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Detroit Fury game notes

March 2, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Detroit Fury (2-1) at Colorado Crush (3-1)
Date: Thursday, March 4, 2004
Kickoff: 9:00 p.m. ET
Site: The Pepsi Center
Officials: Pat Garvey (Referee), Paul King (Umpire),
Bill Ward (Head Linesman), James Mello (Line Judge)
Greg Steed (Back Judge).
Radio: WXDX, 1310 AM
Fred McLeod (Play-by-Play)
TV: None

Series Record: Detroit Leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Sunday, March 23, 2003 @ Denver
Detroit 71 – Colorado 56
Streaks: Colorado – Win 1
Detroit – Win 1 (Bye Week)
Coaches: Colorado – Mike Dailey (3-1, 1st Year)
Detroit – Tom Luginbill (2-1, 1st Year)


THE STAKES: Detroit and Colorado are both looking to keep their winning momentum. Detroit returns to action following a bye week, and Colorado rebounded nicely with a win over the previously unbeaten Austin Wranglers last week. While a loss would not be detrimental to the Fury, a win would give them two wins in their division, as well as a three-game winning streak. The Fury also are looking more a tough road win in a hostile building.

THE SERIES: Last year was the Colorado Crush's inaugural season. The Fury and Crush met once during the 2003 season, where the Fury defeated the Crush 71-56 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The game was the first of three regular season games in 2003 where Fury QB Andy Kelly did not throw an interception. The Crush and Fury will meet for the first time at The Palace of Auburn Hills on May 23, 2004.

TEAM SCHEDULES:

DETROIT FURY (2-1)
Date Opponent Series Result Score
2/05 SAN JOSE 1-1 L 43-58
2/13 @Arizona 1-2 W 48-31
2/23 INDIANA 2-4 W 34-25
2/28 BYE WEEK - - -
Date Opponent Time TV Series
3/04 @Colorado 9:00 - 1-0
3/12 @New Orleans 8:00 - n/a
3/18 AUSTIN 7:30 Comcast n/a
3/28 @Chicago 3:00 NBC 2-3
4/01 GEORGIA 7:30 Comcast 1-1
4/10 GRAND RAPIDS 7:30 - 2-3
4/16 @Los Angeles 10:30 - 1-0
4/25 @Las Vegas 3:00 NBC 1-3
5/02 CHICAGO 3:00 NBC 2-3
5/08 @Indiana 8:00 - 2-4
5/15 ARIZONA 7:30 - 1-2
5/23 COLORADO 3:00 NBC 1-0
5/29 @Grand Rapids 7:30 - 2-3
Comcast Cable / Bright House Network

COLORADO CRUSH (3-1)
Date Opponent Series Result Score
2/6 LAS VEGAS -- W 43-42
2/14 @ Grand Rapids -- W 55-37
2/22 @ Chicago -- L 35-65
2/27 AUSTIN -- W 37-35
Date Opponent Time TV Series
3/4 DETROIT 9:00 - 0-1
3/14 @ San Jose 2:00 NBC -
2/21 @ Philadelphia 12:00 NBC -
3/27 ARIZONA 9:00 - -
4/3 INDIANA 3:00 - -
4/10 @ Los Angeles 10:30 - -
4/18 @ New York 3:00 NBC -
4/23 GRAND RAPIDS 9:00 - -
5/2 PHILADELPHIA 3:00 NBC -
5/9 BYE WEEK
5/16 @ Indiana 3:00 NBC -
5/23 @ Detroit 3:00 NBC -
5/30 CHICAGO 4:00 NBC -
* all times Eastern and subject to change

HEAD COACHES:

TOM LUGINBILL, Detroit (2-1, 1st Year): Luginbill enters his first season as an AFL head coach, after taking the reigns from his father Al, who served as the Fury's head coach in 2003. At 30 years old, Luginbill is the youngest head coach in the AFL, and he looks forward to a breakout season as head coach. Last season, Luginbill helped to re-build the Fury team from a 1-13 record in 2002. With his guidance, the Fury finished the regular season at 8-8, which tied the AFL record for a single-season turnaround. The Fury also finished 1-1 in the playoffs, and the franchise won its first-ever playoff game. Prior to joining the Fury, Luginbill had coached for three different teams in three years, but he is no stranger to the game of Arena Football. Luginbill played two seasons as an AFL quarterback in 1996 & 1997, before joining the coaching staff on the New York CityHawks in 1998. Luginbill got his first head-coaching job in 2000, with the Tennessee Valley Vipers of af2, where he led the team to the championship game in his first year with the team. Following a season in af2, Luginbill teamed with his father Al in the XFL as the quarterback's coach of the Los Angeles Xtreme. There, he coached XFL MVP Tommy Maddox, and helped guide the Xtreme to the league's first and only championship. He re-joined the AFL in 2002 as an assistant head coach with the expansion Dallas Desperados. In Dallas, Luginbill's offense set an AFL record for scoring the most points ever by an AFL expansion franchise in one year, and his red-zone offense was ranked number one in the league.

MIKE DAILEY, Colorado (66-47, 8th Year, Overall): Dailey enters his first season with Colorado Crush, but he is no stranger to the game of Arena Football. Dailey spent the last seven seasons as the head coach of the Indiana (Albany) Firebirds, where he won an ArenaBowl Championship in 1999 with the then Albany Firebirds. Prior to taking over the reigns as head coach, Dailey served five seasons as an assistant coach under current Chicago Rush Head Coach Mike Hohensee. Dailey has served as both an offensive and defensive coordinator, but is regarded for his ability to run an offense. While the Firebird's offensive coordinator, Dailey's team finished at the top of the league for points per game. Before entering the AFL coaching ranks, Dailey worked as an offensive coordinator at Montgomery College and as an assistant at Towson State University. With Colorado, Dailey took the job hoping to rebuild the Crush's record from 2-14 in their inaugural season. In order to sign Dailey, the Crush had to trade three players to the Firebirds.




FURY IN THE COMMUNITY:

FURY HOSPITAL VISITS

Members of the Fury Team visit local area hospitals to bring cheer and hope to children during their stay. Often, players and coaches will "take over" the ward, filling it with Fury decorations. Players spend time with the children, sign autographs and leave special gifts behind. The Fury hope that these events will leave a lasting impression on the children and provide a life long memory they are sure to never forget.

In 2003, the Fury traveled to William Beaumont Hospital in and St. Joseph's Mercy Macomb to visit children in the hospitals' pediatric units. Fury players, the Fury Cheerleaders, and team mascot Frenzy toured the units bringing cheer and hope to children of all ages.

FURY FIELD TRIPS PROGRAM

The Fury Field Trips program is designed to encourage young people's interest in science, math and technology by introducing them to real-life examples of how the sciences are used in the world around them. The goal of Fury Field Trips is to instill an interest in the sciences that they will carry through adulthood.

The Fury embarked on three Field Trips in 2003. The first was a visit to the Ford River Rouge Plant in Dearborn. Children toured the plant with Fury players and representatives from Ford, and the children were treated to a behind the scenes look at Detroit's automotive industry.
The Fury also traveled to Woodland Elementary School in Troy. Students in attendance were treated to a wonderful, educational learning experience through an interactive science show, involving players and students. Finally, the Fury joined forces with the Detroit Pistons family and traveled to the Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Students toured Selfridge Air National Guard History Museum as well as the Air Park, which displays over 30 planes.

THE 2004 SEASON

In 2004, the Fury are still committed to making a difference off the field. The Fury will continue to host Fury Field Trips and Hospital Visits throughout the season. This season, the Fury will have four hospital visits to local area hospitals, with the first happening Tuesday, February 17, at St. Joseph Mercy Macomb Hospital. Fury players Jon McCall, Dawan Moss, David Hill and cheerleaders visited the pediatric wing of the hospital and brought Fury swag and cheer to all the kids. The players and cheerleaders also toured the rest of the hospital.

LAST WEEK (BYE WEEK):

Auburn Hills, MICH. – The Detroit Fury (2-1) used an outstanding defensive effort to hold off the Indiana Firebirds (0-3) 34-25 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Firebirds offense was unable to capitalize on four Fury turnovers in the first half, as Firebirds kicker Clay Rush missed six field goals and two extra points in the game.

Defensively, the Fury were lead by their defensive specialists Ron Carpenter and Reggie Doster. Carpenter finished the game as the Fury's leading tackler (7.0), and he also made three pass break-ups and one quarterback sack. Doster finished the game with six tackles, and he grabbed his first interception of the season on the final play of the game.

Detroit quarterback Andy Kelly led the Fury offense, completing 24-of-36 passes for 264 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Kelly also scrambled for a one-yard touchdown run. Kelly's number one target was receiver Thabiti Davis, who grabbed seven passes for 73 yards.

Indiana, who replaced starting quarterback Tony Zimmerman early in the first half, tried to rally the offense behind Adrian McPherson. McPherson proved he is deadly on the ground as well as in the air, rushing five times for 57 yards and one touchdown and completing 13-of-20 passes for 172 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Mike Horacek led all receivers, making 10 catches for 144 yards and one touchdown for Indiana.

Fury kicker Mark Lewis shined for the Fury in his third straight game. He was a perfect four-for-four on PATS and two-for-two on field goals. So far, Lewis has not missed an extra point for the Fury.

The win gives the Fury their first win against the Firebirds franchise since July 22, 2001. Indiana still holds the all-time series record (4-2) over Detroit.

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Final
Indiana Firebirds 7 6 0 12 25
Detroit Fury 7 7 10 10 34

Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game: Andy Kelly (DET)
ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Ron Carpenter (DET)
U.S. Army Ironman of the Game: Brett Bech (IND)

Attendance: 8,219
STATISTICS:

A look how Detroit and Colorado match-up on both sides of the ball based on the 2004 regular season statistics:

Statistical DETROIT COLORADO
Category Stat Stat
Points Scored (Off) 125 170
Points Allowed (Def) 114 179
Total Offense (yds/g) 255.0 228.5
Total Defense (yds/g) 220.3 224.0
Pass Offense (yds/g) 235.0 210.0
Pass Defense (yds/g) 185.7 200.3
Rushing Offense (yds/g) 20.0 18.5
Rushing Defense (yds/g) 34.7 23.8
Kickoff Return Avg. 10.5 14.8
Field Goals 4 / 6 4 / 9
PAT Kicking 15 / 15 20 / 20
Sacks By (sks-yds) 6 (42) 2 (1)
Sacks Against (sks-yds) 1 (6) 3 (20)
First Downs 59 72
Opponent First Downs 47 70
Penalties (#/yds) 15 (87) 25 (174)
Turnover Margin -4 -1
Time of Possession 31:58 31:07
3rd Down % 48.0% 26.3%
4th Down % 50.0 % 50.0 %

Statistical DETROIT COLORADO
Category Rank Rank
Total Offense 10th 17th
Total Defense 2nd 4th
Kickoff Returns 17th 6th
Kickoff Coverage 7th 18.1
Red Zone Offense Tied 16th Tied 16th
Red Zone Defense 4th 19th

THE IFs:
If DETROIT defeats COLORADO, it would ...
· Give DETROIT a (2-0) record against Colorado, and keep them undefeated against within their division
· Give DETROIT a (2-0) record on the road
· Give DETROIT a (2-0) record against the Central Division and a (3-1) vs. the American Conference
· Give DETROIT a (2-0) record on non-televised games
· Give DETROIT Head Coach Tom Luginbill his third win as an AFL head coach
· Increase DETROIT's winning streak to three games
· Give DETROIT their first win against Colorado head coach Mike Dailey (formerly with Indiana) since 2001



FURY NOTES / TRENDS:

Pressuring the QB: Through the first four weeks of the season, the Fury find themselves among the AFL's league leaders in grabbing quarterback sacks. Detroit, Orlando, Tampa Bay and Chicago all have six sacks on the season, but Detroit and Orlando have played one less game than everyone, having already used their bye week. Last season, the Fury only sacked opposing quarterbacks 14 times.

More than just an Arm: Fury quarterback Andy Kelly proved again he carries more than just one offensive weapon. In Arizona, with the game on the line on 4th and 10, Kelly took off from the pocket and scrambled 17 yards for a Fury first down. The run set up the Fury's go-ahead and game-winning touchdown. Against Indiana, Kelly rushed in for his second straight rushing TD on a one-yard quarterback bootleg.

Defense Wins Championships: It is an old football cliché, but defense seems to win championships, and the Fury seem to have one of the toughest in the league. In their last two games, they have held their opponents to 31 and 25 points. Detroit's defense held Arizona and Indiana to a combined 10 field goal attempts.

Some Familiar Faces: Although they won't be suiting up for this Thursday's game against the Crush, Fury players Andre Cooper (WR/LB) and Adrian Lunsford (DS) will be watching and listening with and attentive ear. Last year, both were members of the Crush's inaugural team. They will be watching closely to see if their new team can head back into Denver to defeat the Crush.

Mile-High Effort: Last season when the Fury and Crush met, Detroit scored a season-high 71 points and played one of their best games of the year. Quarterback Andy Kelly had a flawless performance, and the Fury defense played one of its best games, making two interceptions, recovering two fumbles, sacking the quarterback twice and recording a safety. Detroit hopes a return visit to the Mile-High City warrants another such effort.

A total Arena Football Opposite: Normally, AFL teams use high-powered passing offenses to score, but so far in 2004, the Fury have given up more rushing touchdowns (8) than passing touchdowns (7). While the Fury defense has been holding opponents to very low scores, they seem to have a hard time slowing down the oppositions rushing attack. In three games, the Fury have allowed over 30 yards of rushing a game, while limiting opposing offenses to under 200 yards passing a game.


RUNNING WITH THE RECORDS: Watch as Fury Quarterback Andy Kelly continues his assault on the Arena Football League's record books, as he hopes to remain the league's all-time leading passer. AFL Veterans Aaron Garcia (NY) and Sherdrick Bonner (AZ) are right behind.

All-Time Pass Attempts: #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 4,207
2) Todd Hammel, Philadelphia* 3,501
3) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 3,552
4) Aaron Garcia, New York 3,458

All-Time Pass Completions #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 2,570
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 2,202
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 2,162
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 2,145

All-Time Passing Yards #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 28,532
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 27,779
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 27,716
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 25,389

All-Time Passing Touchdowns #
1) Aaron Garcia, New York 565
2) Andy Kelly, Detroit 559
3) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 547
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 503

* Denotes In-active Quarterback in the AFL

CARP'S COUNTDOWN: Last season, Ron Carpenter, "Carp", set the AFL's single-season record for kickoff return yardage in his first year with the Fury. Follow the countdown to see if Carp will defend his record and try to beat the mark he set in 2003.

KICK RETURN YARDS RECORD Yards
Ron Carpenter in 2003 2,248
Kickoff Returns Yards to Date in 2004 172
Average Yards / Game to Break Record 160.0

MILESTONES
Andy Kelly Needs
1,468 Passing Yards for: 30,000 Career Passing Yards
41 Touchdowns for: 600 Career Passing Touchdowns

Ron Carpenter Needs
2 Interceptions for: 20 Career Interceptions

Curtis Eason Needs
2 Sacks for: 20 Career Sacks


GAME AWARD WINNERS:

BABY RUTH OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:

WEEK TEAM PLAYER
1 San Jose Mark Grieb
2 Detroit Andy Kelly
3 Detroit Andy Kelly
4 BYE WEEK
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:

WEEK TEAM PLAYER
1 San Jose Omarr Smith
2 Detroit Reggie Doster
3 Detroit Ron Carpenter
4 BYE WEEK
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME:

WEEK TEAM PLAYER
1 Detroit Cameron Chance
2 Detroit Thabiti Davis
3 Indiana Brett Bech
4 BYE WEEK
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

FOLLOWING THE FURY IN 2004:

1-1 at The Palace of Auburn Hills
1-0 on the road

0-0 vs. National Conference
2-1 vs. American Conference

0-0 vs. Eastern Division
0-0 vs. Southern Division
1-0 vs. Central Division
1-1 vs. Western Division

0-0 on NBC
1-1 on Local TV Broadcast

0-1 on Thursdays
1-0 on Fridays
0-0 on Saturdays
0-0 on Sundays
1-0 on Mondays

2-1 in February
0-0 in March
0-0 in April
0-0 in May

1-0 when leading after first quarter
0-0 when trailing after first quarter
1-1 when tied after first quarter

1-0 when leading at halftime
1-1 when trailing at halftime
0-0 when tied at halftime

1-0 when leading after three quarters
1-1 when trailing after three quarters
0-0 when tied after three quarters

1-1 in games decided by 10+ points
1-0 in games decided by 4-9 points
0-0 in games decided by 3 or less points

0-1 when opponent scores more than 40 points
2-0 when opponent scores less than 40 points

1-1 when Fury score more than 40 points
1-0 when Fury score less than 40 points

2-1 when the Fury score first
0-0 when opponent score first

0-0 in overtime


AFL STANDINGS:

American Conference - Central Division Team W L T
Chicago Rush 4 0 0
Colorado Crush 3 1 0
Detroit Fury 2 1 0
Grand Rapids Rampage 0 4 0
Indiana Firebirds 0 4 0

American Conference - West Division
Team W L T
San Jose SaberCats 3 0 0
Arizona Rattlers 2 2 0
Las Vegas Gladiators 2 2 0
Los Angeles Avengers 2 2 0

National Conference - Eastern Division
Team W L T
Dallas Desperados 3 1 0
Carolina Cobras 2 2 0
Columbus Destroyers 1 3 0
New York Dragons 1 3 0
Philadelphia Soul 1 3 0

National Conference - Southern Division
Team W L T
New Orleans VooDoo 3 1 0
Austin Wranglers 2 1 0
Georgia Force 2 2 0
Tampa Bay Storm 2 2 0
Orlando Predators 1 2 0


2004 Playoff Seedings (-):

1. –
2. –
3. –
4. –
5. –
6. –
7. –
8. –

* Current Division Leader


Last Week in the AFL:
Friday, February 27
Austin Wranglers, 35 – Colorado Crush, 37
Saturday, February 28
Orlando Predators, 59 – Carolina Cobras, 43
Grand Rapids Rampage, 31 – San Jose SaberCats, 62
Sunday, February 29
New York Dragons, 41 – Arizona Rattlers, 53
Chicago Rush, 49 – Indiana Firebirds, 46
Philadelphia Soul, 37 – Tampa Bay Storm, 40
Dallas Desperados, 51 – Columbus Destroyers, 35
New Orleans VooDoo, 30 – Las Vegas Gladiators, 50
Monday, March 1
Georgia Force 53 – Los Angeles Avengers 52 (OT)

Bye: Detroit Fury

This Week in the AFL:
Thursday, March 4
Detroit Fury @ Colorado Crush, 9:00 pm
Friday, March 5
Columbus Destroyers @ Arizona Rattlers, 9:00 pm
Saturday, March 6
Indiana Firebirds @ Orlando Predators, 7:30 pm
Grand Rapids Rampage @ Dallas Desperados, 8:30 pm
Sunday, March 7
Las Vegas Gladiators @ Georgia Force, 12:00 pm
San Jose SaberCats @ New York Dragons, 12:00 pm
Chicago Rush @ Philadelphia Soul, 12:00 pm
Tampa Bay Storm @ New Orleans VooDoo, 3:00 pm
Carolina Cobras @ Austin Wranglers, 3:00 pm

Bye: Los Angeles Avengers

Next Week in the AFL:
Friday, March 12
Georgia Force @ Orlando Predators, 7:30 pm
Detroit Fury @ New Orleans VooDoo, 8:00 pm
Saturday, March 13
Philadelphia Soul @ Columbus Destroyers, 7:00 pm
Sunday, March 14
Los Angeles Avengers @ Grand Rapids Rampage, 12:00 pm
New York Dragons @ Tampa Bay Storm, 12:00 pm
Dallas Desperados @ Carolina Cobras, 3:00 pm
Indiana Firebirds @ Austin Wranglers, 3:00 pm
Colorado Crush @ San Jose SaberCats, 3:00 pm
Arizona Rattlers @ Las Vegas Gladiators 3:00 pm

Bye: Chicago Rush

* All Times Eastern

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