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Detroit Fury game notes

April 14, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Detroit Fury (4-5) @ Los Angeles Avengers (5-4)
Date: Friday, April 16, 2004
Kickoff: 10:30 p.m. ET
Site: The Staples Center (17,942)
Officials: Bill Athan (Referee), Al Granado (Umpire),
Roger McMinn (Head Linesman), Al Riveron (Line Judge)
Rob Vernatchi (Back Judge).
Radio: WDFN, 1130 AM
Fred McLeod (Play-by-Play)
TV: None
Series Record: (1-0)
Last Meeting: Fury Inaugural Season
Saturday, June 16, 2001
Detroit 49 – Los Angeles 48 (OT)
Streaks: Los Angeles – Win 2
Detroit – Lose 1
Coaches: Los Angeles – Ed Hodgkiss (24-15, 3rd Year)
Detroit – Tom Luginbill (4-5, 1st Year)



THE STAKES: Detroit needs a win. Last week, the Fury fell to the previously winless Grand Rapids Rampage at home and fell from the ninth playoff spot to the 11th. A win at Los Angeles gives the Fury a much-needed victory over a potential playoff team and the tie-breaker between these two opponents. A loss could possibly drop Detroit out of the playoff race. Currently, 10 of the AFL's 19 teams are within two games of each other with records of (6-3. 5-4, 5-5 and 4-5). There is still time to make a run and separate from the pack, but Detroit is in a must-win situation.

THE SERIES: This will be only the second overall meeting between the Fury and the Avengers. Detroit Currently holds the 1-0 series advantage over Los Angeles, with their only game being a 49-48 OT win at the Staples Center. These teams have never met in Detroit.

TEAM SCHEDULES:

DETROIT FURY (4-5)
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
4/10 GRAND RAPIDS 2-4 L 45-49
Date Opponent Time TV Series
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

LOS ANGELES AVENGERS (5-4)
Date Opponent Series Result Score
2/8 @ Arizona - W 51-32
2/14 @ Las Vegas - W 62-55
2/22 SAN JOSE - L 55-61
3/1 GEORGIA - L (OT) 52-53
3/6 BYE WEEK - - -
3/14 @ Grand Rapids - W 48-33
3/21 @ Dallas - W 60-44
3/26 @ San Jose - L 52-55
4/3 AUSTIN - W 81-70
4/10 COLORADO - L 55-57
Date Opponent Time TV Series
4/16 DETROIT 10:30 - 0-1
4/25 @ Chicago 3:00 NBC -
5/1 ARIZONA 10:30 - -
5/9 @ Tampa Bay 3:00 NBC -
5/16 @ New York 3:00 NBC -
5/22 LAS VEGAS 10:30 - -
5/30 ORLANDO 4:00 - -
* all times Eastern and subject to change
HEAD COACHES:

TOM LUGINBILL, Detroit (4-5, 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.

ED HODGKISS, Los Angeles (24-15, 3rd Year):
Hodgkiss returns to the Avengers for his third year as the head coach. In Hodgkiss's three years with the Avengers, he has earned a 24-15 record. No head coach in AFL history has won more games in his first two seasons (going 19-11). In 2003, the Avengers won a franchise-best 11 games and earned a first round bye in the AFL playoffs. For this, Hodgkiss was also runner-up for the 2003 AFL "Coach of the Year" award. Hodgkiss became the head coach in L.A. on October 5, 2001, and signed a five-year contract extension shortly after the 2002 season. Prior to joining the Avengers, Hodgkiss had been with the Indiana Firebirds since 1997 as the team's offensive coordinator for three seasons (1999-2001). Hodgkiss was the wide receiver and special teams coach in 1997 and 1998. In previous offseasons (1997-2000) Hodgkiss served as offensive coordinator at Randolph-Macon College (Ashland, Va.). Other coaching stints include being a wide receivers coach at Morehead State University (Morehead, Ky.) from 1995-96, and offensive coordinator at Montgomery-Rockville Junior College (Rockville, Md.) in 1994.


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 embarked on their first Field Trip of the season on April 13, 2004 when a group of players will joined 50 students from local youth groups in metro-Detroit as they tour the weather studios in WDIV Channel 4. Meteorologist Andrew Humphrey took 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 helped guide the children around, and later on, they spoke about how they use technology to become better football players on and off the field. They also gave out Fury swag and gear to all the participants involved on the Field Trip.


LAST WEEK (vs. Grand Rapids):

AUBURN HILLS, MICH – Grand Rapids Rampage defensive specialist Mark Ricks intercepted Detroit Fury quarterback Andy Kelly with only 20 seconds remaining in the game to seal the Rampage's 49-45 over the Fury. The win was the first of the season for the Rampage (1-8), and the loss ended the Fury's (4-5) two-game win streak.

Grand Rapids used a powerful rushing attack to move their offense. Fullback Chris Avery led the way, carrying the ball five time for 47 yards, two touchdowns and caught two passes for 21 yards and one touchdown.

The Rampage also two different quarterbacks in the game. AFL rookie Michael Bishop started the game and completed 9-of-18 passes for 144 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. In the second half, Anthony Buich replaced Bishop, who completed 7-of-12 passes for 118 yards and one touchdown.

Despite his interception, Kelly was the driving force for the Fury offense. He finished the game completing 19-of-35 passes for 274 yards and six touchdowns. He completed touchdown passes to four different receivers.

Detroit receiver Thabiti Davis led all receivers with nine catches for 94 yards and three touchdowns.

With the loss, the Fury have now lost to two different winless teams at home in two straight years. Last year, the previously winless New York Dragons defeated the Fury on Sunday, March 16.

Score By Quarter 1 2 3 4 Final
Grand Rapids Rampage 13 13 3 20 49
Detroit Fury 7 21 7 10 45

Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game:
Chris Avery (GRA)
ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Mark Ricks (GRA)
U.S. Army Ironman of the Game:
Chris Avery (GRA)

Attendance: 10,106









NEXT WEEK:

Next Week, the Fury continue on the road for the second game on their west-coast road trip. Next up, the Fury head to Las Vegas, to battle with the Gladiators on Sunday, April 25 at 3:00 pm ET. Last season, the Fury and Gladiators were division rivals, and they split a pair of games, with each team winning at home.

STATISTICS:

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

Statistical DETROIT LOS ANGELES
Category Stat Stat
Scoring Offense 434 516
Scoring Defense 451 460
Total Offense (yds/g) 296.1 273.1
Total Defense (yds/g) 259.0 291.2
Pass Offense (yds/g) 280.2 258.4
Pass Defense (yds/g) 225.0 280.4
Rushing Offense (yds/g) 15.9 14.7
Rushing Defense (yds/g) 34.0 10.8
Kickoff Returns 16.6 17.1
Field Goals 11 / 18 9 / 16
PAT Kicking 51 / 55 59 / 67
Sacks By (sks-yds) 10 (52) 12 (77)
Sacks Against (sks-yds) 6 (43) 10 (49)
First Downs 193 181
Penalties (#/yds) 60 (345) 56 (287)
Turnover Margin -12 +11
Time of Possession 32:16 29:38
Third Down % 52.2 % 63.3 %
Fourth Down % 57.1 % 80.0 %
Opp. Third Down % 42.1 % 50.9 %
Opp. Fourth Down % 62.5 % 63.6 %
Offensive TD % inside 10 63.8 % 84.1 %
Defensive TD% inside 10 74.3 % 77.8 %

THE IFs:
If DETROIT defeats LOS ANGELES, it would ...
 Give DETROIT a (2-0) overall series record against Los Angeles, and keep them undefeated against L.A.
 Give DETROIT a (3-2) record on the road
 Give DETROIT a (5-5) overall record
 Give DETROIT Head Coach Tom Luginbill his fifth win as an AFL head coach
 Keep DETROIT in the playoff hunt
 End DETROIT"S losing skid
 Give DETROIT a (2-1) record vs. the Western Division


FURY NOTES / TRENDS:

Welcome Back Errick: With the release of FB Cameron Chance, the Fury had a void to fill. They signed FB Errick Herrin, who played for the Fury in the team's first three years in the AFL. When Errick joins the Fury on the field for the first time, he will be the only player in team history to have played in all four years of the Fury's existence. This week, Herrin will be in-active.

Vs. West Coast Teams: The Detroit Fury franchise has not had a lot of chances to play teams from the west coast in its four years in the AFL. Overall, the Fury are 4-3 vs. teams from the west coast (San Jose, Los Angeles, Las Vegas & Arizona). Of those seven games played, five were on the road, where the Fury managed to go 3-2.

Welcome two Super Bowl Champions: When the Fury kickoff against the Avengers, their will be two players in purple and white who possess a Super Bowl ring. DS Ron Carpenter won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams in 2000 and WR/LB Andre Cooper, who will play his first game of 2004 this week after being activated off of the injured reserve, won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos in 1999.

A tough loss, but can rebound: Last week, the Fury fell to the previously winless Grand Rapids Rampage, making it the second time in two straight years that the Fury have fallen to a winless team at home. Last season, the Fury fell to the (0-6) New York Dragons. This season, like in 2003, the Fury are following up their home losses with two important road games. Last year, after falling to NY, the Fury went on the road and beat Colorado and Buffalo. This season, the Fury have a chance to again rebound, this time against Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

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 four 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. Lewis's headshot will be featured in Sports Illustrated, as a look-a-like.









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 4,445
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 3,754
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 3,586
4) Todd Hammel, Philadelphia 3,581

All-Time Pass Completions #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 2,713
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 2,333
3) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 2,310
4) Aaron Garcia, New York 2,245

All-Time Passing Yards #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 30,412
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 29,127
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 28,797
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 27,305

All-Time Passing Touchdowns #
1) Aaron Garcia, New York 596
2) Andy Kelly, Detroit 593
3) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 579
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 542


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 600

KICKOFF RETURN LEADERS
Steve Smith, Grand Rapids – 1,042 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 172.3
Rashied Davis, San Jose – 892 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 193.7
Will Pettis, Dallas – 870 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 196.9

MILESTONES:
Andy Kelly Needs
7 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 Grand Rapids Chris Avery
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 Grand Rapids Mark Ricks
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 Grand Rapids Chris Avery
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

FOLLOWING THE FURY IN 2004:

2-3 at The Palace of Auburn Hills
2-2 on the road

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

0-0 vs. Eastern Division
1-2 vs. Southern Division
2-2 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
0-1 on Saturdays
1-0 on Sundays
1-0 on Mondays

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

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

3-2 when leading at halftime
1-3 when trailing at halftime
0-0 when tied at halftime

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

1-5 when opponent scores more than 40 points
3-0 when opponent scores 40 points or less

3-4 when Fury score more than 40 points
1-1 when Fury score 40 points or less

3-4 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 7 2 0
Colorado Crush 7 3 0
Indiana Firebirds 5 5 0
Detroit Fury 4 5 0
Grand Rapids Rampage 1 8 0

American Conference - West Division
Team W L T
San Jose SaberCats 7 2 0
Los Angeles Avengers 5 4 0
Arizona Rattlers 5 5 0
Las Vegas Gladiators 3 7 0

National Conference - Eastern Division
Team W L T
Dallas Desperados 6 3 0
New York Dragons 5 4 0
Philadelphia Soul 4 5 0
Columbus Destroyers 3 6 0
Carolina Cobras 3 7 0

National Conference - Southern Division
Team W L T
New Orleans VooDoo 7 2 0
Austin Wranglers 6 3 0
Orlando Predators 4 5 0
Georgia Force 4 6 0
Tampa Bay Storm 3 7 0


2004 Playoff Seedings (Through Week 10):

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

* Current Division Leader









Last Week in the AFL:
Friday, April 9
New Orleans VooDoo 24 – Orlando Predators 57
Saturday, April 10
New York Dragons 55 – Columbus Destroyers 65
Grand Rapids Rampage 49 – Detroit Fury 45
San Jose SaberCats 54 – Dallas Desperados 58
Las Vegas Gladiators 63 – Arizona Rattlers 80
Colorado Crush 57 – Los Angeles Avengers 55
Sunday, April 11
Carolina Cobras 31 – Indiana Firebirds 65
Tampa Bay Storm 36 – Chicago Rush 51
Georgia Force 26 – Austin Wranglers 42

Bye: Philadelphia Soul

This 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

Next Week in the AFL:
Friday, April 23
Grand Rapids Rampage @ Colorado Crush, 9:00 pm
Saturday, April 24
New York Dragons @ Philadelphia Soul, 7:30 pm
Sunday, April 25
San Jose SaberCats @ Georgia Force, 12:00 pm
Tampa Bay Storm @ Columbus Destroyers, 3:00 pm
Dallas Desperados @ Orlando Predators, 12:00 pm
Arizona Rattlers @ Indiana Firebirds, 3:00 pm
Detroit Fury @ Las Vegas Gladiators, 3:00 pm
Los Angeles Avengers @ Chicago Rush, 3:00 pm
New Orleans VooDoo @ Austin Wranglers, 3:00 pm

Bye: Carolina Cobras

* All Times Eastern

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