Chicago Rush game notes
July 12, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Chicago Rush News Release
The Quick Facts
TV: ESPN ... Trey Wingo, Mark Schlereth
Radio: WCKG 105.9 FM...Tom Dore, James "Big Cat" Williams
Overall Series Record: Tied 4-4 (3-3 in regular season, 1-1 in postseason)
Series Streaks: The Rush has won the last four meetings
Last Meeting: March 9, 2007, Rush 48, San Jose 45
Coaches (regular season, postseason records):
Mike Hohensee (107-89, 12-9 - 14th season)
Darren Arbet (96-40, 11-5 - 9th season)
Officials: Perry Havener (Referee), Jeff Carr (Umpire), Mike McCabe (Head Linesman), Dana McKenzie (Line Judge), James Cole (Back Judge), Dennis Lipski (alternate)
2007 Chicago Rush Schedule
Date Opponent Time/Score TV/Attend
March 4 @ Kansas City* L, 54-41 13,600
March 9 San Jose W, 48-45 16,201
March 18 New York W, 61-40 16,128
March 24 @ Columbus W, 55-47 16,390
April 1 Los Angeles W, 66-31 15,846
April 7 @ Nashville* W, 66-54 7,332
April 15 Bye
April 21 @ Grand Rapids* W, 75-54 10,622
April 30 Philadelphia W, 54-43 14,529
May 7 Colorado* W, 59-48 14,528
May 14 @ Dallas L, 52-48 12,518
May 19 Nashville* L, 44-27 16,142
May 26 @ Arizona W, 53-47 9,663
June 2 @ Los Angeles L, 50-47 13,142
June 9 Grand Rapids* W, 55-32 15,113
June 18 @ Colorado* W, 66-57 14,175
June 23 Kansas City* W, 48-21 16,391
June 30 Bye
July 9 y-Los Angeles W, 52-20 12,869
July 14 y-@ San Jose 3 p.m. ESPN
y-AFL playoffs
* Central Division game
American Conference - Central Division
2007 Final Standings
W-L-T PF PA Division
RUSH 12-4-0 869 719 6-2
Kansas City 10-6-0 840 776 4-4
Colorado 8-8-0 793 858 4-4
Nashville 7-9-0 851 876 3-5
Grand Rapids 4-12-0 835 1014 3-5
THE ROAD TO ARENABOWL XXI - DEJA VU: By virtue of its 52-20 playoff win over Los Angeles Monday night at Allstate Arena, the Rush advanced to the American Conference Final where it will face the San Jose SaberCats this Saturday.
It is the second-consecutive season - and the third time in the last four years - that the Rush will travel to San Jose with an ArenaBowl berth on the line.
San Jose, the American Conference's top seed, moved into the conference final with a 76-67 win over Colorado last Saturday. It was the SaberCats 11th-consecutive victory.
AFL PLAYOFF PICTURE: The AFL is down to its final four in the battle for the ArenaBowl XXI title. Three of the league's top four seeds have advanced to the Conference Finals, with a Columbus win over Dallas as the only major upset among the final four.
Here is a recap of the 2007 AFL playoffs:
American Conference National Conference
1. x-San Jose 13-3 1. x-Dallas 15-1
2. x-Chicago 12-4 2. x-Georgia 14-2
3. Kansas City 10-6 3. Tampa Bay 9-7
4. Los Angeles 9-7 4. Philadelphia 8-8
5. Utah 8-8 5. Orlando 8-8
6. Colorado 8-8 6. Columbus 7-9
x-division winner, received first-round bye
Wild Card Round
Philadelphia 41, Orlando 26
Columbus 56, Tampa Bay 55
Colorado 49, Kansas City 42
Los Angeles 64, Utah 42
American Conference Divisional Round
San Jose 76, Colorado 67
Chicago 52, Los Angeles 20
National Conference Divisional Round
Georgia 65, Philadelphia 39
Columbus 66, Dallas 59
Conference Finals - Saturday, July 14
#6 Columbus @ #2 Georgia - noon (National Conference)
#2 Chicago @ #1 San Jose - 3 p.m. (American Conference)
ArenaBowl XXI: Sunday, July 29
FINAL FOUR FACT: The Rush has reached the AFL's Final Four for the fourth-consecutive season and fifth time in its seven years in the AFL. No other AFL team has reached the league' semifinals in each of the last four years, and only San Jose (6) has more semifinal appearances since 2001 than Chicago.
STREAKING: The Rush enters this week riding a four-game winning streak. Last season the Rush closed the year on a six-game winning streak to win the ArenaBowl title. It would take another six-game streak for the Rush to repeat as AFL champs.
BACK-TO-BACK: Chicago's goal is to become the first AFL team in more than a decade to repeat as champions. In fact, only two teams in the 20-year history of the Arena Football League - the Detroit Drive (1988-90) and the Tampa Bay Storm (1995-96) - have been able to accomplish the feat of repeating. Interestingly, both Detroit and Tampa Bay were coached by Tim Marcum.
PLAYOFF CONSISTENCY: Chicago has never missed the playoffs, qualifying for the postseason in each of its seven seasons. Orlando and San Jose are the only other two AFL teams which have made the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons.
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)
W, 63-46 at Colorado (Quarterfinals)
W, 59-56 at San Jose (Semifinals)
W, 69-61 vs. Orlando (ArenaBowl XX at Las Vegas)
2007: W, 52-20 vs. Los Angeles (Quarterfinals)
PLAYOFF STREAKS: Chicago's seven-year playoff streak is the third longest current streak in the AFL behind Orlando (16 straight years) and San Jose (8). In addition, Mike Hohensee's streak of taking his teams to the playoffs for eight straight seasons is tied for the second-longest consecutive streak by any AFL coach. Danny White has led the Blaze to the playoffs in each of his first two years 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 eight-consecutive seasons and Orlando head coach Jay Gruden has taken his teams to seven-straight playoff appearances.
PLAYOFF TESTED: The Rush roster (including IR and practice squad) contains 17 players who were members of last season's ArenaBowl XX championship team. In addition to those 17, the Rush roster is comprised of two AFL veterans in their first year with the Rush (E.J. Burt and Jonathan Ordway) and eight rookies.
The players on the Rush roster have combined to play in 164 postseason games, with every veteran playing in at least three AFL playoff games.
Fullback Bob McMillen has the most postseason experience, playing in a total of 24 AFL playoff games during his 13-year career.
RUSH DOMINATES AVENGERS: The Arena Football League's best defense was on display Monday night at Allstate Arena, as the Rush began the defense of its ArenaBowl title with an impressive 52-20 win over Los Angeles in an American Conference Divisional playoff game.
The tone for the win was set early, as Rush DB Jeremy Unertl intercepted a Sonny Cumbie pass on the game's third play and returned it 24-yards for a touchdown, giving Chicago an early 7-0 lead.
In addition to the Unertl interception, the Rush defense pressured Cumbie all night long, holding him to just 26 completions on 50 attempts for 257 yards and three TDs. The Rush defense held LA scoreless in the second half - the second-consecutive game in which the Rush shut out its opponent in the second half.
Linebacker John Moyer recorded two sacks, giving him nine career in the playoffs, second best in AFL history behind former Rush lineman James Baron who has 9.5.
Meanwhile, as the defense was shutting down LA, the Rush offense kept extending its lead. QB Matt D'Orazio, playing with a back so sore he looked like he was struggling at times to walk, completed 14 of 20 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns before giving way to backup Russ Michna early in the fourth quarter.
D'Orazio also caught a touchdown pass from Bobby Sippio, who lined up at QB for several plays during the game.
Leading 17-14 with 11:34 left in the second quarter, the Rush closed the game on a 35-6 run, beginning with a Sippio six-yard TD reception to make the score 24-14.
RUSH-SABERCATS - HERE WE GO AGAIN: The Rush and SaberCats will be meeting this week for the ninth time, with the overall series tied at four games a piece. It also will be the third time the Rush and SaberCats have met in an AFL semifinal game, with each team winning once on its way to an ArenaBowl title.
After failing in its first four games against the SaberCats, the Rush now has won four in a row against San Jose - including a 48-45 win in Chicago earlier this season.
Here is a recap of this season's game:
March 9, 2007 - Chicago's defense forced three turnovers, including two interceptions by Jeremy Unertl, as the Rush built a 17-point lead before holding on for a 48-45 win over San Jose March 9 at Allstate Arena. Newly acquired wide receiver Andy McCullough caught two touchdowns and DB Jonathan Ordway, in his first game as the team's kick returner, returned a kickoff 57-yards for a touchdown to pace the offense.
Here is a recap of the two AFL semifinal games:
June 3, 2006 - Trailing 42-39 at the start of the fourth quarter of the American Conference Final at San Jose, the Rush opened the final period by moving 42 yards for a touchdown to take a 45-42 lead on a DeJuan Alfonzo three-yard touchdown reception with 12:09 remaining.
Next, the Rush defense made one of its biggest stands of the season when it held San Jose on downs to get the offense the ball back at midfield with 8:25 left. The key plays in the series came on third and fourth downs, when Jeremy Unertl and Russell Shaw broke up passes to stop the SaberCat drive.
It took the Rush offense just two plays and 50 seconds to capitalize as QB Matt D'Orazio first hit OS Bobby Sippio with a nine-yard reception, and then found Sippio again with a 17-yarder for a TD to give the Rush a 52-42 lead, before holding on for a 59-56 win and earning a berth in ArenaBowl XX.
June 12, 2004 - With the game tied 7-7, the Rush lost quarterback Raymond Philyaw to a torn ACL in his right knee on the first play of the second quarter. However, backup QB Chad Salisbury entered the game and led the Rush to two second quarter TDs to give the Rush a 21-14 lead with 3:52 remaining in the first half.
Perhaps the key play of the game (other than the Philyaw injury) occurred with one minute remaining in the first half when the Rush forced a fumble by San Jose QB Mark Grieb and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Rush an apparent 27-14 lead.
However, the officials ruled the play an incomplete pass, not a fumble, and San Jose retained possession. The SaberCats scored with 18 seconds left in the half and the teams went to the locker room tied 21-21.
Chicago never recovered. It turned the ball over on downs on its first series of the second half, giving momentum to San Jose. Then, trailing 42-35, an interception and a fumble in the game's final four minutes sealed Chicago's fate as the Rush lost 49-35.
Here is a look at the all-time series results:
Rush-SaberCats All-Time Series Results:
2002: San Jose 74, Rush 68 (June 15 @ San Jose)
2003: San Jose 71, Rush 49 (March 9 @ Chicago)
2004: San Jose 51, Rush 43 (April 16 @ San Jose)
San Jose 49, Rush 35 (June 12 @ San Jose)*
2005: Rush 55, San Jose 39 (April 10 @ Chicago)
2006: Rush 54, San Jose 48, OT (February 26 @ Chicago)
Rush 59, San Jose 56 (June 3 @ San Jose)*
2007: Rush 48, San Jose 45 (March 9 @ Chicago)
*AFL playoffs
SMITH A DIFFERENCE MAKER IN SERIES: San Jose defensive back Omarr Smith has been a key player in the Rush-SaberCats series, intercepting two passes that directly led to two San Jose victories.
When the two teams met during the 2004 regular season, the Rush held a 43-37 lead with less than five minutes remaining and was driving for another score when Smith intercepted a Raymond Philyaw pass. San Jose capitalized, marching down the field and scoring a TD to take a 44-43 lead with one minute remaining. The SaberCats then recovered the ensuing on-side kick and scored two plays later, giving the SaberCats a 51-43 victory.
In 2002 in San Jose, Smith intercepted a Billy Dicken pass at the San Jose 16-yard line with less than 1:30 to play and the Rush trailing 67-62. Then, on the game's next play, San Jose QB Mark Grieb hit Smith with a 34-yard touchdown pass to give the SaberCats a 74-62 lead and put the game out of reach.
FAMILIAR FACE: San Jose assistant coach Dave Witthun spent four seasons in Chicago as an assistant on Mike Hohensee's staff before joining the SaberCats staff in July 2005.
GRIEB vs. RUSH: San Jose QB Mark Grieb has played in every one of the eight San Jose-Chicago games and is one of nine QBs who have passed for 300 or more yards against the Rush defense, joining Donnie Davis, Clint Dolezel, John Dutton, Aaron Garcia, Andy Kelly, Chad Salisbury, Clint Stoerner and Juston Wood.
Here are Grieb's career numbers against Chicago:
G Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating
8 191 281 67.9% 2,369 42 7 123.1
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
John Dutton 5/7/07 vs. Colorado 346
Clint Dolezel 7/7/01 @ Grand Rapids 342
Aaron Garcia 3/23/03 vs. New York 339
Mark Grieb 3/9/07 vs. San Jose 327
Clint Dolezel 5/4/02 vs. Grand Rapids 321
Clint Dolezel 3/29/03 @ Grand Rapids 317
Andy Kelly 3/20/05 vs. New Orleans 311
Mark Grieb 6/3/06 @ San Jose * 314
Juston Wood 4/30/07 vs. Philadelphia 308
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
* AFL playoffs
UNERTL HAS GRIEB'S NUMBER: Rush defensive back Jeremy Unertl seems to know how to read San Jose QB Mark Grieb. Unertl has four interceptions against Grieb - two in the 2006 regular season win over San Jose and two more in this year's game. Although he did not pick off a pass in last season's playoff win at San Jose, Unertl was named Defensive Player of the Game for his performance.
D'ORAZIO vs. SAN JOSE: Rush QB Matt D'Orazio is undefeated in his career against San Jose, posting a 3-0 record against the SaberCats.
Here are D'Orazio's career numbers against Chicago:
G Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating
3 64 102 62.7% 683 18 1 117.8
PLAYOFF DEBUTS: Four Rush players - wide receiver Rob Mager, quarterback Russ Michna and offensive linemen Robert Boss and Jason Thomas - made their AFL playoff debuts in Monday's win over Los Angeles. Mager caught seven passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, while Michna completed all six of his pass attempts for 73 yards after entering the game in the fourth quarter.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Rush finished the 2007 season 8-1 at home and owns a 40-17 all-time record at Allstate Arena (including postseason). The eight home wins are a franchise record for the Rush, breaking the mark of seven set in 2004 when the team finished the year 7-2 at home (6-2 in the regular season and 1-0 in the playoffs).
STILL STRONG AFTER A BYE: With its win Monday against Los Angeles, the Rush continued its tradition of being strong after a bye week. The Rush is now 5-1 after a week off, including 2-0 in the postseason.
The team's only loss after a bye week came in its inaugural 2001 season, when the Rush opened the year with the bye. Then in Week 2, the Rush lost at Oklahoma 45-44. Since that loss, Chicago is 5-0 after its bye week.
Here is a look at how the Rush has fared after its bye weeks:
Year Week After Bye
2001 L, 44-45 @ Oklahoma
2002 W, 60-47 vs. Dallas*
2004 W, 58-15 vs. Orlando
2005 W, 44-43 @ New York
2007 W, 75-54 @ Grand Rapids
2007 W, 52-20 vs. Los Angeles*
* AFL Playoffs
RECORD-SETTING YEAR: The 2007 season was a record-setting one for the Rush on many levels. Here is a breakdown of the records set or tied during the regular season:
Category 2007 Previous Record
Wins 12 11
Points Scored 869 847
Points per game allowed 44.9 45.4
Home Wins 7 6
Takeaways 44 34
Sacks Allowed 25 24
Completions 351 (D'Orazio) 324
Passing yards 3,789 (D'Orazio) 3,669
TD Passes 82 (D'Orazio) 74
Receptions 125 (Sippio) 123
Receiving TDs 53 (Sippio) 29
Total TDs 53 (Sippio) 36
Tackles 102 (Robinson) 98
Fumble Recovered 6 (Alfonzo) 4
Extra Points Made 104 (Frantz) 95
Longest Field Goal 56 (Frantz) 54
OFFENSE ROLLING: The Rush scored a team record 869 points this year, for an average of 54.3 points per game. However, with a healthy Bobby Sippio in the lineup the Rush offense was even more potent, averaging 57.1 points per game.
TURNOVERS THE KEY TO SUCCESS: The Rush defense forced a team record 44 turnovers this season - 20 fumbles and a league-high 24 interceptions. Only three teams in AFL history have forced more turnovers in a season than the Rush, led by the 1988 Pittsburgh Gladiators who forced 49 turnovers.
AFL's Single Season Takeaways
Team Season Takeaways
Pittsburgh Gladiators 1988 49
Columbus Destroyers 2006 46
Albany Firebirds 1996 45
Chicago Rush 2007 44
Dallas Desperados 2006 44
In addition to leading the league in takeaways, the Rush also led the AFL in turnover margin at +27.
FINAL SECONDS: Two of Chicago's four losses this season came in the final seconds of the game. The Rush lost at Dallas May 14, when QB Clint Dolezel converted a fourth-and-two-pass for a touchdown with just three seconds remaining, giving the Desperados a 52-48 win. In addition, the Rush fell in LA on June 2 when kicker Remy Hamilton kicked a field goal on the final play of the game to give the Avengers a 50-47 win over Chicago.
COMEBACK KIDS: The Rush had five games this season in which the team erased double-digit deficits to win. In addition, despite losing in Dallas and LA the Rush overcame double-digit deficits to either take the lead or tie the game. Here is a look at Chicago's 2007 comebacks:
8 March 18: Trailing the New York Dragons 17-7 in the second quarter, the Rush outscored NY 34-10 in the second half to win 61-40.
8 April 21: The Rush trailed 47-34 late in the third quarter in Grand Rapids before going on a 34-0 run to win 75-54.
8 April 30: The Rush trailed by 14 points at the half against Philadelphia before outscoring the Soul 34-9 in the second half en route to a 54-43 win.
8 May 7: The Rush fell behind Colorado 13-0, and trailed 33-21 late in the first half before a 35-7 run put the Rush in position for a 59-48 victory.
8 May 14: Trailing Dallas 38-21 with 7:17 remaining in the third quarter, the Rush went on a 20-0 run to take a 41-38 lead. However, Dallas scored with three seconds remaining in the game to win 52-48.
8 May 26: Trailing Arizona 14-0 just seven minutes into the game, the Rush went on a 24-0 run to take a 24-14 halftime lead before holding on for a 53-47 win over the Rattlers.
8 June 2: The Rush trailed Los Angeles 44-33 with less than 10 minutes to play before tying the score at 47-47. However, Avengers kicker Remy Hamilton kicked a field goal on the final play of the game to give LA a 50-47 win.
MOYER NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Rush linebacker John Moyer was named the Arena Football League's Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Monday night's playoff win over Los Angeles in which he recorded three tackles, two sacks and broke up a pass during Chicago's 52-20 win.
IT'S MOYER TIME: The playoffs seem to be when Rush linebacker John Moyer elevates his game to another level. Moyer had two sacks in Monday night's playoff win over LA, giving him nine career postseason sacks, good for second place in AFL history.
Last season Moyer had 3.0 sacks in the playoffs, including 2.0 in the team's playoff opener in Nashville.
The AFL's All-Time Career Playoff Sacks list
Player Team Playoff Sacks
James Baron Nashville 9.5
John Moyer Rush 9.0
B.J. Cohen Kansas City 8.0
SIPPIO, ALFONZO, UNERTL NAMED ALL-ARENA: When the Arena Football League announced its 2007 All-Arena teams, the defending ArenaBowl champion Rush found itself with three players receiving postseason honors.
Wide receiver Bobby Sippio and linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo were voted to the league's first team, while defensive back Jeremy Unertl was voted second-team All-Arena.
In addition, Alfonzo was voted to the AFL's All-Ironman team for the second-consecutive season.
CAREER YEAR FOR D'ORAZIO: Rush QB Matt D'Orazio enjoyed the best year of his career in 2007, starting all 16 games and leading the Rush to the Central Division title. D'Orazio became the first Rush quarterback to start every game in a season since Billy Dicken in 2002.
For the year, D'Orazio set career highs and Rush team records by completing 351 of 506 passes for 3,789 yards and 82 touchdowns, while only throwing 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 134 yards and a career-high 12 touchdowns.
After a shaky start to the year that saw him throw seven interceptions in the season's first seen weeks, D'Orazio settled down, only throwing three interceptions in the team's final nine games.
Earlier this year, the Rush rewarded D'Orazio with a two-year contract extension through the 2009 season.
PROTECT THAT QB: The Rush offensive line, which for most of the season featured two rookies - Robert Boss and Jason Thomas - continued to improve as the season went on.
Despite setting a team record by allowing 25 sacks this season, the line played much better in the season's final weeks. After giving up 17 sacks in the team's first eight games, the line only allowed eight sacks in the season's final eight games.
PROUD PAPPA: Rush QB Matt D'Orazio became a father for the first time earlier this season, as he and his wife, Nicole, welcomed a baby girl on Tuesday, April 24. Maria D'Orazio measured 20-inches and weighed six pounds, nine ounces.
THE SIPPIO FACTOR: With Bobby Sippio on the field in a Rush uniform, Chicago is 19-4, including last season's title run. Without Sippio this year the Rush is 1-2.
SIPPIO SHINES: Wide receiver Bobby Sippio finished the 2007 season with 53 touchdowns and 318 points scored - the second-best offensive season in league history.
Sippio set career highs this season with 125 receptions for 1,739 yards and 53 touchdowns. Despite missing three games, he led the AFL in touchdowns and scoring and finished the year ranked 4th in receiving yards and 8th in receptions.
The AFL's Single Season Touchdown leaders
Player Season Team TDs
Damian Harrell 2006 Colorado 61
Bobby Sippio 2007 Chicago 53
Eddie Brown 1996 Albany 51
Barry Wagner 1997 Orlando 51
The AFL's Single Season Scoring Leaders
Player Season Team Points
Damian Harrell 2006 Colorado 366
Bobby Sippio 2007 Chicago 318
Barry Wagner 1997 Orlando 310
Eddie Brown 1996 Albany 308
SIPPIO LOVES ALLSTATE ARENA: Rush wide receiver Bobby Sippio can't explain it, but he loves playing at Allstate Arena. In his 10 home games as a member of the Rush (including postseason), Sippio has caught 100 passes for 1,508 yards and 44 touchdowns. He has set the team records for receptions in a game (15 - twice) and touchdown receptions (6 - four times).
Sippio also played one game at Allstate Arena in 2004 as a member of the Dallas Desperados - catching five passes for 119 yards and two TDs.
RECORD HIGH FIVE: Rush receiver Bobby Sippio set an AFL record in 2007 by catching five or more touchdown passes in a game seven times. Overall, Sippio has caught five or more touchdowns in a game 10 times in his Rush career. Chicago is 9-1 when Sippio catches five or more touchdowns in a game.
Here are the details on Sippio's 5+ touchdown games:
Opponent Date TDs Rush W/L
Las Vegas April 23, 2006 6 W
Utah May 6, 2006 6 W
San Jose* June 3, 2006 5 W
@ Kansas City March 4, 2007 5 L
New York March 18, 2007 5 W
Los Angeles April 1, 2007 5 W
Nashville April 7, 2007 6 W
@ Grand Rapids April 21, 2007 5 W
Colorado May 7, 2007 5 W
Grand Rapids June 9, 2007 6 W
* AFL Playoffs
SIPPIO ALSO LIKES CENTURY MARK: Bobby Sippio recorded 100 or more receiving yards in a game 10 times during the 2007 regular season, becoming one of just nine players in AFL history to accomplish the feat 10 or more times in a single season. Sippio added another 100-yard game this week with his 116 yard performance against LA.
Most 100-Yard Receiving Games in a Single Season
Player Year Team Game
Siaha Burley 2007 Utah 13
Calvin Schexnayder 1998 Arizona 12
Siaha Burley 2006 Utah 11
Damian Harrell 2006 Colorado 11
Bobby Sippio 2007 Chicago 10
Eddie Brown 1997 Albany 10
Terrell Shaw 2003 Grand Rapids 10
Kevin Swayne 2001 New York 10
Kevin Swayne 1999 Iowa 10
ETU BACK IN BLUE: The Rush welcomed its all-time leading receiver, Etu Molden, back to the team on May 31 when Molden signed a contract through the end of the season.
Molden, who was released May 30 by the Las Vegas Gladiators, spent the first three seasons of his AFL career with the Rush, before being released at the end of training camp this season.
In his first three seasons in a Rush uniform, Molden caught 264 passes for 3,132 yards and scored 71 touchdowns. He was named to the league's All-Rookie team in 2004 and the All-Ironman team in 2005. Last season, despite missing four regular season games due to injury, he still led the Rush with 67 receptions.
With Las Vegas this year, Molden played in eight games, catching 61 passes for 816 yards and 12 touchdowns. In his four regular season games back in Chicago, Molden caught 20 passes for 161 yards and a TD.
MAGER A TOP ROOKIE: Rookie wide receiver Rob Mager, signed April 21, quickly developed a rapport with QB Matt D'Orazio. Mager finished the season as one of the league's top rookie receivers, catching 75 passes for 811 yards and 13 touchdowns in 10 games in a Rush uniform.
Mager finished the season tied for sixth among AFL rookies in receptions and 10th in receiving yards.
Mager (6-3, 205, University of Indianapolis) came to Chicago after spending the 2005 and 2006 seasons playing for the af2's Louisville Fire. In 2006, he was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year after catching 143 passes for 1,918 yards and 54 touchdowns.
McMILLEN HITS 1,500: With 28 rushing yards in the team's final regular season game against Kansas City, Rush fullback Bob McMillen became just the second player in AFL history to rush for 1,500 career yards. McMillen, who is retiring at the end of the season, will finish his 13-year career as the AFL's second all-time leading rusher, with 1,508 career yards. He also ranks second all-time in rushing attempts and fifth in rushing touchdowns.
Last year, 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. He is one of only two players (Darrin Kenney) who has won ArenaBowl championships with three different teams (1997 with Arizona, 2002 with San Jose and 2006 with Chicago).
The AFL's All-Time Rushing Yards list
Player Seasons Team Yards
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 1,571
Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 1,508
Les Barley 1992-2001 - 1,382
Chad Dukes 1996-98, 2002, 2004-07 Austin 1,271
The AFL's All-Time Rushing Attempts list
Player Seasons Team Attempts
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 531
Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 484
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 1992-2006 - 127
Andre Bowden 1991-2004 - 93
Bo Kelly 1996-present Arizona 88
Chris Ryan 2000-2007 Grand Rapids 88
Bob McMillen 1995-present Chicago 85
BEST DEFENSE EVER?: Statistically speaking, the 2007 Rush defense is the best in team history. The defense finished the season ranked first in the AFL in scoring defense, giving up just 44.9 points per game; first in opponent passer rating, holding opposing QBs to a 91.4 rating; second in total defense, giving up just 273.4 yards per game; and second in pass defense, allowing just 248.1 passing yards per game.
The team set a record for fewest points per game allowed, breaking the mark of 45.4 set in 2004.
ALFONZO A RECORD-SETTER: Bobby Sippio isn't the only Rush player setting records this season. Rush linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo set one AFL record and tied another as he enjoyed a career year.
With his 47-yard interception return for a touchdown June 23 against Kansas City, Alfonzo set an AFL record by scoring his fifth defensive touchdown of the season - three on interception returns and two on fumbles recovered for TDs. The previous record of four was shared by Rashad Floyd (Colorado 2004), Greg Hopkins (LA 2002), Sedrick Robinson (Houston 2001) and Kenny McEntyre (Orlando 1999).
In addition, Alfonzo recovered six fumbles this season, tying the AFL record shared by Andre Bowden (Tampa Bay 1999) and Antoine Worthman (Tampa Bay 2000).
ALFONZO A TRUE IRONMAN: Rush linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo is quite simply one of the best two-way players of the year. After being named the Arena Football League's Ironman of the Month for his performance during May, Alfonzo continued his great play through the conclusion of the regular season.
Due to an injury to Bobby Sippio early in the team's May 14 game at Dallas, Alfonzo was forced to play wide receiver in addition to playing defense and special teams.
While filling in for Sippio for three games in May, Alfonzo caught 19 passes for 194 yards and scored nine touchdowns (six receiving and three rushing). Defensively, Alfonzo recorded 21 tackles, a pass broken up and recovered a fumble during the month.
June 18 in Colorado, Alfonzo was named Ironman of the Game after he rushed for 41 yards and two touchdowns on offense and recorded 8.0 tackles and an interception on defense.
For the season, Alfonzo recorded 93.0 tackles, intercepted six passes, recovered six fumbles, forced four fumbles and broken up two passes.
MOYER TO MAC: When linebacker D.J. Bleisath sustained an ankle injury in Week 1 at Kansas City, the Rush turned to veteran lineman John Moyer to play the Mac linebacker position. Moyer played the position so well that his move to linebacker became a permanent one.
Moyer finished the year by recording a career-high 30.5 tackles, including three sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. He also broke up four passes, forced a fumble and recovered two fumbles,
April 30 against Philadelphia, Moyer made the play of the game, deflecting a Juston Wood pass and then catching it off Curtis Eason's helmet for an interception with 3:25 remaining in the game. Moyer returned the interception 39-yards for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown. It was only Moyer's third career interception, and his first since 2004. It also was the first he ever returned for a touchdown.
HAPPY HOMECOMING: As well as the team is playing this year, nothing has made Rush linebacker John Moyer as happy as welcoming his son, Colton, home from the hospital. Born three-months premature on December 21, 2006, Colton spent the first four-and-a-half months of his life in the hospital before finally coming home on Monday, May 7. Weighing just one pound, 14 ounces at birth, Colton was a hefty nine pounds when he was released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
PETERS GETS AN OPPORTUNITY: With the move of lineman John Moyer to linebacker, the door was opened for Joe Peters to start on the defensive line. Peters, in his second season with the Rush, has made the most of his opportunity, recording 25.5 tackles, one sack, a forced fumble and two passes broken up.
Peters also scored his first career touchdown June 2 at Los Angeles, when he entered the game as a wide receiver, took a handoff from Matt D'Orazio and dove into the endzone for the score.
SPEED RUSH: Rush lineman E.J. Burt enjoyed a solid first season in Chicago. Burt recorded 21.5 tackles, six sacks, three tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and five passes broken up. Rush linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo has recovered two of the fumbles for Rush touchdowns.
In his fifth season, Burt has recorded 34 career sacks moving him into a tie with Ernest Allen for 10th place in AFL history. He also has forced 19 fumbles in his career, good for fourth on the all-time list.
SACK MACHINES: The Rush has two players - John Moyer and E.J. Burt - who rank in the top 10 in AFL history in sacks. Moyer has 37.5 career sacks - including 32.5 as a member of the Rush - and currently is in eighth place on the AFL's all-time list for career sacks. His teammate E.J. Burt is just 3.5 sacks behind, in 10th place with 34. Moyer also is the team's all-time leader with 9.0 playoff sacks.
Here are Chicago's regular season & career sack leaders:
Player Season Player Career
John Moyer 10.0 (2004) John Moyer 32.5
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
E.J. Burt 6.0 (2007) E.J. Burt 6.0
Anthony Hutch 5.5 (2001) Jamie McGourty 5.5
John Moyer 4.0 (2002) Riley Kleinhesselink 5.0
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
ORDWAY BACK WITH A VENGEANCE: Defensive Back Jonathan Ordway, who suffered a partial tear of his left bicep in the team's May 14 loss at Dallas, returned to the lineup June 18 in Colorado. Ordway had one of his best games of the season, returning five kicks for 116 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown on his first return of the game and a 48-yard return to set up another Rush TD. In addition, Ordway finished the game with 4.0 tackles and 2 passes broken up.
DAN THE MAN: Kicker Dan Frantz had the best season of any kicker in Rush history. For the year Frantz converted 104 of 115 PAT attempts (90.4%) and 11 of 27 field goal attempts - including a team record 56-yarder vs. San Jose.
In last week's playoff win over LA, Frantz connected on all seven of his PAT attempts and nailed a 46-yard field goal in the first quarter.
Entering this week's game in San Jose, Frantz has converted 25-consecutive extra point attempts. His last miss came in the third quarter of the team's June 9 game against Grand Rapids.
HE'S THE BOSS: Rush rookie tight end Robert Boss is finally comfortable enough as a blocker that the Rush coaches are expanding his role in the offense. Boss caught touchdown passes back-to-back games earlier this season - a 14 yard TD against Nashville and a five-yarder May 26 in Arizona. Boss also caught a two-point conversion pass from Matt D'Orazio against the Rattlers.
WORKING ON HIS SECOND 100: Chicago Rush head coach Mike Hohensee is the third-winningest coach in AFL history with 119 career victories. He is one of five coaches in AFL history with 100 or more wins, joining Tampa Bay coach Tim Marcum, Utah coach Danny White, Colorado coach Mike Dailey and San Jose coach Darren Arbet in the 100-win club.
The only head coach in Rush history, Hohensee has guided Chicago to a 72-50 overall record and playoff appearances in each of the team's seven seasons. In addition to winning ArenaBowl XX under Hohensee, the Rush has won three Central Division titles (2002, 2004, 2007) and advanced to the AFL semifinals five times (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007), including each of the past four seasons.
One of only four men to be involved in the Arena Football League in each of the league's 21 seasons, Hohensee:
8 has a regular season record of 107-89 (including a
63-45 mark with the Rush).
8 has a career 12-9 mark in the postseason.
8 has led the Rush to seven-consecutive playoff berths and three Central Division titles (2002, 2004 and 2007).
8 is 4-8 all-time vs. San Jose.
All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 188
Danny White Utah 156
Mike Hohensee Rush 119 @ San Jose
Mike Dailey Colorado 109
Darren Arbet San Jose 107 vs. Chicago
MICHNA CLOSES OUT THE YEAR: Rush backup QB Russ Michna made his third appearance of the season June 23 against Kansas City. With the Rush holding a big lead, Michna played the team's final two series of the game, leading the Rush to a field goal on his first drive and running out the clock on his second.
Michna made his AFL debut in the fourth quarter of the team's April 1 win over LA. On his first career pass attempt, Michna hooked up with Bobby Sippio for a 34-yard completion down to the LA 3-yard line. Two plays later, Michna dove into the end zone from the 1-yard line for his first career touchdown.
His second appearance of the season came in the team's June 9 win over Grand Rapids. Michna entered the game on the final series of the fourth quarter and ran for two yards to run out the clock.
MOORE STILL OUT: After starting at center for the Rush from 2003-2006, Frank Moore missed the team's first eight games this year while recovering from off-season knee surgery. He returned to the lineup May 7 vs. Colorado and played three games before re-injuring his knee. He has not played since.
SIKORA BACK IN MIDDLE OF LINE: With Frank Moore out, lineman John Sikora was forced to move from guard to center for the Rush. Sikora was solid on the line this season, but did see his consecutive-games streak end at 89 earlier in the year when he was forced to sit out the team's May 19 game against Nashville with a hamstring injury. Sikora returned to the lineup May 26 in Arizona.
D-ROB BACK FOR TWO MORE YEARS: Last month the Rush announced it had signed defensive back Dennison Robinson to a two-year contract extension through the 2009 season. Robinson, who was set to become a free agent at the end of the season, is the team's leading tackler, recording a career-high 102 tackles this season, breaking Cedric Walker's single season team record of 98 tackles set in 2002. Robinson also finished the year with seven interceptions and 22 passes broken up while starting all 16 games this season.
In his second year with the Rush and sixth overall in the AFL, Robinson was one of the Chicago's most valuable players during last year's 2006 championship run. He was named Defensive Player of the Game three times in the team's four playoff games, recording 23 tackles and three interceptions - two of which he returned for touchdowns - in the playoffs.
LAST LINE OF DEFENSE: The Rush starting secondary has been one of the team's strengths all season. In fact, the group - which includes Jeremy Unertl, Dennison Robinson and Jonathan Ordway - has been called the best secondary in the AFL by Gary Horton of Scouts, Inc. This season the group combined for 213.5 tackles, 16 interceptions and 57 passes broken up.
The Rush finished the year as the league leader in both scoring defense and pass defense rating, holding opponents to just 44.9 points per game and opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of just 91.4. The defense also ranked second in the league in total defense, giving up just 273.4 yards per game.
Last season Unertl and Robinson were the team's two top tacklers, combining for 145.5 tackles to go along with 13 interceptions and 21 PBUs.
Ordway, who spent the first four years of his AFL career with the Tampa Bay Storm, had signed in the off-season with the Grand Rapids Rampage, but was released at the end of training camp.
Prior to coming to Chicago, Ordway played in 45 games, recording 226.5 tackles, seven interceptions and 69 passes broken up. He was the Storm's leading tackler in 2006 and finished tied for fourth in the league with 19 passes broken up.
PROUD PAPPA II: Matt D'Orazio isn't the only new father in the Rush locker room. Lineman D.J. Bleisath and his wife, Krista, became parents for the first time Saturday, May 26, when they welcomed daughter Addison Grace. Bleisath, already in Arizona for the team's game that night, was unable to get to Atlanta to be there in person. However, he was able to be on the phone with the delivery room while his daughter was being born. Addison measured 22-inches long and weighed nine pounds-five ounces.
INDIVIDUAL LEAGUE LEADERS: The following Rush players finished the year among the 2007 AFL league leaders:
Matt D'Orazio: quarterback rating (6th - 122.4), rushing yards (10th - 134)
DeJuan Alfonzo: tackles (T-9th - 93.0), special teams tackles (T-4th - 17.0), fumble recoveries (1st - 6), forced fumbles (T-9th - 4), interceptions (T-11th - 6)
Dennison Robinson: tackles (5th - 102.0), interceptions (T-7th - 7), fumble recoveries (T-9th - 3), passes defensed (T-3rd - 22)
Bobby Sippio: scoring (1st - 318 points), touchdowns (1st - 53), receiving yards (4th - 1,739), receptions (8th - 125), third-down receiving (T-2nd - 20 receptions for 291 yards and 11 TDs), first downs (9th - 89)
Dan Frantz: touchbacks on kickoffs (3rd - 40), scoring (T-8th - 137)
Jeremy Unertl: interceptions (T-11th - 6), passes defensed (T-3rd - 22)
EJ Burt: forced fumbles (T-9th - 4)
TALE OF THE TAPE - Regular Season Numbers
Chicago Category San Jose
16 Games 16
54.3 (7) Scoring Offense 63.2 (2)
44.9 (1) Scoring Defense 47.6 (2)
254.9 (19) Total Offense 300.7 (7)
273.4 (2) Total Defense 281.3 (5)
60-72, 83.3% Red Zone Offense 76-87, 87.4%
58-71 81.7% Red Zone Defense 55-77, 71.4%
233.9 (18) Pass Offense 288.7 (6)
248.1 (2) Pass Defense 266.2 (5)
21.0 (8) Rushing Offense 12.0 (15)
25.2(17) Rushing Defense 15.1 (6)
869 Scoring 1,012
137 (8) Scoring (Kicking) 158 (1)
72-1,357-3 Kickoff Returns 87-1,715-7
18.8 (7) Kick Return Average 19.7 (4)
9-180-1 Missed Field Goal Returns 3-11-0
20 (5) Missed FG Return Avg. 3.7 (19)
+27 (1) Turnover Margin +21 (2)
11-27, 40.7% Field Goals 10-18, 55.6%
104-115, 90.4% PAT Kicking 128-138, 92.8%
14-76 (12) Sacks By 19-93 (T-4)
25-91 (15) Sacks Against 17-98 (10)
42-94, 44.7% Third Down Conversion 46-85, 54.1%
13-22, 59.1% Fourth Down Conversion 13-20, 65.0%
127-757 (9) Penalties (#-Yards) 123-788 (13)
140-871 (3) Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 99-548 (19)
Bold - leads AFL
2007 RUSH BY THE NUMBERS: Here is a breakdown of the 2007 Rush (including postseason):
Site: Home 8-1 Road 5-3
Time: Day 2-1 Night 11-3
Opponents: vs. American Conf. 10-3
vs. Central 6-2
vs. West 4-1
vs. National Conf. 3-1
vs. East 3-1
vs. South 0-0
INJURY REPORT: The following players appeared on this week's injury report to the AFL:
Injured Reserve - Demetrios Walker (hamstring),
RUSH GAME AWARD WINNERS: The following Rush players won individual game awards for their play this season:
Offensive Player of the Game:
Bobby Sippio - 3/9 vs. San Jose, 3/18 vs. New York, 4/1 vs. Los Angeles, 4/7 @ Nashville, 4/21 @ Grand Rapids, 4/30 vs. Philadelphia, 5/7 vs. Colorado, 6/9 vs. Grand Rapids, 7/9 vs. Los Angeles
Matt D'Orazio - 3/24 @ Columbus, 6/18 @ Colorado, 6/23 Kansas City
ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Jeremy Unertl - 3/9 vs. San Jose, 6/18 @ Colorado
EJ Burt - 3/18 vs. New York
DeJuan Alfonzo - 3/24 @ Columbus, 4/7 @ Nashville, 6/23 Kansas City
Curtis Eason - 4/1 vs. Los Angeles
James Sadler - 4/21 @ Grand Rapids
John Moyer - 4/30 vs. Philadelphia, 7/9 vs. Los Angeles
Dennison Robinson - 5/7 vs. Colorado, 5/14 @ Dallas, 5/26 @ Arizona, 6/9 vs. Grand Rapids
Ironman of the Game:
Jonathan Ordway - 4/7 @ Nashville
DeJuan Alfonzo - 4/30 vs. Philadelphia, 5/19 vs. Nashville, 5/26 @ Arizona, 6/18 @ Colorado
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 5 (4/1 vs. Los Angeles), Week 10 (5/7 vs. Colorado)
ADT Defensive Player of the Week:
DeJuan Alfonzo - Week 3 (3/18 vs. New York)
Ironman of the Week:
DeJuan Alfonzo - Week 9 (4/30 vs. Philadelphia)
AFL MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS: The following Rush players won AFL monthly awards for their play this season:
Offensive Player of the Month: Bobby Sippio - April
ADT Defensive Player of the Month: E.J. Burt - March
Ironman of the Month: DeJuan Alfonzo - May
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