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Columbus Destroyers game notes

February 16, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Chicago Rush (2-1) at
Columbus Destroyers (0-2)
Date: Saturday, February 19, 2005
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Site: Nationwide Arena (17,171)
Officials: Wes Fritz, Referee; Paul Frerking, Umpire; Greg Shields, Head Linesman; Dave Chesney, Line Judge; James Cole, Back Judge
Radio: Columbus' flagship station WAZU-107.1 FM "The Big Wazoo" will broadcast the game live with Marty Bannister and Greg Frey.
Television: FSN Ohio (Dan Hoard, Jim Lachey and Jim Day)
Series Record: The Rush holds a 1-0 all-time series advantage over the Destroyers with the only meeting between the two franchises taking place on March 1, 2003 where the Rush bested the Destroyers 40-13 in a lopsided affair. Saturday's contest will be the second meeting between the two franchises with both games taking place on the Destroyers' home turf.
Series Streaks: Saturday will only be the second time these two teams have met.
Coaches: Columbus, Chris Spielman, 1st season (0-2 in 2005, 0-2 overall). Chicago, Mike Hohensee, 11th season (2-1 in 2005, 70-65 overall).

OVERVIEW: The Destroyers have opened the 2005 season with consecutive losses, however aim to break the trend at home against a Chicago team that has won two games in a row. Columbus got off to a quick start last week in Dallas, jumping out to an early 24-6 lead. However, the second half was unkind as the club was held to only seven points in the final three quarters to drop a 35-31 decision. Following Sunday's loss in Dallas, the Destroyers, looking for a spark, shook things up by releasing quarterback Chad Salisbury on Tuesday. The move paves the way for Matt D'Orazio who will make his first-career start at quarterback Saturday evening. The Destroyers enter week four as the top scoring defense in the AFL, however sport the 17th worst scoring offense in the league. Dallas comes to Columbus winners of two in a row over Philadelphia and Colorado. The Rush could easily be 3-0, having lost a closely contest game in overtime to the Dallas Desperados in week one.


COLUMBUS DESTROYERS (0-2)
Date Opponent Time Result Record
1/28 NASHVILLE 7:00 L (47-38) 0-1
2/13 @Dallas 3:00 L (35-31) 0-2
2/19 CHICAGO 7:00 - -
2/27 @Grand Rapids 3:00 - -
3/06 @Georgia 12:00 - -
3/12 LAS VEGAS 7:00 - -
3/20 @Colorado 3:00 - -
3/26 NEW YORK 7:00 - -
4/03 PHILADELPHIA 12:00 - -
4/08 @Arizona 10:00 - -
4/16 @New Orleans 8:00 - -
4/22 DALLAS 7:00 - -
4/30 AUSTIN 7:00 - -
5/07 @New York 7:00 - -
5/15 @Philadelphia 1:00 - -
5/22 TAMPA BAY 3:00 - -

*All Eastern Time

CHICAGO RUSH (2-1)
Date Opponent Time Result Record
1/30 @Dallas 3:00 L (66-65) 0-1
2/06 PHILADELPHIA 1:00 W (51-41) 1-1
2/13 @Colorado 3:00 W (51-48) 2-1
2/19 @Columbus 7:00
2/25 ORLANDO 8:30
3/06 NASHVILLE 3:00
3/13 @Grand Rapids 12:00
3/20 NEW ORLEANS 12:00
4/02 @New York 7:00
4/10 SAN JOSE 1:00
4/17 COLORADO 1:00
4/23 @Los Angeles 10:30
5/01 LAS VEGAS 1:00
5/07 @Arizona 10:00
5/15 GRAND RAPIDS 1:00
5/22 @Nashville 3:00

A COLUMBUS WIN OVER CHICAGO WOULD...

· Give the Destroyers their first win of the season
· Give the Destroyers their first win over the Chicago franchise
· Give the Destroyers their first win at home
· Give Chris Spielman his first-ever win as a head coach
· Prevent the Destroyers from falling to 0-3 on the young season

LAST SERIES MEETING

Destroyers 13, Rush 40 (3/1/03)
The game featured the top two scoring defenses in the league at the time with the Destroyers ranked No. 1 and the Rush ranked No. 2. Chicago bested the Destroyers in their only series meeting, 40-13 at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY on March 1, 2003. Chicago got on the board first after quarterback Billy Dicken found offensive specialist Antonio Chatman for an 18-yard touchdown, which would prove to be the only scoring either team would do in the first quarter. Chicago would add one score and Buffalo got on the board early in the second quarter on a Cornelius White touchdown before the two teams headed into the break in a defensive battle with a score of 13-7 Chicago. The Destroyers would only score six second half points and the Rush would respond with 21 unanswered points in the second half to hand the Destroyers their second loss of the season.
ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS VS CHICAGO
Date Score
March 1, 2003 CHICAGO 40, BUFFALO 13

MUST SEE TV
Saturday's Destroyers game will be televised for the second consecutive week. Last week the Dallas game was aired live on NBC and this week's game is scheduled to air live on FSN Ohio. It is the first of five games scheduled to air on FSN.

D'ORAZIO TO MAKE FIRST AFL START
Destroyers head coach Chris Spielman has preached early and often that if his players don't produce on the field, he won't hesitate to give someone else a chance. He backed up his statement this week by releasing quarterback Chad Salisbury, who had two sub-par performances in Columbus' two losses this season. As a result, Matt D'Orazio will make his first-career start Saturday versus Chicago. D'Orazio has spent the past two seasons as a backup QB, but arguably had the best camp of all Destroyers quarterbacks in camp. Saturday D'Orazio will have his chance to prove he is capable of being a starter in the Arena Football League. D'Orazio is a local product, prepped at DeSales High School (Columbus, OH) before starring at Otterbein College.

HE'S BACK...
The Destroyers brought back a familiar face this week. Quarterback Ryan Vena was signed by Columbus Tuesday after being waived at the end of training camp. Vena, who was last year's starter, will serve as a backup to D'Orazio on Saturday night. Vena threw for 3,076 yards and 57 touchdowns in 14 games during his rookie year. He also set multiple rushing records for Columbus last season, finishing with 65 carries for 229 yards and 14 TDs, all which were single-season franchise records. His 229 yards on the ground made him the club's all-time leading rusher and his 63.5 completion percentage was tops in team history and second all-time among rookie quarterbacks.

DON"T FORGET SPECIAL TEAMS
Of the three facets of football, special teams might be the third facet to be mentioned in most cases. But note, the Destroyers are quietly the top special teams club in the league. Entering Saturday's meeting with Chicago, the Destroyers are averaging 24.0 yards per kick return (1st in AFL) and are currently only giving up 9.9 yards per return (1st in AFL). They are also one of only six teams in the league with a kick returned for a touchdown so far this season, suiting up two of the premier returners in the game (Damien Groce and Sedrick Robinson). In addition, kicker Steve Videtich has yet to miss a field goal or extra point attempt (2-2 and 9-9). The Destroyers are the only team in the league still perfect on extra points.

MISSING OFFENSE
The Destroyers enter week four sporting the second-best scoring defense in the league, giving up only 41 points per game and sixth best in total defense giving up just 266 yards per game. The only thing missing is production on the other side of the ball. Through three weeks, the Destroyers are ranked 17th in scoring offense (34.5) and touchdowns scored (9), and are ranked 16th in total offense (214 yds/gm).

REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS
Wide receiver/linebacker Cornelius White joins defensive specialist JoJo Polk as the two most tenured players currently in a Destroyers uniform. Polk is already the club's all-time leading tackler for a single season (86.5) and career (155.5) and White has joined Polk atop the Destroyer all-time list in receiving. Entering the 2005 season, White was the Destroyers' all-time leader in touchdowns scored (38), receiving touchdowns (38) and points scored (238). With his 85 yards receiving in week one, White became the franchise's all-time leader in receiving yards, surpassing the old mark of 1,964 yards set by Darrick Branch. He currently has 2,041 career receiving yards entering Saturday's game. White also is currently third all-time in career receptions (150) behind current offensive specialist Bobby Olive, who has the bar set at 188 career pass receptions.

DESTROYERS A QUICK STRIKE TEAM
In the first two games of the season, the Destroyers have been the first to break the scoring column, both strikes coming mere minutes into the game on touchdown plays to offensive specialist Damien Groce. The Destroyers jumped out to a 17-0 lead last week in Dallas, however struggled in the second half. The Destroyers bring it early, but have yet to put a complete game together to come away with a win.

DESTROYERS SELL OUT AGAIN
The Destroyers sold out four of eight home games during their inaugural season, eventually averaging over 16,000 fans in attendance per home game in 2004. The club picked up where they left off during the team's season opener versus Nashville on January 28, recording yet another sellout crowd at Nationwide Arena (17,171).

DESTROYERS TACKLE HUNGER
When the Columbus Destroyers kicked off the 2005 AFL season, the team also kicked off a new community initiative in conjunction with the Mid-Ohio FoodBank to "Tackle Hunger" in Central Ohio. Beginning with the home opener and continuing throughout the 2005 season, fans are asked to bring non-perishable food items to each home game at Nationwide Arena for donation to the Mid-Ohio FoodBank. In turn, fans will receive one raffle ticket per donated food item for a chance to win a team-autographed, authentic AFL football. One winner will be announced during the fourth quarter of each game. In addition to the eight-game collection drive, members of the Columbus Destroyers plan to further support the "Tackle Hunger" initiative with visits to the Mid-Ohio FoodBank to help pack boxes for distribution to local food pantries. Players and team personnel will also lend a hand at Faith Mission to serve meals and spend time with residents during several trips scheduled throughout the season.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Destroyers and Rush match up after three weeks of play.

2005 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category (RANK) Columbus Chicago
Scoring Offense 34.5 (17th) 55.7 (2nd)
Scoring Defense 41.0 (2nd) 51.7 (13th)
Total Offense 214.0 (16th) 313.0 (3rd)
Total Defense 266.0 (6th) 309.3 (14th)
Touchdowns Scored 9 (17th) 22 (6th)
Pass Offense 188.0 (17th) 281.7 (4th)
Pass Defense 206.5 (2nd) 295.7 (16th)
Rushing Offense 26.0 (7th) 31.3 (4th)
Rushing Defense 59.5 (17th) 13.7 (6th)
Field Goals Made 2-2 (T-9th) 5-5 (2nd)
Field Goal Percentage 100.0 (T-1st) 100.0 (T-1st)
Kick Return Yards 216 (14th) 310 (4th)
Kickoff Return Average 24.0 (1st) 18.2 (8th)
Kickoff Coverage 9.9 (1st) 13.8 (5th)
3rd Down Efficiency 5-15(T-14th) 8-16 (8th)
4th Down Efficiency 2-5 (12th) 2-3 (T-3rd)
Red Zone Offense 5-8 (16th) 18-21 (6th)
Red Zone Defense 7-9 (7th) 11-13 (12th)
Avg. Time of Possession 33:47 (2nd) 25:42 (17th)
Turnover Margin -4 (17th) -1 (T-12th)

DESTROYERS ANNOUNCE TEAM CAPTAINS
The Destroyers named four Team Captains for the 2005 season prior to the season opener. As voted on by their teammates, this year's captains include wide receiver/defensive back Sedrick Robinson, wide receiver/linebacker Cornelius White, defensive specialist JoJo Polk and lineman Curtis Eason. Robinson, who was last year's team MVP, returns for his second season with the Destroyers after having a career-year in 2004. He finished with career highs in receptions, receiving yards, kick return yards, kick return touchdowns and all-purpose yards before being named to the AFL's 2004 U.S. Army All-Ironman team. White is in his third season with the Destroyers, having led the team in receiving for the past two seasons. In 2004, White led Columbus with 78 catches for 1,152 yards and 23 touchdowns, all which were career highs. Polk led the Destroyers in tackles for the second consecutive season in 2004 with 69 total tackles. He also led the team in pass deflections (11), forced fumbles (2), fumble recoveries (2) and shared the team-lead with three interceptions. Eason is the lone newcomer of the group, entering his first season with the Destroyers after spending the past two seasons with the Detroit Fury. In 2004, Eason had a career-year, leading all Fury linemen with 28 total tackles, which was also a personal best.

WHEN COLUMBUS HAS THE BALL...
Look for Matt D'Orazio to get his feet wet early. D'Orazio has tremendous arm strength to go along with great size. The Destroyers have plenty of offensive options from a receiver position. Damien Groce is the team's deep threat, while Cornelius White and Sedrick Robinson have proven to be great runners after the catch. Offensive Coordinator Pete Costanza is a self-proclaimed gun-slinger so look for Coach Costanza to let it fly with a new quarterback under center who is not afraid to go deep.

WHEN CHICAGO HAS THE BALL...
Watch out for quarterback Raymond Philyaw. He's simply an athlete with the ability to beat you through the air or with his legs. Philyaw is a smart quarterback who throws few interceptions and is accurate, competing 68.2 percent of his attempts through three games. Philayaw's favorite target this season has been Henry Douglas who is the league's leading receiver with 28 catches for 378 yards and seven touchdowns. Receiver Etu Molden is a rising star as well and will likely have his number called as well this weekend.

NEXT WEEK
Following Saturday's game with Chicago, the Destroyers return to the road when the face the Grand Rapids Rampage on Sunday, February 27 at 3 p.m. (ET).

DESTROYERS 2ND IN AFL ATTENDANCE IN 2004
The Destroyers were met with tremendous fan support, finishing their inaugural season second in the Arena Football League in attendance behind only Philadelphia. The Destroyers welcomed 130,288 fans into Nationwide Arena for eight home games last season with an average of 16,286 fans in attendance per game. Columbus recorded four sellouts in 2004, including sellouts in their first three home games of the season.

DESTROYERS RECENT Transactions:

2/15/05: Released quarterback Chad Salisbury

2/15/05: Waived wide receiver/linebacker D.J. Humphries

2/15/05: Signed quarterback Ryan Vena

2/15/05: Traded lineman Carey Clayton to Nashville for defensive specialist Art Smith (Other League Exempt: NFL-Green Bay)

1/26/05: Signed quarterback Scott McMullen to practice squad

1/26/05: Signed offensive specialist Randall Lane to practice squad

1/26/05: Signed defensive specialist Justin Isom to practice squad

1/26/05: Signed defensive specialist Bobby Britton to practice squad

1/25/05: Waived lineman Tyronn Johnson

1/25/05: Released wide receiver/linebacker Sir Mawn Wilson

1/25/05: Placed fullback/linebacker Juan Long on injured reserve

COLUMBUS DESTROYERS 2005 RECORD WHEN...
HOME 0-1
AWAY 0-1
FRIDAY 0-1
SATURDAY 0-0
SUNDAY 0-1
VS EASTERN 0-1
VS CENTRAL 0-1
VS WESTERN 0-0
VS SOUTHERN 0-0
JANUARY 0-1
FEBRUARY 0-1
MARCH 0-0
APRIL 0-0
MAY 0-0
SCORE FIRST 0-2
OPPONENT SCORE FIRST 0-0
AHEAD AT HALF 0-1
BEHIND AT HALF 0-1
TIED AT HALF 0-0
AHEAD AFTER 3RD QTR 0-1
BEHIND AFTER 3RD QTR 0-1
TIED AFTER 3RD QTR 0-0
PLUS TURNOVER RATIO 0-0
EVEN TURNOVER RATIO 0-0
MINUS TURNOVER RATIO 0-2
MORE TOTAL OFFENSE 0-0
LESS TOTAL OFFENSE 0-2
OUTCOME 7 POINTS OR LESS 0-1
OUTCOME 3 POINTS OR LESS 0-0
OVERTIME 0-0
PLAY ON NBC 0-1
NOT ON NBC 0-1



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 16, 2005


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