Cobras Game Notes vs. Buffalo
February 5, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Carolina Cobras News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Carolina Cobras (0-1) at Buffalo Destroyers (0-1)
Date: February 9, 2003
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m.
Site: HSBC Arena (18,457)
Officials: David Lambros (Referee), Al Granado (Umpire), Mike McCabe (Head Linesman), Craig Worlstad (Line Judge), Dino Paganelli (Back Judge)
Series Record: Carolina leads all-time 3-0
Coaches: Carolina: Mike Hold (1st Season, 0-1) Buffalo: Ron Selesky (1st Season, 0-1)
THE SERIES: Carolina leads all-time 3-0
@Carolina 59, Buffalo 57 -- May 4, 2001
Carolina 53, @Buffalo 44 â June 17, 2001
Carolina 52, @Buffalo 31 â July 12, 2002
COBRAS LAST WEEK: Turnovers doomed the Carolina Cobras on opening night as they fell 60-20 to the Tampa Bay Storm at the St. Pete Times Forum. The Storm took advantage of five interceptions thrown by Cobras quarterbacks Chad DeGrenier and Stewart Patridge to score four touchdowns. The teams traded touchdowns on the game's first four possessions before Tampa Bay took over the contest with 39 consecutive points over a 40-minute stretch. Strom quarterback John Kaleo led the way with 214 yards and six TDs on 16-of-27 passing. He connected on three TDs with Freddie Solomon, who hauled in 10 passes for 132 yards. DeGrenier finished with 113 yards and 2 TDs on 9-of-20 passing. Cobras OS Ben Bronson had a team-high seven receptions for 58 yards. He also returned five kickoffs for 97 yards.
DESTROYERS LAST WEEK: Buffalo opened the season with a 54-36 defeat at the hands of the Grand Rapids Rampage. The Destroyers trailed by only five (34-29) early in the third quarter, but the Rampage scored two unanswered touchdowns to pull away. Buffalo QB Jeff Loots finished 17-of-32 for 246 yards and 5 TDs. OS Gunnard Twyner had a game-high 134 yards on eight receptions and three TDs. Twyner also had a game-high 204 all-purpose yards. WR/DB Bret Cooper added 62 receiving yards and 2 TDs. HEAD COACHES: After two seasons as head coach of the af2 Augusta Stallions, Mike Hold makes his AFL coaching debut with the Cobras. He led the Stallions to a combined 22-10 record in his two years, including a 13-3 mark and playoff appearance in 2002. Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Hold spent 12 seasons as an AFL quarterback.
Buffalo's Ron Selesky earned 2002 af2 Coach of the Year honors after guiding the expansion Albany Conquest to a 13-1 record. He was an assistant coach and director of player personnel for the Cobras during the 2000 season.
LAST YEAR'S COBRAS-DESTROYERS MEETING: Carolina 52, Buffalo 31 (July 12, 2002 at Buffalo) Aaron Bailey caught a pair of touchdown passes to help the Cobras down the Destroyers, 52-31. Bailey scored on a nine-yard pass from John Fitzgerald to close the first half with a 21-10 Carolina lead. Overall, he finished with 11 catches for a game-high 112 yards to earn game MVP honors. Fitzgerald completed 23-of-39 passes for 219 yards and threw for five touchdowns with no interceptions in the win. Carolina FB/LB Andre Bowden, who nabbed the Ironman of the Game honors, rushed in a three-yard score in the first half and capped the scoring with a one-yard kickoff return touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Fred McNair, who completed 18-of-34 passes, threw for 212 yards and four touchdowns with one interception for Buffalo. Thomas Bailey scored twice and Bret Cooper recorded seven receptions for 77 yards for the Destroyers.
FAMILIAR FACES: Destroyers head coach Ron Selesky was an assistant coach and director of player personnel for the Cobras in 2000...Buffalo WR/LB Cornelius White and OL/DL Silas Demary are both former Cobras...White ranks among the Cobras career leaders in receptions and receiving yards, and is the all-time leader in career tackles...Demary holds Carolina's career and single-season sacks records...Cobras defensive coordinator Flint Fleming and OL/DL Jim Stiebel were both members of the Destroyers in 2000.
COBRAS NEXT WEEK: The Cobras play their first-ever home game at the Charlotte Coliseum when they host the Detroit Fury on Friday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. Lee Greenwood will sing the national anthem and perform at halftime as the Cobras salute our troops overseas on Valentine's Day.
COBRAS MILESTONES:
OS Ben Bronson needs:
⢠105 receiving yards to reach 3,500
⢠2 TD receptions to reach 50
K Matt George needs:
⢠4 field goals made to reach 50
⢠34 points to reach 400
QB Robert Hall needs:
⢠6 passing TDs to reach 100
⢠15 completions to reach 500
⢠45 passing yards to reach 6,000
WR/DB Bernard Holmes needs:
⢠12 receptions to reach 350
⢠181 receiving yards to reach 4,500
⢠2 receiving TDs to reach 80
FB/LB Deryl Lane needs:
⢠3.0 tackles to reach 100
INJURY UPDATES: A pair of Cobras suffered MCL injuries against Tampa Bay...OL/DL Paul Mandina is on injured reserve with a left MCL sprain and will be out 4-8 weeks...WR/DB Tramain Jones is on injured reserve with a right MCL sprain and will be out 2-4 weeks...WR/LB Terence Davis was placed on injured reserve at the end of training camp with turf toe.
COBRAS INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
WR/LB Terence Davis Turf Toe IR
WR/DB Tramain Jones Right MCL Sprain IR
OL/DL Paul Mandina Left MCL Sprain IR
SNAKE BITES:
A Flurry Of Roster Moves: The Cobras signed WR/LB Ty Law and OL/DL Craig Moore, signed QB Robert Hall and OL/DL Blaine Mensch from their practice squad, placed WR/DB Tramain Jones and OL/DL Paul Mandina on injured reserve, waived OL/DL Dunstan Anderson and released QB Chad DeGrenier on Tuesday.
A Rough Night: Turnovers were the key to the night, as the Cobras dropped their season opener 60-20 at Tampa Bay. QB Chad DeGrenier's four interceptions tied a franchise record for an individual, and DeGrenier and QB Stewart Patridge combined for a team record five picks. Carolina's 20 points marked the second fewest in team history and the 40-point margin of defeat was the second largest in franchise history.
A Strong Debut: The bright spot of Carolina's loss last week was rookie WR/LB Gabe Amey. Amey, who spent the last two seasons with the af2 Macon Knights, finished second on the club with 3.5 tackles and intercepted a Pat O'Hara pass in the fourth quarter. Offensively, Amey had two catches for 21 yards including an eight-yard touchdown catch from Stewart Patridge.
Successful Seconds: Despite winning only once in four season openers, the Cobras have done much better with one game under their belt. Carolina is 3-0 all-time in the second game of the season.
Houston ThunderBears, The Sequel: With the addition of QB Robert Hall, approximately one quarter of the Cobras roster played for the now-defunct Houston ThunderBears between 1998 and 2001. WR/LB Rj Anderson, OS Ben Bronson, WR/LB Terence Davis, Hall, OL/DL Michael Harrison, WR/DB Bernard Holmes and FB/LB Deryl Lane all played in Houston at some point in their careers. In addition, Cobras head coach Mike Hold was a quarterback for the ThunderBears from 1998-2000. The trend has even hit the support staff, as Cobras equipment manager Chris Palomarez served as assistant equipment manager for the ThunderBears for all four years.
Road Sweet Road: The Cobras open the 2003 season with back-to-back games at Tampa Bay and Buffalo before hitting the Charlotte Coliseum turf for the first time on February 14 against Detroit. That's not a bad thing, however, Carolina posted six of its seven overall wins on the road last season.
The AFL's Version Of Slash: Cobras QB Robert Hall has seen action as both a quarterback and offensive specialist in the AFL. He was the first player in league history to have 1,000 passing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in his career. Hall ranks eighth on the AFL's all-time career completion percentage list, having completed 62.6 percent of his career pass attempts.
It's A Small World: Defensive coordinator Flint Fleming was a teammate of OL/DL Jim Stiebel with the Buffalo Destroyers in 2000. Fleming played with OL/DL Michael Harrison, WR/DB Bernard Holmes, WR/DB Tramain Jones, FB/LB Deryl Lane, QB Stewart Patridge and WR/DB Nick Ward as a member of the Florida Bobcats in 2001. In addition, DS Buddy Crutchfield and defensive backs coach Maurice Blanding were college teammates at North Carolina Central University.
Cobras Among The All-Time Best: Entering the 2003 season, WR/DB Bernard Holmes ranks among the AFL's all-time Top 25 in several receiving categories. Holmes is tied for 22nd in receptions (338), ranks 23rd in receiving touchdowns (78) and ranks 24th in receiving yards (4204). In addition, OS Ben Bronson, the 2000 AFL Breakout Player of the Year, ranks 19th on the AFL's all-time list for pass reception average gain (13.2 yds per catch).
Coming With The Coach: WR/LB Tim Dumas, FB/LB Glen Mitts and defensive backs coach Maurice Blanding all came to Carolina with head coach Mike Hold from the af2 Augusta Stallions.
Moving On Up: The Cobras roster features six players making their AFL debut after playing in af2 last season. Not only did Dumas and Mitts make the move with Mike Hold, but WR/LB Gabe Amey (Macon), OL/DL Decorye Hampton (Memphis), DS Richard Holland (Richmond/Roanoke) and OL/DL Tim McGill (Quad City) are also making the transition.
Smile For The Cameras: In addition to his time on the AFL field, head coach Mike Hold has also spent time playing football on the silver screen. He has played roles in several football-themed movies, most notably "The Waterboy" starring Adam Sandler, where he played the Central Kentucky quarterback.
COBRAS PLAYERS TO WATCH:
OS Ben Bronson: Bronson has to be considered a player to watch in any game in which he plays. The 2000 AFL Breakout Player of the Year, Bronson has finally made it all the way back from a fractured tibia and fibula suffered on May 18, 2001 as a member of the Houston ThunderBears. In the opener, Bronson led the Cobras with seven receptions for 58 yards. He added five kickoff returns and one missed field goal return for a total of 114 yards, ranking him fourth in the league in combined return yardage after week one. Entering this week's game, Bronson needs just 105 yards to reach 3,500 receiving yards for his career and two touchdown receptions to reach 50 in his career.
WR/LB Gabe Amey: An AFL rookie, Amey was a bright spot in Carolina's season-opening loss to Tampa Bay. He finished second on the team with 3.5 tackles and had the Cobras lone interception, picking off a Pat O'Hara pass in the fourth quarter. Offensively, Amey caught two passes for 21 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown pass from Stewart Patridge.
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