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Detroit Fury game notes

April 29, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Chicago Rush (7-4) at Detroit Fury (4-7)
Date: Sunday, May 2, 2004
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. ET
Site: The Palace of Auburn Hills (14,826)
Officials: Pat Garvey (Referee), Rick Podraza (Umpire),
Bill Ward (Head Linesman), Dana McKenzie (Line Judge)
Greg Steed (Back Judge).
Radio: WDFN, 1130 AM
Fred McLeod (Play-by-Play)
Rob Rubick (Color Analyst)
TV: NBC
Allen Bestwick (Play-by-Play)
Ray Bentley (Color Analyst)
Series Record: 3-3
Last Meeting: Sunday, March 28, 2004 in Chicago
Detroit 72 – Chicago 71
Streaks: Chicago – Lose 1
Detroit – Lose 3
Coaches: Chicago – Mike Hohensee (33-27, 4th Year)
Detroit – Tom Luginbill (4-7, 1st Year)

THE STAKES: For Detroit, the playoffs may be out of reach. Currently, the Fury sit five places out of the playoff hunt, but fortunately, the teams that sit immediately in front of Detroit are all teams the Fury have a chance to play again. Key wins over Chicago, Colorado, Chicago and Indiana would give the Fury a shot at a playoff spot, but Detroit cannot afford another loss. One more loss and the Fury could become mathematically eliminated from the 2004 ArenaBowl Playoffs.

THE SERIES: Sunday's game will be the seventh time these teams have met. Earlier in the year, the Fury defeated the Rush, evening the series record at three (3-3). The win in Chicago on March 28 snapped the Fury's three-game losing skid to the Rush.

TEAM SCHEDULES:

DETROIT FURY (4-7)
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
4/25 @Las Vegas 1-4 L 34-60
Date Opponent Time TV Series
5/02 CHICAGO 3:00 NBC 3-3
5/08 @Indiana 8:00 - 2-4
5/15 ARIZONA 7:30 - 1-2
5/23 COLORADO 3:00 NBC 1-1
5/29 @Grand Rapids 7:30 - 2-4

CHICAGO RUSH (7-4)
Date Opponent Series Result Score
2/8 GRAND RAPIDS - W 50-30
2/14 @ New York - W 56-54
2/22 COLORADO - W 65-35
2/29 @ Indiana - W 49-46
3/7 @ Philadelphia - L 47-53
3/14 BYE WEEK - - -
3/21 ORLANDO - W 58-15
3/28 DETROIT - L 71-72
4/4 @ Las Vegas - W 57-55
4/11 TAMPA BAY - W 51-36
4/16 @ San Jose - L 43-51
4/25 LOS ANGELES - L 35-71
Date Opponent Time TV Series
5/2 @ Detroit 3:00 NBC 3-3
5/8 @ Grand Rapids 7:30 - -
5/16 DALLAS 3:00 NBC -
5/23 INDIANA 3:00 NBC -
5/30 @ Colorado 4:00 NBC -
* all times Eastern and subject to change

HEAD COACHES:

TOM LUGINBILL, Detroit (4-7, 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 HOHENSEE, Chicago (33-27, 4th Year): Hohensee enters his fourth season as the Rush's head coach, but enters his 11th season as a head coach in the Arena Football League. Last season, he led a young Rush team to a 8-8 record and a third straight appearance in the ArenaBowl playoffs. Hohensee currently ranks fifth on the AFL's all-time list for most wins by a head coach, with an overall record of 78-74. He got his coaching start in the AFL in 1989 as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bruisers. Hohensee became the first AFL player to join the AFL as a coach. He has served as a head coach of five different teams: the Washington Commandos, Albany Firebirds, Anaheim Piranhas, New England Sea Wolves and the Chicago Rush. Hohensee began his AFL career with the Pittsburgh Gladiators and played for two seasons (1987-1988), but his career was ended due to a neck injury. He threw the first touchdown pass in AFL history and appeared in the first ArenaBowl. Hohensee has also played professionally in the USFL, CFL and briefly in the NFL. Played two seasons at the University of Minnesota. Named the Gophers MVP and Athlete of the Year after both years.

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 Wedneday, April 28. Fury players Herman Bell and Dawan Moss and mascot Frenzy visited the children and other patients at Hurley Hospital in Flint, Michigan.

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 (@ Las Vegas):
LAS VEGAS, NV – The Detroit Fury could not overcome five turnovers and struggled on offense, as they fell 60-34 to the Las Vegas Gladiators. Detroit tried a quarterback switch in the first half, replacing Fury starter Andy Kelly with veteran back-up Billy Dicken, but the Fury offense continued to struggle all game.

Fury Head Coach Tom Luginbill hoped to spark the offense when he pulled quarterback Andy Kelly in favor of Dicken in the middle of the second quarter after Kelly threw his second interception of the game.

Dicken struggled to find a rhythm with the offense in his first series, missing on four straight pass attempts and turning the ball over on downs. Dicken was forced to leave the game with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter, when he fractured his left elbow. He will miss the remaining five games of the season.

Detroit had hopes of a second-half comeback, but the chance of a comeback was cut short when Gladiator DS Marvin Taylor intercepted Fury quarterback Billy Dicken for his second interception of the game. On the following series, Detroit had an opportunity to get the ball back, but the Fury defense left Gladiator receiver Marcus Nash wide open on fourth and 10 for a touchdown.

The loss gives Detroit (4-7) its third in a row since falling to the previously winless Grand Rapids Rampage, and puts the Fury in jeopardy of missing the 2004 playoffs. With the win, Las Vegas (4-7) snaps a four-game losing streak.

Dicken eventually found a rhythm with the offense, but it was too late. He finished the game completing 15-of-25 passes for 172 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Fury receiver Thabiti Davis led all receivers with 11 catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Fury receiver Carl Bond finished the game making six catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns.

The offensive combination of quarterback Clint Dolezel and receiver Marcus Nash proved to be too much for Detroit's defense. Dolezel finished the game completing 13-of-22 passes for 162 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, and Nash caught seven passes for 90 yards and four touchdowns.

Score By Quarter 1 2 3 4 Final
Detroit Fury 14 7 7 6 34
Las Vegas Gladiators 21 13 13 13 60

Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game:
Marcus Nash (LVG)
ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Marvin Taylor (LVG)
U.S. Army Ironman of the Game:
Coco Blalock (LVG)

Attendance: 9,988


NEXT WEEK:

Next Week, the Fury hit the road for a rematch with division rival Indiana Firebirds on Saturday, May 8. Earlier in the season, the Fury defeated the Firebirds 34-25 in a defensive struggle at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Since that loss, Indiana has passed Detroit in the playoff standings, winning six in a row under rookie QB Adrian McPherson.

STATISTICS:

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

Statistical DETROIT CHICAGO
Category Stat Stat
Scoring Offense 523 582
Scoring Defense 573 518
Total Offense (yds/g) 288.4 249.0
Total Defense (yds/g) 264.8 259.1
Pass Offense (yds/g) 273.7 220.8
Pass Defense (yds/g) 234.2 228.2
Rushing Offense (yds/g) 14.6 28.2
Rushing Defense (yds/g) 30.6 30.3
Kickoff Returns 17.8 19.0
Field Goals 11 / 19 7 / 13
PAT Kicking 62 / 66 63 / 74
Sacks By (sks-yds) 10 (52) 17 (83)
Sacks Against (sks-yds) 8 (59) 4 (32)
First Downs 239 215
Penalties (#/yds) 78 (460) 106 (645)
Turnover Margin -16 +9
Time of Possession 32:06 29:33
Third Down % 48.7 55.6
Fourth Down % 52.6 63.6
Opp. Third Down % 42.2 58.1
Opp. Fourth Down % 66.7 43.8
Offensive TD % inside 10 66.7 85.7
Defensive TD% inside 10 75.0 77.3

THE IFs:
If DETROIT defeats Chicago, it would ...
· Give DETROIT a (4-3) overall series record Chicago, and give Detroit the 2004 series sweep over the Rush, the first time Detroit will have swept the series meetings since the 2001 season
· Give DETROIT a (3-3) record at home
· Give DETROIT a (5-7) overall record
· Give DETROIT Head Coach Tom Luginbill his fifth win as an AFL head coach
· Keep DETROIT in the playoff hunt

FURY NOTES / TRENDS:

Fury Records Were Made to be Broken: Since 2001, no Fury receiver has come close to matching Robert Gordon's numbers, until 2004...Receiver Thabiti Davis has the opportunity to break two Fury receiving records, receptions in a season and receiving yards. Davis currently has 83 receptions for 1,083 yards. He only needs 42 more receptions and 567 yards to tie the franchise records. If Davis can average over eight catches and 114 yards a game, Davis could become the Fury's new record holder.

Welcome Back the Original Fury Member: Last week, when Errick Herrin entered the game against the Las Vegas Gladiators, he became the only player to ever play in at least one game in each of the last four years of the Fury's existence. Herrin returned to the 2004 season with a bang, rushing for a touchdown on his carry of the season.

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.

Ironic Injuries: Last week, both the Chicago Rush and the Detroit Fury were hit badly with the injury bug. Both of their quarterbacks, Raymond Philyaw and Billy Dicken were lost due to an injury. Dicken, who played with the Rush for three years before Philyaw signed with the squad suffered the more severe of the two injuries, after he fractured his left elbow in the fourth quarter of last week's game.

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-62 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 4,491
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 3,832
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 3,654
4) Todd Hammel, Philadelphia 3,640

All-Time Pass Completions #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 2,743
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 2,384
3) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 2,323
4) Aaron Garcia, New York 2,286

All-Time Passing Yards #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 30,745
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 29,736
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 29,324
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 27,467

All-Time Passing Touchdowns #
1) Aaron Garcia, New York 609
2) Andy Kelly, Detroit 596
3) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 593
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 547


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 909

KICKOFF RETURN LEADERS
Will Pettis, Dallas – 1,294 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 190.8
Steve Smith, Grand Rapids – 1,217 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 206.2
Rashied Davis, San Jose – 1,003 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 249.0


MILESTONES:
Andy Kelly Needs
4 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 Las Vegas Marcus Nash
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 Las Vegas Marvin Taylor
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 Las Vegas Coco Blalock
13
14
15
16
17

FOLLOWING THE FURY IN 2004:

2-3 at The Palace of Auburn Hills
2-4 on the road

1-2 vs. National Conference
3-5 vs. American Conference

0-0 vs. Eastern Division
1-2 vs. Southern Division
2-2 vs. Central Division
1-3 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
1-1 on Sundays
1-0 on Mondays

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

2-0 when leading after first quarter
1-4 when trailing after first quarter
1-3 when tied after first quarter

3-2 when leading at halftime
1-5 when trailing at halftime
0-0 when tied at halftime

3-1 when leading after three quarters
1-5 when trailing after three quarters
0-1 when tied after three quarters

1-4 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

1-7 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
1-2 when Fury score 40 points or less

3-6 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
Colorado Crush 8 4 0
Chicago Rush 7 4 0
Indiana Firebirds 6 6 0
Detroit Fury 4 7 0
Grand Rapids Rampage 1 10 0

American Conference - West Division
Team W L T
San Jose SaberCats 9 2 0
Los Angeles Avengers 7 4 0
Arizona Rattlers 7 5 0
Las Vegas Gladiators 4 7 0

National Conference - Eastern Division
Team W L T
Dallas Desperados 6 5 0
New York Dragons 6 5 0
Philadelphia Soul 5 6 0
Carolina Cobras 4 7 0
Columbus Destroyers 3 8 0

National Conference - Southern Division
Team W L T
New Orleans VooDoo 9 2 0
Austin Wranglers 6 5 0
Orlando Predators 6 5 0
Tampa Bay Storm 5 7 0
Georgia Force 4 8 0


2004 Playoff Seedings (Through Week 11):

1. – New Orleans VooDoo (9-2) *
2. – San Jose SaberCats (9-2) *
3. – Colorado Crush (8-4) *
4. – Chicago Rush (7-4)
5. – Los Angeles Avengers (7-4)
6. – Arizona Rattlers (7-5)
7. – Austin Wranglers (6-5)
8. – Dallas Desperados (6-5) *

* Current Division Leader

Last Week in the AFL:
Friday, April 23
Grand Rapids Rampage 30 – Colorado Crush 69
Saturday, April 24
New York Dragons 58 – Philadelphia Soul 60
Sunday, April 25
San Jose SaberCats 63 – Georgia Force 34
Tampa Bay Storm 46 – Columbus Destroyers 36
Dallas Desperados 49 – Orlando Predators 64
Arizona Rattlers 46 – Indiana Firebirds 43
Detroit Fury 34 – Las Vegas Gladiators 60
Los Angeles Avengers 71 – Chicago Rush 35
New Orleans VooDoo 63 – Austin Wranglers 59

Bye: Carolina Cobras

This 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

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

Bye: Colorado Crush

* All Times Eastern

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