The '02 season

[WHPats]

Hey guys

So we're all celebrating the 5th Super Bowl (still feels like a dream that we came all the way back to win!), and just how incredible this team has played for the past decade and a half, the only tiny blemish (if you can even call it that) is the only season that TB12 and co. didn't make the playoffs, the 2002 season.

Now I'm not doing this to rain on anybody's parade, I've always been curious as to what exactly happened that season. Was it just coming back down to Earth after the dream that was 2001? It's just so weird because the year before was great and the two years after were flat-out dominant.

It was still a 9-7 year so pretty solid for most teams, but it was a tiebreaker short of making the playoffs. Again, not trying to be negative or anything, just curious.

 

[RobertWeathers]

The run D sucked and they got complacent

 

[jah]

I was only 7 years old during that season so I've always wondered what it was like week to week that year.

 

[mosslost]

Hey guys

So we're all celebrating the 5th Super Bowl (still feels like a dream that we came all the way back to win!), and just how incredible this team has played for the past decade and a half, the only tiny blemish (if you can even call it that) is the only season that TB12 and co. didn't make the playoffs, the 2002 season.

Now I'm not doing this to rain on anybody's parade, I've always been curious as to what exactly happened that season. Was it just coming back down to Earth after the dream that was 2001? It's just so weird because the year before was great and the two years after were flat-out dominant.

It was still a 9-7 year so pretty solid for most teams, but it was a tiebreaker short of making the playoffs. Again, not trying to be negative or anything, just curious.

Our run D sucked, and Brady and the offense were not "Brady and the Offense" yet. (If you know what I mean, see 2011 team.. no D, Brady carried it to 13-3)

If we fall any I think it will be on the D, and Brady will will us to at least 12-4.

 

[mosslost]

the other thing that year is how a couple of single games would have changed everything.

1. If we had beat EITHER the Titans or the Raiders in 02 we would not only have won the divsion at 10-6 but we would have had the 2 seed and the first round bye.

2. If we had won both those games we would have been the 1 seed at 11-5.

3. We could have lost both, but if Troy had not fumbled the punt against the Jets we would have been the 3 seed AFCE champs.

EDIT: We are so used to cruising to the Division title (even if it seems close at the end like 2 games or something) we forget about how close winning or losing the division can be. Before 03 it has always been like that. 2001 Pats had to win out and get to 11-5 to beat Miami for the division. Back in the day it was about tie breakers to win the division.

 

[mosslost]

the other thing that year is how a couple of single games would have changed everything.

1. If we had beat EITHER the Titans or the Raiders in 02 we would not only have won the divsion at 10-6 but we would have had the 2 seed and the first round bye.

2. If we had won both those games we would have been the 1 seed at 11-5.

3. We could have lost both, but if Troy had not fumbled the punt against the Jets we would have been the 3 seed AFCE champs.

>>1. If we had beat EITHER the Titans or the Raiders in 02 we would not only have won the divsion at 10-6 but we would have had the 2 seed and the first round bye.

I am actually wrong about this one... Steelers were 10-5-1, so they would have been the 2 seed, if we had only beaten EITHER the Titans or the Raiders.. BUT if we had beaten BOTH and were 11-5 we would have been the 1 seed.

 

[RobertWeathers]

>>1. If we had beat EITHER the Titans or the Raiders in 02 we would not only have won the divsion at 10-6 but we would have had the 2 seed and the first round bye.

I am actually wrong about this one... Steelers were 10-5-1, so they would have been the 2 seed, if we had only beaten EITHER the Titans or the Raiders.. BUT if we had beaten BOTH and were 11-5 we would have been the 1 seed.

...and if you remember watching those games the 02 NEP were pushed around like a bunch of little kids.

That NYJ home loss was a back-breaker. Leonard Myers flailing around. Givens dropping a sure fire TD pass...

With that said the season finale vs MIA at home showed they had fight (came back from like 11 down w/ 4min to go) but they were short on talent up front which is why they acquired Mt Washington and drafted Warren

 

[Pats1989]

Kind of always forget about that year. After the Jets loss they didn't lose at home again until 05 Chargers.

 

[BobDigital]

A few things.

The 2001 Patriots team was fairly lucky to win it all. It was a good team but clearly not the most talented in the NFL though the D was very good. Troy Brown was amazing that year and and was a particular good returner that year.

On defense. The 2002 team's D was just not good. As people said the run D was bad but the D as a whole didn't play that well. A lot of the players on D didn't put in the effort needed. It is a common story in the NFL. Also the pass D wasn't as good either. Otis Smith had a good 2001 but he was clearly not as good in 2002. Got old as the season wore on IIRC.

Also on offense Troy Brown started to decline and they didn't have any particularly good options. Brown/Patten/Faulk/Branch(but young). They had an okay stable but no one that good and while Brady at this point was clearly showing a good amount of skill he wasn't as good as he would be though at this point I would say he was top 5.

Basically they just had no particular strength on the team though they had good players.

However looking back it was a good season Brady had really good wins against KC, Miami but the best was the Bears. Fairly epic game. If you were not convinced in 01' by the end of 02' you knew he was special.

Also looking back they played a pretty hard schedule. Also didn't help Brady got hurt fairly bad at the end of the year. He played through it as best he could but it was clear and they ended up dropping 2 of the last 3.

 

[brdmaverick]

Well, we got out to a 3-0 start and it felt like any thoughts of the Pats being a fluke went out the window.............but then they followed that with a 4 game losing streak.

The free agents that year didn't pan out and the team was 'resting on its laurels'. They were 9-7 but it was ugly whenever we weren't playing a team from Buffalo. After the 3-0 start they went 6-7 the rest of the way (4-7 against non Buffalo teams).

Even though the team had Tom Brady they really weren't worthy of being a playoff team.

 

[brdmaverick]

The 9-7 record could easily be 7-9.

Some of the games they won were nail biters vs KC, at CHI, vs MIA that could have easily been losses while most of their losses were games in which they got destroyed.

 

[kkmack617]

We were abysmal against the run that year. It was tough to watch week in and week out, and was especially bad over that four game losing streak, starting with the game where Tomlinson went wild on us. At one point I remember thinking teams were going to just keep exploiting us up front and really thought we would finish like 6-10 or something. Bill stopped the bleeding eventually and if not for that Packers loss week 17 we would have made the playoffs.

Thank God we got Ted Washington after that season to hold us over 'til Vince was drafted.

Brady actually had a good year, not great, but he was still just a second year starter.

However looking back it was a good season Brady had really good wins against KC, Miami but the best was the Bears. Fairly epic game. If you were not convinced in 01' but 02' you knew he was special.

Yeah, after that Bears game I knew he was going to be great. I'll never forget that one.

 

[Joey007]

Oh yeah the FA's...

Donald Hayes. Enough said.

 

[oldrover]

That Bears game was epic. Brady's best comeback... well, until Sunday.

 

[slam]

Kind of always forget about that year. After the Jets loss they didn't lose at home again until 05 Chargers.

I went to three home games in 2002. They were the only three home losses in the season. I also went to about a half dozen home losses for the Sox, B's, and C's, a personal jinx. I then stayed away for a bit. For three years I attended the only home losses in Gillette Stadium history. I'm very sorry everyone.

There were some mental lapses that season too. I remember a quick screen that went incomplete. No one on either team realized it was a backward pass until a Green Bay linebacker jumped on it from halfway across the field. Free agent WR Donald Hayes could never grok the playbook, the first of many we would say that about. In the last week the Pats took care of business but we didn't get the help we needed.

 

[Deus Irae]

Steve Martin

 

[Ian]

I believe Brady was also hurt in the final weeks after getting hammered in what I think was that Titans game and just got worse, to the point one report said that had they made the postseason, he wouldn't have played. I believe he had a severely separated shoulder IIRC.

 

[patfanken]

Steve Martin

THANK YOU, throughout this entire thread I was going crazy trying to think of the NT who was a really bad FA signing that year. IIRC didn't BB get rid of him before the year ended? Or is just wishful thinking.

But like Bob Digital said, that 2001 team was probably 2 years premature in BB's grand design. It was a good example of a decent team, who got hot in the playoffs. The 2002 team didn't have the depth they needed to sustain the great start they had. By 2003 BB had built the wagon that brought eventually brought 2 more.

IIRC, Brady struggled with injuries and played that last game with a separated shoulder that was so bad, it was reported he probably wouldn't have been able to play if the Pats HAD made it into the playoffs.

BTW- Even though the Pats have lost the AFCE twice in the last 16 years. NO AFCE team has had more win than the Pats in any of those 16 years. Think about that for a second. NOT once in 16 freakin' years.....and with no change in sight.

 

[Deus Irae]

THANK YOU, throughout this entire thread I was going crazy trying to think of the NT who was a really bad FA signing that year. IIRC didn't BB get rid of him before the year ended? Or is just wishful thinking.

But Bob Digital, that 2001 team was probably 2 years premature in BB's grand design. It was a good example of a decent team, who got hot in the playoffs. The 2002 team didn't have the depth they needed to sustain the great start they had.

IIRC, Brady struggled with injuries and played that last game with a separated shoulder that was so bad, it was reported he probably wouldn't have been able to play if the Pats HAD made it into the playoffs.

BTW- Even though the Pats have lost the AFCE twice in the last 16 years. NO AFCE team has had more win than the Pats in any of those 16 years. Think about that for a second. NOT once in 16 freakin' years.....and with no change in sight.

If I recall correctly, another crazy bit of Trivia that goes with that is that Brady has never started a "meaningless" game where he was already officially eliminated from a chance at the playoffs/winning the Super Bowl.

 

[Nikolai]

For some reason, the game I think of most from that season was the crazy OT win against the Chiefs. I think it's because it made me feel the team was legit, but vulnerable. It was a very rough defensive performance and we were lucky to get away with a win.

Forgot about that Bears game