2001 Detroit Lions season

The 2001 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 72nd season in the National Football League (NFL). Marty Mornhinweg was named the 21st head coach in franchise history on January 21, 2001,^[1] after owner William Clay Ford Sr. controversially fired 2000 interim coach Gary Moeller.^[2]

2001 Detroit Lions season
Owner	William Clay Ford Sr.
General manager	Matt Millen
Head coach	Marty Mornhinweg
Offensive coordinator	Maurice Carthon
Defensive coordinator	Vince Tobin
Home stadium	Pontiac Silverdome
Results
Record	2–14
Division place	5th NFC Central
Playoffs	Did not qualify
All-Pros	None
Pro Bowlers	DE Robert Porcher
Uniform
← 2000 Lions seasons 2002 →

The season began with much optimism, with the Lions hoping to improve on their 9–7 record from 2000; however, the Lions were extremely disappointing and had the worst start to an NFL season since the 1986 Indianapolis Colts began 0–13. They were widely believed to be likely to suffer the NFL’s first 0–16 season^[3] before they defeated the Minnesota Vikings. Prior to that, they had lost an NFL record nine consecutive games by eight points or less.^[3]

Seven seasons later, the Lions went 0–16 after a week 17 loss to the Green Bay Packers.^[4]

This was the final season that the Lions played at the Pontiac Silverdome before moving to Ford Field the following season, as well as the final season for the NFC Central Division, which would dissolve following the NFL's realignment in 2002, although all NFC Central teams except the Tampa Bay Buccaneers formed the new NFC North Division.

The Lions closed the Silverdome by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 15–10 in the regular season finale. Coincidentally, the Cowboys defeated the Lions 36–10 in the first regular season game at the Silverdome (then known as Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium) in 1975.

This would also be the first season under new general manager Matt Millen, as he would be the team's general manager for the next six seasons and first 3 games of the 2008 season. This would start a stage of futility for the Lions, as they would fail to post a winning record with Millen as general manager.

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
QB Ty Detmer (Browns)	G Jeff Hartings (Steelers)
G Matt Joyce (Cardinals)	TE Walter Rasby (Redskins)
TE Pete Mitchell (Giants)	G Mike Compton (Patriots)
G Brendan Stai (Jaguars)
CB Todd Lyght (Rams)

NFL draft

Main article: 2001 NFL draft

2001 Detroit Lions draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	18	Jeff Backus	Offensive tackle	Michigan
2	50	Dominic Raiola	Center	Nebraska
2	61	Shaun Rogers *	Defensive tackle	Texas
5	148	Scotty Anderson	Wide receiver	Grambling State
5	149	Mike McMahon	Quarterback	Rutgers
6	173	Jason Glenn	Linebacker	Texas A&M
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[5]

Undrafted free agents

2001 undrafted free agents of note

Player	Position	College
Neo Aoga	Quarterback	Azusa Pacific
Brad Bohn	Kicker	Utah State
Matt Childers	Defensive end	USC
Eugene Clinton	Safety	Mississippi State
Keith Cottrell	Punter	Florida State
Will Cuthbert	Tackle	Alabama
Versie Gaddis	Wide receiver	Indiana
Dennis Gibbs	Cornerback	Idaho
Toby Golliday	Defensive tackle	Mississippi State
Anthony Herron	Defensive end	Iowa
Chidi Iwuoma	Cornerback	California
Khary Jackson	Tight end	Oklahoma State
Ligarius Jennings	Cornerback	Tennessee State
Sly Johnson	Wide receiver	Miami (OH)
Loran Kaiser	Defensive tackle	Nebraska
Dustin Kroeker	Tackle	Cal Poly
Josh Lovelady	Guard	Houston
Donald Malloy	Safety	New Mexico State
Rich Mazza	Guard	Rutgers
Andre Offing	Linebacker	East Carolina
Jonathan Ordway	Cornerback	Boston College
Darnell Robinson	Linebacker	Oregon State
Wayne Rogers	Linebacker	Houston
Stephen Trejo	Fullback	Arizona State
Eric Wilson	Defensive tackle	Michigan

Staff

2001 Detroit Lions staff

Front office Owner and chairman – William Clay Ford Sr. Vice chairman – William Clay Ford Jr. President and chief executive officer – Matt Millen Vice president of stadium development and salary cap – Tom Lewand Senior director of football administration/staff counsel – Martin Mayhew Executive director of player personnel – Bill Tobin Director of pro personnel – Sheldon White Director of college scouting – Russ Bolinger Assistant director of pro personnel – Charlie Sanders Head coaches Head coach – Marty Mornhinweg Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/running backs – Maurice Carthon Quarterbacks – Kevin Higgins Wide receivers – Larry Kirksey Tight ends – Sean Kugler Offensive line – Carl Mauck Offensive assistant/quality control – Mike McHugh

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Vince Tobin Defensive line – Bill Young Assistant defensive line/pass rush specialist – Charles Haley Linebackers – Glenn Pires Defensive backs – Richard Selcer Defensive assistant/quality control – Don Clemons Special teams coaches Special teams – Chuck Priefer Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Jason Arapoff Assistant strength and conditioning – Malcolm Blacken

^[6]

Roster

2001 Detroit Lions roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 14 Ty Detmer 12 Scott Dreisbach  8 Mike McMahon Running backs (RB) 31 Aveion Cason 21 Reuben Droughns 26 Brock Olivo FB 30 Cory Schlesinger FB 34 James Stewart 36 Stephen Trejo 25 Lamont Warren Wide receivers (WR) 88 Scotty Anderson 83 Bert Emanuel 81 Larry Foster 80 Desmond Howard 87 Johnnie Morton Tight ends (TE) 89 Bradford Banta LS 86 David Sloan

Offensive linemen (OL) 76 Jeff Backus T 79 Eric Beverly C 65 Kerlin Blaise G 64 Tyrone Hopson G 75 Matt Joyce G/T 73 Stockar McDougle G/T 51 Dominic Raiola C 72 Tony Semple G 66 Brendan Stai G Defensive linemen (DL) 95 Jared DeVries DE 94 Luther Elliss DT 96 James Hall DE 77 Anthony Herron DE 67 Travis Kirschke DT 91 Robert Porcher DE 93 Kelvin Pritchett DT 92 Shaun Rogers DT 97 Tracy Scroggins DE

Linebackers (LB) 55 Allen Aldridge OLB 50 Chris Claiborne MLB 54 Barrett Green OLB 52 Scott Kowalkowski MLB 58 Clint Kriewaldt OLB 59 Khari Samuel MLB 99 Brian Williams OLB Defensive backs (DB) 39 Lamar Campbell S 38 Marty Carter SS 23 Terry Fair 40 Chidi Iwuoma CB 24 Todd Lyght CB 47 Ray McElroy CB/S 45 Kurt Schulz FS 32 Bryant Westbrook CB 27 Jimmy Wyrick CB Special teams (ST)  4 Jason Hanson K 19 John Jett P

Practice squad 15 Latef Grim WR 60 Josh Lovelady G (IR) -- Eugene McCaslin LB 53 Wayne Rogers LB 46 John Waerig TE Reserve 35 Robert Bailey CB (IR) 10 Charlie Batch QB (IR) 42 Tommy Bennett S (Susp.) 57 Stephen Boyd LB (IR) 82 Germane Crowell WR (IR) 33 Sedrick Irvin RB (IR) 84 Herman Moore WR (IR) 28 Ron Rice S (IR) 29 Kywin Supernaw S (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 10 reserve, 4 practice squad

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 9	at Green Bay Packers	L 6–28	0–1	Lambeau Field	Recap
2[A]	September 23	at Cleveland Browns	L 14–24	0–2	Cleveland Browns Stadium	Recap
3	Bye
4	October 8	St. Louis Rams	L 0–35	0–3	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap
5	October 14	at Minnesota Vikings	L 26–31	0–4	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	Recap
6	October 21	Tennessee Titans	L 24–27	0–5	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap
7	October 28	Cincinnati Bengals	L 27–31	0–6	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap
8	November 4	at San Francisco 49ers	L 13–21	0–7	3Com Park	Recap
9	November 11	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 17–20	0–8	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap
10	November 18	at Arizona Cardinals	L 38–45	0–9	Sun Devil Stadium	Recap
11	November 22	Green Bay Packers	L 27–29	0–10	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap
12	December 2	at Chicago Bears	L 10–13	0–11	Soldier Field	Recap
13	December 9	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 12–15	0–12	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
14	December 16	Minnesota Vikings	W 27–24	1–12	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap
15	December 23	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 14–47	1–13	Heinz Field	Recap
16	December 30	Chicago Bears	L 0–24	1–14	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap
17[A]	January 6	Dallas Cowboys	W 15–10	2–14	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
[7]

Game summaries

Week 1: at Green Bay Packers

Week 1: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	3	3	0	0	6
Packers	21	0	7	0	28

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

• Date: September 9
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT/11:00 a.m. CDT
• Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C)
• Game attendance: 59,523
• Referee: Aster Sizemore
• TV announcers (FOX): Curt Menefee, Brian Baldinger, Drew Smith
• Box score

Game information

First quarter GB – Ahman Green 31-yard run (Ryan Longwell kick), 12:27. Packers 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 73 yards, 1:36. GB – Bill Schroeder 23-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 6:08. Packers 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 2:46. GB – Ahman Green 83-yard run (Ryan Longwell kick), 4:29. Packers 21–0. Drive: 1 play, 83 yards, 0:14. DET – Jason Hanson 49-yard field goal, 2:12. Packers 21–3. Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 2:17. Second quarter DET – Jason Hanson 39-yard field goal, 4:06. Packers 21–6. Drive: 10 plays, 31 yards, 4:49. Third quarter GB – Bubba Franks 1-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 3:54. Packers 28–6. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:47. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers DET – Charlie Batch – 20/39, 276 yards, 2 INT GB – Brett Favre – 22/28, 260 yards, 2 TD Top rushers DET – James Stewart – 13 rushes, 39 yards GB – Ahman Green – 17 rushes, 157 yards, 2 TD Top receivers DET – Johnnie Morton – 5 receptions, 111 yards GB – Bill Schroeder – 4 receptions, 104 yards, TD

Week 2: at Cleveland Browns

Week 2: Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	0	7	7	14
Browns	7	7	10	0	24

at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Date: September 23
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C)
• Game attendance: 73,168
• Referee: Terry McAulay
• TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Tim Green
• Box score

Game information

First quarter CLE – Kevin Johnson 4-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 8:55. Browns 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 57 yards, 2:50. Second quarter CLE – Shaun O'Hara 2-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 13:21. Browns 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 3:36. Third quarter CLE – Phil Dawson 33-yard field goal, 11:36. Browns 17–0. Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 0:49. DET – Terry Fair 26-yard interception return (Jason Hanson kick), 7:26. Browns 17–7. CLE – Quincy Morgan 34-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 4:25. Browns 24–7. Drive: 1 play, 34 yards, 0:07. Fourth quarter DET – Johnnie Morton 14-yard pass from Ty Detmer (Jason Hanson kick), 11:25. Browns 24–14. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 4:13. Top passers DET – Ty Detmer – 22/42, 212 yards, TD, 7 INT CLE – Tim Couch – 12/20, 138 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers DET – James Stewart – 17 rushes, 71 yards CLE – James Jackson – 31 rushes, 124 yards Top receivers DET – Johnnie Morton – 6 receptions, 100 yards, TD CLE – Quincy Morgan – 2 receptions, 38 yards, TD

Quarterback Ty Detmer made his first start for the Lions, ending the game with seven interceptions. Despite this, the Lions' defense kept the game somewhat close, picking off Cleveland quarterback Tim Couch twice, including a 26-yard pick six by cornerback Terry Fair.

Week 4: vs. St. Louis Rams

Week 4: St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	7	14	0	14	35
Lions	0	0	0	0	0

at Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, Michigan

• Date: October 8
• Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 77,765
• Referee: Tom White
• TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, and Melissa Stark
• Box score

Game information

First quarter STL – Az-Zahir Hakim 15-yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick), 3:30. Rams 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:35. Second quarter STL – Torry Holt 36-yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick), 13:31. Rams 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 1:57. STL – Dré Bly 93-yard interception return (Jeff Wilkins kick), 3:04. Rams 21–0. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter STL – Ernie Conwell 1-yard pass from Kurt Warner (Jeff Wilkins kick), 10:14. Rams 28–0. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 5:53. STL – Marshall Faulk 7-yard run (Jeff Wilkins kick), 4:32. Rams 35–0. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 3:54. Top passers STL – Kurt Warner – 29/37, 291 yards, 3 TD DET – Ty Detmer – 15/18, 149 yards, INT Top rushers STL – Marshall Faulk – 14 rushes, 71 yards, TD DET – James Stewart – 13 rushes, 88 yards Top receivers STL – Marshall Faulk – 9 receptions, 80 yards DET – Germane Crowell – 5 receptions, 65 yards

Standings

NFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
(2) Chicago Bears	13	3	0	.813	338	203	W4
(4) Green Bay Packers	12	4	0	.750	390	266	W3
(6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers	9	7	0	.563	324	280	L1
Minnesota Vikings	5	11	0	.313	290	390	L4
Detroit Lions	2	14	0	.125	270	424	W1

Notes

1. The Lions were originally scheduled to host the Dallas Cowboys during Week 2 of the original NFL schedule (September 16) at Pontiac Silverdome. However, due to the September 11 attacks, the game was rescheduled to Week 17.