Sports stats



AFL I Arizona Rattlers

Arizona Rattlers game notes

February 14, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Arizona Rattlers News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Game: Utah Blaze at Arizona Rattlers

Date: Saturday, February 18, 2006

Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. (Mountain)

Site: Phoenix, Ariz.

Arena: U.S. Airways Center (16,321)

Television: None

Radio: ESPN Radio 860 AM (Kent Derdivanis, Dale Hellestrae, Craig Grialou)

Series Record: First meeting

Last Meeting: None

Officials: Riley Johnson (R), Rick Podraza (U), Julian Mapp (HL), Paul Engelberts (LJ), Bud McClesky (BJ)

Head Coaches: Arizona - Gene Nudo (first season, 0-3) Utah - Danny White (14th season overall, 122-57, 20-10 in playoffs, first in Utah, 1-2)

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Arizona: Antoine Ibrahim (602) 514-8302, cell (310) 628-0976, aibrahim@azrattlers.com

Utah: Tom Goodhines (801) 257-3483, cell (801) 633-7163, tomg@utahblaze.com

2006 RATTLERS: The Rattlers, who are off to their worst start in franchise history with three consecutive losses, still find themselves only a game behind the log jam of Western division teams, who are all 1-2. This week, Arizona faces one of those teams, as the expansion Utah Blaze come to town in the final leg of a three-game homestand. QB Sherdrick Bonner, who returned to the lineup after missing one game with a sprained throwing shoulder, looked sharp in the loss throwing for over 300 yards and five touchdowns. Despite his strong outing, the Rattlers defense gave up points on all but one possession to come up short in a loss to San Jose. New Rattler Head Coach Gene Nudo, who is on the sidelines this season for the first time since 1995 when he was an assistant, is searching for his first victory with a team that has brought back 12 returnees. Bonner needs just 30 touchdown passes to become the third player in AFL history to throw for 700. Another veteran, WR/LB Randy Gatewood has recorded touchdown receptions in each of the first three games and continues to contribute defensively. The team has also brought back FB/LB Bo Kelly, who enters his tenth season and had two rushing touchdowns last week. New faces include WR/LB Cosmo DeMatteo, who is coming off a career-high nine catches for 114 yards and 2TD performance, OS Damien Groce and WR/DB Jeremiah Pope. Of the 12 returnees, eight of them are linemen, including linemen Wendall Gaines, Kelvin Ingram, and Mark Tucker. Defensively, the team relies on veteran DS Clarence Lawson, who leads the team in tackles with 15.5 and veteran Joe Todd, who was a free agent acquisition.

THE SERIES: Although the teams meet for the first time, the road trip for Arizona's newest division rival will be a homecoming of sorts for several coaches and players. Blaze Head Coach Danny White coached the Rattlers during their first 13 seasons, while assistant Hunkie Cooper played with the Rattlers for the same tenure. The Blaze also have nine ex-Rattlers on their roster: OL/DL Jason Anderson, FB/LB Orshawante Bryant, OS Siaha Burley, WR/DB Ryan Dennard, QB Joe Germaine, OL/DL Bryan Henderson, DS Kelvin Hunter, WR/LB Tom Pace and WR/DB Justin Taplin.

ARIZONA RATTLERS (0-3)

Date Opponent Time(M) TV

Jan. 29 @ Los Angeles Loss 40-31

Feb. 3 Austin Loss 53-34

Feb. 12 San Jose Loss 55-50

Feb. 18 Utah 7:00 None

Feb. 24 @ Columbus 5:00 FSAZ

Mar. 6 Nashville 7:00 None

Mar. 10 Orlando 7:00 None

Mar. 17 @ Las Vegas 8:30 FSAZ

Mar. 24 Los Angeles 7:00 FSAZ

April 2 @ San Jose 3:00 NBC

April 7 @ Utah 7:00 FSAZ(delay)

April 15 Chicago 7:00 None

April 23 @ G. Rapids 11:00a None

April 29 @ Dallas 5:00 None

May 6 Las Vegas 7:00 None

May 12 @ Colorado 6:00 FSAZ(delay)

UTAH BLAZE (1-2)

Date Opponent Time(M) TV

Jan. 28 @San Jose Win 48-35

Feb. 4 Dallas Loss 53-56

Feb. 11 New York Loss 81-84

Feb. 18 @Arizona 7:00 None

Feb. 25 @Los Angeles 8:30 FSN

Mar. 4 San Jose 7:00 FSN

Mar. 10 Nashville 7:00 None

Mar. 16 @Grand Rapids 5:00 FSN

Mar. 24 Las Vegas 7:00 KJZZ

Apr. 1 @Tampa Bay 5:30 FSN

Apr. 7 Arizona 7:00 FSN

Apr. 15 Los Angeles 7:00 KJZZ

Apr. 21 @Colorado 7:00 None

Apr. 29 @Las Vegas 8:30 None

May 6 @Chicago 6:00 FSN

May 12 Kansas City 7:00 KJZZ

RATTLER HEAD COACH: Gene Nudo enters his first season as head coach to become the third head coach in franchise history. Nudo joined the Rattlers coaching staff in 1995 as an assistant head coach before becoming a part of the team's front office in 1996. A true pioneer in the AFL, Nudo coached the first-ever Arena Football games in Rockford, Ill. (1986) as well as its "Showcase Game" in Rosemont, Ill. (1987). He would later serve as the Director of Player Personnel and assistant coach for the Chicago Bruisers (1987-88), helping guide them to a berth in ArenaBowl II.

THIS WEEKS QUOTES:

Rattler head coach Gene Nudo on last week's loss to San Jose: "Despite the loss, I think we really made some progress, particularly on offense. Our guys are out there fighting, and they are going to have to continue to fight to change things around. I feel like our lineup has really balanced out. It seems that guys are starting to be on the same page."

Nudo on Utah: "They come in with a very explosive offense and have shown that through their first few games. They have built a good nucleus around a young quarterback that has a bright future in this league. Not only do they have a good group of players but are also well-coached. They come in here after a couple of close losses, so you have to expect they are just as anxious as we are to get a win."

Nudo on the keys to the game: "The team that plays more physical and with more emotion is probably going to come out on top. Our guys are fighting to get their first win while a lot of their guys would love to come in here and perform well. We are going to have to play a full 60 minutes against them. We are familiar with their offensive weapons like Burley, Bryant and Pace, so we are going to have to play at the top of our game."

ARIZONA RATTLERS

2005 Results (7-9)

Date Opponent Result Score

Jan. 28 @ G. Rapids Win 58-38

Feb. 3 Orlando Loss 51-40

Feb.12 @ Georgia Loss 61-47

Feb. 19 Colorado Loss 69-74

Feb. 27 @ New York Loss 61-37

Mar. 6 Los Angeles Loss 33-29

Mar. 13 @ Tampa Bay Loss 59-56

Mar. 19 Las Vegas Loss 66-63

Mar. 26 @ Nashville Win 48-35 (OT)

April 3 @ San Jose Loss 48-27

April 8 Columbus Win 70-53

April 22 Austin Win 52-26

April 30 @ Los Angeles Loss 59-56

May 6 Chicago Win 61-43

May 14 San Jose Win 54-44

May 22 @ Las Vegas Win 49-42

NEXT GAME: The Rattlers will hit the road for the first time since Week 1 when they travel to Columbus to take on the Destroyers on February 24. It will be the seventh-ever meeting between the teams. The game is set to kick off at 5:00 p.m. (MST) and can be heard on ESPN Radio 860 AM.

THE "IF" SECTION

If the Rattlers defeat Utah it would:

- be their fifth victory in their last seven home games

- be their seventh win in their last 11 games

- keep them within one game of the division lead

- give them a 1-3 start for the second-consecutive season

Rattlers Coaching HistorySeason - Head Coach Record

1992-2004 Danny White 122-57 (playoffs 20-10)

2005 Todd Shell 7-9

2006 Gene Nudo 0-3

DIVISION ADDITION: The league's Western division took new shape this year with the addition of the expansion Utah Blaze. The Blaze are coached by former Rattler head coach Danny White, who is the team's head coach, while former Rattler WR/LB Hunkie Cooper is an assistant.

SLOW STARTERS: The Rattlers have hardly been known for breaking out of the gates quickly in recent years. In their last four seasons, Arizona has a combined 8-19 record during the first half of the season. Despite the slow starts, the Rattlers were still able to make championship runs in 2003 and 2004.

Record to start seasonYear - season result First 8 (final overall record)

2003 lost ArenaBowl XVII 4-4 (13-7)

2004 lost ArenaBowl XVIII 3-5 (13-6)

2005 did not qualify for playoffs 1-7 (7-9)

2006 ??? 0-3

25 PERCENT OF THE TOP 20: The league's historical committee announced the top 20 players in AFL history on January 18, 2006. A total of five players with Rattler ties made the list, including current Rattler QB Sherdrick Bonner and WR/DB Randy Gatewood. Former Rattlers included WR/LB Hunkie Cooper, QB Aaron Garcia, and FB/LB Bob McMillen.

Top 20 Players of All-time

1. Eddie Brown - Albany, Indiana

2. Barry Wagner - Orlando, San Jose

3. George LaFrance - Detroit, Tampa Bay, New Jersey

4. Jay Gruden - Tampa Bay, Orlando

5. Hunkie Cooper - Arizona

6. James Baron - Chicago, Nashville

7. Sylvester Bembery - New England, Albany, Tampa

8. Sherdrick Bonner - Arizona

9. Stevie Thomas - Tampa Bay, Orlando, New Jersey

10. Dwayne Dixon - Washington, Detroit

11. Aaron Garcia - Arizona, Iowa, New York

12. Kurt Warner - Iowa

13 Sam Hernandez - Las Vegas, Anaheim, San Jose

14. Cory Fleming - Carolina, Orlando, Nashville

14. Greg Hopkins - Albany, Indiana, Los Angeles

16. Alvin Rettig - Detroit

17. Randy Gatewood - Arizona

17. Gary Mullen - Denver, Detroit, Cincinnati

19. John Corker - Detroit, Miami

20. Bob McMillen - Arizona, Chicago

13 = 8 = GREAT: Arizona quarterback Sherdrick Bonner is one of the league's best all-time field generals, as he was honored as eighth-greatest on the league's top 20 of all-time. In addition to owning every Rattler passing record, he is steadily working his way up the league charts. Currently, Bonner ranks in the top four in four different all-time passing stats with 33,458 passing yards (No. 3 on the AFL career chart), 670 touchdowns (No. 3), 4,324 pass attempts (No. 3), and 2,687 completions (No. 4). Bonner has also won more games than any other quarterback in AFL history with 94 regular season victories and 17 playoff wins.

Career Passing

1. Andy Kelly - Kansas City Brigade 37,523

2. Aaron Garcia - New York Dragons 35,545

3. Sherdrick Bonner - Arizona Ratters 33,458

Career Touchdowns

1. Aaron Garcia - New York Dragons 745

2. Andy Kelly - Kansas City Brigade 730

3. Sherdrick Bonner - Arizona Ratters 670

Career Attempts

1. Andy Kelly - Kansas City Brigade 5,496

2. Aaron Garcia - New York Dragons 4,413

3. Sherdrick Bonner - Arizona Ratters 4,324

Career Completions

1. Andy Kelly - Kansas City Brigade 3,427

2. Clint Dolezel - Dallas Desperados 2,811

3. Aaron Garcia - New York Dragons 2,739

4. Sherdrick Bonner - Arizona Ratters 2,687

SCORING MACHINE: WR/DB Randy Gatewood scored a touchdown in 13 of his 16 games last season. He scored a touchdown in all three games this season and has a total of 172 touchdowns in his career as a Rattler.

PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

Utah QB Joe Germaine: The Rattlers are no stranger to Germaine, who has lit up scoreboards in the past couple of weeks. Through three games, Germaine has become the leagues third-highest rated passer (132.1), throwing for more yards than any other passer (993). He has also thrown 20 touchdowns and just one interception. Last season, Germaine started in six games for the Rattlers, compiling a record of 2-4. In his six games, he threw for 40 touchdowns. Coming off a 444-yard, 10-touchdown performance in a losing effort, Germaine looks to add to his impressive numbers.

Arizona WR/LB Cosmo DeMatteo: DeMatteo had a career day with nine catches for 114 yards and touchdowns in last week's loss. With those numbers, it is apparent that he is becoming an important option for Sherdrick Bonner. DeMatteo will be expected to contribute even more this week as WR/LB Wilson Thomas went down with an elbow injury that could put him out for a few weeks. The two-year veteran has also made his presence felt on special team's recovering a net ball for a touchdown and an onside kick against San Jose. Playing against the league's second-highest scoring team, DeMatteo will have to contribute to the Rattler offense.

LAST GAME:

RATTLERS LOSE THIRD-STRAIGHT, 58-50

Phoenix, Ariz. (Feb. 12, 2006) -- For the third-consecutive week the Arizona Rattlers (0-3) went down in defeat, but unlike their past two battles, their defense was the weak link as they were unable to record a stop through the first three quarters in a 58-50 loss to the San Jose SaberCats (1-2) in front of 8,315 at US Airways Center.

The 0-3 start is the worst in Arizona franchise history while San Jose's win puts them in a four-way tie for the division lead as Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Utah are all at 1-2 after losses this week.

"I look at our team and we have some blood under our nails," said Rattler head coach Gene Nudo. "We are still out there fighting."

The story of the Rattlers' young season could be summed up by the first play of the fourth quarter.

On a fourth-and-three at midfield while facing a 16-point deficit, quarterback Sherdrick Bonner threw for offensive specialist Damien Groce, who was wide open in the endzone after burning by his defender. As Groce extended for the apparent touchdown, the ball went through his hands.

"I shouldn't have dropped that ball," Groce said. "I don't usually do things like that."

San Jose capitalized on the stop, converting their ninth-straight offensive score, a 24-yard touchdown strike to Calvin Schexnayder that helped put San Jose up, 58-35 with 13 minutes left.

It was San Jose's final points, but enough to seal the deal.

Arizona made an effort to get back in the game with two consecutive touchdowns, but an onside kick attempt was knocked out of bounds with 28 seconds left, to make the final 58-50.

Bonner, who returned after missing a week with a sprained shoulder, had a solid performance, connecting on 24-of-36 passes for 339 yards and five touchdowns.

The Rattlers struck first in the contest, opening with a Bo Kelly one-yard touchdown run, to take a 7-0 lead three minutes into the first quarter.

After a Schexnayder four-yard touchdown grab tied it at seven, the Rattlers committed a costly turnover - a Steve Warren fumble inside SaberCat territory before the end of the first quarter.

The Rattlers scored touchdowns on their next two possessions, but the SaberCats responded with three-consecutive scoring drives of their own, which were all capped by touchdown runs.

The two teams traded touchdowns in the final minute to give San Jose a 34-28 halftime lead.

The SaberCats opened the second half with their fourth rushing touchdown, a six-yard scamper by Phil Glover, extending their lead to 13.

After an interception by San Jose wide receiver/defensive back Charles Pauly on the Rattlers' first second half possession, Glover ran another one in, this time from two yards to cap a 28-7 scoring run and give the Sabercats a 48-28 lead.

It was the ninth rushing touchdown given up in two games by the Rattlers at US Airways Center.

The Rattlers wide receiver/defensive back Jeremiah Pope caught a 12-yard touchdown to cut it to 35-48 with 2:31 left in the third, but the next offensive series ended with the Groce drop on fourth down.

The teams traded touchdowns down the stretch while the Rattlers defense recorded their first stop in the final minute after San Jose missed a 29-yard field goal attempt.

Shexnayder earned "Offensive Player of the Game" honors with nine catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns while Pauly was named "Ironman of the Game".

SaberCat defensive specialist Clevan Thomas earned "Defensive Player of the Game" honors with eight tackles.

QUEST FOR THE 700 CLUB: Rattler quarterback Sherdrick Bonner needs just 30 touchdowns to become the third player in AFL history to throw for 700. New York Dragon QB Aaron Garcia and Kansas City Brigade QB Andy Kelly are the only other players to accomplish such a feat.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 14, 2006


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.

OurSports Central