AFL On NBC This Sunday
February 20, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Memphis Xplorers News Release
SOUTHAVEN, Miss â The AFL game on NBC this Sunday will be the Dallas Desperados (2-1) at the home of the Detroit Fury (2-1). The following is a preview of the game.
DALLAS DESPERADOS (2-1) AT DETROIT FURY (2-1)
Sunday, February 23rd, 2 p.m. CST, (NBC Broadcasters- Tom Hammond, Pat Haden and Lewis Johnson)
Detroit quarterback ANDY KELLY and offensive coordinator TOM LUGINBILL will host their former team at the Palace in Auburn Hills on NBC this Sunday. Kelly has a trio of receivers at his disposal - SULECIO SANFORD (19 receptions), TY GROVESTEEN (14) and JASON KAISER (13). Dallas Head Coach JOE AVEZZANO looks to third-year QB JIM KUBIAK to lead the Desperados offense. Sophomore receivers DIALLEO BURKS and ANDY MCCULLOUGH (34 receptions and nine TDs combined) have been providing the targets that Kubiak has looked for in the end zone. The AFL's sack leader, Dallas' TOM BRIGGS (four sacks), will have his sights set on disrupting Kelly's timing.
FORMER TEAMMATES BATTLE SUNDAY ON NBC'S CENTERSTAGE
Detroit's Kelly, Dallas' Kubiak Try to Keep Teams Near Top of Division
Last season, JIM KUBIAK was ANDY KELLY's understudy. This weekend he will have a chance to show how much he has learned when the Dallas Desperados (2-1) play the Eastern Division-leading Detroit Fury (2-1) on NBC at The Palace at Auburn Hills this Sunday at 2 p.m. CST.
Dallas traded Kelly to Detroit following the 2002 season in favor of Kubiak, but it appears both teams have benefited.
"We could not have been any happier with the way that Andy Kelly led and played for the Desperados in our first year," said Dallas Head Coach JOE AVEZZANO. "At the end of the season, we felt that we were prepared to make a decision (to go with Kubiak as the starter) for the immediate and long-range future of our franchise. I think both teams have good quarterbacks and I'm glad for everybody involved."
Kelly is the League's all-time leader in touchdowns (471), passing yards (24,592), attempts (3,558) and completions (2,188). In three games, Kubiak (15 TDs and one INT) and the Desperados offense (51.0 PPG, No. 7 in the AFL) have picked up where Kelly left off last season - keeping Dallas in the early-season hunt for the Central Division lead. In the meantime, Kelly has the Fury pointed in the right direction and atop of the Eastern Division standings.
XPLORERS UPDATE
The Memphis Xplorers 2003 af2 home opener is April 12th against the Bakersfield Blitz.
XPLORERS SEASON TICKET PACKAGES
Season ticket packages are available right now starting as low as $84 for a pair of season tickets and two t-shirts. For ticket information and purchases call (662) 280-3737 or go online to www.xplorersaf2.com .
• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...
arenafootball2 Stories from February 20, 2003
- Blitz Lose Crecion to NFL - Bakersfield Blitz
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers Assigned Former Wyoming Seminary Standout - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers
- AFL On NBC This Sunday - Memphis Xplorers
- Lucky Number 13 - af2
- Linyear and Vittengl Chosen as Capital Regions's Most Fit - Albany Firebirds
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
