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Cobras Game Notes

May 8, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Carolina Cobras News Release


Quick Facts:
Carolina Radio: WRBZ-850 AM (Gary Hahn, Tony Haynes)
New Jersey Radio: 620-WSNR and 1170/1250 WMTR (Spero Dedes, Steve Cohen)
Carolina TV: None
New Jersey TV: YES Network
Series Record: Carolina leads, 3-0
Coaches: Mike Neu (Carolina); 1st season (2-1 in ‘02); 2-2 career record
Frank Haege (New Jersey), 1st season (2-1 in '02)
Officials: Referee: Darrel Leftwich; Umpire: Tom Laverty; Head Linesman: Bill Ward; Line Judge: Jim Hatfield; Back Judge: Michael Banks

THE GAME

The Carolina Cobras will look to set a franchise record by winning their third game in a row on Saturday, May 11, 7:30 p.m., when they visit the New Jersey Gladiators at Continental Airlines Arena. Carolina (2-1) has won back-to-back games after dropping their season-opener to the Dallas Desperados. Last week's 46-36 win over the Tampa Bay Storm matched the Cobras longest winning streak (2 games) in their short three-year history. It was just the third time in franchise history that Carolina won back-to-back games. The Cobras are 1-0 on the road in 2002 but just 4-11 (.267) all-time away from the ESA. New Jersey also enters the game riding a two-game winning streak. The Gladiators are coming off of back-to-back 1-point victories (45-44 vs. Dallas and 45-44 at Orlando) and are 1-0 at home in 2002. New Jersey's two wins already match last season's total number of victories (2-12). The last time New Jersey won back to back games was June 3 – June 10, 2000 and they haven't won three in a row since 1999.

THE STAKES

The Cobras (2-1) own sole possession of first place in the National Conference Southern Division thanks to last week's 46-36 win over Tampa Bay. Last season the Cobras played in the Eastern Division (New York, New Jersey, Buffalo and Toronto), but moved back to the Southern Division (Georgia 1-2; Orlando 1-2; Tampa Bay 0-3) in 2002. Carolina has an excellent opportunity to increase their Southern Division lead with a victory over New Jersey. The Georgia Force plays host to Arizona (2-1), the Orlando Predators are on the road at Grand Rapids (1-2) and the Tampa Bay Storm host the Chicago Rush (2-1).

WHAT'S NEXT

The Cobras return home to face the defending ArenaBowl champion Grand Rapids Rampage next Friday, May 17, 7:30 p.m. at the ESA. New Jersey hosts the New York Dragons on Saturday, May 18, 7:30 p.m. at Continental Airlines Arena.

COBRAS LAST WEEK ...at Cobras 46, Tampa Bay Storm 36

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 4, 2002)—Carolina defensive specialist Clarence Lawson intercepted Tampa Bay's Scott Milanovich with 20 seconds left in the game to secure a 46-36 victory Saturday night in front of 9,314 at the ESA. The Cobras appeared to have the game won when they recovered an onside kick after the Storm's Lawrence Samuels hauled in a 20-yard touchdown to pull the visitors within three. But, on the first play after the kickoff, Connell Maynor fumbled the snap from center Justin Cleveland to give the Storm life. Lawson stepped in front of a Tampa Bay receiver on first down for his first interception of the season. Maynor connected on 15 of 27 passes for 177 yards to lead Carolina (2-1) to its second win in as many weeks. He countered one interception with three touchdowns. Jamaal Garman and Cory Fleming each caught five passes, and Marrio Grier scored twice on the ground for Carolina. Milanovich, who relieved starter Shane Stafford in the third quarter, completed 5 of 13 passes—three for touchdowns—for 90 yards. Stafford hit on 18 of 27 passes for 191 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Samuels paced the Storm (0-3) with a game-high seven receptions for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Offensive specialist Carlos Johnson added 72 yards on six receptions. Melvin Cunningham scored twice for the Storm.

Team 1 2 3 4 Final
TB 0 17 0 19 36
CAR 17 0 9 20 46

SOUND OFF...Quotes after last week's 46-36 win vs. Tampa Bay

HEAD COACH MIKE NEU
(on the game vs. Tampa)
"We made it interesting to say the least. Our football team has fun with each other and we got that look in our eye last week (in win at Georgia) and we really do believe in each other. It just took a little bit of confidence. We fought and we scrapped and every guy really stepped up and made some plays. I'm just really proud of our football team. We've come a long way in the last few weeks and I guess I appreciate their effort more than anything else."

(on the win vs. Tampa)
"It was a really important for us because they're in our division and we play them twice. We wanted to get them early because they may be down now, but they'll be back."

(on Maynor's fumbled snap at the end of the game)
"First and foremost I just asked him what happened. He told me it came up short but it was one of those things that instead of getting mad about it and laying into somebody, we just continued to fight. Clarence Lawson made a great play and call it what you want, maybe we got one back (officials ruled a questionable call a touchdown for Tampa earlier in the game when replay showed it looked like a fumble)."

(on Clarence Lawson's INT)
"Clarence is a player. Just look at the guy. He's put together and he'll knock your head off. It's tough to catch a ball in front of him and it's really hard to faze him. He made a great break on the ball and made a play. He's been in this division before (Florida Bobcats) and he knows what these opponents are all about and we're fortunate to have Clarence with us on the winning side."

(on playing without Aaron Bailey)
"We were without No. 7, our offensive specialist. We got dealt a hand this afternoon (Saturday) saying that there is no way Aaron Bailey can go and we just tried to make the most of it. We tried to mix it up by using some screens and some freeze counts, and that's what you do when you're missing the guy that stretches the field like Aaron. We were dealt a hand, we made the most of it and I'm proud of the guys."

(on this week's game vs. New Jersey)
"Every week is going to be a war in this league. This year, every team in this league is good, all 16 of them. New Jersey has really turned it around already this year."

FB/LB ANDRE BOWDEN
(on the game)
"We knew it was going to be a hard fought game. We knew we needed to execute, protect our quarterback, get after theirs and we would come out okay."

(on the up and downs of the game)
"That's just part of Arena Football. Anything can happen at any time. We just needed to stay positive and keep playing. We sucked it up and came through at the end."

WR/LB CORY FLEMING
(on the game)
"I think the effort and the intensity that we played with tonight was definitely great from the guys. As a team we are going to grow more, and learn how to finish games and make it easier on ourselves. I think a lot of times we need to learn how to finish. I think the guys are making plays. We made some penalties and some mistakes that we can learn from. To get a young group of guys that's going to put out like this every time we play is tremendous."

QB CONNELL MAYNOR
(on the game)
"It was a victory. First of all, we got the "W". We came out and got some turnovers. The defense made some big plays. We got up 17-0, and then they got some turnovers and got back into the game. They had a couple sacks, which turned the momentum and they got them back into the game. Then again, I think this just shows the character that our team has. They came back to tie the game up. We didn't let that bother us. We knew what we had to do, we had to get back out there and score and get a stop. We did that, and then we got what we thought was a bad call, but we overcame that, and then we got another one and overcame that. That's what you want out of your team. When adversity strikes, what are you going to do? Our guys stepped to the plate."

ABOUT THE COBRAS (2-1)

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. Carolina opened the season with a disappointing loss to the expansion Dallas Desperados but bounced back to defeat the Georgia Force last week. Offensive specialist Aaron Bailey was expected to be the go-to guy in 2002, but has just six catches for 101 yards and one touchdown in two games. He missed last week (vs. Tampa Bay) with an injured tailbone and his status for this week is questionable. 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).

· Former Gladiator QB Connell Maynor is 2-0 as the starting QB for Carolina (35 of 57 passes for 403 yards with 7 TDs, INT)

· WR/DB Carl Bond, who went to camp with New Jersey in 2001 before joining the Cobras, is Carolina's leading receiver in 2002 (14 catches for 174 yards with four TDs)

· FB/LB Marrio Grier is second in the AFL in rushing (15.3 ypg.) with 46 yards on 12 carries with three TDs

· DS Kevin Gaines (another former Gladiator) leads the team and is tied for 5th in the AFL with 20.0 tackles in three games

· Is 4th in the AFL in rushing offense (23.7 ypg.) and 2nd in rushing TDs (7)

· Is tied for second in the league in turnover margin (+3)

GLADIATORS LAST WEEK...New Jersey 45, at Orlando 44

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ticker) – Dennison Robinson and Jay McDonagh both rushed for a pair of touchdowns as the New Jersey Gladiators escaped with a 45-44 victory over the Orlando Predators because of a missed extra-point late in the contest. Robinson, who caught five passes for 44 yards, snapped a 38-38 tie with 2:29 remaining in the contest on a five-yard TD run. McDonagh, who scored twice in the second quarter, finished 25-for-39 for 239 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Alvin Ashley caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown and Mike Horacek added six catches for 44 yards for New Jersey (2-1), which held Orlando (1-2) to just 140 total yards of offense. Jay Gruden completed 14-of-25 attempts for 140 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions for the Predators, who trailed early in the third quarter by 11 points. Gruden nearly brought Orlando back in the final two minutes of the contest on a 13-yard strike to Junior Lord, but David Cool missed his third extra-point kick of the contest. Tommy Dorsey had a pair of rushing touchdowns and Clif Dell added two TD catches for the Predators, who lost for just the second time in seven meetings with the Gladiators. Kenny McEntyre collected a pair of interceptions for Orlando.

ABOUT THE GLADIATORS (2-1)

Much like the Cobras, the Gladiators have a lot of new faces in key positions. First-year head coach Frank Haege, like Neu, is a product of arenafootball2 (af2), where he led the Quad City Steamwheelers to a 37-1 overall record and back-to-back championships. Haege's 2002 Gladiators have already matched their win total from last seasons 2-12 club. QB Jay McDonagh beat out former New York Jets signal caller Glenn Foley for the starting position and has been impressive in three games, completing 86 of 129 passes for 888 yards with 13 TDs and 4 INTs. His favorite receiver has been former Iowa Barnstormer Mike Horacek (27 catches for 233 yards and 5 TDs). Horacek ranks third in the AFL with 27 receptions through three games. New Jersey has an offense that essentially has three former AFL offensive specialists on the roster: Horacek, Alvin Ashley (Milwaukee Mustangs) and James Bowden (Tampa Bay Storm). Ashley, who plays both WR and DB is second on the club with 15 grabs for 169 yards and three scores, while Bowden (WR/LB) has 11 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Defensive specialist Jeroid Johnson leads the team with 15.5 tackles with four pass break ups and an INT. Kicker Steve Videtich is tied for 7th in the league with 23 points (14 of 15 PAT and 3 of 6 FG).

· Has the No. 1 rated total defense, giving up just 195.3 yards per game

· Is giving up just 183.0 yards per game through the air

· Has played three games decided by a total of four points (2-1 in those games)

· Has been outscored 41-13 in the first quarter but outscored opponents 65-34 in the second frame.

THE SERIES...Carolina vs. New Jersey (CAR leads, 3-0)

Carolina holds a 3-0 all-time series lead over New Jersey. Carolina defeated New Jersey 52-21 in their season opener last year (April 14, 2001), beat the Gladiators 68-22 at home on June 8, 2001 and knocked off the then-New Jersey Red Dogs, 77-47, on July 14, 2000. Series Notables:

· The Cobras 46-point margin of victory (68-22 on June 8, 2001) was the largest in franchise history

· The Gladiators 21 points (April 14, 2001) set a Cobra mark for least points scored

· Carolina has outscored New Jersey 197-90 in three all-time meetings

· Average score in three games is 65.6 to 30.0 (35.5 avg. margin of victory)

· Cobras are 1-0 all-time on the road vs. New Jersey and 2-0 all-time at home

· Carolina's three wins in the series is the most over any AFL team

June 8, 2001: at Carolina 68, New Jersey 22

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 8, 2001)- Carolina Cobras quarterback Fred McNair reached the 15,000 career passing yard plateau and Carolina set a defensive tone early, as the Cobras pounded the New Jersey Gladiators 68-22 in front of 12,163 at the Entertainment and Sports Arena Friday night. McNair tossed five touchdowns on 16 of 24 completions for 187 yards, giving him 15,153 career passing yards. In a Game MVP performance, he became just the ninth quarterback in history to reach the milestone. McNair has yet to throw an interception on 263 passing attempts during the 2001 season. He has 167 completions for 1826 yards and 38 touchdowns. Offensive specialist Aaron Bailey, making his home debut with the Cobras (5-3), caught seven passes for 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Cornelius White tallied 76 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. New Jersey (1-8) quarterback Connell Maynor was pressured into completing 15 of 31 attempts for 143 yards and four interceptions. Maynor added a 29-yard touchdown run, and Chris Brantley returned a kickoff 54 yards for a score in the third quarter. Carolina slammed the door on New Jersey's first three drives with two turnover-on-downs sandwiched around a safety in building a 16-0 first quarter lead. The defense set team records with four interceptions, two by Corey Johnson, and five sacks. The 46-point victory was the most lopsided in the Cobras brief history.

Team 1 2 3 4 F
NJ 0 10 12 0 22
CAR 15 21 17 14 68

April 14, 2001: Carolina 52, at New Jersey Gladiators 21

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (April 14, 2001)- The Carolina Cobras opened the 2001 Arena Football League season with a 52-21 win over the New Jersey Gladiators Saturday night at Continental Airlines Arena. Cobras quarterback Fred McNair completed 26 of 31 passes for 254 yards and six touchdowns in the win. Rookie offensive specialist Carl Bond recorded a game-high eight catches for 114 yards and four scores. Cornelius White chipped in with seven grabs for 69 yards and a touchdown and fullback/linebacker Marrio Grier added a pair of touchdowns (one rushing/one receiving) for Carolina (1-0). Connell Maynor passed for 108 yards (13 of 24) and two touchdowns in the loss for New Jersey (0-1). Lawrence Samuels added six catches for 42 yards and two touchdowns, including a net recovery for a score. The Gladiators were plagued with penalties (11 for 68 yards) throughout the game, nullifying three scores in the first half. Both teams combined for 19 penalties for 111 yards. The Cobras shut New Jersey out in the second half and set a franchise record for least points allowed with 21 (previous low was 44 at Arizona, 7/8/00) and least yards total offense allowed with 149 (previous low was 24 at Orlando, 6/21/00). Carolina's pass defense allowed a franchise low 119 yards passing.

Team 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q Final
CAR 12 15 12 13 52
NJ 7 14 0 0 21

July, 14, 2000: at Carolina 77, New Jersey Red Dogs 47

RALEIGH, N.C. (July 14, 200)- The Carolina Cobras made a case for the playoffs, beating the New Jersey Red Dogs 77-47 in front of 13,014 fans Friday the Entertainment and Sports Arena. The win was the second in a row at home for the Cobras (3-10), who recorded their highest point total of the season. Carolina signal-caller Fred McNair completed 15 of 27 passes for 253 yards and six touchdowns. Cornelius White shined on both sides of the ball, catching 3 passes for 56 yards and one touchdown and returning an interception 12 yards for a touchdown. For New Jersey (3-10), Rickey Foggie finished 18 for 22 for 314 yards and seven touchdowns after replacing starter Tommy Maddox in the third quarter. David Saunders caught a game-high 10 passes for 152 yards and three scores. The Red Dogs turned the ball over four times. The Cobras pitched a shutout in the first half, taking a 31-0 lead into the locker room.

Team 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q Final
NJ 0 0 14 33 47
CAR 3 28 15 31 77

Here's a look at the Cobras history vs. the Gladiators:

Date Game Result
*7/14/00 vs. New Jersey W, 77-47
4/14/01 at New Jersey W, 52-21
6/8/01 vs. New Jersey W, 68-22

*as New Jersey Red Dogs

THE IF's...

· If Carolina wins it will give the Cobras a 3-1 mark in 2002
· If Carolina wins it will give Carolina a 2-0 record on the road in 2002
· If Carolina wins it will give the Cobras a 4-4 mark all-time in the month of May
· If Carolina wins it will give the Cobras their longest winning streak (3) in franchise history
· If Cobras WR/LB Cory Fleming gets 10 receiving yards, he will surpass 5,000 career receiving yards (currently has 4,990)
· If Cobras FB/LB Andre Bowden gets 2.5 sacks, he will move into third all-time in Arena Football History for career sacks (currently has 33.5) behind Robert Stewart (35.5), Sylvester Bembery (44.0) and Sam Hernandez (48.0).

SAME FACES, DIFFERENT PLACES...Connections Both head coaches Frank Haege (Quad City) and Mike Neu (Augusta) where head coaches in af2 during the 2000 season...Quad City defeated Augusta 62-50 (5/6/00) in their only meeting of 2002...Cobras WR/DB Carl Bond went to training camp with the Gladiators in 2001 but was waived and signed by the Cobras...New Jersey OL/DL Hunter Adams played for the Cobras during their inaugural season in 2000...Gladiators WR/LB James Bowden is from Cohover, N.C. and went to North Carolina A&T, as did Cobras QB Connell Maynor...Maynor played the 2001 season for the Gladiators...Gladiators WR/DB Dennison Robinson went to camp with the Cobras in 2000 but was released after one preseason game...Cobras OL/DL Jon McCall and QB Connell Maynor were teammates with New Jersey DS Damon Mason with the Orlando Predators in 2001...Cobras OL/DL Colin Greczek and Gladiators QB Jay McDonagh both attended Western Michigan University...Carolina OL/DL Marcus Keyes and New Jersey OL/DL Michael Moncrief both attended North Alabama...Gladiators kicker Steve Videtich is from Winston-Salem, N.C. (Ledford HS) and attended N.C. State University in Raleigh...Cobras DS Kevin Gaines played with the Gladiators in 2001...Carolina Justin Cleveland attended Siena College in New York and Carolina K Brian Schmitz went to training camp with the NFL New York Giants in 2001.

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 (2-2 career; 2-1 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.

New Jersey: Frank Haege, 1st Season (2-1 career; 2-1 in 2002)

With his second consecutive ArenaCup victory already under his belt, former Quad City head coach Frank Haege will make his return to the AFL after accepting the head coaching position with the New Jersey Gladiators Football Club on August 23, 2001. Haege will enter his eighth season in the Arena Football League in 2002 when he takes the helm in New Jersey. Haege is no stranger to the Garden State; he coached in the AFL with the New Jersey Red Dogs (1997-99) under John Hufnagel (1997-98) who is now the quarterbacks coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Prior to joining Hufnagel in New Jersey, Haege was the Defensive Coordinator for the Minnesota Fighting Pike, a former AFL franchise in 1996. In 1994, while with the Milwaukee Mustangs, he served as the team's Special Teams Coordinator and FB/LB Coach. Haege also coached on the collegiate level as the Offensive Coordinator from 1996-1998 at Augsburg College, a Division III school in Minneapolis, Minnesota while coaching in the AFL in the spring.

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 in week 1 vs. Dallas before leaving the game in the third quarter with an injury (sternum/shoulder)...Did not play last week at Georgia...His status is still questionable for Saturday's game at New Jersey...John Fitzgerald- Joined the Cobras on April 23, 2002...Spent the 2001 season with the Houston ThunderBears, completing 121 of 205 passes for 1507 yards and 21 TDs with 10 INTs.

New Jersey: Jay McDonagh- Playing his second season in the AFL (Buffalo, 1999)...Earned his stripes with Quad City of af2 (303 of 424 for 3822 with 73 TDs and 7 INTs), where he led the Steamwheelers to the ArenaCup championship in 2001...Also played in the Indoor Football League, where he was named League MVP...Glenn Foley- A rookie by AFL standards...Spent six seasons (1994-99) in the NFL with the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks.

QB Comparison (2002)
Name Team GM Comp Att. Yds TD INT
Connell Maynor CAR 2 35 57 403 7 1
Aaron Sparrow CAR 1 10 21 101 2 1
Jay McDonagh NJ 3 86 129 888 13 4

Maynor vs. New Jersey

Veteran QB Connell Maynor has faced his former team (New Jersey) only once as a member of the Orlando Predators in 2000. Maynor led the Predators to a 38-21 win over the then-New Jersey Red Dogs. He completed 9 of 22 passes for 121 yards with two TDs and an INT in the win. Last season he quarterbacked the Gladiators and finished the season 218 of 360 for 2644 yards with 40 TDs and 12 INTs (he finished with a 1-9 record as the starting QB).

Date Opponent Comp Att Yds TD INT Result
4/15/00 vs. New Jersey 9 22 121 2 1 W, 38-21
TOTALS: 9 22 121 2 1 1-0
(with Orlando Predators) COBRAS NEWS & NOTES...

FINDING WAYS TO WIN- Heading into the 2002 season, the Cobras were just 3-10 (.230) in games decided by 7 points or less. But, in 2002, under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Neu, the Cobras are finding ways to win close games. They are 1-0 in games decided by 7 points or less (1-1 in other games) and 2-0 (12-6 all-time) when leading after the third quarter. Carolina is also finding different ways to beat teams.

· Two weeks ago at Georgia (4/26) the Cobras used stellar special teams play to pull out a 55-54 win over the Force (two kick off returns for touchdowns)

· Last week vs. Tampa Bay (5/4), the Cobras used a combination of defense and turnovers to beat the Storm 46-36 (forced four TB turnovers and held the Storm to just 36 pts.)

FRIEND OR FOE?- When the Cobras and Gladiators square off on Saturday it will be a reunion of sorts for a pair of Carolina players. QB Connell Maynor and DS Kevin Gaines both wore Gladiators uniforms last season. So far in 2002, when current Cobras have faced their former team, they've come out on the winning side. Two weeks ago at Georgia (former Nashville Kats), Cobras WR/LB Cory Fleming hauled in the game-winner to beat the Force and last week vs. Tampa Bay, Carolina FB/LB Andre Bowden rushed for a TD and tallied a pair of sacks against his former mates.

1-2 PUNCH- Carolina may sport the best 1-2 combination at FB/LB in the Arena Football League. Andre Bowden and Marrio Grier each bring unique qualities to the table: Grier leads the club and ranks second in the AFL in rushing with 12 carries for 46 yards and four touchdowns while Bowden leads the team and is tied for the league lead with 2.0 sacks. Grier has contributed on the defensive side of the ball as well, tallying 2.0 tackles, including a sack while Bowden has rushed eight times for 10 yards and three TDs.

$$ MAN - Cobras QB Connell Maynor has been money for Carolina so far in 2002. He's not put up flashy numbers but he's gotten the job done, leading the Cobras to consecutive wins over Georgia and Tampa Bay. Maynor relieved Aaron Sparrow in the season-opener vs. Dallas and has a perfect 2-0 record as a starter in 2002. He's been efficient, completing 35 of 57 passes for 403 yards with 7 TDs and just one INT. He's also rushed four times for 14 yards.

D, D, D, Defense- The Cobras defense has been making stops when they've needed them in three games so far in 2002. Carolina is tied for 6th in the AFL in scoring defense, giving up 49.0 ppg. and holding teams to 272.3 ypg. Last week vs. Tampa Bay, the Cobras held the Storm to a season-low 36 points and caused four turnovers (2 INTs, 2 fumbles). DS Kevin Gaines has been the Cobras leader in the secondary, leading the team in tackles in each of their first three games. Gaines leads the club with 20.0 tackles and six pass break ups, including an INT. Linebacker's Marrio Grier (1.0 sack) and Andre Bowden (2.0 sacks) have provided good pass rush to compliment linemen Jon McCall (2.5 tackles for loss) and Marcus Keyes (leads linemen with 4.5 stops).

FOR THE RECORD- The Cobras set a number of team records last week with a victory over Tampa Bay. Carolina's 17 points in the first quarter was the most points in the first quarter in franchise history (previous best was 16 points vs. NJ on June 8, 2001). Carolina also shutout an opponent (twice) in a quarter for the first time since blanking Los Angeles in the first quarter on July 13, 2001. Carolina was also shutout for the first time in a quarter this season, it was the first time the Cobras have not scored in a quarter since the third quarter vs. New York in a 56-49 win May 15, 2001.

FIELD POSITION FACTOR- Carolina has been winning the field position battle all season. The Cobras have held the edge in overall field position in all but one game (vs. Dallas) this season. The average starting position for the Cobras is the Carolina 18 yard-line, while opponents are staring at the 12-yard line.

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