AFL Quick Hitters

Published on April 3, 2003 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release

HOLMES 200: Carolina OS BERNARD HOLMES has recorded 200-or-more all-purpose yards in each of his last six games played. In 2003, he has recorded the third-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-best single-game all-purpose yardage totals in Cobras' team history.

PLAYER OPPONENT DATE REC RET TOTAL
Corey Johnson New York 7/7/01 0 326 326
Jack Johnson Florida 4/14/01 155 148 303
Bernard Holmes Georgia 3/15/03 106 178 284
Bernard Holmes Orlando 2/21/03 92 191 283
Bernard Holmes Detroit 2/14/03 110 162 272
Bernard Holmes Las Vegas 3/9/03 180 78 258

SAN JOSE IN THE LEAD: San Jose ranks No. 1 in scoring offense (63.6 PPG), rushing offense (40.0 YPG), pass defense rating (93.9), interceptions (18), and turnover-margin (+13). Those figures are up from 2002, when the SaberCats recorded the best scoring offense (62.7 PPG), rushing offense (30.1 YPG), and pass defense rating (95.9), tied for the best turnover-margin (+14, Indiana) and finished No. 2 in interceptions (21) behind Chicago.

PASSING SENSATION: Los Angeles QB TONY GRAZIANI is on pace to pass for a career-best and team-record 4,345 yards and 92 touchdowns this season. He has led Los Angeles to a four-game winning streak, completing 76-of-120 pass attempts for 1,077 yards, 25 touchdowns (two interceptions) during the run. In two of those contests, Graziani threw for more than 300 yards.

GIVING 100-PERCENT: Dallas QB JIM KUBIAK is No. 1 on fourth-down completion percentage, a perfect four-of-four. Here is a look at the top five:

PLAYER TEAM COMP-ATT PCT TD INT
Jim Kubiak Dallas Desperados 4-4 100.0 2 0
John Kaleo Tampa Bay 6-9 66.7 6 0
Mark Grieb San Jose 8-12 66.7 3 0
Tony Graziani Los Angeles 3-5 60.0 2 1
Aaron Garcia New York Dragons 4-7 57.1 1 1

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Tampa Bay Storm are 5-0 at home and have outscored their opponents 294-178 at St. Pete Times Forum, averaging 58.8 points per game. They have held their visiting opponents to 35.6 points per contests. To date, Tampa Bay has reached the 60-point plateau in three of five home games, pushing the team's all-time record to 37-0 when scoring 60-or-more points.

L.A.'S BIG RECEPTIONS: Four Avenger linemen – MATHIAS VAVAO (converted into a fullback/linebacker), TONY PLANTIN, VINCE AMEY and JOHN DEWITT – have quietly made a "heavy" impact in the Los Angeles passing game since the beginning of last season. With a combined weight of 1,170 pounds, the linemen have caught a total of 20 passes for 259 yards in the past 23 games. That's an average of 12.9 yards per reception for the "big men.

PLAYER WT REC AVG
Mathias Vavao 300 7-91 13.0
Tony Plantin 300 7-88 12.6
John DeWitt 275 3-48 16.0
Vince Amey 295 3-32 10.7
TOTAL 1,170 20-259 12.9

RECORD-MAKING MCGRIFF: Orlando Predators rookie OS TRAVIS MCGRIFF is on pace to record 1,568 receiving yards this season, shattering the AFL rookie mark held by former Portland WR/DB and current Miami Dolphins WR ORONDE GADSEN (1,335 in 1998). In the Predators' team annals, McGriff is on or near record-breaking pace in four categories:

CATEGORY THROUGHWEEK 9 PROJECTED RECORD HOLDER
TD Receptions 21 37 31 – Barry Wagner (1997)
Receiving Yards 882 1,568 1,527 – Barry Wagner (1997)
Receptions 52 92 99 - Barry Wagner (1997)
Yards/Catch 16.9 16.9 17.3 - Herkie Walls (1992)

WINDY CITY ‘D': Chicago's defense is currently ranked fourth in scoring defense (45.3 PPG) and total defense (258.6 YPG). The Rush's defensive unit has recorded a sack in each of the last five games. Chicago OL/DL JOHN MOYER is fourth in the League with 4.0 sacks and is the team's all-time leader with 8.0. Following are the League's top sack leaders:

PLAYER TEAM SACKS
Tom Briggs Dallas 7.5
E.J. Burt Orlando 5.0
Hugh Hunter Indiana 4.5
John Moyer Chicago 4.0
Ernest Allen Orlando 3.0
Israel Raybon Grand Rapids 3.0
Sam Hernandez San Jose 3.0
Kelvin Kinney Tampa Bay 3.0
B.J. Cohen Tampa Bay 3.0

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 3, 2003

• AFL Quick Hitters - AFL I
• AFL Must-See Matchups - AFL I
• Desperados Make Roster Moves - Dallas Desperados
• Firebirds Activate Philyaw from Injured Reserve - Albany/Indiana Firebirds
• AFL Launches New Online Store - AFL I

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