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AFL I Arizona Rattlers

Arizona Rattlers game notes

April 25, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Arizona Rattlers News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Game: Arizona Rattlers at New York Dragons

Date: Saturday, April 28, 2007

Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. (AZ Time)

Site: Uniondale, N.Y.

Arena: Nassau Coliseum (11,985)

Television: FSN Arizona (Gus Johnson, Wayne Morris)

Radio: ESPN Radio 860-AM KMVP (Kent Derdivanis, Dale Hellestrae)

Internet: www.azrattlers.com

Series Record: Rattlers lead 6-5 (all-time), including games against both the Iowa Barnstormers and New York Dragons

Last Meeting: New York 61, Arizona 37, Feb. 27, 2005 @ New York

Officials: Bill McCabe (R), Jeff Carr (U), Kelly Saalfeld

(HL), Dirk Bell (LJ), Reggie Smith (BJ)

Head Coaches: Arizona - Gene Nudo (second season, 10-14); New York - Weylan Harding (3rd season; 20-12)

RATTLERS IN REVIEW: The Rattlers rebounded from a three-game losing streak with a fury, posting a franchise-record 83 points in a win at division-rival Utah. DARRELL JONES, kick started Arizona's evening with a pair of returns for touchdowns, one on a kickoff and the other on a missed field goal. SHERDRICK BONNER had a near perfect performance, completing 17 of his 19 passes for 348 yards and nine touchdowns. RANDY GATEWOOD made a triumphant return from injured reserve to catch six balls for 118 yards and five touchdowns. Though the Rattlers are 2-6 at the midway point of the season, both of their wins have come against division rivals and they trail Western Division leader Utah by just three games. After Saturday's game in New York, three of Arizona's next four contests are at the Snake Pit.

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Rattlers head coach Gene Nudo on the Dragons: "New York has possibly the best secondary in the league, in my opinion. On top of that, (Mike) Horacek is one of the best receivers in the league. I'm very impressed with their team."

Nudo on understanding the hunger of a 1-6 team: "Quite frankly, I look at them a lot like I look at us. They don't feel like they're a 1-6 team and they probably shouldn't be a 1-6 team."

Nudo on building upon last week's win: "We need to be consistent. I think we're working really well in practice this week and I'm excited for the opportunity to compete and see if we can't go out and string a couple of wins together."

NEXT GAME: The Rattlers return home to the Snake Pit next Saturday after a pair of away games to face long-time rival San Jose for the first of two meetings this season. The SaberCats are 4-3 and stand in the way of Arizona's quest to reach the post-season. Next week will mark the 30th time the two teams have tangled, with San Jose holding a slim 14-15 advantage. The SaberCats are once again led by quarterback Mark Grieb, who's 122.6 rating ranks just below Bonner.

Return to Sender

Darrell Jones put his electric athletic ability on display last Friday as he took a kickoff return 56 yards to the end zone in the first quarter and closed out the opening half with a 55-yard touchdown off a missed field goal attempt. Jones also had a two-touchdown return performance last season against Orlando when he took a pair of kickoffs to the house. Jones' touchdowns against Utah last week were the first for Arizona this season and the team's first touchdowns on a return since Jones' two-touchdown performance (which also included a touchdown return by Cosmo DeMatteo) on Mar. 10, 2006. His touchdown return on the missed field goal is the first such in the league this season.

THE "IF" SECTION

If the Rattlers defeat the Dragons it would:

- be their first win against the Dragons since Feb. 29, 2004 (53-41 in Phoenix)

- be their first road win against the New York/Iowa franchise since July 22, 2000 (58-50 at Iowa)

- be their second consecutive road win this season

- be their first winning streak this season

Rattlers Coaching History

Season - Head Coach Record

1992-2004 Danny White 141-57 (playoffs 20-10)

2005 Todd Shell 7-9

2006- Gene Nudo

One for the Record Books

Last week's 83-point performance by the Rattlers in a win at Utah was a game for the record books. Not only was the win an important victory against a division rival, but a number of team records were either broken or came close to falling in the wake of Arizona's offensive explosion:

New Records

Most points in a game - 83

Most points scored in a half - 48 (1st half)

Most touchdowns in a game - 12

Most passing TDs in a game - 9 (tied record)

In addition, Sherdrick Bonner became the first quarterback in AFL history to have 12 seasons with at least 2,000 passing yards. Also, his 17-for-19 passing percentage of 89.5 percent would have broken the team record of 88 percent he set vs. Chicago on May 6, 2005 if not for the technicality that Bonner's game in Utah fell one attempt short of the 20-attempt minimum for the statistic.

Flock of Cardinals

The Rattlers have faced more than their fair share of former Arizona Cardinals quarterbacks this season and the list will likely grow this weekend in New York. One-time Cardinal Rohan Davey is expected to start this week for the Dragons in place of Aaron Garcia, who continues to rehab a leg injury suffered last season. Davey was a backup quarterback for the Cardinals in 2005 and was released prior to the 2006 season, though he recorded no statistics. The former LSU star marks the third former Cardinals signal caller the Rattlers have faced this season, having gone up against Georgia's Chris Griesen and Las Vegas' Shaun King - who has since been released by the Gladiators. On a side note, current Cardinals backup quarterback and former Iowa Barnstormer Kurt Warner performed the honorary coin flip at the Rattlers season opening game against Georgia.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...

Okay. Maybe Randy Gatewood isn't Superman, but it's definitely hard to figure out if this Ironman has a kryptonite. Gatewood returned from a four-game hiatus on injured reserve to catch six balls for 118 yards and five touchdowns. In addition, a suddenly shorthanded defensive backfield had Gatewood lining up on the defensive side of the ball once again, reminiscent of the player who has won a pair of Ironman of the Year awards, including last season's honor.

Point, Counterpoint

A contrast in scoring will be on display this weekend when the Rattlers and Dragons do battle. Though their records are similar - Arizona at 2-6, New York at 1-6 - the two teams have had far different outputs on offense. The Rattlers are fourth in the league this season with 483 points scored, including last week's 83-point performance at Utah. On the flip side, the Dragons are last in the league this season with 314 points scored, including a season-low seven points in a 60-7 Week 1 loss vs. Dallas.

Ground Attack

BO KELLY continues to keep pace among the league's top rushers this season. Kelly ranks second in rushing touchdowns with 10 (24, Dan Alexander, NAS), second in rushing attempts with 58 (89, Alexander) and fourth overall with 162 rushing yards (227, Adrian McPherson, AUS).

Hit Parade

It's been a successful rookie season in the Arena Football League for DB KEYUO CRAVER. Craver leads the team in tackles with 48 and ranks eighth in the league (Rashad Floyd, COL, 79.5) among the 429 players who have recorded at least a half of a tackle this season. In addition, Craver's hard-hitting style of play has him tied for the league lead in forced fumbles with four (E.J. Burt, CHI). He also leads the team in passes defensed with eight, which ranks tied for 11th in the league this season (17, Eddie Moten, PHI).

Another Milestone

Sherdrick Bonner may be in his 15th year of Arena Football, but the quarterback still has plenty of passes up his sleeve. Bonner's latest accomplishment came in last week's game at Utah, when he became the first quarterback in AFL history to record 12 seasons with at least 2,000 passing yards. He set the record in a near-perfect game that saw him complete 17 of his 19 passing attempts for 348 yards and nine touchdowns. Bonner's 2,340 passing yards this season ranks third in the league (2,779, Joe Germaine, UTA), while his 49 passing scores rank fourth (64, Chris Griesen, GEO) and his 124.7 passing rating also ranks fourth in the league (133.8, Germaine).



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 25, 2007


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