Season-in-review team reports — NFC
Central
As published in print Feb. 6, 2002
2001 record: 5-11 |
| Overview |
| It began with OT Korey Stringer’s death from heatstroke and ended
with OL coach Mike Tice taking over for deposed head coach Dennis Green. In between, the
Vikings were erratic offensively, struggled badly on the road and practically
couldn’t stop anyone on defense. Needless to say, the Vikings’ season was
anything but typical. Stringer’s tragic passing set the team back from the beginning,
both emotionally and strategically, and the Vikings never recovered. The team was forced
to reshuffle what became a less-effective offensive line, and that trickled down to the
rest of the offense. Defensively, the Vikings continued to struggle rushing the passer and
forcing turnovers. |
| Turning point |
| After a 1-3 start, Minnesota reached the .500 mark with wins over the
Lions and Packers. But blowout losses to the Buccaneers and Eagles dropped the Vikings two
games under again, and they never saw .500 the rest of the way. In those two losses, the
Vikings allowed a total of 449 yards rushing, a problem that helped lead to the
team’s downfall. |
| Offensive MVP |
| As problematic as he was, WR Randy Moss remained the Vikings’
greatest offensive weapon. He broke 1,000 yards receiving and scored double-digit
touchdowns for the fourth straight season. However, Moss’ season was marred by his
"I play when I want to" remark before Minnesota’s Week 13 game vs.
Tennessee. The statement followed Moss for the rest of the season, and he continued to
face criticism for not giving his all on every play. |
| Defensive MVP |
| Though he missed almost seven games with a broken leg, SS Robert Griffith
was the Vikings’ most valuable defender. He finished fourth on the team in tackles
despite the missed time and provided leadership for the young defensive backs. At the same
time, naming Griffith the team’s defensive MVP is an indictment of the rest of the
unit, which struggled badly in practically every facet. |
| Biggest surprise |
| Perhaps how the season ended, with Green bargaining out of his contract
before the season finale after learning he would be fired sometime after the game. This
after owner Red McCombs had vowed Green would return next season no matter how the Vikings
finished the year. On the field, Chris Liwienski surprised by faring well at right tackle
— a position he had never played before — after moving there to replace
Stringer. |
| Biggest disappointments |
| Take your pick. QB Daunte Culpepper clearly endured a sophomore slump
before succumbing to a knee injury, while RB Michael Bennett, the Vikings’ No. 1
pick, took about three-fourths of the season to get on track. Limited by an offense that
lacked balance, Culpepper’s production plummeted. Bennett struggled to run with
patience early on. He also missed three games with an ankle injury. |
| Rookie recap |
| After starting out slowly, Bennett finished the year strong, breaking 100
yards twice in the final five games and averaging 4.3 yards per carry over that span. DT
Willie Howard was coming on when he went down late in the year with a knee injury. CB Eric
Kelly started a majority of the games and had his ups and downs, but he showed some
instincts. Patrick Chukwurah showed some spark as a pass-rushing end and finished with 2½
sacks. |
| Free-agent/trade review |
| TE Byron Chamberlain was the Vikings’ best free-agent addition,
finishing third on the team in receptions. Dale Carter became the Vikings’ best
cornerback after joining the team upon his reinstatement into the league. OL Everett
Lindsay, acquired via trade from Cleveland in the wake of Stringer’s death, proved to
very valuable at guard and tackle. DE Lance Johnstone was signed to start at right end,
but he was demoted to a pass-rushing role at midseason and finished with 5½ sacks. Jake
Reed returned as the No. 3 wideout, but he caught only 27 passes for 309 yards. |
| Team leaders |
Rushing — Michael Bennett, 682 yards on 172 carries, 4.0 avg., 2
TDs.
Passing — Daunte Culpepper, 235-366 attempts for 2,612 yards, 14 TDs, 13
interceptions, 83.3 rating.
Receiving — Randy Moss, 82 receptions for 1,233 yards, 15.0 avg., 10 TDs.
Scoring — Gary Anderson, 74 points on 29 PATs and 15 FGs.
Kickoff returns — Nate Jacquet, 46 for 1,012 yards, 22.0 avg., 0 TDs.
Punt returns — Nate Jacquet, 29 for 219 yards, 7.6 avg., 0 TDs.
Punting — Mitch Berger, 47 for 43.5 avg., 32.9 net, 10 TB, 10 inside 20, 0 blk., 67L.
Interceptions — Robert Griffith, Eric Kelly, 2.
Sacks — Chris Hovan, 6. |
| Results |
Pointspread Shown Refers to Minnesota.
| Date |
Opponent |
Spread |
Score |
| Sept. 9 |
Carolina |
(-10.5) |
13-24 |
| Sept. 23 |
At Chicago |
(-3.5) |
10-17 |
| Sept. 30 |
Tampa Bay |
(+1.5) |
20-16 |
| Oct. 7 |
At New Orleans |
(+4) |
15-28 |
| Oct. 14 |
Detroit |
(-10) |
31-26 |
| Oct. 21 |
Green Bay |
(+3.5) |
35-13 |
| Oct. 28 |
At Tampa Bay |
(+3) |
14-41 |
| Nov. 4 |
BYE |
|
|
| Nov. 11 |
At Philadelphia |
(+4) |
17-48 |
| Nov. 19 |
New York Giants |
(-2) |
28-16 |
| Nov. 25 |
Chicago |
(-3) |
6-13 |
| Dec. 2 |
At Pittsburgh |
(+9) |
16-21 |
| Dec. 9 |
Tennessee |
(+3) |
42-24 |
| Dec. 16 |
At Detroit |
(-3) |
24-27 |
| Dec. 23 |
Jacksonville |
(-3) |
3-33 |
| Dec. 30 |
At Green Bay |
(+13.5) |
13-24 |
| Jan. 7 |
At Baltimore |
(+12.5) |
3-19 |
|
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