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Detroit Fury game notes

May 4, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Detroit Fury (4-8) at Indiana Firebirds (6-7)
Date: Friday, May 7, 2004
Kickoff: 9:00 p.m. ET
Site: Conseco Fieldhouse (14,559)
Officials: Tom McCabe (Referee), Matt Jordan (Umpire),
Brent Dublin (Head Linesman), Bob McElwee (Line Judge)
Joe Duncan (Back Judge).
Radio: WXDX, 1310 AM
Jason Miller (Play-by-Play)
TV: None
Series Record: 2-4
Last Meeting: Monday, February 23, 2004 in Detroit
Detroit 34 – Indiana 25
Streaks: Indiana – Lose 2
Detroit – Lose 4
Coaches: Indiana – Mike Wilpolt (6-2, 1st Year)
Detroit – Tom Luginbill (4-8, 1st Year)

THE STAKES: For Detroit, the playoffs are out of reach. The Fury are nine spots behind the eighth and final playoff spot currently held by the New York Dragons (7-5). The best Detroit could finish is 8-8, and that may not be enough for a playoff berth. The Fury can still play a spoiler to the Firebirds, who despite a two-game losing streak, can still turn around and make the playoffs. Detroit must face to potentially playoff bound teams after Indiana, and Detroit has proven they can contain and hold Firebirds QB Adrian McPherson.

THE SERIES: Sunday's game will be the seventh time these teams have met. Earlier in the year, the Fury defeated the Firebirds in Detroit by a score of 34-25. The game was a purely defensive one, as Detroit held Indiana to six field goal attempts. That game marked the McPherson's first game under center for Indiana.


TEAM SCHEDULES:

DETROIT FURY (4-8)
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
5/02 CHICAGO 3-4 L 40-57
Date Opponent Time TV Series
5/07 @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

INDIANA FIREBIRDS (6-7)
Date Opponent Series Result Score
2/7 COLUMBUS -- L 48-54
2/14 @ New Orleans -- L 40-41
2/23 @ Detroit -- L 25-34
2/29 CHICAGO -- L 46-49
3/6 @ Orlando -- L 38-50
3/14 @ Austin -- W 64-41
3/20 GEORGIA -- W 73-36
3/26 GRAND RAPIDS -- W 45-42
4/3 @ Colorado -- W (OT) 45-42
4/11 CAROLINA -- W 65-31
4/17 @ Grand Rapids -- W 67-49
4/25 ARIZONA -- L 43-46
5/2 @ Las Vegas -- L 38-60
Date Opponent Time TV Series
5/7 DETROIT 8:00 - 4-2
5/16 COLORADO 3:00 NBC -
5/23 @ CHICAGO 3:00 NBC -
5/30 BYE WEEK - - -
* all times Eastern and subject to change

HEAD COACHES:

TOM LUGINBILL, Detroit (4-8, 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 WILPOLT, Indiana (6-2, 1st Year): Wilpolt was named the Firebirds interim head coach following an 0-5 start under first year head coach Steve DeBerg. In his first head coaching position, Wilpolt guided the Firebirds to six consecutive wins, and he has put Indiana in a position to potentially make the playoffs after an 0-5 start. Beginning in 2004, Wilpolt entered his 6th year with the Firebirds organization as the defensive coordinator. Wilpolt has served as the defensive coordinator for five seasons in Indiana. In his first season with the Firebirds in 1999, Wilpolt coached the special teams and was a part of the Firebirds ArenaBowl Championship. Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Wilpolt played four years in the AFL with the Charlotte Rage (1992), Las Vegas Sting (1994-1995) and the Anaheim Piranhas (1996). While with Anaheim, Wilpolt set a record for tackles in a game with 16, a record that has since been broken.



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 Wednesday, 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.

Although they will be on the road, the in-active and IR players on the Fury will host their second Fury Field Trip on Thursday, May 6 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. A nationally known science show will visit the west atrium, and Fury players will guide the students on a tour of the building, as well as assist in the experiments.

LAST WEEK (vs. Chicago):

AUBURN HILLS, MICH – The Chicago Rush scored on every offensive possession of the game (seven touchdowns and three field goals) and used a strong defensive outing to defeat the Detroit Fury 57-40. Chicago held Detroit to just 40 points on 11 possessions, and used two touchdowns on the final minute of the game to seal the victory.

For Detroit (4-8), it is their fourth loss in a row, and the loss could have eliminated any chances the Fury had at making the ArenaBowl Playoffs. The win snaps a two-game losing skid by Chicago (8-4) and evens the 2004 series meeting between these two teams at one game apiece.

Rush quarterback Chad Salisbury had a great game filling in for starter Raymond Philyaw. Salisbury completed 19-of-32 passes for 216 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and ran one time for a two-yard touchdown. His favorite receiver of the game was rookie Etu Molden, who finished with nine catches for 116 yards and one touchdown.

Fury quarterback Andy Kelly completed 27-of-43 passes for 243 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Kelly, who has 599 career passing touchdowns, fell short for the third week in a row in his attempt to hit 600. In the last three weeks, Kelly has combined for six passing touchdowns.

Detroit receiver Thabiti Davis led all receivers with 11 catches for 111 yards and one touchdown. Receiver Carl Bond finished with seven catches for 72 yards and one touchdown.

Fury kickoff return specialist Ron Carpenter had another great game for the Fury. He returned seven kickoffs for 166 yards, including a 53-yard run for a touchdown.

Score By Quarter 1 2 3 4 Final
Chicago Rush 6 14 14 23 57
Detroit Fury 3 10 14 13 40

Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game:
Chad Salisbury (CHI)
ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
DeJuan Alfonzo (CHI)
U.S. Army Ironman of the Game:
DeJuan Alfonzo (CHI)

Attendance: 9,804



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 Indiana match-up on both sides of the ball based on the regular season statistics:

Statistical DETROIT INDIANA
Category Stat Stat
Scoring Offense 563 637
Scoring Defense 630 575
Total Offense (yds/g) 285.0 257.3
Total Defense (yds/g) 265.1 273.2
Pass Offense (yds/g) 270.5 223.1
Pass Defense (yds/g) 232.7 249.5
Rushing Offense (yds/g) 14.5 34.2
Rushing Defense (yds/g) 32.4 23.7
Kickoff Returns 18.2 18.1
Field Goals 13 / 22 12 / 29
PAT Kicking 66 / 71 65 / 80
Sacks By (sks-yds) 10 (52) 8 (49)
Sacks Against (sks-yds) 9 (67) 12 (69)
First Downs 262 228
Penalties (#/yds) 84 (504) 74 (414)
Turnover Margin -18 +14
Time of Possession 31:53 32:05
Third Down % 47.6 46.4
Fourth Down % 52.4 63.6
Opp. Third Down % 43.1 48.6
Opp. Fourth Down % 70.0 50.0
Offensive TD % inside 10 66.1 70.6
Defensive TD% inside 10 73.5 81.1

THE IFs:
If DETROIT defeats Indiana, it would ...
· Give DETROIT a (3-4) overall series record Indiana, and give Detroit the 2004 series sweep over the Firebirds, the first time Detroit will have swept the series meeting
· Give DETROIT a (3-4) record on the road
· Give DETROIT a (5-8) overall record
· Give DETROIT Head Coach Tom Luginbill his fifth win as an AFL head coach
· End DETROIT's four-game losing skid


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 94 receptions for 1,194 yards. He only needs 31 more receptions and 456 yards to tie the franchise records. If Davis can average eight catches and 114 yards a game, Davis could become the Fury's new record holder.

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.

The Last Time: The last time these two teams met, they were completely different teams. In February, Detroit was looking up, with a win at Arizona and Indiana was still looking for its first win. Steve DeBerg was still head coach, and the Firebirds looked to rookie QB Adrian McPherson to ignite their offense. Now, Detroit has been eliminated from the playoffs, and Indiana is looking up. McPherson has burst onto the scene, and lead his team, under head coach Mike Wilpolt to six straight wins. Fury Quarterback Andy Kelly, who started hot, has cooled lately. Kelly has only thrown for six touchdowns in his last three games, and he is still one shy of the 600 mark.

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 4,534
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 3,861
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 3,690
4) Todd Hammel, Philadelphia 3,665

All-Time Pass Completions #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 2,770
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 2,406
3) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 2,345
4) Aaron Garcia, New York 2,306

All-Time Passing Yards #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 30,988
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 30,006
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 29,597
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 27,759

All-Time Passing Touchdowns #
1) Aaron Garcia, New York 614
2) Andy Kelly, Detroit 599
3) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 597
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 552


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 1,075

KICKOFF RETURN LEADERS
Will Pettis, Dallas – 1,396 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 213.0
Steve Smith, Grand Rapids – 1,325 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 230.8
Ron Carpenter, Detroit – 1,075 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 294.0


MILESTONES:
Andy Kelly Needs
1 Touchdown 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 Chicago Chad Salisbury
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 Chicago DeJuan Alfonzo
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 Chicago DeJuan Alfonzo
14
15
16
17

FOLLOWING THE FURY IN 2004:

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

1-2 vs. National Conference
3-6 vs. American Conference

0-0 vs. Eastern Division
1-2 vs. Southern Division
2-3 vs. Central Division
1-3 vs. Western Division

0-1 on NBC
2-2 on Local TV Broadcast

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

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

2-0 when leading after first quarter
1-5 when trailing after first quarter
1-3 when tied after first quarter

3-2 when leading at halftime
1-6 when trailing at halftime
0-0 when tied at halftime

3-1 when leading after three quarters
1-6 when trailing after three quarters
0-1 when tied after three quarters

1-5 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

1-8 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
1-3 when Fury score 40 points or less

3-6 when the Fury score first
1-2 when opponent score first

0-0 in overtime


AFL STANDINGS:

American Conference - Central Division Team W L T
Colorado Crush 9 4 0
Chicago Rush 8 4 0
Indiana Firebirds 6 7 0
Detroit Fury 4 8 0
Grand Rapids Rampage 1 11 0

American Conference - West Division
Team W L T
San Jose SaberCats 10 2 0
Arizona Rattlers 8 5 0
Los Angeles Avengers 7 5 0
Las Vegas Gladiators 5 7 0

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

National Conference - Southern Division
Team W L T
New Orleans VooDoo 9 3 0
Austin Wranglers 7 5 0
Orlando Predators 6 6 0
Tampa Bay Storm 6 7 0
Georgia Force 4 8 0


2004 Playoff Seedings (Through Week 13):

1. – San Jose SaberCats (10-2) *
2. – New Orleans VooDoo (9-3) *
3. – Colorado Crush (9-4) *
4. – Chicago Rush (8-4)
5. – Arizona Rattlers (8-5)
6. – Austin Wranglers (7-5)
7. – Los Angeles Avengers (7-5)
8. – New York Dragons (7-5) *

* Current Division Leader








Last Week in the AFL:
Saturday, May 1
Columbus Destroyers 60, Carolina Cobras 52
New Orleans VooDoo 34, San Jose SaberCats 68
Arizona Rattlers 42, Los Angeles Avengers 38
New York Dragons 44, Dallas Desperados 20
Philadelphia Soul 40, Colorado Crush 58
Austin Wranglers 40, Grand Rapids Rampage 27
Sunday, May 2
Indiana Firebirds 38, Las Vegas Gladiators 60
Chicago Rush 57, Detroit Fury 40
Tampa Bay Storm 63, Orlando Predators 58

Bye: Georgia Force

This Week in the AFL:
Friday, May 7
Detroit Fury @ Indiana Firebirds, 9:00 pm
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
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

Next Week in the AFL:
Friday, May 14
Grand Rapids Rampage @ Columbus Destroyers, 7:00 pm
Saturday, May 15
Arizona Rattlers @ Detroit Fury, 7:30 pm
Carolina Cobras @ Philadelphia Soul, 7:30 pm
Georgia Force @ New Orleans VooDoo, 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 16
Los Angeles Avengers @ New York Dragons, 3:00 pm
Colorado Crush @ Indiana Firebirds, 3:00 pm
Orlando Predators @ Austin Wranglers, 3:00 pm
Dallas Desperados @ Chicago Rush, 3:00 pm
San Jose SaberCats @ Las Vegas Gladiators, 6:00 pm

Bye: Tampa Bay Storm

* All Times Eastern

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