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2001 Chicago Bears-Season of Good Fortune
By Roy Taylor, www.BearsHistory.com
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2001 Chicago Bears team photo.
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Analogously, the magical 2001 Chicago Bears season as a whole
mirrored its opening drive of the season. On that warm September 9th in
Baltimore, two days before the world would change forever, the Bears were given
absolutely no chance against the defending NFL champion's defense. But with
noodle-armed Shane Matthews at quarterback, and hot-cold running back James
Allen, Chicago drove the length of the field until they had 1st and goal inside
the Raven's 10-yard line. Sadly, after three attempts from close range, the
Bears couldn't get the ball in the end zone, and the team ended up losing to
the defending champs 17-6. Just as the team went farther than anyone thought
they could on that opening drive, this 2001 Bears team shocked the nation and
knocked on the championship door, but sadly, the door slammed shut all too
soon.
Preseason 2001 started with turmoil, much as Bears fans are
used to. Mark Hatley, then Bears VP of Player Personnel, ran his final draft in
April 2001. Rumors had been flying for months that Hatley was dissatisfied with
Bears' management and wanted to leave. Publicly, though, no one involved would
admit there was a single problem. During the draft, he made a solid selection
by taking Michigan WR David Terrell, who was an absolute surprise to last to
the Bears' seventh pick in the first round. In the second, a questionable pick
was made with the selection of Terrell's teammate, running back Anthony Thomas.
Thomas was rated as a durable straight-line runner with questionable speed and
moves. Why pick another Curtis Enis, many said. Hatley completed the draft by
selecting two offensive linemen, a defensive end, and the fastest man in the
draft who had tested positive for marijuana.
In May, a press conference was called to announce Hatley's
"mutual termination", a term that seemed to be coined by this Chicago Bears
organization that seemed to be in utter disarray. Hatley stated that he was
tired of losing, and felt partially responsible, so thought it would be best to
leave the organization. Team President Ted Phillips agreed, and released
Hatley. Interestingly, Hatley caught on with the same title in Green Bay, and
his first move was to sign DT Jim Flanigan, whom was his very last cut in
Chicago. Phillips announced the Bears would be hiring a bonified General
Manager for the first time since the 1986 season. As the Bears don't seem to do
anything without being controversial, Phillips declared the organization would
be paying an executive search firm over a quarter-million dollars to screen
prospective candidates, and the search would take over a month. After choosing
between Philadelphia personnel man Tom Modrak, Denver director of college
scouting Ted Sundquist, Tampa personnel man Jerry Angelo and others, Phillips
finally named Angelo the teams' new GM in mid-June. At the press conference
announcing the Angelo hire, he stated that anything for 2001 would only be
"fine tuning".
If Angelo's moves from June to the opening of the season were
"fine tuning", we would hate to see his wholesale housecleaning! The new GM
promptly traded troubled QB Cade McNown to the Miami Dolphins for a song, and
cut higher-priced and popular veterans Mike Wells, Bobby Engram and Barry
Minter. Even CB Thomas Smith, signed in 2000 for $22 million, was shown the
door in a smart move after Smith's inconsistent (at best) play the season
before. While these moves proved to be necessary to shed salary from
underproductive players as well as develop young talent, many saw them as
Angelo's way to ensure a poor season from Coach Dick Jauron. Most believed
Angelo wanted to see Jauron fail so he could hire his own coach in 2002.
Then Dick Jauron's players stepped to the defense of their
favorite coach. Perhaps it was really true, that Cade McNown's dismal play and
poor attitude had more of an effect on the rest of the players that were much
more talented than their 2000 record reflected. After the opening day
heart-breaker, the team was devastated in the locker room. They truly felt they
were within grasp of beating the world champs, and had just fallen short. It
wasn't the same feeling after a loss as they had been used to feeling for years
before. The Bears were set to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars the next Sunday,
but two days later, America reeled from multiple terrorist attacks on September
11th. The NFL decided to postpone September 18th's games to mourn the loss of
thousands of her countrymen.
On September 23rd, the NFL resumed its games with its week
three matchups. Chicago faced the Minnesota Vikings at home, and lost its
starting quarterback Shane Matthews to a hip injury. At halftime, down 10-0, it
was reported that players and coaches alike were livid about the teams' missed
opportunities. Chicago came out fired up in the second half, and upset the
Vikings 17-10. It would prove to be the start of something big. In the ensuing
three weeks, the Bears beat Atlanta, Arizona, and Cincinnati by a combined
score of 75-16. From Brian Urlacher and R.W. McQuarter's fumble recoveries
against Atlanta and Arizona, to Anthony Thomas' 188-yard rushing performance
against Cincinnati, the Bears were on fire. It was even announced that the TV
networks were moving two upcoming Bear games to 3:00 starts to accomodate
national television. For the Bears-the team most predicted to finish no better
than 5-11 in 2001.
Then came the two games that will live on in most Bear fans'
memories forever. Against San Francisco on October 28th, Chicago trailed 28-9
deep into the third quarter, and had lost starting QB Jim Miller to a side
injury. Now-backup Shane Matthews responded with two long TD drives, the last
to rookie David Terrell that brought the Bears within 2-points, 31-29 with less
than a minute remaining in the game. Anthony "A-Train" Thomas then barrelled in
for the tying two-point conversion, and the crowd went nuts. The high-powered
San Francisco offense received the ball first in overtime. On their very first
play, big-time wide receiver Terrell Owens cowered from an approaching Brian
Urlacher hit, Mike Brown intercepted the pass and romped 33 yards for the
winning score in what is now the shortest OT game in NFL history. Chicago went
crazy, figuring nothing could top this finish.
Wrong we were. The following week, an ineffective Shane
Matthews-led offense trailed Cleveland 21-7 with less than one minute left in
the game. Obnoxious Cleveland Brown fans ruled Soldier Field for the moment, as
some Bear fans just hadn't learned from the week before and left early. With
less than a minute left, Matthews hit Marty Booker with a TD to close the gap
to 21-14. No chance, the Browns fans said. On the next play, Chicago recoved
the onside kick. After several short passes moved the ball to the Cleveland 34,
there was time for one final play. Right in front of the North endzone fans,
Matthews heaved a pass toward the heavens, which seemingly in slow-motion fell
into the outstreched hands of James Allen. Tie game, and the cheering Bear fans
gave it back to the obnoxious Cleveland-ites. On the Browns' first
possession of overtime, Bryan Robinson batted a third-down pass up in the
air, Mike Brown performed deja-vu, and the Bears had pulled out the most
improbable victory in a decade. The Bears were now 6-1 for the first time since
1991.
The magic wouldn't last against the hated Packers on Veteran's
Day at Soldier Field. Despite having the ball inside the Pack 10, down by 8
points, the same hero James Allen couldn't hang on to a swing pass in the sun,
and Green Bay won 20-12. Three more Bear victories followed that heartbreaker,
over Tampa, the Vikings, and Detroit. At Minnesota, Chicago would hold their
opponents without a touchdown for the first time since they had done it in
1995. Rookie David Terrell dropped two sure TD passes against Detroit, but the
Bears still hung on thanks to three Jason Hanson field goal misses. Then came
the rematch at Green Bay, which the Bears lost again due to a poor offensive
showing.
Regardless, Chicago was 9-3, and finished 13-3 with their
first NFC Central Division Championship since 1990. The final four games were
magical. Anthony Thomas tore the Buccaneers up on December 16th with a 173-yard
performance. Brian Urlacher caught a TD pass to help beat Washington 20-15, and
Dwayne Bates came out of the woodwork with a 100+ yard receiving day in the
24-0 victory at Detroit. And who will ever forget Keith Traylor's 67-yard romp
with an interception in the regular season-ending victory over Jacksonville.
The Bears were atop the division, and would host at least a divisional playoff
game.
Philadelphia came into town as the lowest-seeded division
winner, and the Bears were heavily favored. The Bears? Who would have thought?
But Chicago looked ill-prepared offensively after Jim Miller was knocked out on
a questionable hit by Hugh Douglas. In Soldier Field's final game, Da Bears,
2001's miracle team, lost their first home playoff game in a decade, 33-17.
Despite the final letdown, 2001 was magical indeed, from NFC Coach of the Year
Dick Jauron to Offensive Rookie of the Year Anthony Thomas, the guy everyone
questioned picking. Bear fans looked ahead to 2002 with a vigor unknown on
opening day in a decade, which would begin in a city far, far away....
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Quote of the Year: "After 40 minutes, it was a blowout.
After 60, a thriller. And at the end, it was a classic." -NFL Films on
Bear victory over San Francisco, 2001
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2001 Records: Preseason 1-3, Regular Season 13-3,
Playoffs 0-1
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2001 NFL Rankings: Offense 26th Overall, 17th Rush,
24th Pass; Defense 15th Overall, 2nd Rush, 29th Pass
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2001 Coaches: Dick Jauron, Head Coach; Greg Blache,
Defensive Coordinator; John Shoop, Offensive Coordinator
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DATE
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TEAM
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RESULT
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NOTES
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8/4
| Bengals
| W 16-13
| Preseason
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8/11
| Titans
| L 24-27
| Preseason
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8/18
| Chiefs
| L 9-10
| Preseason
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8/25
| Cardinals
| L 20-24
| Preseason
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9/9
| Ravens
| L 6-17
| Big D but no win.
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9/23
| Vikings
| W 17-10
| Come from behind.
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10/7
| Falcons
| W 31-3
| Big D, Big O.
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10/14
| Cardinals
| W 20-13
| Big D.
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10/21
| Bengals
| W 24-0
| A-Train party.
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10/28
| 49ers
| W 37-31
| OT miracle game 1.
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11/4
| Browns
| W 27-21
| OT miracle game 2.
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11/11
| Packers
| L 12-20
| No magic here.
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11/18
| Bucs
| W 27-24
| Big O.
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11/25
| Vikings
| W 13-6
| Huge defense.
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12/2
| Lions
| W 13-10
| Squeaker.
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12/9
| Packers
| L 7-17
| Can't beat Pack.
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12/16
| Bucs
| W 27-3
| Secure playoff berth.
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12/23
| Redskins
| W 20-15
| Urlacher TD.
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12/30
| Lions
| W 24-0
| Blank hapless Lions.
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1/6
| Jaguars
| W 33-13
| Traylor rumbles.
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1/19
| Eagles
| L 19-33
| One and out.
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Passing: Jim Miller- Miller did not begin the
season as the starter, but won the job after an injury to Shane Matthews.
He passed for 2299 yards and a 74.9 rating. He started 13 regular season
games.
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Rushing: Anthony Thomas- Thomas did not start the
season either, and didn't play regularly until the season's fifth week.
He was named Offensive Rookie of the Year after he rushed for 1183 yards and 7
touchdowns.
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Receiving: Marty Booker-Booker became the focus of the
passing offense after Marcus Robinson was lost for the season. He caught
100 passes, setting a Bears record, totalling 1071 yards and 8 touchdowns.
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Scoring: Paul Edinger- Edinger had a phenomenal
sophomore season, scoring 95 points with a 79% FG accuracy.
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Sacks: Roosevelt Colvin- Outside linebacker
Colvin became a force as a passrusher in his third season, tallying 10.5 sacks.
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Interceptions: Mike Brown- Led the team with
5 interceptions, two for touchdowns in the back-to-back miracle games.
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2001 Starters
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15 QB
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35 RB
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31 FB
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86 WR
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80 WR
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78 LT
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64 LG
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57 C
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58 RG
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71 RT
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84 TE
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2 K
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93 DE
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92 DT
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94 DT
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98 DE
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59 LB
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54 MLB
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53 LB
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21 CB
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37 SS
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30 FS
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27 CB
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4 P
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Shane Matthews and James Allen began the season as starters at quarterback and
halfback, but they were soon passed up by Jim Miller and rookie Anthony Thomas.
Matthews would return for several stints when Miller was banged up. The Bears
had their healthiest season on the offensive line in six years when Blake
Brockermeyer, Rex Tucker, Olin Kreutz, Chris Villarrial and James "Big Cat"
Williams made all starts. Fred Baxter was the primary tight end and Marty
Booker and Dez White the receivers. On defense the unit was remarkably healthy
and all starters listed played the vast majority of the season. Left
to right Offense: Jim Miller, Anthony Thomas, Daimon
Shelton, Marty Booker, Dez White, Blake Brockermeyer, Rex Tucker, Olin Kreuta,
Chris Villarrial, James Williams, Fred Baxter, Paul Edinger. Defense:
Phillip Daniels, Ted Washington, Keith Traylor, Bryan Robinson, Roosevelt
Colvin, Brian Urlacher, Warrick Holdman, R.W. McQuarters, Tony Parrish, Mike
Brown, Walt Harris, Brad Maynard.
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#
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Pos.
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Name
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School
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Exp.
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2
| K
| Paul Edinger
| Michigan St.
| 2
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4
| P
| Brad Maynard
| Ball State
| 5
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9
| QB
| Shane Matthews
| Florida
| 8
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15
| QB
| Jim Miller
| Michigan St.
| 8
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17
| QB
| Danny Wuerffel
| Florida
| 5
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20
| RB
| James Allen
| Oklahoma
| 4
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21
| CB
| R.W. McQuarters
| Oklahoma St.
| 4
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22
| DB
| Than Merril
| Yale
| R
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23
| CB
| Jerry Azumah
| New Hampshire
| 3
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24
| KR
| Glyn Milburn
| Stanford
| 9
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25
| RB
| Autry Denson
| Notre Dame
| 3
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27
| CB
| Walt Harris
| Mississippi St.
| 6
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30
| S
| Mike Brown
| Nebraska
| 2
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31
| FB
| Daimon Shelton
| Sacremento St.
| 5
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32
| RB
| Leon Johnson
| N. Carolina
| 4
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33
| DB
| Larry Whigham
| NE Louisana
| 8
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35
| RB
| Anthony Thomas
| Michigan
| R
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37
| S
| Tony Parrish
| Washington
| 4
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39
| CB
| Reggie Austin
| Wake Forest
| 1
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43
| S
| Mike Green
| NW State
| 2
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45
| FB
| Scott Dragos
| Boston College
| 2
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52
| LB
| Bobby Howard
| Notre Dame
| 1
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53
| LB
| Warrick Holdman
| Texas A&M
| 3
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54
| LB
| Brian Urlacher
| New Mexico
| 2
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55
| LB
| Greg Jones
| Colorado
| 5
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57
| C
| Olin Kreutz
| Washington
| 4
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58
| G
| Chris Villarrial
| Indiana (PA)
| 6
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59
| LB
| Roosevelt Colvin
| Purdue
| 3
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60
| OL
| Bernard Robertson
| Tulane
| R
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62
| DT
| Robert Newkirk
| Michigan St.
| 2
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64
| G
| Rex Tucker
| Texas A&M
| 3
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65
| LS
| Patrick Mannelly
| Duke
| 4
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69
| G
| Mike Gandy
| Notre Dame
| R
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70
| DT
| Alfonso Boone
| MSAJC
| 1
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71
| T
| James Williams
| Cheney St.
| 11
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72
| DT
| Carl Powell
| Louisville
| 2
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73
| G
| Kevin Dogins
| Texas A&M-Kngsvle
| 6
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74
| T
| Jimmy Herndon
| Houston
| 6
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76
| T
| Damion Cook
| Bethune-Ckmn
| R
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78
| T
| Blake Brockermeyer
| Texas
| 7
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80
| WR
| Dez White
| Georgia Tech
| 2
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81
| WR
| Amhad Merritt
| Wisconsin
| 1
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82
| TE
| John Davis
| Emporia St
| 2
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83
| WR
| David Terrell
| Michigan
| R
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84
| TE
| Fred Baxter
| Auburn
| 9
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86
| WR
| Marty Booker
| NW Louisana
| 3
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87
| WR
| Dwayne Bates
| Northwestern
| 3
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88
| WR
| Marcus Robinson
| S. Carolina
| 5
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89
| TE
| Dustin Lyman
| Wake Forest
| 2
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92
| DT
| Ted Washington
| Louisville
| 11
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93
| DE
| Phillip Daniels
| Georgia
| 6
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94
| DT
| Keith Traylor
| C. State-OK
| 10
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95
| DE
| Karon Riley
| Minnesota
| R
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96
| DT
| Henry Taylor
| S. Carolina
| 4
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98
| DE
| Bryan Robinson
| Fresno St.
| 5
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The "Run and Shoop" Loses its Luster
John Shoop probably began his second season as
an offensive coordinator in the NFL with a warm feeling. Fans
rejoiced in two of the final three games of the 2000 season after Shoop took
over from Gary Crowton.
Crowton's attack seemed to feature the wide receiver screen
over, and at the expense of most everything else. It had taken the league
by storm in 1999 but in 2000 opponents had it sniffed out most every time the
play was run.
Crowton left in December to become the head coach at Brigham
Young University, and Shoop took over as interim offensive coordinator.
In his first game the Bears pounded the ball on the ground, Shane Matthews set
a Bears record for consecutive pass completions, and the Bears pounded the
Patriots. In the finale, Chicago came from behind to defeat Detroit, and
things were looking up.
In the 2000-2001 offseason, Dick Jauron announced that he was
hiring Shoop permanently instead of searching for a veteran offensive
coordinator. This decision was met with derision, but in fairness to
Jauron no one would have taken the job with the head coach's position up in the
air as it was.
In 2001, fans and the media began to criticize Shoop's
conservative playcalling. In retrospect this is hard to believe. In
2004 and 2005, the Bears offense averaged 15.2 points scored per game. In
2001, they averaged 21.
Perhaps what doomed Shoop were the falling rankings of his
unit the following two years, along with more and more dubious playcalling.
But in 2001, it truly was not that bad.
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VP of Player Personnel Mark Hatley had been
denying rumors for close to a year that he would be leaving the Bears around
the time of the 2001 draft. Despite there obviously being a problem under the
surface, the team went as far as having Bears broadcaster Hub Arkush put on a
display at the fan convention, publicly denying with Hatley that there was any
chance that he would leave. In June, after conducting the 2001 draft, Hatley
and the team announced a "mutual parting of ways." Hatley
departed and took a similar position with the Green Bay Packers. Hatley died of
a heart attack in 2005. After the Bears hired an executive search firm to
recommend their next General Manager, Tampa Bay personnel man Jerry Angelo
was selected in June. This was long after the draft and the critical free agent
signing period. Angelo's first major moves were the release of popular veterans
Mike Wells, Jim Flanigan and Bobby Engram, and the trade of malignant
quarterback Cade McNown, a major draft bust. At this time fans and
the media were calling the Chicago Bears organization "in disarray", a
characterization CEO Ted Phillips angrily denied. The Bears narrowly lost the
season opener at the world champion Baltimore Ravens, then steadily gained
momentum throughout the remainder of the 13-3 season. The defense
finished first in the NFL in points allowed. After not sending a single
position player to the Pro Bowl from 1994-1999, the 2001 Bears
sent five players, the most since 1991.
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Quarterback Michael Vick was the consensus number 1 selection of the NFL draft
in 2001. The pick was held by San Diego. The Chargers, having been burned on
the selection of QB Ryan Leaf in 1998, traded the first pick to Atlanta for the
fifth, where they selected a small-school running back deemed by many to be a
"bust waiting to happen". That running back was LaDanian Tomlinson. Michigan
wide receiver David Terrell, predicted to be taken with the second or third
pick, fell to the Bears at #8. Terrell himself became a bust. The NFL cancelled
all games in the second week of the season as the nation mourned the September
11th terrorist attacks. The surprises of the NFL were undoubtedly the Bears and
the New England Patriots. New England finished 11-5 to the Bears 13-3, but
advanced to the Super Bowl as heavy underdogs to the 14-2 St. Louis Rams. New
England beat and bloodied St. Louis in the end by the score of 20-17, sparking
the first championship of their dynasty.
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2001 Bears Draft
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Rd
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Pos
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Name
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School
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1
| WR
| David Terrell
| Michigan
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2
| RB
| Anthony Thomas
| Michigan
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3
| G
| Mike Gandy
| Notre Dame
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4
| DE
| Karon Riley
| Minnesota
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5
| G
| Bernard Robertson
| Tulane
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6-Traded to San Francisco for CB R.W. McQuarters
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7
| WR
| John Capel
| Florida
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2001 Bears Trades
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6th round pick to San Francisco in for CB R.W. McQuarters in
2000.
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2001 Bears Free Agent Signings
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DT Ted Washington
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DT Keith Traylor
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TE Fred Baxter
DB Larry Whigham
QB Danny Wuerffel
RB Autry Denson
DT Alfonso Boone
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2001 Bears Retirements
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None
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2001 Chicago Bears Awards
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NFC Central Division Champions
Dick Jauron, NFL Coach of the Year
Anthony Thomas, Offensive Rookie of the Year
Brian Urlacher, Football Digest Defensive Player of the Year
Anthony Thomas, Offensive Rookie of the Month (October)
Shane Matthews, Offensive Player of the Week
Mike Brown, Defensive Player of the Week (twice)
Brian Urlacher, Defensive Player of the Week
Brian Urlacher, Special Teams Player of the Week
Ted Washington, DT, Pro Bowl (4)
Brian Urlacher, LB, Pro Bowl (2)
Larry Whigham, ST, Pro Bowl (2)
James Williams, T, Pro Bowl (1)
Olin Kreutz, C, Pro Bowl, (1)
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