Chicago Rush game notes

Published on May 12, 2005 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: None
Radio: WCKG, 105.9 FM ... Tom Dore, James "Big Cat" Williams, Sharon Jackson
Overall Series Record: Rush leads 6-4 (6-3 in regular season 0-1 in postseason)
Streaks: Chicago has won four in a row and six of the last seven games in the series
Last Meeting: March 13, 2005, Rush 48, Grand Rapids 45
Coaches (regular season records):
Mike Hohensee (87-75 — 12th season)
Sparky McEwen (2-12 — 1st season)
Officials: Bill McCabe (Referee), Doug Wilson (Umpire), Royce Cooley (Head Linesman), Dirk Bell (Line Judge), Jimmy Buchanan (Back Judge)

2005 Chicago Rush Schedule
January 30 @ Dallas L (OT), 65-66 11,229
February 6 Philadelphia W, 51-41 16,036
February 13 @ Colorado* W, 51-48 16,620
February 19 @ Columbus L, 39-52 17,171
February 25 Orlando L, 35-48 14,126
March 6 Nashville* W, 45-38 15,881
March 13 @ Grand Rapids* W, 48-45 8,110
March 20 New Orleans L (OT), 40-46 13,614
March 27 BYE
April 2 @ New York W, 44-43 11,719
April 10 San Jose W, 55-39 14,865
April 17 Colorado* W, 75-51 12,953
April 23 @ Los Angeles L, 49-52 11,904
May 1 Las Vegas W, 63-62 12,994
May 6 @ Arizona L, 43-61 12,349
May 15 Grand Rapids* Noon
May 22 @ Nashville* 2 p.m. NBC

*Central Division Game ... All times Central


American Conference — Central Division
2005 Standings
W-L-T PF PA Division
Colorado 9-5-0 793 760 2-3
RUSH 8-6-0 703 692 4-0
Nashville 6-7-1 598 618 2-2
Grand Rapids 2-12-0 639 827 1-4

FINAL HOME GAME: The Rush returns home this Sunday to host its Central Division rivals the Grand Rapids Rampage. The Rush has won four games in a row against the Rampage and six of the last seven dating back to the 2002 season. Sunday's game is the last of the regular season at Allstate Arena, as the Rush will close its schedule on the road at Nashville next week.

PLAYOFF PUSH: With two games remaining in the season the Rush is poised to clinch its fifth-consecutive berth in the AFL playoffs. A win Sunday, coupled with a win next week in Nashville, would bring Chicago's record to 10-6, and clinch a playoff berth. It also would open the door for another Central Division title should Colorado drop one of its final two games.

If the Rush should split its final two games and finish 9-7, it would need either San Jose or Las Vegas to lose one of its remaining games to insure a playoff berth. Since both San Jose and Las Vegas play on the road Saturday night, the Rush will know when it takes the field Sunday if a win clinches a spot.

Here is a look at the AFL playoff races:
American Conference National Conference
1. *Los Angeles 9-5 1. *Georgia 10-4
2. *Colorado 9-5 2. *New York 9-5
3. Chicago 8-6 3. Orlando 9-6
3. San Jose 8-6 4. New Orleans 8-6
3. Las Vegas 8-6 4. Tampa Bay 8-6
*Division leader

Each of the four division winners receives an automatic berth into the playoffs, along with a home game in the first round. The next two top records in each conference receive Wild Card berths into the playoffs.

RUSH FALLS IN DESERT: The Rush fumbled its opening kickoff and then failed to recover an Arizona onside kick to open the second half, giving the Rattlers two extra possessions that turned into 14 points in last week's 61-43 loss at America West Arena. The Rattlers scored touchdowns on their first nine possessions of the game, before throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter.

MISSED FIELD GOAL GIVES RUSH MARCH WIN: Peter Martinez's 33-yard field goal attempt missed wide right as time expired, and the Rush held on for a 48-45 win in Grand Rapids on March 13. After falling behind 24-13 at the half, the Rush outscored the Rampage 21-7 in the third quarter to take a 34-31 lead. With less than one minute left to play in the game and the Rush poised to score, the Rampage stopped Chicago on fourth and goal from the one-yard line setting up the final Grand Rapids drive that ended with the Martinez field goal attempt. Rush backup QB Todd Hammel started the game in place of an injured Raymond Philyaw and was named Offensive Player of the Game after completing 21 of 25 passes for 348 yards and six touchdowns.

Here is a look at the Rush-Rampage Series Results:
2001: Grand Rapids 54, Rush 52 (May 19 @ Chicago)
Grand Rapids 79, Rush 58 (July 7 @ GR)
Grand Rapids 53, Rush 21 (August 5 @ GR)*
2002: Rush 71, Grand Rapids 59 (May 4 @ Chicago)
Rush 56, Grand Rapids 50 (July 6 @ GR)
2003: Grand Rapids 48, Rush 34 (March 29 @ GR)
Rush 54, Grand Rapids 46 (April 27 @ Chicago)
2004: Rush 50, Grand Rapids 30 (February 8 @ Chicago)
Rush 63, Grand Rapids 35 (May 8 @ GR)
2005: Rush 48, Grand Rapids 45 (March 13 @ GR)
*AFL playoffs

OWNING THE DIVISION: The Rush is 4-0 this season in games against Central Division foes and 10-2 vs. the Central since the start of the 2004 season.

HOME COOKIN': With its win over Las Vegas May 1, the Rush now has a 27-12 all-time record at home (including postseason). The Rush is 5-2 at home this year and was 7-2 at home in 2004, including a 59-49 win over Orlando in the AFL quarterfinals.

OT NOT KIND: The Rush has struggled in overtime in 2005, falling in both of its chances this year. The Rush lost the season opener in Dallas, 66-65, when Etu Molden's game-winning two-point conversion attempt fell one-yard short of the end zone. Against New Orleans on March 20, Rush QB Raymond Philyaw threw his only interception of the game on Chicago's first possession in OT, and VooDoo QB Andy Kelly capitalized, leading New Orleans on a 47-yard drive for the game-winning TD.

BETTER AFTER THE BREAK?: The Rush reached the midpoint of its season with a 4-4 record. Here is a look at the team's record in the first and second halves of the past four seasons:

First Half Second Half Final Record
2001 4-3 3-4 7-7
2002 4-3 5-2 9-5
2003 3-5 5-3 8-8
2004 6-2 5-3 11-5
2005 4-4 4-2 ?

MOYER IN CHICAGO TILL 2007: The Rush announced Monday it had signed John Moyer, the AFL's reigning Lineman of the Year, to a contract extension that will keep him in Chicago through the 2007 season. Everyone knows that Moyer is one of the game's best pass rushers, but what makes Moyer special is his ability to excel on offense and special teams in addition to defense. One of the best pass protectors in the AFL, Moyer only has allowed one sack in the past two seasons. His footwork and hands have made him a dangerous receiver as well, catching eight passes for 34 yards and six touchdowns this season. On special teams, Moyer has blocked three kicks this season, and eight dating back to the start of the 2004 season.

MOYER 8TH ALL-TIME: Rush lineman John Moyer recorded two sacks April 23 in LA – numbers five and six on the season. Moyer now has 34 career sacks, including 29 as a member of the Rush. This season Moyer has moved past Joe March into eighth place all-time. Next up for Moyer is San Jose's Joe Jacobs with 35.5 career sacks.

In fact, in the four years Moyer has been with Chicago no player has recorded more sacks than the Rush star.

Here is a look at the AFL's leaders in sacks since the start of the 2002 season:
1. John Moyer - 29
2. EJ Burt - 24
3. B.J. Cohen - 23
4. Tom Briggs - 21
5t. Jermaine Smith - 19.5
5t. Silas Demary - 19.5

Here are Chicago's season and career sack leaders:
Player Season Player Career
John Moyer 10.0 (2004) John Moyer 29.0
John Moyer 9.0 (2003) James Baron 10.0
John Moyer 6.0 (2005) Anthony Hutch 6.5
Anthony Hutch 5.5 (2001) Jamie McGourty 5.5
John Moyer 4.0 (2002) Riley Kleinhesselink 5.0
James Baron 4.0 (2003) Tony Henderson 4.0
Tony Henderson 4.0 (2001)
James Baron 3.0 (2004)
James Baron 3.0 (2002)
Jamie McGourty 3.0 (2004)

BLOCK THAT KICK: Rush lineman John Moyer has blocked three kicks this season, and eight since the start of the 2004 season. Last week in Arizona, Moyer blocked a PAT attempt by Gary Kral. It was the second time this season Moyer had blocked a Kral kick. The first time came on the final play of the first half March 6 against Nashville, when Kral was still with the Kats. In the season opener against Dallas, Moyer blocked a Carlos Martinez 22-yard field goal attempt – also on the final play of the first half. In 2004 the Rush special teams blocked nine kicks – two field goals and seven extra points.

PHILYAW ON FIRE: QB Raymond Philyaw has been playing his best football of the season since returning to the lineup March 20. In seven games Philyaw has completed 166 of 228 passes (73%) for 1,851 yards, 35 touchdowns and only six interceptions. His quarterback rating during the last six games is 125.2, raising his overall QB rating for the season to 117.6 – fourth best in the AFL.

BOTH RUSH QBs LIKE PLAYING RAMPAGE: Both Raymond Philyaw and Todd Hammel have enjoyed playing against Grand Rapids during their careers. Philyaw owns a 5-4 record vs. Grand Rapids, including a 2-0 mark as quarterback of the Rush. Hammel, who defeated the Rampage earlier this season while filling in for an injured Philyaw, has played in six games against the Rampage, owning a 4-1 record as a starter.

Here are Philyaw and Hammel's career numbers against Grand Rapids:

QB Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating
Philyaw 159 248 64.1% 2,230 45 2 129.2
Hammel 111 173 64.2% 1,387 20 5 105.8

THE OLD MAN CAN STILL PLAY: Backup QB Todd Hammel has played in five games for the Rush this season (two starts), including the 150th game of his career April 17 vs. Colorado. Hammel has shown that after 14 years he still can throw the ball, completing 53 of 74 passes for 717 yards and 14 touchdowns and posting a passer rating of 124.8. He is 2-0 as a starter this year and was named Offensive Player of the Game after completing 21 of 25 passes for 348 yards and six touchdowns and leading the Rush to a 48-45 win in Grand Rapids March 13.

MOLDEN APPROACHING RUSH RECORDS: In just his second season, Rush WR/LB Etu Molden is close to becoming the team's all-time leading receiver. For the second-consecutive season, Molden leads the team in all receiving categories, catching 87 passes for 1,042 yards and 24 touchdowns. Overall, Molden has scored 29 TDs this season (24 receiving, 4 rushing, 1 return). With his impressive season, Molden has moved into second place in Rush history behind former OS Antonio Chatman in receptions, receiving yards, receiving TDs and total TDs.

Career Numbers Chatman Molden
Receptions 197 188
Yards 2,676 2,322
Receiving TDs 52 47
Total TDs 62 61

McMILLEN TOPS 1,300 YARD MARK: Rush FB/LB Bob McMillen rushed for 10 yards at Arizona, giving him 164 for the season and 1,314 for his career. He is the first player in AFL history to rush for 100 or more yards in seven-consecutive seasons and currently sits in second place all-time on the league's career rushing list. Les Barley is the AFL's all-time leading rusher with 1,382 career yards.

The AFL's All-Time Rushing list
Player Seasons Team Yards
Les Barley 1992-2001 — 1,382
Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 1,314
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 1,253
Andre Bowden 1991-2004 — 1,241

McMILLEN THIRD IN RUSHING TDs: Bob McMillen added another rushing touchdown May 1 against Las Vegas, bringing his career total to 74. McMillen now sits by himself in third place on the AFL's All-Time list for rushing TDs behind Barry Wagner (123) and Andre Bowden (93).

PAULEY OUT FOR THE YEAR: Rush WR/DB Charles Pauley will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to insert a plate and screws into his broken right forearm. Pauley suffered the injury to the Radius bone in his arm making a tackle in the fourth quarter of the team's May 1 win over Las Vegas. For the season, the second-year player from San Jose State had caught 21 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns, and recorded 14 tackles, one interception and four passes broken up.

COMPLETE INJURY RECAP: The Rush currently has five players on its injured reserve list, including three who are out for the rest of the regular season. Here is a list of the team's IR players and their status.
8 OL/DL Colin Greczek is out for the regular season after fracturing the Fibula in his left leg April 17 against Colorado.
8 OL/DL Jon McCall had surgery to repair tendon and ligament damage in his left middle finger on March 24. He is expected to miss at least the rest of the regular season.
8 WR/DB Charles Pauley is out for the season after suffering a fractured Radius in his left arm May 1 against Las Vegas.
8 WR/DB Greg Williams suffered a sprained ankle in practice and was placed on IR April 29. He is eligible to return to the lineup this week.
8 WR/LB Carlos Wright injured his left quad in practice March 9. He is expected to miss a few more weeks.

CAREER YEAR ON BOTH SIDES FOR SHAW: Given an opportunity to play for the first time in his five-year AFL career, WR/DB Russell Shaw is making the most of his opportunity. Shaw has set career-highs by catching 37 passes for 431 yards. In addition, Shaw has recorded career-highs on defense with 49 tackles, nine passes broken up and three interceptions. Due to injuries to Todd Howard and Tony Lukins earlier in the season, Shaw proved his versatility, moving from WR/DB to defensive specialist for three games (April 10 vs. SJ, April 17 vs. Col and April 23 @ LA).

HOHENSEE NOW IN 3RD PLACE ALL-TIME: With Chicago's 51-48 win in Colorado February 13, Rush head coach Mike Hohensee moved into sole possession of third place on the AFL's all-time wins list. Hohensee, in his 12th season as a head coach in the AFL, was hired as the first coach in Rush history on September 26, 2000. He
8 has a regular season record of 87-75 (including a
43-31 mark with the Rush).
8 has a career 6-8 mark in the postseason.
8 has led the Rush to four-consecutive playoff berths and two Central Division titles (2002 and 2004).
8 is 6-5 all-time against Grand Rapids.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 174 vs. New York
Danny White 141
Mike Hohensee Rush 93 vs. Grand Rapids
Perry Moss 86
Mike Dailey Colorado 84 vs. Nashville
Darren Arbet San Jose 81 @ Arizona
Michael Trigg 80

KICKIN' KEITH: Rush kicker Keith Gispert continues to be one of the AFL's most consistent kickers. For the season Gispert has connected on 78 of 92 extra-point attempts (85%) and nine of 14 field goal attempts (64%). Last season Gispert connected on 95 of 108 PAT attempts (87.9%) and 12 of 22 field goal attempts.

THE OLD GUYS: In addition to the six rookies on the Rush roster, the team also features many players with a wealth of AFL experience. Todd Hammel leads all Rush players with 151 career games, followed by Bob McMillen (125), John Moyer (94), John Sikora (90) and Frank Moore (89).

TALE OF THE TAPE
Chicago Category Grand Rapids
14 Games 14
50.2 (10) Scoring Offense 45.6 (15)
49.4 (8) Scoring Defense 59.1 (17)
296.7 (4) Total Offense 279.0 (9)
298.6 (11) Total Defense 280.7 (8)
60-71, 84.5% Red Zone Offense 43-55, 78.2%
46-58, 79.3% Red Zone Defense 60-65, 92.3%
273.8 (6) Pass Offense 232.4 (16)
276.4 (13) Pass Defense 262.6 (9)
22.9 (5) Rushing Offense 46.6 (1)
22.1 (11) Rushing Defense 18.1 (6)
703 (12) Scoring 639 (15)
107 (T-10) Scoring (Kicking) 115 (6)
88-1472-3 Kickoff Returns 75-1469-3
16.7 Kick Return Average 19.6
8-157-1 Missed Field Goal Returns 4-75-0
19.6 Missed FG Return Avg. 18.8
-5 (12) Turnover Margin -13 (16)
9-14, 64.3% Field Goals 15-39, 38.5%
80-93, 86.0% PAT Kicking 70-79, 88.6%
10-37 yards Sacks By 10-48 yards
7-36 Sacks Against 26-154
39-77, 50.6% Third Down Conversion 34-97, 35.1%
10-20, 50.0% Fourth Down Conversion 7-17, 41.2%
117-730 Penalties (#-Yards) 122-735
115-755 Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 122-773
BOLD – AFL Leader

INDIVIDUAL LEAGUE LEADERS: The following Rush players are among the 2005 AFL league leaders:

Henry Douglas: all-purpose yards (7th-2157 yards), MFG returns (2nd -6), MFG return yards (2nd-138 yards), MFG return average (T-4th-23.0), MFG return TD (T-1st-1), kick return TD (T-6th-2)

Keith Gispert: scoring (kicking) (8th-106 points), touchbacks (6th-30), field goals made (9th-9), field goal percentage (3rd-64.3%), PAT made (9th-79), PAT percentage (9th-85.9), PAT attempts (T-7th-92)

Jeroid Johnson: tackles (T-13th-70)

Bob McMillen: rushing (6th-164 yards)

Etu Molden: scoring (8th-174 points), touchdowns (T-8th-29), first downs (11th-55)

John Moyer: sacks (5th-6), fumbles recovered (T-2nd-3), tackles for loss (T-3rd-9)

Raymond Philiyaw: average gain per pass (8th-7.6), pass rating (3rd-117.6), completion percentage (1st-70.0), passing yards per game (6th-262), pass attempts (10th-403), pass yards per attempt (6th-7.8), completions (8th-282)

RUSH GAME AWARD WINNERS: The following Rush players have won individual game awards for their play this season:

Offensive Player of the Game:
Raymond Philyaw (2/6 vs. Philadelphia, 4/10 vs. San Jose, 5/1 vs. Las Vegas)
Henry Douglas (2/13 @ Colorado, 4/2 @ New York)
Etu Molden (3/6 vs. Nashville, 4/17 vs. Colorado)
Todd Hammel (3/13 @ Grand Rapids)

ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Russell Shaw (2/6 vs. Philadelphia, 4/17 vs. Colorado)
Todd Howard (3/6 vs. Nashville, 3/13 @ Grand Rapids, April 2 @ New York)
Jeroid Johnson (3/20 vs. New Orleans)
Charles Pauley (4/2 @ New York)
Etu Molden (4/10 vs. San Jose)

U.S. Army Ironman of the Game:
Henry Douglas (1/30 @ Dallas)
John Moyer (2/6 vs. Philadelphia)
Etu Molden (3/6 vs. Nashville, 3/13 @ Grand Rapids, 4/17 vs. Colorado)
Bob McMillen (3/20 vs. New Orleans, 4/10 vs. San Jose, 5/1 vs. Las Vegas)

RUSH WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS: The following Rush players have won AFL weekly awards for their play this season:

Offensive Player of the Week:
Raymond Philyaw (Week 11 vs. San Jose)
Etu Molden (Week 12 vs. Colorado)

INJURY REPORT: The following players appeared on this week's injury report to the AFL.
Out – Colin Greczek (left fibula fracture), Jon McCall (finger), Charles Pauley (left arm fracture), Greg Williams (left ankle sprain), Carlos Wright (left quad)
Probable – Henry Douglas (turf toe, left foot)

RUSH PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Practice for the week of May 2:
Monday, May 9 – Meetings only
Tuesday, May 10– Off
Wednesday, May 11 – 12:35 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Thursday, May 12 – 8:35 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Friday, May 13 – 8:35 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Saturday, May 14 – 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

All practices this week will be held at the team's Hoffman Estates practice facility, Poplar Creek Sports Centre.

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