Chicago Rush game notes

Published on May 23, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts
TV: NBC...Tom Hammond, Pat Haden, Lewis Johnson
Radio: WCKG, 105.9 FM...Tom Dore, James "Big Cat" Williams
Overall Series Record: Series tied 4-4 (Rush leads 4-3 in the regular season, Colorado leads 1-0 in the postseason)
Series Streaks: The Crush has won the last three meetings between the teams.
Last Meeting: March 10, 2006, Colorado 49, Rush 42
Coaches (regular season, postseason records):
Mike Hohensee (95-85, 8-9 - 13th season)
Mike Dailey (90-58, 9-5 - 10th season)
Officials: Tom McCabe (Referee), Jeff Carr (Umpire), Mike McCabe (Head Linesman), Darrel Leftwich (Line Judge), Jim Buchanan (Back Judge), Art Lucky (Alternate)

2006 Chicago Rush Schedule
January 29 @ Colorado* L, 65-56 14,832
February 3 New York L, 51-47 14,947
February 12 Nashville* W, 56-55 (OT) 12,663
February 18 @ Los Angeles W, 65-46 12,554
February 26 San Jose W, 54-48 (OT) 12,950
March 5 Dallas L, 59-42 13,503
March 10 Colorado* L, 49-42 13,807
March 17 @ Nashville* L, 48-47 8,772
March 26 Grand Rapids* W, 51-44 15,228
April 2 @ Orlando L, 55-27 13,111
April 9 @ Philadelphia L, 56-55 (OT) 14,778
April 15 @ Arizona L, 61-42 11,790
April 23 Las Vegas W, 67-47 16,230
April 29 @ Georgia L, 55-20 13,087
May 6 Utah W, 84-48 16,154
May 13 @ Grand Rapids* W, 70-47 7,280
May 21 y-@ Nashville W, 55-47 7,838
May 28 y-@ Colorado 2:30 p.m. NBC
y-AFL Playoffs
* Central Division game

American Conference - Central Division
Final 2006 Standings
W-L-T PF PA Division
Colorado 11-5-0 903 833 5-1
Nashville 8-8-0 818 799 3-3
RUSH 7-9-0 825 834 3-3
Grand Rapids 5-10-0 722 875 1-5
THE ROAD TO LAS VEGAS CONTINUES: Chicago's voyage to ArenaBowl XX Las Vegas continues this week in Denver with an American Conference semifinal matchup against the defending ArenaBowl champion Colorado Crush. The 5th seeded Rush earned the right to take on the Crush by virtue of its 55-47 Wild Card win in Nashville last Sunday, while the top-seeded Crush enters the game after the week off it earned by winning the Central Division and finishing with the conference's best record.

AFL PLAYOFF PICTURE: Chicago, Arizona, Philadelphia and Georgia advanced to the second round of the AFL playoffs with wins last weekend in their Wild Card playoff games. This week, the four winners hit the road to play the AFL's four division winners - Colorado, San Jose, Orlando and Dallas - each of which received byes in last weekend's opening round.

Wild Card Round
Arizona 57, Utah 34 Georgia 72, New York 69
Chicago 55, Nashville 47 Philadelphia 52, Austin 35

American Conference Semifinals
Saturday, May 27 Sunday, May 28
#3 Arizona @ #2 San Jose #5 Chicago @ #1 Colorado

National Conference Semifinals
Saturday, May 27 Sunday, May 28
#6 Georgia @ #1 Dallas #5 Philadelphia @ #2 Orlando

Conference Finals: Saturday, June 3 & Sunday, June 4
ArenaBowl XX: Sunday, June 11

DEFENSE KEYS WILD CARD WIN: The Rush defense pressured Nashville QB Clint Stoerner all afternoon, sacking him four times, intercepting him twice and forcing the Kats to settle for four first-half field goals as the Rush defeated Nashville 55-47 in an AFL Wild Card playoff game last Sunday at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville. Rush QB Matt D'Orazio finished his first career playoff start by completing 21 of 28 passes for 276 yards and five touchdowns, without throwing an interception, while also rushing for 30 yards and a TD. D'Orazio was 1- for 10 in the second half, before throwing the final pass of the game out of bounds to run out the clock. The Rush trailed only once in the game - down 12-10 in the second quarter - before going on a 17-6 run to take a 27-18 halftime lead.

AN IRONMAN PERFORMANCE: Just three days after being named to the AFL's All-Ironman team, Rush WR/LB DeJuan Alfonzo showed why the honor was justified. When Rush WR/LB Etu Molden was injured on the game's first play from scrimmage, Alfonzo was asked to play every snap on offense and defense for the rest of the game. Alfonzo responded by recording 6.0 tackles and one pass broken up on defense; catching four passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns on offense; and serving as the holder as kicker Dan Frantz converted all seven of his extra point attempts and two of his three field goal attempts. For his efforts, Alfonzo was named Ironman of the Game for the third-consecutive week. He also was named AFL Ironman of the Week.

Alfonzo is one of the team's best all-around players, making an impact on offense, defense and especially special teams. He finished the year with 20 receptions for 213 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games. On defense he added 50.0 tackles, a safety, two passes broken up and two fumble recoveries - including one that he returned for a team-record 46-yard touchdown. Alfonzo also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, scored three two-point conversions and served as the team's main holder on extra points and field goals.

TALK ABOUT A HOT QB: Rush QB Matt D'Orazio closed the regular season as one of the AFL's hottest quarterbacks. In Chicago's final three wins D'Orazio completed 60 of 86 passes (69.8%) for 806 yards and 21 touchdowns without throwing an interception. His QB rating during the stretch was 137.7. D'Orazio continued his hot play in his first career playoff start last week at Nashville, completing 21 of 28 passes for 276 yards and five touchdowns, without throwing an interception. D'Orazio also rushed for 30 yards and a TD in Chicago's victory.

ON A ROLL: Including last week's playoff win in Nashville, the Rush enters this week's game at Colorado as winners of four of its last five games. In its four wins against Las Vegas, Utah, Grand Rapids and Nashville, the Rush outscored its opponents 276-189.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN RIVALRY: Chicago's Wild Card win in Nashville sets up another round with the Colorado Crush in what has evolved into one of the AFL's best rivalries. This will be the sixth meeting between Chicago and Colorado since the start of the 2005 season, and the eighth overall. The most memorable game in the series is last season's American Conference Final, which has come to be known as the "Confetti Bowl." In the game, which was selected as the seventh-greatest game in AFL history, Colorado defeated the Rush 49-43 in overtime to advance to ArenaBowl XX.

Here is a recap of the "Confetti Bowl:"

June 5, 2005 - After falling behind the Crush 20-0 in the first half, the Rush stormed back to force overtime when kicker Keith Gispert nailed a 17-yard field goal as time expired, tying the score at 43-43. The kick came after confetti was prematurely released at the Pepsi Center and the game was stopped for several minutes.

In overtime, Rush DS Todd Howard intercepted a John Dutton pass, giving Chicago a chance to put the game away. But when Bob McMillen's game-winning 15-yard TD run was called back because of an offsides penalty, the Rush had to settle for a 35-yard field goal attempt for the win. Gispert's kick sailed wide right and the Crush scored on its next possession, sending Colorado to ArenaBowl XIX.

CRUSH SWEEPS CHICAGO IN 2006: After being swept by the Rush in the 2005 regular season, Colorado returned the favor in 2006, sweeping the season series between the teams.

Here is a recap of this season's Rush-Crush games:

January 29, 2006 - In the 2006 season opener January 29 at Pepsi Center, Crush QB John Dutton hit OS Damian Harrell in the front corner of the end zone with one second remaining in the game, giving Colorado a 63-56 lead and an eventual 65-56 victory.

Down 56-42 with six minutes to play, Rush QB Matt D'Orazio hit WR/LB Etu Molden for a five-yard touchdown to bring the Rush within eight, 56-48. Then, after a Russell Shaw interception gave Chicago the ball back on its 1-yard line, D'Orazio led the team on a 49-yard drive punctuated with his own 1-yard TD run. After C.J. Johnson caught the two-point conversion pass, the Rush had tied the score at 56-56 with 47 seconds remaining.

However, 47 seconds was two seconds too much as Dutton marched his team right back down the field for the game winning score. On the final play, Rush return man Russell Shaw was tackled in the end zone for a safety, giving Colorado its final margin of victory.

March 10, 2006 - The Rush built an early 13-0 first quarter lead over Colorado but allowed the Crush back into the game in the second quarter, and eventually fell 49-42 at Allstate Arena.

The game turned with 5:30 remaining in the second quarter and the Rush leading 20-14. After a Carlos Wright 55-yard kickoff return to the Crush 3-yard line, Rush FB Charlie Cook fumbled the ball back to Colorado. The Crush scored five plays later, turning a potential 27-14 Rush lead into a 21-20 Chicago deficit.

After the teams traded touchdowns in the final minute of the first half, Colorado took a 28-27 lead into the locker room and never trailed again.

Here is a look at the Rush-Crush All-Time Series Results:
2003: Rush 76, Colorado 58 (April 13 @ Colorado)
2004: Rush 65, Colorado 35 (February 22 @ Chicago)
Colorado 56, Rush 47 (May 30 @ Colorado)
2005: Rush 51, Colorado 48 (February 13 @ Colorado)
Rush 75, Colorado 51 (April 17 @ Chicago)
Colorado 49, Rush 43 (OT) (June 5 @ Colorado)*
2006: Colorado 65, Rush 56 (January 29 @ Colorado)
Colorado 49, Rush 42 (March 10 @ Chicago)
*AFL playoffs

COMPLETELY DIFFERENT RUSH TEAM: The Rush team that Colorado will face this week is very different from the team the Crush faced in the playoffs last year - or even in the two games this regular season.
8 Only 11 players remain from the 24-man roster that lost to Colorado in the 2005 American Conference Championship.
8 Eight of Chicago's 20-man active roster for last week's playoff win at Nashville- DeJuan Alfonzo, Charlie Cook, Woody Dantzler, Dan Frantz, Bobby Sippio, Marvin Taylor and Jeremy Unertl - was either on Injured Reserve or not even on the Rush roster when the team's met in January.
8 Rush linemen John Moyer and D.J Bleisath were injured and did not play March 10 vs. Colorado, while Sippio and Taylor had yet to be acquired by the Rush.

PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE: The Colorado Crush players enter this week's game with a combined 144 games of playoff experience, while the Rush enters the game with 101 games of postseason experience. Rush FB/LB Bob McMillen leads all players on either team with 20 career playoff games, while Crush lineman Kyle Moore-Brown is second with 18 postseason games.

PLAYOFF DEBUTS: Six Rush players - Woody Dantzler, Matt D'Orazio, Joe Peters, Bobby Sippio, Khreem Smith and Jeremy Unertl made their AFL playoff debuts in last week's Wild Card win at Nashville. Here is a recap of their inaugural postseason performances:
8 Dantzler - caught a 16-yard TD pass and recorded 2.5 tackles.
8 D'Orazio - completed 21 of 28 passes for 276 yards and five touchdowns...also rushed for 30 yards and a TD.
8 Peters - recorded 0.5 tackles.
8 Sippio - Caught six passes for 100 yards and one TD.
8 Smith - recorded 3.5 tackles and 2.0 sacks.
8 Unertl - had 6.0 tackles, one interception and three passes broken up.

FAMILIARITY BREEDS RESPECT: There are no secrets between the Rush and Crush, as the connections between the team's head coaches run deep.
8 Rush head coach Mike Hohensee and Crush head coach Mike Dailey are very close friends, having known each other for more than 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 15 times in the regular season and once in the postseason, with Dailey leading the series 9-7.
8 In addition, two Rush players - DeJuan Alfonzo and John Sikora- played for Dailey when he was the head coach of the Firebirds.
8 On the flip side, Hohensee has coached three players who now play for the Crush - Todd Hammel, Damian Harrell and Kyle Moore-Brown.
D'ORAZIO vs. CRUSH: Despite going 0-2 against Colorado in the 2006 regular season, QB Matt D'Orazio played well against the Crush, completing 48 of 74 passes for 558 yards and 11 touchdowns. He did not throw an interception, and was only sacked once in the two games. D'Orazio also rushed for 24 yards and three touchdowns against the Crush this year.

Here are D'Orazio's career numbers against Colorado:
G Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating
2 48 74 64.9% 558 11 0 127.1

DUTTON vs. RUSH: Colorado QB John Dutton has played in every one of the eight Colorado-Chicago games and is one of eight QBs who have passed for 300 or more yards against the Rush defense, joining Donnie Davis, Clint Dolezel, Aaron Garcia, Mark Grieb, Andy Kelly, Chad Salisbury and Clint Stoerner.

Here are Dutton's career numbers against Chicago:
G Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating
8 177 291 60.8% 2,163 46 8 111.9

Rush opponent's 300-yard passing games:
Player Date Yards
Clint Stoerner 1/30/05 @ Dallas 398
Clint Stoerner 2/13/06 vs. Nashville 368
Mark Grieb 4/10/05 vs. San Jose 368
Clint Dolezel 5/1/05 vs. Las Vegas 355
Clint Dolezel 7/7/01 @ Grand Rapids 342
Aaron Garcia 3/23/03 vs. New York 339
Clint Dolezel 5/4/02 vs. Grand Rapids 321
Andy Kelly 3/20/05 vs. New Orleans 311
Clint Dolezel 3/29/03 @ Grand Rapids 317
Andy Kelly 3/28/04 vs. Detroit 306
Donnie Davis 5/18/02 vs. Georgia 304
Aaron Garcia 6/30/02 vs. New York 303
John Dutton 3/10/06 vs. Colorado 300
Chad Salisbury 5/13/06 @ Grand Rapids 300

PLAYOFF CONSISTENCY: Only three teams - Chicago, Orlando and San Jose - have qualified for the AFL playoffs in each of the past six seasons. Chicago has advanced to the AFL semifinals three times during that span - 2002, 2004 and 2005.

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, 52-45 at Los Angeles (Quarterfinal)
L, 49-43 (OT) at Colorado (Semifinal)
2006: W, 55-47 at Nashville (Wild Card Round)

PLAYOFF STREAKS: Chicago's six-year playoff streak is the third longest current streak in the AFL behind Orlando (15 straight years) and San Jose (7). In addition, Mike Hohensee's streak of taking his teams to the playoffs for seven straight seasons is tied for the second-longest consecutive streak by any AFL coach. Danny White led the Blaze to the playoffs in his first year on the Utah sidelines after taking his Arizona Rattlers to 12 consecutive playoff appearances. San Jose head coach Darren Arbet has taken his team to the playoffs for seven-consecutive seasons and Orlando head coach Jay Gruden has taken his teams to six-straight playoff appearances.

HOME COOKIN': The Rush finished the regular season with a 5-3 record at home, averaging 55.4 points per game in its eight games this year. Chicago now has a 32-16 all-time record at Allstate Arena (including postseason).

ROAD WEARY: The Rush finished the regular season with a 2-6 road record. It's the team's worst road season in its six-year history. Prior to this season, Chicago's worst road record was in its inaugural 2001 season when the team went 2-5 on the road during the regular season and 3-6 on the road including postseason. Overall, the Rush has a 24-30 road record in its six-year history (including postseason).

2006 RUSH BY THE NUMBERS: Here is a breakdown of how the Rush fared in certain situations during the 2006 season (including postseason):
Site: Home 5-3 Road 3-6
Time: Day 7-4 Night 1-5
Opponents: vs. American Conf. 8-4
vs. Central 4-3 vs. West 4-1
vs. National Conf. 0-5
vs. East 0-3 vs. South 0-2
vs. 2006 playoff teams 4-9

OWNING THE DIVISION?: After entering the 2006 season with an 11-3 record against Central Division opponents over the past two years, the Rush fell to 3-3 in the Central Division in 2006.

HIGH SCORING OFFENSE: The Rush offense scored 825 points during the 2006 regular season for an average of 51.6 points per game. The offensive output was just 22 points shy of the team record of 847 points (52.9 ppg) set in 2004.

FAMILIAR FACE: Colorado backup QB Todd Hammel spent the 2005 season in Chicago, playing in six games, including two starts. When the Rush defeated Los Angeles in the opening round of the 2005 playoffs, it was the first time in his 14-year career that Hammel had been on a team that won a playoff game. His previous record in the playoffs was 0-8.

WORKING ON HIS SECOND 100: With Chicago's 67-47 win over Las Vegas April 23, head coach Mike Hohensee finally got the 100th win of his AFL career. Hohensee, who now has 103 career victories, is only the third head coach in AFL history with more than 100 career wins, joining Tampa Bay coach Tim Marcum and Utah coach Danny White.

The only head coach in Rush history, Hohensee has guided Chicago to a 56-46 overall record and playoff appearances in each of the team's six seasons. During his tenure, the Rush has won two Central Division titles (2002, 2004) and advanced to the AFL semifinals three times (2002, 2004, 2005).

One of only four men to be involved in the Arena Football League in each of the league's 20 seasons, Hohensee has taken his teams to the playoffs 10 times and won five division titles in his 13 seasons as a head coach. Earlier this season, the Rush extended Hohensee's contract through the 2009 season.

Hohensee originally was hired on September 26, 2000. He
8 has a regular season record of 95-85 (including a
51-41 mark with the Rush).
8 has a career 8-9 mark in the postseason.
8 has led the Rush to six-consecutive playoff berths and two Central Division titles (2002 and 2004).
8 is 4-4 all-time vs. Colorado and 7-9 all-time vs. teams coached by Mike Dailey.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 180
Danny White Utah 148
Mike Hohensee Rush 103 @ Colorado
Mike Dailey Colorado 99 vs. Chicago
Darren Arbet San Jose 92 vs. Arizona

D'ORAZIO AMONG AFL LEADERS: Rush QB Matt D'Orazio finished the 2006 regular season ranked among the league's top passers. D'Orazio finished the year ranked second in the AFL in completion percentage (68.7%) and third in QB rating (123.4) after setting career highs in all of his passing stats. He completed 305 of 444 passes for 3,546 yards and 63 touchdowns, while only throwing five interceptions, and finished the season by attempting 99 consecutive passes without throwing an interception.

Earlier in the year, D'Orazio set a team record by attempting 231 consecutive passes without throwing an interception. His streak began February 3 vs. New York and was snapped when he was picked off in the second quarter vs. Grand Rapids on March 26.

D'Orazio also finished the season ranked fifth in the AFL in rushing with 56 carries for 162 yards.

D'ORAZIO GREAT IN CLUTCH: Rush QB Matt D'Orazio is at his best when it counts the most. D'Orazio finished the season ranked second in the AFL in fourth quarter passing, converting 72 of 99 attempts for 804 yards and 16 TDs in the fourth quarter for a QB rating of 131.9.

SIPPIO, UNERTL KEYS TO PRESENT, FUTURE: The Rush helped solidify its present and future by acquiring offensive specialist Bobby Sippio and defensive specialist Jeremy Unertl this season and then signing them to contract extensions through the 2007 and 2008 seasons, respectively.

Sippio played in five regular season games for the Rush after being claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay, catching 38 passes for 654 yards and 17 TDs. He played in nine games with the Storm before being waived, catching 55 passes for 666 yards and 18 touchdowns.
In his first career playoff game last week at Nashville, Sippio caught six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, and helped draw double coverage which opened up room for the six other Rush receivers who caught passes Sunday.

Unertl helped solidify the Rush secondary since his trade from Columbus in February. He led all Rush players in tackles, interceptions and passes broken up, recording 74.0 tackles, eight interceptions and 11 PBUs since being inserted into the Rush secondary. He was named ADT Defensive Player of the Game three times - February 12 vs. Nashville, February 18 at Los Angeles and February 26 vs. San Jose - and his eight interceptions were the most by any Rush player in one season since Dameon Porter had 10 interceptions in 2002.

Although he was not named Defensive Player of the Game in last week's win at Nashville, Unertl played, perhaps his best game of the season in the win, recording 6.0 tackles, an interception and three passes broken up.

MOLDEN INJURED AGAIN: It has been an injury-plagued season for WR/LB Etu Molden, the team's leading receiver in 2004 and 2005. Molden missed four of the team's first nine games this season with shoulder and knee injuries before coming back in the second half of the year to finish the season with a team-leading 67 receptions for 694 yards and 10 touchdowns. Molden suffered a rib contusion in the regular season finale at Grand Rapids and re-aggravated the injury on the first play of the game last week at Nashville. He left after taking the hit from Monty Montgomery and did not return. He is listed as probable for this week's game at Colorado.

MOLDEN RE-WRITES RUSH RECORDS: This season, Rush WR/LB Etu Molden moved past former offensive specialist Antonio Chatman for franchise records for career receptions, career receiving yards, career receiving touchdowns and total touchdowns.

Career Numbers Chatman Molden
Games 30 43
Receptions 197 264
Yards 2,676 3,132
Receiving TDs 52 58
Total TDs 62 72

KHREEM SMITH NAMED ALL-ROOKIE, ALL-ARENA: Rush rookie lineman Khreem Smith was named to the AFL's All-Rookie team as well as second team All-Arena last week, becoming the fourth Rush player in six years to be named to the All-Rookie team (Antonio Chatman, Keith Gispert and Etu Molden). Smith finished his rookie season as the AFL leader in forced fumbles (6), and ranked second in the AFL in sacks (8.0). He also recorded 22.5 tackles, two passes broken up and one blocked kick. His sack total is the third-highest single-season total in Rush history, behind John Moyer's 10 sacks in 2004 and nine in 2003.

SACK ATTACK: The Rush defense put constant pressure on Nashville quarterback Clint Stoerner last week, with linemen John Moyer and Khreem Smith each registering a pair of sacks. The four sacks tied a Rush playoff record set June 6, 2004 in the team's 59-49 win vs. Orlando.

UNDER PRESSURE: The Rush defensive line recorded 21 sacks during the regular season, eight more than the defense registered during the entire 2005 season, and two shy of the team-record 23 set in 2004. The Rush finished the season tied for third in the AFL in sacks.

MOYER IS CHICAGO'S ALL-TIME SACK LEADER: In his eighth AFL season, Rush lineman John Moyer has 35.5 career sacks - including 30.5 as a member of the Rush. He is currently in eighth place on the AFL's all-time list for career sacks and needs just one more sack to pass Andre Bowden for seventh place. Moyer also is the team's all-time leader with 6.0 playoff sacks.

Here are Chicago's season and career sack leaders:
Player Season Player Career
John Moyer 10.0 (2004) John Moyer 30.5
John Moyer 9.0 (2003) James Baron 10.0
Khreem Smith 8.0 (2006) Khreem Smith 8.0
John Moyer 6.0 (2005) Anthony Hutch 6.5
Anthony Hutch 5.5 (2001) Riley Kleinhesselink 5.0
John Moyer 4.0 (2002) Jamie McGourty 5.5
James Baron 4.0 (2003) D.J. Bleisath 5.0
Tony Henderson 4.0 (2001) Bob McMillen 4.5
D.J. Bleisath 4.0 (2006) Tony Henderson 4.0

ALFONZO SETS TACKLE RECORD: Rush WR/LB DeJuan Alfonzo recorded 6.0 tackles in the regular season finale at Grand Rapids, giving him 186.5 for his Rush career. This season Alfonzo moved past former Rush DS Cedric Walker (166.5) as the team's career tackles leader. Alfonzo also has recorded 12.0 tackles in six career postseason games.

FANTASTIC FINISHES: Six of Chicago's 16 regular season games this season were decided on the game's final play.

Dating back to last season's American Conference Semifinal in Colorado, seven of Chicago's last 18 games overall have been decided on the final play.

Games decided on final play:
June 5, 2005 - Colorado QB John Dutton connects with Andy McCullough on a 22-yard touchdown pass in overtime for the 49-43 win.

January 29, 2006 - Dutton hit Colorado OS Damian Harrell with an 11-yard TD pass with one-second left, breaking a 56-56 tie. After a safety on the ensuing kickoff, the Crush had handed Chicago a 65-56 defeat.

February 3, 2006 - Rush QB Matt D'Orazio's one-yard touchdown scramble as time expired was nullified by a Rush penalty, turning a 53-51 Rush win into a 51-47 loss to New York.

February 12, 2006 - D'Orazio's TD pass to C.J. Johnson and two-point conversion pass to Cornelius White in overtime gave the Rush a 56-55 win over Nashville.

February 26, 2006 - D'Orazio's 12-yard TD pass to Buchie Ibeh with 11 seconds remaining forced overtime vs. San Jose. Then, after a Jeremy Unertl interception on San Jose's first possession of OT, D'Orazio's 27-yard TD pass to Cornelius White gave the Rush a 54-48 win.

March 26, 2006 - D'Orazio's 14-yard TD pass to White with four seconds remaining gave the Rush a 49-44 lead over Grand Rapids. Then, after the ensuing kickoff went for a touchback, Curtis Eason sacked Rampage QB Chad Salisbury for a safety on the game's final play, giving the Rush a 51-44 victory.

April 9, 2006 - D'Orazio's game-winning two-point conversion attempt in overtime was intercepted by Philadelphia Soul DS Eddie Moten, giving the Soul a 56-55 OT win over the Rush.

OVERTIME TURNAROUND: Entering this season, the Rush was 2-4 all time in overtime and had lost its last three overtime games overall. This year the Rush played three overtime games - February 12 vs. Nashville, February 26 vs. San Jose and April 9 at Philadelphia - going 2-1.

PROTECT THAT QB: Perhaps the key to Rush victories is protecting its QB. In Chicago's seven regular season wins the team gave up a total of seven sacks and none in its last four wins of the regular season. However, in its nine losses the offensive line allowed 17 sacks. In last week's playoff win at Nashville, the Rush allowed only one sack of QB Matt D'Orazio. For the season the Rush allowed a franchise record 24 sacks. Coming into this season the Rush offensive line had given up a total of 13 sacks in the last two seasons combined.

THE OLD MAN CAN STILL PLAY: Rush FB/LB Bob McMillen showed that after 12 seasons and 20 career playoff games he still has some gas left in his tank. In last week's playoff win over Nashville, McMillen caught two passes for 37 yards, rushed for four yards and recorded a tackle, while helping hold the league's top pass rush to just one sack of QB Matt D'Orazio.

McMILLEN TOPS 1,400: Rush FB/LB Bob McMillen became the AFL's all-time leading rusher March 17, when he rushed for four yards in the team's game at Nashville. McMillen finished the season with 89 yards rushing, breaking his streak of seven-consecutive 100-yard seasons. He became the first AFL player to eclipse the 1,400 yard mark and now has 1,417 for his career.

Earlier this season, as part of the league's celebration of its 20th season McMillen was named one of the AFL's 20 Greatest Players of all-time. In his 12th season, he ranks first on the AFL's all-time rushing list, second all-time in rushing attempts and third in rushing touchdowns. He has won two ArenaBowl championships (1997 with Arizona and 2002 with San Jose) and is the only player in AFL history to rush for 100 or more yards in seven-consecutive seasons.

The AFL's All-Time Rushing Yards list
Player Seasons Team Yards
Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 1,417
Les Barley 1992-2001 - 1,382
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 1,346
Andre Bowden 1991-2004 - 1,241

The AFL's All-Time Rushing Attempts list
Player Seasons Team Attempts
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 458
Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 449
Andre Bowden 1991-2004 - 438
Les Barley 1992-2001 - 425

The AFL's All-Time Rushing Touchdowns list
Player Seasons Team Rushing TDs
Barry Wagner 1992-present San Jose 126
Andre Bowden 1991-2004 - 93
Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 80
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 77
Les Barley 1992-2001 - 71

TURNOVER TURNAROUND: One of the best trends of the 2006 season involves Chicago's success on the turnover front. After finishing the 2004 season tied with Los Angeles for the best turnover ratio in the AFL at +15, the Rush dipped to 16th last year with a -6 ratio. This year the Rush rebounded, finishing third in the league with a +10 ratio.

D-ROB AS STEADY AS IT GETS: Rush WR/DB Dennison Robinson might be the most unsung player on the Rush roster. Signed as a free agent in the off-season, Robinson is strong in all three facets of the game - offense, defense and special teams. He finished the season as the team's second leading tackler, recording a career-high 71.5 tackles to go along with five interceptions and nine passes broken up. He also tied for third in the AFL in special teams tackles with 15.5 and was the team's fourth-leading receiver, catching 36 passes for 319 yards and five touchdowns. Last week in Nashville, D-Rob led the team with 6.5 tackles, including a tackle for loss, and had a key interception of Clint Stoerner. On offense, Robinson had six receptions for 56 yards and a TD.

COOKIE MONSTER: Rush FB/LB Charlie Cook finished the year healthy and playing his best football of the season. One week after winning ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors for his performance against Utah, Cook showed his strength on offense. In the season finale at Grand Rapids, Cook had three carries for 29 yards and a touchdown and caught a two-yard TD pass. He also recovered a fumble in the game.

TAYLOR BACK IN BLUE: The Rush signed defensive specialist Marvin Taylor to its roster April 13, just three days after he was released by Grand Rapids. He immediately was inserted into the lineup at defensive specialist - alongside Jeremy Unertl - and played in the team's final five regular season games, recording 25.5 tackles, one interception, one pass broken up and one fumble recovery. Taylor, who played 11 games with the Rampage and recorded 49.5 tackles and three interceptions, is in his second tour of duty with the Rush after playing for Chicago in 2002 and 2003.

WRIGHT MAN FOR RETURNS: With the trade of Henry Douglas to Columbus on February 7, the Rush coaches turned to Carlos Wright to handle kickoff returns. Wright has proven to be not only a wise choice for the job, but one of the best kick return men in the league. Wright returned 59 kickoffs for 1,325 yards and three touchdowns and finished the season tied for second in the AFL in kickoff returns, averaging 22.5 yards per return.

DAN THE MAN: Rush kicker Dan Frantz has been a steadying influence on the kicking game in his two stints with the Rush this season. Overall, Frantz converted 51 of 54 PAT attempts and nine of 15 field goal attempts. He finished the season by converting his last 20 one-point PATs in a row (Frantz attempted a two-point drop kick in the regular season finale at Grand Rapids). Last week in Nashville, Frantz went 7-for-7 on extra point attempts and 2-of-3 on field goal attempts. The one field goal he missed was from 63 yards.

INJURY REPORT: The following players appeared on this week's injury report to the AFL.

Injured Reserve - Levelle Brown (right shoulder), Todd Howard (right hamstring), Buchie Ibeh (hamstring), Brian Sump (left groin)

Probable - Etu Molden (rib contusion)

TALE OF THE TAPE - Regular Season Numbers
Chicago Category Colorado
16 Games 16
51.6 (7) Scoring Offense 55.7 (3)
52.1 (9t) Scoring Defense 52.1 (9t)
285.4 (8) Total Offense 290.8 (5)
286.4 (11) Total Defense 271.1 (4)
61-78 78.2% Red Zone Offense 51-64, 79.7%
69-81 85.2% Red Zone Defense 68-86 79.1%
261.3 (11) Pass Offense 276.4 (5)
258.9 (6) Pass Defense 250.6 (5)
24.1 (6) Rushing Offense 14.4 (14)
27.6 (17) Rushing Defense 20.5 (10)
825 (7) Scoring 891 (3)
125 (12) Scoring (Kicking) 139 (5)
99-1,774-6 Kickoff Returns 92-1,647-2
17.9 (6) Kick Return Average 17.9 (7)
9-257-3 Missed Field Goal Returns 7-129-1
28.6 (2) Missed FG Return Avg. 18.4 (6)
+10 (3) Turnover Margin -6 (14t)
15-31, 48.4% Field Goals 8-14, 57.1%
80-91, 87.9% PAT Kicking 115-124, 92.7%
21-129 (3t) Sacks By 18-78 (7)
24-115 (15) Sacks Against 11-73 (6)
56-110,50.9% Third Down Conversion 57-106, 53.8%
11-27, 40.7% Fourth Down Conversion 14-23, 60.9%
128-740 (16) Penalties (#-Yards) 113-683 (10)
91-551 (17) Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 114-694 (18)

INDIVIDUAL LEAGUE LEADERS: The following Rush players finished the regular season among the 2006 AFL league leaders:

Matt D'Orazio: QB Rating (3rd - 123.4 rating), completion percentage (2nd- 68.7), 4th quarter passing (2nd - 131.9 rating), rushing yards (5th - 162 yards)

Khreem Smith: sacks (2nd - 8.0), forced fumbles (1st - 6)

Carlos Wright: kickoff returns (3rd - 22.5 avg.)

Jeremy Unertl: interceptions (4th - 9), tackles (15th - 77.0)

Dennison Robinson: special teams tackles (4th - 15.0)

Bobby Sippio: scoring (6th - 222 points), receiving yards (12th - 1,320 yards)

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

Offensive Player of the Game:
Matt D'Orazio (2/12 vs. Nashville, 2/18 @ Los Angeles, 5/13 @ Grand Rapids, 5/21 @ Nashville)
C.J. Johnson (2/26 vs. San Jose)
Cornelius White (3/26 vs. Grand Rapids)
Bobby Sippio (4/23 vs. Las Vegas, 5/6 vs. Utah)

ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Khreem Smith (2/3 vs. New York, 3/10 vs. Colorado, 3/26 vs. Grand Rapids)
Jeremy Unertl (2/12 vs. Nashville, 2/18 @ Los Angeles, 2/26 vs. San Jose)
Curtis Eason (4/23 vs. Las Vegas)
Charlie Cook (5/6 vs. Utah)
Dennison Robinson (5/13 @ Grand Rapids, 5/21 @ Nashville)

Ironman of the Game:
Bob McMillen (2/3 vs. New York)
John Moyer (2/12 vs. New York)
Dennison Robinson (2/18 @ Los Angeles)
Carlos Wright (3/26 vs. Grand Rapids)
DeJuan Alfonzo (4/23 vs. Las Vegas, 5/6 vs. Las Vegas, 5/13 @ Grand Rapids, 5/21 @ Nashville)

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

Offensive Player of the Week:
Bobby Sippio - Week 15 vs. Utah

Ironman of the Week:
DeJuan Alfonzo - Wild Card Playoff Round vs. Nashville

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 23, 2006


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