Cobras Game Notes

Published on February 19, 2003 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Carolina Cobras News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Carolina Cobras (0-3) vs. Orlando Predators (3-0)
Date: February 21, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Site: Charlotte Coliseum (12,229)
Officials: Bill McCabe (Referee), Doug Wilson (Umpire), Royce Cooley (Head Linesman), Gary Cavaletto (Line Judge), Joe Duncan (Back Judge)
Series Record: Orlando leads all-time 4-0
Coaches: Carolina: Mike Hold (1st Season, 0-3) Orlando: Fran Papasedero (2nd Season, 12-8)

COBRAS LAST WEEK: The Cobras came back from a 40-21 deficit with 13:30 remaining in the game to take a 44-43 lead over the Detroit Fury with one minute to play, but could not hold on for their first win of the season, as they fell to Detroit, 49-44, on Friday night at the Charlotte Coliseum. Carolina used a 23-3 fourth quarter run to take their first lead of the game on a 22-yard touchdown from Robert Hall to Bernard Holmes with 1:00 remaining, but Detroit's Andy Kelly found Marcus Nash in the end zone with 4.7 seconds left to give the Fury their second consecutive win and keep the Cobras winless on the season. Holmes finished the night with seven receptions for 110 yards and three touchdowns and eight kickoff returns for 162 yards and one touchdown.

PREDATORS LAST WEEK: Jay Gruden threw five touchdown passes and Orlando erased an 11-point third quarter deficit to win the battle of Arena Football League unbeatens. Down 33-22 and facing fourth and 11, Orlando got back into the game when Gruden hit a wide-open Cory Fleming on a post-pattern for a 25-yard score. The Predators regained the lead with 2:57 left in the period when Gruden connected with Thabiti Davis on a 34-yard strike to make it 37-33. Orlando went ahead for good when Fleming caught a 7-yarder from Gruden with 10:31 to play.

HEAD COACHES: After two seasons as head coach of the af2 Augusta Stallions, Mike Hold makes his AFL coaching debut with the Cobras in 2003. 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. He saw action for eight teams during his tenure and was the last remaining active player from the league's first season when he retired in 2000. Hold had training camp stints with the Denver Broncos (1986) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987, 88). He appeared in three games for Tampa Bay during the NFL strike in 1987. A 1985 graduate of the University of South Carolina, Hold led the Gamecocks to the school's only 10-win season in 1984 and earned MVP honors of the Gator Bowl that year. Despite playing only two seasons, he ranks seventh on the school's all-time passing yards list with 2,981 yards.

Orlando's Fran Papasedero is in his second season as head coach of the Predators. Replacing Jay Gruden, who resigned after the 2001 season to return to the playing field, Papasedero led the Predators to the Southern Division title and the AFL semifinals in 2002. He spent four seasons as an assistant to Gruden (1998-2001) prior to taking over the head coaching reigns. Papasedero played five seasons in the AFL as a lineman and was named First Team All-AFL with St. Louis in 1996.

LAST YEAR'S COBRAS-PREDATORS MEETINGS:

Orlando 33, Carolina 30 (May 31, 2002 at Orlando) Nathan Trout kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired to help the Predators slip past the Cobras, 33-30. Trout smacked a 23-yard field goal to give Orlando its second straight victory. Jay Gruden finished 18-for-32 for 174 yards with three TDs and was intercepted twice. Gruden connected with Andre Cooper for two TDs. John Fitzgerald completed 25-of-38 passes for 223 yards and two TDs for Carolina. Aaron Bailey hauled in a game-high 11 catches for 133 yards and two scores for the Cobras.

Orlando 52, Carolina 48 (June 28, 2002 at Carolina) Jay Gruden threw a touchdown pass within the final four minutes of regulation to life the Predators over the Cobras, 52-48. Gruden connected with Duke Pettijohn just once, a 10-yard TD pass with 3:45 remaining, giving Orlando a 10-point lead. Gruden completed 21-of-30 attempts for 264 yards and six TDs. John Fitzgerald completed 12-of-19 passes for 185 yards, three TDs and two interceptions. Carl Bond caught a game-high nine passes for 101 yards.

FAMILIAR FACES: The Predators roster features five former Cobras players...OL/DL Justin Cleveland, DS Rob Davis, WR/LB Cory Fleming, QB Connell Maynor and K Brian Schmitz have each spent time in a Cobras uniform...Schmitz is the Cobras career leader in every kicking category...Orlando assistant coach Bret Munsey was the Cobras defensive coordinator last season...Cobras OL/DL Kelvin Ingram, WR/DB Tramain Jones and WR/LB Ty Law each played for the Predators at some point in their careers...Law spent three years in Orlando and was a member of the Predators' ArenaBowl Championship teams in 1998 and 2000...Orlando WR/DB Chris Coleman (North Carolina State), WR/LB Thabiti Davis (Wake Forest & Olympic High School), QB Connell Maynor (North Carolina A&T) and K Brian Schmitz (North Carolina) each return to the state in which they played their college ball.

COBRAS NEXT WEEK: After back-to-back home games, the Cobras go back on the road next week, as they head to Grand Rapids to face the Rampage. The last time the two teams met was in the first round of the 2002 AFL playoffs, where the 11th ranked Cobras upset the 6th seeded Rampage 72-64.

COBRAS MILESTONES:
FB/LB Jason Bratton needs:
• 3.5 tackles to reach 50

OS Ben Bronson needs:
• 32 receiving yards to reach 3,500
• 2 TD receptions to reach 50

K Matt George needs:
• 2 field goals made to reach 50
• 22 points to reach 400

WR/DB Bernard Holmes needs:
• 4 receptions to reach 350
• 68 receiving yards to reach 4,500

WR/DB Van Johnson needs:
• 19 receptions to reach 250
• 3 receiving touchdowns to reach 50
• 19.5 tackles to reach 100

WR/LB Ty Law needs:
• 105 receiving yards to reach 2,500
• 10.0 tackles to reach 100

DS Derek Stingley needs:
• 4.0 tackles to reach 350

INJURY UPDATES: DS Robert Williams suffered a stinger last week against Detroit and is probable...OS Ben Bronson, who injured his left shoulder against Buffalo and missed last week's game against Detroit, is probable for this week...DS Buddy Crutchfield and WR/LB Gabe Amey are both probable with knee injuries.

SNAKE BITES:

A Tough Road Ahead: The Cobras play each of their next two games against teams that are currently unbeaten. This week they face a 3-0 Orlando squad and next week they travel to Grand Rapids to face the 3-0 Rampage.

Holmes Steps Up: WR/DB Bernard Holmes made the biggest impact for the Cobras last week. After being inactive in week one and catching just one pass for three yards in week two, Holmes caught seven passes for 110 yards and three touchdowns in week three. While filling in at OS for the injured Ben Bronson, Holmes also returned eight kickoffs for 162 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown. The 56-yard touchdown return marked the third longest in Cobras history and was the first kickoff returned for a score since Carl Bond did it on April 26, 2002, in week two of last season. Holmes' 272 all-purpose yards ranks as the third highest single-game total in Cobras history. It was Holmes first 100-yard receiving game since June 30, 2001 when he posted a career-high 169 yards against San Jose.

Waking Up The Offense: After posting point totals of 20 and 16 in the season's first two weeks, it appeared early that week three would be more of the same for the Cobras offense. The Cobras trailed 40-21 with 14:54 remaining in the game, before scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter, including 17 points in a span of 5:24. Carolina finished with 44 points in the game, topping their season total of 36 in the first two games.

Holding On To The Ball: One major difference for the Cobras from the first two weeks to week three was turnover margin. After having a turnover margin of –7 through weeks one and two, Carolina had a margin of +1 in week three. The Cobras did not turn the ball over a single time last Friday against Detroit, after throwing seven interceptions and losing one fumble in the season's first two weeks.

Milestones For Hall, Holmes, Lane: With his five passing touchdowns against Detroit, Robert Hall topped 100 for his career. Three of those touchdown passes were to Bernard Holmes, who topped 80 touchdown receptions in his career. One week earlier against Buffalo, Hall had 17 completions and 161 passing yards, topping 500 completions and 6,000 yards for his career. FB/LB Deryl Lane recorded the 100th tackle of his career against the Destoyers.

Second Quarter Woes: There's just something about the second quarter for the Cobras. In the opener against Tampa Bay, Carolina managed just 17 yards of offense in the second frame. They followed that up in week two with just 15 yards in the second stanza at Buffalo. The struggles continued last week, when they posted just 19 yards against Detroit.

Record Lows In Buffalo: The Cobras 16 points against the Destroyers tied a franchise record for fewest points scored in a game and set a Destroyers record for fewest points by an opponent. The two teams combined for 60 points and 370 yards of total offense, both of which mark Cobras franchise lows. The 16 points for Carolina came just one week after scoring 20 points at Tampa Bay, which then ranked as the second lowest point total in franchise history.

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. Entering the season, Hall was ranked eighth on the AFL's all-time career completion percentage list, having completed 62.6 percent of his career pass attempts.

Houston ThunderBears, The Sequel: Nearly one quarter of the Cobras roster played for the now-defunct Houston ThunderBears between 1998 and 2001. OS Ben Bronson, WR/LB Terence Davis, QB Robert Hall, 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.

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 WR/DB Bernard Holmes, WR/DB Tramain Jones, FB/LB Deryl Lane and WR/DB Nick Ward as a member of the Florida Bobcats in 2001.

Cobras Among The All-Time Best: Entering the 2003 season, WR/DB Bernard Holmes ranked among the AFL's all-time Top 25 in several receiving categories. Holmes was tied for 22nd in receptions (338), ranked 23rd in receiving touchdowns (78) and ranked 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: QB Glen Gauntt, OL/DL Blaine Mensch, 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 five players making their AFL debut after playing in af2 last season. Not only did Gauntt, Mensch and Mitts make the move with Mike Hold, but WR/LB Gabe Amey (Macon) 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:

DS Derek Stingley: In two games with the Cobras, Stingley leads the team with 10.5 tackles and has one of the team's two interceptions. Last week against Detroit, he posted a game-high 8.0 tackles and had the game's lone interception. A six-year veteran, Stingley was named First Team All-AFL in 1999 when he led the league in passes defended and finished second in tackles.

WR/DB Bernard Holmes: Last week against Detroit, Holmes caught seven passes for 110 yards and three touchdowns in his first start at OS, replacing the injured Ben Bronson. He added 162 yards on eight kickoff returns, including a 56-yard touchdown, the first kickoff return for a touchdown by a Cobras player since Carl Bond did it on April 26, 2002 in week two of the 2002 season. His 272 all-purpose yards ranks as the third highest single-game total in Cobras history.

WR/LB Ty Law: A five-year AFL veteran, Law has caught 12 passes for 101 yards and three touchdowns in two games with the Cobras. Defensively, he has posted 5.0 tackles, including 4.0 last week against Detroit.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES:

February 19: Signed Van Johnson and Ben Crosland, signed Thaddeus Bullard to the practice squad, released Michael Harrison, activated and waived Tim Dumas from injured reserve, placed Glen Mitts and Rj Anderson on injured reserve.

February 13: Signed Stewart Patridge and Decorye Hampton to the practice squad.

February 12: Signed Jason Bratton, signed Jamaal Garman and Glen Gauntt from the practice squad, placed Ethan Banning on injured reserve, signed Chris Johnson to the practice squad, released Stewart Patridge, waived Decorye Hampton and waived Dunstan Anderson from the practice squad. February 8: Signed Dunstan Anderson to the practice squad.

February 6: Signed Desmond Byrd and Derek Stingley, signed Glen Gauntt to the practice squad, placed Tim Dumas on injured reserve, waived Richard Holland and reinstated Chad DeGrenier to injured reserve.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 19, 2003


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