The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd
regular season
In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL), and the first season of the 21st century. The league permanently moved the first week of the regular season to the weekend following
Labor Day
Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...
. In the wake of the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
, the NFL's week 2 games (September 16 and 17) were postponed and rescheduled to the weekend of January 6 and 7, 2002. To retain the full playoff format, all playoff games, including
Super Bowl XXXVI, were rescheduled one week later. The
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
won the Super Bowl, defeating the
St. Louis Rams 20–17 at the
Louisiana Superdome
Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome), commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium in the Southern United States, southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...
.
This was the last season with 31 teams as the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
were introduced as an expansion team the
following season. It was also the final season to feature the AFC Central and NFC Central divisions, as they were realigned into the AFC North, AFC South, NFC North, and NFC South the following season.
Player movement
Transactions
*July 27: The San Francisco 49ers sign quarterback
Ricky Ray.
Ray would go on to a career in the Canadian Football League.
Trades
*July 20: The New Orleans Saints trade Robert Arnaud to Washington.
Retirements
*April 9, 2001: Three-time Super Bowl champion
Troy Aikman announces his retirement, after failing to find another team.
*After the 2000 season, defensive end
Reggie White retired after spending his last season in Carolina.
*After the 2000 season,
Eddie Murray
Eddie Clarence Murray (born February 24, 1956), nicknamed "Steady Eddie", is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman, designated hitter, and coach. Spending most of his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles, he ranks fourth ...
, who had played in 3 stints (1980-1995, 1997, 1999-2000) and
Irving Fryar, who entered the NFL in 1984, decided they had played their final NFL games in Washington.
*
Warren Moon
Harold Warren Moon (born November 18, 1956) is an American former professional Gridiron football, football player who was a quarterback for 23 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He spent most of h ...
and
Al Del Greco
Albert Louis Del Greco (born March 2, 1962) is an American former professional American football, football placekicker and a current sports radio personality. After eight years as golf coach at Spain Park High School in Hoover, Alabama, Del Grec ...
, two players who entered the NFL in 1984, retired after spending their last seasons in Kansas City and Tennessee, respectively.
*
Jessie Tuggle, who entered the NFL in 1987, retired after spending all 14 of his seasons with the Falcons.
Draft
The
2001 NFL draft was held from April 21 to 22, 2001, at New York City's
Theater at Madison Square Garden. With the first pick, the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
selected quarterback
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is an American college football coach and former player who is the Head coach, head football coach at Norfolk State Spartans football, Norfolk State University. He played quarterback in the National F ...
from
Virginia Tech
The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...
.
Officiating changes
Mike Pereira became the league's director of officiating, succeeding
Jerry Seeman, who had served the role since 1991. Pereira was a side judge in 1996 and 1997 before joining the league office, where he was groomed as Seeman's successor over the next three seasons.
Bill Leavy and
Terry McAulay were promoted to referee.
Phil Luckett returned to back judge, while another officiating crew was added in 2001 in preparation for the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
expansion team, the league's 32nd franchise, in 2002.
Due to labor dispute, the regular NFL officials were locked out prior to the final week of the preseason. Replacement officials who had worked in college football or the Arena Football League officiated NFL games during the last preseason week and the first week of the regular season. A deal was eventually reached before play resumed after the September 11 attacks.
Major rule changes
* Fumble recoveries will be awarded at the spot of the recovery, not where the player's momentum carries him. This change was passed in response to two regular season games in 2000,
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
–
Carolina Panthers and
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
–
Seattle Seahawks, in which a
safety
Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
was awarded when a defensive player's momentum in recovering a fumble carried him into his own end zone.
* Taunting rules and roughing the passer will be strictly enforced.
2001 deaths
*
Jim Benton: A member of the
National Football League 1940s All-Decade Team, Benton died on March 28, 2001
*
Don Boll: A draft pick of the Washington Redskins, Boll died on December 29, 2001.
*
Jim Cain: A member of the Detroit Lions team that won the
1953 NFL Championship Game
*
Sam Claphan: Chargers tight end from 1980 to 1987, Claphan died on November 26, 2001.
*
Neal Colzie: Defensive back for the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
and
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
, Colzie died on August 20, 2001.
*
L.G. Dupre: Part of the
1958 NFL Championship Game against the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
, he died after a lengthy battle with cancer on August 9, 2001.
*
Dan Edwards: Drafted by the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
in the 1st round (9th overall) of the
1948 NFL draft, Edwards died on August 7, 2001.
*
Homer Elias:
Lions guard from 1978 to 1984, he died of a heart attack on October 3, 2001.
*
Bob Gaona: NFL offensive lineman who also played defense and special teams, he died on May 23, 2001.
*
Hank Gremminger: Defensive back for the
Packers from 1956 to 1965 and the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
in 1966, he died of cardiac arrest on November 2, 2001.
*
Harvey Martin: The co-MVP of
Super Bowl XII, he died of
pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...
on December 24, 2001. Martin was the first
Super Bowl MVP to pass away.
*
Dan Nugent:
Redskins guard from 1976 to 1980, Nugent died on October 18, 2001.
*
Dwayne O'Steen: Part of the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
Super Bowl XV winning team, O'Steen died on September 21, 2001, of an apparent heart attack.
*
Don Paul: was selected to four
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
s, one as a member of the Cardinals and three as a member of the Browns died on September 7, 2001.
*
Pete Perreault: A member of the
1968 Cincinnati Bengals season, their inaugural season, Perreault died on December 8, 2001
)
*
Dick Rehbein: Longtime NFL coach who had become
Patriots quarterbacks coach in 2000, Rehbein died of
cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy is a group of primary diseases of the heart muscle. Early on there may be few or no symptoms. As the disease worsens, shortness of breath, feeling tired, and swelling of the legs may occur, due to the onset of heart failure. A ...
on August 6, 2001.
*
Bo Roberson: Roberson caught three passes for eighty-eight yards in the Bills' 23–0 defeat of the Chargers in the 1965
American Football League Championship Game. He died on April 15, 2001.
*
Tony Samuels: Drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the
1977 NFL draft, Samuels died on September 12, 2001.
*
Paul Seiler: Former player for the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
and
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
, he died of colon cancer on September 25, 2001.
*
Billy Ray Smith Sr.: A member of the Baltimore Colts teams that participated in
Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III was an American football championship game played on January 12, 1969, at the Miami Orange Bowl, Orange Bowl in Miami, Miami, Florida. It was the third AFL–NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the fi ...
and
Super Bowl V, he died from cancer on March 23, 2001. His son,
Billy Ray Smith Jr., was a linebacker for the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
from 1983-92.
*
Korey Stringer: Former tackle for the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
died from a heat stroke August 1, 2001, during training camp. Vikings team wore a 77 patch on their jerseys to commemorate Stringer.
Regular season
Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day. With Super Bowls
XXXVI–
XXXVII already scheduled for fixed dates, the league initially decided to eliminate the Super Bowl bye weeks for 2001 and 2002 to adjust.
In the wake of the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
, the games originally scheduled for September 16 and 17 were postponed and rescheduled to the weekend of January 6 and 7. To retain the full playoff format, all playoff games, including the
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
, were rescheduled one week later. The season-ending
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
was also moved to one week later. This was the last season in which each conference had three divisions, as the conferences would be realigned to four divisions for the
2002 NFL season.
Canceling the games scheduled for September 16 and 17 was considered and rejected since it would have canceled a home game for about half the teams (15 of 31). It would have also resulted in an unequal number of games played: September 16 and 17 was to have been a bye for
the San Diego Chargers, so that team would still have played 16 games that season and each of the other teams would have played only 15 games (the Chargers ultimately finished 5–11, making any competitive advantages to playing an extra game irrelevant).

As a result of rescheduling Week 2 as Week 17,
the Pittsburgh Steelers ended up not playing a home game for the entire month of September (their only home game during that month was originally scheduled for September 16). The
ESPN Sunday Night Football game for that week was also changed. It was originally scheduled to be
Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
at
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
, but it was replaced with
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
at
Tampa Bay, which was seen as a more interesting matchup. Ironically, the Eagles and Buccaneers would both rest their starters that night, and would meet one week later in the playoffs. In recognition of this, when
NBC began
airing Sunday Night Football in , there would be no game initially scheduled for Weeks 11 to 17 – a game initially scheduled in the afternoon would be moved to the primetime slot, without stripping any teams of a primetime appearance. This way of "flexible scheduling" would not be used at all in 2007, and since 2008, it is only used in the final week, except for the
2017 season, when no primetime game was scheduled for Week 17 due to that Sunday falling on New Year's Eve.
The games that eventually made up Week 17 marked the latest regular season games to be played during what is traditionally defined as the "NFL season" (under the format at the time, the regular season could not end later than January 3 in any given year; this changed in 2021, as the NFL expanded to 17 games with the end of the regular season pushed back one week as a result; the 2021 regular season ended on January 9, and under the new format, the latest the regular season could end is January 10).
Another scheduling change took place in October, when the
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
at
Oakland game was moved from October 21 to 7 to accommodate a possible
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
home playoff game on October 21. The rescheduling ended up being unnecessary as the Athletics would not make it past the Division Series round.
Scheduling formula
*
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...
: Two games were played on Thursday, November 22, featuring
Green Bay at
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
and
Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
at
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, with Green Bay and Denver winning.
Final regular season standings
Tiebreakers
* New England finished ahead of Miami in the AFC East based on better division record (6–2 to Dolphins' 5–3).
* Cleveland finished ahead of Tennessee in the AFC Central based on better division record (5–5 to Titans' 3–7).
* Jacksonville finished ahead of Cincinnati in the AFC Central based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
* N.Y. Giants finished ahead of Arizona in the NFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
* New Orleans finished ahead of Atlanta in the NFC West based on better division record (4–4 to Falcons' 3–5).
* Baltimore was the second AFC Wild Card based on better record against common opponents (3–1 to Jets' 2–2).
* Green Bay was the first NFC Wild Card based on better conference record (9–3 to 49ers' 8–4).
Playoffs
Milestones
The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:
* – Sack statistics have only been compiled since 1982.
Statistical leaders
Team
Individual
Awards
----
;
All-Pro Team
The following players were named First Team All-Pro by the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
:
----
Head coach/front office changes
;Head coach
*
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
–
Gregg Williams replaced
Wade Phillips, who was fired following the
2000 season
*
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
–
Butch Davis replaced
Chris Palmer, who was fired following the
2000 season
*
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
–
Marty Mornhinweg replaced interim head coach
Gary Moeller, who replaced
Bobby Ross who resigned during the
2000 season.
*
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
Established in 1959 ...
–
Dick Vermeil replaced
Gunther Cunningham, who was fired following the
2000 season
*
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
–
Herman Edwards replaced
Al Groh, who resigned to become the head coach of the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
.
*
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
–
Marty Schottenheimer
Martin Edward Schottenheimer (; September 23, 1943 – February 8, 2021) was an American professional football linebacker and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He was the head coach of the Cl ...
replaced interim head coach
Terry Robiskie who replaced
Norv Turner, who was fired during the
2000 season
*
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
–
Dom Capers was hired as the expansion Texans’ first head coach on January 19, 2001. The Texans would play their
inaugural season the next year.
;Front office
*
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
–
Tom Donahoe replaced
John Butler, who was fired on December 19, 2000. Donahoe was hired on January 10, 2001.
*
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
–
Matt Millen
Matthew George Millen (born March 12, 1958) is an American former professional football player and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Millen played as a linebacker for 12 years for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, San Franci ...
replaced
Chuck Schmidt, who resigned on January 8, 2001. Millen was hired the next day.
*
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
–
Terry Bradway replaced
Bill Parcells, who resigned as the team's director of football operations on January 9, 2001.
*
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
– New head coach
Marty Schottenheimer
Martin Edward Schottenheimer (; September 23, 1943 – February 8, 2021) was an American professional football linebacker and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He was the head coach of the Cl ...
fired director of player personnel
Vinny Cerrato on January 24, 2001. Schottenheimer acted as his own general manager.
*
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
–
John Butler, hired on Jan 4, 2001, filled the position that had been vacant since
Bobby Beathard's retirement on April 25, 2000. Before Butler's hiring, player personnel director
Billy Devaney took the responsibility of player acquisitions.
*
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
– Head coach
Mike Sherman assumed
Ron Wolf's duties as GM. Wolf announced he would retire as Packers GM in February 2001, stayed on through the
April NFL draft and officially retired as Packers GM in June 2001.
*
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
–
Terry Donahue replaced
Bill Walsh, who resigned as vice president and general manager shortly after the
year's draft in a planned move. Walsh remains with the 49ers as a special consultant.
*
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
– Head coach
Andy Reid assumed
Tom Modrak's duties as GM. Modrak was fired on May 8, 2001. Owner
Jeffrey Lurie cited his displeasure with Modrak's insistence on having an escape clause in his contract as the primary reason. The next day, Reid was named executive vice president of football operations, effectively making him the team's general manager.
*
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
–
Jerry Angelo was hired as the Bear's first general manager since 1987 on June 12, 2001.
Mark Hatley, who had been ''de facto'' general manager in his role as vice president of pro personnel, had joined the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
front office as vice president of football operations in May 2001, after it was clear he was out of the Bears’ general manager search.
Stadium changes
* The
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
moved from
Mile High Stadium to
Invesco Field at Mile High, with the investment company
Invesco
Invesco Ltd. is an American independent investment management company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with branch offices in 20 countries. Its common stock is a constituent of the S&P 500 and trades on the New York Stock Exchange. Invesco oper ...
acquiring the naming rights
* The
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
moved from
Three Rivers Stadium to
Heinz Field, with the
H. J. Heinz Company acquiring the naming rights
In addition, the
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for pitch (sports field), playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a pile (textile), short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Si ...
at
Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, at the northeast corner of Broad Street (Philadelphia), Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. The seating ca ...
was replaced with NexTurf after a preseason game between the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
and
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
was canceled for poor field conditions.
Uniform changes
*
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
– Replaced their gold pants with black pants.
*
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
– White pants instead of blue with their white jerseys.
*
St. Louis Rams – New font for uniform numbers.
*
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
– White pants instead of blue with their white jerseys.
*
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
– Started wearing black shoes with their uniforms.
Following
9/11, every jersey had a patch to remember those who died on that day, while
the New York Jets and
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
wore a patch to remember the firefighters who died.
Television
This was the fourth year under the league's eight-year broadcast contracts with
ABC,
CBS,
Fox, and ESPN to televise ''
Monday Night Football'', the AFC package, the NFC package, and ''
Sunday Night Football'', respectively.
Pat Summerall
George Allen "Pat" Summerall (May 10, 1930 – April 16, 2013) was an American professional American football, football player and television sportscaster who worked for CBS Sports, CBS, Fox Sports (USA), Fox, and ESPN Sunday Night Football, ESP ...
announced that this would be his last season as a full-time NFL broadcaster. This would also be
John Madden's last year of commentating on Fox, ending the 21-season Summerall–Madden pairing that dated back since 1981 on CBS. With
Matt Millen
Matthew George Millen (born March 12, 1958) is an American former professional football player and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Millen played as a linebacker for 12 years for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, San Franci ...
leaving Fox to become the general manager of the Detroit Lions, the network tapped
Daryl Johnston
Daryl Peter "Moose" Johnston (born February 10, 1966) is an American former professional American football, football player (running back/Fullback (gridiron football), fullback) who is currently the executive vice president of football operati ...
from CBS and the then-recently retired quarterback
Troy Aikman to join
Dick Stockton as Fox's No. 2 team.
Deion Sanders
Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. (born August 9, 1967) is an American American football, football coach with the Colorado Buffaloes football, Colorado Buffaloes. Sanders is also a former professional football and baseball player, having played in the N ...
replaced
Craig James as an analyst on ''
The NFL Today''.
References
Further reading
* ''NFL Record and Fact Book'' ()
NFL History 2001–(Last accessed October 17, 2005)
* ''Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League'' ()
(Last accessed October 17, 2005)
External links
Football Outsiders 2001 DVOA Ratings and CommentaryPro Football Reference.com – 2001
{{DEFAULTSORT:2001 Nfl Season
NFL seasons
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
Sports events affected by the September 11 attacks