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Detroit Fury game notes

April 21, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Detroit Fury (4-6) @ Las Vegas Gladiators (3-7)
Date: Sunday, April 25, 2004
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. ET
Site: The Thomas & Mack Center (16,606)
Officials: David Lambros (Referee), Al Granado (Umpire),
Mike McCabe (Head Linesman), Arthur Lucky (Line Judge)
David Cutaia (Back Judge).
Radio: WDFN, 1130 AM
Matt Dery (Play-by-Play)
TV: None
Series Record: (1-3 Overall, 1-1 in Las Vegas)
Last Meeting: May 11, 2003 in Detroit
Detroit 76 – Las Vegas 52
Streaks: Las Vegas – Lose 4
Detroit – Lose 2
Coaches: Las Vegas – Frank Haege (20-20, 3rd Year)
Detroit – Tom Luginbill (4-6, 1st Year)


THE STAKES: For Detroit, there is no time to waste. The Fury (4-6) is in jeopardy of being eliminated from the ArenaBowl playoffs, and currently sit four spots out of the eighth and final position. Las Vegas is in a similar situation, and a loss for either team could knock them out of the playoff hunt. Detroit is two games away from the 8th spot, and they still must play the 9th and 10th seeded teams again (Arizona & Indiana). The Fury are in a must-win situation, if they hope to have a shot at the playoffs

THE SERIES: Sunday's game will be the fifth time the Fury and Gladiators will clash on the field, but only the third time the teams will meet since the Gladiators relocated to Las Vegas. The Gladiators hold the 3-1 advantage over the Fury, but the Fury defeated the Gladiators the last time these teams met, ending the Gladiators' three-game win streak over Detroit.


TEAM SCHEDULES:

DETROIT FURY (4-6)
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
4/16 @Los Angeles 1-1 L 55-62
Date Opponent Time TV Series
4/25 @Las Vegas 3:00 - 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

LAS VEGAS GLADIATORS (3-7)
Date Opponent Series Result Score
2/6 @ Colorado - L 42-43
2/14 Los Angeles - L 55-62
2/22 @ Grand Rapids - W 51-14
2/29 NEW ORLEANS - W 50-30
3/7 @ Georgia - L 40-55
3/14 ARIZONA - W (OT) 65-64
3/20 @ San Jose - L 62-79
3/27 @ Orlando - L 43-60
4/4 CHICAGO - L 55-57
4/10 @ Arizona - L 63-80
4/17 BYE WEEK - - -
Date Opponent Time TV Series
4/25 DETROIT 3:00 - 3-1
5/2 INDIANA 3:00 - -
5/8 @ Philadelphia 7:30 - -
5/16 SAN JOSE 3:00 - -
5/22 @ Los Angeles 10:30 - -
5/30 COLUMBUS 4:00 - -
* all times Eastern and subject to change

HEAD COACHES:

TOM LUGINBILL, Detroit (4-6, 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.

FRANK HAEGE, Las Vegas (20-20, 3rd Year):
Haege returns for his third season with the Las Vegas Gladiators. Haege started with Gladiators in 2002, when the team was located in New Jersey, and he guided the team to a 9-5 record and the Eastern Division Championship. In Haege's first year with the team, he helped rebuild the franchsie, tying the AFL's mark for the best single-season turnaround. In 2003, Haege guided the Gladiators to an 8-8 record and a berth in the ArenaBowl playoffs. Before joining the Gladiators, Haege served as the head coach and director of football operations with the Quad City Steamwheelers of af2 in 2000 & 2001. In only two years, Haege posted an unbelievable record of 37-1, and he led the Steamwheelers to consecutive ArenaCup Championships and an undefeated season in 2000. Haege defeated current Fury head coach Tom Luginbill to earn his first ArenaCup Championship. Haege has had many coaching stints throughout his career. Before joining the af2 ranks, Haege served as an assistant coach with a variety of AFL teams (New Jersey Red Dogs, Minnesota Fighting Pike, Milwaukee Mustangs) and at the collegiate level at Augsburg College and Bemidji State University.

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 (@ Los Angeles):

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Detroit Fury could not recover an onside kick with 19 seconds remaining in the game, as they fell in a 62-55 offensive shoot-out in front of 11,125 fans at the Staples Center. The Avengers (6-4) used an early turnover on downs in the first quarter to gain the advantage over the Fury (4-6), and Los Angeles never relinquished the lead to Detroit.

The win gives the Avengers its first franchise with against the Fury, and the loss puts the Fury in danger of being eliminated from the 2004 ArenaBowl playoffs. Detroit also suffered another setback in the 3rd quarter, when lineman Karl Bates completely tore his ACL in his left knee. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Two unlikely players led Detroit offensively. Fullback Dawan Moss led the charge for the Fury. Moss rushed 5 times for 12 yards and four touchdowns. His four rushing touchdowns set a new Fury franchise record, and Moss was one touchdown away from tying the AFL record for rushing touchdowns in a game.

Kick return specialist Ron Carpenter provided the other offensive spark for Detroit. Carpenter returned six kickoffs for 179 yards and two touchdowns.

Fury quarterback Andy Kelly finished the day completing 20-of-30 passes for 216 yards, no interceptions and only two touchdowns, one in each half. His passing touchdowns went to OS Carl Bond, who finished the day catching three passes for 40 yards, and WR Thabiti Davis, who led all Fury receivers with nine catches for 99 yards.

Los Angeles quarterback Tony Graziani had nearly a flawless day for the Avengers. He completed 22-of-32 passes for 359 yards and eight touchdowns. Graziani's favorite target was OS Chris Jackson, who ran all over the Fury defense. Jackson finished the game with 10 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns.

Score By Quarter 1 2 3 4 Final
Detroit Fury 6 14 14 21 55
Los Angeles Avengers 14 14 20 14 62

Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game:
Tony Graziani (LOS)
ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Jason Moore (LOS)
U.S. Army Ironman of the Game:
Ron Carpenter (DET)

Attendance: 11,125

NEXT WEEK:

Next Week, the Fury return home to The Palace of Auburn Hills for a rematch with the Chicago Rush. Earlier in the year, Detroit defeated Chicago 72-71 on the road with a last-second trick play that saw quarterback Andy Kelly catch a lateral pass and run it in for a touchdown. The game is scheduled to be broadcast on NBC and kickoff is set for 3:00 pm ET.

STATISTICS:

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

Statistical DETROIT LAS VEGAS
Category Stat Stat
Scoring Offense 489 526
Scoring Defense 513 544
Total Offense (yds/g) 289.2 307.8
Total Defense (yds/g) 269.8 243.9
Pass Offense (yds/g) 273.8 291.8
Pass Defense (yds/g) 238.4 214.1
Rushing Offense (yds/g) 15.4 16.0
Rushing Defense (yds/g) 31.4 29.8
Kickoff Returns 17.7 14.7
Field Goals 11 / 18 4 / 9
PAT Kicking 58 / 63 64 / 71
Sacks By (sks-yds) 10 (52) 7 (54)
Sacks Against (sks-yds) 6 (43) 4 (10)
First Downs 216 228
Penalties (#/yds) 67 (383) 95 (535)
Turnover Margin -12 -6
Time of Possession 32:03 30:36
Third Down % 52.2 63.3
Fourth Down % 53.3 80.0
Opp. Third Down % 43.3 54.5
Opp. Fourth Down % 62.5 62.5
Offensive TD % inside 10 66.0 84.3
Defensive TD% inside 10 75.0 77.8

THE IFs:
If DETROIT defeats Las Vegas, it would ...
· Give DETROIT a (2-3) overall series record against Las Vegas, and give Detroit a two-game winning streak against them
· Give DETROIT a (3-3) record on the road
· Give DETROIT a (5-6) overall record
· Give DETROIT Head Coach Tom Luginbill his fifth win as an AFL head coach
· Keep DETROIT in the playoff hunt
· Give DETROIT a (2-2) record vs. the Western Division

FURY NOTES / TRENDS:

Breakthrough weeks: In the last two weeks, kickoff return specialist Ron Carpenter has enjoyed breakout performances. Prior to the Fury's game with Grand Rapids, Carpenter had only 424 yards from kickoff returns, but following the games with Grand Rapids and Los Angeles, Carpenter nearly doubled his total yardage, gaining 355 yards in the two games in kickoff returns.

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 4-4 vs. teams from the west coast (San Jose, Los Angeles, Las Vegas & Arizona). Of those eight games played, six were on the road, where the Fury managed to get a 3-3 split.

Welcome two Super Bowl Champions: When the Fury kickoff against the Gladiators, 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 second game of 2004 this week after being activated off of the injured reserve, won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos in 1999. OL/DL Jerry Crafts played in back-to-back Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills.

Some Familiar Faces: Last year, WR/LB Marcus Nash had a solid rookie season with the Detroit Fury, but this week, he will be playing against his former team, as a member of the Las Vegas Gladiators. Picking up right where he left off, Nash is having a stellar season in the AFL, leading the league in receptions, scoring and he is currently second in receiving yards. FB/LB Cameron Chance, who began the year with Detroit is now a member of the Gladiators, and OL/DL Jerry Crafts, now with Detroit, played for Las Vegas in 2003.

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 most of the 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 58-of-61 and making over 50% of his field goals. Lewis's headshot was recently displayed in Sports Illustrated.



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 4,475
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 3,788
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 3,616
4) Todd Hammel, Philadelphia 3,610

All-Time Pass Completions #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 2,733
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 2,353
3) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 2,310
4) Aaron Garcia, New York 2,261

All-Time Passing Yards #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 30,628
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 29,399
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 28,977
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 27,305

All-Time Passing Touchdowns #
1) Aaron Garcia, New York 602
2) Andy Kelly, Detroit 595
3) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 587
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 779

KICKOFF RETURN LEADERS
Steve Smith, Grand Rapids – 1,217 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 171.8
Will Pettis, Dallas – 1,034 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 202.3
Rashied Davis, San Jose – 953 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 215.8


MILESTONES:
Andy Kelly Needs
5 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 Los Angeles Tony Graziani
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 Los Angeles Jason Moore
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 Detroit Ron Carpenter
12
13
14
15
16
17

FOLLOWING THE FURY IN 2004:

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

1-2 vs. National Conference
3-4 vs. American Conference

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

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

1-3 on Thursdays
1-2 on Fridays
0-1 on Saturdays
1-0 on Sundays
1-0 on Mondays

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

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

3-2 when leading at halftime
1-4 when trailing at halftime
0-0 when tied at halftime

3-1 when leading after three quarters
1-4 when trailing after three quarters
0-1 when tied after three quarters

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

1-6 when opponent scores more than 40 points
3-0 when opponent scores 40 points or less

3-5 when Fury score more than 40 points
1-1 when Fury score 40 points or less

3-5 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 3 0
Colorado Crush 7 4 0
Indiana Firebirds 6 5 0
Detroit Fury 4 6 0
Grand Rapids Rampage 1 9 0

American Conference - West Division
Team W L T
San Jose SaberCats 8 2 0
Los Angeles Avengers 6 4 0
Arizona Rattlers 6 5 0
Las Vegas Gladiators 3 7 0

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

National Conference - Southern Division
Team W L T
New Orleans VooDoo 8 2 0
Austin Wranglers 6 4 0
Orlando Predators 5 5 0
Georgia Force 4 7 0
Tampa Bay Storm 4 7 0


2004 Playoff Seedings (Through Week 11):

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

* Current Division Leader



Last Week in the AFL:
Friday, April 16
Detroit Fury 55 – Los Angeles Avengers 62
Chicago Rush 43 – San Jose SaberCats 51
Saturday, April 17
Indiana Firebirds 67 – Grand Rapids Rampage 49
Philadelphia Soul 59 – Carolina Cobras 63
Sunday, April 18
Austin Wranglers 52 – Tampa Bay Storm 58
Dallas Desperados 48 – Arizona Rattlers 71
Columbus Destroyers 46 – New Orleans VooDoo 64
Colorado Crush 49 – New York Dragons 52
Orlando Predators 30 – Georgia Force 7

Bye: Las Vegas Gladiators

This 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

Next Week in the AFL:
Saturday, May 1
Columbus Destroyers @ Carolina Cobras, 7:30 pm
New Orleans VooDoo @ San Jose SaberCats, 10:30 pm
Arizona Rattlers @ Los Angeles Avengers, 10:30 pm
Austin Wranglers @ Grand Rapids Rampage, 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 2
Indiana Firebirds @ Las Vegas Gladiators, 3:00 pm
New York Dragons @ Dallas Desperados, 3:00 pm
Philadelphia Soul @ Colorado Crush, 3:00 pm
Chicago Rush @ Detroit Fury, 3:00 pm
Tampa Bay Storm @ Orlando Predators, 3:00 pm

Bye: Georgia Force

* All Times Eastern

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