Chicago Rush Game Notes

March 31, 2010 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Chicago Rush News Release


The Quick Facts

TV: NFL Network Paul Burmeister, Solomon Wilcots

Radio: None

Webcast: www.arenarush.com Les Grobstein

Overall Series Record: This is the first meeting between the teams.

Coaches (regular season, postseason records - AFL only):

Mike Hohensee (118-94, 12-11 16th season)

John Gregory (72-58, 6-6 11th season)

Officials: Brad Van Vark (Referee), Robert Colosimo (Umpire), Kelly Saalfeld (Head Linesman), Jeff Johnson (Line Judge, Larry Smith (Back Judge)

2010 Chicago Rush Schedule

Date Opponent Time/Score TV/Attend

April 2 @ Iowa * 7 p.m. NFL Net

April 9 Cleveland * 7 p.m. NFL Net

April 17 @ Arizona 9:30 p.m.

April 23 Utah 7:30 p.m.

May 1 Bye

May 7 @ Milwaukee* 7:30 p.m.

May 15 Iowa* 7 p.m.

May 22 @ Dallas 7:30 p.m.

May 29 @ Cleveland* 6 p.m.

June 4 Jacksonville 7 p.m. NFL Net

June 12 @ Utah 8 p.m.

June 19 Milwaukee* 7 p.m.

June 26 Orlando 7 p.m.

July 2 @ Tampa Bay 7 p.m. NFL Net

July 10 Arizona 7 p.m.

July 17 Dallas 7 p.m.

July 23 @ Spokane 7 p.m. NFL Net

* Midwest Division game

Midwest Division 2010 Standings

W-L-T PF PA Division

RUSH 0-0-0 0 0 0-0

Cleveland 0-0-0 0 0 0-0

Iowa 0-0-0 0 0 0-0

Milwaukee 0-0-0 0 0 0-0

LET'S GET IT STARTED: After a nearly two-year absence, the Rush returns to action this week as a member of the reborn 15-team Arena Football League. The Rush opens its 2010 season by traveling to Des Moines to take on one of the AFL's storied franchises - the Iowa Barnstormers - at Wells Fargo Arena this Friday at 7 p.m. It will be the first-ever meeting between the Rush and Barnstormers, and will be broadcast live on the NFL Network.

HOME OPENER NEXT WEEK: The Rush finally makes its long-awaited return to Allstate Arena next Friday, April 9, when it hosts Bernie Kosar's Cleveland Gladiators. The game will be the first for the Rush at Allstate Arena since July 6, 2008, when the Rush fell to Grand Rapids 58-41 in an AFL American Conference semifinal playoff game. Like this week's game, the Rush home opener will be nationally televised on the NFL Network beginning at 7 p.m.

NOT SO SUCCESSFUL OPENINGS: Despite being one of the most-successful teams in the AFL during its first eight seasons, the Rush was never known for starting the season well. Overall, the Rush is 3-5 in season openers, with just a 1-4 record when the team opens on the road.

Here is a breakdown of Chicago's season opener record:

Overall: 3-5

Home: 2-1 Road: 1-4

Even years: 3-1 Odd years: 0-4

STILL ON THE SIDELINE: While many of the faces have changed, one aspect of the Rush remains the same - head coach Mike Hohensee. Hohensee, the only head coach in Rush history, is back on the sidelines running the team. In eight seasons with the Rush, Hohensee has posted an 83-57 overall record, and has led the team to the playoffs in each of its eight seasons.

In addition to winning ArenaBowl XX, Hohensee has led the Rush to four Central Division titles (2002, 2004, 2007, 2008) and has helped the team advance to the AFL semifinals five times (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007).

Hohensee ranks third in AFL history in career victories, behind Tampa Bay coach Tim Marcum and former Utah and Arizona coach Danny White.

One of only four men to be involved in the Arena Football League in each of the league's 23 seasons, Hohensee:

has a regular season record of 118-94 (including a 74-50 mark with the Rush).

has a career 12-11 mark in the postseason.

has led the Rush to eight-consecutive playoff berths and four Central Division titles (2002, 2004, 2007 and 2008).

is 1-3 all-time vs. the Barnstormers franchise.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches

Including Postseason

Coach Team Wins This Week

Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 199 @ Tulsa

Danny White - 161

Mike Hohensee Rush 130 @ Iowa

Darren Arbet - 121

Mike Dailey - 116

RUSH AMONG THE BEST YEAR AFTER YEAR: The Rush has a tradition of fielding winning teams year after year. In fact, during its first eight seasons in the AFL, only San Jose had a better regular season record than Chicago.

The AFL's best regular season records (2001-2008):

San Jose 88-35

RUSH 74-50

Orlando 74-50

Tampa Bay 70-54

Dallas 69-38-1

FAMILIAR FACES: When the Rush takes the field this Friday, five members of the 23-man roster will be very familiar to the fans, having played for the Rush before. Quarterback Russ Michna, linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo and linemen Robert Boss, Beau Elliott and Joe Peters are all back in Rush blue.

OTHER AFL EXPERIENCE: In addition to the five returning Rush players, Chicago's roster features four other AFL veterans - wide receiver Kenny Higgins, defensive back Chris Martin, linebacker Clifton Smith and wide receiver Nichiren Flowers. Both Higgins and Martin spent the 2008 season with the Grand Rapids Rampage, while Smith won an ArenaBowl title as a member of the Philadelphia Soul. Flowers spent time with the Los Angeles Avengers in 2007.

PEORIA CONNECTIONS: Two Players on the 2010 Rush roster played for head coach Mike Hohensee last season as members of the af2's Peoria Pirates - DB Josh Ferguson and defensive lineman Darnell Whitley.

Ferguson played in eight games for Peoria, recording 50 tackles, two interceptions and 11 passes broken up. He also forced two fumbles and recovered a fumble which he returned for a touchdown.

Whitley appeared in three games for the Pirates, playing on both the offensive and defensive line.

MICHNA BACK UNDER CENTER: The 2010 Rush offense will be led by QB Russ Michna, back for this third season in Chicago. Michna spent the 2007 season as the backup quarterback to Matt D'Orazio and began the 2008 season as the backup to Sherdrick Bonner. However, when Bonner was injured early in the 2008 season, Michna took over and posted an 8-3 record as the team's starting QB.

Here are Michna's career numbers:

G Comp Att Pct. Yds. TD Int Rating

19 241 352 68.5% 2,765 57 7 123.9

NEW LOOK LINE: It will be interesting to see just how quickly this year's offensive line takes to gel. When the Rush kicks off at Iowa, returning center Beau Elliott will have a new linemate on either side of him. Joining Elliott on the offensive line are guard Shawn McMackin and tight end Palauni Ma Sun, both AFL rookies. Also in the mix to see significant playing time this year is rookie guard Thaddeus Coleman.

If Ma Sun (6-5, 310) and Coleman (6-8, 320) end up playing together, they might end up making the 2010 Rush offensive line the biggest in Rush history.

HE'S THE BOSS: Fan favorite Robert Boss returns to the Rush, but not at his familiar tight end position. Despite being one of the league's most-dangerous pass-catching tight ends - catching 15 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns in 2008, Boss will move to fullback in 2010.

LOTS OF TALENT AT RECEIVER: This year's group of wide receivers might be as deep and as talented as any group the Rush has ever had.

The corps is led by AFL veteran Kenny Higgins, who was named Second Team All-Arena in 2008 after catching 112 passes for 1,552 yards and 39 touchdowns as a member of the Grand Rapids Rampage. In fact, Rush fans will remember Higgins performance at Allstate Arena in 2008 when he caught 14 passes for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns in a Rampage upset of the Rush in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

In addition to Higgins, the Rush has added receivers Samie Parker, Nichiren Flowers and Alan Turner to the mix.

A fourth-round draft choice of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004, Parker spent four seasons in Kansas City, catching 110 passes for 1,529 yards and 7 TDs. After leaving KC, Parker had stints with the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders before playing with the UFL's Las Vegas Locomotives in 2009.

Flowers was a rookie with the Los Angeles Avengers in 2007, before spending 2008 and 2009 playing in af2 with Central Valley and Boise.

MR. EVERYTHING BACK AT JACK: Perhaps the best news for the Rush this season is that linebacker DeJuan Alfonzo is back with the team. Regarded as one of the best all-around players in the league, Alfonzo was named First Team All-Arena at Jack linebacker in both 2007 and 2008.

In 2007, he set an AFL record by scoring five defensive touchdowns - three via interceptions and two via fumble recoveries - and tied an AFL record by recovering six fumbles.

Along with his play at linebacker, Alfonzo is the team's holder on field goals and extra points and, if needed, can play both wide receiver and defensive back.

Additionally, Alfonzo is one of the team's top special teams players - both on kickoff coverage and kickoff return.

SMITH BRINGS CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVE: Lining up next to Alfonzo at Mac linebacker is former Philadelphia Soul FB/LB Clifton Smith. Smith was an All-Ironman selection for the 2008 Soul team that won the ArenaBowl championship. In 2008, Smith recorded 33 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception on defense, while rushing for 131 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense.

PETERS FEELING THE PRESSURE: Putting pressure on the opponent's quarterback has always been a Rush trademark. However, gone from the 2008 Rush squad are defensive linemen James Baron and John Moyer - who ranked second and seventh, respectively, on the AFL's career sack list.

The job of filling their shoes falls to Baron and Moyer's former teammate, defensive end Joe Peters. Peters is in his fourth season in Chicago, entering the year with 76 tackles and 6 sacks in his career. He will be joined on the defensive line by rookies Michael Alston and Darnell Whitley.

MARTIN A HUGE ACQUISITION: The Rush defense and special teams got a lot stronger last weekend when the team acquired DB Chris Martin in a trade with Spokane. A CFL veteran, Martin spent the 2008 season in Grand Rapids, recording 85 tackles and two interceptions. He was most-dangerous, however, as a kick returner, returning 83 kicks for 1,663 yards and 6 touchdowns.

GOOD AS GOULD: Set to handle the kicking duties for the Rush this season is Chris Gould, brother of Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould. A 2008 graduate of the University of Virginia, Chris began his college career as a punter before adding the placekicking duties as a junior.

Gould got his first taste of Arena Football in 2009, playing in 4 games for the af2's Boise Burn. In his brief stint with the Burn, Gould converted 19 of 20 PATs and 1 of 9 field goal attempts.



Arena Football League Stories from March 31, 2010


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