2002 Indianapolis Colts season

2002 Indianapolis Colts season
OwnerJim Irsay
General managerBill Polian
Head coachTony Dungy
Home fieldRCA Dome
Results
Record10–6
Division place2nd AFC South
Playoff finishLost Wild Card Playoffs
(at Jets) 0–41
Pro BowlersQB Peyton Manning
WR Marvin Harrison
Uniform

The 2002 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 50th in the National Football League (NFL) and 19th in Indianapolis. The Colts made it to the playoffs after a one-year absence in 2001 when they finished with a 6–10 record. This was the first of nine consecutive playoff appearances for the Colts. The 2002 season marked the first for the Colts in the newly formed AFC South after competing for 32 seasons in the AFC East. The season is memorable for the team hiring former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy. He would later take the Colts to a victory in Super Bowl XLI after a successful 2006 season.

In the Wildcard round, the Colts were soundly embarrassed by the New York Jets, as they ended up losing the game 41–0. The Jets would go on to lose to the eventual AFC champion Oakland Raiders the following week.

Offseason

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Signings Departures
CB Walt Harris (Bears) TE Ken Dilger (Buccaneers)
WR Troy Walters (Vikings) SS Chad Cota (Rams)
QB Brock Huard (Seahawks) WR Tony Simmons (Texans)
WR Qadry Ismail (Ravens) WR Terrence Wilkins (Rams)
FB Detron Smith (Broncos) CB Jeff Burris (Bengals)
WR Jerome Pathon (Saints)
DT Ellis Johnson (Falcons)
G Steve McKinney (Texans)
G Larry Moore (Redskins)

NFL draft

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2002 Indianapolis Colts draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 11 Dwight Freeney *   Defensive end Syracuse
2 42 Larry Tripplett  Defensive tackle Washington
3 74 Joseph Jefferson  Defensive back Western Kentucky
4 106 David Thornton  Linebacker North Carolina
6 182 David Pugh  Defensive tackle Virginia Tech
6 183 James Lewis  Defensive back Miami (FL)
6 204 Brian Allen  Running back Stanford
7 220 Josh Mallard  Defensive end Georgia
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

Undrafted free agents

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2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
David Collett Kicker Tennessee Tech
Todd Delamielleure Linebacker Boise State
Ricky Williams Running Back Texas Tech
Mike Souza Center Northwestern
Kurt Vollers Tackle Notre Dame

Personnel

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Staff

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2002 Indianapolis Colts staff

Front office

  • Owner and chief executive officer – Jim Irsay
  • President – Bill Polian
  • Senior executive vice president – Pete Ward
  • Executive vice president – Bob Terpening
  • Director of football operations – Dom Anile
  • Director of pro player personnel – Clyde Powers
  • Assistant director of football operations – Chris Polian
  • Director of player development – Steve Champlin
  • Coordinator of player personnel – John Becker
  • Director of college scouting – Mike Butler

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Jon Torine
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Richard Howell

[2]

Roster

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2002 Indianapolis Colts final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 8 inactive, 5 practice squad

[3]

Preseason

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 10 at Seattle Seahawks W 28–10 1–0 Qwest Field Recap
2 August 20 Cincinnati Bengals L 10–22 1–1 RCA Dome Recap
3 August 24 Buffalo Bills W 19–7 2–1 RCA Dome Recap
4 August 30 at New Orleans Saints L 21–25 2–2 Louisiana Superdome Recap

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 8 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 28–25 1–0 Alltel Stadium Recap
2 September 15 Miami Dolphins L 13–21 1–1 RCA Dome Recap
3 September 22 at Houston Texans W 23–3 2–1 Reliant Stadium Recap
4 Bye
5 October 6 Cincinnati Bengals W 28–21 3–1 RCA Dome Recap
6 October 13 Baltimore Ravens W 22–20 4–1 RCA Dome Recap
7 October 21 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 10–28 4–2 Heinz Field Recap
8 October 27 at Washington Redskins L 21–26 4–3 FedExField Recap
9 November 3 Tennessee Titans L 15–23 4–4 RCA Dome Recap
10 November 10 at Philadelphia Eagles W 35–13 5–4 Veterans Stadium Recap
11 November 17 Dallas Cowboys W 20–3 6–4 RCA Dome Recap
12 November 24 at Denver Broncos W 23–20 7–4 Invesco Field at Mile High Recap
13 December 1 Houston Texans W 19–3 8–4 RCA Dome Recap
14 December 8 at Tennessee Titans L 17–27 8–5 Adelphia Coliseum Recap
15 December 15 at Cleveland Browns W 28–23 9–5 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap
16 December 22 New York Giants L 27–44 9–6 RCA Dome Recap
17 December 29 Jacksonville Jaguars W 20–13 10–6 RCA Dome Recap

Game summaries

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Week 1: at Jacksonville Jaguars

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Week 1: Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 7 7728
Jaguars 0 7 10825

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

In the 2002 season, the Colts and Jaguars faced off for the first time as divisional rivals in their season opener on September 8 in Jacksonville. The Colts initiated the scoring with a touchdown in the first quarter. The Jaguars tied it in the second quarter. In the final minutes of the second quarter, Mark Brunell threw a 40–yard pick–six to LB Marcus Washington. The Jaguars then missed a 52–yard field goal attempt, resulting in a halftime score of 14–7 in favor of the Colts. In the third quarter, a fumble by Colts RB Edgerrin James led to a Jaguars' field goal, followed by another fumble from Colts TE Marcus Pollard that led to a Jaguars touchdown, giving them the lead. However, after the Jaguars forced a Colts three–and–out, return specialist Damon Gibson mishandled the catch, allowing Colts DB Clifton Crosby to recover the ball at Jacksonville's 19–yard line. The Colts capitalized on this opportunity, scoring a touchdown to regain the lead. In the fourth quarter, the Colts added another touchdown to widen their advantage. The Jaguars mounted a lengthy drive, scoring a touchdown and converting a two–point attempt to narrow the Colts' lead. The Colts effectively managed the Jaguars' timeouts, leaving them with the ball and about a minute remaining. The Jaguars advanced to the Colts' 46–yard line but ultimately ran out of time, resulting in a 28–25 victory for the Colts.[4][5]

Week 2: vs. Miami Dolphins

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Week 2: Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 14 7 0021
Colts 0 3 01013

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

Week 17: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

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Week 17: Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 3 7 0313
Colts 0 10 01020

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: December 29
  • Game time: 4:05 pm EST/3:05 pm CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 56,755
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV: CBS
  • [2]

Although the Colts had lost the inaugural AFC South title to the Titans the week prior, they still have the opportunity to secure a playoff berth with a victory against the eliminated Jaguars.[6] The Colts began the game sluggishly, but a fumble by the Jaguars at their 23–yard line enabled the Colts to score a quick touchdown, leveling the score by halftime. In the third quarter, as the Colts advanced into Jacksonville territory, James fumbled the ball, allowing the Jaguars to convert it into a field goal and take a 13–10 lead heading into the fourth quarter. On the subsequent drive, the Jaguars appeared to force a three–and–out, but a penalty for running into the kicker granted the Colts a fresh set of downs. Capitalizing on this opportunity, the Colts tied the game with a field goal. After forcing another three–and–out, a strong punt return positioned the Colts at Jacksonville's 47–yard line. Manning then connected with Pollard for an 11–yard touchdown, putting the Colts ahead. In the closing moments, the Colts' defense held firm, securing a 20–13 victory over the Jaguars, completing a sweep in their initial matchups as divisional rivals and earning a wild card spot in the playoffs.[7]

Standings

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Division

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AFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Tennessee Titans 11 5 0 .688 6–0 9–3 367 324 W5
(5) Indianapolis Colts 10 6 0 .625 4–2 8–4 349 313 W1
Jacksonville Jaguars 6 10 0 .375 1–5 4–8 328 315 L2
Houston Texans 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 213 356 L3

Conference

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# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV
Division leaders
1[a] Oakland Raiders West 11 5 0 .688 4–2 9–3 .529 .531
2[a] Tennessee Titans South 11 5 0 .688 6–0 9–3 .479 .474
3 Pittsburgh Steelers North 10 5 1 .656 6–0 8–4 .486 .451
4[b] New York Jets East 9 7 0 .563 4–2 6–6 .500 .500
Wild Cards
5 Indianapolis Colts South 10 6 0 .625 4–2 8–4 .479 .400
6[c] Cleveland Browns North 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 .486 .413
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[c][d] Denver Broncos West 9 7 0 .563 3–3 5–7 .527 .486
8[b][c][d][e] New England Patriots East 9 7 0 .563 4–2 6–6 .525 .455
9[b][e] Miami Dolphins East 9 7 0 .563 2–4 7–5 .508 .486
10[f] Buffalo Bills East 8 8 0 .500 2–4 5–7 .473 .352
11[f][g] San Diego Chargers West 8 8 0 .500 3–3 6–6 .492 .453
12[g] Kansas City Chiefs West 8 8 0 .500 2–4 6–6 .527 .516
13 Baltimore Ravens North 7 9 0 .438 3–3 7–5 .506 .384
14 Jacksonville Jaguars South 6 10 0 .375 1–5 4–8 .506 .438
15 Houston Texans South 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 .518 .492
16 Cincinnati Bengals North 2 14 0 .125 0–6 1–11 .537 .406
Tiebreakers[h]
  1. ^ a b Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based on head-to-head victory.
  2. ^ a b c N.Y. Jets finished ahead of New England based on win percentage in common games (8–4 to 7–5) and Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4).
  3. ^ a b c Cleveland finished ahead of Denver and New England based on conference record (7–5 vs 5–7/6–6)
  4. ^ a b Denver finished ahead of New England based on head-to-head victory.
  5. ^ a b New England finished ahead of Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4).
  6. ^ a b Buffalo finished ahead of San Diego based on head-to-head victory.
  7. ^ a b San Diego finished ahead of Kansas City based on division record (3–3 to 2–4).
  8. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

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Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue NFL Recap
Wild Card January 4, 2003 at New York Jets (4) L 0–41 0–1 Giants Stadium Recap

Game summaries

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AFC Wild Card Playoff Game: vs. New York Jets

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AFC Wild Card Playoffs: (#5) Indianapolis Colts at (#4) New York Jets
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 0 000
Jets 7 17 10741

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

References

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  1. ^ "2002 Indianapolis Colts draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  2. ^ "Administration, coaching staff and football operations". 2002 Indianapolis Colts Media Guide. pp. 2–24.
  3. ^ "2002 Indianapolis Colts starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  4. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars - September 8th, 2002". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Sullivan, Tim (September 9, 2002). "Jaguars pay for mistakes". The Gainesville Sun. Rynni Henderson. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Penner, Mike (December 23, 2002). "Playoff Picture Still Out of Focus". Los Angeles times. Patrick Soon-Shiong. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Marot, Michael (December 28, 2002). "Colts Kick Jaguars 20-13". Midland Daily News. Hearst Corporation. Archived from the original on June 20, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
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