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Detroit Fury game notes

March 9, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Detroit Fury (2-2) at New Orleans VooDoo (4-1)
Date: Friday, March 12, 2004
Kickoff: 8:00 p.m. ET
Site: The New Orleans Arena
Officials: David Lambros (Referee), Al Granado (Umpire),
Mike McCabe (Head Linesman), Arthur Lucky (Line Judge)
David Cutaia (Back Judge).
Radio: WDFN, 1130 AM
Fred McLeod (Play-by-Play)
TV: None

Series Record: N / A
Last Meeting: N / A
Streaks: New Orleans – Win 1
Detroit – Lose 1
Coaches: New Orleans – Mike Neu (4-1, 1st Year)
Detroit – Tom Luginbill (2-1, 1st Year)

THE STAKES: Detroit is looking to rebound against one of the hottest teams in the AFL, the New Orleans VooDoo. Although an expansion team, New Orleans has started the season strong. The Fury will look to rebound after last week's heart-breaking loss at Colorado with a win on the road. The VooDoo will try to stay atop the Southern Division standings with another strong performance. Detroit needs a win to keep pace with Chicago and Colorado in the division and playoff races.

THE SERIES: This will be the first meeting between the expansion New Orleans Voodoo and the Detroit Fury. This will be the only meeting of the regular season between these teams.


TEAM SCHEDULES:

DETROIT FURY (2-2)
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 - - -
3/04 @Colorado 1-1 L 61-62
Date Opponent Time TV Series
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

NEW ORLEANS VOODOO (4-1)
Date Opponent Series Result Score
2/8 @ Philadelphia - W 42-34
2/14 INDIANA - W 41-40
2/22 @ Georgia - W 55-52
2/29 @ Las Vegas - L 30-55
3/7 TAMPA BAY - W 55-43
Date Opponent Time TV Series
3/12 DETROIT 8:00 - 0-1
3/18 @ Arizona 9:00 - -
3/27 CAROLINA 8:00 - -
4/4 BYE WEEK - - -
4/9 @ Orlando 7:30 - -
4/18 COLUMBUS 3:00 NBC -
4/25 @ Austin 3:00 NBC -
5/1 SAN JOSE 10:30 - -
5/9 ORLANDO 3:00 NBC -
5/15 GEORGIA 8:00
5/23 @ Tampa Bay 3:00 NBC -
5/30 AUSTIN 4:00 NBC -
* all times Eastern and subject to change

HEAD COACHES:

TOM LUGINBILL, Detroit (2-2, 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 NEU, New Orleans (11-11, 3rd Year, Overall): Neu enters his second full season as a head coach, with the expansion New Orleans Voodoo. Neu returns to the AFL coaching ranks, after serving as the head coach of the Carolina Cobras in 2002, prior to the team's move from Raleigh to Charlotte. In Carolina, Neu led his team to a 6-8 record and a spot in the 2002 ArenaBowl Playoffs, where the team recorded its first and only franchise playoff victory on the road against the Grand Rapids Rampage. In 2001, Neu served as the offensive coordinator of the Cobras, but he was promoted to head coach just three days before the team's first playoff game. Before joining the Cobras, Neu was the director of operations and head coach for the Augusta Stallions of af2. Neu led the Stallions to a 14-4 record and was named coach of the year. Prior to joining the coaching ranks in Arena Football, Neu played briefly with the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL before joining the Orlando Predators in 1996 as a quarterback. In 1997, Neu spent the season with the Nashville Kats. A quarterback in college, Neu was named the MAC's Offensive Player of the Year in 1993 at Ball State. He still holds school records for attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns.

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 (COLORADO):

DENVER, Co. – The Detroit Fury recovered two onside kicks and scored twice in the final minute of the game, but failed to make a 55-yard field goal as time expired giving the Colorado Crush a 62-61 victory over the Detroit Fury. The loss gives the Fury (2-2) their first road loss of the season and evens the all-time series record (1-1) against the Crush (4-1).

With just over a minute left in the game, Sal Patu sacked Fury quarterback Andy Kelly and forced a fumble that was recovered by Crush teammate Chad Dukes for a touchdown. The touchdown put Colorado up by 14 points, but the Fury battled back.

Kelly drove the Fury down the field, eventually connecting with receiver Junior Lord for a touchdown. On the next play, Thabiti Davis jumped above a crowd of Crush players to recover the onside kick.

Again, Detroit drove the field, and with three seconds left in the game, Kelly hit Davis for the score. Fury Head Coach Tom Luginbill made the call to go for the two-point conversion, but Kelly's pass sailed just over Lord's head, giving the Crush a one-point advantage.

"Ten times out of ten, I will make the decision to go for that call," said Luginbill. "Our guys never gave up, and they played their hearts out. They deserved to go for the win on that play."

The Fury did not give up. They recovered a second onside kick, leaving only one second on the game clock. Fury kicker Mark Lewis had the distance, but his kick landed wide right, sealing Colorado's fourth win of the season.

Detroit was able to climb back in the game through another great defensive and special teams effort. The defense forced Colorado into three field goal attempts, which all missed.

Colorado used four defensive turnovers to help their team, including two fumbled Fury snaps. Crush quarterback John Dutton entered the game leading the AFL in fumble recoveries (six), with five of the six recoveries coming from fumbled snaps.

Despite fumbling two snaps and throwing an interception in the end zone, Detroit quarterback Andy Kelly had a career day on offense. He finished the day completing 34-of-52 passes for 375 yards and nine touchdowns. His main target was receiver Junior Lord, who caught 10 passes for 95 yards and four touchdowns.

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Final
Detroit Fury 21 7 13 20 61
Colorado Crush 21 13 7 21 62

Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game: Damian Harrell (COL)
ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Willis Marshall (COL)
U.S. Army Ironman of the Game:
Willis Marshall (COL)

Attendance: 15,942
STATISTICS:

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

Statistical DETROIT NEW ORLEANS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 12th 46.5 16th 44.6
Scoring Defense 5th 44.0 4th 43.8
Total Offense T 3rd 278.5 18th 226.0
Total Defense 3rd 221.2 8th 253.2
Rushing Offense 12th 16.2 5th 28.2
Rushing Defense 19th 33.2 13th 23.6
Pass Offense 2nd 262.2 18th 197.8
Pass Defense 1st 188.0 6th 229.6
Scoring (Kicking) T 10th 34 T 9th 35
Pass Rating 16th 102.0 19th 94.8
Pass Def. Rating 17th 111.9 7th 106.7
Kickoff Returns T 17th 15.4 13th 16.3
MFG Returns 9th 16.7 T 15th 0.0
Turnover Margin 19th -2.25 7th +0.6
Field Goals 4th .571 10th .333
PAT Kicking 5th .957 7th .897
Sacks By T 2nd 6 T 16th 1
Sacks Against T 5th 2 T 3rd 1
First Downs T 11th 85 T 13th 83
Opponent First Downs 1st 56 12th 94
3rd Down Conv. (%) T 12th 46.9 4th 53.8
Opp. 3rd Down (%) 1st 36.7 T 13th 50.0
Penalties (Avg.) 1st 32.8 12th 49.8
Opp. Penalties (Avg.) 9th 233 T 17tt 269
Red Zone Offense (%) 13th 77.8 17th 70.4
Red Zone Defense (%) 2nd 72.2 17th 88.9

THE IFs:
If DETROIT defeats NEW ORLEANS, it would ...
· Give DETROIT a (1-0) record against New Orleans, and give them a (4-1) record vs. expansion teams in their inaugural year.
· Give DETROIT a (2-1) record on the road
· Give DETROIT a (1-0) record against the Southern Division and a (1-0) vs. the National Conference
· Give DETROIT Head Coach Tom Luginbill his third win as an AFL head coach
· Keep DETROIT's record above .500
· Give DETROIT their first win against New Orleans head coach Mike Neu (formerly with Carolina)

FURY NOTES / TRENDS:

Better with Age: Fury quarterback Andy Kelly proved last week that he can get better with age. Against Colorado, he completed 33-of-54 passes for 375 yards and nine touchdowns. Doing so, Kelly set three Fury franchise records for attempts, completions and yards in a single game and tied the Fury record for touchdowns, a mark Kelly set last season. The 375 yards was also Kelly's personal best over his 10-year career.

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 of their last three games, they have held their opponents to 31 and 25 points. Detroit's defense has held their opponents to a combined 15 field goal attempts so far in 2004, with 13 of the 15 missing.

Expansion Success: Since entering the league in 2001, the Fury have played against three expansion teams during their inaugural season, and they currently hold a (3-1) record against teams in their first year. This season, the Fury will play back-to-back games against expansion teams (New Orleans & Austin).

Playing against your old coach: When Fury lineman Jon McCall enters Friday's game against New Orleans, he will be playing for his former coach Mike Neu from Carolina. McCall played for Neu in 2002, Neu's first full year as a head coach in the AFL.

A Home Team Sweep: Last week, the home teams won every single game, sweeping the road teams. This week, the Fury hope to rebuild their road record and avoid losing their second straight road game of the year.

Nope, they aren't twins: Pictured below are Fury kicker Mark Lewis and NBA star Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets. So far this season, Lewis has been mistaken for Kidd at least once on both road trips of the season. While they do not play the same sport, both have a great ability to handle a ball. Lewis, who kicked two perfect onside kicks last week is nearly flawless on PAT's going 22-of-23 and making over 50% of his field goals.




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 4,260
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 3,566
3) Todd Hammel, Philadelphia* 3,501
4) Aaron Garcia, New York 3,479

All-Time Pass Completions #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 2,604
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 2,213
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 2,181
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 2,169

All-Time Passing Yards #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 28,907
2) Aaron Garcia, New York 28,001
3) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 27,927
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 25,660

All-Time Passing Touchdowns #
1) Aaron Garcia, New York 574
2) Andy Kelly, Detroit 568
3) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 551
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 507

* 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 253
Average Yards / Game to Break Record 166.3

MILESTONES
Andy Kelly Needs
1,093 Passing Yards for: 30,000 Career Passing Yards
32 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 Colorado Damian Harrell
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 Colorado Willis Marshall
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 Colorado Willis Marshall
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
1-1 on the road

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

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

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

0-2 on Thursdays
1-0 on Fridays
0-0 on Saturdays
0-0 on Sundays
1-0 on Mondays

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

1-0 when leading after first quarter
0-0 when trailing after first quarter
1-2 when tied after first quarter

1-0 when leading at halftime
1-2 when trailing at halftime
0-0 when tied at halftime

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

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

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

1-2 when Fury score more than 40 points
1-0 when Fury score less than 40 points

2-2 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 1 0
Colorado Crush 4 1 0
Detroit Fury 2 2 0
Grand Rapids Rampage 0 5 0
Indiana Firebirds 0 5 0

American Conference - West Division
Team W L T
San Jose SaberCats 3 1 0
Arizona Rattlers 3 2 0
Los Angeles Avengers 2 2 0
Las Vegas Gladiators 2 3 0

National Conference - Eastern Division
Team W L T
Dallas Desperados 4 1 0
Carolina Cobras 2 3 0
New York Dragons 2 3 0
Philadelphia Soul 2 3 0
Columbus Destroyers 1 4 0

National Conference - Southern Division
Team W L T
New Orleans VooDoo 4 1 0
Austin Wranglers 3 1 0
Georgia Force 3 2 0
Orlando Predators 2 2 0
Tampa Bay Storm 2 3 0


2004 Playoff Seedings (-):

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

* Current Division Leader









Last Week in the AFL:
Thursday, March 4
Detroit Fury 61 – Colorado Crush 62
Friday, March 5
Columbus Destroyers 42 - Arizona Rattlers 65
Saturday, March 6
Indiana Firebirds 38 - Orlando Predators 50
Grand Rapids Rampage 50 - Dallas Desperados 66
Sunday, March 7
Las Vegas Gladiators 40 - Georgia Force 55
San Jose SaberCats 50 - New York Dragons 64
Chicago Rush 47 - Philadelphia Soul 53
Tampa Bay Storm 43 - New Orleans VooDoo 55
Carolina Cobras 55 - Austin Wranglers 56

Bye: Los Angeles Avengers

This 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
Dallas Desperados @ Carolina Cobras, 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 14
Indiana Firebirds @ Austin Wranglers, 3:00 pm
Arizona Rattlers @ Las Vegas Gladiators, 6:00 pm
Colorado Crush @ San Jose SaberCats, 8:00 pm
Los Angeles Avengers @ Grand Rapids Rampage, 12:00 pm
New York Dragons @ Tampa Bay Storm, 12:00 pm

Bye: Chicago Rush

Next Week in the AFL:
Thursday, March 18
Austin Wranglers @ Detroit Fury, 7:30 pm
New Orleans VooDoo @ Arizona Rattlers, 9:00 pm
Saturday, March 20
Georgia Force @ Indiana Firebirds, 7:00 pm
Columbus Destroyers @ New York Dragons, 7:00 pm
Las Vegas Gladiators @ San Jose SaberCats 10:30 pm
Sunday, March 21
Orlando Predators @ Chicago Rush, 12:00 pm
Colorado Crush @ Philadelphia Soul, 12:00 pm
Tampa Bay Storm @ Carolina Cobras, 3:00 pm
Los Angeles Avengers @ Dallas Desperados, 4:00 pm

Bye: Grand Rapids

* All Times Eastern

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