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Avengers Game Notes

April 22, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Game: Los Angeles Avengers at Arizona Rattlers
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2002
Kickoff: 7:10 p.m. (Pacific)
Site: Phoenix, Ariz.
Arena: America West Arena (16,923) Television: Fox Sports Net 2 (Bill Macdonald, Artie Gigantino, John Jackson) Radio: KMPC 1540-LA (Larry Kahn, Troy West) Web Radio: http://radio.sportingnews.com/losangeles/
Series Record: Arizona leads 3-1
Last Meeting: Los Angeles 54, Arizona 48 (overtime)
Officials: Darrel Leftwich (referee), Tom Laverty (umpire), Bill Ward (head linesman), Jim Hatfield (line judge), Rob Vernatchi (back judge)
Coaches: Los Angeles Avengers – Ed Hodgkiss (1st season; 1-0). Arizona Rattlers – Danny White (11th season; 101-49 overall)

THE AVENGERS: Fresh off a season-opening victory over the New York Dragons, the Avengers (1-0) bear little resemblance to the L.A. teams of the past two seasons. Under the direction of new head coach Ed Hodgkiss, who was previously the highly successful offensive coordinator for the Indiana Firebirds, the Avengers so far appear to be efficient on offense, tough on defense and crafty on special teams. The signing of two "All-Arena" free agents during the recent off-season – fullback-linebacker Chad Dukes and wide receiver-linebacker Greg Hopkins – has greatly elevated play on both sides of the ball. In addition, shifting Chris Jackson over to the offensive specialist spot has had a significant impact. The former wide receiver-linebacker had 12 receptions for 145 yards and scored five touchdowns in last week's 43-25 victory over New York at STAPLES Center.

THE LONG ROAD HOME: Saturday's encounter with the Rattlers in Phoenix, Ariz., is the first of three consecutive road games against divisional foes for the Avengers. After Arizona, L.A. will serve as the opponent for the first home game in Dallas Desperado history on May 4. Then, the Avengers will complete the longest road swing in franchise history on May 11, against the defending Western Division champion San Jose SaberCats. L.A.'s next home game is Friday, May 17, versus the Tampa Bay Storm.

THE RATTLERS: A perennial powerhouse in the Arena Football League, the Arizona Rattlers have won two ArenaBowl world titles in their previous 10 seasons of play. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White is the only head coach the Rattlers have ever had and one of the most successful in league history. Arizona wide receiver-linebacker Hunkie Cooper is back for his 10th season and is one of the AFL's all-time greats. Cal State Northridge alum Sherdrick Bonner, a nine-year veteran, is the experienced triggerman in the Rattler offense. Arizona will be playing its first home game of the 2002 season after opening the campaign with a 52-51 loss to the San Jose SaberCats last Saturday. Bonner passed for 223 yards and six touchdowns at San Jose, while wide receiver-defensive back Chris Horn caught six passes for 73 yards and four touchdowns. Cooper had a one-yard touchdown to put the Rattlers up 48-45 at the close of the third quarter, but they would not score again.

THE HEAD COACHES: One of the brightest offensive minds in the Arena Football League, Ed Hodgkiss is in his first year as a head coach with the Avengers. He served as the offensive coordinator for the Indiana Firebirds during the previous three seasons (1999-2001). Last year, Hodgkiss' offense averaged 58.1 points and 301.6 yards per game. He defeated the New York Dragons, 43-25, in his head coaching debut last Friday (April 19) ... The first and only head coach the Rattlers have ever had, Danny White is a living football legend in Arizona. In the previous 10 seasons, he has won two ArenaBowl world championships, been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and had his Arizona State University jersey retired. On Christmas Day 1999, White was named the "Arizona Athlete of the Century" by the The Arizona Republic.

THE SERIES: Arizona leads the series 3-1, but L.A. won the previous meeting, shocking the Rattlers 54-48 in overtime on June 23, 2001, at America West Arena. The Rattlers dominated last season's first meeting at STAPLES Center on April 27, 2001, pounding out a 49-21 victory. During their inaugural 2000 season, the Avengers fell, 55-28, in Phoenix, Ariz., and then let one slip through their fingers at STAPLES Center when Hunkie Cooper ran a kickoff return back 54 yards for a touchdown at the buzzer to stun the Avengers, 55-51.

THE SERIES FUN FACT: America West Arena, the site of this week's road game against the Arizona Rattlers, is the only facility currently in use in the Arena Football League that the Avengers have won a regular season game at ... besides their home field at STAPLES Center. Of the franchise's nine regular-season victories, five have been recorded at STAPLES Center. In addition to America West Arena, where the Avengers defeated the Rattlers in overtime, 54-48, on June 23, 2001, the other three victories occurred at the Hartford Civic Center (June 2, 2000), the Compaq Center in Houston, Tex. (June 23, 2000), and Fresno's Selland Arena (June 9, 2001). The Hartford-based New England Sea Wolves, who were on the losing end of L.A.'s first regular-season victory in 2000, relocated to Toronto, Can., prior to the 2001 season. The Houston ThunderBears, who fell to the Avengers in a record-setting 72-66 overtime thriller in 2000, were one of four teams contracted during the recent AFL off-season. Selland Arena, the current home of the Fresno Frenzy of arenafootball2 (one of two af2 teams operated by Avenger owner Casey Wasserman), hosted last season's 48-45 Avenger victory over the ThunderBears.

THE FAMILIAR FACE: Rattler wide receiver-defensive back Kevin Cobb played for the Avengers during their inaugural 2000 season. On June 23, 2000, he shattered the all-time AFL record for tackles in a single game, making 21 stops against the Houston ThunderBears in L.A.'s thrilling 72-66 overtime victory.

THE LAST MEETING: PHOENIX, Ariz. (June 23, 2001) -- Quarterback Tony Graziani came off the bench to play in his first Arena Football League game and threw for five touchdowns, leading the Los Angeles Avengers (4-6) to a 54-48 victory over the Arizona Rattlers (6-4) in overtime before 13,229 at America West Arena. Graziani entered the game in place of starting quarterback Todd Marinovich, who left the field with a concussion in the third quarter. Wide receiver-linebacker Chris Jackson, who caught a team-record 12 passes for 144 yards and four touchdowns, was selected as the game's "Ironman." Graziani earned "M.V.P." honors. In addition to his usual offensive exploits, Jackson also came up with the first interception of his AFL career and made two tackles. The Avengers opened the overtime period, scoring on a 27-yard pass from Graziani to offensive specialist Travis Hannah. But, after kicker Kris Heppner missed the extra point, L.A. only led by six points, 54-48. The Avenger defense, however, rose to the occasion and held the Rattlers on downs on their ensuing possession. Graziani completed 11-of-17 for 128 yards and threw one interception. Marinovich, who was playing in his first game since May 18, was 10-of-28 for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Erik Wilhelm, who led L.A. to victories in three of its previous four games, didn't make the trip due to bruised ribs. Both teams scored touchdowns in the final minute of regulation play. The Rattlers went up, 45-41, with 59 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Avengers quickly responded with a 49-yard kickoff return by Mark Ricks and an eight-yard scoring strike from Graziani to Hannah, which put the Avengers up, 48-45, but left 42 seconds on the clock. Arizona managed to run off eight plays, but had to settle for a 29-yard field goal at the fourth-quarter buzzer to send the game into overtime. Although the Avengers trailed at halftime, 28-20, there was a feeling that it might be L.A.'s night because Marinovich was able to make the plays when he had to despite being harassed constantly by a ferocious Arizona pass rush. All three of the Avengers' first-half touchdowns came with their backs to the wall, facing difficult situations -- fourth-and-three, third-and-19 and third-and-10 -- on their own side of the field. Each time, Marinovich found an open receiver for a long touchdown, the shortest of which was from 26 yards out.

THE MAN TO WATCH: In three previous games against the Rattlers as a wide receiver-linebacker, L.A.'s Chris Jackson, has caught 31 passes for 383 yards and 11 touchdowns. This past Friday, in his first game as the Avengers' new offensive specialist, Jackson had 12 receptions for 145 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed two yards for a score.

THE NEXT HOME GAME: The Avengers will return home to STAPLES Center on May 17, to face the Tampa Bay Storm. Five-thousand "Chris Jackson Bobbleheads" will be distributed in what will be the first of three "Bobblehead Nights" sponsored by Carl's Jr. (the other two will be on June 8, and July 6). All Avenger home games feature great promotional giveaways and post-game autograph sessions. Season and individual tickets are available by calling 1-888-AVENGERS. LAST WEEK'S GAME:

AVENGERS SLAY DRAGONS, 43-25

LOS ANGELES (April 19, 2002) – Although it was just the first of 14 regular-season games for the Los Angeles Avengers, their 43-25 victory over the New York Dragons on Friday night cannot be minimized.

It might not have been the most scintillating display of what the Arena Football League has to offer, but in many ways it couldn't have looked any better to the 13,142 red-clad Avenger fans on hand at STAPLES Center.

Considering that the Avengers had not won a regular-season game prior to May 26, in their previous two seasons, a victory on the opening night was certainly a most welcome sight.

Not only did the win put the Avengers above .500 for the first time in franchise history, but also the 18-point margin of victory and 25 points allowed by the defense are new team records.

Adding to the good vibrations is the belief that the Avengers have turned the corner under the direction of new head coach Ed Hodgkiss, an offensive wizard who came to L.A. via the Indiana Firebirds organization.

"We have confidence in the system that Coach Hodgkiss has put in place," said Avenger offensive specialist Chris Jackson, who was selected as the game's Most Valuable Player after catching 12 passes for 145 yards and four touchdowns. "All we need to do is to execute it and perform well."

Jackson, who also rushed for a two-yard touchdown, fueled the Avenger offense with help from quarterback Tony Graziani, who was 26-of-39 for 273 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for a three-yard score.

"I leaned a lot on Chris today, especially in third-down situations," said Hodgkiss, who notched a victory in his head-coaching debut. "He came through for us tonight. Chris was my guy."

Three consecutive pass completions from Graziani to Jackson midway through the fourth quarter culminated in an 18-yard touchdown pass that put the Avengers up, 40-18, essentially ending the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

In addition to the offensive chemistry demonstrated by Graziani and Jackson, the Avengers were impressive on defense, led by lineman Tony Plantin, who had two sacks and one pass deflection. Los Angeles held New York to 176 total yards and only 16 pass completions.

Perhaps the crucial moment of the contest came with 52 seconds left in the first half, when Avenger kicker Remy Hamilton recovered his own on-side kick at the L.A. 15-yard line. Three plays later, Graziani hit Jackson for a 14-yard touchdown to give the Avengers a 28-12 lead with just 19 ticks remaining until halftime.

If not for a fumbled center-quarterback exchange in the first quarter, the Avengers might have held the Dragons without a touchdown until the final minutes. New York recovered the fumble at the L.A. four-yard line to set up a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Danny Ragsdale to offensive specialist Steve Papin. The Dragons would not score another touchdown until backup quarterback Matt Nagy hit Papin for a 16-yard score with just 4:32 remaining in the game.

In his first start for the Dragons, Ragsdale was 13-of-24 for 129 yards. Nagy completed 3-of-8 for 68 yards. Papin led New York with 148 all-purpose yards, which included 90 on seven kickoff returns.

The Avengers applied constant pressure to the Dragon quarterbacks all night long and got three key sacks, which limited New York to field goal attempts each time.

On its first possession of the second quarter, New York drove to the L.A. six-yard line before Plantin put an end to the march, bringing Ragsdale to the turf for a three-yard loss on third down. The ensuing 24-yard field goal by Clay Rush cut the Avenger lead to 14-9.

New York quickly got the football back minutes later when Mike Furrey intercepted a Graziani pass, giving the Dragons their only opportunity to take the lead. But, on third down Avenger wide receiver-linebacker J.J. Washington sacked Ragsdale for a seven-yard loss, forcing New York to settle for a 38-yard three-pointer by Rush.

Then, early in the third quarter, leading the Dragons, 28-15, the Avengers were called for roughing the kicker, which gave New York a first-and-goal at the eight. Plantin, however, sacked Ragsdale for a five-yard loss on first down and fullback-linebacker Chad Dukes forced an incomplete pass on third down, limiting the Dragons to a 22-yard field goal that kept them 10 points behind.

Setting the table for an efficiently successful evening, the Avengers scored on their opening possession of the 2002 season, driving 36 yards in three plays to score on a 15-yard pass from Graziani to Jackson.

NEW YORK (0-1) 6 9 3 7 -- 25
LOS ANGELES (1-0) 14 14 0 15 -- 43

THE "IF" SECTION:

If the Avengers defeat the Rattlers, it would ...
 Be the Avengers second consecutive victory over the Rattlers
 Give the Avengers their fifth victory in their past six games against Western Division foes
 Break a two-game road losing streak for L.A.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Avenger QB Tony Graziani: The last time he played at America West Arena, Tony Graziani made his AFL debut in the third quarter, subbing for an injured Todd Marinovich. Despite his inexperience with the indoor game, he played like grizzled veteran, throwing five second-half touchdown passes to lead the Avengers to a 54-48 overtime victory over the Rattlers. In the process Graziani earned "Game M.V.P." honors. He also began the 2002 season with a hot hand, completing 26-of-39 for 273 yards and four touchdowns against the New York Dragons last Friday at STAPLES Center.

Rattler WR-LB Hunkie Cooper: One of the most celebrated players in the AFL, wide receiver-linebacker Hunkie Cooper has scored nearly 1,000 points and caught more than 600 passes in his 10-year career with the Rattlers. He also is closing in on 18,000 all-purpose yards and has racked up 19 touchdowns on returns, including one that beat the Avengers at the buzzer of a game in 2000. One of the craftiest players in league history, Cooper can beat a team in so many ways.

Avenger DS Mark Ricks: With additional defensive help around him this season (in the form of linebackers Greg Hopkins and Chad Dukes), Avenger defensive specialist Mark Ricks could have an outstanding campaign as a follow up to his "All-Arena" performance last year, which included eight interceptions and 15 pass deflections. And once he gets his hands on the ball, he has a nose for the end zone. Ricks is the AFL's all-time leader in interception returns for touchdowns with seven.

Rattler WR-DB Orshawante Bryant: An electrifyingly fast rookie out of Portland State, wide receiver-defensive back Orshawante Bryant could be the next Arizona superstar. He had four catches for 43 yards and a touchdown in the season opener at San Jose. Bryant also returned five kickoffs for a total of 124 yards, including a 43-yarder. In two preseason games, he had 11 receptions for 119 yards and five touchdowns.

Avenger OL-DL Tony Plantin: In his Avenger debut last week, offensive-defensive lineman Tony Plantin, tied a team record with two sacks against New York. The Avengers currently lead the AFL with four quarterback sacks and have yet to surrender any to the opposition. Historically the Rattlers have protected the passer exceptionally well. Plantin and Co. (Carlos Fowler, Chad Dukes, etc.) will have to find a way to get close to Rattler quarterback Sherdrick Bonner if L.A. hopes to disrupt the Rattlers' high-powered offense. THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss on last week's season opening victory over the New York Dragons: "It's always exciting to start the season off on the right track. I thought our guys played well up front. I'm happy with our defense. They played really hard and tough the entire game. The offense was hot and cold, so we need to be a more efficient offensively and cut out the turnovers."

Hodgkiss on this week's opponent, the Arizona Rattlers: "It's our first divisional game, so it's a very important game right off the bat. Arizona is a perennial top-level team and when they have a healthy Sherdrick Bonner, they are a tough team to beat. Defensively, I have a lot of respect for (defensive specialist) Cecil Doggette. Obviously, the Rattlers are a very formidable opponent."

Hodgkiss on having to play the next three games on the road, against all three Western Division foes: "Arizona and San Jose are very good teams and I got to see Dallas on film last week. This could be one of the tougher divisions in the league. Just like the old cliché says, we just need to take each of these three games one at a time. We're just going to focus on getting the L.A. Avengers to play better each week and not worry so much about playing Arizona, Dallas and San Jose."

WESTERN DIVISON SUCCESS: Four of L.A.'s five victories last season came at the expense of divisional foes. The Avengers beat each of the other four occupants of the Western Division (Arizona Rattlers, Houston ThunderBears, Oklahoma Wranglers and San Jose SaberCats). The division has a new look in 2002 after deleting Houston and Oklahoma and adding the Dallas Desperados, who are owned and operated by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. After opening the 2002 season against the New York Dragons on April 19, at STAPLES Center, the Avengers will face three consecutive Western Division opponents on the road (@ Arizona, April 27; @ Dallas, May4; @ San Jose, May 11).

TWO PLAYERS FROM TWO YEARS AGO: Only two players – wide receiver-defensive back Anthony Rice and offensive specialist Chris Jackson – on L.A.'s 2002 roster played for the Avengers in the team's first-ever regular-season game on April 15, 2000, at Grand Rapids.

HALF FROM LAST YEAR: Only 12 of the 24 players currently on the Avengers' active roster played in at least one game for L.A. last season. Among the new additions is a pair of "All-Arena" performers -- wide receiver-linebacker Greg Hopkins and fullback-linebacker Chad Dukes.

TOP-RANKED DEFENSE: The Avengers have a "title" of sorts to defend this year. The L.A. defense finished the 2001 regular-season ranked No. 1 in the AFL in total defense (249.4 yards per game) and No. 2 in passing defense (231.5). This season, the Avengers opened the 2002 campaign by shutting down the New York Dragons, limiting them to only 25 points (an all-time best for the L.A. defense). The Avengers are currently ranked No. 1 in scoring defense and No. 2 in total defense (after allowing only 176 total yards vs. the Dragons). As a point of comparison, L.A. allowed opponents an average of 301.0 total yards per game during its inaugural 2000 season.

THE PRESSURE IS BUILDING: After notching four quarterback sacks last week against the New York Dragons, the Avengers have had nine sacks in their last two games, dating back to last season's finale versus the Oklahoma Wranglers on July 22, 2001. Amazingly enough ... prior to that game in Oklahoma City, the Avengers had only four sacks for the entire 2001 season and didn't get their first one until the eighth game (June 16, vs. Detroit). Playing in his first game for the Avengers last Friday (April 19), offensive-defensive lineman Tony Plantin sacked Dragon quarterback Danny Ragsdale twice on his way toward earning "Ironman of the Game" honors. Fellow lineman Carlos Fowler, who led L.A. with 3 ½ sacks last year, and wide receiver-linebacker J.J. Washington chipped in with one sack apiece. The Avengers currently lead the AFL with their four sacks for losses totaling 21 yards and have yet to surrender a sack to the opposition.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: The 25 points allowed by the Avengers in their season-opening victory over the New York Dragons last Friday (April 19), was an all-time best for the L.A. defense, surpassing the mark set on May 26, 2001, in a 36-33 victory over the Oklahoma Wranglers. Last season, the Avenger defense held eight of their opponents under 50 points (which amazingly includes two overtime games). L.A.'s three game winning streak in the middle of the 2001 campaign – Oklahoma (36-33), San Jose (47-44) and Houston (48-45) – represented the first three times in Avenger history that a foe was held to 45 points or less. Los Angeles has held an opponent under 50 points only 10 times in its brief AFL history.

THE INTERCEPTION KINGS: Avenger defensive specialist Mark Ricks is the AFL's all-time leader in interception returns for touchdowns with a grand total of seven. Another Avenger, wide receiver-linebacker Greg Hopkins is just two behind in third place.

OFFENSIVE TURNAROUND: New Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss has his sights set on making a big improvement with the L.A. offense. Last year, the Avengers ranked near the bottom of the AFL in many categories – scoring offense (18th - 40.3), total offense (17th - 245.6), pass offense (17th - 228.1), pass rating (19th - 76.4), touchdowns (18th - 77) and kickoff return average (19th -14.9). So far, after one game (a 43-25 victory over the New York Dragons), the numbers are up slightly.

SMARTER PLAY: Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss' pledge to "Play Hard" and "Play Smart" got off to a good start in the season opener versus the New York Dragons on April 19, as his team was called for just five penalties for a loss of 37 yards. On the flipside, the Dragons were flagged 12 times for a loss of 72 yards. Last season, the Avengers were penalized an average of 63.5 yards per game (122 flags for 889 yards), which ranked them dead last in the AFL. Meanwhile, L.A. opponents barely committed any miscues against the Avengers in 2001, getting flagged just 97 times for 542 yards (fewest in the AFL).

NFL AVENGERS: Nine Avengers have spent time on NFL rosters – OL/DL Vince Amey (1998 Oakland), OL/DL John DeWitt (1995 Houston), FB/LB Chad Dukes (1998 San Diego, 1998-99 Washington, 2000 Jacksonville, 2000 St. Louis, 2001 Carolina), QB Tony Graziani (1997-99 Atlanta, 2000 Cleveland), FB/LB Malcolm Hamilton (1998-2000 Washington, 1998 Atlanta), OS Chris Jackson (1998-99 Seattle, 1998 Tampa Bay, 2000 Tennessee), OL/DL Tony Plantin (2000 San Francisco, 2000 Carolina), WR/DB Anthony Rice (1997-98 Philadelphia) and WR/DB Russell Shaw (1998 St. Louis). Two – Amey and Graziani – were NFL Draft picks (both in the seventh round). Graziani is the most experienced, having played in 19 games (including five starts) for the Falcons. Dukes has been with the most teams (five).

RUSHING UP THE CHARTS: Avenger fullback-linebacker Chad Dukes is currently in the No. 5 slot on the AFL's all-time rushing chart. He is second among active players, trailing only Andre Bowden of the Carolina Cobras, who is currently in his ninth season in the league. Dukes, who is beginning just his fourth AFL season, needs only 18 more rushing yards to surpass former Avenger Travis Pearson and move into the No. 4 position. It is very possible that Dukes could become the third player in AFL history to break the 1,000-yard barrier during the 2002 campaign.

NFL EUROPE AVENGERS: Six Avengers have spent time on NFL Europe (formerly "World League") rosters – OL/DL John DeWitt (1996, 1998 Scottish Claymores), OL/DL Carlos Fowler (1998 England), QB Tony Graziani (2000 Barcelona), OS Chris Jackson (2000 Berlin), OL/DL Tony Plantin (1999 Amsterdam) and WR/DB Anthony Rice (1998 England).

PICKED FROM THE PAC: Four Avengers hail from Pacific-10 Conference schools – OL/DL Vince Amey (Arizona State), QB Tony Graziani (Oregon), OS Chris Jackson (Washington State) and WR/DB Mel Miller Jr. (Washington). Three of those Avengers played in the Rose Bowl – Graziani (1995), Amey (1997) and Jackson (1998). In addition, OL/DL Carlos Fowler played in the 1994 Rose Bowl for Wisconsin (against UCLA).

AVENGERS ON TELEVISION: The Avengers will have nine of their 14 regular-season games broadcast on television this season. Fox Sports Net 2 will televise eight games, with Bill Macdonald and Artie Gigantino in the booth and John Jackson reporting from the sidelines. "The New TNN" (The National Network) will carry the Avengers' final road game of the regular-season on Sunday, July 14, against the Indiana Firebirds as the "AFL Game of the Week."

AVENGERS ON RADIO: All Avenger games are broadcast live on the radio in the Los Angeles area on KMPC 1540-LA "Sporting News Radio," with Larry Kahn and Bob Golic calling all the action. The games are also available live over the Internet at www.kmpc1540.com.

THE 2002 PRESEASON:

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (April 4, 2002) -- Los Angeles Avengers quarterback Tony Graziani threw for a touchdown and two-point conversion in the final seconds of regulation play to dramatically tie the game, but the Georgia Force went on to earn a 51-44 overtime victory in the first preseason contest of the 2002 season for both teams. After the Force scored a touchdown on its first possession of the extra period, Graziani was intercepted on the second play of L.A.'s drive, ending the game played before 2,002 screaming fans at Centennial Garden. Wide receiver-linebacker Greg Hopkins led the Avengers with five catches for 78 yards and three touchdowns, while kicker Remy Hamilton booted three field goals and had a game-high five tackles.

CHICAGO (April 12, 2002) -- In the final preseason game for both teams, the Chicago Rush beat the Los Angeles Avengers, 64-38, before 8,624 at Allstate Arena. Avenger quarterback Tony Graziani was 13-of-18 for 145 yards and three touchdowns, while wide receiver-defensive back Russell Shaw led Los Angeles with six catches for 36 yards and a score. Chicago quarterback Billy Dicken threw three touchdowns in the second half as the Rush pulled away. Chicago jumped all over Los Angeles in the first half, but Avenger kicker Remy Hamilton nailed a 45-yard field goal at the halftime buzzer to cut the Rush lead to 34-24 at the intermission. Fullback-linebacker Chad Dukes scored his first touchdown as an Avenger on a one-yard blast early in the second quarter, cutting Chicago's advantage to 21-14. On the night, Dukes also returned four kickoffs for 125 yards.

2001 SEASON IN REVIEW: The Los Angeles Avengers second season in the Arena Football League could easily be divided into three segments. The 2001 campaign began with a 52-30 loss on the road to the San Jose SaberCats and unfortunately four more defeats followed. After the third loss in that five-game stretch, head coach Stan Brock was relieved of his duties and defensive coordinator Robert Lyles was installed as the interim head coach. In his third game at the helm, Lyles led the Avengers to their first victory of the season, beating the Oklahoma Wranglers in a 36-33 thriller at STAPLES Center. The return of wide receiver-linebacker Chris Jackson, the 2000 AFL "Rookie of the Year" who went on to join the Tennessee Titans of the NFL, also had a positive effect on the club. The Avengers went on to win four of their next five games, becoming one of the hottest teams in the league. After defeating three consecutive Western Division foes (Oklahoma, 36-33; San Jose, 47-44; Houston, 48-45), Los Angeles came up a point short in a 49-48 overtime loss to the Detroit Fury. The Avengers, however, were not shaken and responded with perhaps their biggest victory in franchise history, defeating the powerful Arizona Rattlers, 54-48, in overtime at America West Arena in Phoenix. Then, L.A. kept the good times rolling and stayed in contention for a playoff berth with a 55-47 victory over the Chicago Rush back at STAPLES Center. At 5-6 and with three games remaining in the season, the red-hot Avengers were suddenly one of the most talked about teams in the AFL. Unfortunately, however, a rash of injuries hit the squad like a ton of bricks. Quarterbacks Todd Marinovich (elbow, wrist, knee), Tony Graziani (knee) and Harry Leons (shoulder) were all placed on the injured reserve list at some point amid the final three contests. At one point, wide receiver-defensive back Shannon Culver was forced to play quarterback and then, Wally Richardson and Jim Druckenmiller were activated to call the signals in the final two games of the season. In addition, Los Angeles lost Jackson to a stress fracture in his left foot. The Avengers ended up losing their last three games and barely missed qualifying for the post-season.

2002 RULE CHANGES: There are a few rule changes for the 2002 regular season and the AFL is also testing a few rules changes during the preseason. Rule changes for the 2002 regular season include:

 Kick returner may have one foot on the end line (out of bounds) when retrieving kickoffs and missed field goals off the end zone rebound net or the soft net

 On PAT attempts, if the kick is blocked and behind the line of scrimmage, the ball is live and can be recovered for a two-point conversion by either team. In the event that the ball is kicked, crosses the line of scrimmage and/or strikes any part of the goal system, whether deflected or not, it is whistled dead immediately.

 Free substitution (kicking team only) on all scrimmage kicks (field goals and PAT)

 For free kicks (field goals and PATs), there can be four down lineman (must be helmet to helmet with offensive lineman (excluding center) and they may rush outside and may twist.

o In order to further protect the kicker/holder "blocked into the kicker" will be enforced as a "roughing penalty" - automatic first down. A roughing call on the extra point will be a choice of ½ the distance, if you missed or wanted to go for two or a carry over 10 yard penalty if you made the goal and chose to accept the points.

o Outside alignment of the defensive end will be blown dead on the snap (unabated to the kicker off-sides)

o Only the 4-linemen can rush – Corners may be on the line, in an up position on the outside, but may not rush or come across the line on the kick.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 22, 2002


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