Colorado Crush game notes

Published on February 14, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Colorado Crush News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Colorado Crush (3-0) at Nashville Kats (2-1)

Date: February 18, 2006
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. MT
Site: Gaylord Entertainment Center (15,711)
Television: FSN Rocky Mountain (Tim Neverett: play-by-play, Howard Griffith: color analyst, Dave Benz: sideline)
Radio: KHOW 630 AM (Marc Stout: play-by-play, Andy Lindahl: color analyst)
Coaches: Mike Dailey, Colorado (91-58, 10th Year)
Pat sperduto, Nash. (40-28-1, 5th Year)
Officials: Referee: David Lambros
Umpire: Al Granado
Head Linesman: Bill Ward
Line Judge: Brain Matthews Back Judge: Joe Duncan
Series Record: Colorado leads the all-time series 2-0
Colorado 42, @ Nashville 35 (3/12/05)
@ Colorado 52, Nashville 49 (5/13/05)

THE OPPONENT:

The Nashville Kats enter their second straight Central Division tilt after losing their first game of the season 56-55 last week in overtime at Chicago. For Nashville, second-year QB Clint Stoerner has plenty of weapons
on offense to choose from. Offensive specialist TT Toliver leads the Kats receiving corps with 336 receiving yards and 23 catches through three games, while WR/DB Cornelius Bonner contributed with three scoring receptions against the Rush and All-Arena WR/LB Cory Fleming rounds out the group. Defensively, Nashville is atop the AFL only allowing a league best 37 points per game.

THE GAME:

The 2005 ArenaBowl Champion Colorado Crush travel to Nashville to take on the Kats on Saturday, February 18th at 6:00 p.m. MT in the Gaylord Entertainment Center. The Crush's 3-0 start is the best in their four-year history as Colorado will look to remain the American Conference's last undefeated team.

The last time these two teams met, the Crush pulled off a thrilling 52-49 victory when Clay Rush connected on a 31-yard field goal as time expired. The successful kick skipped off the left upright before falling between the goalposts and handed Nashville their first lost in their last six games.

The Crush-Kats match-up also will be a battle of wills as Colorado enters the contest with the AFL's top scoring offense averaging 63.7 points per game while Nashville is only allowing a league best 37 points per game.

Colorado enters the game riding some impressive steaks as well. OL/DL Kyle Moore-Brown will be playing in his AFL-record 180th consecutive game- a streak that began 12 seasons ago, OS Damian Harrell has caught a touchdown pass in a league-record 52 straight games, QB John Dutton has thrown for 6+ touchdowns in every game this season and the Crush have scored 60+ points in all three games on the year.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Wed, Feb. 15- Practice at South Suburban Sports Dome
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Thurs, Feb. 16- Practice at South Suburban Sports Dome
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Fri, Feb. 17- Travel to Nashville

Sat, Feb 18- Colorado vs. Nashville, 6:00 p.m. MT
Sun, Feb 19- Travel to Denver

Mon, Feb 20- Players Day Off



THE SCHEDULE:

COLORADO CRUSH (3-0)

Date OPPONENT RESULT SCORE
Jan. 29 CHICAGO W 65-56
Feb. 5 at Georgia W 61-59
Feb. 12 LAS VEGAS W 65-55
Feb. 18 at Nashville
Feb. 26 at Philadelphia
March 5 GRAND RAPIDS
March 10 at Chicago
March 19 at Los Angeles
March 25 COLUMBUS
April 1 NASHVILLE
April 8 at Grand Rapids
April 16 at Kansas City
April 21 UTAH
April 28 ORLANDO
May 6 at San Jose
May 12 ARIZONA

STATISTICS:

A look at how Colorado and Nashville match-up on both sides of the ball based on 2006 regular season statistics:

Statistical COLORADO NASHVILLE
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 1st 63.7 5th 55.0
Scoring Defense 14th 56.7 1st 37.0
Total Offense (yds/g) 5th 302.0 3rd 307.3
Total Defense (yds/g) 14th 301.0 2nd 220.0
Pass Offense 4th 289.7 5th 282.3
Pass Defense T-13th 270.3 2nd 197.3
Rushing Offense 11th 12.3 7th 25.0
Rushing Defense 17th 30.7 T-11th 22.7
Kickoff Returns 16th 14.6 T-13th 16.0
Turnover Margin T-4th +1 2nd +5
Field Goals 1st 1-1 T-4th 4-6
First Downs 4th 64 2nd 66
Opp. First Downs T-10th 20.0 4th 17.3
Penalties (yds/g) 2nd 21.0 8th 33.3

THE CRUSH THIS SEASON ARE:

O H R
Overall Record 3-0 2-0 1-0
Overtime Games 0-0 0-0 0-0
Score first 1-0 0-0 1-0
Opponent scores first 2-0 2-0 0-0
Score 40+ points 3-0 2-0 1-0
Score less than 40 points 0-0 0-0 0-0
Games decided by 10+ pts 1-0 1-0 0-0
Games decided by 7 pts or less 2-0 1-0 1-0
Games decided by 3 pts or less 2-0 1-0 1-0
Lead at halftime 1-0 0-0 1-0
Trail at halftime 1-0 1-0 0-0
Are tied at halftime 1-0 1-0 0-0
Lead after 3rd quarter 2-0 2-0 0-0
Trail after 3rd quarter 0-0 0-0 0-0
Are tied after 3rd quarter 1-0 0-0 1-0
Lead time of possession 2-0 1-0 1-0
Trail time of possession 1-0 1-0 0-0
Positive turnover margin 1-0 1-0 0-0
Negative turnover margin 1-0 0-0 1-0
Even turnover margin 1-0 1-0 0-0
More total yards offense 1-0 0-0 1-0
Less total yards offense 2-0 2-0 0-0
On Fridays 0-0 0-0 0-0
On Saturdays 0-0 0-0 0-0
On Sundays 3-0 2-0 1-0
vs. American Conference 2-0 2-0 0-0
vs. Central Division 1-0 1-0 0-0
vs. Western Division 1-0 1-0 0-0
vs. National Conference 1-0 0-0 1-0
vs. Eastern Division 0-0 0-0 0-0
vs. Southern Division 1-0 0-0 1-0

CRUSH NEXT WEEK:

The Crush head out for their second straight road contest when they travel to Philadelphia to face the Soul in the Wachovia Center on Sunday, February 26th at 11:00 a.m. MT. Colorado has swept all three games in the "Rock vs. Jock" battle of Jon Bon Jovi vs. John Elway. The Crush have won the last two games over the Soul by 18 and 21 points respectively, but only captured a 7 point victory in their first meeting and only trip to the city of Brotherly Love in 2004.

HEAD COACHES:

MIKE DAILIEY, Colorado (91-58, 10th Year): Dailey enters his third season in Colorado and tenth as head coach in the AFL, after becoming the Crush's second head coach on June 26, 2003. Dailey joined the Crush following 13 seasons in the Albany/Indiana Firebirds organization, including the final seven as head coach.

One of the most successful and well-respected coaches in AFL history, his teams have made seven postseason appearances and he has won four division titles and two championships.

Last season under Dailey's guidance, the Crush captured their first Central Division title en route to claiming a 51-48 victory in ArenaBowl XIX giving Colorado their first AFL championship in only their third year of existence. With the team's win over Chicago in the American Conference championship game on June 5th, Dailey became the fourth winningest coach in AFL history surpassing Perry Moss.

In his first season in Colorado, Dailey helped guide the Crush to the largest turnaround in AFL history, inheriting a 2-14 team and leading them to an 11-5 record in 2004, tied for the best in the league. He also led the Crush to their first playoff appearance and first win, advancing to the AFL Semifinals.

In 1999, Dailey led the Firebirds to their only ArenaBowl championship and was named AFL Coach of the Year. Before being named head coach of the Firebirds in 1997,
Dailey served as an assistant in Albany for five seasons.

Dailey began his AFL coaching career with the Washington Commandos where he served as offensive/defensive line coach in 1990. He joined the Firebirds organization in the same capacity in 1991.

Prior to the AFL, Dailey worked as an assistant coach at Towson State University and was the offensive coordinator at Montgomery College-Rockville (Md.). Dailey got his start in coaching in 1981 as a 22-year-old assistant at Georgetown Prep High School in Rockville, Md. The move to coaching followed a semi-pro football career in the Washington D.C. area.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches
Including Postseason

Rank Name-Team Wins
1. Tim Marcum- Tampa Bay 178
2. Danny White- Utah 142
3. Mike Hohensee- Chicago 96
4. Mike Dailey- Colorado 91
5. Perry Moss- not active 86
6. Darren Arbet- San Jose 83
7. Michael Trigg- not active 80
8. John Gregory- not active 73


PAT SPERDUTO, Nashville (40-28-1, 5th Year): Pat Sperduto was at the helm of the original Kats team from 1999-2001, and joined the staff of the NFL's Tennessee Titans after the Kats franchise was sold and moved to Atlanta in 2001. He was hired to oversee the startup process of a new AFL team to be placed in Nashville, and last season he returned to the sidelines as head coach of the new Nashville Kats.
Sperduto has compiled a 38-27-1 record in his first four years as head coach of the Kats, and he led his team to back-to-back appearances in the ArenaBowl in 2000 and 2001.
Sperduto replaced Eddie Khayat as head coach in 1999 and posted the best record of seven AFL coaches who took over new teams in 2000. Sperduto spent his first two years as defensive coordinator for the Kats and was elevated to assistant head coach in 1998.
He is a three-time ArenaBowl World Champion, winning twice as a player for the Tampa Bay Storm (1991 and '93) and once as an assistant coach with the Storm (1994). Sperduto began his professional career as a player with the Canadian Football League's British Columbia Lions before joining the Tampa Bay Storm in the AFL from 1991-93.
He began his coaching career as an assistant with Murray State (Ky.) during the offseason in 1991, prior to taking over football operations for the American Sports Foundation of Macelata in Tolentino, Italy in 1992. He was an assistant with the Storm in 1994 and defensive coordinator and director of player personnel with Connecticut in 1995 before joining the Nashville Kats staff in 1997 as the defensive coordinator and player personnel director.
Sperduto played both fullback and linebacker for the University of Massachusetts at Boston, earning All-New England Conference honors from 1987-89.

THINGS TO WATCH:

IT'S NOT OVER TILL IT'S OVER:

Since head coach Mike Dailey has arrived in Colorado in 2004, the Crush have claimed victory in the final minute of the game in six contests. Both of the Crush wins in 2006 have come down to the final 60 seconds of play.

2004
- vs. Las Vegas (2/6)- QB John Dutton tosses two touchdown passes to OS Damian Harrell in the final 12 seconds to give Colorado a stunning 43-42 victory.

- at Detroit (5/23)- QB John Dutton found WR/DB Willis Marshall for a 10-yard touchdown pass with one second on the clock as the Crush won 45-42.

2005
- vs. Nashville (5/13)- K Clay Rush splits the uprights on a 31-yard field goal as time expires to give Colorado a 52-49 win.

- vs. Georgia (6/12)- K Clay Rush connects on a 20-yard field goal as time expires to give the Crush a 56-48 victory in ArenaBowl XIX.

2006
- vs. Chicago (1/29)- QB John Dutton hits OS Damian Harrell for a touchdown with one second remaining as the Crush go on to win 65-56.

- at Georgia (2/5)- QB John Dutton finds OS Damian Harrell for a 13-yard touchdown with 45 seconds left to lift Colorado to a 61-59 victory.

THE STEAK STOPS HERE:

Last week with the Crush's 61-59 victory over Georgia, Colorado snapped the Force's 11-game regular season home winning streak. Georgia's steak was tied for the third longest in AFL history. The Force had also won two playoff games in Philips Arena pushing their mark to 13 straight home games before the lost to Colorado.

BUILDING A WINNING TRADITION:

The Crush are the winningest team in the AFL since head coach Mike Dailey's arrival, having tied for the league's best record in 2004 (11-5) and finishing with the American Conference's top seed in 2005 (10-6).

Team 2004 2005 2006 Total
Colorado 11 10 3 24
Orlando 10 10 2 22
Chicago 11 9 1 21
New York 9 10 2 21
San Jose 11 9 1 21
Tampa Bay 9 10 2 21
Los Angeles 9 10 1 20
New Orleans 11 9 0 20

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH:

After finishing their inaugural season 0-8 at home, the Crush are now 17-3 under Mike Dailey (2-0 in the postseason) at the Pepsi Center. Two of the three losses consist of an overtime field goal by Indiana's kicker Clay Rush (now with Colorado) in 2004, and a 51-48 Chicago win in 2005 on a field goal with 3 seconds remaining.

STEEL CURTAIN:

After allowing 14 sacks in 2003 (12 on Dutton), the Crush pass protection has been stellar under head coach Mike Dailey. The team allowed just four sacks in 2004, and none after Week 6 at San Jose (3/14/04). Colorado did not allow a sack in their final 446 offensive plays of the 2004 regular season (10+ games).

The Crush allowed just six sacks in 2005, which includes an unforced fumble by QB John Dutton that the Crush recovered, on the opening play vs. Los Angele (2/27/05). On the 2005 season, Colorado held 10 opponents sackless.

The Crush have now allowed just six sacks in their last 27 regular season games (total of 1,289 plays).

TACKLING MACHINE:

After setting an AFL record with 122.0 tackles in 2004, Rashad Floyd smashed his record while recording the second most tackles in the league, 129.5, for the 2005 regular season. Floyd made a league-leading 123 solo tackles. This despite missing almost the entire game vs. Columbus (3/20) and being inactive in the game at Grand Rapids (4/30). Floyd also set an AFL record with 17.5 tackles vs. Los Angeles (2/27), besting the previous record of 17.0 set by L.A.'s Kevin Cobb at Houston (6/23/00). Floyd finished 30.0 tackles ahead of second place in 2004 Indiana's Anthony Derricks (93.0).

AFL Record - Most Tackle in a Season
Player Team Year Total Gms Avg.
Damon Mason Orl/GRR 2005 133.5* 17 7.85
Rashad Floyd Colorado 2005 129.5 15 8.63
Rashad Floyd Colorado 2004 122.0 16 7.63
Cornelius Coe Indiana 2001 121.5 14 8.68
Damon Mason Orlando 2000 108.0 14 7.71
Damon Mason Orlando 1999 103.0 14 7.36
Damon Mason Orlando 2001 101.0 14 7.21
* After being released by Orlando at the midway of the point of the season, Mason joined Grand Rapids for the team's final nine games. Mason missed both teams' bye week, therefore, he played in 17 games. Typically, regular season statistics are based on a 16-game season.

JUST FOR KICKS:

Crush kicker Clay Rush is among the all-time great AFL kickers. A two-time AFL Kicker of the Year, Rush currently ranks fourth on the all-time scoring list by kickers and fifth for field goals made.

AFL All-Time Leading Scorers (Kickers)
Rk Player Years Pres. Tm Points
1. Mike Black 1993-04 n/a 1,240
2. Steve Videtich 1996-pres. Utah 1,282
3. Remy Hamilton 1998-pres. L.A. 1,099
4. Clay Rush 1999-pres. Colorado 945
5. Daron Alcorn 1997-04 n/a 771
6. Kenny Stucker 1994-99, 2003 n/a 754

AFL Most All-Time Field Goals Made
Rk Player Years Pres. Tm FGM
1. Mike Black 1993-04 n/a 175
2. Steve Videtich 1996-pres. Utah 162
3. Remy Hamilton 1998-pres. L.A. 141
4. Kenny Stucker 1994-99, 2003 n/a 118
5. Clay Rush 1999-pres. Colorado 112
6. Daron Alcorn 1997-04 n/a 100

A BROKEN RECORD:

Damian Harrell has caught a touchdown pass in an AFL record 52 straight regular season games, including all 49 games as a member of the Crush. That streak is also the longest active streak of consecutive games scoring a TD. He broke the record for consecutive games with a receiving touchdown on 4/3/05 in the win over Las Vegas. It is also second-longest streak of consecutive games with a TD. Harrell's streak began with the Toronto Phantoms vs. Carolina on 7/4/02.

AFL Consecutive Games with a TD Reception
Year (Week)
Player (team) Stk began Stk ended # Games
Damian Harrell (Tor/Col) 2002 (Wk 12) --- 52
Eddie Brown (Albany) 1997 (Wk 3) 2000 (Wk 1) 41
Eddie Brown (Albany) 1994 (Wk 1) 1996 (Wk 14) 33
Chris Jackson (LA) 2000 (Wk 1) 2002 (Wk 7) 28

AFL Consecutive Games Scoring a Touchdown
Year (Week)
Player (team) Stk began Stk ended # Games
Eddie Brown (Alb/Ind) 1997 (Wk 3) 2002 (Wk 3) 65
Damian Harrell (Tor/Col)2002 (Wk 12) --- 52
Chris Jackson (LA) 2000 (Wk 1) 2003 (Wk 14) 47
Barry Wagner (Orlando) 1992 (Wk 10) 1996 (Wk 11) 43
Eddie Brown (Albany) 1994 (Wk 1) 1996 (Wk 14) 33

MAN OF STEEL:

A true AFL Ironman, Kyle Moore-Brown is in his 12th season in the league and has never missed a game. ArenaBowl XIX marked his AFL record 176th consecutive start. The first 139 all came with the Firebirds organization before he signed with the Crush prior to the 2004 season.

With Grand Rapids OL/DL Otis Moore missing two games in 2005, Moore-Brown now stands alone in the record books with 159 straight regular season games. Each had appeared in every game since 1995, with Moore-Brown having the overall edge with more playoff appearances.

AFL Record for Consecutive Games
Player (current team) Reg. Season Playoffs Total
Kyle Moore-Brown (Colo.)* 161 18 179
Otis Moore (Gra.) 153 1 155
*streak current

CRADLE OF COACHES:

Strangely enough, little Montgomery Junior College in Rockville, Md., is the cradle of AFL coaches. Crush head coach Mike Dailey (offensive coordinator) and Chicago head coach Mike Hohensee (quarterbacks coach) were assistants on the same staff there. Los Angeles head coach Ed Hodgkiss also coached there. Seven future NFL players played at Montgomery as well as Columbus quarterback John Kaleo, who finished his collegiate career at Maryland after leading Montgomery to the national championship game. Sadly, despite all of these successes and an all-time record of 315-154-13, Montgomery JC discontinued the football program in 2002.

Former Montgomery Junior College Coaches
Mike Dailey (current Colorado head coach) Ernesto Purnsley (1997-98, 2000-03)
Mike Hohensee (current Chicago head coach)
Ed Hodgkiss (current Los Angeles head coach)
Brent Winter (current Los Angeles assistant head coach)
Earl Hoffman (former Albany Firebirds quarterback coach)

AND THE AWARD GOES TO:

The Crush have been recognized for some of their achievements this season, both as a team and as players by being honored with the following awards:

AFLWA Schutt Top 12 Team Poll
#1 ranking- Week 1
#1 ranking- Week 2
#1 ranking- Week 3

AFL Offensive Player of the Week
John Dutton- Week 1

Beckett.com Player of the Week
John Dutton- Week 1

AFLWA Player of the Week
Damian Harrell- Week 1

ArenaFan Offensive Player of the Week
Damian Harrell- Week 1

ArenaFan Defensive Player of the Week
Rashad Floyd- Week 3

AFLWA pre-season Offensive Player of the Year
Damian Harrell

AFLWA pre-season Defensive Player of the Year
Rashad Floyd

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 14, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central