Sports stats

Colorado Crush game notes

March 21, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Colorado Crush News Release


QUICK FACTS:

Colorado Crush (6-2) vs. Columbus Destroyers (4-4)

Date: March 25, 2006

Kickoff: 6:45 p.m. MT

Site: Pepsi Center (18,093)

Television: FSN (Tim Neverett: play-by-play, Howard Griffith: analyst, Dave Benz: sidelines)

Radio: KHOW 630 AM (Marc Stout: play-by-play, Andy Lindahl: analyst)

Coaches: Mike Dailey, Colorado (94-60, 10th Year)
Doug Kay, Columbus (20-33 overall, 4-4 w/ Destroyers, 4th Year overall, 1st w/ Destroyers)

Officials: Referee: Tom McCabe
Umpire: Paul Frerking
Head Linesman: Bill Ward
Line Judge: Bob McElwee
Back Judge: Joe Duncan

Series Record: Colorado leads the all-times series 1-0
@ Colorado 52, Columbus 37 (3/20/06)

THE GAME:

The 2005 ArenaBowl Champion Colorado Crush begin a back-to-back home set with a Saturday night contest against the Columbus Destroyers on March 25th at 6:45 p.m. at the Pepsi Center. Colorado and Columbus have only faced each other once as the Crush captured a 52-37 victory last season in Denver.

The Crush enter the game with the AFL's third rated scoring offense averaging 55.9 points per game, while the Destroyers' defense comes into the contest holding opponent to just 43.5 points per game, which is good for second in the league.

Colorado is one of only two teams that remain undefeated at home this year (Nashville), as the Crush prepared for the second half of the 2006 season playing five of their last eight games at the Pepsi Center.

Quarterback John Dutton has played particularly well at home this year, throwing for 881 yards and 22 touchdowns in the three home games this season. The Crush have also scored 60+ points in each of their three home games.

The Columbus Destroyers have captured three wins over their last four games, as they enter the first two straight road contests against Colorado and
Dallas. Both the Crush and Desperados hold their respective conferences top records, so the Destroyers should find out a lot about themselves over the next few weeks.

Last week, the Destroyers' defense forced four Philadelphia turnovers en route to a 53-20 victory over the Soul. The 20 points allowed by the Columbus defense was the second fewest allowed in franchise history and fewest allowed since the team moved to Columbus in 2004. It also was the fewest points scored by the Soul in franchise history.

Quarterback John Kaleo passed for 307 yards and five touchdowns against the Soul, while defensive specialist Jerald Brown had two interceptions in the win.
Kaleo has thrown for 300+ yards in each of his last three games and Brown is currently second in the league with seven interceptions on the season.


PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Wed, March 22- Practice at South Suburban Sports Dome
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Thurs, March 23- Practice at South Suburban Sports Dome
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Fri, March 24- Walk-through

Sat, March 25- Crush vs. Columbus, 6:45 p.m. MT

Sun, March 26- Players Off Day

Mon, March 27- Players Off Day

THE SCHEDULE:

COLORADO CRUSH (6-2)

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 L 36-58
Feb. 26 at Philadelphia W 48-38
March 5 GRAND RAPIDS W 66-54
March 10 at Chicago W 49-42
March 19 at Los Angeles L 57-60
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

CRUSH NEXT WEEK:

The Crush stay in Denver for the second of back-to-back home games when they host the Nashville Kats on Saturday, April 1st at 6:45 p.m. in the Pepsi Center. Colorado holds a one game lead over Nashville in the Central Division standings. In the first meetings between these two teams on February 18th, the Kats handed the Crush their worse loss of the season, 36-58.

CONNECTIONS:

Crush WR/LB Andy McCullough is a native of Dayton ... Colorado WR/LB Willis Marshall won three Division I-AA national championships at Youngstown (OH) State under current Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel ... Columbus OL/DL Chris Janek played for the Crush during their inaugural 2003 season and was traded to Indiana on 6/26/03 along with Anthony Derricks and current Crush DS Delvin Hughley in exchange for the rights to Crush head coach Mike Dailey.

STATISTICS:

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

Statistical COLORADO COLUMBUS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 3rd 55.9 16th 44.0
Scoring Defense 10th 52.8 2nd 43.5
Total Offense (yds/g) 5th 296.0 17th 255.8
Total Defense (yds/g) 7th 277.2 3rd 254.5
Pass Offense 5th 284.0 16th 235.0
Pass Defense 7th 253.1 4th 237.1
Rushing Offense 15th 12.0 8th 20.8
Rushing Defense 12th 24.1 7th 17.4
Passer Rating 8th 112.3 16th 90.2
Def. Passer Rating 15th 115.8 3rd 93.6
Kickoff Returns 8th 43-768 3rd 44-878
MFG Returns 3rd 3-79 2nd 1-28
Turnover Margin 17th -7 4th +5
Field Goals 2nd 3-4 13th 8-19
PATs 11th 54-62 10th 38-43
First Downs 3rd 174 16th 152
Opp. First Downs T-9th 156 3rd 147
Penalties (yds/g) 5th 35.8 9th 43.0
Sacks By 4th 11-45 12th 6-33
Sacks Against 3rd 3-22 14th 10-55
Time of Possession 14th 29:19 5th 31:23
Red Zone Offense 3rd 34-40 T-15th 26-36
Red Zone Defense 17th 35-39 4th 31-41

THE CRUSH THIS SEASON ARE:

O H R
Overall Record 6-2 3-0 3-2
Overtime Games 0-0 0-0 0-0
Score first 2-0 1-0 1-0
Opponent scores first 4-2 2-0 2-2
Score 40+ points 6-1 3-0 3-1
Score less than 40 points 0-1 0-0 0-1
Games decided by 10+ pts 3-1 2-0 1-1
Games decided by 7 pts or less 3-0 1-0 2-0
Games decided by 3 pts or less 2-1 1-0 1-1
Lead at halftime 3-1 1-0 2-1
Trail at halftime 2-1 1-0 1-1
Are tied at halftime 1-0 1-0 0-0
Lead after 3rd quarter 5-1 3-0 2-1
Trail after 3rd quarter 0-1 0-0 0-1
Are tied after 3rd quarter 1-0 0-0 1-0
Lead time of possession 3-1 1-0 2-1
Trail time of possession 3-1 2-0 1-1
Positive turnover margin 2-0 1-0 1-0
Negative turnover margin 2-2 1-0 1-2
Even turnover margin 2-0 1-0 1-0
More total yards offense 3-2 0-0 3-2
Less total yards offense 3-0 3-0 0-0
On Fridays 1-0 0-0 1-0
On Saturdays 0-1 0-0 0-1
On Sundays 5-1 3-0 2-1
vs. American Conference 4-2 3-0 1-2
vs. Central Division 3-1 2-0 1-1
vs. Western Division 1-1 1-0 0-1
vs. National Conference 1-0 0-0 1-0
vs. Eastern Division 1-0 0-0 1-0
vs. Southern Division 1-0 0-0 1-0

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

Feb. 10, 2006- Signed QB Todd Hammel. Placed on Injured Reserve OL/DL Chris Berg.
Feb. 17, 2006- Activated from Injured Reserve OL/DL Craig Heimburger. Placed on Injured Reserve OL/DL Aaron Johnson.
Feb. 20, 2006- Waived WR/DB Toure Carter.
Feb. 25, 2006- Activated from Injured Reserve OL/DL Chris Berg.
March 5, 2006- Placed on Emergency Hold K Clay Rush. Signed Emergency K Jason Ball.
March 6, 2006- Placed on Injured Reserve K Clay Rush. Activated from Emergency Kicker Jason Ball.
March 9, 2006- Activated from Injured Reserve OL/DL Aaron Johnson. Placed on Injured Reserve OL/DL Craig Heimburger.
March 13, 2006 Waived K Jason Ball.
March 18, 2006- Re-Signed FB/LB Rich Young. Activated from Injured Reserve K Clay Rush, FB/LB Rich Young. Placed on Injured Reserve OL/DL Chris Watton.

HEAD COACHES:

MIKE DAILIEY, Colorado (94-60, 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 181
2. Danny White- Utah 144
3. Mike Hohensee- Chicago 98
4. Mike Dailey- Colorado 94
5. Perry Moss- not active 86
6. Darren Arbet- San Jose 85
7. Michael Trigg- not active 80
8. John Gregory- not active 73


DOUG KAY, Columbus (20-33 overall, 4-4 w/ Destroyers, 4th Year, 1st w/ Destroyers): Doug Kay was named head coach of the Columbus Destroyers on July 14, 2005. Kay becomes the third coach in Columbus Destroyers history and sixth in the Buffalo/Columbus franchise history. He has more than 40 years of football experience including 12 seasons in the Arena Football League. Overall Kay's teams have made the postseason in 10 of his 12 AFL seasons.

His AFL experience began in 1993 as defensive coordinator of the ArenaBowl VII champion Tampa Bay Storm. Four years later, Kay was once again defensive coordinator of a championship team, as the Arizona Rattlers captured ArenaBowl XI in 1997.
Kay was head coach of the Charlotte Rage in 1995 and returned to Charlotte as the head coach of the Carolina Cobras in 2000 and 2001. Prior to the AFL, Kay spent four seasons in the United States Football League with Boston/New Orleans Breakers and Tampa Bay Bandits.
A native of Chicago, Kay served in the U.S. Army for two years between 1954 and 1956. He received a bachelor's degree in physical education from Western Illinois in 1961 where he played both football and baseball.
On the gridiron, he played under the tutelage of Lou Saban as a quarterback, defensive back, tight end and punter. Kay earned a master's degree in physical education at Indiana State in 1966.

LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET:

DENVER -- It took a prodigious number of picks at the Pepsi Center to propel the Crush to its fifth win of 2005 and fourth in a row.

Delvin Hughley and Kevin McKenzie each ran back interceptions for touchdowns as the Colorado Crush pulled away from the Columbus Destroyers for a 52-37 win in front of 14,361 at Pepsi Center.

Hughley and McKenzie's interception returns covered 48 and 39 yards, respectively, and came on back-to-back fourth-quarter possessions that transformed a close game into a rout. The pickoffs were part of a 24-0 second-half run that turned a 29-28 deficit into a 52-29 lead.

The special teams added another score when Andy McCullough recovered a kickoff in the end zone at the end of the first quarter, meaning that defense and special teams accounted for three of the Crush's seven touchdowns.

McKenzie's interception was the one that turned the game. Colorado led 38-29, but the Destroyers were driving and appeared poised to score their fifth touchdown of the day before he leapt for the Ryan Vena pass while playing the restrictive box-linebacker position. McKenzie procured the pass and sprinted for the touchdown.

Colorado's offense was mistake-free, committing no turnovers for a second consecutive week. Dutton completed 17 of 29 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns to McCullough, Damian Harrell and Willis Marshall.

Ahmad Hawkins added a first-quarter interception for the Crush, which set a franchise single-game record with three interceptions off of Vena. The Crush also harassed Vena up front, sacking him three times.

Colorado's interceptions came without All-Arena Football League defensive specialist Rashad Floyd, who left with a lower-leg contusion less than three minutes into the game. Hawkins replaced him as defensive specialist.

LAST WEEK:


LOS ANGELES- An errant bounce off the football off the crossbar and a 17-0 Los Angeles Avengers run covering the second and third quarters proved to be the Colorado Crush's undoing in a 60-57 loss at Staples Center on Sunday.

The defeat dropped the Crush to 6-2 and trimmed its Central Division lead over the Nashville Kats to one game. Los Angeles improved to 3-5.

Colorado fell behind 7-0 after Lonnie Ford ran for a 1-yard touchdown following Jemelle Cage's recovery of the opening kickoff off the rebound net. However, the Crush would dominate the rest of the first half, going on a 35-12 run to take a 16-point lead with 1:09 left in the first half.
Remy Hamilton ended the first half with an 18-yard field goal for the Avengers -- his third successful field goal of the half. Los Angeles then opened the second half with back-to-back touchdowns via a Kevin Ingram touchdown reception and an Antuan Simmons interception return to take a 36-35 lead.

The teams then exchanged scores until the game's final minutes, when another lost kickoff turned the game in Los Angeles' favor.

As Damian Harrell attempted to catch the ball off the crossbar, he was drilled by Los Angeles' Silas Demary, allowing the football to bounce free. No call was made, and the Avengers recovered at the Crush 1-yard-line, setting up a Sonny Cumbie 1-yard plunge over the goal line on the next play.

Colorado had a chance to re-take the lead on its next possession, but Los Angeles' Damen Wheeler intercepted Dutton pass on the drive's first play. Lonnie Ford scored two plays later to put the Avengers in front 60-49. A Harrell touchdown and Willis Marshall two-point conversion reception with nine seconds left put the Crush back within three points, but the ensuing on-side kickoff failed, sealing Colorado's first defeat since Feb. 18.

THINGS TO WATCH:

THE STEAK STOPS HERE:

In Week 2, 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.

Three weeks later, the Crush ended the Philadelphia Soul's perfect mark at home for the 2006 season. The Soul had started the year a perfect 3-0 at the Wachovia Center before Colorado captured a 48-38 victory on 2/26/06.

In a Week 7 contest at Chicago (3/10), the Crush broke through for their first-ever victory in Allstate Arena in three times with a 49-42 win. The victory also gave Colorado their first-ever season sweep over the Rush.

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 6 27
Orlando 10 10 4 24
Tampa Bay 9 10 5 24
Chicago 11 9 3 23
New York 9 10 4 23
San Jose 11 9 3 23
Los Angeles 9 10 3 22

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH:

After finishing their inaugural season 0-8 at home, the Crush are now 18-3 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.

Through eight weeks of the 2006 season, Colorado is one of only two teams still undefeated at home (Nashville).

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.

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 eight sacks in their last 32 regular season games (total of 1,518 plays).

ALL-PURPOSE MARSHALL:

Following his selection to the All-Ironman team last season, Willis Marshall is making a case to make it two years in a row.

Against Grand Rapids (3/5), Marshall amassed 275 all-purpose yards, the second highest single-game total in team history (291- Willis Marshall, vs. San Jose 4/22/05).

His 198 kickoff return yards vs. the Rampage were also second all-time in club history (227- Willis Marshall, vs. San Jose 4/22/05).

Currently, he stands fifth in the AFL in all-purpose yards with 1,314 on the season (16 rushing, 525 receiving and 773 return).

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 1,320
3. Remy Hamilton 1998-pres. L.A. 1,146
4. Clay Rush 1999-pres. Colorado 964
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 163
3. Remy Hamilton 1998-pres. L.A. 150
4. Kenny Stucker 1994-99, 2003 n/a 118
5. Clay Rush 1999-pres. Colorado 113
6. Daron Alcorn 1997-04 n/a 100

A BROKEN RECORD:

Damian Harrell has caught a touchdown pass in an AFL record 57 straight regular season games, including all 53 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) --- 57
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) --- 57
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 (Col.)* 166 18 184
Otis Moore (Gra.) 153 1 155
*streak current

AMONG THE BEST:

Here is a break-down on where some of the Crush players rank in the AFL in various categories this season:

PLAYER CATEGORY AFL RANK

OS- Damian Harrell
Scoring 1st
Scoring (TDs) 1st Receptions 3rd
Receiving Yards 2nd
Receiving TDs 1st

WR/LB- Willis Marshall

All-Purpose Yards 5th
Kick Returns 3rd
Kick Return Yards 3rd

QB- John Dutton

Completions 2nd
Attempts 1st
Passing TDs 2nd
Passing Yards 4th

Total Offense 4th

OL/DL- Dustin Barno

Sacks T-4th

DS- Rashad Floyd

Tackles T-1st

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 Poll
# 1 ranking- Week 1
# 1 ranking- Week 2
# 1 ranking- Week 3
# 1 ranking- Week 4
# 1 ranking- Week 7
# 1 ranking- Week 8

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



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 21, 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.

Other Recent Colorado Crush Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central