2002 Philadelphia Eagles: Once A Great Flight

2002 Philadelphia Eagles: Once A Great Flight

2000 and 2001 were both positive steps forward for the Philadelphia Eagles as they were easily becoming one of the best teams in the NFL. Now having a few years of experience in the playoffs the Eagles would aim to go even further and make their first Super Bowl appearance since 1980. Having a stellar coaching staff led by head coach Andy Reid and a roster full of talented players, the Eagles seemed to have all the puzzle pieces in place.

In the 2002 NFL season the Philadelphia Eagles went 12-4, winning the NFC East Division by 2 games over the New York Giants. The Eagles went 7-1 on their home field of Veterans Stadium while going 5-3 on the road. The Eagles went 5-1 in divisional play and 11-1 in conference play.

Quarterback Donovan McNabb only had one issue in the regular season, and that was sustaining an injury. Otherwise McNabb was once again solid as he went 7-3 as a starter, completing 211 of 361 pass attempts for 2,289 yards and17 touchdowns while throwing 6 interceptions. McNabb continued to scramble well when plays broke down as he had 63 rushing attempts for 460 yards and 6 touchdowns. Filling in for McNabb was backup quarterback Adam Joshua Feeley, who went by his initials of A.J. Going 4-1 as the starter Feeley completed 86 of 154 pass attempts for 1,011 yards and 6 touchdowns while throwing 5 interceptions.

Running back Duce Staley had 269 rushing attempts for 1,029 yards and 5 touchdowns while having 51 receptions for 541 yards and 3 touchdowns. Running back Dorsey Levens had 75 rushing attempts for 411 yards and 1 touchdown while having 19 receptions for 124 yards and 1 touchdown.

Wide receiver Todd Pinkston had 60 receptions for 798 yards and 7 touchdowns. Wide receiver James Thrash had 52 receptions for 635 yards and 6 touchdowns, but he was also valuable in trick plays as he had 18 rushing attempts for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wide receiver Antonio Freeman had 46 receptions for 600 yards and 4 touchdowns. Tight end Chad Lewis had 42 receptions for 398 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tight end Jeff Thomasen had 10 receptions for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The only threat on special teams for Philadelphia was a player who had remained consistent in returning. Running back Brian Mitchell had 43 kick returns for 1,162 yards and 46 punt returns for 567 yards and 1 touchdown.

Philadelphia’s defense continued to improve and became one of the most feared defenses in all of the NFL. Defensive end Hugh Douglas had 44 tackles and 12.5 sacks. Defensive end Ndukwe Dike Kalu had 8 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. Defensive lineman Darwin Walker had 7.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. Defensive end Brandon Whiting had 6 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries. Defensive tackle Paul Grasmanis had 4 sacks. Linebacker Carlos Emmons had 50 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 1 fumble recovery for 44 yards and 1 touchdown.

Free safety Brian Dawkins had 62 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries. Left defensive tackle Corey Simon had 2 sacks and 1 fumble recovery. Strong safety Blaine Bishop had 2 sacks. Linebacker Ike Reese had 45 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Linebacker Shawn Barber had 70 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions for 81 yards and 1 touchdown, 2 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries. Strong safety Michael Lewis had 43 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception, 4 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries.

Linebacker Barry Gardner had 1 sack and 1 fumble recovery. Defensive back Sheldon Brown had 1 sack, 2 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. Defensive back Rashard Cook had 1 sack. Middle linebacker Levon Kirkland had 53 tackles and 1 fumble recovery. Left cornerback Troy Vincent had 54 tackles and 2 interceptions. Cornerback Bobby Taylor had 46 tackles, 5 interceptions for 43 yards and 1 touchdown, and 2 fumble recoveries.

A total of 7 Eagles players would make the Pro Bowl to represent the NFC, which would be Donovan McNabb, Chad Lewis, kicker David Akers, Hugh Douglas, Brian Dawkins, Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent. Dawkins and Vincent would be named to the NFL All-Pro First Team.

Closing out the regular season on a strong note was a priority for the Eagles, and they would get to do that as they went on a 6-game winning streak. This winning streak began with a 38-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11 on November 17, and it ended with a 27-3 win over their division rivals the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16 on December 21.

Making the playoffs wasn’t the hard part for the Eagles as they had proven that they were capable of being a strong entrant in the playoffs. The challenge was to see how far they could go. In the Division Round on January 11 at Veterans Stadium the Eagles made quick of the Atlanta Falcons by beating them 20-6. Donovan McNabb completed 20 of 30 passes for 247 yards and 1 touchdown.

The scoring started with 7:58 remaining in the 1st quarter when Bobby Taylor returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown. David Akers would kick a pair of field goals, one from 34 yards out with 3:47 remaining, and then one from 39 yards out with 10:05 remaining in the 2nd quarter. Atlanta kicker Jay Feely tried to give his team a chance by kicking his own pair of field goals, ranging from 34 and 52 yards out with 4:10 remaining and then as time expired for halftime. James Thrash would shut the door on the Falcons as he had a 35-yard touchdown reception with 6:26 remaining in the 4th quarter.

In the 2000 and 2001 playoffs the story had been the same concerning the Philadelphia Eagles playing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and that was the Eagles had prevailed. Many football experts were convinced that Philadelphia would easily handle Tampa Bay again in the 2002 NFC Championship Game on January 11. However, the Buccaneers were riding on amazing momentum under their new head coach Jon Gruden, and that momentum carried the Buccaneers to a stunning 27-20 upset victory over the Eagles.

The Buccaneers went on to win Super Bowl XXXVII, leaving the Eagles and their fans to wonder what could have been. What was once a great flight turned out to be a nightmare for Eagles fans entering the offseason as this NFC Championship Game was nicknamed “Black Sunday”. This also marked the final game in the history of Veterans Stadium.