Colorado Crush game notes
February 11, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Colorado Crush News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Colorado Crush (1-0)
at Grand Rapids Rampage (0-1)
Date: February 14, 2004
Kickoff: 10:00 a.m. MST
Site: Van Andel Arena (10,594)
Officials: Tom McCabe â Referee, Matt Jordan â Umpire, Neil Brunner â Head Linesman, Bob McElwee â Line Judge, Joe Duncan â Back Judge
Television: none
Radio: KKZN 760 AM The Zone (Marc Stout and David Diaz-Infante)
Series Record: Grand Rapids Leads 1-0
(This will be First Meeting in Grand Rapids)
Last Meeting: Feb. 7, 2003 (Rampage 57, CRUSH 55)
Coaches: Mike Dailey (1-0 in 2004, 64-46 Overall)
Bob Cortese (0-1 in 2004, 13-18 Overall)
THE STAKES: The Crush enter week two of their second season seeking their first ever two-game winning streak. The Crush are over .500 for the first time in franchise history. This will be the first of two straight games on the road.
Colorado Crush
Date Opponent Time/Score Record
Fri, 2/6 LAS VEGAS W 43-42 1-0
Sat, 2/14 @ Grand Rapids 10 a.m.
Sun, 2/22 @ Chicago 1 p.m.
Fri, 2/27 AUSTIN 7 p.m.
Thu, 3/4 DETROIT 7 p.m.
Sun, 3/14 @ San Jose 6 p.m.
Sun, 3/21 @ Philadelphia 10 a.m.
Sat, 3/27 ARIZONA 7 p.m.
Sat, 4/3 INDIANA 1 p.m.
Sat, 4/10 @ Los Angeles 8:30 p.m.
Sun, 4/18 @ New York 1 p.m.
Fri, 4/23 GRAND RAPIDS 7 p.m.
Sun, 5/2 PHILADELPHIA 1 p.m.
Sun, 5/16 @ Indiana 1 p.m.
Sun, 5/23 @ Detroit 1 p.m.
Sun, 5/30 CHICAGO 2 p.m.
American Central Division
Team W L T PCT. PF PA H A Conf. Strk
Chicago 1 0 0 1.000 50 30 1-0 0-0 1-0 W1
Colorado 1 0 0 1.000 43 42 1-0 0-0 1-0 W1
Detroit 0 1 0 .000 43 58 0-1 0-1 0-1 L1
Gr. Rapids 0 1 0 .000 30 50 0-0 0-1 0-1 L1
Indiana 0 1 0 .000 48 54 0-1 0-0 0-0 L1
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Rampage won the only previous meeting, 57-55, at the Pepsi Cenfer on 2/7/03 in Week Two of last season. The Crush blew a 10-point halftime lead as Rampage quarterback Clint Dolezel threw for five touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter, to lift Grand Rapids to victory.
RADIO/TV COVERAGE: This week's game will be broadcast on KKZN (AM 760 The Zone), with "voice of the Crush" Marc Stout handling the play-by-play duties and former Denver Bronco OL David Diaz-Infante serving as color commentator.
Practice Schedule
Tuesday, Feb. 10
11:00-1:00 p.m. Practice @ Crush Facility
1:30 p.m. Weight Lifting
2:00 p.m. Meetings
Wednesday, Feb. 11
10:30-12:30 p.m. Practice @ Crush Facility
12:45 p.m. Weight Lifting
1:30 p.m. Meetings
Thursday, Feb. 12
10:30-12:30 p.m. Practice @ Crush Facility
12:45 p.m. Weight Lifting
1:30 p.m. Meetings
Friday, Feb. 6
Depart for Grand Rapids
Mike Dailey (Colorado Crush):
Dailey became the Crush's second head coach on June 26, 2003. Dailey joined the Crush after seven seasons as head coach of the Indiana Firebirds, where his teams compiled a 64-46 record, a winning percentage of .582. In 1999 Dailey led the Firebirds to their only ArenaBowl championship and a combined regular season/playoff record of 14-3, best in Firebirds history. He was named AFL Coach of the Year following that standout campaign. He joined the Firebirds prior to the 1992 season, spending five seasons as an assistant coach before being named head coach in 1997. Dailey began his Arena Football coaching career with the Washington Commandos where he served as offensive and defensive line coach. Prior to the AFL, Dailey worked as an Assistant Coach at Towson State University and was the Offensive Coordinator at Montgomery College-Rockville (MD).
Bob Cortese (Grand Rapids Rampage):
Cortese brings six seasons of Arena Football experience, seven Coach of the Year awards and more than three decades of involvement at the professional, collegiate and high school levels to Grand Rapids. In 32 seasons as a head coach, the Rochester, N.Y., native has compiled an overall record of 244-103-9 (.703), including a 13-17 mark in two AFL seasons (2000-01) with the defunct Oklahoma Wranglers. Last year, he served as the head coach for the Wichita Stealth of arenafootball2 and posted a 4-3 record. He is 0-1 in his first season with the Rampage.
LEAGUE TOP 10s: Players from this week's match-up who rank among the AFL's statistical leaders in 2003.
Colorado Crush
Player Rank Category Stat
Ahmad Hawkins T-1st Interceptions 1
Kevin McKenzie T-6th Receiving Yds 96
Kevin McKenzie T-6th Yds from Scrimmage 96
Anthony Brenner 7th Scoring 7
Chad Dukes T-7th Scoring (nonkickers) 12
Damian Harrell T-7th Scoring (nonkickers) 12
Kevin McKenzie 8th Receptions 8
John Dutton T-9th Pass Attempts 31
John Dutton T-9th Pass Completions 18
COLORADO CRUSH NEXT WEEK
The Crush will return to the road as they travel to Chicago to face the Rush in their second straight road game. The Crush will be making their first-ever trip to Chicago. The Rush won the only meeting last season, 76-58 in Denver on 4/13/03
TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Crush and the Rampage stack up (through Week 1):
Statistical COLORADO GRAND RAPIDS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense T-9th 43.0 17th 30.0
Scoring Defense T-7th 42.0 12th 50.0
Total Offense 15th 223.0 18th 107.0
Total Defense 6th 229.0 16th 279.0
Pass Offense 12th 204.0 T-8th 92.0
Pass Defense T-8th 206.0 13th 235.0
Rushing Offense 14th 19.0 15th 15.0
Rushing Defense 9th 23.0 15th 44.0
Kickoff Returns 17th 9.6 3rd 23.5
Turnover Margin T-13th -2 T-13th -2
Field Goal % T-6th .333 T-4th .500
First Downs T-8th 18 T-17th 14
Opp. First Downs 15th 21 T-12th 19
3rd Down Efficiency T-14th .333 T-14th .333
4th Down Efficiency T-1st 1.000 T-1st 1.000
INJURY REPORT
Colorado Crush
Player Pos. Injury Status
Maurice Anderson OL/DL on IR
Herb Coleman OL/DL on IR
Wade Davis WR/DB on IR
Windrell Hayes WR/DB on IR
Nate Jacquet WR/DB on IR
John Peaua FB/LB on IR
Kamau Peterson WR/DB on IR
Derrick Pickens OL/DL on IR
Tony Scott DS on IR
Dwayne Stukes WR/DB on IR
A SORT OF HOMECOMING:
While this will be the Crush's first ever visit to Grand Rapids, the Michigan city can actually be considered the birthplace of the Crush franchise. It was in Grand Rapids on August 18, 2001, the eve of ArenaBowl XV, when the Arena Football League convened its Board of Directors and listened to a formal presentation by legendary former Broncos QB John Elway and Broncos Senior Director of Special Projects who were proposing a Denver expansion AFL franchise. The presentation was a tremendous success and the AFL Board of Directors voted unanimously to grant an expansion team to Colorado under the direction of Elway, Pat Bowlen, and Stan Kroenke.
"This is the best ownership group for the city of Denver," said AFL Commissioner David Baker. "There is not a better group to put together than Pat Bowlen, owner of the Broncos, Stan Kroenke, owner of the Nuggets, Avalanche and Pepsi Center, and John Elway, future Hall of Fame quarterback. It is an honor to have them as part of our Arena Football family."
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
The Crush were named recipient of the Arena Football League's 2003 Commissioner's Award. The Award is presented annually to the AFL franchise that has the best business operations in the League.
"This is a tremendous and unique honor for our organization. The collective commitment to excellence displayed by dozens of individuals in our organization allowed us to experience a memorable inaugural season in the AFL," stated Ronald O. Sally, president of the Colorado Crush.
CALL TO THE HALL
Legendary Denver Broncos QB and Crush chief executive officer and co-owner John Elway was among four players named as the NFL Hall of Fame class of 2004. Elway is the winningest quarterback in NFL history (148-82-1) and led the Broncos to five Super Bowls, including championships in his final two seasons. He was named MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII.
NEW BLOOD
In addition to a new coaching staff, the Crush features a revamped roster. Only five players from last year's inaugural season made the 2004 opening day roster.
Returning 2003 Players
John Dutton
Damian Harrell
Ahmad Hawkins
Saul Patu
Bryant Shaw
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
OS Damian Harrell: Harrell scored two touchdowns in the final 12 seconds vs. Las Vegas to lift the Crush to a remarkable 43-42 come-from-behind win. In his sixth AFL season, Harrell has amassed 5,266 receiving yards on 377 catches, an average of 13.97 yards/catch, along with 107 career touchdowns (1 on return). In 2003 he led the Crush in receptions (97), receiving yards (1426) and touchdowns (38) last season.
QB John Dutton: Threw two TDs in the final 12 seconds as the Crush defeated Las Vegas 43-42 to earn their first home win in franchise history. Finished 18-of-31 for 204 yards with the two TDs and an interception.
Appeared in 15 games in 2003, starting 12, and completed 308-of 495 passes (.625) for 3,994 yards and 77 touchdowns, all career highs. Despite the numbers, Dutton is looking to regain the form he had when leading San Jose to the 2002 Arena Bowl title where he was named MVP of the championship game.
OL/DL Kyle Moore-Brown: A true AFL Ironman, he is in his 10th season in the league and has never missed a game. The game at Grand Rapids will mark his 141st consecutive start.
MILESTONES
Crush FB/LB Chad Dukes needs 23 rushing yards to pass Bo Kelly for third place on the AFL's all-time rushing list. Dukes is already one of only four players in AFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in his career.
CHAD DUKES
Career Rushing Yards
Player Team 2004 Career
Les Barley â â 1,382
Andre Bowden TAM â 1,194
Bo Kelly LV â 1,063
Chad Dukes COL 14 1,040
Bob McMillen CHI 26 890
Major Harris â â 832
Travis Pearson â â 829
Cedric McKinnon â â 793
BABY RUTH REAL DEAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 vs. Las Vegas Damian Harrell (Colo.)
ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 vs. Las Vegas Ahmad Hawkins (Colo.)
ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 vs. Las Vegas Kevin McKenzie (Colo.)
AFL ON NBC:
WEEK 2 AFL ON NBC SCHEDULE, Sat., Feb. 14th.
Chicago at New York, 1 pm
Indiana at New Orleans, 1 pm
Los Angeles at Las Vegas, 1 pm
(all times are Mountain)
CRUSH CLIPS GLADIATORS IN SEASON OPENER
WEEK 1 RECAP â DENVER 43, LAS VEGAS 42
DENVER (Feb. 6) -- John Dutton and Damian Harrell connected on two touchdown passes in the final 15 seconds to give the Colorado Crush (1-0) an improbable 43-42 win over the Las Vegas Gladiators (0-1) in the season opener for both teams on Frontier Airlines Field at the Pepsi Center on Friday evening.
The last-minute comeback negated the Gladiators' rally; until the Dutton-to-Harrell scores, Las Vegas had scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to turn a 31-21 deficit a 42-31 lead with 36 seconds remaining. Harrell's two scores were connected by a successful onside kickoff recovery with 10 seconds to go. On the next play, Dutton found Harrell in the right side of the end zone for a 33-yard score that sent the Crush's fans into delirium.
The win was Colorado's first at home in its two-season existence. The Crush was winless at home in 2003 en route to a 2-14 finish.
Prior to the last-minute onside kick, kept the Crush in the game, as the team scored twice on rebound-net recoveries. Lineman Patrick Downey recovered a missed Anthony Brenner field-goal try in the end zone for the first such touchdown, while wide receiver/defensive back Willis Marshall grabbed a loose Brenner kickoff in the third quarter for the other special-teams score. Those were the first two rebound-net-recovery touchdowns in franchise history.
Marshall's touchdown gave the Crush a 31-21 lead as the third quarter concluded. The Gladiators wasted little time slicing into that lead, as Las Vegas quarterback Clint Dolezel jumped over the line for a 1-yard score that narrowed the Crush edge to 3 points. Two plays into the next possession, the Gladiators intercepted a Dutton pass, allowing Las Vegas to begin a 47-yard drive that culminated in a Frank Carter touchdown run.
Following a pooched field-goal try that went awry on Colorado's next possession, the Gladiators took over at the Crush 14 with three minutes remaining. Two plays later, Colorado defensive specialist Ahmad Hawkins intercepted a Dolezel pass, returning it to the Colorado 17.
A 15-yard Dutton pass to Kevin McKenzie pushed the Crush into Las Vegas territory at the one-minute warning. On the first play inside of a minute, Dutton fumbled a snap for the third time in the game. Las Vegas recovered and scored 19 seconds later. But they would not see the football again, as Dutton and the Crush offense redeemed themselves to collect the triumph.
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