Desperados Re-Sign Four
Published on June 1, 2004 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Dallas Desperados News Release
With their 2004 season coming to a close last Sunday, the Dallas Desperados began looking forward to the 2005 season by re-signing four of their core players â DS Jermaine Jones, OL/DL Corey Mayfield, WR/DB Will Pettis and OS Jason Shelley. All four were scheduled to become free agents at the end of the month before re-upping with the Desperados.
Jones finished this spring with a club-record 76.0 tackles, besting the previous mark of 73.5 tackles he established in 2003, when he played in only 12 games. He also finished the season leading the team in passes defensed (14), interceptions (four â a career-high) and fumble recoveries (three) while forcing a fumble and posting 1.5 tackles for losses.
Mayfield signed with the club on May 14 after spending the first 14 weeks of the season with the Philadelphia Soul. He totaled a tackle, half a sack and half a tackle for a loss in three games with the Desperados. He is a six-year AFL veteran that has recorded 67.0 career tackles, 38 career pressures, 16.0 career sacks, 11.5 career tackles for losses, 11 career pass deflections, three career forced fumbles, three career fumble recoveries and two career interceptions.
Pettis â a candidate for the AFL's U.S. Army Ironman of the Year and All-Arena team honors â put together one of the best all-around seasons in the league this spring. He finished the season as the only player in the AFL with more than 3,000 all-purpose yards (3,017) â more than 300 yards ahead of the next player. He ranked ninth in the league in catches (95), tied for 16th in receiving yards (1,076), 16th in total yards from scrimmage (1,112), 14th in kickoff return average (14.4), first in kickoff return yards (1,750 â fifth best in league history), seventh in missed field goal return average (19.3), fourth in MFG return yards (135) and 14th in combined kickoff/MFG return average (19.8). He also registered a career-high 37.5 tackles, a career-high eight passes defensed and an interception.
Shelley â a candidate for All-Arena honors â moved into the spotlight this spring as the team's offensive specialist after spending his first two seasons as a reserve. He finished the year with a team record 103 catches (tied for sixth best in the AFL) for a team record 1,304 yards (seventh best in the league) and 23 touchdowns. He also added 22 rushing yards to give him 1,326 total yards from scrimmage, the seventh best total in the league. During the season, he set single-game personal bests in receptions (11 vs. New York, 5/1), receiving yards (125 vs. Tampa Bay, 5/30), receiving touchdowns (three vs. Philadelphia, 2/15 & vs. Tampa Bay, 5/30) and total touchdowns (four vs. Philadelphia, 2/15).
Following are the Desperados transactions:
AFL
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthday College Exp.
Re-signed
2 Jones, Jermaine DS 5-9 187 7/25/76 Northwestern St (La) 2
91 Mayfield, Corey OL/DL 6-3 320 2/25/71 Oklahoma 6
3 Pettis, Will WR/DB 6-0 195 12/11/77 Midwestern St. 2
18 Shelley, Jason WR/LB 6-2 192 8/5/74 Central St. (OH) 3
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 1, 2004
- Destroyers re-sign Polk to two-year extension - Columbus Destroyers
- Willis Marshall named Ironman of the Week - Colorado Crush
- L.A.'s Arnold Miller selected to AFL "All-Rookie Team" - Los Angeles Avengers
- Molden named to AFL All-Rookie team - Chicago Rush
- Desperados Weatherington Named to AFL All-Rookie Team - Dallas Desperados
- Coco Blalock named Arena Football League's Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Week - Las Vegas Gladiators
- Preds kicker Taylor on AFL All-Rookie Team - Orlando Predators
- Arena Football League names 2004 All-Rookie team - AFL I
- AFL names players of the week - AFL I
- Arena Football League 2004 season in review - AFL I
- Desperados Re-Sign Four - Dallas Desperados
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