Avengers Game Notes

April 30, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Game: Los Angeles Avengers at Dallas Desperados
Date: Saturday, May 4, 2002
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. (Pacific)
Site: Dallas, Tex.
Arena: American Airlines Center (16,971)
Television: none
Radio: KMPC 1540-LA (Larry Kahn, Bob Golic)
Web Radio: http://radio.sportingnews.com/losangeles/
Series Record: First meeting
Last Meeting: n/a
Officials: Gene Hartleb (referee), Rick Lowe (umpire), Rusty Spindel (head linesman), John McGrath (line judge), Billy Beckett (back judge)
Coaches: Los Angeles Avengers – Ed Hodgkiss (1st season; 1-1). Dallas Desperados – Joe Avezzano (1st season; 1-1).

THE AVENGERS: Playing in a third consecutive "season opener" (their own, then Arizona's), the Avengers will serve as the opponent in the Dallas Desperados' first-ever home game. The AFL's newest franchise is operated by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. The 2002 Avengers 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 an overwhelming impact. The former wide receiver-linebacker currently leads the league in receptions (23), receiving yards (387) and scoring (60 points).

THE LONG ROAD HOME: Currently in the middle of a three-game road swing through the rest of the Western Division, the Avengers lost a 63-59 thriller last week at Arizona. Then, after they battle the Desperados, the Avengers will complete the longest road trip 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 DESPERADOS: Under the direction of long-time Dallas Cowboys special teams coordinator Joe Avezzano, the Dallas Desperados nearly got their inaugural 2002 season off to a perfect 2-0 start. However, veteran AFL quarterback Andy Kelly threw an interception in the closing seconds of a 45-44 loss to the New Jersey Gladiators on Sunday (April 28). The Desperados did open the season with a 57-44 win on the road against the Carolina Cobras on April 20. Kelly has gotten off to a solid start this season, completing 42-of-70 for 481 yards and 10 touchdowns. Most of his passes have gone toward rookie offensive specialist Dialleo Burks, who has 12 catches for 144 yards and three touchdowns so far this season. On the other side of the football, Dallas is led by defensive specialist Lamar Grant, who leads the club with 12.5 tackles, two pass deflections and a forced fumble.

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) ... After establishing himself as one of the top assistant coaches in the National Football League, Joe Avezzano is in his first year as a head coach in the AFL and looking to earn his second victory at the helm of the Desperados. He joined the coaching staff of the Dallas Cowboys in 1991 and has since earned NFL "Special Teams Coach of the Year" three times. Before beginning his NFL coaching career, Avezzano worked at Texas A&M, Oregon State, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Iowa State and Florida State.

THE SERIES: This will be the first meeting between these two members of the AFL's Western Division. Dallas and Los Angeles will also meet later this season, on June 1, at STAPLES Center. Everyone in attendance at that game in Los Angeles will receive a calendar featuring the "A-Team" dancers.

THE LAST TIME IN TEXAS: The Avengers were victorious in their only previous game played in the state of Texas, defeating the Houston ThunderBears, 72-66, in an overtime thriller on June 23, 2000, at the Compaq Center in Houston. Avenger quarterback Todd Marinovich tied an AFL record with 10 touchdown passes in a performance that saw him complete 26-of-35 for 469 yards and earn "M.V.P." honors for the third consecutive contest. Offensive specialist Shannon "Skinny" Culver (who is now a member of the Dallas Desperados) caught five of Marinovich's touchdown tosses, including the game winner from 19 yards out with 9:54 left in the extra period. Culver finished with 10 catches for 209 yards. Defensive specialist Kevin Cobb also had an outstanding performance as he shattered the AFL record for tackles in a single game with 21 stops (the previous record was 18). Offensive-defensive lineman Victor Hall earned his second "Ironman of the Game" honor of the season, registering three catches (35 yards and a touchdown), five tackles (one for a loss), two pass deflections and a sack.

THE FAMILIAR FACE: Desperado offensive specialist Shannon "Skinny" Culver played for the Avengers in their first two seasons. Last season, he caught 19 passes for 212 yards and six touchdowns. Despite playing in only six games in L.A.'s inaugural 2000 season, Culver was the team's No. 3 receiver, catching 34 passes for 495 yards and 10 touchdowns. In addition to being a former Avenger, he has quite a history in Southern California. Culver played football at Palmdale (Calif.) High School and Los Angeles Pierce College (Woodland Hills, Calif.) before transferring to Oklahoma State and beginning his AFL career in 1997 with the Anaheim Piranhas.

THE "IF" SECTION:

If the Avengers defeat the Desperados, it would ...
· Give the Avengers their fifth victory in their past seven games against Western Division foes (dating back to last season)
· Break a three-game road losing streak for L.A. (dating back to last season)
· Give the Avengers a 2-0 all-time record in the state of Texas
· Be L.A.'s second victory over an "expansion" team playing in its inaugural season (the Avengers lost to the Carolina Cobras [58-50] in 2000, and were defeated by the Detroit Fury [49-48 in overtime] two weeks before beating the Chicago Rush [55-47] last season)

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss on last week's last-second loss at Arizona: "We didn't come out very sharp offensively. After we settled down, I thought we played pretty well. We obviously didn't start the game the way we ended it. Defensively, we need to improve our tackling. Overall, we played all right, but what really hurt us was a poor job of open-field tackling. I was encouraged by the character that the team showed in fighting back to take a lead and make it a last-second game."

Hodgkiss on this week's opponent, the Dallas Desperados: "Dallas is a very talented team. I think they are starting to gel. They have a lot of talented Arena League players. Andy Kelly is an experienced quarterback, who has been to the past two ArenaBowls. I have a lot of respect for him. In addition, their receivers have a lot of speed and can catch the ball. I'm not looking at them as an expansion team at all. They have an experienced coaching staff and a great deal of experienced players."

Hodgkiss on how he looks at his 1-1 team at this point: "Our goals haven't changed. We are still focused on getting better and improving. I believe that there is still a lot of growth for this team. As we go through this three-game road swing through our division, if we can win two out of three of these out here on the road, that will set us up in a good position for later in the season."

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:

RATTLERS EDGE AVENGERS, 63-59

PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 27, 2002) – Despite a record-setting performance by Los Angeles offensive specialist Chris Jackson, the Arizona Rattlers defeated the Avengers, 63-59, before 11,899 at America West Arena.

Jackson caught his fifth touchdown pass of the night on a 29-yard strike from quarterback Tony Graziani to put the Avengers up, 59-56, with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter.

Arizona, however, milked the clock, driving to the two-yard line with eight seconds left. At that point, Rattler quarterback Sherdrick Bonner threw a touchdown pass to WR-LB Hunkie Cooper, giving Arizona (1-1) its first victory of the season.

Bonner, who finished 25-of-32 for 344 yards and seven touchdowns, also rushed for a one-yard score in the second quarter.

Graziani was 16-of-34 for 329 yards and seven touchdowns. Eleven of his completions went to Jackson, who established a pair of new team-records with 242 receiving yards and 253 all-purpose yards.

Los Angeles (1-1) tied the game for the fifth time with 11:39 left on a four-yarder from Graziani to Jackson, which made it 49-49.

Avenger FB-LB Chad Dukes recovered the ensuing onside kickoff to set up a 21-yard field goal by Remy Hamilton that gave the Avengers their first lead of the game, 52-49, with 8:10 remaining.

The Rattlers went up, 56-52, moments later on a 15-yarder from Bonner to WR-DB Chris Horn.

Arizona got out to an early lead, scoring touchdowns on its first four possessions. But, the game was close throughout the entire second half after Arizona offensive specialist Orshawante Bryant fumbled during a kickoff return to open the third quarter. The Avengers recovered to set up a nine-yard touchdown pass from Graziani to Jackson, which tied the game at 35-35.

Arizona regained the lead on its next series on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Bonner to Bryant. But, the Avengers came right back to tie the game at 42-42 on a one-yard touchdown blast by Dukes with 2:38 left in the third quarter.

LOS ANGELES (1-1) 7 21 14 17 -- 59
ARIZONA (1-1) 14 21 7 21 -- 63

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Avenger OS Chris Jackson: Through the first two games of the AFL season, Avenger offensive specialist Chris Jackson has been an unstoppable force and would have to be considered the league's leading candidate for "Player of the Year" honors. He currently leads the AFL in catches (23), receiving yards (387) and scoring (60 points). Jackson is in his first year as "specialist," after spending his first two years with the Avengers as a wide receiver-linebacker (including his AFL "Rookie of the Year" season in 2000).

Desperados QB Andy Kelly: One of the all-time great signalcallers in AFL history, Andy Kelly ranks second in career attempts, completions and touchdowns. He comes to Dallas after leading the Nashville Kats to the past two ArenaBowl world championship games. Kelly is currently 42-of-70 for 481 yards and 10 touchdowns (with two interceptions). He has played well in Dallas before, leading the Tennessee Volunteers to victory in the 1990 Cotton Bowl.

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.

Desperado OS Dialleo Burks: One of the top rookies in the AFL so far this season, Desperado offensive specialist Dialleo Burks (pronounced dee-AH-low) has the kind of size (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) and speed that makes him a definite big play threat. He currently leads Dallas in catches (12), receiving yards (144), all-purpose yards (188) and scoring (18 points).

Avenger OL-DL Tony Plantin: In his Avenger debut two weeks ago, offensive-defensive lineman Tony Plantin, tied a team record with two sacks against New York. The Avengers currently lead the AFL with five quarterback sacks and have yet to surrender any to the opposition. The Desperados have also protected the passer well this season and have yet to allow a sack.

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.

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. 2 in scoring defense (allowing 44.0 yards per game) and No. 4 in total defense (261.5 total yards per game). 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 five quarterback sacks in the first two games of the season, the Avengers have had 10 sacks in their last three 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 on April 19, offensive-defensive lineman Tony Plantin sacked New York 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. Last week, fullback-linebacker Malcolm Hamilton was credited with a sack on Arizona quarterback Sherdrick Bonner. The Avengers currently lead the AFL with their five sacks for losses totaling 25 yards and have yet to surrender a sack to the opposition.

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 two games of the 2002 season, the numbers are up as the Avengers are averaging 51.0 points and 316.0 yards per game.

THE MILLENNIUM'S FINEST: Wide receiver-linebacker Greg Hopkins and offensive specialist Chris Jackson are not only the L.A.'s top pass catchers, they're also among the most productive in the AFL since the dawning of the new millennium. In fact, Hopkins leads the way with a grand total of 221 receptions since the 2000 season (Jackson is third with 176).

SMARTER PLAY: Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss' pledge to "Play Hard" and "Play Smart" has gotten off to a good start. L.A. has been called for just 13 penalties so far in the first two games of the 2002 season for a total loss of 85 yards. Last year, 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).

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).

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.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: The 25 points allowed by the Avengers in their season-opening victory over the New York Dragons on 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.

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 seven 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.

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.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 30, 2002


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