Avengers Game Notes

Published on February 11, 2003 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Game: Los Angeles Avengers at Colorado Crush
Date: Sunday, Feb. 16, 2003
Kickoff: Noon (Pacific)
Site: Denver, Colorado
Arena: Pepsi Center (17,210)
Television: NBC (Mike Breen, Ray Bentley, Dave Burns)
Radio: XTRA Sports 690 & 1150 (Larry Kahn, Ed Cunningham)
Web Radio: http://www.xtrasportsradio.com
Series Record: First meeting
Last Meeting: n/a
Officials: Pat Garvey (R), Paul King (U), Rusty Spindel (HL), James Mello (LJ), Rich Wilborn (BJ), Ed Manning (supervisor)
Head Coaches: Los Angeles -- Ed Hodgkiss (second season; 10-6). Colorado -- Bob Beers (first season; 0-2).

THE AVENGERS: Fresh off an incredible comeback victory over the defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats, the Avengers are 2-0 for the first time in the franchise's four-year history. Despite throwing four interceptions and a 20-point deficit in the first half, the Avengers stormed back with a 35-point fourth quarter to defeat the SaberCats, 73-72. Massive fullback/linebacker Mathias Vavao (6-foot-5, 305 pounds) scored on a one-yard blast with one second remaining and wide receiver/linebacker Greg Hopkins caught a two-point conversion pass from quarterback Tony Graziani to send the 14,992 on hand at STAPLES Center into a frenzy. Avenger offensive specialist Chris Jackson played a role in three of L.A.'s five fourth quarter touchdowns, catching two scoring tosses from Graziani and throwing one of his own to wide receiver/defensive back Kevin Ingram. The victory marks the continuation of L.A.'s winning ways, which began last season when the Avengers earned the No. 5 seed in the AFL playoffs with an 8-6 regular-season record. This year, the Avengers are looking to take the next step and establish themselves as ArenaBowl contenders. Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss has plenty of talent at his disposal, including a pair of newcomers -- wide receiver/defensive back Siaha Burley and offensive/defensive lineman Mike Ulufale, who was a second team All-Arena performer last year with the SaberCats.

THE CRUSH: In both of its first two games in the AFL, Colorado held fourth-quarter leads, but victory eluded the Crush each time ... by a combined six points. Owned by NFL legend John Elway, the Crush have received tremendous support from Denver's football-crazy community, selling out their first two games. They will be looking to breakthrough with a victory in the final game of their three-game season-opening homestand. Colorado is led by John Dutton, who quarterbacked the San Jose SaberCats to the ArenaBowl championship last season after replacing an injured Mark Grieb. Dutton's main weapon is offensive specialist Damian Harrell, who comes to the Mile High City after being the leading receiver for the Toronto Phantoms last season.

THE HEAD COACHES: One of the brightest offensive masterminds in the AFL, Ed Hodgkiss led the Avengers to a franchise-best 8-6 record and No. 5 seed in the AFL playoffs last season in his first year with the club. He became the head coach of the Avengers on Oct. 5, 2001, and signed a five-year contract extension shortly after the 2002 season. Not only did Hodgkiss lead the Avengers into the postseason for the first time in franchise history, he also instantly established the Avenger offense as one of the most feared in the AFL. In the final 2002 league statistics, the Avengers ranked at No. 2 in passing efficiency (115.0), No. 4 in total offense (275.6), No. 4 in rushing yards (20.8) and No. 5 in scoring (52.2). Prior to his arrival in Los Angeles, Hodgkiss served as the offensive coordinator for the Indiana Firebirds for three seasons (1999-2001) ... Bob Beers was named head coach of the Colorado Crush on July 11, 2002. Beers has a background in coaching and scouting that spans more than 30 years. Most recently he served as a college scout for the Denver Broncos. He has had two stints as a professional head coach, with the Frankfurt Galaxy (1990-92) and Amsterdam Admirals (1995) of NFL Europe. He spent three years (1993-95) as the head coach of Western Montana and was twice named Coach of the Year of the Frontier Conference (1993-94). Beers also coached at Montana Tech (1972-74) and his alma mater Montana (1970-71, 1986-90).

THE SERIES: This will be the first meeting between the Avengers and the expansion Colorado Crush.

PERFECT GAME: Avenger quarterback Tony Graziani tossed a "perfect game" against the Las Vegas Gladiators on opening day. His passer rating of 158.3 from that contest is the highest mark possible and ties an Arena Football League record. In the 60-48 victory on Feb. 2, Graziani was 18-of-23 for 288 yards. He threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to offensive specialist Chris Jackson on the first play of the 2003 season and went on to throw for a total of seven scores. He also rushed for a touchdown from three yards out to cap the scoring with 53 seconds remaining.

ALMOST PERFECT: The Avengers were called for only two penalties in the season opener on Feb. 2, and the yardage marked off against Los Angeles totaled just one yard. Both of those numbers represent new team records and bring a smile to the face of Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss, whose motto is "Play Hard, Play Smart." The Avengers followed up in Week 2, drawing five flags for 27 yards in the come-from-behind victory over the San Jose SaberCats.

QUICK STRIKE OFFENSE: Fifteen of L.A.'s 19 touchdown drives this season have been just three plays or less. In fact, three of them have been one-play "drives." Ironically, one of the four "long" drives was the six-play, 13-yard game-winning march in the victory over San Jose that consumed 25 of the final 26 seconds.

THE "IF" SECTION:

If the Avengers defeat the Crush, it would ...
· Be the Avengers' third three-game winning streak in franchise history (one in each the past two seasons)
· Give L.A. four wins in its last five games on the road
· Be the first time in Avenger history that the team has begun a season with three consecutive wins
· Give L.A. a 2-0 record in games televised on NBC
· Keep the Avengers in sole possession of first place in the Western Division

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss on what the victory over San Jose means for his team: "It was obviously a big win for us, probably the biggest since I've been here. It proved what we believed all along, that we have a good team and a lot of character. Often times, character doesn't shine through without adversity, and we obviously had that with all the turnovers and the big deficits."

Hodgkiss on going for the two-point conversion versus San Jose: "It was the best thing to do right there. I thought we had the momentum. We had a very good play that has been successful for us with Hopkins on the post and C.J. staying front side on the slant route."

Hodgkiss on avoiding a letdown: "We addressed that as a team early in the week. Like in all of our games, we are going to put in work during the week. If we went out and took a day off we would be setting ourselves up, but we didn't do that. We put the same work in that we do every week and will continue to do."

Hodgkiss on this week's game versus the winless Colorado Crush who are hungry for a victory: "If you look at their film, they had a chance to win both games against two very good opponents. With a field goal at the end, they beat a really good Grand Rapids team that won the ArenaBowl two years ago. They had an opportunity to get good players right away, which makes them dangerous offensively. We have to prepare for a quality opponent and it looks like it will be a tough environment with a big crowd for our first road game."

Avenger quarterback Tony Graziani on leading the Avengers to victory despite a disastrous second quarter: "I couldn't believe what was happening. Anything that could go wrong, did, in the second quarter. You have to give credit to the guys for hanging in there. It's only one win, but it shows what kind of character we have."

THE NEXT GAME: The Avengers will play their second consecutive road game as they travel to Chicago to face the Rush on Sunday, Feb. 23. Kickoff is set for noon (Pacific) and the game will be televised on NBC.

ALL-PURPOSE AVENGER: Over the past three seasons, L.A.'s new offensive weapon Siaha Burley has racked up more all-purpose yards than any other active player in the league (4,776). That yardage is the equivalent of 2.7 miles, which is roughly the distance between STAPLES Center and Dodger Stadium. Acquired in a trade with the Orlando Predators, Burley moves to the WR/DB position (he was primarily an offensive specialist with the Predators). He is currently 410 yards ahead of his nearest competitor, Steve Papin of the New York Dragons, who is the only other active player with more than 4,000 all-purpose yards since the start of the 2001 season.

NEW UNIFORMS: The Avengers debuted their new home uniforms on Feb. 2, in the season-opening victory over the Las Vegas Gladiators at STAPLES Center. The first major uniform revision in the franchise's four-year history includes a change to a darker navy blue (previously royal blue) and the addition of some thin light blue trim. The Avengers also switched from blue to red facemasks and now wear dark blue pants with a thick red curving stripe for home games (previously white pants). Red carpet fashion policewoman Melissa Rivers gave this review following the season opener: "The Avengers' new home uniforms are a huge improvement over last year and certainly put Las Vegas to shame. They are super telegenic and I love the darker color because it makes the offensive/defensive linemen look as imposing as they were in the game (a 60-48 victory over the Las Vegas Gladiators). The Avengers didn't look tough before. These new uniforms make the players look like the Avenger warriors that they are and they looked like the champions that I expect will be styling in ArenaBowl XVII." The Avengers will debut their new road (white) uniforms this Sunday at Colorado.

THE MILLENNIUM'S FINEST: Wide receiver/linebacker Greg Hopkins and offensive specialist Chris Jackson are not only 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 326 receptions for 3,983 yards since the 2000 season (Jackson is third with 253 for 3,489).

PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

Avenger QB Tony Graziani: In his last outing, Graziani had a bizarre game. On one hand, he completed 25-of-38 for 345 yards (the third most in Avenger history) and seven touchdowns, leading L.A. to a thrilling 73-72 victory over the defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats. On the flipside, he threw four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns in the second quarter. Graziani has thrown for seven touchdowns in both Avenger games this season and currently is completing more than 70 percent of his passes (43-of-61). In the season opener versus the Las Vegas Gladiators, he earned a perfect passer rating of 158.3, completing 18-of-23 for 288 yards and seven touchdowns (no interceptions). Although he was virtually an AFL rookie last season, Graziani put up impressive numbers and established himself as one of the premiere quarterbacks in the league, throwing for 3,568 yards and 67 touchdowns. He currently has five 300-yard passing performances in his AFL career.

Crush WR/DB Damian Harrell: In two heartbreaking losses, Harrell has made 14 catches for 210 yards and eight touchdowns. As a member of the Toronto Phantoms last season, he caught 92 passes for 1,277 yards and 19 touchdowns. Both Harrell and fellow WR/DB Charlie Davidson rank among the top 25 AFL career leaders in highest average gain per reception (min. 230 receptions). Harrell's career pass reception average of 13.7 comes on 276 receptions for 3,787 yards and ranks him 13th all-time (Davidson's average of 13.0 ranks him at 23rd). While a member of the New England Sea Wolves in 2000, Harrell was leading all receivers in every statistical category through seven games, before he suffered a season-ending arm injury.

Avenger WR/LB Greg Hopkins: The reigning AFL "Ironman of the Year," Greg Hopkins ranked among the AFL's leaders in six statistical categories last season (scoring, touchdowns, receptions, receiving yards, interceptions and fumble recoveries). He began the 2003 season by earning "Ironman of the Game" honors as he made four catches for 44 yards and came up with the 16th interception in his eight-year AFL career. Last season, he established a new all-time AFL record for interceptions returned for touchdowns in a career (eight) and eclipsed the 500-catch milestone. The prototype wide receiver/linebacker, Hopkins is seemingly made to play Arena Football and his effect on the game goes well beyond his statistics on both sides of the football.

Crush QB John Dutton: In two games with the Crush, Dutton has completed 38-of-55 for 491 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has thrown just one interception, but has had trouble with fumbles, losing four already this season. While playing in San Jose last year, Dutton replaced an injured Mark Grieb in the playoffs and quarterbacked the SaberCats to the ArenaBowl championship. He was named MVP of ArenaBowl XVI after going 20-of-26 for 236 yards and five touchdowns. Dutton also earned MVP honors in the two postseason games prior to the ArenaBowl, as he threw for 653 yards and 10 touchdowns.

LAST WEEK'S GAME:

AVENGERS SHOCK SABERCATS, 73-72

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 9, 2003) -- In a wild, back-and-forth shootout, the Avengers scored a two-point conversion with one second remaining to defeat the defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats, 73-72, before 14,992 rowdy fans at STAPLES Center.

The winning touchdown, a one-yard run by fullback/linebacker Mathias Vavao, was set up by a 43-yard kickoff return by wide receiver/defensive back Kevin Ingram and a key fourth-down conversion with nine seconds left.

"We never, ever quit and showed tremendous character," said wide receiver/linebacker Greg Hopkins, who caught the decisive two-pointer and was named the game's MVP. "I was a little surprised we went for two, but with just one second left we might as well go for it."

L.A.'s never-say-die attitude allowed the Avengers (2-0) to overcome four interceptions by quarterback Tony Graziani and a 20-point deficit (the biggest ever in an Avenger victory).

Two of Graziani's four interceptions were returned for touchdowns by San Jose -- one by defensive specialist Clevan Thomas and the other by the AFL's all-time sack leader Sam Hernandez.

The SaberCats (1-1) outscored the Avengers 28-3 in the second quarter as three consecutive Avenger drives ended with an interception, the last of which lead to a San Jose touchdown that gave the SaberCats their biggest lead of the game at 41-21 with 1:37 left until halftime.

But, the Avengers scored two touchdowns in the opening minutes of the second half to come to within three points at 41-38.

The SaberCats answered with two touchdowns of their own, building a 17-point lead (55-38) with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter.

The Avengers launched another comeback with a two-yard scoring toss from Graziani to offensive specialist Chris Jackson, who finished with three touchdown receptions and the first touchdown pass of his career.

The seesaw scoring continued on the very next play as SaberCat quarterback Mark Grieb hit offensive specialist James Hundon from 33 yards out to give the SaberCats a 62-52 lead with 6:06 left. Grieb finished 16-of-22 for 290 yards and seven touchdowns.

A 19-yard touchdown pass from Graziani to Jackson, brought the Avengers within four (69-65), but kicker Remy Hamilton missed the extra point with 55 seconds remaining.

The Avengers were unable to recover the ensuing onside kick, but the defense held San Jose to a 21-yard field goal by Daron Alcorn, which left the Avengers in striking distance of a victory with 35 seconds remaining.

ARENABOWL CHAMPION AVENGERS: Two Avenger players and a pair of coaches own a total of five ArenaBowl world championship rings. Offensive/defensive lineman Mike Ulufale was a key member of the San Jose SaberCats team that won ArenaBowl XVI in a rout last year. Wide receiver/linebacker Greg Hopkins was with the Albany Firebirds when they took the title in 1999, along with Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss, who was the Firebird offensive coordinator at the time. Avenger defensive coordinator Doug Kay has been part of two ArenaBowl championship teams. He was the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Storm when they won the title in 1993, and then got his second championship ring in 1997 with the Arizona Rattlers working with the team in that same capacity.

THE ORIGINAL AVENGER: Offensive specialist Chris Jackson is the only player on L.A.'s 2003 roster who played for the Avengers in the team's first-ever regular-season game on April 15, 2000, at Grand Rapids. Jackson shared that distinction last season with wide receiver/defensive back Anthony Rice, who was released on Jan. 25, following the conclusion of training camp.

DEFENDING THE HOME FRONT: In the "Ed Hodgkiss Era," which began at the beginning of the 2002 season, the Avengers have been particularly stingy on defense at home, allowing just 45.3 points per game at STAPLES Center (408 points in nine games). The 24 points allowed by the Avengers in their victory over the Tampa Bay Storm on May 17, 2002, is an all-time best for the L.A. defense. It surpassed the effort in the 2002 season opener, which saw the Avengers defeat the New York Dragons, 43-25, on April 19, 2002.

GOOD TO SEE FAMILIAR FACES: In a departure from previous seasons, the majority of the opening-day Avenger roster contains players who already have a history with the franchise. Seventeen of the 24 players on the active roster played for the Avengers last season. Among the seven newcomers are a pair of All-Arena caliber performers -- wide receiver/defensive back Siaha Burley and offensive/defensive lineman Mike Ulufale. Last season, the roster was equally divided between holdovers from 2001 and newcomers to the squad.

AVENGERS ON RADIO: All Avenger games are broadcast live on the radio throughout the Southern California area on XTRA Sports 690 & 1150, with Larry Kahn and Ed Cunningham calling all the action, and Troy West on the sidelines. The games are also available live over the Internet at http://www.xtrasportsradio.com.

AVENGERS ON TELEVISION: The Avengers will have nine of their 16 games televised by NBC (although two of those games will not be aired on the West coast). Six other games, including the season opener (Feb. 2, vs. the Las Vegas Gladiators) will be shown on Fox Sports Net 2, as Bill Macdonald and Artie Gigantino return to call all the action.

THE TOUCHDOWN MAKER: Offensive specialist Chris Jackson has scored at least one touchdown in every game he has played in for the Avengers. In 35 games, Jackson has accounted for 78 touchdowns. All but three of those scores came as a pass receiver. Jackson's other touchdowns were as a runner, kickoff returner and passer. He has caught a touchdown pass in all but one of his games with the Avengers (June 8, 2002, vs. San Jose), but in that contest he ran back the opening kickoff 51 yards for a score, keeping "The Streak" alive. Jackson is L.A.'s all-time leading receiver and scorer. He has racked up 253 receptions for 3,489 yards and has scored 468 points in his four-year Avenger career.

THE INTERCEPTION KING: In addition to being the AFL's 2002 "Ironman of the Year," WR/LB Greg Hopkins is the league's all-time leader in interception returns for touchdowns. He returned his record-setting eighth pick for a score on June 22, 2002, in L.A.'s 62-32 romp over the Carolina Cobras. Hopkins stepped in front of a pass and raced 37 yards for the score and then celebrated by leaping under the crossbar and into the crowd at STAPLES Center. Coming into that contest, Hopkins was tied with former Avenger teammate Mark Ricks at the top of the AFL chart.

MAKING HIS POINTS: Avenger placekicker Remy Hamilton currently ranks at No. 6 on the AFL's all-time scoring by kickers chart. He figures to jump past Joe Cimadevilla, who scored 609 points between 1992 and 1998, on Sunday and move into the No. 5 spot. In his first year with the Avengers in 2002, Hamilton set nine team records, while scoring 131 points on 16 field goals and 83 extra points. He booted the longest field goal in Avenger history on July 6, 2002, blasting a 52-yarder versus the Arizona Rattlers at STAPLES Center.

"SAMOAN SEMI" CARRIES HUGE LOAD: At 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds Mathias Vavao isn't your average fullback/linebacker. But, that's not just because he's gigantic. Vavao is also quite productive on both sides of the ball. He's scored rushing touchdowns in both games this season, including the one that led to the game-winning two-point conversion in the 73-72 victory over the San Jose SaberCats this past Sunday. Vavao has also caught two passes for 25 yards so far this season and recorded the team's first sack of the year on Feb. 9, versus San Jose. If Jerome Bettis is Pittsburgh's "Bus," Vavao is L.A.'s "Samoan Semi." Coming into this season, the last time he played running back was in high school. The FB/LB position was somewhat of a concern for the Avengers coming into the 2003 season since they chose not to re-sign free agent Chad Dukes, who led the AFL in rushing last year and is currently ranked at No. 3 on the league's all-time rushing chart. In just 14 games with the Avengers, Dukes broke 11 team records, while rushing for 223 yards and 12 touchdowns on 81 carries. The other FB/LBs on the roster are second-year man Ron Puggi, rookie Lonnie Ford, who was a defensive end and tight end during his collegiate career at USC, and Kevin Clemens, who was signed last week. Ford is currently on the injured reserve list with a sprained left ankle.

BIG MEN CAN CATCH: While L.A.'s well-known receivers get all the headlines, three Avenger linemen -- Mathias Vavao (recently converted into a fullback/linebacker), Tony Plantin and Vince Amey -- quietly made a "heavy" impact in the passing game since the beginning of last season. Those three players, who weigh a combined 895 pounds, have caught a total of 13 passes for 154 yards in the past 15 games. That's an average of 11.8 yards per reception for the "big men." This statistical comparison will forever be known as "The Arthur D. Gigantino Key to Success" in honor of Avenger Fox Sports Net 2 color commentator Artie Gigantino, who has been known to say, "Throwing to those big guys always works."

L.A.'s "Big" Receptions (2002-03)
OL Mathias Vavao 6-84 14.0
OL Tony Plantin 5-50 10.0
OL Vince Amey 2-20 10.0
Total 13-154 11.8

PICKED FROM THE PAC: Seven Avengers hail from Pacific-10 Conference schools – OL/DL Vince Amey (Arizona State), FB/LB Lonnie Ford (USC), WR/DB Derrick Gardner (California), QB Tony Graziani (Oregon), OS Chris Jackson (Wash. State), DS Wasswa Serwanga (UCLA) and WR/DB Rodney Williams (Arizona). 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).

RECORD SETTING SIGNALCALLER: Quarterback Tony Graziani has set 14 team records during his three-year career with the Avengers. Here is a complete list of his entries in the L.A. record book: PASSING
Yards (season) – Tony Graziani, 3,568 (2002)
Yards (career) – Tony Graziani, 4,463 (2001-03)
Touchdowns (season) – Tony Graziani, 67 (2002)
Touchdowns (career) – Tony Graziani, 88 (2001-03)
Completions (game) – Tony Graziani, 27 [tied] (May 24, 2002)
Completions (season) – Tony Graziani, 282 (2002)
Completions (career) – Tony Graziani, 348 (2001-03)
Attempts (season) – Tony Graziani, 467 (2002)
Attempts (career) – Tony Graziani, 565 (2001-03)
Completion percentage (season) – Tony Graziani, 60.3 (2002)
Passing rating (game) – Tony Graziani, 158.3 (Feb. 2, 2003)
Passing rating (season) – Tony Graziani, 115.8 (2002)
300-yard passing games (career) – Tony Graziani, 5 (2001-03)
Longest pass – Tony Graziani, 49 yards (April 27, 2002)

NFL AVENGERS: Sixteen Avengers have spent time on NFL rosters -- OL/DL Vince Amey (1998 Oakland), WR/DB Jahine Arnold (1996-98 Pittsburgh, 1999 Green Bay), WR/DB Siaha Burley (1999 Miami, 1999 Seattle, 2000 St. Louis, 2001 Dallas), OL/DL Cecil Caldwell (2001 Cleveland), OL/DL John DeWitt (1995 Houston), FB/LB Lonnie Ford (2002 Carolina), WR/DB Derrick Gardner (1999 Atlanta), QB Tony Graziani (1997-99 Atlanta, 2000 Cleveland), QB Ryan Helming (2002 St. Louis), DS Dwight Henry (1999 San Francisco), OS Chris Jackson (1998 Seattle, 1998 Tampa Bay, 1999 Seattle, 2000 Tennessee, 2002 Green Bay), OL/DL Tony Plantin (2000 San Francisco, 2000 Carolina), DS Wasswa Serwanga (1999 San Francisco, 2000-01 Minnesota), WR/DB Russell Shaw (1998 St. Louis), OL/DL Mike Ulufale (1996 Dallas) and DS Damen Wheeler (2000 San Diego, 2001 Jacksonville). Five Avengers -- Amey (7th round), Arnold 4th round), Graziani (7th round), Ulufale (3rd round) and Wheeler (6th round) -- were NFL Draft picks. Graziani is the most experienced, having played in 19 games (including five starts) for the Falcons.

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