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Carolina Cobras Game Notes

March 18, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Carolina Cobras News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Carolina Cobras (0-7) vs. Dallas Desperados (4-3)
Date: March 21, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Site: Charlotte Coliseum (12,229)
Officials: Gene Hartleb (Referee), Rick Lowe (Umpire), Rod Pearson (Head Linesman), Art Lucky (Line Judge), Scott Helverson (Back Judge)
Series Record: Dallas leads all-time series 1-0
Coaches: Carolina: Mike Hold (1st Season, 0-7) Dallas: Joe Avezzano (2nd Season, 12-11)

THE SERIES: Dallas leads all-time series 1-0 Dallas 57, @ Carolina 44 – April 20, 2002

COBRAS LAST WEEK: The Cobras rallied from a 20-point first quarter deficit to cut the lead to three late in the third quarter before eventually falling 45-37 to the Georgia Force in front of 9,699 at The Arena at Gwinnett Center. Carolina rallied behind the play of Bernard Holmes and Robert Hall. Hall finished the night 20-of-35 for 210 yards and three touchdowns. He added a three-yard rushing touchdown. Holmes caught 10 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns and added 168 yards on six kickoffs, including a 56-yard touchdown. He finished the night with 284 all-purpose yards, his highest total of the season and the third highest single-game total in Cobras history. Nick Ward had his third touchdown reception of the season, and Larry Casher set a Cobras franchise record with 12.0 tackles in the game. DESPERADOS LAST WEEK: Dallas led by 14 at the end of three quarters before falling 45-42 to the Grand Rapids Rampage. The Desperados, who led 42-28 at the end of the third quarter, were outscored 17-0 in the game's final period. Dallas quarterback Jim Kubiak finished 27-of-38 for 271 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. Offensive specialist Shannon Culver led all Desperados' receivers with eight catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. Andy McCullough added eight catches for 71 yards and a score. The loss was the first home defeat of the season for the Desperados, who fell to second in the Central Division, one game behind Grand Rapids.

HEAD COACHES: After two seasons as head coach of the af2 Augusta Stallions, Mike Hold is making his AFL coaching debut with the Cobras in 2003. He led the Stallions to a combined 22-10 record in his two years, including a 13-3 mark and playoff appearance in 2002. Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Hold spent 12 seasons as an AFL quarterback. He saw action for eight teams during his tenure and was the last remaining active player from the league's first season when he retired in 2000. Hold had training camp stints with the Denver Broncos (1986) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987, 88). He appeared in three games for Tampa Bay during the NFL strike in 1987. A 1985 graduate of the University of South Carolina, Hold led the Gamecocks to the school's only 10-win season in 1984 and earned MVP honors of the Gator Bowl. Despite playing only two seasons, he ranks seventh on the school's all-time passing yards list with 2,981 yards.

After establishing himself as one of the top assistant coaches in the NFL, Joe Avezzano made a name for himself last season as an Arena Football League head coach. Avezzano led the expansion Desperados to a 7-7 regular season record and a trip to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. This success helped the club win the prestigious Commissioner's Award. Avezzano was the Dallas Cowboys special teams coach from 1991-2002, earning NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year honors three times. Before coming to Dallas, he coached collegiately at Texas A&M (1985-88), Oregon State (1980-84), Tennessee (1977-79), Pittsburgh (1973-76), Iowa State (1969-72) and Florida State (1968). He starred at guard for Florida State before being drafted by the Boston Patriots.

LAST YEAR'S COBRAS-DESPERADOS MEETING:

Dallas 57, Carolina 44 (4/20/02 at Carolina)

The Cobras could not overcome a flurry of penalties in their season opener as the Desperados kicked off their Arena Football history with a 57-44 win. Veteran quarterback Andy Kelly paced Dallas with 21-of-33 passing for 259 yards and five touchdowns. Dialleo Burks caught five passes for 86 yards and two scores, and Andy McCullough added six receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. Carolina's Aaron Sparrow made his first AFL start, connecting on 10-of-21 passes for 101 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Connell Maynor hit on 6-of-10 passes and rushed twice for 15 yards after Sparrow left the game in the third quarter with a bruised sternum. Carl Bond hauled in six passes for 48 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Carolina and added a 47-yard fumble return for a score late in the game. The Cobras matched a team record with 17 penalties for a total of 98 yards.

FAMILIAR FACES: Desperados backup QB John Fitzgerald was Carolina's starter for most of last season ...He played 12 games, going 171-of-280 for 1,907 yards with 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions, adding 51 rushing yards and six scores on 17 carries...Cobras WR/DB Bernard Holmes played in two games last season for the Desperados...Cobras defensive coordinator Flint Fleming and Dallas defensive coordinator Will McClay were teammates with the Detroit Drive from 1989-1992...Dallas offensive coordinator Steve Thonn was head coach of the Houston ThunderBears from 1998-2001, where he coached Cobras head coach Mike Hold, OS Ben Bronson, OB Robert Hall and OS Bernard Holmes.

INJURY UPDATES: WR/LB Ty Law is probable after suffering a separated shoulder last week against Georgia... OL/DL Craig Moore is questionable with a bruised hand suffered in the Georgia game...WR/LB Van Johnson is questionable with a broken finger suffered last week in practice... OL/DL Jim Stiebel is questionable to be activated from injured reserve.

COBRAS MILESTONES:
WR/LB Van Johnson needs:
• 9 receptions to reach 250

WR/DB Tramain Jones needs:
• 3.5 tackles to reach 100

WR/LB Ty Law needs:
• 3.0 tackles to reach 100
• 9 receptions to reach 200
• 6 receiving touchdowns to reach 50

COBRAS NEXT WEEK: The Cobras make the first of back-to-back road trips to California, when they visit the defending AFL Champion San Jose SaberCats. Kickoff is slated for 10:30 p.m. eastern time/7:30 p.m. local time on Friday, March 28. SNAKE BITES:

Holmes Continues To Shine: No player has had a bigger impact for the Cobras this season than WR/DB turned OS Bernard Holmes. In his last four games played (he missed week five due to a family death), Holmes has 38 receptions for 488 yards and eight touchdowns. He also has 28 kickoff returns for 589 yards, including 56-yard touchdowns against Detroit and Georgia. Last week at Georgia, Holmes had 10 receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns and returned six kickoffs for 168 yards and one missed field goal for 10 yards, including a 56-yard kickoff return touchdown. His total of 284 all-purpose yards marked a season-high and the third best single-game total ever by a Cobra. In his last four games, he now has the third (284 in week seven at Georgia), fourth (283 in week four vs. Orlando), fifth (272 in week three vs. Detroit) and sixth (258 in week six vs. Las Vegas) best single-game all-purpose yardage totals in franchise history. His 180 receiving yards on March 9 against Las Vegas marked a career-high for the six-year veteran.

Top Six All-Purpose Yardage Games: Holmes has four of the top six all-purpose yardage games in Cobras franchise history in his last four games played.

Casher Sets Franchise Record: Rookie DS Larry Casher posted a new Cobras record and tied the AFL season-high with 12.0 tackles last week at Georgia. Casher, who has 31.5 tackles on the season, had 11 solo tackles and two assisted. Entering this week, he ranks 17th in the league.

Defensive Stops: The Cobras defense stepped up last week, making four stops. The team allowed six touchdowns and one field goal in 11 Georgia possessions. The four stops included an interception, a fumble, a turnover on downs and a missed field goal. Over the previous three games, the Cobras defense had allowed 26 touchdowns and one field goal in 30 possessions.

Cobras Among League Leaders: Several Cobras are among the AFL's statistical leaders...OS Bernard Holmes is one of only three players in the league that is averaging over 200 all-purpose yards per game and ranks second in that category with 220.0...In other categories, Holmes is eighth in all-purpose yardage (1100), tied for seventh in kickoff returns (28), ninth in kickoff return yardage (589) and tied for third in kickoff return touchdowns (2)...DS Larry Casher ranks 17th in the league in tackles with 31.5, after posting a franchise record 12.0 tackles last week at Georgia...K Matt George leads the league in field goal attempts (21) and is tied for fifth in field goals made (6).

Record Setting Losing Streaks: Last week's loss at Georgia was the Cobras fourth straight road defeat, tying the franchise record set during the 2000 season. If the Cobras lose this week, they will tie a franchise record with their eighth consecutive loss. The record streak was set from May 4, 2000 through June 16, 2000.

The Quarterback Carousel: In seven games played this season, the Cobras have started five different quarterbacks. Chad DeGrenier started the season opener at Tampa Bay, throwing four interceptions. Stewart Patridge got the nod in week two at Buffalo. Robert Hall was the starter in weeks three and four against Detroit and Orlando, throwing 10 touchdown passes in two games. Rookie Glen Gauntt got the start in week five at Grand Rapids. Seven-year AFL veteran Ron Lopez got the starting nod in Week 6 against Las Vegas. He was replaced in the fourth quarter by Hall, who returned to the starting lineup last week in Georgia.

Hall vs. The Field: Continuing with the quarterback trend, here's how Robert Hall matches up in his five games playing quarterback against the other four quarterbacks. Hall has a touchdown to interception ratio of 5.67 compared to the other quarterbacks' ratio of 1.0.

Kicking Accuracy: Cobras kicker Matt George missed four extra points last week against Georgia, after entering the game as the only kicker in the league that had not yet missed an extra point. He now sits at 18-of-22 after entering last week a perfect 17-of-17.

A Breakout Game For the Offense: Carolina's 319 yards of total offense against Las Vegas on March 9 shattered the team's previous season-high of 221 yards, and their 300 passing yards bested the previous high of 210. It also marked the only time this season that the Cobras offense has outgained its opponent. The last time the Cobras topped the 300-yard mark in a regular season game was week 12 of last season against the Toronto Phantoms.

The AFL's Version Of Slash: Cobras QB Robert Hall has seen action as both a quarterback and offensive specialist throughout his AFL career. He is the first and only player in league history to have 2,000 passing yards and 2,000 receiving yards in his career. Entering the season, Hall was eighth on the AFL's all-time career completion percentage list, having completed 62.6 percent of his career attempts.

From Teammate to Coach: OS Ben Bronson, QB Robert Hall and OS Bernard Holmes were teammates of Cobras head coach Mike Hold with the Houston ThunderBears.

It's A Small World: Defensive coordinator Flint Fleming was a teammate of OL/DL Jim Stiebel with the Buffalo Destroyers in 2000. Fleming played with WR/DB Bernard Holmes, WR/DB Tramain Jones and WR/DB Nick Ward as a member of the Florida Bobcats in 2001.

Holmes Among The All-Time Best: Entering the 2003 season, OS Bernard Holmes ranked among the AFL's all-time Top 25 in several receiving categories. Holmes was tied for 22nd in receptions (338), ranked 23rd in receiving touchdowns (78) and ranked 24th in receiving yards (4,204).

Coming With The Coach: WR/LB Chris Johnson, OL/DL Blaine Mensch, FB/LB Glen Mitts and defensive backs coach Maurice Blanding came to Carolina with head coach Mike Hold from the af2 Augusta Stallions.

COBRAS PLAYERS TO WATCH:

OS Bernard Holmes: Last week at Georgia, Holmes had 10 receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns and returned six kickoffs for 168 yards and one missed field goal for 10 yards, including a 56-yard kickoff return touchdown. His total of 284 all-purpose yards marked a season-high and the third best single-game total ever by a Cobras player. In his last four games played (he missed week five due to a family death), Holmes has 38 receptions for 488 yards and eight touchdowns. He also has 28 kickoff returns for 589 yards, including 56-yard touchdowns against Detroit and Georgia. In his last four games, he now has the third (284 in week seven at Georgia), fourth (283 in week four vs. Orlando), fifth (272 in week three vs. Detroit) and sixth (258 in week six vs. Las Vegas) best single-game all-purpose yardage totals in franchise history. His 180 receiving yards on March 9 against Las Vegas marked a career-high for the six-year veteran.

DS Larry Casher: Casher leads the Cobras and ranks 17th in the AFL with 31.5 tackles. Last week against Georgia, he posted a Cobras franchise record 12.0 tackles. The 12.0 tackles tied the most by an AFL player this season. An AFL rookie, he made his first career interception on February 28 against Grand Rapids.

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