finish Surprise Regular Season with AFC East Title
Defense forces six turnovers in sixth straight win
Patriots 38, Carolina 6​

Sunday, January 6, 2002 at 1:00
Week 17 of the 2001 season, at Ericsson Stadium
New England Patriots 38, Carolina Panthers 6
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, George Seifert
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Chris Weinke
Odds: New England favored by 6½
Weather: 36 degrees, 100% humidity (rain)
Game MVP: Otis Smith
Patriots improve to 11-5 and win the AFC East
Carolina finishes the season 1-15, worst record in the NFL; they draft North Carolina DE Julius Peppers #2
(QB David Carr went #1 overall to Houston)


The Patriots completed a worst-to-first turnaround with an easy blowout victory on a drizzly day in Charlotte. With the victory the Pats clinched the AFC East title for the first time since the 1997 season. A few hours later the Jets defeated the Raiders, elevating New England to the number two seed. That outcome would be of critical importance two weeks later. when the Raiders would have to travel to New England rather than playing at home.

After a 1-3 start and standing at just 5-5 midseason, the Patriots finished the 2001 season with six consecutive wins and plenty of momentum heading into the playoffs. The Patriots - who did not get a bye until the previous weekend, in week 16 - would proceed to the original Three Games of Glory with their Silencing of the Rams in Super Bowl 36.


This game, as well as all other week 17 games, were makeup games. They were originally scheduled to be plaued in week 2, but then 9/11 happened. By rescheduling the NFL was still able to maintain a 16-game schedule; the start of the playoffs were pushed back a week. Then the typical two weeks between conference championship games and the super bowl was reduced to one week in order to allow the super bowl to still be played on the same date - and avoid a logistical nightmare due to a date change for the host city, New Orleans.


On Carolina's first drive Ty Law intercepted a pass intended for Steve Smith 46 yards for a touchdown to give the Pats a 10-0 lead. On the first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive Otis Smith picked off a Chris Weinke pass, and it looked like a rout early on. However, that drive stalled with a fumble on the one-yard line.

Footing was less than perfect on the field due to the rain, and neither team was able to generate much offense on the next several possessions. After New England's first drive of the second half stalled, Ken Walter's punt pinned Carolina on their own one yard line.

The Panthers went three and out, then Todd Sauerbrun out-kicked the coverage with a 61-yard punt to the Patriot 32. Troy Brown caught the ball and raced up the middle of the field 68 yards for a touchdown, and the Patriots led 17-3. On their next drive Tom Brady hit Brown on completions of 9 and 17 yards, then Antowain Smith ran for a 32-yard score to make it 24-6.

Troy had six receptions on the day, to give him 101 catches on the season. At the time it was the most in franchise history, eclipsing Ben Coates' mark of 96 set in 1994. For Antowain it was his 12th rushing touchdown of the season, and 13th TD overall. At that time it was the third most in club history, tying Steve Grogan (12 in '76) and bested only by Curtis Martin (14 in both '95 and '96).

The fourth quarter was anti-climatic but plenty of fun for a less than half-filled stadium that was comprised primarily of Patriot fans. Backup Riddick Parker recovered a Weinke fumble deep in Carolina territory. Three plays later Jermaine Wiggins, who earlier had a 31-yard reception, caught a 5-yard touchdown pass.

Five minutes later 36 year old Otis Smith, the oldest starting NFL corner that season, picked off Weinke again - and took it 76 yards to the house for the final score. On the day the Patriot defense forced six turnovers, held Carolina without a touchdown, and limited the Panthers to a combined 4-15 on third and fourth down.

Patriots clinch AFC East with blowout in Carolina - The Boston Globe

The Patriots offense exploded late on the Panthers in a 38-6 rout that marked the team’s sixth straight win and earned them a bye in the AFC playoffs.

www.bostonglobe.com

Game Recap: Patriots close it out with big win | Patriots.com

A crowning achievement

Patriots whip Panthers to win AFC East and clinch first-round bye. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — They poured the Gatorade bucket over coach Bill Belichick's head, then dressed in their brand new AFC East champio…

www.capecodtimes.com

Pats roll past Panthers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Patriots won a championship yesterday by playing the same way they have all season -- as a team. They scored a touchdown running the ball. They scored throwing the ball. They…

www.southcoasttoday.com

Panthers fire Seifert - UPI.com

The Carolina Panthers fired Coach George Seifert Monday, one day after his team set an NFL single-season record of 15 straight losses.

www.upi.com

A bit of Carolina Panthers trivia: Chris Weinke was recruited by Bobby Bowden to be the quarterback at Florida State, but instead decided to pursue a career as a baseball player with the Toronto Blue Jays. Bowden promised Weinke that he could return to FSU with a scholarship at any time, and he eventually did - as a 25 year old freshman.

In 1999 - at the age of 27 - he quarterbacked the Seminoles to an undefeated season and a national championship over Michael Vick and Virginia Tech. The following year Weinke won the Heisman Trophy, but was not drafted until the fourth round.


Weinke would have been a freshman at the same time that FSU recruited Charlie Ward. Ward was also a Heisman Trophy winner - and he too chose another sport. The difference was that in Ward's case he chose the NBA over the NFL (where he would not have been a high draft pick), whereas Weinke elected to try baseball first, then football as a fallback.

For Ward it was the right choice: he spent 12 years in the NBA (mostly with the Knicks), with career hoops earnings of over $34 million.

Weinke was a 29 year old rookie in 2001 when the Panthers won just one game. He would start just five more games in the NFL.

In the next 17 years after, Carolina drafted just two quarterbacks as early as Weinke (#106):
- over rated Notre Dame bust Jimmy Claussen in 2010 (#46),
- and some guy named Cam Newton (#1 overall the following year).

But in a span of five years, Carolina has used not one, not two, but three early draft picks on quarterbacks:
- 2019: Will Grier (3rd round, #100 overall; 2 career starts)
- 2022: Matt Corral (3rd round, #94 overall; has yet to play a single snap)
- 2023: Bryce Young (#1 overall), for whom they gave up so much for in order to move up in the draft, has cost them dearly.

Patriots vs Panthers 2001 Week 17
3:44 Highlight Video




New England Patriots @ Carolina Panthers
First Half, 1:08:04 Video




New England Patriots @ Carolina Panthers
Second Half, 1:09:08 Video
​

New England Patriots at Carolina Panthers - January 6th, 2002 | Pro-Football-Reference.com

New England Patriots 38 at Carolina Panthers 6 on January 6th, 2002 - Full team and player stats and box score

www.pro-football-reference.com

Pats Media Dept Pre-Game Press Release
NFL Media Game Summary, with team & individual stats, drive charts, halftime summary, and complete play-by-play

 

[oldrover]

Little did we know what would happen next… that we would in fact roll up… for the…

 

[jmt57]

Today's Birthdays​

Harold Jackson, January 6, 1946
Patriot WR, 1978-1981
Uniform #29
Jackson was 32 years old when Chuck Fairbanks traded for the receiver from the Los Angeles Rams. He had been named to five pro bowls, twice led the NFL in receiving yards, once in receptions, and once in touchdown receptions. In a 1973 game against Dallas he caught seven passes for 238 yards and four touchdowns.

Jackson teamed with Stanley Morgan and Russ Francis to form a potent receiving corps to perfectly complement the Patriots record setting rushing attack. In each of his first three seasons Jackson averaged over 20 yards per reception, catching 18 touchdown passes during that span. He never missed a game with the Patriots, and at the time his 3162 receiving yards with the Pats ranked fourth in team history. Jackson finished his NFL career with 579 receptions for 10,372 yards and 76 touchdowns, despite playing in an era that was not nearly as conducive to the passing game as today.

After retiring Jackson called Raymond Berry to congratulate him on getting the job as the Pats new head coach. One thing led to another, and Berry ended up making Jackson the team's wide receiver coach. He remained in coaching for 30 years, most recently as head coach at Jackson State in 2015.



Asante Samuel, January 6, 1981
Patriot CB, 2003-2007
Uniform #22
Pats 4th round (120th overall) selection in the 2003 draft, from Central Florida.
Samuel had ten interceptions for the Patriots in 2006, and was an All Pro corner in 2007. After five seasons in New England he played for Philadelphia for four years, and Atlanta for two.

Asante had 22 interceptions and three touchdowns for the Pats, but he is most well known for one pick that he didn't make. On the play right before the Eli to Tyree pass in Super Bowl 42, an off target Manning pass should have been a game ending interception. Instead it went through Samuel's hands, and the rest is bitter history.

Pierre Woods, January 6, 1982
Patriot LB, 2006-2010
Uniform #58 & #49
The Pats signed the 6'5 Woods as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan following the 2006 draft. He was a special teams standout, appearing in 54 games, stepping in for with eight starts due to injuries.



Fred Sturt, January 6, 1951
Patriot G, 1976-1978
Uniform #63
Sturt played in 29 games over three seasons with the Patriots. His best years came after that, when he started with the Saints. Sturt played in 95 NFL games between 1974 and 1981. The Bowling Green grad was a backup and special teamer in two playoff games: with George Allen's 1974 Redskins, and with the 1976 Patriots. He was going to rejoin Chuck Fairbanks and block for Herschel Walker in the USFL, but blew out his knee in a practice. After retiring Sturt returned to his hometown of Toledo as a salesman for Yark Automotive Group.



Bo Scaife, January 6, 1981
Patriot TE, 2012 off season.
Scaife spent seven years with Tennessee, catching 251 passes and 12 touchdowns. After playing under the franchise tag in 2009 and 2010, he signed with the Bengals as a free agent. The 6th round pick of the 2005 draft suffered a preseason shoulder injury soon after, spent the entire year on injured reserve, and was released. The Patriots signed Scaife on June 7, 2012 but his body was apparently unrecoverable damaged goods. Bo was released just 11 days later, ending his NFL career.



Roger LaLonde, January 6, 1942
Pats 8th round (61st overall) selection of the 1964 draft, from Muskingum University.
The defensive tackle from Ohio's Division 3 Fighting Muskies never played for the Patriots, signing instead with Detroit. LaLonde spent one season each with the Lions and Giants before playing two years in the CFL. In his final year of pro football LaLonde went out as a champion, part of the Grey Cup winning Hamilton Tiger-Cats.




Others pro football players with New England area connections:

Howie Long, January 6, 1960
The Hall of Fame defensive end for the Raiders was born on this day in Somerville. Long grew up in Charlestown, and went to Milford High School. The longtime NFL television studio analyst was also in the middle of this epic 1978 fracas instigated by Patrick Sullivan.




Willie Clark, January 6, 1972
Clark was born in New Haven, but moved often as a child of parents in the military. He was a running back at Notre Dame, then converted to defensive back in the NFL. Clark spent five years in the NFL with the Chargers and Eagles; playing in 63 regular and postseason games. He is now the Director of Student Services for the School District of Manatee County Florida, after previously serving as the Principal of Palmetto High School.



Bill Anderson, January 6, 1921
Bob Masterson, January 6, 1915
Both played for the 1945 Boston Yanks.




Aside from Howie Long, there are several other notable current and former NFL players born on January 6th.
Ndamukong Suh (1987), Lions/Dolphins/Rams/Bucs/Eagles DT.
James Farrior (1975); LB played 15 seasons with Jets and Steelers.
Keenan McCardell (1970); WR caught 63 touchdown passes, mostly with Jaguars and Bucs.
Charles Haley (1964); Hall of Fame OLB/DE won five Super Bowl rings with the 49ers and Cowboys.
Jameis Winston (1994), Buccaneers/Saints/Browns QB.
Sonny Randle (1936-2017); split end was named to four Pro Bowls with the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixties.
Donnell Woolford (1966); CB had 36 interceptions, primarily with Chicago.
Derrick Morgan (1991), Tennessee Titans DE from 2010-2018.
Sean Landeta (1962); punter won two SB rings and appeared in 18 playoff games over 21 NFL seasons.




Monday Jan 6, 2025:

PATRIOTS NEWS - Patriots request to interview Ben Johnson

Per 98.5

www.patsfans.com

Robert Kraft's Press Conference

www.patsfans.com

The Patriots signed the following to a Future's Contract:
DT Marcus Harris
CB DJ James
WR John Jiles
OT Caleb Jones
LB Andrew Parker
S Mark Perry
K John Parker Romo




Sports News

Jan 6, 1980:
The Los Angeles Rams, behind three field goals by Frank Corral, beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-0 to win the NFC Championship. This is the first conference championship game in NFL history without a touchdown being scored.

Jan 6, 1980:
The Pittsburgh Steelers advance to their fourth Super Bowl appearance since 1974 by eliminating the Houston Oilers for the second consecutive year with a 27-13 triumph in the AFC title game.

Jan 6, 1985:
Dan Marino passes for a record 421 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Miami Dolphins to a 45-28 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game.

Jan 6, 1985:
The San Francisco 49ers holds the Chicago Bears to 186 yards and sacks quarterback Steve Fuller nine times to win the NFC Championship 23-0.

Jan 6, 1994:
Nancy Kerrigan is attacked after practice at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. Shane Stant clubs Kerrigan on the knee and flees the scene. Later that evening, Scott Davis wins the men’s U.S. Figure Skating title.

Jan 6, 2011:
Miami of Ohio caps a historic season with a 35-21 win over Middle Tennessee in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. The RedHawks (10-4) are the first team in Football Bowl Subdivision history to win 10 games one season after losing 10. Miami finished a dismal 1-11 in 2009.

Jan 6, 2014:
Jameis Winston throws a 13-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left and No. 1 Florida State beat No. 2 Auburn 34-31 to win the last BCS national championship game.

Jan 6, 2018:
Jon Gruden returns to the NFL as Oakland Raiders head coach after nearly a decade of broadcasting (ESPN Monday Night Football 2009-17).