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Detroit Fury game notes

March 16, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Austin Wranglers (3-2) at Detroit Fury (2-3)
Date: Thursday, March 18, 2004
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Site: The Palace of Auburn Hills
Officials: Jerome Boger (Referee), Rick Nelson (Umpire),
Rusty Spindel (Head Linesman), Dennis Lipski (Line Judge)
Rich Wilborn (Back Judge).
Radio: WXDX, 1310 AM
Fred McLeod (Play-by-Play)
Rob Rubick (Color Analyst)
TV: Comcast Cable
Mark Champion (Play-by-Play)
Jim Brandstatter (Color Analyst)
Series Record: N / A
Last Meeting: N / A
Streaks: Austin – Lose 1
Detroit – Lose 2
Coaches: Austin – Skip Foster (3-2, 1st Year)
Detroit – Tom Luginbill (2-3, 1st Year)


THE STAKES: Detroit is looking to rebound at home following two road losses against Colorado and New Orleans. A win would even the Fury's record at .500 and keep them in the thick of the playoff race. Right now, there are 10 teams who are only one game a part from each other in the standings, and Detroit is looking to keep pace with that group. A loss does not eliminate the Fury from the playoffs, although it does drop them back in the standings, and Detroit has a tough schedule facing them ahead, with Chicago and Georgia on the horizon.

THE SERIES: This will be the first meeting between the expansion Austin Wranglers and the Detroit Fury. This will be the only meeting of the regular season between these teams. So far, the Fury are 0-1 against expansion teams.


TEAM SCHEDULES:

DETROIT FURY (2-3)
Date Opponent Series Result Score
2/05 SAN JOSE 1-1 L 43-58
2/13 @Arizona 1-2 W 48-31
2/23 INDIANA 2-4 W 34-25
2/28 BYE WEEK - - -
3/04 @Colorado 1-1 L 61-62
3/12 @New Orleans 0-1 L 31-45
Date Opponent Time TV Series
3/18 AUSTIN 7:30 Comcast n/a
3/28 @Chicago 3:00 NBC 2-3
4/01 GEORGIA 7:30 Comcast 1-1
4/10 GRAND RAPIDS 7:30 - 2-3
4/16 @Los Angeles 10:30 - 1-0
4/25 @Las Vegas 3:00 NBC 1-3
5/02 CHICAGO 3:00 NBC 2-3
5/08 @Indiana 8:00 - 2-4
5/15 ARIZONA 7:30 - 1-2
5/23 COLORADO 3:00 NBC 1-0
5/29 @Grand Rapids 7:30 - 2-3
Comcast Cable / Bright House Network

AUSTIN WRANGLERS (3-2)
Date Opponent Series Result Score
2/8 BYE WEEK - - -
2/13 @ Orlando 1-0 W 49-48
2/22 TAMPA BAY 1-0 W 56-48
2/27 @ Colorado 0-1 L 35-37
3/7 CAROLINA 1-0 W 56-55
3/14 INDIANA 0-1 L 41-64
Date Opponent Time TV Series
3/18 @ Detroit 7:30 - -
3/28 PHILADELPHIA 3:00 - -
4/3 @ Los Angeles 10:30 - -
4/11 GEORGIA 3:00 NBC -
4/18 @ Tampa Bay 3:00 NBC -
4/25 NEW ORLEANS 3:00 NBC -
5/1 @ Grand Rapids 7:30 - -
5/9 DALLAS 3:00 NBC -
5/16 ORLANDO 3:00 NBC
5/23 @ Georgia 3:00 NBC -
5/30 @New Orleans 4:00 NBC -
* all times Eastern and subject to change

HEAD COACHES:

TOM LUGINBILL, Detroit (2-3, 1st Year): Luginbill enters his first season as an AFL head coach, after taking the reigns from his father Al, who served as the Fury's head coach in 2003. At 30 years old, Luginbill is the youngest head coach in the AFL, and he looks forward to a breakout season as head coach. Last season, Luginbill helped to re-build the Fury team from a 1-13 record in 2002. With his guidance, the Fury finished the regular season at 8-8, which tied the AFL record for a single-season turnaround. The Fury also finished 1-1 in the playoffs, and the franchise won its first-ever playoff game. Prior to joining the Fury, Luginbill had coached for three different teams in three years, but he is no stranger to the game of Arena Football. Luginbill played two seasons as an AFL quarterback in 1996 & 1997, before joining the coaching staff on the New York CityHawks in 1998. Luginbill got his first head-coaching job in 2000, with the Tennessee Valley Vipers of af2, where he led the team to the championship game in his first year with the team. Following a season in af2, Luginbill teamed with his father Al in the XFL as the quarterback's coach of the Los Angeles Xtreme. There, he coached XFL MVP Tommy Maddox, and helped guide the Xtreme to the league's first and only championship. He re-joined the AFL in 2002 as an assistant head coach with the expansion Dallas Desperados. In Dallas, Luginbill's offense set an AFL record for scoring the most points ever by an AFL expansion franchise in one year, and his red-zone offense was ranked number one in the league.

SKIP FOSTER, Austin (3-2, 1st Year): Foster makes his AFL head coaching debut with the Austin Wranglers in 2004. Prior to joining the Wranglers, Foster coached in arenafootball2, where he is af2's second most winning coach, with a record of 44-10. Foster coached the Tulsa Talons for three years in af2, where in 2003, he led his team to the ArenaCup Championship. He also set league marks, guiding his team to the National Conference Central Division Championship for three straight seasons, and Foster was also the only af2 coach to remain undefeated at home over the three-period. Before joining the ranks of Arena Football, Foster coached at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. Foster spent 12 seasons at CCC, and he led his team to six conference championships. In 1990, Foster led CCC to an undefeated season and a national championship. He was also named Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1991. Before taking over as head coach, Foster worked under his father, Dick Foster, where the two became the only father/son combination in the National Junior College Athletic Association to win a national championship on the same team.

FURY IN THE COMMUNITY:

FURY HOSPITAL VISITS

Members of the Fury Team visit local area hospitals to bring cheer and hope to children during their stay. Often, players and coaches will "take over" the ward, filling it with Fury decorations. Players spend time with the children, sign autographs and leave special gifts behind. The Fury hope that these events will leave a lasting impression on the children and provide a life long memory they are sure to never forget.

FURY FIELD TRIPS PROGRAM

The Fury Field Trips program is designed to encourage young people's interest in science, math and technology by introducing them to real-life examples of how the sciences are used in the world around them. The goal of Fury Field Trips is to instill an interest in the sciences that they will carry through adulthood.

The Fury embarked on three Field Trips in 2003. The first was a visit to the Ford River Rouge Plant in Dearborn. Children toured the plant with Fury players and representatives from Ford, and the children were treated to a behind the scenes look at Detroit's automotive industry.
The Fury also traveled to Woodland Elementary School in Troy. Students in attendance were treated to a wonderful, educational learning experience through an interactive science show, involving players and students. Finally, the Fury joined forces with the Detroit Pistons family and traveled to the Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Students toured Selfridge Air National Guard History Museum as well as the Air Park, which displays over 30 planes.

THE 2004 SEASON

In 2004, the Fury are still committed to making a difference off the field. The Fury will continue to host Fury Field Trips and Hospital Visits throughout the season. This season, the Fury will have four hospital visits to local area hospitals, with the first happening Tuesday, February 17, at St. Joseph Mercy Macomb Hospital. Fury players Jon McCall, Dawan Moss, David Hill and cheerleaders visited the pediatric wing of the hospital and brought Fury swag and cheer to all the kids. The players and cheerleaders also toured the rest of the hospital.

The Fury have their next hospital visit planned for Tuesday, March 30. Select Fury players and cheerleaders will visit the children and other patients at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.


LAST WEEK (NEW ORLEANS):

NEW ORLEANS, LA – The Detroit Fury could not come back from an 18-point halftime deficit and fell 45-31 to the New Orleans VooDoo. Detroit (2-3) could never find an offensive spark in the first half and managed to score only 10 points. New Orleans (5-1) held the Fury to three field goal attempts and two turnovers on downs in the game.

The VooDoo were led offensively by their quarterback, John Fitzgerald. He finished the game completing 22-of-31 passes for 251 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. His favorite target, offensive specialist Aaron Bailey, caught five passes for 59 yards and three touchdowns.

Fullback Dan Curran continued his strong rushing performance, rushing six times for 29 yards and his AFL-leading 10th rushing touchdown.

Despite the loss, the Fury did not commit any turnovers.

Fury quarterback Andy Kelly put together a solid performance. He completed 24-of-40 passes for 312 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Detroit receivers Jeff Russell and Thabiti Davis were Kelly's primary targets. Russell led all receivers, catching 10 passes for 123 yards, and Davis caught eight balls for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

Injuries plagued the Fury throughout the game. In the first series of play, offensive specialist Junior Lord left the game due to a left shoulder separation, and later in the first quarter, defensive specialist Reggie Doster sprained his MCL in his left knee. In the fourth quarter, defensive specialist John Williams pulled a hamstring muscle.

All three players will be re-evaluated upon the return to Detroit and both Doster and Williams are questionable for next week's game. Lord could miss between 3-4 weeks.

Next Week, the Fury return home to The Palace of Auburn Hills for a Thursday night game against the expansion Austin Wranglers on March 18, 2004. The game will be the second consecutive game the Fury will play against expansion teams. Comcast Cable will broadcast the game, and kickoff is scheduled at 7:30 p.m.


Score By Quarter 1 2 3 4 Final
Detroit Fury 3 7 7 14 31
New Orleans VooDoo 14 14 10 7 45

Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game: Aaron Bailey
ADT Defensive Player of the Game: Monty Montgomery
U.S. Army Ironman of the Game: Dan Curran

Attendance: 15, 303

STATISTICS:

A look how Detroit and Austin match-up on both sides of the ball based on the regular season statistics:

Statistical DETROIT AUSTIN
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 17th 43.4 T 8th 49.0
Scoring Defense 6th 44.2 9h 47.0
Total Offense 1st 288.2 3rd 278.5
Total Defense 4th 233.8 19th 288.8
Rushing Offense 11th 17.4 14th 15.5
Rushing Defense 19th 34.2 14th 24.2
Pass Offense 1st 278.8 2nd 263.0
Pass Defense 3rd 199.6 19th 264.5
Scoring (Kicking) 5th 41 19th 26
Pass Rating 16th 102.4 5th 111.3
Pass Def. Rating 6th 105.0 19th 127.6
Kickoff Returns 18th 15.8 3rd 20.3
MFG Returns 8th 16.7 5th 19.5
Turnover Margin 19th -1.60 12th -0.25
Field Goals T 5th .500 19th .000
PAT Kicking T 4th .963 T 4th .963
Sacks By T 2nd 7 T 7th 5
Sacks Against T 5th 3 T 9th 5
First Downs T 2nd 105 16th 81
Opponent First Downs T 4th 78 9th 88
3rd Down Conv. (%) 12th 46.2 3rd 57.5
Opp. 3rd Down (%) 2nd 41.7 1st 33.3
Penalties (Avg.) 2nd 34.0 14th 51.8
Opp. Penalties (Avg.) 4th 52.6 10th 47.2
Red Zone Offense (%) 16th 73.5 7th 87.0
Red Zone Defense (%) 2nd 72.7 T 3rd 75.0

THE IFs:
If DETROIT defeats AUSTIN, it would ...
· Give DETROIT a (1-0) record against Austin, and give them a (4-2) record vs. expansion teams in their inaugural year.
· Give DETROIT a (2-1) record at Home
· Give DETROIT a (1-1) record against the Southern Division and a (1-1) vs. the National Conference
· Give DETROIT Head Coach Tom Luginbill his third win as an AFL head coach
· Return DETROIT's record to .500

FURY NOTES / TRENDS:

Better with Age: When the Fury defensive starters take the field this Thursday, their combined age will be 99 years old. Ron Carpenter (34), Adrian Lunsford (33) and Jeff Russell (32) are all experienced veterans of the AFL, and they bring a combined total of 21 AFL seasons of experience to the field.

Winless in March: Maybe it is a bad string of luck, but in the Month of March, the Fury's overall record is 2-5, with both of the wins coming on the road in the last two weekends of March of 2003.

Expansion Success: Since entering the league in 2001, the Fury have played against four expansion teams during their inaugural season, and they currently hold a (3-2) record against teams in their first year. This season, the Fury have already played the expansion New Orleans VooDoo, but they are not scheduled to face the Philadelphia Soul.

Familiar Faces: When the Austin Wranglers take the field on Thursday, a few familiar faces from last year's Fury team will return to The Palace. OL/DL Lucas Yarnell and 2003 latecomer DS Brent Browner were both members of the Fury in 2003. Also, the last time QB John Kaleo played against the Fury, he had a nearly flawless performance as a member of the Tampa Bay Storm, guiding his team to a thrilling victory over the Fury and eventually and ArenaBowl Championship.

Flip of the Coin: So far in 2004, Fury Captain Ron Carpenter has yet to win a coin toss. The Fury have lost all five coin tosses and the other team has deferred their choice of ball to the second half.

Nope, they aren't twins: Fury kicker Mark Lewis and NBA star Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets. So far this season, Lewis has been mistaken for Kidd on two of the three road trips of the season. While they do not play the same sport, both have a great ability to handle a ball. Lewis, who kicked two perfect onside kicks last week is nearly flawless on PAT's going 26-of-27 and making 50% of his field goals.

RUNNING WITH THE RECORDS: Watch as Fury Quarterback Andy Kelly continues his assault on the Arena Football League's record books, as he hopes to remain the league's all-time leading passer. AFL Veterans Aaron Garcia (NY) and Sherdrick Bonner (AZ) are right behind.

All-Time Pass Attempts: #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 4,300
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 3,594
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 3,506
4) Todd Hammel, Philadelphia* 3,501

All-Time Pass Completions #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 2,626
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 2,236
3) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 2,203
4) Aaron Garcia, New York 2,193

All-Time Passing Yards #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 29,219
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 28,166
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 28,131
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 25,994

All-Time Passing Touchdowns #
1) Aaron Garcia, New York 578
2) Andy Kelly, Detroit 571
3) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 556
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 515

* Denotes In-active Quarterback in the AFL

CARP'S COUNTDOWN: Last season, Ron Carpenter, "Carp", set the AFL's single-season record for kickoff return yardage in his first year with the Fury. Follow the countdown to see if Carp will defend his record and try to beat the mark he set in 2003.

KICK RETURN YARDS RECORD Yards
Ron Carpenter in 2003 2,248
Kickoff Returns Yards to Date in 2004 322
Average Yards / Game to Break Record 175.1

MILESTONES
Andy Kelly Needs
781 Passing Yards for: 30,000 Career Passing Yards
29 Touchdowns for: 600 Career Passing Touchdowns

Ron Carpenter Needs
2 Interceptions for: 20 Career Interceptions

Curtis Eason Needs
2 Sacks for: 20 Career Sacks


GAME AWARD WINNERS:

BABY RUTH OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:

WEEK TEAM PLAYER
1 San Jose Mark Grieb
2 Detroit Andy Kelly
3 Detroit Andy Kelly
4 BYE WEEK
5 Colorado Damian Harrell
6 New Orleans Aaron Bailey
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:

WEEK TEAM PLAYER
1 San Jose Omarr Smith
2 Detroit Reggie Doster
3 Detroit Ron Carpenter
4 BYE WEEK
5 Colorado Willis Marshall
6 New Orleans Monty Montgomery
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME:

WEEK TEAM PLAYER
1 Detroit Cameron Chance
2 Detroit Thabiti Davis
3 Indiana Brett Bech
4 BYE WEEK
5 Colorado Willis Marshall
6 New Orleans Dan Curran
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

FOLLOWING THE FURY IN 2004:

1-1 at The Palace of Auburn Hills
1-2 on the road

0-1 vs. National Conference
2-2 vs. American Conference

0-0 vs. Eastern Division
0-1 vs. Southern Division
1-1 vs. Central Division
1-1 vs. Western Division

0-0 on NBC
1-1 on Local TV Broadcast

0-2 on Thursdays
1-1 on Fridays
0-0 on Saturdays
0-0 on Sundays
1-0 on Mondays

2-1 in February
0-2 in March
0-0 in April
0-0 in May

1-0 when leading after first quarter
0-1 when trailing after first quarter
1-2 when tied after first quarter

1-0 when leading at halftime
1-3 when trailing at halftime
0-0 when tied at halftime

1-0 when leading after three quarters
1-2 when trailing after three quarters
0-1 when tied after three quarters

1-2 in games decided by 10+ points
1-0 in games decided by 4-9 points
0-1 in games decided by 3 or less points

0-3 when opponent scores more than 40 points
2-0 when opponent scores less than 40 points

1-2 when Fury score more than 40 points
1-1 when Fury score less than 40 points

2-3 when the Fury score first
0-0 when opponent score first

0-0 in overtime


AFL STANDINGS:

American Conference - Central Division Team W L T
Chicago Rush 4 1 0
Colorado Crush 4 2 0
Detroit Fury 2 3 0
Indiana Firebirds 1 5 0
Grand Rapids Rampage 0 6 0

American Conference - West Division
Team W L T
San Jose SaberCats 4 1 0
Los Angeles Avengers 3 2 0
Las Vegas Gladiators 3 3 0
Arizona Rattlers 3 3 0

National Conference - Eastern Division
Team W L T
Dallas Desperados 5 1 0
New York Dragons 3 3 0
Philadelphia Soul 3 3 0
Carolina Cobras 2 4 0
Columbus Destroyers 1 5 0

National Conference - Southern Division
Team W L T
New Orleans VooDoo 5 1 0
Georgia Force 4 2 0
Austin Wranglers 3 2 0
Orlando Predators 2 3 0
Tampa Bay Storm 2 4 0


2004 Playoff Seedings (-):

1. –
2. –
3. –
4. –
5. –
6. –
7. –
8. –

* Current Division Leader







Last Week in the AFL:
Friday, March 12
Georgia Force 52 @ Orlando Predators 44
Detroit Fury 31 @ New Orleans VooDoo 45
Saturday, March 13
Philadelphia Soul 43 @ Columbus Destroyers 41
Dallas Desperados 77 @ Carolina Cobras 52
Sunday, March 14
Indiana Firebirds 64 @ Austin Wranglers 41
Arizona Rattlers 64 @ Las Vegas Gladiators 65
Colorado Crush 35 @ San Jose SaberCats 55
Los Angeles Avengers 48 @ Grand Rapids Rampage 33
New York Dragons 40 @ Tampa Bay Storm 35

Bye: Chicago Rush

This Week in the AFL:
Thursday, March 18
Austin Wranglers @ Detroit Fury, 7:30 pm
New Orleans VooDoo @ Arizona Rattlers, 9:00 pm
Saturday, March 20
Georgia Force @ Indiana Firebirds, 7:00 pm
Columbus Destroyers @ New York Dragons, 7:00 pm
Las Vegas Gladiators @ San Jose SaberCats 10:30 pm
Sunday, March 21
Orlando Predators @ Chicago Rush, 12:00 pm
Colorado Crush @ Philadelphia Soul, 12:00 pm
Tampa Bay Storm @ Carolina Cobras, 3:00 pm
Los Angeles Avengers @ Dallas Desperados, 4:00 pm

Bye: Grand Rapids Rampage

Next Week in the AFL:
Friday, March 26
Grand Rapids Rampage @ Indiana Firebirds, 7:30 pm
Los Angeles Avengers @ San Jose SaberCats 10:30 pm
Saturday, March 27
Tampa Bay Storm @ Georgia Force, 7:00 pm
Las Vegas Gladiators @ Orlando Predators, 7:30 pm
Carolina Cobras @ New Orleans VooDoo, 8:00 pm
Arizona Rattlers @ Colorado Crush, 9:00 pm
Sunday, March 28
Detroit Fury @ Chicago Rush, 3:00 pm
Philadelphia Soul @ Austin Wranglers, 3:00 pm

Bye: Columbus, Dallas, New York

* All Times Eastern



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 16, 2004


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