Colorado Crush game notes

Published on March 10, 2004 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Colorado Crush News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Colorado Crush (4-1) at San Jose SaberCats (3-1)
Date: March 14, 2004
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. MST
Site: HP Pavilion (16,929)
Officials: Wes Fritz – Referee, Tony Payne – Umpire,
Jim Hatfield – Head Linesman, David Chesney – Line Judge, James Cole – Back Judge
Television: none
Radio: KKZN 760 AM The Zone (Marc Stout – play-by-play, David Diaz-Infante – analyst)
Series Record: San Jose leads 2-0
Last Meeting: April 27, 2003 (San Jose 65, CRUSH 49)
Coaches: Mike Dailey (4-1 in 2004, 67-47 Overall)
Darren Arbet (3-1 in 2004, 62-23 Overall)

THE STAKES: The Crush is tied with Chicago atop the American Central Division so every win is crucial. Similarly, San Jose leads the American Western Division by one-half game and will be trying to cling to that lead. The Crush is also looking for its first-ever win over San Jose after dropping both meetings last season, and its first three-game winning streak in the team's brief history. The Crush also won two-in-a-row to start the season before suffering its only defeat.

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 W62-61 4-1
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 1 0 .800 267 218 2-0 2-1 3-0 3-0 L1
Colorado 4 1 0 .800 232 240 3-0 1-1 3-1 2-1 W2
Detroit 2 2 0 .500 186 175 1-1 1-1 2-2 1-1 L1
Gr. Rapids 0 5 0 .000 162 284 0-2 0-3 0-4 0-2 L5
Indiana 0 5 0 .000 197 228 0-2 0-3 0-2 0-2 L5



ALL-TIME SERIES: San Jose defeated the Crush twice last season, by a combined margin of 145-89, when both teams were members of the American Western Division. With the Crush now in the American Central, this game will mark the only meeting of the season. The SaberCats doubled up the Crush, 80-40, in San Jose during Week 4 (2/22/03) of last season, and then walked out of the Pepsi Center with a 65-49 win in a Week 13 (4/27/03) match up.


RADIO/TV COVERAGE: This week's 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
Tuesday, March 9
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Practice @ Crush Facility

Wednesday, March 10
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Practice @ Crush Facility

Thursday, March 11
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Practice @ Crush Facility

Friday, March 12
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Practice @ Crush Facility

Saturday, March 13
Depart for San Jose

Sunday, March 14
6:00 p.m. Crush at San Jose SaberCats


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 67-47, a winning percentage of .588. He ranks seventh on the AFL's all-time list for coaching wins. 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).

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason
Coach Team Wins This Week
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 157 vs. New York
Danny White Arizona 126 at Las Vegas
Perry Moss 86
Mike Hohensee Chicago 77 bye
Michael Trigg Philadelphia 75 at Columbus
John Gregory 72
Mike Dailey Crush 67 at San Jose
Darren Arbet San Jose 62 vs. Colorado


Darren Arbet (San Jose SaberCats, 6th season):
Now in his sixth season at the helm of the SaberCats, Darren Arbet owns the highest regular season winning percentage (.729) in league history among coaches with at least 20 victories and his 62 career wins rank him 8th in league annals. Named AFL Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2002, Arbet has guided the SaberCats to four straight double-digit win seasons – the longest current streak in league history – and his teams have compiled a 50-12 (.806) regular season record since the start of the 2000 campaign. Under his direction the SaberCats have set league records for most regular season wins (13 – 2002), most wins in a season (16- 2002), most consecutive wins in a regular season (12 – 2002), most wins to end a season (11 – 2000) and the longest regular season win streak (15 – 2000-01). Arbet's first career victory came at Grand Rapids on April 24, 1999.



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
Chad Dukes T-2nd Fumble Recoveries 2
Kevin McKenzie T-2nd Fumble Recoveries 2
Rashad Floyd T-2nd Interceptions 2
Kevin McKenzie T-2nd Interceptions 2
Anthony Brenner T-3rd Scoring (Kickers) 40
Damian Harrell T-4th Scoring (non-Kick) 72
Saul Patu T-4th Sacks 2.0
Chad Dukes 5th Rushing Yards 62
John Dutton T-7th Fewest Interceptions 3
Damian Harrell T-7th 3rd Down Rec. Yds 6
John Dutton 9th % TD/Pass Attempt 14.6
John Dutton 9th % INT/Pass Attempt 2.1
John Dutton T-9th Touchdown Passes 21
John Dutton 10th Pass Attempts 144
Damian Harrell 10th Receiving Yards 406
Damian Harrell 10th Yds/Scrimmage 406
Damian Harrell T-10th First Downs 22

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Crush and the SaberCats stack up (through Week 5):
Statistical COLORADO SAN JOSE
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Points per Game 13th 46.4 1st 57.8
Points Allowed 10th 48.0 11th 48.3
Total Offense 17th 229.2 16th 243.3
Total Defense 9th 253.2 10th 254.0
Pass Offense 16th 208.0 14th 220.0
Pass Defense 10th 233.2 14th 247.5
Rushing Offense 8th 21.2 7th 23.3
Rushing Defense 9th 20.0 1st 6.5
Kickoff Returns 16th 16.1 1st 27.2
KO Return Allowed 5th 16.9 14th 19.2
Takeaways 2nd 11 T-6th 8
Giveaways T-15th 8 4th 4
Turnover Margin T-5th +3 4th +4
First Downs/Game 18th 16.8 13th 18.0
Opp. First Downs 14th 20.0 15th 20.8
Avg. Yds per Play 12th 6.1 14th 5.9
Opp. Avg Yds/Play 5th 5.7 4th 5.6
3rd Down Efficiency 19th 29.2% 17th 38.5%
Opp. 3rd Down Eff. 10th 48.5% 8th 46.2%
4th Down Efficiency T-11th 50.0% 5th 71.4%
Opp. 4th Down Eff. T-13th 66.7% 7th 42.9%
Field Goal % T-10th 33.3% 9th 40.0%
TD% Inside the 10 18th 58.8% 13th 68.2%
Opp. TD% Inside the 10 19th 92.6% T-16th 83.3%
(Top 5 ranks in bold, league leaders in red)
COLORADO CRUSH NEXT WEEK
The Crush remains on the road as they travel to Philadelphia to face Jon Bon Jovi's expansion Philadelphia Soul on Sunday, March 21 at 10 a.m. MT. The game will be broadcast regionally by NBC.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
OS Damian Harrell: Now in his sixth AFL season, Harrell has amassed 5,620 receiving yards on 401 catches, an average of 14.01 yards/catch, along with 117 career touchdowns (1 on return) ... Tied for 4th in the AFL in scoring (non-kickers) with 72 points, on 12 touchdowns this season ... Also ranks 10th in receiving yards with 406, and is tied for 10th in the league with 22 first downs ... Tied for 7th in third down receptions with six ... He has caught nine TDs in his last three games. He has been named Offensive Player of the Game twice this season (vs. Las Vegas 2/6, vs. Detroit 3/4) ... Caught two TDs in the last 12 seconds to lift the Crush to victory over Las Vegas ... Four of his five catches vs. Detroit were for TDs, including a 41-yard TD.

QB John Dutton: As Dutton goes, so go the Crush ... The former ArenaBowl MVP (XVI w/ SJ) has completed 88-of-144 passes (61.1%) for 1052 yards and 21 touchdowns ... Twice he has been named Offensive Player of the Game (@ Grand Rapids 2/14, vs. Austin 2/27) ... Was 22-30 for 209 yards, four TDs and no interceptions vs. Austin ... Completed 20-of-24 passes for 264 yards and 4 TDs at Grand Rapids ... Completed only 12 passes vs. Detroit, but seven were for touchdowns ... Currently tied for seventh fewest interceptions in AFL (3), ranks ninth in percentage of pass attempts resulting in touchdowns (14.6) and tied for ninth in touchdown passes (21).

WR/DB Kevin McKenzie: Third-year standout has been the Crush's best Ironman through the first five games of the season ... Ranks second on the team in receptions with 24 and in receiving yards with 290 yards ... Tied for second in the AFL in both interceptions (2) and with fumble recoveries (2) ... Named the AFL's Ironman of the Week following a great two-way performance in the 55-37 victory over Grand Rapids in Week 2 ... 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 ... 44 yd INT return is longest in the AFL this season ... He has been named Ironman of the Game in three of the Crush's first five games (vs. Las Vegas 2/6, @ Grand Rapids 2/14, vs. Austin 2/27) ... McKenzie will be facing his former teammates on Sunday, as he spent the 2003 season playing for San Jose.


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
Bryant Shaw OL/DL Lt. Knee MCL Sprain out

RECENT CRUSH TRANSACTIONS
Date Transaction
3/9/04 Placed Ol/DL Bryant Shaw on the injured reserve list (left knee MCL sprain. Activated OL/DL Winfield Garnett from the refused to report list.
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. He now needs 111 yards to move into second place.

AFL Career Rushing Yards
Player Team 2004 Career
Les Barley — — 1,382
Andre Bowden TAM 5 1,199
Chad Dukes COL 62 1,088
Bo Kelly LV — 1,063
Bob McMillen CHI 106 970
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 at San Jose will mark his 145th consecutive start.

AFL Receiving Leaders (2000-04)
Catches – Receiving Yards
Player (team) 2000-03 2004 Total
Chris Jackson (LA) 355 - 4,992 20 - 269 375 - 5,261
Damian Harrell (COL) 348 - 4,851 28 - 406 376 - 5,257
Mike Horacek (IND) 363 - 4,735 29 - 409 392 - 5,144
Greg Hopkins (LA) 400 - 4,888 21 - 248 421 - 5,136

HOMECOMING
Both QB John Dutton and WR/DB Kevin McKenzie will be revisiting their old stomping grounds when the team travels to San Jose to face the SaberCats.
Dutton spent his first three AFL seasons (2000-02) with the ‘Cats, leading them to the ArenaBowl title in 2002, where he was named ArenaBowl XVI MVP. He signed with the Crush prior to their inaugural season.
McKenzie, now in his third AFL season, spent the 2003 season as a two-way player for San Jose before moving to the Crush this past offseason.

FAMILIAR FACES
While the faces of former SaberCats John Dutton and Kevin McKenzie will surely be familiar to the fans of San Jose, fans in Colorado just may recognize a couple of the ‘Cats as well.
Second-year OL/DL Brian Johnson played his high school ball at Highlands Ranch H.S. where he was a second-team all-league running back his senior season. He was also an honorable mention all-league pick in basketball and took second place in the state 5A shotput his senior year. Following high school Johnson became a four-year letterman and three-year starter at defensive end at the University of New Mexico.
San Jose defensive coordinator Michael Church served as defensive line coach under Craig Morton for the old Denver Gold of the United States Football League (USFL).

HOME COOKIN'
When you come to a Crush game don't plan on leaving early. While the team is off to a 3-0 start at Pepsi Center, the three games have been decided by a grand total of four points. In fact, the Crush scored two touchdowns in the final 12 seconds to escape with a 43-42 win in the season opener over Las Vegas. In contrast, they were the one staving off a late Detroit comeback when they stopped the Fury's potential game-winning two-point conversion attempt
to hold on to a 62-61 win.

THE NUMBERS GAME
Although the Crush are 4-1, they have been outscored 232-240 this season. Only one other AFL team at .500 or better has allowed more points than they have scored. Georgia is 3-2 despite being outscored 258-263 on the year. In fact, the Crush, Force and 2-3 Tampa Bay Storm are the only teams with at least two wins (of 16 teams) to have been outscored.

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, and with Bryant Shaw now on injured reserve, only four active players are in their second Crush season.

Returning 2003 Players
John Dutton Saul Patu Ahmad Hawkins
Damian Harrell Bryant Shaw (IR)


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.


AWARDS

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)
5 vs. Detroit Damian Harrell (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)
5 vs. Detroit Willis Marshall (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)
5 vs. Detroit Willis Marshall (COL)


AFL IRONMAN OF THE WEEK: Kevin McKenzie (Week 2)


CRUSH NOTABLES

Team
· At 4-1 start, the Crush has already doubled their win total from their entire inaugural season
· They are tied for first place in the American Central Division lead
· The Crush finished 0-8 at home last season. They have the 2004 season 3-0 at Pepsi Center.
· The Crush's three home wins are by a combined four points.
· Crush is one of only two teams in the AFL with a winning record that has been outscored on the season (Georgia is the other).
· Prior to this season the team had never been over .500 or won consecutive games. The team has been over .500 the entire season and has won back-to-back games twice.

Individual
· Crush coach Mike Dailey (67) and SaberCats coach Darren Arbet (62) are the seventh and eighth winningest coaches in AFL history.
· Damian Harrell made his 400th career reception during the game vs. Detroit on 3/4.
· Harrell also made his 50th TD catch with the Crush.
· Chad Dukes needs 111 yards to become the second leading rusher in AFL history.



WEEK 6 AFL ON NBC SCHEDULE, Sun., March 14:


Los Angeles at Grand Rapids, 10am
New York at Tampa Bay, 10 am

(all times are Mountain)

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