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Detroit Fury game notes

April 6, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Grand Rapids Rampage (0-8) @ Detroit Fury (4-4)
Date: Saturday, April 10, 2004
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Site: The Palace of Auburn Hills (14,826)
Officials: Bill McCabe (Referee), Doug Wilson (Umpire),
Royce Cooley (Head Linesman), Kent Payne (Line Judge)
Scott Helverson (Back Judge).
Radio: WXDX, 1310 AM
Matt Dery (Play-by-Play)
Guest Color Analysts: Matt Maylen & Michael Sandstrom (Contest Winners)
TV: None
Series Record: (2-3 Overall, 1-3 Regular Season)
Last Meeting: Wildcard Playoff Round
Sunday, May 25, 2003
Detroit 55 – Grand Rapids 54
Streaks: Grand Rapids – Lose 8
Detroit – Win 2
Coaches: Grand Rapids – Bob Cortese (0-8, 1st Year)
Detroit – Tom Luginbill (4-4, 1st Year)

THE STAKES: Detroit is currently on a two-game winning streak and sits ninth in the overall playoff standings. Grand Rapids is winless, but they still have the opportunity to play a spoiler. The Fury are in a must-win situation this week, to stay in the playoff chase. 11 of the 19 teams in the league are all within two games of each other (records of 6-3, 5-3, 4-4, 4-5, 3-5), and Detroit must keep its winning streak alive to keep pace with the pack.

THE SERIES: This will be the sixth overall meeting between these intrastate rivals. Grand Rapids holds the 3-2 series advantage over Detroit. In 2003, these teams did not meet in the regular season, but did face each other in the Wildcard round of the playoffs, where Detroit won the game on a 4th down, last second pass and two point conversion.
TEAM SCHEDULES:

DETROIT FURY (4-4)
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
3/12 @New Orleans 0-1 L 31-45
3/18 AUSTIN 0-1 L 58-70
3/28 @Chicago 3-3 W 72-71
4/01 GEORGIA 2-1 W 42-40
Date Opponent Time TV Series
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

GRAND RAPIDS (0-8)
Date Opponent Series Result Score
2/8 @ Chicago - L 30-50
2/14 COLORADO - L 37-55
2/22 LAS VEGAS - L 14-51
2/28 @ San Jose - L 31-62
3/6 @ Dallas - L 50-66
3/14 LOS ANGELES - L 33-48
3/20 BYE WEEK - - -
3/26 @ Indiana - L 42-45
4/4 ARIZONA - L 51-41
Date Opponent Time TV Series
4/10 @ Detroit 7:30 - 3-2
4/17 INDIANA 7:30 - -
4/23 @ Colorado 9:00 -
5/1 AUSTIN 7:30 - -
5/8 CHICAGO 7:30 - -
5/14 @ Columbus 7:00 - -
5/22 @ Carolina 7:30 - -
5/29 DETROIT 7:30 - -
* all times Eastern and subject to change

HEAD COACHES:

TOM LUGINBILL, Detroit (4-4, 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.

BOB CORTESE, Grand Rapids (0-8, 1st Year): Cortese heads to Grand Rapids to become only the second head coach in franchise history. Although he is only in his first season with Grand Rapids, Cortese is an Arena Football veteran with previous head coaching experience. Before re-joining the AFL, Cortese spent two seasons with the Wichita Stealth of arenafootball2 as the director of football operations and offensive coordinator in 2002 and as head coach in 2003. Cortese got his head coaching start in the AFL with the now defunct Oklahoma Wranglers. He served as the head coach for the Wranglers in 2000 & 2001, where he guided the team to a 13-17 overall record. In 2000, he helped the Wranglers to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, and his 2000 team is still the lowest AFL seed (#10) to win an ArenaBowl playoff game. Before joining Oklahoma, Cortese got his AFL start with the defunct Portland Fire Dragons. He served as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 1999 and was the offensive coordinator in 1998. Cortese has been coaching football since the late 1970's. He started coaching with the University of Colorado in 1977 and has had coaching stints with Mesa State College and Fort Hayes State College.

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.

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 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.

The Fury had their latest hospital visit on Tuesday, March 30. Fury players Angel Rubio and Dawan Moss and mascot Frenzy visited the children and other patients at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

The Fury will embark on their first Field Trip of the season on April 13, 2004 when a group of players will join 50-100 students from local youth groups in metro-Detroit as they tour the weather studios in WDIV Channel 4. Meteorologist Andrew Humphrey will take the students on a tour of the studio, explaining how we predict the weather and the technology used to get the weather on TV.

The players will help guide the children around, and later on, they will talk about how they use technology to become better football players on and off the field. They will also give out Fury swag and gear to all the participants involved on the Field Trip.


LAST WEEK (vs. Georgia):

AUBURN HILLS, MI – The Detroit Fury used a gutsy defensive effort and the leg of kicker Mark Lewis to defeat the Georgia Force 42-40 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Georgia (4-5) attempted a late comeback but failed to recover the onside kick, and Detroit (4-4) ran out the rest of the clock for the victory.

With the win, the Fury (4-4) increased their winning streak to two and stays in the hunt for the ArenaBowl playoffs. The Force has now lost three straight games.

Kicker Mark Lewis, who was recently named the AFL's Kicker of the Month, had a great game. He was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts and 3-for-4 on PATs. He also kicked a perfect onside kick in the first quarter, which allowed the Fury to jump to an early 10-point lead. For his performance, Lewis was also named the Offensive Player of the game.

Fury quarterback Andy Kelly helped to drive the offensive charge. Kelly completed 20-of-41 passes for 240 yards, three touchdowns and interceptions. This was the first time in a month Kelly did not throw for over 300 yards in the game.

Kelly's main target, receiver was again Thabiti Davis, who made seven catches for 96 yards and one touchdown. Receiver Jeff Russell also had a big game, making six catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, the Fury was able to put pressure on the Force. Linemen Angel Rubio and Curtis Eason each recorded a sack, and lineman Eason and Anthony Hicks each forced a fumble.

For Georgia, quarterback Leon Murray tried to lead his team 17-of-31 passes for 245 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Murray also led his team in rushing, rushing four times for 10 yards and one touchdown.

The Force used a tough red zone rushing attack on the Fury. Three different players scored a touchdown on the ground in the game.

Score By Quarter 1 2 3 4 Final
Georgia Force 7 12 7 14 40
Detroit Fury 17 9 13 3 42

Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game:
Mark Lewis (DET)
ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Curtis Eason (DET)
U.S. Army Ironman of the Game:
Thabiti Davis (DET)

Attendance: 6,106



NEXT WEEK:

Next Week, the Fury hit the road for a two-game west-coast road trip that takes them to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. First, the Fury defense will be tested as they take on a tough Los Angeles Avengers team on Friday, April 16 at 10:30 pm. The Fury have not played L.A. since 2001, where they beat them in overtime in Los Angeles.

STATISTICS:

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

Statistical DETROIT GRAND RAPIDS
Category Stat Stat
Scoring Offense 389 278
Scoring Defense 402 428
Total Offense (yds/g) 299.8 213.9
Total Defense (yds/g) 252.8 264.9
Pass Offense (yds/g) 281.5 199.5
Pass Defense (yds/g) 220.4 251.1
Rushing Offense (yds/g) 18.3 14.4
Rushing Defense (yds/g) 32.4 13.8
Kickoff Returns 15.0 22.1
Field Goals 10 / 15 4 / 20
PAT Kicking 45 / 49 32 / 38
Sacks By (sks-yds) 10 (52) 7 (35)
Sacks Against (sks-yds) 5 (39) 13 (74)
First Downs 177 129
Penalties (#/yds) 55 (317) 64 (372)
Turnover Margin -11 -11
Time of Possession 32:20 30:54
Third Down % 54.1 % 49.2 %
Fourth Down % 50.0 % 40.0 %
Opp. Third Down % 42.3 % 52.3 %
Opp. Fourth Down % 71.4 % 50.0 %
Offensive TD % inside 10 67.4 % 71.0 %
Defensive TD% inside 10 75.8 % 74.3 %

THE IFs:
If DETROIT defeats GRAND RAPIDS, it would ...
· Give DETROIT a (3-3) overallseries record against Grand Rapids, and their first regular season win over the Rampage since June 30, 2001
· Give DETROIT a (3-2) record at home
· Give DETROIT a (5-4) overall record
· Give DETROIT Head Coach Tom Luginbill his fifth win as an AFL head coach
· Keep DETROIT in the playoff hunt
· Keep DETORIT's winning streak alive at three
· Give DETROIT a (3-1) record in the division

FURY NOTES / TRENDS:

Strength of Schedules: At the halfway point in the AFL season, the Fury have adjusted well to having the hardest schedule of any other AFL team in the league. With an opponents winning percentage of 63.2% (43-25 combined record), the Detroit Fury (4-4) have played the toughest schedule to start the season. The next closest team with a high opponent's winning percentage is the Grand Rapids Rampage (0-8) at 58.8% (40-28 combined record).

Vs. Bob Cortese: The last time the Fury franchise faced current Grand Rapids Head Coach Bob Cortese, it was their very first home game in their inaugural year, when Cortese was head coach of the Oklahoma Wranglers. The Fury is 1-0 vs. Cortese, and the Fury earned its first-ever victory as a franchise against Cortese.

Air it Out in March: In the month of March, quarterback Andy Kelly accumulated four passing games of over 300 yards. Detroit is 1-3 when Kelly passes for more than 300 yards, with the win at Chicago being his only +300 victory. He has totals of 375 (@ Colorado), 312 (@ New Orleans), 345 (vs. Austin) and 306 (@ Chicago) in the last month. His total of 375 yards was a career best, and he is on pace to beat his personal best in passing yards in a season by over 500 yards.

Flip of the Coin: So far in 2004, the Fury still have only won one coin toss, but in their only coin toss win of the season, the Fury ended up kicking off in both halves due to a quirky rule. Against Austin, the Fury opted to kick rather than defer, giving Austin the choice of receiving the ball to open both halves of play.

Passing Milestone: Last week, quarterback Andy Kelly passed an AFL milestone. He became the first quarterback in league history to pass the 30,000 passing yards mark. Kelly passes the mark in the second quarter of last week's game versus the Georgia Force.

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 on two of the three road trips of the season. While they do not play the same sport, both have a great ability to handle a ball. Lewis is nearly flawless on PAT's going 41-of-43 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 4,410
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 3,719
3) Todd Hammel, Philadelphia 3,581
4) Aaron Garcia, New York 3,553

All-Time Pass Completions #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 2,694
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 2,312
3) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 2,281
4) Aaron Garcia, New York 2,219

All-Time Passing Yards #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 30,138
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 28,864
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 28,467
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 27,015

All-Time Passing Touchdowns #
1) Aaron Garcia, New York 588
2) Andy Kelly, Detroit 587
3) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 570
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 533

* Denotes Back-Up 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 to see if Carp will defend his record, as this season's league leaders make a run for Carp's record.

KICK RETURN YARDS RECORD Yards
Ron Carpenter in 2003 2,248
Kickoff Returns Yards to Date in 2004 424

KICKOFF RETURN LEADERS
Steve Smith, Grand Rapids – 978 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 158.8
Markeith Cooper, Georgia – 798 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 207.1
Will Pettis, Dallas – 777 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 183.9

MILESTONES
Andy Kelly Needs
13 Touchdowns for: 600 Career Passing Touchdowns


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 New Orleans Aaron Bailey
7 Austin Tacoma Fontaine
8 Detroit Thabiti Davis
9 Detroit Mark Lewis
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 New Orleans Monty Montgomery
7 Austin Tom Briggs
8 Chicago Lindsay Fleshman
9 Detroit Curtis Eason
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 New Orleans Dan Curran
7 Detroit Carl Bond
8 Chicago Lindsay Fleshman
9 Detroit Thabiti Davis
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

FOLLOWING THE FURY IN 2004:

2-2 at The Palace of Auburn Hills
2-2 on the road

1-2 vs. National Conference
3-2 vs. American Conference

0-0 vs. Eastern Division
1-2 vs. Southern Division
2-1 vs. Central Division
1-1 vs. Western Division

0-0 on NBC
2-2 on Local TV Broadcast

1-3 on Thursdays
1-1 on Fridays
0-0 on Saturdays
1-0 on Sundays
1-0 on Mondays

2-1 in February
1-3 in March
1-0 in April
0-0 in May

2-0 when leading after first quarter
1-1 when trailing after first quarter
1-3 when tied after first quarter

3-1 when leading at halftime
1-3 when trailing at halftime
0-0 when tied at halftime

3-0 when leading after three quarters
1-3 when trailing after three quarters
0-1 when tied after three quarters

1-3 in games decided by 10+ points
1-0 in games decided by 4-9 points
2-1 in games decided by 3 or less points

1-4 when opponent scores more than 40 points
3-0 when opponent scores 40 points or less

3-3 when Fury score more than 40 points
1-1 when Fury score 40 points or less

3-3 when the Fury score first
1-1 when opponent score first

0-0 in overtime


AFL STANDINGS:

American Conference - Central Division Team W L T
Chicago Rush 6 2 0
Colorado Crush 6 3 0
Detroit Fury 4 4 0
Indiana Firebirds 4 5 0
Grand Rapids Rampage 0 8 0

American Conference - West Division
Team W L T
San Jose SaberCats 7 1 0
Los Angeles Avengers 5 3 0
Arizona Rattlers 4 5 0
Las Vegas Gladiators 3 6 0

National Conference - Eastern Division
Team W L T
Dallas Desperados 5 3 0
New York Dragons 5 3 0
Philadelphia Soul 4 5 0
Carolina Cobras 3 6 0
Columbus Destroyers 2 6 0

National Conference - Southern Division
Team W L T
New Orleans VooDoo 7 1 0
Austin Wranglers 5 3 0
Georgia Force 4 5 0
Orlando Predators 3 5 0
Tampa Bay Storm 3 6 0


2004 Playoff Seedings (Through Week 9):

1. – New Orleans VooDoo (7-1)*
2. – San Jose SaberCats (7-1) *
3. – Chicago Rush (6-2) *
4. – Colorado Crush (6-3)
5. – Austin Wranglers (5-3)
6. – Dallas Desperados (5-3) *
7. – Los Angeles Avengers (5-3)
8. – New York Dragons (5-3)

* Current Division Leader


Last Week in the AFL:
Thursday, April 1
Georgia Force 40 at Detroit Fury 42
Saturday, April 3
Indiana Firebirds 45 at Colorado Crush 42 (OT)
Austin Wranglers 70 at Los Angeles Avengers 81
Sunday, April 4
San Jose SaberCats 62 at Tampa Bay Storm 55
Orlando Predators 46 at Columbus Destroyers 55
Dallas Desperados 31 at Philadelphia Soul 47
Arizona Rattlers 51 at Grand Rapids Rampage 41
New York Dragons 57 at Carolina Cobras 41
Chicago Rush 57 at Las Vegas Gladiators 55

Bye: New Orleans VooDoo

This Week in the AFL:
Friday, April 9
New Orleans VooDoo @ Orlando Predators, 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 10
New York Dragons @ Columbus Destroyers, 7:00 pm
Grand Rapids Rampage @ Detroit Fury, 7:30 pm
San Jose SaberCats @ Dallas Desperados, 8:30 pm
Las Vegas Gladiators @ Arizona Rattlers, 10:00 pm
Colorado Crush @ Los Angeles Avengers, 10:30 pm
Sunday, April 11
Carolina Cobras @ Indiana Firebirds, 3:00 pm
Tampa Bay Storm @ Chicago Rush, 3:00 pm
Georgia Force @ Austin Wranglers, 3:00 pm

Bye: Philadelphia Soul

Next Week in the AFL:
Friday, April 16
Detroit Fury @ Los Angeles Avengers, 10:30 pm
Chicago Rush @ San Jose SaberCats, 10:30 pm
Saturday, April 17
Indiana Firebirds @ Grand Rapids Rampage, 7:30 pm
Philadelphia Soul @ Carolina Cobras, 7:30 pm
Sunday, April 18
Austin Wranglers @ Tampa Bay Storm, 3:00 pm
Dallas Desperados @ Arizona Rattlers, 3:00 pm
Columbus Destroyers @ New Orleans VooDoo, 3:00 pm
Colorado Crush @ New York Dragons, 3:00 pm
Orlando Predators @ Georgia Force, 3:00 pm

Bye: Las Vegas Gladiators

* All Times Eastern

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