AFL I Arizona Rattlers

Arizona Rattlers game notes

Published on February 21, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Arizona Rattlers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Game: Arizona Rattlers at Columbus Destroyers
Date: Friday, February 24, 2006
Kickoff: 5:00 p.m. (Mountain)
Site: Columbus, Ohio
Arena: Nationwide Arena (17,171)
Television: FSN Arizona
Radio: ESPN Radio 860 AM (Kent Derdivanis, Dale Hellestrae, Craig Grialou)
Series Record: Arizona leads 5-1
Last Meeting: Arizona 70, Columbus 53 - April 8, 2005 at America West Arena
Officials: Steve Pamon (R), Wes Fritz (U), Neil Brunner (HL), R.G. Detillier (LJ), Tony Lombardo (BJ)
Head Coaches: Arizona - Gene Nudo (first season, 1-3) Columbus - Doug Kay (third season overall, 16-28, first in Columbus, 1-3)

2006 RATTLERS: The Rattlers, who were off to their worst start in franchise history after three-straight losses, broke their losing skid with a 45-38 victory over Utah last week. The win put Arizona in a five-team tie for first in the West as every other team in the division sits at 1-3. After three consecutive home games, the team hits the road to take on the Destroyers in their first-ever trip to Columbus. New Rattler Head Coach Gene Nudo, who is on the sidelines this season for the first time since 1995 when he was an assistant, looks to build off of his first victory with a team that has brought back 12 returnees. QB Sherdrick Bonner has looked sharp since returning from a shoulder injury, throwing for 656 yards and ten touchdowns in his last two games. He needs just 25 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 four games and continues to contribute defensively. The team has also brought back FB/LB Bo Kelly, who enters his tenth season while new faces include OS Damien Groce, who has become the team's leading receiver with 23 catches for 366 yards and five touchdowns. Other key additions include WR/LB Cosmo DeMatteo, who has caught 14 passes in the last two games, and WR/DB Jeremiah Pope. Of the 12 returnees, eight of them are linemen, including Wendall Gaines, Kelvin Ingram, and Mark Tucker. Defensively, the team relies on veteran DS Clarence Lawson, who leads the team in tackles with 22.5 and veteran Joe Todd, who has recorded one interception.
THE SERIES: This will be the seventh meeting between the two clubs and the first-ever in Columbus. Two of the previous six games took place in Buffalo, before the team moved to Columbus in 2004. The Rattlers split the two road games of the series but are 4-0 versus the Destroyers at home. The most recent contest was a 70-53 Arizona victory at America West Arena on April 8, 2005. Columbus' lone win of the series took place during a 49-45 victory on February 14, 2003 in Buffalo.

ARIZONA RATTLERS (1-3)
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 Win 45-38
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 OLN
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)

COLUMBUS DESTROYERS (1-3)
Date Opponent Time(M) TV
Jan. 29 Grand Rapids Win 53-30
Feb. 3 @ Nashville Loss 53-27
Feb. 11 Dallas Loss 52-38
Feb. 19 @ Kansas City Loss 45-24
Feb. 24 Arizona 5:00 FSN
Mar. 3 @ New York 5:30 FSN
Mar. 10 Georgia 5:00 None
Mar. 18 Philadelphia 5:00 FSN
Mar. 25 @ Colorado 7:00 FSN
Apr. 1 @ Dallas 6:00 FSN
Apr. 9 Orlando Noon OLN
Apr. 14 New York 4:00 None
Apr. 21 @ Philadelphia 4:00 None
Apr. 29 @ Austin 5:00 None
May 6 Tampa Bay 4:00 None
May 13 @ San Jose 7:30 None


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 victory over Utah: "Our guys did a good job of controlling a very explosive offense. I was proud of the way our defense performed. Offensively we are still not where we should be but we are getting better. We have been working hard for the last couple of months to get this result. We now have to build on it."

Nudo on Columbus: "They are a well-coached team that has a good group of players. I know Doug Kay well, especially since he won an ArenaBowl here in 1997. They have a bright star in Jerald Brown, a guy that we tried to keep here and really miss. Their team has been hit by injuries like us so they are on a three-game skid like we were. They also bring in a very experienced quarterback in John Kaleo"

Nudo on the season thus far: "We continue to get hit hard by injuries. I think that our fullbacks and receivers are getting better each game, but we are going to need our players that are in for the hurt guys to pick up the pace. Guys like (Jeremiah) Pope and (Talib) Wise are going to have a chance to come in here and make a difference. Our division is wide open right now. We need to keep making progress."

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 return home for the first of two consecutive games at US Airways Center when the Nashville Kats come into town on March 4. It will be the seventh-ever meeting between the teams. The game is set to kick off at 7:00 p.m. (MST) and can be heard on ESPN Radio 860 AM.

THE "IF" SECTION
If the Rattlers defeat Columbus it would:
- be their first road victory of the season
- be their first-ever win in Columbus
- be their eighth win in their last 12 games
- give them a share of the division lead at 2-3
- give them their first win in the eastern time zone since 1/28/05

Rattlers Coaching History
Season - Head Coach
Record
1992-2004 Danny White 122-57
(playoffs 20-10)
2005 Todd Shell 7-9
2006 Gene Nudo 1-3

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 9-19 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 season
Year - 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 ??? 1-3

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 33,723 passing yards (No. 3 on the AFL career chart), 670 touchdowns (No. 3), 4,357 pass attempts (No. 3), and 2,702 completions (No. 4). Bonner has also won more games than any other quarterback in AFL history with 95 regular season victories and 17 playoff wins.

Career Passing Yards
1. Andy Kelly - Kansas City Brigade 37,776
2. Aaron Garcia - New York Dragons 35,912
3. Sherdrick Bonner - Arizona Ratters 33,723

Career Touchdowns
1. Aaron Garcia - New York Dragons 753
2. Andy Kelly - Kansas City Brigade 732
3. Sherdrick Bonner - Arizona Ratters 675

Career Attempts
1. Andy Kelly - Kansas City Brigade 5,532
2. Aaron Garcia - New York Dragons 4,453
3. Sherdrick Bonner - Arizona Ratters 4,357

Career Completions
1. Andy Kelly - Kansas City Brigade 3,451
2. Clint Dolezel - Dallas Desperados 2,866
3. Aaron Garcia - New York Dragons 2,769
4. Sherdrick Bonner - Arizona Ratters 2,702

SCORING MACHINE: WR/DB Randy Gatewood scored a touchdown in 13 of his 16 games last season. He scored a touchdown in all four games this season and has a total of 173 touchdowns in his career as a Rattler.

PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

Columbus DS Gerald Brown: Brown will face his former team coming off a career performance in which he recorded six tackles and two interceptions (both in the endzone). The second-year veteran, who was converted to a defensive specialist this year, caught 13 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns with the Rattlers last season while recording 13 tackles defensively. If Columbus is going to have any chance of stopping Rattler quarterback Sherdrick Bonner, Brown will have to have another have another performance similar to the one he had last week against Kansas City.

Arizona OS Damien Groce: Groce, who is coming off of his best game as a Rattler as he went away with "Offensive Player of the Game" honors in last week's win against Utah, looks to make his return to Columbus a big one. The five-year veteran who was the Destroyer's leading receiver last season while catching 116 passes for 1,426 yards and 21 touchdowns would like nothing more than to light up the scoreboard that he is all too familiar with. If the Rattlers are able to utilize Groce like they did last week, it could be long day for the Destroyers, who have only averaged 29 points on offense in their last three outings.

LAST GAME:
SNAKES SNAP LOSING STREAK, 45-38

Phoenix, Ariz. (Feb. 18, 2006) -- The Arizona Rattlers (1-3) found their first win of the season in an unexpected defensive battle, 45-38, over the expansion Utah Blaze (1-3) in front of 11,206 at US Airways Center Saturday night.

The win broke a three-game losing streak for the Rattlers, which was the longest drought to start the season in franchise history.

"We're still not where we should be," said Rattler head coach Gene Nudo. "This is a good step in the right direction though."

The victory also put the Rattlers in a three-way tie in the division with Las Vegas and Utah. They trail the division-leading San Jose SaberCats by a half of a game.

Offensive specialist Damien Groce earned "Offensive Player of the Game" honors, recording 11 catches for 194 yards and four touchdowns. His fourth score was a 23-yard grab that put the game out of reach, 45-31, with 26 seconds left.

"The Rattlers brought me here to make plays," Groce said. "All week we were trying to stay focused and get our first win."

Defensive specialist Joe Todd was "Defensive Player of the Game", finishing with seven tackles and five pass breakups. Todd was also responsible for two key stops, intercepting a Joe Germaine pass in the second quarter while the game was tied at 14 and breaking up a pass intended for Blaze wide receiver/defensive back Orshawante Bryant on a Blaze fourth down while Utah was trailing by three points with 7:28 to go in the contest.

Arizona, who led 28-21 at halftime, ended the first half scoring with a 16-yard Randy Gatewood touchdown from Sherdrick Bonner. Gatewood earned "Ironman of the Game" honors with three catches for 32 yards and three tackles on defense.

It looked to be a long night for the Rattlers early as Bonner's second pass of the game was intercepted by former Rattler wide receiver/linebacker Tom Pace.

The Blaze took advantage of the turnover when Kevin Clemens ran in a seven-yard score to give Utah a 7-0 lead.

"We couldn't get a break offensively most of the game," said Bonner, who finished the game 22-of-33 for 315 yards and five touchdowns. "Fortunately, our defense kept us in it."

The teams traded touchdowns before the Todd interception. It was the Rattlers' only defensive stop of the first half.

During the second half, Arizona recorded four stops and their first two sacks of the season.

Lineman Wendall Gaines recorded the first one on a third down that forced Utah into a missed 54-yard field goal with the game tied at 21.

The second sack was by lineman Kelvin Ingram on a third down late in the fourth quarter that forced the Blaze into a 35-yarder that cut their deficit to seven, 38-31.

After an unsuccessful onside attempt on the proceeding kickoff, Arizona took a 45-31 lead with under a minute left when Groce caught his fourth score.

The win over former Rattler head coach Danny White, marked the first of new head coach Gene Nudo's young career.

"I have a lot of respect for him," said Nudo. "To come in here and hold a team that scored 80 points last week was a big accomplishment."

UTAH (1-3) 14 7 7 10 -- 38
ARIZONA (1-3) 7 21 0 17 -- 45

QUEST FOR THE 700 CLUB: Rattler quarterback Sherdrick Bonner needs just 25 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.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: The Rattlers rank fourth in the league in pass defense, allowing just 909 yards in four games (227 yards/per game average.)

Passing Defense Avg.
Yds per game
1. Los Angeles Avengers 782 195.5
2. Nashville Kats 870 217.5
3. Kansas City Brigade 906 226.5
4. Arizona Rattlers 909 227.2

RECENT ROSTER MOVES:
Date Action Player
2/17 Re-signed QB Sherdrick Bonner
WR/LB Randy Gatewood
OL/DL Mark Tucker
Activated from IR WR/DB Curtis Fagan
OL/DL Kelvin Ingram
Placed on IR OL/DL Ethan Banning
WR/LB Wilson Thomas
Signed to practice squad QB Dennis Gile
2/16 Signed to practice squad OL/DL Ricky Gaspar

2/11 Activated from IR OL/DL Anthony Hutch
OL/DL Steve Warren
2/10 Re-signed OL/DL Anthony Hutch
2/8 Waived OL/DL Ricky Gaspar
QB Dennis Gile
OL/DL Trevor Misipeka
2/2 Signed OL/DL Ricky Gaspar
QB Dennis Gile
OL/DL Zach Rupp
2/1 Signed OS Damien Groce
Placed on IR OL/DL Kelvin Ingram
FB/LB Frank Trentadue
1/31 Released OS Shannon Culver
1/26 Placed on practice squad OL/DL Ricky Gaspar
QB Dennis Gile
OS Darrell Jones
OL/DL Zach Rupp
1/21 Placed on IR OL/DL Sebastian Barrie
DS Wendell Davis
WR/LB Curtis Fagan
FB/LB Asi Faoa
OL/DL Anthony Hutch
OL/DL Steve Mascorro
FB/LB Steve Warren
Placed on Recallable Waivers OL/DL Ricky Gaspar
QB Dennis Gile
OS Darrell Jones
OL/DL Zach Rupp

THE RATTLERS ARE ...
- 1-2 at US Airways Center
- 0-1 on the road
- 0-0 when they score more than 50 points
- 0-0 when they score 60 or more points
- 1-3 when they allow less than 60 points
- 1-1 when they allow less than 50 points
- 1-0 when they allow less than 40 points
- 0-2 when they score first
- 0-0 when they commit fewer turnovers
- 0-2 when they commit more turnovers
- 1-0 when a player scores three or more touchdowns
- 0-1 when they score two or more TDs on the ground
- 1-1 when Sherdrick Bonner throws five or more TDs
- 1-0 when Damien Groce scores two or more TDs
- 1-0 when Damien Groce catches seven or more passes
- 0-1 when Bo Kelly scores two or more TDs
- 0-2 when they commit fewer penalties
- 1-0 when they record at least one sack
- 1-1 when they go scoreless for at least one quarter
- 0-0 when they pitch a shutout in a quarter
- 1-0 when the game is decided by 7 or fewer points
- 1-1 when leading at halftime
- 0-2 when trailing at halftime

ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS:

AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Western Division
W L Pct. Pts. OP
Arizona 1 3 .250 160 189
Las Vegas 1 3 .250 186 231
Los Angeles 1 3 .250 160 209
San Jose 1 3 .250 193 215
Utah 1 3 .250 220 220

Central Division
W L Pct. Pts. OP
Colorado 3 1 .750 227 228
Nashville 3 1 .750 223 147
Chicago 2 2 .500 224 217
Grand Rapids 2 2 .500 205 197

NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Eastern Division
W L Pct. Pts. OP
Dallas 3 1 .750 215 191
Philadelphia 3 1 .750 207 173
New York 2 2 .500 222 260
Columbus 1 3 .250 142 180

Southern Division
W L Pct. Pts. OP
Austin 4 0 1.000 210 162
Orlando 3 1 .750 193 186
Georgia 2 2 .500 221 187
Tampa Bay 2 2 .500 210 222
Kansas City 1 3 .250 163 167

THIS WEEK IN THE AFL (all times EST):

Friday, February 24
Arizona at Columbus 7:00 p.m.
Kansas City at Georgia 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 25
Austin at Tampa Bay 5:00 p.m.
Grand Rapids at Nashville 8:00 p.m.
Las Vegas at Dallas 9:00 p.m.
Utah at Los Angeles 10:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 26
San Jose at Chicago 1:00 p.m.
Orlando at New York 1:00 p.m.
Colorado at Philadelphia 1:00 p.m.

LAST WEEKS RESULTS

Friday, February 17
Austin 56, Dallas 49
Georgia 54, Las Vegas 34

Saturday, February 18
Colorado 36, Nashville 58
Utah 38, Arizona 45
Chicago 65, Los Angeles 46

Sunday, February 19
San Jose 52, Grand Rapids 66
Columbus 24, Kansas City 45
New York 59, Philadelphia 75
Orlando 67, Tampa Bay 64 (OT)

ARIZONA CONNECTIONS: The Rattlers have three players with local connections: OL/DL Vince Amey (Arizona State alum), OL/DL Ethan Banning (coaches at Scottsdale Community College), and QB Dennis Gile (prepped at Cortez High in Phoenix). Two Rattlers - OL/DL Wendall Gaines and OL/DL Mark Tucker - played for the Arizona Cardinals.

NFL RATTLERS: Twelve Rattlers have spent time on NFL rosters - OL/DL Vince Amey (1998 Oakland), OL/DL Sebastian Barrie (1992 Green Bay, 1994 San Francisco and Arizona), QB Sherdrick Bonner (1998 Atlanta), DS Wendell Davis (1996-99 Dallas, 1999 Washington), WR/DB Curtis Fagan (2005 Tampa Bay), OL/DL Wendall Gaines (1993-96 Arizona, 1997 Kansas City, 1998-99 Philadelphia), WR/DB Randy Gatewood (1995 Miami), OL/DL Kelvin Ingram (1995-96 New Orleans, 1996-97 Seattle), WR/DB Jeremiah Pope (2004 Philadelphia), WR/DB Wilson Thomas (2003 Kansas City, 2004), OL/DL Mark Tucker (1991 Atlanta, 1992 Indianapolis, 1993-94 Arizona, 1995 Jacksonville), and WR/DB Talib Wise (2005 Chicago). Three Ratters -- Amey (7th round), Davis (6th round), and Tucker (7th round) -- were NFL Draft picks. Davis is the most experienced, having played in 34 NFL games.

INDIVIDUAL GAME-BY-GAME AWARDS

"OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME": Voted on by the media, the award goes to the player who was the most valuable to his team's offensive success in the game, win or lose.
W Opp. Offensive Player of the Game
1 @ Los Angeles K Remy Hamilton (L.A.)
4-for-4 on FG's, 3-of-3 on XP's, 15 pts
2 Austin QB John Fitzgerald (AUS)
16-of-29, 122 yds, 2TD's, 1 rush TD
3 San Jose WR/LB Calvin Schexnayder (S.J.)
9 catches, 147 yards, 2TD's
4 Utah OS Damien Groce (ARI)
11 catches, 194 yards, 4TD's
5 @ Columbus

"U.S. ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME": Voted on by the media, the award goes to the two-way player who best demonstrated the ideals of the AFL's style of ironman football

W Opp. Ironman of the Game
1 @ Los Angeles WR/DB Kevin Ingram (L.A.)
7 catches, 126 yards, 1TD, 1 INT
2 Austin FB/LB Dane Krager (AUS)
9 rushes, 22 yds, 3TD's, 2 tackles
3 San Jose WR/DB Charles Pauly (S.J.)
3 catches, 78 yds, 1TD, 1INT
4 Utah WR/DB Randy Gatewood (ARI)
3 catches, 32 yds, 1TD, 3 tckls, 1PB
5 @ Columbus

"ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME": Voted on by the media, the award goes to the player who was the
most valuable to his team's defensive success in the game, win or lose.
W Opp. Defensive Player of the Game
1 @ Los Angeles WR/DB Kevin Ingram (L.A.)
2 tackles, 1 interception
2 Austin DS Damon Mason (AUS)
4 tackles, 3 pass breakups, 3 INT's
3 San Jose DS Clevan Thomas (S.J.)
9 tackles, 1 forced fum., 1 breakup
4 Utah DS Joe Todd (ARI)
7 tackles, 5 pass breakups, 1 INT
5 @ Columbus

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