| | | | | | | | Friday, April 25, 2003
Gannon, Owens lit up 2002 season
By Mike Diegnan
ABC Sports Online
The 2002 Monday Night Football season will be best remembered as John Madden's debut in the broadcast booth and an inability to get compelling games on the air. In all, just three of the 17 games were decided by seven points or less.
Nonetheless, some of the league's most memorable moments of the season came under the lights. So we honor the fourth annual ABC Sports Online All-MNF team (performances on Monday Night Football only).
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QB: Rich Gannon
|  | | Rich Gannon played a near-perfect game against the Broncos. |
A lot of deserving quarterbacks deserved a trip to Honolulu this February, and didn't get selected for the Pro Bowl. Likewise, Monday Night Football saw game after game of great quarterback play. Tom Brady started it by lighting up the Steelers in Week 1. Donovan McNabb followed that in the Eagles' rout of Washington in Week 2. Brett Favre saved some of his best work for MNF.
But the one player who stood out the most was Gannon. In a record-setting performance against the Broncos in Week 10, the Raiders' 36-year-old quarterback completed 21 straight passes. In all, he connected with his receivers on 34-of-38 passes for 352 yards and 3 TDs in the Raiders' rout. He was nearly as good against the Jets in Week 13 when he was on the mark on 31-of-42 passes for 342 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Also receiving consideration: Brett Favre and Donovan McNabb
RB: Ahman Green and Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams isn't headed to the playoffs this season, but there wasn't much more the Dolphins could have asked from him. Indeed, in Miami's only appearance, he moved into second place in the MNF record book with his 216 rushing yards against the Bears, including a 63-yard TD run that broke the game open.
Green helped the Packers post a 2-0 record on MNF this fall. In Week 5, he rushed for 107 yards in Green Bay's 34-23 win over Chicago. He then posted 143 all-purpose yards and two scores in the Packs' 24-10 victory over Miami.
Also receiving consideration: Duce Staley
WR: Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice
Owens' will be remembered this season for his celebrations, but his play speaks volumes as well. Forgotten because of the publicity stemming from his Sharpie moment, his second touchdown of the game was the game-winner. He added a stellar outing in a Week 12 loss to the Eagles, catching 13 balls for 166 yards and 2 TDs.
It doesn't matter that he's 40 years old. Jerry Rice still gets pumped for Monday night. During Rich Gannon's special night in Week 10, his favorite target was Rice, who pulled down nine catches for 103 yards and two TDs. Against the Jets, Rice found the end zone one more time as he caught four passes for 66 yards.
Also receiving consideration: Marty Booker, Donald Driver, Bobby Engram and Tai Streets
TE: Todd Heap
Todd Heap is headed to his first Pro Bowl this February, and some of the credit can go to his Week 4 performance against the Broncos when the second-year player caught five passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns.
OT: Lincoln Kennedy and Fred Miller
Lincoln Kennedy and the Raiders' offensive line did a great job keeping Rich Gannon clean this season. The 6-foot-6, 355-pound Kennedy did his part.
Tennessee entered the final stretch of the season knowing it needed to protect Steve McNair. The Titans delivered, as Miller and Co. opened up huge holes on the right side for McNair, Eddie George and Robert Holcombe in Week 15 when the Titans ran over the Patriots for 238 rushing yards and a 24-7 win.
Also receiving consideration: Mike Flanagan and Wayne Gandy
OG: Alan Faneca and John Welbourn
|  | | Donovan McNabb and the Eagles ran over the Giants on Oct. 28. |
There were a number of impressive ground games on Monday Night this year, but none was more dominant than the Eagles' against the Giants in Week 8. Running through huge holes in the middle of the line led by Welbourn, Duce Staley and Donovan McNabb both rushed for 100 yards, as the Eagles pounded New York for 299 yards on the ground.
Faneca and the Steelers rebounded from a poor showing in Week 1. First, Pittsburgh ran for 195 yards en route to an easy victory over Indianapolis. The Steelers' best effort came in Week 16 when Faneca outplayed Warren Sapp and the Steelers pounded Tampa Bay's top-ranked defensive unit.
Also receiving consideration: Benji Olson
C: Hank Fraley
Fraley was not one of the two Eagles' linemen selected for the Pro Bowl, but he was one of the catalysts for the Eagles' 17-3 pounding of the Giants when Philadelphia rushed for 299 yards.
DEFENSE
DE: Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Simeon Rice
In his two performances on MNF this season, KGB was a terror for offensive lines. In Week 5 against Chicago, he made two sacks, forced a fumble and returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown. Four weeks later, he sacked Miami's Ray Lucas three times in Green Bay's 24-10 win.
Rice earned a sack in both of his outings on MNF. In Week 3, he took down Kurt Warner once, forced a fumble and defended three passes. In Week 16, he got another sack against the Steelers in a losing effort.
Also receiving consideration: Leonard Little and Michael McCrary
DT: Damione Lewis and Warren Sapp
Lewis is the only Ram to make the squad after the second-year player made two sacks in the Rams' Week 11 win over the Bears.
Sapp was kept quiet in Tampa Bay's loss to the Steelers, but he was a thorn in Kurt Warner's plans when the Bucs and Rams met in Week 3. He was credited with just one sack, but was a major reason that Tampa ended the night with five sacks and four interceptions.
Also receiving consideration: Gilbert Brown
OLB: Derrick Brooks and Nate Wayne
Brooks was the fans' choice for Defensive Player of the Year after causing disruptions against the Rams and Steelers. In Week 3, he finished the night with six tackles, a sack and an interception that he returned for a touchdown in a big win over the Rams. He added another forced fumble in Week 16 against the Steelers.
Wayne set a career high in tackles this season and tied his career best with three INTs this season. On MNF, the fourth-year player did a little bit of everything. In Week 5, he made six tackles and intercepted a pass. In Week 9, he earned a spot on the MNF Horse Trailer after finishing the night with nine tackles, a forced fumble and another interception.
Also receiving consideration: Rosevelt Colvin and Roman Phifer
|  | | Ray Lewis and the Ravens jumped all over the Broncos in Week 4. |
MLB: Ray Lewis
Lewis only played in five games this season, but his performance against the Broncos in Week 4 still lingers as one of the best single-game efforts this season. Afterwards, John Madden called his play in the first half the most dominant by a defensive player since Lawrence Taylor. By the end of the game, the Ravens had upset the Broncos with Lewis leading the way with 18 tackles, an interception and a huge block on Chris McAlister's 107-yard return of a blocked field goal.
CB: Terrell Buckley and Chad Scott
Even though he's not a starter, Buckley led all players on MNF with three interceptions in two games, although his fumble on an interception return against Tennessee was a major momentum killer for the defending champions.
In three games on MNF, Scott finished with 15 tackles. But his key play came in Week 16 against Tampa Bay when he returned an interception of Shaun King 30 yards to give the Steelers a 14-0 lead less than four minutes into the game and set the tone for a big win by Pittsburgh.
Also receiving consideration: Will Allen and Ronde Barber
S: Brent Alexander and Darren Sharper
Alexander did a little bit of everything in Pittsburgh's rout of Indianapolis in Week Seven. He picked off Peyton Manning twice, got a sack and made three tackles. In his two other Monday Night appearances, Alexander accumulated 11 tackles.
Sharper made his biggest impact in Week 9 when he intercepted a Ray Lucas pass and returned it 89 yards for a touchdown that sealed Miami's fate. He also added seven tackles in the 14-point win. He also had an interception in the Packers' Week 5 win over the Bears.
Also receiving consideration: Brian Dawkins, Edward Reed and Rod Woodson
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Sebastian Janikowski
Janikowski stayed out of trouble to lead the Raiders to two victories on MNF. He started out by kicking two field goals and four extra points in a 34-10 win over Denver. His best performance came four weeks later when he was perfect on four field goals, including a 48-yarder, in a six-point win over the Jets.
Also receiving consideration: Martin Gramatica
P: Brad Maynard
In their 21-16 loss to St. Louis, the Bears' longest run came on a fake punt. Running a naked bootleg, Maynard rushed 20 yards for a first down. He also punted six times for a 42.7-yard average, including three that he pinned inside the Rams' 20. In Week 5 against the Packers, he also punted five times for a 45.2 average and two more inside the 20.
Also receiving consideration: Matt Allen
Returner: Brian Mitchell
Mitchell passed Walter Payton for second place all-time in all-purpose yards after totaling 206 return yards against the 49ers. His biggest play was a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown. He also took one kickoff 57 yards in the Eagles win. He also had a 49-yard punt return in the Eagles' Week 2 win over the Redskins.
Also receiving consideration: Jacquez Green
Specialist: Chris McAlister
McAlister set an NFL record with his 107-yard touchdown of a missed field goal against the Broncos in Week 4. Standing in the back of the end zone as Jason Elam set up for 53-yard field attempt, McAlister caught the missed kick in the back right corner, cut across the goal line behind a big Ray Lewis block and raced up the left sideline to cap an improbable first half performance by the Ravens.
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