Arizona Rattlers game notes
Published on March 14, 2007 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Arizona Rattlers News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Game: Arizona Rattlers @ Colorado Crush
Date: Friday, March 16, 2007
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. (Arizona), 7:00 p.m. (Colorado)
Site: Denver, Colo.
Arena: Pepsi Center (18,093)
Television: FSN - Rocky Mountain (available in Arizona on DirecTV ch. 645 and Dish ch. 414)
Radio: ESPN Radio 860 AM (Kent Derdivanis, Dan Manucci)
Internet: www.azrattlers.com
Series Record: Tied 3-3
Last Meeting: Colorado 59, Arizona 35 - May 12, 2006 at Pepsi Center, Denver
Officials: Dennis Lipski (R), Rick Nelson (U), Kavin McGrath
(HL), Darrel Leftwich (LJ), Rich Wilborn (BJ)
Head Coaches: Arizona - Gene Nudo (second season, 8-10); Colorado - Mike Dailey, (11th season, 100-65)
RATTLERS IN REVIEW: The Rattlers hit the road for their first away game of 2007 after dropping the first two games for the second consecutive season. Last week's 71-point output against the Blaze was nothing new for Arizona, which also posted 65 points in the loss to Georgia. The Rattlers' 136 total points this season ranks second in the league (Utah, 138). Arizona also ranks second in total offensive yards per game at 370.5 (Utah, 387.5) and total yards at 741 (Utah, 775). The Rattlers rank tops in the league in first downs (59). However, Arizona's defense has allowed a league-high 144 points, including 75 in a loss vs. Utah. Last year's Ironman of the Year Randy Gatewood leads the team in receiving yards with 218 yards, while Jeremiah Pope is pacing the squad with five touchdowns. Sherdrick Bonner continues to perform at a high level, completing 55 of his 86 passing attempts for 680 yards and 15 touchdowns.
THE SERIES: The series lead will be at stake when the Rattlers and Crush compete on Friday. The two teams have split the six all-time meetings, with Colorado taking the last contest 59-35 in Denver on May 12, 2006. Both clubs head into the game with plenty of championship experience as the franchises have played in a combined six ArenaBowls (5, Arizona, 1, Colorado) - winning three titles (2, Arizona, 1 Colorado).
ARIZONA RATTLERS (0-2)
Date Opponent Win/Loss Score
Mar. 3 Georgia L 65-69
Mar. 10 Utah L 71-75
Date Opponent Time (AZ) TV
Mar. 16 @ Colorado 7:00 None
Mar. 23 Las Vegas 7:00 None
Mar. 30 @ Kansas City 6:00 None
Apr. 6 @ Los Angeles 7:30 None
Apr. 14 Nashville 7:00 None
Apr. 20 @ Utah 6:00 None
Apr. 28 @ New York 4:00 FSAZ
May 5 San Jose 7:00 None
May 12 Austin 7:00 FSAZ(delay)
May 18 @ Tampa Bay 4:30 None
May 26 Chicago 7:00 FSAZ
June 3 @ Las Vegas 3:00 None
June 11 Los Angeles 7:00 ESPN2
June 16 @ San Jose 7:30 FSAZ
June 18-24 BYE WEEK
COLORADO CRUSH (1-1)
Date Opponent Win/Loss Record
Mar. 4 Grand Rapids L (42-44) 0-1
Mar. 10 Kansas City W (44-40) 1-1
Mar. 16 12Mar Arizona
Mar. 22 @ Philadelphia
Apr. 1 Nashville
Apr. 6 @ San Jose
Apr. 15 @ New York
Apr. 20 Las Vegas
Apr. 27 @ Kansas City
May 7 @ Chicago
May 11 @Nashville
May 18 Columbus
May 26 @ Grand Rapids
June 4 @ Utah
BYE WEEK
June 18 Chicago
June 25 Dallas
THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
Rattler head coach Gene Nudo on the Crush defense: "I think they're going to be the best defensive team we'll face this year. They've got an excellent pass rush."
Nudo on Colorado's potent Dutton to Harrell connection: "They've got a quarterback that gets the ball out on time and they've got arguably the best receiver in the league. Colorado's a very formidable team."
Nudo on playing in Colorado: "They definitely have a home field advantage. But one way to avoid that kind of stuff is to go out and play good football and take the crowd out of it."
Nudo on facing a team one-year removed from winning the ArenaBowl: "That's just like playing us. We've got guys who have played in the ArenaBowl too."
NEXT GAME: The Rattlers won't be playing games when the Las Vegas Gladiators (1-1) come to town on Fri. Mar 23. Arizona is 7-2 all-time against the Gladiators franchise (New Jersey and Las Vegas) and have a three-game winning streak vs. their division rival. Las Vegas is led by former NFL quarterback and Arizona Cardinal Shaun King, who ranks fourth in the league this season with 648 passing yards and Kevin Prentiss, who leads the AFL in receiving yards with 335.
The trip to Colorado allows Lakewood, Colo. resident SHERDRICK BONNER an opportunity to make a quick in-season return to his new home. The long-time Rattlers leader now resides in the Centennial state during the off-season with his wife and dog.
THE "IF" SECTION
If the Rattlers defeat the Crush it would:
- be their first win vs. Colorado since June 13, 2004 (45-41 at Arizona, post-season)
- be their first regular season win vs. Colorado since May 18, 2003 (59-48 at Colorado)
- be their first win of the 2007 season
- be their first road win since Apr. 7, 2006 (64-52 at Utah)
Rattlers Coaching History
Season - Head Coach Record
1992-2004 Danny White 141-57 (playoffs 20-10)
2005 Todd Shell 7-9
2006- Gene Nudo 8-8 (playoffs 1-1)
SLOW STARTERS: The Rattlers have hardly been known for breaking out of the gates quickly in recent years, though they've finished strong. In their last five seasons, Arizona is a combined 12-22 during the first half of the season, including last week's loss to Utah. Despite the slow starts, the Rattlers were still able to make title runs in 2003 and 2004 and advance to the semifinals.
Top of the Charts
The Rattlers rank among the AFL's top offenses this season following their 65-point output against the Force and 71-point game vs. the Blaze.
Following are categories where Arizona either leads or ranks near the top of the 19-team league:
Passing Yards - Total (2nd) 680 (Utah, 765)
Passing Attempts - Total (3rd) 86 (San Jose, 91)
Passing Completions - Total (4th) 55 (San Jose, 62)
Rushing Yards Per Game (3rd) 31.0 (Kansas City, 56.5)
Total Offensive Yds. Per Game (2nd) 370.5 (Utah, 387.5
First Downs - Total (1st) 59 (Los Angeles, 50)
Total Points Scored (2nd) 136 (Utah, 138)
BO KELLY - Arizona's all-time rushing leader - is up to his old tricks once again. Kelly ranks second in the league this season with 63 yards, two behind league leader Charles Frederick of the Brigade. He's also tied for second this season with three rushing touchdowns.
Two of the Arena Football League's top receivers from last season face off in Arizona's RANDY GATEWOOD and Colorado's DAMIEN HARRELL. The pair is among the league's all-time greats and last season was no exception. Both Gatewood and Harrell took home some season-ending hardware as Gatewood earned his second career Ironman of the Year award, while Harrell was named the AFL's Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Arizona will seek to rebound from last season's sub-.500 road record when the team plays its first away game of this season on Saturday in Colorado. The road was rough for the Rattlers last season, as the team went 2-7 away from the Snake Pit in 2006, including a 62-48 semifinal playoff defeat at San Jose. Overall, Arizona has gone 64-48 (.571) on the road throughout the team's 15-year history. The Rattlers are 1-2 all-time in the mile high city.
The Rattlers active roster features three players who played college football in the state of Arizona. Both OL/DL VINCE AMEY and ALBREY BATTLE suited up at Arizona State, helping to lead ASU to an undefeated PAC-10 season and a trip to the Rose Bowl. Rookie OL/DL BRANDON PHILLIPS is a Chandler native who played his high school ball at Tempe's Corona Del Sol before going on to the University of Arizona. Two former Sun Devils - WR/DB JOSH GOLDEN and WR JUSTIN TAPLIN - are on the Rattlers practice squad. Taplin is also an Arizona native who graduated from Tempe High School.
Push could come to shove this Friday when one of the league's top offenses faces off with one of the season's best defenses. While Arizona's aerial attack and high-octane offense has averaged 68 points a game, Colorado has controlled the pace of their games, holding opponents to 42 points per game. The Crush has held the opposition to 10 touchdowns this season, which is tied for the fourth stingiest. Meanwhile, the Rattlers are tied for the AFL's lead with 20 touchdowns (Utah).
GENE NUDO
Rattlers Head Coach: 2nd Season Regular Season: 8-10 (.444)
Postseason: 1-1 (.500)
Gene Nudo, the AFL's only three-time Executive of the Year, is celebrating his 13th season with the Arizona Rattlers and second as the team's head coach. In his first year at the helm, Nudo led the Rattlers to their 13th playoff appearance in franchise history. He guided the Rattlers to the American Conference Semifinal after a Wild Card Round playoff victory over the Utah Blaze.
Nudo, who joined the Rattlers as an assistant head coach in 1995 after serving as the Arena Football League's Vice President of Football Operations, became the team's Vice President of Administration the following season. Nudo has also served as the team's Vice President of Operations for eight seasons before becoming general manager in 2004.
While overseeing day-to-day football operations, Nudo helped the Rattlers earn five consecutive commissioner awards for the AFL's "Best Organization" (1996-2000), while earning an unprecedented three "Executive of the Year" awards (1997, 1999, 2000). Formerly a member of the AFL Board of Directors Executive Committee, Nudo has also served as the chairman of the AFL's Rules and Competition Committee and as a member of the league's Labor Relations Committee. Nudo is currently the chairman of the rules and competition subcommittee. He was instrumental in helping the AFL and its players enter into an interim collective bargaining agreement in 2000.
Nudo began his coaching career in 1981 as head coach of the River Grove Cowboys of Chicago's Metropolitan Football League. As a head coach, he won five championships in six seasons, including the 1984 AFA Semi-Professional National Championship in Mobile, Ala. He would later lead Chicago's Driscoll Catholic High School to an undefeated 1991 Illinois State High School Championship.
MIKE DAILEY
Crush Head Coach: 11th Season (4th in Colorado)
Regular Season: 100-65 (.670)
Dailey enters his fourth season in Colorado and 11th as head coach in the AFL, after becoming the Crush's second head coach on June 26, 2003. Dailey joined the Crush following 13 seasons in the Albany/Indiana Firebirds organization, including the final seven as head coach.
One of the most successful and well-respected coaches AFL history, Dailey's teams have compiled an overall record of 100-65, a winning percentage of 60.7. His teams have also made eight postseason appearances and he won five division titles and two championships.
Following the Crush's 44-40 victory over Kansas City on March 2007, Dailey became only the fourth head coach in history to surpass the 100 win mark. He currently stands the league fourth all-time winningest coach.
In his first season in Colorado, Dailey helped guide Crush to the largest turnaround in AFL history, inheriting 2-14 team and leading them to an 11-5 record in 2004. 1999, Dailey led the Albany Firebirds to their ArenaBowl championship and was named AFL Coach of Year. Before being named head coach of the Firebirds 1997, Dailey served as an assistant in Albany for seasons.
Dailey began his AFL coaching career with the Washington Commandos where he served as offensive/defensive line coach in 1990. He joined the Firebirds organization in the same capacity in 1991.
Prior to the AFL, Dailey worked as an assistant coach at Towson State University and was the offensive coordinator at Montgomery College-Rockville (Md.). Dailey got his start in coaching in 1981 as a 22-year-old assistant at Georgetown Prep High School in Rockville, Md. The move to coaching followed a semi-pro football career in the Washington D.C. area.
Recap: WEEK 2
Rattlers vs. Utah Blaze
Mar. 10, 2007 Attendance: 9,594.
RATTLERS BURNED BY BLAZE 75-71
PHOENIX - The Rattlers (0-2) were burned on Saturday night by a Blaze (2-0) team that's proven to possess a penchant for the dramatic. Joe Germaine's 23-yard pass to Orshawante Bryant with 14 seconds remaining was the encore for a Utah unit that defeated New Orleans the previous week on a last-second field goal.
However, despite the 433 yards thrown by Germaine and his 10 touchdowns - seven of which went to the hands of former Sun Devil Ryan Dennard - it was an on-side kick that proved to be the difference maker.
Down 71-62 with 45 seconds remaining in the game, Utah scored to close to within two at 71-69. The Blaze followed by recovering the on-side kick at their own 16-yard line, leading to the drive that gave Utah only its second lead of the game.
"That on-side kick at the end of the game - they had tried it earlier in the game and couldn't convert on it," Sherdrick Bonner said. "They got a good bounce, the scramble happened and their guy got it. At that point Utah pretty much knew they were in control of what was going to happen in the game. Coach (Danny) White, like he always does, worked the clock and left us little time to try to get something done."
Arizona made a last try to get something done and re-write the game story with its own dramatic ending, but fell just short as Bonner completed a 10-yard pass to Jeremiah Pope, who was tackled at the 3-yard line as time expired.
"As the clock started winding down, we knew it was going to come down to the last person with the ball would have an opportunity to win," Randy Gatewood said. "It's back to the drawing board. We've got to see where it went wrong and see how we can get better."
The Rattlers rebounded early from last week's slow start with a 39-point first half and a strong defensive effort that held the Blaze to 27 points at the break. However, the tide turned with a second half that saw Utah outscore Arizona 48-32.
"As a defensive unit we've got to hold up our end a lot more," Keyuo Craver said. "We need to get them a couple of stops because we know as good as Sherdrick is that he can't win it by himself."
Though it'd be easy for a Rattlers team at 0-2 for the second consecutive season to have its doubts, the guys in the black, copper and teal garb aren't ready to push the panic button and are focused on preparing for their first road trip of the season this Friday night in Colorado.
"It's real early in the season," Craver said. "Nobody needs to get down on each other. We know every game's going to be a fight. We just need to relax, regroup, refocus and win."
Joe Todd earned Defensive Player of the Game honors. Todd's interception early in the second quarter helped lead to a drive that gave Arizona a 26-13 lead. Todd also broke up a pass and tied Craver for the game-high in tackles with 7.5.
Todd's interception came during a streak of three consecutive Rattlers scores, which also featured a defensive stop.
Germaine earned Offensive Player of the Game honors, while Dennard's 181 receiving yards and seven touchdowns along with four tackles earned him the game's Ironman award.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 14, 2007
- Avenger double days - Los Angeles Avengers
- Kats Sign Maurice Brown, Fitu Tuua, Brendan Givan, Make Additional Changes - Nashville Kats
- Week three brings "madness" as teams jockey for divisional playoffs - AFL I
- Fryzel goes on IR, Preds sign James from practice squad - Orlando Predators
- Rampage Take on Philadelphia Soul Tomorrow - Grand Rapids Rampage
- Arizona Rattlers game notes - Arizona Rattlers
- Destroyers to open home schedule Saturday - Columbus Destroyers
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.
