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Bears S
Mike Brown
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How strange has this season been so far?
If they made a movie about the 2001 campaign’s first eight weeks, David Lynch
would have to be the producer, Alfred Hitchcock would have to be the director and Rod
Serling would have to write the script.
When terrorist outbreaks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania triggered the
postponement of the NFL’s Sept. 16-17 games — the first full-fledged
cancellation for non-strike reasons in league history — we knew we were in for a
season that would be different from anything we had ever witnessed before. Little did we
know a scenario was about to unfold that makes the "Twilight Zone" seem like
"Mary Poppins."
With more twists than a Coney Island pretzel and more crazy turns than a Six Flags
roller coaster with Mr. Magoo at the controls, there’s no denying this season has
been off the beaten path.
How far off, you ask? Fasten your seatbelts, as we examine some of the more noteworthy
wackiness, week by week:
Week One: Right off the bat, we had replacement refs to deal with
because the regular zebras were officially on strike, demanding paychecks more in line
with what officials were receiving in the other three major sports. The consensus was the
subs did a halfway decent job. So did the Chargers, 1-15 doormats last season. With 23 new
faces on their roster, they cleaned the Redskins’ clocks 30-3, as Washington head
coach Marty Schottenheimer benched QB Jeff George in the third quarter. Meanwhile, in
Minneapolis, Panthers rookie QB Chris Weinke completely caught the Vikings with their
pants down in an eye-popping 24-13 upset.
Week Two: Acknowledging there was little sympathy for their plight
following the tragic events of Sept. 11, the real refs returned to action after agreeing
to a new contract. On the field, the Bengals, the league’s lousiest team over the
last decade, moved their record to 2-0 for the first time since 1995 with a surprisingly
easy 21-10 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens. In Jacksonville, the
Titans, another supposed AFC heavyweight, dropped to 0-2 after converting just 1-of-14
third-down opportunities in a 13-6 defeat.
Week Three: Ouch! The dreaded injury bug created the biggest buzz, as
key performers such as Falcons RB Jamal Anderson, Seahawks RB Ricky Watters, Giants RB
Tiki Barber, Bucs RB Warrick Dunn and Raiders DE Trace Armstrong dropped like flies. Some
semblance of order looked like it might have been restored, as the Rams’ freewheeling
offense and the Ravens’ record-setting defense couldn’t have looked more
impressive in victories over the Dolphins and Broncos, respectively. But they had to share
the limelight. The upstart Browns pummeled the Jaguars in a 23-14 decision highlighted by
rookie DT Gerard Warren’s concussion-causing blow to the head of Jaguars QB Mark
Brunell. The red-hot Packers improved to 3-0 with an offense led by golden oldie QB Brett
Favre and a defense spearheaded by situational sack artist Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, whose
name we might be able to pronounce correctly by the time the playoffs roll around. Maybe.
Week Four: With the fate of the playoffs as we know them resting in
the hands of a bunch of car salesmen, the NFL officially switched the date of Super Bowl
XXXVI with the National Automobile Dealers Association’s annual convention, greasing
the car guys’ palms handsomely in the process. On the field, the Browns continued to
attract believers with a come-from-behind 20-16 victory over the Chargers, enabling them
to match their entire win total from the previous season. In Atlanta, the Bears, another
so-called patsy, destroyed the Falcons 31-3. Chicago recorded seven sacks and five
turnovers, including a 90-yard fumble return for a TD by MLB Brian Urlacher — a play
on which the ball bounced directly into his hands as if it were mandated by a higher
being. In the Bay Area, Raiders PK Sebastian Janikowski was so ecstatic after
Oakland’s 23-18 victory over the Colts, he was found flailing incoherently after
hitting his head on the floor of a Frisco nightclub. Actually, I lied. Turns out he might
have been slipped a Mickey.
Week Five: The suspense kicked into high gear, as three games went
into overtime. Three more were decided on the final play of regulation, and three others
went down to the final two minutes. Included in the mix was the Cowboys’ 9-7
Monday-night victory over the Redskins, which was won on a 26-yard field goal with no time
remaining by Tim Seder, who accidentally backed into a horse while kicking in pregame
warmups. Another notable no-name emerged — second-year Patriots QB Tom Brady. Moving
his record to 2-1 in place of the injured Drew Bledsoe, Brady threw for 364 yards and a
pair of TDs, one of which came with 36 seconds left, in a 29-26 overtime win over the
Chargers.
Week Six: Dare I say, who let the dogs out? Damn straight. No fewer
than 10 of the week’s 13 favorites fell flat on their faces, as confidence pools from
coast to coast registered record-low point totals. That man named Brady shared the
hero’s wreath with Patriots WR David Patten, who became the first player since Walter
Payton 22 years ago to score three different ways in New England’s unlikely 38-17
victory over the struggling Colts.
Week Seven: Heart-throbbing comeback victories continued in full
force. Motivated by a crazed halftime speech from OT Kyle Turley while he was
simultaneously listening to a song by Slayer on a headset, the Saints rallied from an
18-point deficit to knock off the turnover-plagued Rams. In Chicago, the Bears won their
fifth straight game when a pass bobbled by 49ers WR Terrell Owens fell directly into the
hands of S Mike Brown, who proceeded to score the game-winning TD in a shocking 37-31
overtime victory.
Week Eight: By now, the surreal had become commonplace. Owens accused
49ers head coach Steve Mariucci of intentionally toning down the offense late in the loss
to Chicago the previous week so that Bears head coach Dick Jauron wouldn’t be
embarrassed. Turley went ballistic in the late stages of the Saints’ 16-9 loss to the
Jets after Damien Robinson twisted New Orleans QB Aaron Brooks’ head like a
corkscrew. And Brown? All he did was score the game-winning TD in overtime for the Bears
for the second week in a row after Chicago scored two TDs in the final 28 seconds of
regulation, the last one coming on a deflected Hail Mary pass into the arms of a diving
James Allen.
Can it get any wackier? We’re not betting against it.
Also see: Midseason team reports
To read more midseason coverage, including PFW's midseason All-Pro team, purchase a
copy of Issue 19 of Pro Football Weekly (dated Nov. 19, 2001), on sale at newsstands and
bookstores across the country. Or you can subscribe online to
PFW's print edition, or subscribe by calling 1-800-FOOTBALL (366-8225) and charging your
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