Colorado Crush game notes

Published on March 2, 2004 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Colorado Crush News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Colorado Crush (3-1) vs. Detroit Fury (2-1)
Date: March 4, 2004
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. MST
Site: Pepsi Center (18,063)
Officials: Pat Garvey – Referee, Paul King – Umpire,
Bill Ward – Head Linesman, James Mello – Line Judge, Greg Steed – Back Judge
Television: Comcast Channel 5 (Mitch Hyder – play-by-play, Damon Bowers – analyst, David Briggs – sideline)
Radio: KKZN 760 AM The Zone (Marc Stout – play-by-play, David Diaz-Infante – analyst)
Series Record: Detroit leads 1-0
Last Meeting: March 23, 2003 (Detroit 71, CRUSH 56)
Coaches: Mike Dailey (3-1 in 2004, 66-47 Overall)
Tom Luginbill (2-1 in 2004, 2-1 Overall)


THE STAKES: The Crush and Fury are separated by just one-half game for second place in the American Central Division. A win would move the Crush just one-half game behind first-place Chicago pending the Rush's match-up with Philadelphia on March 7. A Crush win would also double the team's win total from the 2003 inaugural season.

Colorado Crush
Date Opponent Time/Score Record
Fri, 2/6 LAS VEGAS W 43-42 1-0
Sat, 2/14 @ Grand Rapids W 55-37 2-0
Sun, 2/22 @ Chicago L 35-65 2-1
Fri, 2/27 AUSTIN W 37-35 3-1
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.
(All times Mountain)

American Central Division
Team W L T PCT. PF PA H A Conf. Div. Strk
Chicago 4 0 0 1.000 220 165 2-0 2-0 3-0 3-0 W4
Colorado 3 1 0 .667 170 179 2-0 1-1 2-1 1-1 W1
Detroit 2 1 0 .667 125 114 1-1 1-0 2-1 1-0 W2
Gr. Rapids 0 4 0 .000 112 218 0-2 0-2 0-4 0-2 L4
Indiana 0 4 0 .000 159 178 0-2 0-2 0-2 0-2 L4


ALL-TIME SERIES: Detroit won the only previous meeting, 71-56, in Denver on 3/23/03 in Week 8 of last season. Colorado turned the ball over five times, including three in the second half, and the Fury outscored the Crush 29-14 in the fourth quarter en route to the win. Detroit QB Andy Kelly was named MVP and Ron Carpenter was the game's Ironman.

RADIO/TV COVERAGE: This week's game will be televised locally by Comcast Channel 5 with Mitch Hyder calling the game, former Crush player and "Bachelorette" contestant Damon Bowers serving as analyst, and David Briggs patrolling the sidelines. The game will be broadcast on KKZN (AM 760 The Zone), with Marc Stout handling the play-by-play duties and former Denver Bronco OL David Diaz-Infante serving as color commentator.
Practice Schedule
Monday, Feb. 23
9:00-11:00 p.m. Practice @ Family Sports Dome

Tuesday, Feb. 24
9:30-11:30 p.m. Practice @ Family Sports Dome

Wednesday, Feb. 25
10:00-11:00 a.m. Walk Through
@ Wembley Events Center

Thursday, Feb. 26
7:00 p.m. Crush vs. Detroit Fury


Mike Dailey (Colorado Crush, 1st season):
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, and his teams have compiled an overall record of 66-47, a winning percentage of .593. 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).

Tom Luginbill (Detroit Fury, 1st season):
Luginbill enters his first season as an AFL head coach, after taking the reigns from his father Al, who served as the Fury's head coach in 2003. At 30 years old, Luginbill is the youngest head coach in the AFL. Last season, Luginbill helped to re-build the Fury team from a 1-13 record in 2002. With his guidance, the Fury finished the regular season at 8-8, which tied the AFL record for a singleseason turnaround. The Fury also finished 1-1 in the playoffs, and the franchise won its first-ever playoff game. Prior to joining the Fury, Luginbill had coached for three different teams in three years, but he is no stranger to the game of Arena Football. Luginbill played two seasons as an AFL quarterback in 1996 & 1997, before joining the coaching staff on the New York CityHawks in 1998. Luginbill got his first head-coaching job in 2000, with the Tennessee Valley Vipers of af2, where he led the team to the championship game in his first year with the team. Following a season in af2, Luginbill teamed with his father Al in the XFL as the quarterback's coach of the Los Angeles Xtreme. There, he coached XFL MVP Tommy Maddox, and helped guide the Xtreme to the league's first and only championship. He re-joined the AFL in 2002 as an assistant head coach with the expansion Dallas Desperados. In Dallas, Luginbill's offense set an AFL record for scoring the most points ever by an AFL expansion franchise in one year, and his red-zone offense was ranked number one in the league.


LEAGUE TOP 10s: Crush players who rank in the Top 10 in the AFL entering Week 5:
Colorado Crush
Player Rank Category Stat
John Dutton 1st Fumble Recoveries 7
Rashad Floyd T-1st Interceptions 2
Kevin McKenzie T-1st Interceptions 2
Anthony Brenner T-4th Scoring (Kickers) 32
Chad Dukes 7th Rushing Yards 49
John Dutton 7th Completion % 63.9
Damian Harrell T-8th Scoring (non-Kick) 48
Damian Harrell T-9th First Downs 17
John Dutton T-9th Pass Completions 76
Ahmad Hawkins T-9th Interceptions 1
Saul Patu T-9th Sacks 1.0
Sun. Rusununguko T-9th Sacks 1.0
John Dutton 10th Passing Yards 852
Damian Harrell T-10th Receptions 23
Kevin McKenzie T-10th Receptions 23

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Crush and the Fury stack up (through Week 4):
Statistical COLORADO DETROIT
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Points per Game 14th 42.5 16th 41.7
Points Allowed 10th 44.8 2nd 38.0
Total Offense 17th 228.5 10th 255.0
Total Defense 5th 224.0 4th 220.3
Pass Offense 14th 210.0 T-11th 235.0
Pass Defense 5th 200.3 2nd 185.7
Rushing Offense 11th 18.5 9th 20.0
Rushing Defense 13th 23.8 19th 34.7
Kickoff Returns 12th 17.3 15th 17.2
KO Return Allowed 9th 18.3 15th 20.4
Take-aways T-4th 7 T-14th 3
Give-aways 17th 8 T-15th 7
Turnover Margin 10th -1 T-17th -4
First Downs/Game T-10th 18.0 5th 19.7
Opp. First Downs 7th 17.5 2nd 15.7
1st Down Yds/Play 15th 5.47 17th 4.99
Opp. 1st Dwn Yd/Play 7th 5.66 6th 5.66
3rd Down Efficiency 19th 26.3 12th 48.0
Opp. 3rd Down Eff. 12th 50.0 1st 36.0
4th Down Efficiency T-8th 50.0 T-8th 50.0
Opp. 4th Down Eff. T-13th 66.7 T-13th 66.7
Field Goal % 6th 44.4 2nd 66.7
TD% Inside the 10 T-16th 58.8 T-16th 58.8
Opp. TD% Inside the 10 19th 95.0 4th 66.7


COLORADO CRUSH NEXT WEEK
The Crush will return to the road to face Mark Grieb and the San Jose SaberCats for the only time this season at the HP Pavilion on Sunday, March 14 at 6 p.m MT. San Jose (3-0) will play at New York on Sunday, March 7.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
OS Damian Harrell: Now in his sixth AFL season, Harrell has amassed 5,496 receiving yards on 396 catches, an average of 13.88 yards/catch, along with 113 career touchdowns (1 on return). Harrell is tied for 8th in the AFL in scoring with 48 points, on eight touchdowns this season. He is also tied for 9th in first downs with 17 and for 10th in receptions with 23. He has caught five TDs in his last two games. He was named Offensive Player of the Game for his performance vs. Las Vegas on 2/6, catching two TDs in the last 12 seconds to lift the Crush to victory.

QB John Dutton: As Dutton goes, so go the Crush. The former ArenaBowl MVP (2002 w/ SJ) has completed 76-of-119 passes (63.9%) for 852 yards and 14 touchdowns. Twice in the first four games he has been named Offensive Player of the Game. He was 22-30 for 209 yards, four TDs and no interceptions vs. Austin on 2/27. At Grand Rapids on 2/14 he completed 20-of-24 passes for 264 yards and 4 TDs. He currently ranks seventh in completion percentage, tied for ninth in completions and ranks 10th in passing yards.

WR/DB Kevin McKenzie: The third-year standout has been the Crush's best Ironman through the first four games of the season. He is tied for the team lead in receptions with 23 (T-10th in the AFL) and ranks second with 277 yards and two TDs. He also is tied for the league lead with 2 interceptions. McKenzie was named the AFL's U.S. Army Ironman of the Week following a great two-way performance in the 55-37 victory over Grand Rapids in Week 2. McKenzie recorded four receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown, added a 3-yard rushing TD, while recording 2.5 tackles and a 44-yard interception return for a TD on defense. He has been named Ironman of the Game in three of the Crush's first four games.


INJURY REPORT
Colorado Crush
Player Pos. Injury Status
Maurice Anderson OL/DL Right Knee on IR
Wade Davis WR/DB Lt. Hamstring Strain on IR
Windrell Hayes WR/DB Right Knee on IR
Nate Jacquet WR/DB Rt. Achilles' Rupture on IR
John Peaua FB/LB Lt. Knee MCL Sprain on IR
Kamau Peterson WR/DB Left Ribs on IR
Derrick Pickens OL/DL Right Shoulder on IR
Tony Scott DS Foot Sprain on IR

RECENT CRUSH TRANSACTIONS
Date Transaction
2/26/04 Activated WR/DB Dwayne Stukes from the injured list (left quadricep strain)
2/24/04 Placed WR/DB Ron Rogers on waivers.
2/10/04 Signed OL/DL Tyshaun Whitson to the practice squad.
2/4/04 Signed OL/DL Don Klein. Placed WR/DB Tony Scott on the injured reserve list (sprained foot).
2/2/04 Signed OL/DL Jerry Montgomery and WR/DB Thal Woods to the practice squad. Placed WR/DB Nate Jacquet on the injured reserve list (ruptured right Achilles' tendon).
2/1/04 Placed FB/LB John Peaua on the injured reserve list (left knee MCL sprain). Waived OL/DL Don Klein.
1/31/04 Placed WR/DB Wade Davis (strained left hamstring), WR/DB Kamau Peterson (left ribs) and WR/DB Dwayne Stukes (left quadriceps strain) on injured reserve. Waived WR/DB Thal Woods and WR/DB Sam Young. Released OL/DL Aaron Hamilton.
1/31/04 Traded WR/LB Joe Douglass to the LOS ANGELES AVENGERS for future considerations.
1/30/04 Placed WR/DB Windrell Hayes (right knee) and OL/DL Derrick Pickens (right shoulder) on the injured reserve list. Waived OL/DL Jerry Montgomery.
1/29/04 Placed QB Matt Lytle on waivers. Released QB Jay McDonagh.
1/27/04 Signed FB/LB Chad Dukes. Placed OL/DL Maurice Anderson on injured reserve (right knee).
1/26/04 Waived FB/LB Byron Thweatt.
1/18/04 Activated K Anthony Brenner from the refused to report list. Waived WR/DB Zek Parker.
1/16/04 Signed OL/DL Dustin Barno and OL/DL Jerry Montgomery.
1/15/04 Waived WR/DB Hugh Smith.
1/13/04 Signed OL/DL Maurice Anderson, WR/DB Wade Davis, WR/DB Zek Parker, WR/DB Kamau Peterson, WR/DB Hugh Smith and FB/LB Byron Thweatt.



MILESTONES
With his 38-yard performance vs. Austin on 2/27, Crush FB/LB Chad Dukes passed Bo Kelly for third place on the AFL's all-time rushing list. Dukes was already one of only four players in AFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in his career and now needs 123 yards to move into second place.

AFL Career Rushing Yards
Player Team 2004 Career
Les Barley — — 1,382
Andre Bowden TAM 4 1,198
Chad Dukes COL 49 1,075
Bo Kelly LV — 1,063
Bob McMillen CHI 94 958
Major Harris — — 832
Travis Pearson — — 829
Cedric McKinnon — — 793

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 vs. Detroit will mark his 144th consecutive start.

TURN AROUND
The Crush is off to a 3-1 start, already surpassing the win total from their entire inaugural season, and is one game out of the American Central Division lead. Along with the quick start have come a few franchise firsts. Their 43-42 win over Las Vegas on 2/6 was their first home win after going 0-8 at the Pepsi Center in 2003. They are over .500 for the first time and have won their first two home games. They also had their first two-game winning streak. Should they beat Detroit, it would mark the first time the team has been three games over .500.

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.

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 Saul Patu Ahmad Hawkins
Damian Harrell Bryant Shaw

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.

BABY RUTH REAL DEAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 vs. Las Vegas Damian Harrell (COL))
2 @ Gr. Rapids John Dutton (COL)
3 @ Chicago Raymond Philyaw (CHI)
4 vs. Austin John Dutton (COL)

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 vs. Las Vegas Ahmad Hawkins (COL)
2 @ Gr. Rapids Rashad Floyd (COL)
3 @ Chicago John Moyer (CHI)
4 vs. Austin Rashad Floyd (COL)

ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME
(selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 vs. Las Vegas Kevin McKenzie (COL)
2 @ Gr. Rapids Kevin McKenzie (COL)
3 @ Chicago Jamie McGourty (CHI)
4 vs. Austin Kevin McKenzie (COL)



WEEK 5 AFL ON NBC SCHEDULE, Sun., March 7:

Las Vegas at Georgia, 10 am
San Jose at New York, 10 am
Chicago at Philadelphia, 10 am
Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 10 am

(all times are Mountain)

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 2, 2004


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