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Cobras Game Notes

April 23, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Carolina Cobras News Release


Quick Facts:
Carolina Radio: WRBZ-850 AM (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes)
Georgia Radio: WQXI 790 AM The Zone (David Hubbard, Ryan Stewart)
Carolina TV: None
Georgia TV: None
Series Record: First Meeting
Coaches: Mike Neu (Carolina); 1st season (0-1); 0-2 career record
Robert Lyles (Georgia), 1st season with Georgia (1-0); 2nd overall (6-6 career record)

Officials: Referee: Bill McCabe; Umpire: Doug Wilson; Head Linesman: Royce Cooley; Line Judge: Gary Cavaletto; Back Judge: Joe Duncan

THE GAME

The Carolina Cobras open Southern Division play on Friday, April 26, 7:30 p.m. when they travel to Atlanta, Ga. to take on the new Georgia Force at Philips Arena. The Force, who relocated from Nashville to Atlanta this off-season, will be playing their second home game in a row. Friday's game will be the first road contest of the season for Carolina (0-1). The third-year Cobras have struggled away from home over the past two seasons, finishing with a 3-11 (.214) mark away from the Entertainment & Sports Arena. Carolina is 3-4 all-time in the month of April, including a 57-44 loss last week to the expansion Dallas Desperados at the ESA. Georgia (1-0) knocked off the Orlando Predators, 67-49, in their season-opener last week in Atlanta.

THE STAKES

Georgia can take the early lead in the Southern Division race with a victory, while Carolina hopes to keep pace with a win. The Force (1-0) was the only Southern Division team to find the win column in week 1 as they beat the Orlando Predators. Carolina fell to Dallas and Tampa Bay lost at home to Toronto.

WHAT'S NEXT

Carolina returns home to the Entertainment & Sports Arena on Friday, May 4, 7:00 p.m. for a showdown with the Tampa Bay Storm.

COBRAS LAST WEEK ...Dallas 57, at Cobras 44

RALEIGH, N.C. (April 20, 2002)-The Carolina Cobras could not overcome a flurry of penalties in their season opener as the Dallas Desperados kicked off their Arena Football history with a 57-44 win at the Entertainment and Sports Arena. Veteran quarterback Andy Kelly paced Dallas (1-0) with 21 of 33 passing for 259 yards and five touchdowns. Dialleo Burks caught five passes for 86 yards and two scores, and Andy McCullough added six receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. Carolina's Aaron Sparrow made his first AFL start, connecting on 10 of 21 passes for 101 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Connell Maynor hit on six of 10 passes and rushed twice for 15 yards after Sparrow left the game in the third quarter with a bruised sternum. Carl Bond hauled in six passes for 48 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Carolina (0-1) and added a 47-yard fumble return for a score late in the game. The Cobras matched a team record with 17 penalties for a total of 98 yards.

Team 1 2 3 4 Final
DAL 9 27 14 7 57
CAR 3 19 6 16 44

ABOUT THE COBRAS (0-1)

Carolina enters their third season in the AFL with hopes of winning an Arena Bowl championship. Last season the club qualified for the playoffs with a 7-7 overall record after struggling to a 3-11 finish during their inaugural season in 2000. Offensive specialist Aaron Bailey will be the go-to guy in 2002. Bailey led the club in receptions (61), receiving yards (915) and touchdowns (19), despite playing in just seven games in 2001. The Cobras also added some veteran leadership in the off-season, acquiring AFL vets WR/LB Cory Fleming (Nashville), QB Connell Maynor (New Jersey), FB/LB Andre Bowden (Tampa Bay), DS Kevin Gaines (Florida) and DS Clarence Lawson (Florida).

* WR/DB Carl Bond led the club with 6 catches for 48 yards and 2 TDs last week...Also returned a fumble 47 yards for a score

* OS Aaron Bailey returned a kickoff 52 yards for a TD last week vs. Dallas (4/20)

* Plagued with 17 penalties in season-opening loss vs. Dallas (4/20)

* Netted just 166 yards of total offense (146 net yards passing)

FORCE LAST WEEK...at Georgia 67, Orlando 49 ATLANTA, Ga. (Ticker) -- Kevin McDougal completed 13-of-22 passes to lead the Georgia Force to their first-ever win with a 67-49 victory over the Orlando Predators before a crowd of 8,257 at Philips Arena. McDougal, who spent the past three seasons with the Milwaukee Mustangs, completed passes to eight different receivers and threw for four TDs in the win. Markeith Cooper caught a team-high four passes for 31 yards and Ben Crosland hauled in two passes for 39 yards and a pair of TDs in the victory. Ron Carpenter piled up a game-high 143 return yards and also had an interception for Georgia, which jumped out to a 33-7 lead at halftime. Jay Gruden, brother of Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden and playing quarterback for the first time in six seasons after four years as the team's head coach, returned behind center and completed 31-of-51 passes for 331 yards and four TDs. Cliff Dell and Siaha Burley each caught eight passes in the losing effort for Orlando, which went 8-6 and was bounced from last season's playoffs in the first round. Andre Cooper caught a pair of TDs passes in the defeat for the Predators.

ABOUT THE FORCE (1-0)

The relocated Nashville Kats take the field as the new Georgia Force in 2002. The Nashville franchise, which has been to back-to-back ArenaBowls (2000-01), packed up and moved to Atlanta this off-season. The majority of the Kats team made the trip to Atlanta, with the exception of a few key players (QB Andy Kelly, WR/LB Cory Fleming and OL/DL James Baron). Fleming signed a free agent deal with Carolina in the off-season and faced Baron (Chicago Rush) in the preseason and took on Kelly (Dallas Desperados) last week. The Force sports a veteran offensive unit with QB Kevin McDougal (6-2, 200, Notre Dame), who spent the last three seasons with the AFL's Milwaukee Mustangs and a talented OS Tyronne Jones (5-9, 170, Grambling). He led the club in receiving in 2001 with 817 yards and 21 touchdowns. The OL/DL is anchored by AFL veterans Bruce McClure, C.J. McClain and Robert Gaddy.

* Scored a league-high 67 points last week in win over Orlando

* Although the Force seemed to dominate the Orlando Predators on the scoreboard last week (W, 67-49), Georgia did have some problems moving the ball (183 total yards)...Part of the reason was the Force offense was not on the field that often (ran just 29 plays to the Predators 65)...Orlando also held a huge advantage in time of possession (39:34 to 20:26).

* Georgia committed a total of 21 penalties (for 127 yards) last week vs. Orlando...the two teams combined to commit 31 penalties for 195 yards.

* FB/LB Travis Reece is second in the AFL with 22 yards rushing (4 carries for 22 yards, 2 TDs)

* TE Ben Crosland caught a pair of screen passes (2 catches for 39 yards) that both went for TDs last week vs. Orlando.

* DS/KR Ron Carpenter had three returns for TDs last week vs. Orlando (2 KOR for scores and an INT return for a touchdown).

THE SERIES...Carolina vs. Georgia

This is the first meeting between Carolina and the relocated (from Nashville) Georgia Force. The Cobras did play the Nashville Kats twice in 2000. Nashville won both games by a combined 114-59. Here's a look at the Cobras history vs. the Kats:
Date Game Result
5/26/00 vs. Nashville Kats L, 28-60
6/23/00 at Nashville Kats L, 31-54

THE IF's...

* If Carolina wins it will give the Cobras their first win in 2002.
* If Carolina wins it will give first-year head coach Mike Neu his first career win
* If Carolina wins it will give the Cobras a 4-4 mark all-time in the month of April
* If Carolina wins it will give the Cobras a 4-11 mark all-time on the road
* If Cobras WR/LB Cory Fleming gets 75 receiving yards, he will surpass 5,000 career receiving yards

SAME FACES, DIFFERENT PLACES...Connections

Cobras WR/LB Cory Fleming, DS Robert Davis and line coach Brennen Booth were all with the Nashville Kats organization last season...Carolina FB/LB/Special Teams coach Jorge Cimadevilla was a kicker for the Kats from 1997-98 and also spent the 1999 season as the club's quality control administrator...Cimadevilla prepped at Towers HS outside of Atlanta...Carolina head coach Mike Neu was a player (1997) and coach for the Kats organization (1998-99)...Cobras OL/DL Dary Myricks is from Jackson, Ga. (Jackson HS) and resides in Atlanta in the off-season...Carolina OL/DL Voncellies Allen (injured reserve) attended Coffee HS (Douglas, Ga.) and played collegiately at Georgia Southern...Cobras WR/DB Jamaal Garman played at Warner Robins HS (Warner Robins, Ga.) and Fort Valley State (Ga.)...He also spent one season in af2 with the Macon (Ga.) Knights...Georgia QB Kevin McDougal and Cobras OS Aaron Bailey were teammates in the XFL with the Chicago Enforcers...Force offensive coordinator Tony Kimbrough and Cobras OL/DL Colin Greczek both attended Western Michigan University...Force OL/DL Oscar Sturgis played at the University of North Carolina with Cobras OL/DL Andre Purvis, K Brian Schmitz and DS Robert Williams (injured reserve)...Cobras WR/DB Nick Ward and Force OL/DL Michael Lawson both attended the University of Miami (Fla.).

2002 RULE CHANGES

There are a few rule changes for the 2002 regular season:
* Kick returner may have one foot on the end line (out of bounds) when retrieving kickoffs and missed field goals off the end zone rebound net or the soft net
* On PAT attempts, if the kick is blocked and behind the line of scrimmage, the ball is live and can be recovered for a two-point conversion by either team. In the event that the ball is kicked, crosses the line of scrimmage and/or strikes any part of the goal system, whether deflected or not, it is whistled dead immediately.
* Free substitution (kicking team only) on all scrimmage kicks (field goals and PAT)
* Rush on Kicks...The four down linemen (must be helmet to helmet with the offense, excluding the center) may rush outside and may twist on PAT and field goal attempts

COBRAS 2001 IN REVIEW

For the Carolina Cobras, their second season in the Arena Football League was a tale of two halves. The Cobras started the season 4-2 but finished the 2001 campaign on a sour note, losing 4 of their last 5 games. Their 7-7 regular season record was four wins better than their inaugural season (3-11) in 2000 and good enough to qualify the second-year club for their first-ever post-season berth. The roller coaster season took another unforeseen turn just three days before the club's first playoff appearance as head coach Doug Kay abruptly resigned. Mike Neu was appointed head coach and led the team in the playoffs against Indiana. Carolina entered the 2001 playoffs as the No. 12 seed and fell to the No. 5 seed Firebirds, 58-41, in the first round.

THE COACHES...

Carolina: Mike Neu, 1st Season (0-2 career; 0-1 reg. season; 0-1 playoffs) First-year head coach Mike Neu was promoted from Cobras offensive coordinator on July 26, 2001, just three days before the club's first-ever playoff game. Neu stepped in for Doug Kay, who abruptly resigned after leading the Cobras to a 7-7 regular season finish. Neu, a veteran of Arena Football, signed a three-year contract in September 2001. At age 31 (12/9/70), he is the youngest head coach in the Arena Football League. Prior to joining the Cobras as offensive coordinator in 2001, Neu served as head coach and director of football operations for the Augusta Stallions of af2. He led the Stallions to an overall record of 14-4, including a 13-3 regular season finish and was named af2 Coach of the Year. A standout quarterback at Ball State University, Neu played in the CFL and with the Orlando Predators and Nashville Kats of the AFL.

Georgia: Robert Lyles, 1st Season with Georgia; 2nd overall (6-6 career; 1-0 in '02) Robert Lyles was named the first head coach of the Georgia Force in December of 2001. Entering his seventh season of coaching in Arena Football, Lyles served as the interim head coach for the Los Angeles Avengers last season after replacing Stan Brock after the third game of the 2001 season. Lyles finished the season with a 5-6 record as a head coach, while leading the Avengers to a 5-9 overall mark. Prior to his promotion as Head Coach for L.A., Lyles had served as the team's defensive coordinator for their first two years since entering the league in 2000. Lyles began his coaching career with the AFL's Memphis Pharaohs in 1996, then spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Portland Forest Dragons (1997-99) before going to Los Angeles. Before joining the AFL's coaching ranks, Lyles was a standout player earning the "Ironman of the Year" award for his play as a linebacker/fullback with the Memphis Pharaohs in 1995. Lyles played eight seasons in the National Football League as a standout linebacker- six seasons with the Houston Oilers (1984-89) and two with the Atlanta Falcons (1990-91). Lyles played linebacker at Texas Christian University.

THE QUARTERBACKS...

Carolina: Connell Maynor- An 8-year veteran of the AFL...Played for the New Jersey Gladiators last season...Enjoyed his best season with the Orlando Predators in 2000...Guided the Preds to an ArenaBowl championship win over the Nashville Kats and earned ArenaBowl MVP honors...Aaron Sparrow- Entering his third season in the AFL...Has been a back-up (Nashville, 1997; Grand Rapids, 1998)...Was a standout QB for Mike Neu with the af2 Augusta Stallions in 2000...Passed for 4,000 yards and 78 TDs...Made his first AFL start last week vs. Dallas before leaving the game in the third quarter with an injury (sternum/shoulder).

Georgia: Kevin McDougal- Played three seasons for the AFL's Milwaukee Mustangs (1998, 2000-01)...Became the Mustangs starter in 2000, where he had a great season, passing for 3,887 yards and 73 TDs with 17 INTs...Led the Mustangs to a 63-16 win over Carolina (June 9, 2000-Cobras worst loss in franchise history)...Passed for 266 yards (21 of 33) with four TDs and no interceptions...Spent time in the preseason with the NFL Los Angeles Rams in 1994...Also played in the CFL, World League and the XFL.

QB Comparison (2002)
Name Team GM Comp Att. Yds TD INT
Connell Maynor CAR 1 6 10 49 1 0
Aaron Sparrow CAR 1 10 21 101 2 1
Kevin McDougal GEO 1 13 22 147 4 1

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM...(Player/Coach Quotes after week 1 vs. Dallas)

HEAD COACH MIKE NEU
(on the loss vs. Dallas)
"If we lose a football game, I'm not going to do it by questionable character. Guys are doing little things that are going to get you beat, and I'm not going to accept that and I'm not going to put up with it. It starts with me. I'll take care of that first thing in the [Sunday] morning."

(on QB Connell Maynor)
"He did some nice things but at the same time if the pocket breaks down or something's not there you don't run around with your feet and try to make something happen. There's a time and place for that and the other times you have to put it in the stands. Connell is a playmaker but he doesn't understand that when something breaks down you throw the ball into the stands. That's what I preach, and that's what he has to understand."

(on the status of the team)
"If my back is against the wall, and I feel like it is, I'm going to come out swinging. When the guys come into the locker room tomorrow [on Sunday morning] we're going to bust our butt all week long in practice and we're going to play hard. We're going to eliminate the penalties. If I have to keep them around here until midnight to eliminate the penalties and lack of discipline then I'm going to do it."

(on the play of the offensive/defensive line)
"Andy Kelly is a good quarterback. We knew he was going to hard count us and we worked on that is practice. It comes down to a simple thing like conditioning. We work on getting off the football and going on the whistle. There is no reason in the world for a nose guard who's lined up right over the football to jump off sides and I'm not going to accept that."

(on the Cobras pass rush and the penalties)
"We got some hits on the quarterback which is good, but when you're off-sides on some key third down plays in the first half that hurts us. We gave up some first downs on some dumb things. We've got some guys that have been around for a long time in Arena Football doing some silly things."

(on the play off the expansion Desperados)
"They're an expansion team with a veteran quarterback. This is the first real year of free agency and if they went out and spent some money to get a veteran quarterback and some veteran linemen then so be it. We can't worry about that, we've got to come and compete and play hard and we didn't do it. The Carolina Cobras need to come out and play football for four quarters. We need to play hard and use the discipline that we're taught each and every day and apply those things in game conditions and we didn't do that. Of course I don't want to take anything away from them, but I'm really disappointed in us."

(on what he told the team at halftime)
"First and foremost, I started with special teams. Brian Schmitz needs to kick the football through the uprights. We had two missed extra points and a missed field goal and I'm not going to accept that. On defense we're jumping off-sides and giving them first downs and that's not acceptable. And offensively we had the one turnover where the kid [Shante Carver] made a good play and I don't want to take anything away from him, but we've got to come out and get off to a fast start instead of three points in the first quarter, that's not acceptable."

(on what personnel changes will be made this week)
"The first thing is we've got some guys who were inactive tonight where there's not too much that's separating them from the guys on the field. If there are guys on the field that are lacking in discipline and lacking in character, we'll move the guys in that are sitting on the sideline."

(on the play of WR/DB Carl Bond and FB/LB Marrio Grier)
"He's [Carl Bond] a warrior. He's one of those guys that you know what you are going to get out of him every day at practice. He comes to work hard and he knows nothing but one speed and that's full speed. If I had to select a team from scratch, he'd be one of my first picks. Marrio's the same way. Character tells you something about him. His work ethic in practice, whether it's taking a toss around the end or an inside running play, he'll take it 35 yards to the end zone just to finish. That just tells you something about his character. I like to use Marrio Grier and I like to use Andre Bowden. They're both very good fullbacks with the ball in their hands and they need to be used. Whenever I get an opportunity to get them the ball, I'm going to."

(on the QB situation heading into this week's game at Georgia)
"I don't even know the status of Aaron Sparrow right now. I know he was done for the game but I haven't had a chance yet to talk to the doctors. I've heard sternum and I've heard shoulder. I just need to find out before I can comment on that."

WR/DB CARL BOND
(on his fumble return)
"I thought Rj (Anderson) was going to pick it up but he kept scrambling around. I just picked it up because if he didn't want it then I'll take it. And there was no one in front of me after that."

(on his two touchdown catches)
"We worked on those plays and routes all week and we just executed. I had an opening and they just put the ball up in the air and I just went and got it."

(on the loss vs. Dallas)
"What hurt us were the penalties. We had a bunch of penalties when they (Dallas) were on third down. Most of the penalties were mental mistakes and we need to eliminate those. It's a rough, rough way to lose."

(on the late second half comeback)
"We just kept fighting and we wouldn't give in. But, at the same time, we can't wait for a wake up call. We've got to get going from the start and make the other team have a wake up call, not us."

OS AARON BAILEY
(on his first AFL kick return touchdown)
"It was my first time being back there, working against the net in this league. And it was my first kickoff for a touchdown in this league."

(on the game)
"I'm very disappointed. Nothing really positive to me happened out there. We had too many penalties and that'll kill you every time. A lot of the penalties were us jumping off-sides and we didn't have some calls go our way."

(on the quarterback situation)
"We have two great quarterbacks. With Connell being a proven quarterback, we felt like we could come back and had some great opportunities. Now we will just go back and look at the film and see the problems and then fix them."

QB CONNELL MAYNOR
(on being pressed into duty)
"When Aaron (Sparrow) went down, I had to come in and be ready to play. We scored on a couple of drives when I came in the game. I've been here before and I've proven I can play. I'm here to win and it was Coach Neu's decision to go with Aaron (Sparrow) and he's the coach and that's his decision. But I talked to Aaron whenever he came off the field and we worked together so I would stay prepared. I just came in when he went down and tried to win. I'm here to win."

COBRAS NEWS & NOTES...

QB Questions...Mike Neu's toughest decision as a head coach before the start of the regular season was selecting a starting quarterback. Neu decided to go with Aaron Sparrow (over Connell Maynor and Lance Funderburk) as the starting QB, but Sparrow was injured last week vs. Dallas and his status is questionable. Carolina is expected to re-sign Funderburk (was waived after the club's final preseason game) later this week. An Atlanta native (Blackshear, Ga.), Funderburk entered training camp as the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart but was beat out by Sparrow and Maynor. Sparrow completed 10 of 21 passes for two TDs with an INT in nearly three quarters of work last week vs. Dallas. Maynor filled in and connected on 6 of 10 passes for 49 yards and one score. He also rushed twice for 15 yards.

The Name's Bond, Carl Bond...In only his second season with the Cobras WR/DB Carl Bond has become a fan favorite. He's a blue-collar player that plays hard on every snap. He started his career in 2001 as the Cobras offensive specialist but was moved to wide receiver-defensive back after Aaron Bailey joined the club. Bond had a solid effort last week vs. Dallas, leading Carolina with 6 catches for 48 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a tackle and a 47-yard fumble return for a touchdown. A former standout with the Tallahassee Thunder of af2 (138 catches for 2,086 yards with 44 TDs), he finished the 2001 season in Carolina with 45 receptions for 497 yards and nine scores. Looking for the "O" in Offense...The Cobras had trouble moving the ball and putting up points last week vs. Dallas. Carolina scored on just 5 of 10 possessions (4 TD, FG). Here's a look at what the Cobras did offensively against the Desperados:
* 166 total yards of offense (second fewest in franchise history...lowest was 109 total yards at Tampa Bay on May 4, 2000)
* 146 net passing yards (second worst outing through the air...lowest was 85 yards passing at Tampa Bay (May 4, 2000)
* Two Quarterbacks (Sparrow and Maynor) combined to go 16 of 31 for 143 yards with three TDs and an INT (returned for a touchdown)

Flags, Flags and More Flags...Referee Bill McCabe and his crew better have their hankies ready on Friday when the AFL's two most penalized teams square off in Atlanta. Although Flag Day is not officially celebrated until June 14, the Cobras and Force decided to get into the action a little early last week. Both teams were plagued by numerous penalties in their respective season openers. The Carolina-Dallas game saw a total of 25 combined penalties, including 17 on the Cobras, while the Georgia-Orlando game had a total of 31 infractions (21 on the Force). The Cobras 17 penalties matched a franchise-high while the 98 penalty yards on Carolina was third most in franchise history. Here's a closer look at the infractions:
* 6 of Dallas' 23 first downs were gained by penalty
* Carolina actually committed 20 total penalties, 3 were declined
* 6-Off-sides (actually 8 because two were declined); 3-pass interference; 2-holding; 2-unsportsmanlike; 2-delay of game; 1-illegal defense; 1-illegal block

No Net, No Problem...Cobras offensive specialist Aaron Bailey was forced into duty as the primary kick returner for the first time in his short AFL career last Saturday vs. Dallas. Last season Bailey returned five kicks for 44 yards, but none of those required him to field the ball off the net (typically he plays the "secure" position on kicks). But, last week against Dallas, Bailey was forced into action when the normal returner's WR/DB Carl Bond and DS Clarence Lawson were not in the game. You could tell Bailey hadn't had much practice off the net as he misjudged his first return but scooped it up off the carpet and scampered 52 yards for his first AFL kickoff return for a touchdown (his only return of the night). Bailey is no stranger to returning kicks (just not used to having huge rebound nets behind him), he was the primary return specialist for the NFL Indianapolis Colts (1994-98) and still holds the Colts' career record in kick returns (55) and kick return yards (3,501).

Where's Fleming...The signing of unrestricted free agent WR/LB Cory Fleming was one of the biggest free agent moves in the AFL this off-season. The Cobras were hoping Fleming's size (6-2, 215 pounds) and AFL experience (5 seasons) would compliment OS Aaron Bailey and give the Cobras offense instant results. But, that hasn't been the case so far in 2002. Fleming has just one catch for six yards but did grab a pair of 2-point conversions last week. He is a two-time All-Arena selection, including 1997 AFL Rookie of the Year and has 20 100-yard receiving games in 56 career starts. With a total of 4,925 career receiving yards, Fleming is just 75 short of the 5,000-yard mark.

Looking for Win No. 1...First-year head coach Mike Neu is still searching for his first career AFL victory as a head coach. Neu is 0-2 overall after replacing Doug Kay and leading the Cobras into their playoff game at Indiana last season and opening the 2002 campaign with a loss to Dallas. Neu is a proven winner (13-3 regular season as head coach of af2 Augusta Stallions in 2000) and actually lost his first-ever game as a head coach (L, 35-37 at Jacksonville Tomcats on April 7, 2000) and rebounded the following week with a 63-47 triumph over the Charleston Swamp Foxes.

Now That's Arena Football...The Cobras and Desperados showed fans exactly what the Arena Football League is all about last week. The teams combined to score 21 points in the final 51 seconds of the second half (7-yard TD run; 52-yard KOR for a touchdown and 42-yard TD pass). The Force and the Predators also gave the fans in Atlanta a show, scoring a league-high 116 points (4 of the 8 AFL games last week combined to score over 100 points).

Bucking A Trend...Carolina will look to snap a trend that has not been good to the Cobras during their first two seasons in the AFL. Carolina is just 3-11 (.214) all-time on the road (three wins at Los Angeles, April 20; at New Jersey, April 14 and at Buffalo, June 17) and dating back to last season has dropped two straight and 5 of their last 6 road contests. Last season the Cobras went 2-5 on the road.

AWARDS... Each week during the season, there are a number of awards that are given out to players who exemplify outstanding play. This season there are three awards: Built Ford Tough Award, Game MVP and Game Ironman. The Built Ford Tough Award is a national recognition award given after every game to the player or players (up to 5) on each team best demonstrating determination and toughness in that game. The award honors the players who made a game-saving tackle or score-saving tackle, threw a key block on the big play or exhibited physical sacrifice or consistent tough blocking and tackling on both sides of the ball. The honored players receive a helmet sticker that recognizes the Built Ford Tough Player of the Game. Game Built Ford Tough Winners Week 1 vs. Dallas (4/20) Marrio Grier, Carl Bond, Jon McCall

OTHER ACCOLADES...(selected by media in attendance)

Game Game MVP Game Ironman
Week 1 vs. Dallas (4/20) Andy Kelly (DAL) Shante Carver (DAL)

MATCH-UPS TO WATCH (Quick Hitters)... Special Teams Units- After the first week of AFL action, the Cobras (25.0 avg.) and Force (28.4 avg.) find themselves atop the league standings in kickoff returns. Georgia's Ron Carpenter returned four kicks for 143 yards with two TDs...He also returned an INT 34 yards for a score...Aaron Bailey returned just one kick for Carolina last week, but he made it count, racing 52 yards for a touchdown. Carl Bond returned three kicks for 56 yards and Clarence Lawson returned three for 67 yards.

Cobras Offense vs. Georgia Defense...It sounds funny to say in Arena Football, but last week the Georgia Force beat the Orlando Predators with their defense. Georgia's offensive output (67 points) was somewhat deceiving because the Force offense barely saw the field and totaled just 183 net yards. The Force defense gave up a ton of yards (343 total yards) but held Orlando to 49 points. Predators QB Jay Gruden threw three interceptions.

Fleming vs. His Friends...He matched up with them in practice for five seasons, now Cobras WR/LB Cory Fleming will have his chance for real against many of his former Nashville Kats teammates. Fleming, Cobras OS Aaron Bailey and WR/DB Carl Bond will be matched with Force DS Ron Carpenter, DS Cliff Green and DB Jarrick Hillery.

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