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Columbus Destroyers game notes

January 24, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Grand Rapids Rampage (0-0) at
Columbus Destroyers (0-0)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 29, 2006
Kickoff: 3 p.m. (ET)
Site: Nationwide Arena (17,171)
Officials: Perry Havener (Referee), Tom Laverty (Umpire), Rusty Baynes (Head Linesman), David Meslow (Line Judge), Barry Anderson (Back Judge)
Radio: Columbus' flagship station WAZU-107.1 FM "The Big Wazoo" will broadcast the game live with Seth Sefner (play-by-play) and Rob Blackman (color).
Television: None
Series Record: The Destroyers and Rampage have met six times in history with the Rampage leading the all-time series 5-1.
Series Streaks: Grand Rapids won the first four meetings in the series. The Destroyers won 59-28 in the first meeting between the teams in Columbus on May 14, 2004. The Rampage won the 2005 meeting 66-57 in Grand Rapids.
Coaches: Columbus, Doug Kay, first season in Columbus, fourth overall (0-0, x-x overall). Grand Rapids, Sparky McEwen, second season (0-0, 4-12 overall).

OVERVIEW: The Columbus Destroyers open their third season in Columbus today and eighth in franchise history. Last season against the Nashville Kats on Jan. 28, the Destroyers fell 47-38 in front of a sellout crowd of 17,171 at Nationwide Arena.

The Destroyers have opened their season at home three times in franchise history. Today's game is the second time that the Rampage and Destroyers have met on opening weekend. The first time the teams met, Grand Rapids defeated the Destroyers 54-36 in Buffalo on Feb. 1, 2003.

In seven season opening games, the Destroyers have a record of 3-4 overall and are 1-3 in season openers at home. This is the second time the Destroyers have opened the season at home in Columbus. In season openers at Nationwide Arena, the Destroyers are 0-1.

Following today's game, the Destroyers hit the road for Friday night tilt against the Nashville Kats. Kickoff at Gaylord Entertainment Center is set for 8 p.m. (ET).
COLUMBUS DESTROYERS (0-0)
Date Opponent Time Result Record
1/29 GRAND RAPIDS 3:00 - -
2/3 at Nashville 8:00 - -
2/11 DALLAS 7:00 - -
2/19 at Kansas City 2:00 - -
2/24 ARIZONA 7:00 - -
3/3 at New York 7:30 - -
3/10 GEORGIA 7:00 - -
3/18 PHILADELPHIA 7:00 - -
3/25 at Colorado 9:00 - -
4/1 at Dallas 7:30 - -
4/9 ORLANDO 3:00 - -
4/14 NEW YORK 7:00 - -
4/21 at Philadelphia 7:00 - -
4/29 at Austin 8:00 - -
5/6 TAMPA BAY 7:00 - -
5/13 at San Jose 10:30 - -
*All Times Eastern

GRAND RAPIDS RAMPAGE (0-0)
Date Opponent Time Result Record
1/29 at Columbus 3:00 - -
2/3 TAMPA BAY 7:30 - -
2/12 LOS ANGELES 2:00 - -
2/19 SAN JOSE 2:00 - -
2/25 at Nashville 8:00 - -
3/5 at Colorado 3:00 - -
3/10 at Las Vegas 10:30 - -
3/16 UTAH 7:00 - -
3/26 at Chicago 3:00 - -
4/1 at New York 7:00 - -
4/8 COLORADO 7:30 - -
4/15 at Dallas 9:00 - -
4/23 ARIZONA 2:00 - -
4/29 NASHVILLE 8:00 - -
5/7 at Austin 3:00 - -
5/13 CHICAGO 7:30 - -
*All Times Eastern

A COLUMBUS WIN OVER GRAND RAPIDS WOULD...

- Give the Destroyers a 2-5 record against the Rampage
- Give the Destroyers their first season opening win at Nationwide Arena
- Give the Destroyers their fourth season opening victory in franchise history
- Give Destroyers head coach Doug Kay his first win as the Destroyers coach
- Mark the first time the Destroyer have started a season 1-0 since 2004

DESTROYERS Last Week:
Tampa Bay Storm 78
Columbus Destroyers 53
The Columbus Destroyers closed out the 2005 season with a 78-53 loss to the playoff bound Tampa Bay Storm.
The Destroyers jumped out to a 13-0 lead on the Storm and led 20-7 after the first quarter behind the arm of quarterback Matt D'Orazio. On the first two Destroyers drives, D'Orazio threw a pair of 31-yard touchdown passes. The first went to Cornelius White, and the second to Damien Groce.
The Storm fought back in the second quarter to take a 28-27 lead into halftime. Storm quarterback Shane Stafford had a pair of touchdown throws in the quarter. He tied the game with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Lynarise Elpheage with six seconds remaining in the half. Kicker Matt George added the extra point to give the Storm the lead.
The defense stepped up for the Storm in the third quarter as they kept the Destroyers off the board. The Storm offense continued to click, as they scored 43 straight points spanning the second quarter to the start of the fourth quarter. After the dust settled, the Storm led 57-27 at the 12:16 mark of the final frame.
Stafford took home Offensive Player of the Game honors after he completed 26-of-38 passes for 277 yards and five touchdowns. He did not throw an interception. Stafford also added three rushing touchdowns. He completed passes to six different receivers with all six hauling in at least three passes. Demetris Bendross led the team with six receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
D'Orazio completed 16-of-26 passes for 213 yards and seven touchdowns, but had one pass intercepted. White and Groce led the receiving corps. White hauled in six passes for 97 yards and three touchdowns, while Groce had four receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. Jeremy Unertl added a pair of receiving touchdowns.
Defensive Player of the Game honors went to Storm offensive/defensive lineman Kelvin Kinney. Kinney had one tackle, recovered a fumble and added a quarterback hurry. Kinney was a free agent acquisition this past off-season by the Destroyers.


THIS WEEK's OPPONENT:
The Grand Rapids Rampage enter their ninth season in 2006 today. In eight seasons, the Rampage have appeared in five ArenaBowl playoffs and have won the James F. Foster Cup once, doing so in 2001. In 2005, the Rampage went 4-12 and finished fourth in the American Conference Central Division. They were 2-4 against divisional opponents and went 1-7 on the road.
The Rampage is led by head coach Sparky McEwen, who is in his second season at the helm of the Rampage. McEwen joined the Rampage prior to the 2005 season after he spent the previous three seasons as the Rampage's offensive coordinator.
Last season, the Rampage boasted the Arena Football League's two best rushers in the form of quarterback Michael Bishop and fullback/linebacker Chris Avery. Bishop led the AFL with 459 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. Avery was second in rushing yards (251) and third in rushing touchdowns (14). Avery was named to the AFL's all-Ironman team in 2005.
Bishop signed in the off-season with the Chicago Rush. Replacing Bishop is former Rush quarterback Raymond Philyaw, who will not play today. Fullback/linebacker Chris Avery was named to the AFL's U.S. Army all-Ironman team last season.
LAST MEETING WITH GRAND RAPIDS:
The Columbus Destroyers took a 36-29 lead into halftime but were outscored in the second half 37-21 and lost 66-57 to the Grand Rapids Rampage on Feb. 27, 2005, in front of 6,662 fans at Van Andel Arena.
The teams traded field goals to start the game before the Destroyers found the end zone first. Offensive/defensive lineman Jamarr Ward hauled in a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt D'Orazio.
Grand Rapids then answered with three straight scores to take a 23-10 lead with 8 minutes, 51 seconds remaining in the first half. The Destroyers then scored the game's next 26 points, which included a touchdown, safety and field goal in the final minute of the first half.
The Rampage took control in the third quarter and led 50-43 entering the fourth quarter. Damien Groce had a 57-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to cut the Rampage lead to 63-57 with 2:14 remaining, but the Rampage almost ran the clock out and kicked a field goal with seven seconds remaining to secure the win.
ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS VS. GRAND RAPIDS
Date Score
May 28, 1999 Grand Rapids 40, at Columbus 38
July 20, 2001 Grand Rapids 44, at Columbus 40
May 25, 2002 at Grand Rapids 47, Columbus 45
Feb. 1, 2003 Grand Rapids 54, at Columbus 36
May 14, 2004 at Columbus 59, Grand Rapids 28
Feb. 27, 2005 at Grand Rapids 66, Columbus 57
DESTROYERS NOTABLES:


DROP BACK
The Destroyers last saw the Arena Football field on May 22, 2005, at home against the Tampa Bay Storm. The playoff bound Storm defeated the Destroyers by a count of 78-53 in front of 12,990 fans at Nationwide Arena.

FORWARD MOTION
It will be a short week for the Destroyers, as the team will play its second game of the season in five days. The Nashville Kats will welcome Columbus to Gaylord Entertainment Center on Friday. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on FSN Ohio. The Destroyers and Kats have met three times with the Kats winning all three games.

HEAD COACHES
DOUG KAY: The Columbus Destroyers hired Doug Kay to take over the role of head coach on July 14, 2005. Kay enters his first season in Columbus with 12 years of Arena Football coaching experience. In 10 of his 12 seasons, Kay's teams have qualified for the playoffs, including two ArenaBowl championships. Kay is guiding his third team. He coached the Charlotte Rage in 1995 and the Carolina Cobras in 2000 and 2001.

SPARKY McEWEN: Entering his second season as the head coach of the Grand Rapids Rampage, McEwen took over the reigns on Aug. 13, 2004. He is the fourth head coach in team history and took over after serving as the offensive coordinator from 2001-03. In his first season as offensive coordinator, McEwen helped the Rampage win their first ArenaBowl title. In 2005, McEwen guided the Rampage to a 4-12 season.

BRAND NEW LOOK
Head coach Doug Kay is not the only new member of the coaching staff. Kay brought in a veteran staff consisting of Offensive Coordinator Ken Matous, who spent this past season with the New Orleans VooDoo and has 25 years of coaching experience. Chris MacKeown joins the staff as the Offensive Assistant/Special Teams Coordinator. In seven years, MacKeown has been with eight teams and missed the playoffs once. Defensive Assistant Ian Cooper enters his first season in the AFL, but brings eight years of coaching experience to the team, including a season with the af2's Tulsa Talons. Jim Lachey returns as the line coach and Vinnie Clark as the defensive assistant.
BRAND NEW LOOK, PART 2
Other than the members of the coaching staff, almost the entire team is new to the Destroyers. Only four players return from the 2005 campaign. The players who return for the 2006 season are: defensive specialist Brandon Hefflin, wide receiver/defensive back Jeremy Unertl and offensive/defensive linemen Chris Janek and Ken Jones.

BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK
The 2006 version of the Destroyers is loaded with veteran leadership. Combined, the team has over 90 years of Arena Football League experience. Topping the team in AFL Experience are quarterback John Kaleo (12 years), defensive specialist Cecil Doggette (11 years), and fullback/linebacker Leroy Thompson (10 years).

CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER
Not only do the 2006 Destroyers have loads of experience in the AFL, they also have the experience in ArenaBowl championship games. Quarterback John Kaleo, offensive/defensive lineman Kelvin Kinney and wide receiver/linebacker David Saunders were members of the ArenaBowl XVII champion Tampa Bay Storm. Defensive specialist Cecil Doggette played in ArenaBowl XVI in 2002 with the Arizona Rattlers. Offensive/defensive lineman Juan Porter played for the Georgia Force in this past season's ArenaBowl XIX. Fullback/linebacker Leroy Thompson joined the Albany Firebirds midway through the 1999 season and helped them take home ArenaBowl XIII.

HIGH FIVE
Quarterback John Kaleo is in an elite class of Arena Football quarterbacks. Kaleo is one of only five quarterbacks who has thrown for over 30,000 yards and 500 touchdowns in his AFL career. In 12 seasons of Arena Football, Kaleo has completed 2,487-of-4,154 passes for 30,013 yards and 502 touchdowns. Kaleo also has rushed for 331 yards and 48 touchdowns.

HOT DOGGIN' IT
Kaleo is not the only member of the Destroyers who is among elite company in the Arena Football League. Defensive specialist Cecil Doggette is the AFL's all-time career leader in pass deflections. He enters his 12th season with 145 passes broken up, including a single season career best 29 in 2004.

SWEET REVENGE
The 2006 Destroyers roster might be slightly familiar to the members of the Grand Rapids Rampage. Three players from this year's Destroyers team played with the Rampage in 2005. Defensive specialist Cecil Doggette and wide receiver/linebacker David Saunders were in Rampage uniforms last season. Hardy Mitchell, who is on the Injured Reserve list, also played for the Rampage in 2005.

HAULING ‘EM IN
Offensive specialist Thabiti Davis is quickly becoming one of the league's top receivers. Entering his fourth season, Davis has a few seasons under his belt and is primed to have his best season to date. Last season with the New Orleans VooDoo he played wide receiver/linebacker next to offensive specialist Aaron Bailey. He was second on the team in receiving with 113 receptions for 995 yards and 19 touchdowns. In 2004 with the Detroit Fury, he set career highs in receptions (127), yards (1,557) and touchdowns (26). His 127 receptions ranks eighth all-time in Arena Football League history.

PAST MATES
The three teammates (quarterback John Kaleo, offensive/defensive lineman Kelvin Kinney and wide receiver/linebacker David Saunders) who played in Tampa Bay together are not the only members of the 2006 Destroyers who are playing together again. Quarterback Billy Dicken, offensive specialist Thabiti Davis and wide receiver/defensive back Carl Bond all played together as members of the Detroit Fury in 2004.

NO STRANGERS TO THE GAME
The players aren't the only ones who have spent time together prior to joining the Destroyers. Offensive coordinator Ken Matous got his start in Arena Football in 2001 as a member of Doug Kay's staff with the Carolina Cobras. Defensive assistant Ian Cooper was the defensive coordinator on Matous' staff with the Tulsa Talons (af2) in 2004. Offensive assistant/special teams coordinator Chris MacKeown was an assistant coach for Kay in 2001 in Carolina. Defensive assistant Vinnie Clark coached with MacKeown in 2003. Clark was the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Swarm (af2).

NO LONGER A ROOKIE
Defensive specialist Brandon Hefflin has made a quick rise to the top. Hefflin attended an open tryout in the fall of 2004 and was signed by the Destroyers on Dec. 28, 2004. In his rookie campaign, Hefflin had an outstanding season as he recorded 76.5 tackles (65UT-23AT), forced three fumbles and recovered two. He also intercepted two passes and broke up 13 passes. He led or was tied for the team lead in all categories except pass breakups, which he ranked second on the team.

SECOND TERM
There are two members of the Columbus Destroyers who are making their second appearance with the team, only their first term came as a member of the Buffalo Destroyers. Defensive assistant Vinnie Clark and offensive/defensive lineman Hardy Mitchell spent time with the Buffalo Destroyers. Clark got his start in Arena Football in 2000 in Buffalo. Mitchell spent the 2002 and 2003 seasons with the Destroyers.



OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
WEEK GAME RECIPIENT (TEAM)
Week 1 1/28 vs. GRR
Week 2 2/3 at NSH
Week 3 2/11 vs. DAL
Week 4 2/19 at KCB
Week 5 2/24 vs. ARI
Week 6 3/3 at NYD
Week 7 3/10 vs. GEO
Week 8 3/18 vs. PHI
Week 9 3/25 at COL
Week 10 4/1 at DAL
Week 11 4/9 vs. ORL
Week 12 4/14 vs. NYD
Week 13 4/21 at PHI
Week 14 4/29 at AUS
Week 15 5/6 vs. TBS
Week 16 5/13 at SJS

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
WEEK GAME RECIPIENT (TEAM)
Week 1 1/28 vs. GRR
Week 2 2/3 at NSH
Week 3 2/11 vs. DAL
Week 4 2/19 at KCB
Week 5 2/24 vs. ARI
Week 6 3/3 at NYD
Week 7 3/10 vs. GEO
Week 8 3/18 vs. PHI
Week 9 3/25 at COL
Week 10 4/1 at DAL
Week 11 4/9 vs. ORL
Week 12 4/14 vs. NYD
Week 13 4/21 at PHI
Week 14 4/29 at AUS
Week 15 5/6 vs. TBS
Week 16 5/13 at SJS

IRONMAN OF THE GAME
WEEK GAME RECIPIENT (TEAM)
Week 1 1/28 vs. GRR
Week 2 2/3 at NSH
Week 3 2/11 vs. DAL
Week 4 2/19 at KCB
Week 5 2/24 vs. ARI
Week 6 3/3 at NYD
Week 7 3/10 vs. GEO
Week 8 3/18 vs. PHI
Week 9 3/25 at COL
Week 10 4/1 at DAL
Week 11 4/9 vs. ORL
Week 12 4/14 vs. NYD
Week 13 4/21 at PHI
Week 14 4/29 at AUS
Week 15 5/6 vs. TBS
Week 16 5/13 at SJS
Week 17 5/22 vs TBS


DESTROYERS ATTENDANCE STILL STRONG
The Destroyers sold out four of eight home games during their inaugural season, and averaged over 16,000 fans in attendance per home game in 2004.

In 2005, the Destroyers sold out three of eight home games, which gives the team seven sellouts in 16 home games.

The club drew 121,833 fans in 2005, which averaged out to 15,230 fans per game. In two seasons, the Destroyers have had 252,123 fans attend Destroyers games and are only one of two teams to have over 250,000 fans attend games the past two seasons. Philadelphia is the other.

Team 2005 Avg. Attendance
Philadelphia Soul 16,121
Tampa Bay Storm 15,519
New Orleans VooDoo 15,338
Columbus Destroyers 15,230
Chicago Rush 14,458

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. Continuing in 2006, 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.

LEAGUE LEADERS: Columbus players from this week's match up who ranked among AFL's statistical leaders in 2005:

DESTROYERS' LEADERS
Player Rank Category Stat
John Kaleo 8 Total Offense 247.8
John Kaleo 7 Total Offensive TDs 81
John Kaleo 8 Passing TDs 77
John Kaleo 7 Passer Rating 113.6
John Kaleo 8 Passing Yards 3935
Thabiti Davis 10 Receptions 113
Mark Lewis 6 Field Goal Pct. 53.8
Mark Lewis 10 PAT Kicks Made 87
Brandon Hefflin 13 Tackles 76.5
Jeremy Unertl 39 Tackles 50.0
Brandon Hefflin 6 Fumbles Forced 3








TALE OF THE TAPE: Here's how the Destroyers and Rampage match up based on their 2005 stats.

2005 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Statistical Destroyers Rampage
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 16 44.9 15 47.6
Touchdowns Scored 16 98 15 102
Total Offense 16 265.4 13 273.9
Yards Per Play 16 5.8 10 6.5
Scoring Defense 16 56.8 17 58.2
Total Defense 9 281.6 10 284.0
Rushing Offense 6 21.2 1 47.9
Rushing Avg./Carry 9 2.6 1 4.7
Rushing Touchdowns 9 23 2 35
Rushing Defense 16 24.8 5 17.9
Passing Offense 14 244.1 17 226.0
Pass Attempts 6 599 16 513
Passing Yards 13 3,906 17 3,616
Passing Yards/Catch 16 10.9 4 12.1
Had Intercepted 2 21 9 14
Pass Completions 9 360 17 300
Pass Completion Pct. 14 60.1 16 58.5
Passing Touchdowns 15 66 16 61
Passing Defense 8 256.9 11 266.1
Pass Rating 17 93.2 15 99.8
Pass Def. Rating 17 125.1 16 123.0
Field Goal Percentage 5 .500 12 .409
Field Goals Made 4 14 2 18
Field Goals Attempted 8 28 1 44
PAT Kicking Pct. 4 .902 5 .895
PAT's Made 14 83 13 85
PAT's Attempted 16 92 14 95
MFG Return Attempts 15 3 11 4
MFG Return Yards 12 70 11 75
MFG Returns Avg. 2 23.3 6 18.8
Kickoff Returns 1 106 10 83
Kickoff Return Yards 1 2151 6 1655
Kickoff Return Avg. 3 20.3 4 19.9
Kickoff Returns TDs 4 6 5 4
Interceptions 17 6 16 8
Interception Ret. Yds. 11 97 17 38
Interception Ret. TDs 4 2 14 0
Fumbles Recovered 11 11 13 9
Turnover Margin 17 -19 16 -10
First Downs 17 286 13 309
Opponent First Downs 14 343 4 308
Third Down Conv. 14 42.6% 17 38.9%
Fourth Down Conv. 4 55.8% 14 41.2%
Penalties 12 55.0 5 49.9
Opponent Penalties 10 51.9 8 52.1
Red Zone Offense 12 78.1% 10 81.8%
Red Zone Defense 14 87.5% 17 91.8%
Sacks By 17 7 14 11
Sacks Against 16 27 17 29
Time of Possession 11 29:53 4 31:34
How The 2006 DESTROYERS WERE BUILT:

10/11/04: Signed offensive/defensive lineman Chris Janek.

10/14/04: Signed offensive/defensive lineman Ken Jones.

4/11/05: Claimed wide receiver/defensive back Jeremy Unertl off waivers from Las Vegas.

10/4/05: Signed quarterback John Kaleo, offensive specialist Thabiti Davis, defensive specialist Cecil Doggette and offensive/defensive linemen Juan Porter and Mike Sutton. Released wide receiver/linebacker Cornelius White.

10/5/05: Signed wide receiver/linebacker David Saunders, offensive/defensive lineman Howard Duncan and defensive specialist Rickie Davis.

10/6/05: Signed defensive specialist Jerald Brown, fullback/linebacker Harold Wells and wide receiver/linebacker Sir Mawn Wilson.

10/7/05: Re-signed offensive/defensive lineman Chris Janek. Signed quarterback Billy Dicken, wide receiver/defensive back B.J. Barre and offensive/defensive lineman John Culp. Waived wide receiver/linebacker Chris Curd and offensive/defensive lineman Bryan Ray.

10/10/05: Traded defensive specialist Art Smith to Kansas City in exchange for offensive/defensive lineman Dan Rumishek.

10/11/05: Waived wide receiver/defensive back Bobby Britton.

10/13/05: Signed wide receiver/linebacker Eddie Galles.

10/17/05: Signed offensive/defensive lineman Kelvin Kinney and wide receiver/defensive back Lincoln Dupree.

10/21/05: Signed fullback/linebackers Leroy Thompson and Chris Browning.

11/2/05: Signed offensive/defensive lineman Brad Greetis.

11/3/05: Signed wide receiver/linebacker Mike Nizzi.

11/7/05: Signed wide receiver/defensive back Hugh Smith.

11/10/05: Signed offensive/defensive lineman Ken Kocher.

11/18/05: Singed offensive/defensive lineman Elliott Harris. Placed offensive/defensive lineman Elliott Harris on Other League Exempt (Green Bay-NFL).

11/28/05: Signed quarterback Josh Harris.

11/29/05: Traded defensive specialist Dwaine Carpenter and future considerations to Arizona in exchange for offensive/defensive linemen Norman Heuer and Shane Jones.

12/2/05: Signed wide receiver/defensive back Ira Gooch. Waived offensive specialist Randall Lane.

12/6/05: Singed offensive/defensive lineman Hardy Mitchell. Waived fullback/linebacker Sedrick Irvin.

12/30/05: Waived offensive/defensive lineman Jason Berger. Released offensive/defensive lineman Jamarr Ward.

1/4/06: Waived-Non-Claimable quarterback Josh Harris.

1/6/06: Signed quarterback Tim Hicks, offensive specialist Carlos Johnson and kicker Miro Kesic.

1/9/06: Waived defensive specialist Rick Sherrod.

1/10/06: Placed offensive/defensive lineman Hardy Mitchell on Injured Reserve. Waived quarterback Tim Hicks.

1/16/06: Waived-Injured offensive/defensive lineman Norman Heuer and Shane Jones.

1/19/06: Signed kicker Luis Berlanga. Waived-Injured wide receiver/linebacker Mike Nizzi. Waived fullback/linebacker Deon Dyer, defensive specialist Rickie Davis and kicker Miro Kesic. Released wide receiver/linebacker Sir Mawn Wilson.

1/21/06: Traded future considerations to Las Vegas in exchange for kicker Mark Lewis. Waived wide receiver/defensive back B.J. Barre, Ira Gooch and Hugh Smith as well as kicker Luis Berlanga.

1/23/06: Resigned kicker Mark Lewis. Signed kicker Luis Berlanga and wide receiver/defensive backs B.J. Barre, Carl Bond and Ira Gooch to Practice Squad. Placed fullback/linebacker Chris Browning, offensive/defensive linemen John Culp and Brad Greetis, and offensive specialist Carlos Johnson on Injured Reserve.


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