af2 Honors Week's Top Players
May 6, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
CHICAGO - Richmond offensive specialist DAMON THOMPSON, Tulsa offensive/defensive lineman GREG TAYLOR and Charleston defensive specialist DEMONT SMITH have been named Offensive Player, Ironman and ADT Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 6 of the 2003 season.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Thompson (5-11, 185, Virginia State), in his second season, helped lead the Speed to a 59-52 win over division nemesis Greensboro with 18 receptions for 225 yards and five touchdowns. His 18 catches tied a league record set last season by Albany's COREY HILL and his 225 receiving yards is an af2 single game high for this season and the seventh best total of all-time. Thompson, who also had a 14-reception game this season, is fourth in af2 with an average of 8.75 catches per game. His 35 total receptions through four games is eighth best in af2, but six of the players ahead of him have played five games this season. This is Thompson's first Offensive Player of the Week honor.
IRONMAN OF THE WEEK Taylor (6-2, 270, Harding), a fourth-year veteran, caught the game winning touchdown for the Talons in a 61-57 win over Memphis. Taylor caught the go-ahead score with 38 seconds left and then tallied his second sack of the night on the Xplorers' final drive. For the game, Taylor had two receptions for 26 yards with the touchdown, 5.5 tackles, a forced fumble and the two sacks. Taylor, who has four sacks for the season, is the af2 career sack leader with 36.5. This is the first Ironman of the Week award for Taylor who was an All-af2 first team selection in 2000 and a second-team All-af2 member in 2002. ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Smith (5-11, 190, Michigan State), playing in his second season, tallied three interceptions in the 56-40 win over Columbus, including one which he took back 52 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Smith also led the team in tackles with three solo stops. As if his defensive heroics weren't enough Smith also returned two kicks for 77 yards, giving him a team high 154 all-purpose yards for the game. This is the second time this season that Smith has recorded three picks in a game, and he leads af2 with seven for the season. Smith is on a pace to get 22 interceptions this season, which would easily eclipse the single season record of 15 set by KELLY SNELL last year.
Offensive Player of the Week candidates included: Cincinnati's James Scott, Quad City's Ira Gooch, San Diego's Kane Claunch, Charleston's John Turman, Birmingham's Rhett Gallego, Macon's Jacques Rumph, Memphis' Kevin Prentiss, Rochester's Kevin Carty, Wichita's Brian Goolsby, Albany's Ryan Vena.
Ironman of the Week candidates included: Cincinnati's Jim Jones, Richmond's Richard Holland, Peoria's Charles Sheffield, San Diego's Rico Curtis, Columbus' James Dickerson, Florida's Schad Freeman, Macon's Byron Douzart, Tennessee Valley's Jerrian James, Hawaii's Josh White, Albany's Kevin Nagle.
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