Carolina Cobras Game Notes
May 6, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Carolina Cobras News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Carolina Cobras (0-14) vs. Orlando Predators (10-4)
Date: Friday, May 9, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Site: TD Waterhouse Centre (16,613)
Officials: David Lambros (Referee), Al Granado (Umpire), Mike McCabe (Head Linesman), Craig Wrolstad (Line Judge), Dino Paganelli (Back Judge)
Series Record: Orlando leads all-time series 5-0
Coaches: Carolina: Eddie Khayat (4th Season, 23-16) Orlando: Fran Papasedero (2nd Season, 19-12)
THE SERIES: Orlando leads all-time series 5-0
Orlando 56, @Carolina 28 â April 27, 2000
@Orlando 56, Carolina 54 â June 2, 2000
@Orlando 33, Carolina 30 â May 31, 2002
Orlando 52, @ Carolina 48 â June 28, 2002
Orlando 70, @ Carolina 42 â February 21, 2003
COBRAS LAST WEEK: Carolina suffered its 14th straight loss with a 57-38 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Rush at the Charlotte Coliseum. The loss tied the AFL records for losses in a single season and consecutive losses in a single season. Stewart Patridge finished 22-of-40 for 265 yards for the Cobras, with five touchdowns and two interceptions. With OS Bernard Holmes missing the game due to a knee injury, Chris Johnson posted career-highs of 10 receptions, 115 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Alvin Ashley added four receptions for 84 yards and two touchdowns and returned five kickoffs for 108 yards in his Cobras debut.
PREDATORS LAST WEEK: Duke Pettijohn scored on a one-yard run in overtime and Kenny McEntyre intercepted a John Dutton pass on Colorado's overtime possession as the Predators defeated the Crush, 48-42, to improve to 10-4 on the season. Jay Gruden completed 26-of-40 passes for a season-high 324 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. He now has 40 touchdowns and just two picks in running his season record to 8-0 as a starter. Cory Fleming caught nine passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns. Lamont Moore posted season highs with seven receptions and 70 yards.
HEAD COACHES: Eddie Khayat made his coaching debut with Carolina last Sunday after being named to the position on an interim basis on April 28. He joined the Cobras organization as senior advisor of football operations in February. Khayat spent five years with the Nashville Kats, where he served as head coach in 1997 and 1998 and as general manager from 1999-2001. Khayat was honored as the AFL's Coach of the Year in 1997 after guiding the expansion Kats to a division championship. In his two years as head coach, the Kats had a 19-11 record and made the playoffs both years. In his three seasons as general manager, the Kats made the playoffs each year and played in the ArenaBowl in 2000 and 2001. Khayat also served as head coach of the New Orleans Night in 1991. Khayat played in the NFL for nine seasons with the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles before ending his playing career with the AFL's Boston Patriots. He began his coaching days as defensive line coach with the New Orleans Saints, where he served for four seasons before taking over as head coach of the Eagles in 1971. After two years in Philadelphia, he was a defensive line coach with Detroit, Atlanta, Baltimore, New England and Tampa Bay.
Orlando's Fran Papasedero is in his second season as head coach of the Predators. Replacing Jay Gruden, who resigned after the 2001 season to return to the playing field, Papasedero led the Predators to the Southern Division title and the AFL semifinals in 2002. He spent four seasons as an assistant to Gruden (1998-2001) prior to taking over the head coaching reigns. Papasedero played five seasons in the AFL as a lineman and was named First Team All-AFL with St. Louis in 1996.
INJURY UPDATES: Carolina has lost a total of 94 player games due to injury this season...15 different players have spent time on injured reserve...After missing last week's game against Chicago, OS Bernard Holmes is listed as doubtful...An MRI on Monday revealed that Holmes has a stretched posterior capsule in his left knee, a slight stretch of the ACL and a bone bruise in the knee...Quarterbacks Stewart Patridge (back) and Robert Hall (ankle) are listed as probable. COBRAS INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
OL/DL Ethan Banning Elbow IR
WR/DB Buddy Crutchfield Quad IR
QB Robert Hall Ankle Probable
OL/DL Decorye Hampton Foot IR
OS Bernard Holmes Knee Doubtful
QB Ron Lopez Back IR
QB Stewart Patridge Back Probable
DS Robert Williams Shoulder IR
COBRAS MILESTONES:
WR/DB Alvin Ashley needs:
⢠102 all-purpose yards for 15,000
⢠188 receiving yards for 7,500
⢠10 receiving touchdowns for 150
QB Robert Hall needs:
⢠57 passing yards to reach 7,500
OS Bernard Holmes needs:
⢠6 receiving touchdowns to reach 50
⢠7 receptions to set a new Cobras season record
⢠108 receiving yards to set a new Cobras season record
COBRAS NEXT WEEK: The Cobras wrap up the 2003 season at the Charlotte Coliseum against the New York Dragons on Friday, May 16. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
SNAKE BITES:
Skid Reaches Record Level: Carolina's 14-game losing streak ties the AFL record for losses in a single season and consecutive losses in a single season. Both marks were set by Memphis in 1996. The record for most consecutive losses over two seasons is 17 by Memphis in 1995 and 1996. The Cobras have lost seven straight at home and on the road â both franchise records. Listed below are the only five teams in league history that have failed to win a regular season game. In af2, two teams have finished with a 0-16 record â the Columbus Wardogs in 2001 and the Mobile Wizards in 2002.
Year Team Record
1989 Maryland Commandos 0-4
1991 Columbus Thunderbolts 0-10
1992 New Orleans Night 0-10
1994 Milwaukee Mustangs 0-12
1996 Memphis Pharaohs 0-14
Holmes Makes Strong Bid For All-AFL: Despite missing three games this season, OS Bernard Holmes is making a strong run for the All-AFL team. He has recorded 200 or more all-purpose yards in each of his last 10 games played and leads the league with 240.1 all-purpose yards per game. So far this season, he has recorded six of the top eight single-game all-purpose yardage totals in franchise history, including the third-best overall performance in AFL history with 413 all-purpose yards against Georgia on April 18. Holmes has already set new franchise season records for touchdowns (20), 100-yard receiving games (6), kickoff returns (74), kickoff return yards (1,546), combined return yards (1,644) and all-purpose yards (2,641). His 180 receiving yards on March 9 against Las Vegas and 13 receptions on April 4 at Los Angeles were career highs. Below are the top eight all-purpose yardage games in Cobras history: Player Date Opp Rec Ret Tot
Bernard Holmes 4/18/03 GEO 125 288 413
Corey Johnson 7/7/01 NY 0 326 326
Jack Jackson 4/14/01 FLA 155 148 303
Bernard Holmes 3/15/03 GEO 106 178 284
Bernard Holmes 2/21/03 ORL 92 191 283
Bernard Holmes 2/14/03 DET 110 162 272
Bernard Holmes 3/9/03 LV 180 78 258
Bernard Holmes 4/4/03 LA 107 141 248
Climbing The Charts: Holmes ranks as one of only three players in AFL history to have 10 or more games of 200 or more all-purpose yards in a season.
Player Season Team Games
Lamont Cooper 2001 Oklahoma 12
Steve Papin 1998 San Jose 10
Bernard Holmes 2003 Carolina 10
One For The Record Book: Bernard Holmes had the best game of his career and the third-best overall performance in Arena Football history on April 18 when he recorded a franchise-record 413 all-purpose yards in the Cobras loss to Georgia. Holmes had nine receptions for 125 yards, returned nine kickoffs for 216 yards and had two missed field goal returns for 72 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown. Below are the top three all-purpose yardage games in Arena Football history:
Player Date Team Yards
Barry Wagner 6/21/96 Orl. vs. Iowa 434
Lamont Cooper 5/4/02 Buf. at Det. 415
Bernard Holmes 4/18/03 Car. vs. Geo. 413
Immediate Impact: Just two days after officially signing with the Cobras, WR/DB Alvin Ashley had an immediate impact in Carolina's game against Chicago. The 10-year AFL veteran had four receptions for 84 yards and two touchdowns and returned five kickoffs for 108 yards.
Closing In On 15,000: With his 192 all-purpose yards against Chicago, Alvin Ashley is now only 102 yards away from becoming the sixth player in AFL history to record 15,000 all-purpose yards. He is already one of only three players in league history to record over 7,000 receiving yards and 7,000 combined kick return yards.
Young Star Shines Bright: With OS Bernard Holmes out last week with a knee injury against Chicago, rookie WR/LB Chris Johnson stepped right in and had the best game of his young career. He caught 10 passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns against the Rush. It was Johnson's second 100-yard game of the season -- he had nine receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns at San Jose on March 28. Johnson has eight receiving scores in only six games played this season.
Third Quarter Woes: The Cobras have scored just 75 points in the third quarter this season, an average of only 5.4 points per game. Carolina has been outscored 212-75 in the period, including 69-7 the last three weeks.
The AFL's Version Of Slash: Robert Hall has started games at both QB and OS for the Cobras this season and played both positions at Arizona on April 26. He has thrown 24 touchdowns this year, rushed for six more and has five receptions for 80 yards. He is the only player in league history to have over 3,000 passing and 3,000 receiving yards in his career.
Two Weeks To Forget: The Cobras posted back-to-back 40-point losses on April 18 vs. Georgia and April 26 at Arizona. It was the first time an AFL team had ever lost by 40 or more points in consecutive weeks and the first time a team has ever posted three losses by 40 or more in one season (also at Tampa Bay on January 31). Carolina was held scoreless in the second half of each game and committed a total of 13 turnovers in the two outings.
Post To Post: Carolina has allowed a franchise record six kickoff returns for touchdowns this season and one missed field goal return for a touchdown. In the previous three years of the team's history, the Cobras had allowed only six total kickoff returns for touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, Bernard Holmes has returned three kickoffs for scores and one missed FG for a touchdown.
A Tale Of Two Halves: The Cobras have been outscored by an average of just 3.6 points in the first half of their last seven games, but have been outscored 216-94 in the second half to stretch their losing streak to 14 straight. Below is a chart showing the comparison:
Statistics Cobras Opponents
First Half Points 154 (22.0) 179 (25.6)
Second Half Points 94 (13.4) 216 (30.9)
The Quarterback Carousel: The Cobras have used five different quarterbacks this season, but have settled in with Stewart Patridge as the starter the last five weeks. Chad DeGrenier started the season opener at Tampa Bay, throwing four interceptions. Patridge got the nod in week two at Buffalo. Robert Hall was the starter in weeks three and four against Detroit and Orlando. Rookie Glen Gauntt got the start in week five at Grand Rapids. Ron Lopez got the starting nod in week six against Las Vegas. Lopez was replaced in the fourth quarter of that game by Hall, who started the next three weeks. Patridge returned to the starting lineup in week 10 at Los Angeles.
Trading Places: After appearing as an OL/DL in 10 of the Cobras first 12 games, rookie Tim McGill moved to FB/LB on April 26 against Arizona and responded with the best outing of his AFL career. He recorded a season-high 4.0 tackles and his second sack of the season.
Cobras Among League Leaders: OS Bernard Holmes leads the AFL in all-purpose yards per game with 240.1 per outing...Holmes is 2nd in kickoff returns (74), 2nd in all-purpose yardage (2641), 3rd in kickoff return yardage (1546), tied for 4th in kickoff return TDs (3) and 9th in receiving yards per game (90.5)...K Matt George is 2nd in field goal attempts (36), is tied for 2nd in field goals made (12) and is 10th in scoring among kickers (76)...DS Larry Casher is 14th in the league in tackles with 59.0.
The True Ironmen: WR/DB Nick Ward and K Matt George are the only two players that have appeared in every game for the Cobras this season. Ward had the best outing of his three-year AFL career on April 11 against Tampa Bay. He had seven receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns on offense, all of which are new career-highs. Defensively, Ward had 5.0 tackles, one fumble recovery, one pass breakup and one interception. George's 51-yard field goal on April 11 against Tampa Bay tied the longest in Cobras franchise history. It was the fourth 50-plus yard field goal of his career.
Patridge Makes His Mark: QB Stewart Patridge made his second start of the season on April 4 at Los Angeles and quickly put his mark on the Cobras record book. He posted franchise records of 30 completions and 46 pass attempts, throwing for 287 yards and six touchdowns, both of which are season-highs for a Cobras quarterback. Supporting Our Military: To show their support for the men and women serving in our armed forces at home and overseas, the Carolina Cobras are offering special discounts and, when available, complimentary tickets for all armed forces personnel and their families to any Cobras game for the remainder of the 2003 season. To take advantage of this offer, armed forces personnel and/or their families will be asked to present a military ID at the Charlotte Coliseum box office to receive the tickets.
COBRAS PLAYERS TO WATCH:
OS Bernard Holmes: Holmes has posted 200 or more all-purpose yards in each of his last 10 games, including a franchise-record 413 yards on April 18 against Georgia. He leads the AFL with 240.1 all-purpose yards per game and has recorded six of the top eight all-purpose yardage games in franchise history this season. His 180 receiving yards on March 9 against Las Vegas and 13 receptions on April 4 at Los Angeles are career highs. Holmes is 2nd in kickoff returns (74), 2nd in all-purpose yardage (2641), 3rd in kickoff return yardage (1546), tied for 4th in kickoff return TDs (3) and 9th in receiving yards per game (90.5).
WR/DB Alvin Ashley: Ashley had 192 all-purpose yards in his first appearance for the Cobras last week against Chicago. He had four receptions for 84 yards and two TDs and five kickoff returns for 108 yards. Ashley is one of only three players in league history to record over 7,000 receiving yards and 7,000 combined kick return yards. He needs just 102 all-purpose yards to become only the sixth player in AFL history to record 15,000 all-purpose yards.
DS Derek Stingley: Stingley ranks among the league's leaders with 13 passes defended and 45.0 tackles this season. He has recorded at least one pass breakup in 10 of his 12 games played and notched the 100th pass breakup of his career last Sunday against Chicago. Stingley has posted a season-high 8.0 tackles three times â February 14 vs. Detroit, March 21 vs. Dallas and April 11 vs. Tampa Bay.
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