Chicago Rush game notes

Published on June 1, 2005 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: NBC ... Tom Hammond, Pat Haden, Marty Snider
Radio: WCKG, 105.9 FM ... Tom Dore, James "Big Cat" Williams, Sharon Jackson
Overall Series Record: Chicago leads 4-1
Last Meeting: April 17, 2005, Rush 75, Crush 51
Streaks: Chicago has won two games in a row
Coaches (regular season, postseason records):
Mike Hohensee (88-75, 7-8 — 12th season)
Mike Dailey (79-53, 7-5 — 9th season)
Officials: David Lambros (Referee), Doug Wilson (Umpire), Neil Brunner (Head Linesman), Art Lucky (Line Judge), Tony Lombardo (Back Judge), Darrel Leftwich (Alternate)

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* L, 40-51 15,198
May 22 @ Nashville* W, 45-21 8,806
May 29 y-@ Los Angeles W, 52-45 9,310
June 5 y-@ Colorado 2 p.m. NBC
y- AFL Playoffs

American Conference — Central Division
2005 Final Standings
W-L-T PF PA Division
Colorado 10-6-0 873 871 3-3
RUSH 9-7-0 789 764 5-1
Nashville 6-9-1 668 715 2-4
Grand Rapids 4-12-0 761 932 2-4
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: Central Division rivals Chicago and Colorado will meet for the third time this season Sunday, with a trip to ArenaBowl XIX Las Vegas on the line. Both teams were in this same position last year, advancing to the AFL semifinals before seeing their championship dreams dashed. The Rush lost at San Jose 49-35, while the Crush lost to Arizona 45-41. Chicago and Colorado have played twice this season, with the Rush sweeping the season series from Colorado. Overall, Chicago holds a 4-1 series lead over the Crush, with this week's game the first time the teams have met in the postseason.

STUNNING COMEBACK MOVES RUSH INTO SEMIS: The Rush went on a 35-10 run over a 26 minute stretch in the second half Sunday at Staples Center, erasing an 18 point lead and earning a 52-45 victory over the Los Angeles Avengers. The Rush defense held Los Angeles scoreless on its last four possessions of the game – forcing two fumbles and forcing the Avengers to turn the ball over on downs twice. The 18-point comeback win was the largest comeback of the season for the Rush and the second largest in team history. (The Rush was down 22 points at Dallas in this season's opener and came back to take a lead, but ended up losing the game in overtime).

AFL PLAYOFF PICTURE: The number one seeds in both the National and American Conferences won this weekend and will host this weekend's conference championship games. Both number three seeds also won Sunday as Chicago upset Los Angeles and Orlando knocked off New York. The Rush and Predators each will hit the road for the second-consecutive week with a berth in ArenaBowl XIX Las Vegas on the line.

Last Week's Results:
Georgia 62, Tampa Bay 46
Orlando 47, New York 42
Colorado 56, San Jose 48
Chicago 52, Los Angeles 45

This Week's Games:
National Conference Championship
Saturday, June 4: Orlando @ Georgia

American Conference Championship
Sunday, June 5: Chicago @ Colorado

ArenaBowl XIX: Sunday, June 12

PLAYOFF CONSISTENCY: Only four teams – Chicago, Orlando, Tampa Bay and San Jose – have qualified for the AFL playoffs in each of the past five seasons. Chicago also is one of four teams – San Jose, Arizona, Orlando – who have advanced to the semifinals at least three times in the last five years.
Here is a look at Chicago's all-time playoff results:
2001: W 41-26 at Orlando (Wild Card Round)
L 53-21 at Grand Rapids (Quarterfinal)
2002: W 60-47 vs. Dallas (Quarterfinal)
L 46-35 at Arizona (Semifinal)
2003: L 48-45 at New York (Wild Card Round)
2004: W 59-49 vs. Orlando (Quarterfinal)
L 49-35 at San Jose (Semifinal)
2005: W, 52-49 at Los Angels (Quarterfinal)

RUSH SWEEPS CRUSH IN 2005: The Rush swept the Crush this year, winning 51-48 in Denver February 13 and 75-51 in Chicago on April 17. Overall, Chicago is 4-1 all-time against Colorado, including 2-1 at Pepsi Center.

Here is a brief recap of the two Chicago-Colorado games this year:

February 13: Keith Gispert's 21-yard field goal with two seconds remaining gave the Rush a stunning come-from-behind, 51-48 victory over the Colorado Crush at Pepsi Center. Trailing 48-40 with just 35 seconds to go, Rush QB Raymond Philyaw hit Etu Molden with a seven-yard touchdown pass. After the ensuing two-point conversion attempt failed, the Rush recovered an onside kick and moved down the field in position for Gispert's game-winning field goal. After the field goal, Rush WR/DB Russell Shaw tackled Crush OS Damian Harrell in the end zone for a game-ending safety.

In the game Philyaw completed 30 of 45 passes for a career-high 409 yards and five touchdowns. The 409 yards was the most by any quarterback in the AFL this season.

April 17: Etu Molden caught nine passes for 159 yards and scored a team record six touchdowns (five receiving, 1 return), and the Rush defense forced five defensive stops, as Chicago routed Colorado 75-51 at Allstate Arena. Rush OS Henry Douglas returned a missed field goal 53-yards on the final play of the first half, giving Chicago a 41-26 halftime lead.

CUTTING IT CLOSE IN ODD YEARS: Three times in the team's history – 2001, 2003 and 2005 – the Rush entered the final week of the season with a playoff spot hanging in the balance. In 2001 the Rush defeated Orlando 55-41 to secure its first playoff spot, while in 2003 Keith Gispert's 16-yard field goal in overtime lifted the Rush to a 46-43 win over Indiana and a spot in the postseason. This year, the Rush defeated the Nashville Kats 45-21 to earn its spot in the playoffs.

IN GOOD COMPANY: Since entering the league in 2001, the Rush has been one of the most consistent teams in the league. In fact, over the past five seasons, only four teams have won more regular season games than Chicago.

Here are the AFL's best records since 2001:
San Jose 55-21
Arizona 47-29
Orlando 47-29
Tampa Bay 47-29
Chicago 44-32
Los Angeles 43-33
OWNING THE DIVISION: The Rush finished the 2005 season 5-1 in games against Central Division foes, including 2-0 vs. Colorado. The Rush has dominated its division opponents the past two seasons, going 11-3 vs. the Central since the start of 2004.

OT NOT KIND IN 2005: The Rush struggled in overtime in 2005, falling in both of its chances. 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 goal line. 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. Overall, the Rush is 2-3 in overtime games in its history.

BETTER AFTER THE BREAK: After going 4-4 in the first half of the season, the Rush posted five wins in the second half of the season for the fourth-consecutive year. Here is a look at the team's record in the first and second halves of each of its five 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 5-3 9-7

TURNOVER BATTLE: Last season the Rush went 11-5, won the Central Division title and advanced to the AFL semifinals. One key to the team's success in 2004 was limiting its turnovers. In fact, the 2004 Rush tied Los Angeles for the AFL lead in turnover margin (+15). This year, however, the story was just the opposite as Chicago forced only 22 turnovers, while giving the ball away 28 times, for a turnover ratio of –6. Only Grand Rapids and Columbus, who combined to win just six games this season, had worse turnover margins than the Rush.

2005 RUSH BY THE NUMBERS: Here is a breakdown of how the Rush fared in certain situations this season (including postseason):
Site: Home 5-3 Road 5-4
Time: Day 9-3 Night 1-4
Opponents: vs. American Conf. 8-3
vs. Central 5-1 vs. West 3-2
vs. National Conf. 2-4
vs. East 2-2 vs. South 0-2
vs. 2005 playoff teams 5-2

THE PHILYAW FILE: After tearing the ACL in his right knee in last season's semifinal loss at San Jose, Rush QB Raymond Philyaw came back strong in 2005. Despite missing two games this season with a sprained MCL in the same right knee in which he had his off-season surgery, Philyaw set career highs in completions (324), attempts (480) and yards (3,669). His 67 touchdowns were one shy of his career high and his 67.5% completion percentage was the second-best of his career. One career high that Philyaw would rather not discuss, is his career-high 13 interceptions, four more than his previous career high in 2002 and nine more than he threw last season.

PHILYAW IN THE PLAYOFFS: Rush QB Raymond Philyaw now has played in eight career playoff games – five with the Firebirds and three with the Rush. Last season with Chicago, Philyaw led the Rush to a win over Orlando in the quarterfinals before injuring his knee in the second quarter of the semifinals in San Jose.

Here is a look at Philyaw's career playoff numbers.
Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating
132 205 64.3% 1,446 27 4 119.9

PHILYAW VS. CRUSH: Rush QB Raymond Philyaw is 3-1 in his career against Colorado, with all four games coming while with the Rush.

Here is a look at Philyaw's numbers vs. Colorado:
Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int. Rating
93 142 65.5 1,129 18 3 112.7

Philyaw also has carried the ball eight times for 10 yards and two touchdowns against the Crush.

FAMILIARITY BREEDS RESPECT: There are no secrets between the Rush and Crush, as the connections between the teams run deep.
8 Rush head coach Mike Hohensee and Crush head coach Mike Dailey are very close friends, having known each other for nearly 20 years. The pair first met in 1985 while coaching at Montgomery Junior College in Rockville, Maryland. When Hohensee was hired as the head coach of the Washington Commandos in 1990, he brought Dailey with him as his line coach. From 1991 through 1993 the two served together as assistant coaches on the staff of the Albany Firebirds. In 1994 Hohensee was promoted to head coach, with Dailey as his assistant head coach. When Hohensee left after the 1996 season, Dailey was promoted to head coach. Dailey then hired Hohensee as his offensive coordinator for the 1998 season. As AFL head coaches the pair has squared off against each other 13 times in the regular season, with Hohensee holding a 7-6 edge in the series.
8 Rush QB Raymond Philyaw began his AFL career playing for Mike Dailey when both were with the Albany and Indiana Firebirds. Dailey was Philyaw's coach for four seasons.
8 Four other Rush players – DeJuan Alfonzo, Jamie McGourty, John Sikora and Greg Williams – played for Dailey when he was the head coach of the Firebirds.

FINALLY, A WIN: One might think Rush QB Todd Hammel had seen it all in his 14 seasons as an AFL quarterback. Sunday against the Avengers, Hammel experienced a first – a playoff victory. Hammel's teams have made the postseason in nine of his 14 seasons, but none had ever won a playoff game until Chicago's win over Los Angeles last week.

This season Hammel played in six games for the Rush (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 55 of 76 passes for 754 yards and 15 touchdowns and posting a passer rating of 126.8. He finished 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.

ETU CRUSHES COLORADO: Rush WR/LB Etu Molden loves playing against Colorado, saving some of his best games for the Crush. In four career games, Molden has caught 30 passes for 457 yards and scored 11 TDs against Colorado.

Last week against Los Angeles, Molden caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown and recorded 3.5 tackles.

MOLDEN APPROACHING CHATMAN RECORDS: With his five receptions and one touchdown in the season finale May 22 in Nashville, Rush WR/LB Etu Molden tied former offensive specialist Antonio Chatman's franchise records for career receptions and touchdowns. For the second-consecutive season, Molden led the team in all receiving categories, catching 96 passes for 1,158 yards and 25 touchdowns. Overall, Molden scored 30 TDs this season (25 receiving, 4 rushing, 1 return).

Career Numbers Chatman Molden
Games 30 31
Receptions 197 197
Yards 2,676 2,438
Receiving TDs 52 48
Total TDs 62 62

COOKIE A MONSTER: Rush FB/LB Charlie Cook has been playing great football since moving from line to FB/LB earlier this season. Cook was named AFL U.S. Army Ironman of the Week for his performance in the team's 45-21 playoff-clinching win May 22 at Nashville, recording three tackles, carrying the ball twice for 10 yards and a touchdown, and catching a 16-yard touchdown pass in the win. Last week in Los Angeles, Cook scored two rushing touchdowns, made one tackle and recovered a key fumble. The fumble recovery came with 4:24 remaining and the game tied 45-45. Two plays later, Cook scored the game-winning touchdown on a two-yard run.

STAYING IN CHICAGO: Late in the season the Rush signed seven players who could become free agents at the end of the season to contract extensions through 2007. The list of players staying in Chicago includes linemen D. J. Bleisath, Frank Moore and John Moyer, WR/DB Russell Shaw, WR/LBs DeJuan Alfonzo and Etu Molden, and kicker Keith Gispert.

FREE AGENTS TO BE: With the team's flurry of contract extensions prior to the conclusion of the regular season, the Rush is left with seven players who will be free agents at the end of the season – Colin Greczek, Todd Hammel, Jon McCall, Jeremy McDaniel, Jamie McGourty, Charles Pauley and John Sikora. McGourty is the last original member of the 2001 Rush, having played with the team in each of its five seasons in Chicago.

MOYER 8TH ALL-TIME: Rush lineman John Moyer recorded six sacks this season, giving him 34 for his career – including 29 as a member of the Rush. This season Moyer moved past Joe March into eighth place on the AFL's all-time list for 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 2002:
1. John Moyer - 29
2. EJ Burt - 24
3. B.J. Cohen - 23
4. Tom Briggs – 21
5. Silas Demary - 20.5
6. Jermaine Smith - 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)

MOYER NOT JUST A PASS RUSHER: Everyone knows that Moyer is one of the game's best pass rushers, recording 27.5 tackles and six sacks this season, 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 four kicks this season, and nine dating back to the start of the 2004 season.

BLOCK THAT KICK: Rush lineman John Moyer blocked a Peter Martinez 59-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter May 15 against Grand Rapids. The blocked kick bounced out of the back of the end zone for a Rush safety. It was Moyer's fourth blocked kick of the season and his ninth since the start of the 2004 season. May 6 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.

LINE GETTING PRESSURE: The Rush defensive line, after struggling early in the year to get consistent pressure on opposing QBs, has turned up the heat the past few weeks. The Rush line has recorded seven sacks in the team's last three games, including four last week in Los Angeles. Helping the cause has been the play of D. J. Bleisath, who has three sacks in the last two weeks and John Thomas who has 1.5 sacks and has been putting constant pressure on opposing QBs since returning to the Rush May 12.

BLEISATH NAMED PLAYER OF WEEK: Rush lineman
D. J. Beisath was named ADT Defensive Player of the Week this week for his play Sunday in Los Angeles. Bleisath recorded three tackles, two sacks and one pass broken up in the win.

THOMAS PAYS DIVIDENDS: OL/DL John Thomas re-signed with the Rush May 12 and made an immediate impact on the defensive line. In three games (two regular season, one playoff) Thomas recorded 6.5 tackles, 1.5 sacks, a tackle for loss and a pass broken up. Thomas spent his rookie season in Chicago in 2004, recording five tackles and one sack in 11 games. He signed with the New York Dragons as a free agent prior to the start of the 2005 season, but his stay in the Big Apple was marred by injuries, playing in only eight games and recording five tackles before being released.

PROTECT THAT QB: The Rush offensive line again was one of the best in the league, allowing only eight sacks all year – tied with New Orleans for fourth-fewest. Austin led the league, allowing only four sacks all season. Since the start of the 2004 season the Rush has allowed 13 sacks. Ten AFL teams gave up 13 or more sacks this year alone.

McMILLEN TOPS 1,300 YARD MARK: Rush FB/LB Bob McMillen rushed for 178 yards this season and 1,328 for his career. He is the only 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 1,328
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 1,251
Andre Bowden 1991-2004 — 1,241

McMILLEN THIRD IN RUSHING TDs: Bob McMillen finished the season with nine rushing touchdowns – the second highest single-season total of his career. McMillen has 74 career rushing touchdowns, ranking him in third place all-time behind Barry Wagner (125) and Andre Bowden (93).

ROOKIE'S STOCK RISING: Rookie offensive specialist C.J. Johnson has made the most of his limited opportunities to play this season. After only playing in one of the team's first 12 games, Johnson worked his way into the lineup in each of Chicago's final four regular season games. Johnson finished the year by catching 26 passes for 390 yards and nine touchdowns. He also has added a rushing touchdown and 17 kick returns for 285 yards this year and was named Offensive Player of the Game for his effort against Grand Rapids May 15 when he caught 9 passes for 175 yards and four touchdowns. In his playoff debut, Johnson was the team's leading receiver, catching eight passes for 110 yards. He scored three TDs (two receiving, one rushing) and returned six kicks for 126 yards.

ROOKIES IN THE SECONDARY: After injuries forced the Rush to rotate the players in its defensive backfield regularly throughout the course of the 2005 season, the team seems to have found some chemistry with rookies Todd Howard and Tony Lukins starting at defensive specialist. Howard and Lukins have started the team's last three games together, including Sunday's playoff win in LA, and have combined to make 20.5 tackles break up 10 passes.

INJURY UPDATE: The Rush has five players on its injured reserve list, including two who are out for the season. Here is a list of the team's IR players and their status.
- 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 the rest of the season.
- OL/DL Colin Greczek missed the last six weeks after fracturing the Fibula in his left leg April 17 against Colorado. He has been cleared to begin practicing with the team.
- WR/DB Charles Pauley is out for the season after suffering a fractured Radius in his left arm May 1 against Las Vegas.
- WR/LB Carlos Wright injured his left quad in practice March 9. He is eligible to return.
- OL/DL Johnathan Taylor suffered a back contusion in practice and was placed on IR May 13. He is eligible to return.

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
- has a regular season record of 88-75 (including a
44-32 mark with the Rush).
- has a career 7-8 mark in the postseason.
- has led the Rush to five-consecutive playoff berths and two Central Division titles (2002 and 2004).
- is 4-1 all-time vs. Colorado and 7-6 all-time vs. teams coached by Mike Dailey.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 176
Danny White 141
Mike Hohensee Rush 95 @ Colorado
Perry Moss 86
Mike Dailey Colorado 86 vs. Chicago
Darren Arbet San Jose 82

KICKIN' KEITH: Last week, Rush kicker Keith Gispert was named AFL Kicker of the Month for May. It was the second-consecutive season in which Gispert was named May's Kicker of the Month. Gispert is one of the AFL's most consistent kickers, connecting on 90 of 103 extra-point attempts (87.3%) this year, including his last 19 in a row in the regular season, and 11 of 18 field goal attempts (61.1%). Gispert finished the season second in the AFL in field goal percentage, eighth in scoring among kickers (123 points) and ninth in PAT percentage. His strong leg also helped the Rush finish second in the league in kickoff coverage, holding opponents to an average of 16-yards per return.

Last week in Los Angeles, Gispert connected on all seven of his extra point attempts, bringing his consecutive PAT streak to 26, and nailed an 18-yard field goal as well.

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 152 career regular season games, followed by Bob McMillen (127), John Moyer (96), John Sikora (92) and Frank Moore (91).

TALE OF THE TAPE
Chicago Category Colorado
16 Games 16
49.2 (13) Scoring Offense 54.6 (3)
47.8 (4) Scoring Defense 50.8 (10)
295.2 (4) Total Offense 275.2 (11)
290.7 (11) Total Defense 315.4 (17)
65-77, 84.4% Red Zone Offense 68-82, 82.9%
51-65, 78.5% Red Zone Defense 73-83 88%
273.6 (6) Pass Offense 263.8 (9)
267.8 (12) Pass Defense 291.3 (16)
21.6 (5) Rushing Offense 11.4 (16)
22.9 (11) Rushing Defense 24.1(13)
788 (13) Scoring 873 (3)
124 (9) Scoring (Kicking) 147 (4)
99-1653-3 Kickoff Returns 82-1483-3
16.7 Kick Return Average 17.8
9-162-1 Missed Field Goal Returns 3-60-0
18 Missed FG Return Avg. 20
-6 (15) Turnover Margin +6(4)
11-18, 61.1% Field Goals 14-31, 45.2%
91-104, 87.5% PAT Kicking 105-118, 89%
13-41 yards Sacks By 21-105 yards
8-45 Sacks Against 6-32
42-89, 47.2% Third Down Conversion 50-91, 54.9%
13-26, 50% Fourth Down Conversion 3-10, 30%
126-794 Penalties (#-Yards) 127-780
127-832 Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 141-827
BOLD – AFL Leader

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

Henry Douglas: all-purpose yards (7th-2243 yards), MFG returns (3nd -6), MFG return yards (3nd-138 yards), MFG return average (3rd-23.0), MFG return TD (T-1st-1), kick return TD (8th-2)

Keith Gispert: scoring (kicking) (8th-123 points), touchbacks (6th-30), field goals made (7th-11), field goal percentage (2rd-61.1%), PAT made (9th-84), PAT percentage (9th-87.4), PAT attempts (10th-103)

Bob McMillen: rushing (7th-178 yards), rushing touchdowns (8th-9), rushing yards (7th-11.1)

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

John Moyer: sacks (5th-6), fumbles recovered (T-2nd-3), tackles for loss (4rd-9)

Raymond Philyaw: average gain per pass (9th-7.4), pass rating (6th-113.8), completion percentage (2st-67.5), passing yards per game (7th-262.1), pass attempts (10th-480), pass yards per attempt (9th-7.6), completions (9th-324)

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)
C.J. Johnson (5/15 vs. Grand Rapids, 5/29 @ Los Angeles)

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)
Tony Lukins (5/22 @ Nashville)
D. J. Bleisath (5/29 @ Los Angeles)

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, 5/29@ Los Angeles)
Bob McMillen (3/20 vs. New Orleans, 4/10 vs. San Jose, 5/1 vs. Las Vegas)
Charlie Cook (5/22 @ Nashville)

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)

ADT Defensive Player of the Week
D. J. Bleisath (AFL Playoffs 5/29 @ Los Angeles

U.S. Army Ironman of the Week:
Charlie Cook (Week 17 @ Nashville)

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), Johnathan Taylor (back contusion), Carlos Wright (left quad)

RUSH PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Practice for the week of May 30:
Monday, May 30 – Off
Tuesday, May 31– Off
Wednesday, June 1 – 12:35 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Thursday, June 2 – 8:35 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Friday, June 3 – 8:35 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Saturday, June 4 – Meetings only in Colorado

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

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 1, 2005


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