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Columbus Destroyers game notes

February 4, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Columbus Destroyers (0-0) at Indiana Firebirds (0-0)
DATE: February 7, 2004
KICKOFF: 7:00 p.m.
SITE: Conseco Fieldhouse (16,060)
OFFICIALS: Tom McCabe - Referee, Matt Jordan - Umpire, Neil Brunner - Head Linesman, Bob McElwee - Line Judge, Joe Duncan- Back Judge.
RADIO: WAZU 107.1 FM "The Big Wazoo" (Marty Bannister and Greg Frey)
SERIES RECORD: Destroyers lead 2-0
LAST MEETING: April 26, 2003 (Destroyers 36, Firebirds 35)
COACHES: Earle Bruce (13-23 Overall)
Steve DeBerg (0-0 Overall)

THE STAKES: The Destroyers are beginning their first season after the relocation from Buffalo, NY. A win would give the Destroyers their third season opening win and would give them momentum into the first home game in their new home.

THE SERIES: The Firebirds hold a 3-2 advantage over the Destroyers, however the Destroyers have claimed victories in the last two meetings. Their last meeting, in Buffalo, ended a 36-35 squeaker. The Destroyers stopped Firebird QB Raymond Philyaw on a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to come up with the win. The Destroyers other win over the ‘Birds occurred on June 10, 2000, in Buffalo when the Firebirds played in Albany, NY. The Destroyers came away from that contest with a 51-48 overtime win.

COLUMBS DESTROYERS SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
2/7 At Indiana 7:00
2/13 CAROLINA 7:00
2/21 At Philadelphia 7:30
2/29 DALLAS 3:00
3/5 At Arizona 9:00
3/13 PHILADELPHIA 7:00
3/20 At New York 7:00
4/4 ORLANDO 12:00
4/10 NEW YORK 7:00
4/18 At New Orleans 3:00
4/25 TAMPA BAY 12:00
5/1 At Carolina 7:30
5/9 GEORGIA 3:00
5/14 GRAND RAPIDS 7:00
5/22 At Dallas 8:30
5/29 At Las Vegas 4:00

INDIANA FIREBIRDS SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
2/7 COLUMBUS 7:00
2/14 At New Orleans 3:00
2/23 At Detroit 7:30
2/29 CHICAGO 3:00
3/6 At Orlando 7:30
3/14 At Austin 3:00
3/20 GEORGIA 7:00
3/26 GRAND RAPIDS 7:30
4/3 At Colorado 3:00
4/11 CAROLINA 3:00
4/17 At Grand Rapids 7:30
4/25 ARIZONA 3:00
5/2 At Las Vegas 3:00
5/8 DETROIT 8:00
5/16 COLORADO 3:00
5/23 At Chicago 3:00






COLUMBUS JOINS THE AFL
Columbus joined the Arena Football League as the Columbus Destroyers in September of 2003. While the Destroyers will celebrate their inaugural season in Columbus, the franchise has a five-year history in the AFL having played previously in Buffalo at HSBC Arena.

DESTROYERS NEXT WEEK
The Destroyers will host the Carolina Cobras next Friday, February 13 for the team's inaugural home opener at Nationwide Arena. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The Cobras hold a 3-1 all-time advantage over the Destroyers with the Cobras claiming a 44-16 victory during the last meeting between the two teams on February 9 of last season.

2003 REVIEW
The Destroyers entered last year coming off back-to-back 6-8 seasons, looking to surpass the .500 mark in 2003. The team got off to their best start in franchise history, finding themselves at 3-1 through four games. The Destroyers would go on to loose their next six games in a row and would finish the season at 5-11.

BATTLE OF I-70
With Columbus joining the AFL in central Ohio, the Destroyers and Firebirds are only separated by 172 miles on I-70 which runs from downtown Columbus directly to downtown Indianapolis. Though the two teams are in separate divisions, an out-of-divisional rivalry could be in the works.

EARLE BRUCE
Earle Bruce returns to the Arena Football League as head coach and general manager for the Columbus Destroyers. Bruce landed his first collegiate head coaching job at the University of Tampa in 1972, where he fashioned a 10-2 record, including a win in the Tangerine Bowl. He took over at Iowa State University from 1973-1978, where he guided the Cyclones to eight wins in each of his last three seasons. Bruce succeeded long-time coach Woody Hayes at Ohio State in 1979 and went on to compile an 81-26-1 record from 1979-1987 in Columbus. He led the Buckeyes to two outright Big Ten titles (1979, 1984) and two co-championships (1981, 1986) and was named the 1980 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Following his tenure in Columbus, Bruce coached at the University of Northern Iowa in 1988 before taking over the Colorado State University program from 1989-92. He led the Rams to their best season in school history, a 9-4 record that included a win in the Freedom Bowl. Bruce began his coaching career in the AFL during the 1993-1994 season with the Cleveland Thunderbolts. He spent the 1994-1995 season with the St. Louis Stampede, making theirs the best record of an expansion football team at 9 and 4 and taking them to the playoffs. In 2001 Bruce coached the Iowa Barnstormers in the AF2 League.

STEVE DEBERG
DeBerg begins his first season as head coach of the Indiana Firebirds after playing eighteen seasons as a quarterback in the National Football League. Following his illustrious playing career, DeBerg served as the quarterback's coach for the New York Giants (1996) and Atlanta Falcons (1999).
DeBerg was a tenth-round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys in 1977. He would later play for six different teams throughout his career including stops with the San Francisco 49ers (1977-1980), Denver Broncos (1981-1983), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1984-1987, 1992-1993), Kansas City Chiefs (1988-1991), Miami Dolphins (1993) and Atlanta Falcons (1998). During his career, DeBerg played for legendary coaches Bill Walsh, Dan Reeves, Don Shula and Marty Schottenheimer. DeBerg compiled some of the most impressive passing statistics in NFL history. In 207 games, he completed 2874-of-5024 pass attempts (57.2%) for 34,241 yards and 196 touchdowns. He currently ranks among the NFL's all-time top 15 list in pass attempts (14th), completions (t-12th) and passing yards (15th).



Tale of the tape: Here's how the Destroyers
and Firebirds match up (2003 rankings). If Columbus defeats Indiana,


COL IND

·
CATEGORY RANK STAT RANK STAT
Scoring Offense 14 34.6 10 48.4
Scoring Defense 4 46.9 11 51.9
Total Offense 16 209.1 14 244.6
Total Defense 2 238.5 14 286
Touchdowns Scored 15 70 13 93
Points Scored (kicking) 16 70 1 154
Rushing Offense 12 11.1 2 24.6
Rushing Defense 11 19.4 3 11.9
Rushing Touchdowns 12 17 3 32
Pass Offense 16 197.9 14 220.0
Pass Defense 1 219.1 15 274.1
Passing Touchdowns 16 53 14 61
Field Goal Percentage 16 .211 5 .552
Field Goals made 13 8 1 24
PAT Kicking 15 46-64 7 82-96
Kick Return Yards 7 2,073 4 2,184
Interceptions 4 21 9 15


THE IFS...
If Columbus defeats Indiana, it would...

- Give Columbus their first win in team history
- Give the Destroyers franchise their third opening week victory
- Give Head Coach Earle Bruce his first AFL victory since 1995
- Mark the Destroyers' third consecutive victory over the Firebirds

Destroyers Practice Schedule
Wednesday, February 4
9-11 a.m. Practice
11 a.m. Media Availability
Thursday, February 5
9-11 a.m. Practice
11 a.m. Media Availability
Friday, February 6
9-11 a.m. Practice
Travel to Indiana 3 p.m.
Saturday, February 7
Destroyers @ Firebirds 7 p.m.

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