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Detroit Fury game notes

May 12, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Arizona Rattlers (9-5) at Detroit Fury (4-9)
Date: Saturday, May 15
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Site: The Palace of Auburn Hills (14,826)
Officials: Bill LeMonnier (Referee), Rick Podraza (Umpire),
Rod Pearson (Head Linesman), Dana McKenzie (Line Judge)
Billy Beckett (Back Judge).
Radio: WDFN, 1130 AM
Fred McLeod - (Play-by-Play)
Rob Rubick – (Color Analyst)
TV: None
Series Record: 1-2
Last Meeting: Friday, February 13, 2004 @ Arizona
Detroit 48 – Arizona 31
Streaks: Arizona – Win 6
Detroit – Lose 5
Coaches: Arizona – Danny White (137-64, 13th Year)
Detroit – Tom Luginbill (4-9, 1st Year)

THE STAKES: For Detroit, the playoffs are out of reach, and now they must play to finish the season strong and try to be a spoiler for aspiring teams hoping to make the playoffs. For the Fury, their mission is snapping their current five-game losing streak and ending the season with a few victories. For Arizona, they are riding high after knocking off the top-seeded SaberCats, and are in the hunt to potentially host a first-round playoff game.

THE SERIES: Saturday's game will be the fourth times these two teams have met, and it will be the first time these teams will have met in the regular or postseasons in Detroit. Earlier in the year, Detroit handed Arizona a 48-31 defeat in Arizona. In that game, the Fury played a great game and were able to shut down the potent Rattler offense.


TEAM SCHEDULES:

DETROIT FURY (4-9)
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
5/07 @Indiana 2-5 L (OT) 59-68
Date Opponent Time TV Series
5/15 ARIZONA 7:30 - 1-2
5/23 COLORADO 3:00 NBC 1-1
5/29 @Grand Rapids 7:30 - 2-4

ARIZONA RATTLERS (9-5)
Date Opponent Series Result Score
2/8 LOS ANGELES -- L 32-51
2/13 DETROIT 2-1 L 31-48
2/21 @ Carolina -- W 45-38
2/29 NEW YORK -- W 53-41
3/5 COLUMBUS -- W 65-42
3/14 @ Las Vegas -- L (OT) 64-65
3/18 NEW ORLEANS -- L 45-49
3/27 @ Colorado -- L 46-54
4/4 @ Grand Rapids -- W 51-41
4/10 LAS VEGAS -- W 80-63
4/18 DALLAS -- W 71-48
4/25 @ Indiana -- W 46-43
5/1 @ Los Angeles -- W 42-38
5/9 SAN JOSE -- W 58-41
Date Opponent Time TV Series
5/15 @ Detroit 7:30 - 2-1
5/23 BYE WEEK - - -
5/30 @ San Jose 4:00 NBC -
* all times Eastern and subject to change

HEAD COACHES:

TOM LUGINBILL, Detroit (4-9, 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.

DANNY WHITE, Arizona (137-64 13th Year): White is the first and only head coach and general manager of the Arizona Rattlers, and he has guided his team to two ArenaBowl titles (1994 & 1997) and four ArenaBowl appearances (1994, 1997, 2002, 2003). White is entering his 13th season with the Rattlers, and is the second coach in Arena Football history to win 100 games as a coach in the AFL. In 2002, he was inducted to the AFL Hall of Fame, and was the only coach inducted into the 2002 class. Prior to joining the Rattlers, White had a stellar career as a quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys on the NFL. In his first year as a starting QB with Dallas, he broke the Cowboys' single-season touchdown passing record. White still holds 21 passing records within the Cowboys organization, and he led the Cowboys to three NFC East titles, and five playoff appearances. White played his college football at Arizona State University, where he finished as one of the Sun Devils' best. White still holds many passing records at ASU, and is one of only five players to have their jerseys retired by the University. White's father also has his number retired at ASU.


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 second Field Trip of the season on May 6, 2004 when a group of players will joined 50 students from Rochester Elementary school in a show at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mad Science, a national science showing treated the students to interactive displays of science, and the players spoke about the importance of going to school and how the forces of science work in football.

The Detroit Fury will head out to the Detroit Children's hospital this week on Thursday, May 13 to visit the Children in the hospital and to spread cheer throughout.



LAST WEEK (at Indiana):

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The Indiana Firebirds used an eight-yard touchdown run from Adrian McPherson and a defensive stop in overtime to seal a 68-59 victory. Detroit, who scored with only seconds left in regulation and converted a two-point conversion to force overtime, fell short when quarterback Andy Kelly was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, giving Indiana's defense a safety and the win.

What started as a defensive struggle ended as an offensive shootout, but the Indiana Firebirds used the arm and legs of quarterback Adrian McPherson to hand Detroit (4-9) its fifth straight loss. The win keeps Indiana (7-7) in the hunt for the eighth and final playoff spot.

After the first half, the Fury and Firebirds were tied at 17. Each team made two defensive stops, with Detroit holding Indiana to two field goal attempts and Indiana forcing one field goal and recovering one fumble.

In the second half, both offenses exploded, and neither team had an answer defensively for its counterpart.

The combination of quarterback Andy Kelly and receiver Carl Bond fueled Detroit's offense. Kelly, who completed his 600th career touchdown pass in the night, finished the game completing 22-of-34 for 221 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions.

Bond had a career day for the Fury. Bond led the Fury receivers with 10 catches for 120 yards and six touchdowns. Bond's six touchdowns tied a Fury franchise record with Robert Gordon, who last had six touchdowns in July of 2001, Detroit's inaugural season.

Indiana was led by their standout rookie quarterback Adrian McPherson. Rushing and throwing, McPherson accounted for all of Indiana's nine touchdowns. He completed 18-of-30 passes for 237 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. On the ground, McPherson ran six times for 64 yards and three touchdowns.

McPherson's favorite target was Anthony Hines, who finished the game with 10 catches for 166 yards and four touchdowns.

Detroit's kickoff return specialist Ron Carpenter had another breakout performance for Detroit. He returned 10 kickoffs for 257 yards. It is the fifth straight game Carpenter has had more than 125 yards in kickoff return yardage.

Score By Quarter 1 2 3 4 OT Final
Detroit Fury 7 17 13 22 0 59
Indiana Firebirds 14 10 21 14 9 68

Baby Ruth Offensive Player of the Game:
Carl Bond (DET)
ADT Defensive Player of the Game:
Ricky Hall (IND)
U.S. Army Ironman of the Game:
Curtis Eason (DET)

Attendance: 9,987

NEXT WEEK:

Next Week, the Fury stay at home and look forward to a rematch with division rival Colorado Crush. Earlier in the season, the Crush defeated the Fury 62-61 in a last-second thriller at the Pepsi Center in Colorado. The game will be the first-ever meeting between these two teams at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

STATISTICS:

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

Statistical DETROIT ARIZONA
Category Stat Stat
Scoring Offense 622 729
Scoring Defense 698 662
Total Offense (yds/g) 278.9 267.8
Total Defense (yds/g) 270.3 260.4
Pass Offense (yds/g) 265.8 251.9
Pass Defense (yds/g) 232.9 240.1
Rushing Offense (yds/g) 13.1 15.9
Rushing Defense (yds/g) 37.4 20.2
Kickoff Returns 19.4 18.4
Field Goals 14 / 23 7 / 16
PAT Kicking 72 / 78 78 / 93
Sacks By (sks-yds) 11 (53) 13 (76)
Sacks Against (sks-yds) 11 (78) 5 (32)
First Downs 283 286
Penalties (#/yds) 92 (552) 102 (602)
Turnover Margin -19 +4
Time of Possession 31:32 32:04
Third Down % 48.3 55.1
Fourth Down % 52.4 58.8
Opp. Third Down % 45.0 45.0
Opp. Fourth Down % 72.7 61.1
Offensive TD % inside 10 68.7 80.3
Defensive TD% inside 10 74.5 75.8

THE IFs:
If DETROIT defeats Arizona, it would ...
· Give DETROIT a (2-2) overall series record Arizona, give Detroit the 2004 series sweep over the Rattlers, and give Detroit a two-game winning streak over Arizona
· Give DETROIT a (3-4) record on the road
· Give DETROIT a (5-9) overall record
· Give DETROIT Head Coach Tom Luginbill his fifth win as an AFL head coach
· End DETROIT's five-game losing skid, and give the Fury their first win since April 1.


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 100 receptions for 1,226 yards. He only needs 25 more receptions and 404 yards to tie the franchise records. If Davis can average eight catches and 135 yards a game, Davis could become the Fury's new record holder. Fury receiver Carl Bond tied another of "Flash's" old records last week in Indiana. With his six receiving touchdowns, Bond tied Gordon's record for touchdowns in a single game, a record that dated back to 2001.

Second Half Improvement: After the first eight weeks of the season, kick returner Ron Carpenter did not have the kind of performances that helped him set the AFL record for kickoff return yards in 2003. In the first eight weeks, "Carp" only acquired 424 yards, an average of 53 yards a game. Since turning the halfway point, "Carp" has accumulated 908 yards in only five games, an average of 181.6 yards a game. If "Carp" continues on his current pace, he will finish with 1452 return yards in the second half of the season. Had "Carp" had this success all season, he would have been on pace to snap is current record by over 500 yards.

Veteran vs. Rookie: Saturday's game will put one of the AFL's most veteran and successful coaches against one the AFL's newest. Arizona Head Coach Danny White has been coaching for 13 years, won two ArenaBowls and is the second-winningest head coach in AFL history. Fury Head Coach Tom Luginbill, while not a stranger to the game of Arena Football, is in his first year as a head coach and will be facing of the best the game has ever seen.

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 72-of-78 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 4,551
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 3,895
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 3,715
4) Todd Hammel, Philadelphia 3,697

All-Time Pass Completions #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 2,808
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 2,420
3) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 2,362
4) Aaron Garcia, New York 2,275

All-Time Passing Yards #
1) Andy Kelly, Detroit 31,155
2) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 30,226
3) Aaron Garcia, New York 29,853
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 27,978

All-Time Passing Touchdowns #
1) Aaron Garcia, New York 621
2) Andy Kelly, Detroit 607
3) Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 605
4) Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 557


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 1,331

KICKOFF RETURN LEADERS
Steve Smith, Grand Rapids – 1,493 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 251.7
Will Pettis, Dallas – 1,444 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 268.0
Ron Carpenter, Detroit – 1,331 Yards
Yards Needed to AVG/Game to Break – 305.7

MILESTONES
· Dawan Moss needs 10 more rushing yards to have a 100-yard rushing season, the first in Fury history



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 Detroit Carl Bond
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 Indiana Ricky Hall
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 Detroit Curtis Eason
15
16
17

FOLLOWING THE FURY IN 2004:

2-4 at The Palace of Auburn Hills
2-5 on the road

1-2 vs. National Conference
3-7 vs. American Conference

0-0 vs. Eastern Division
1-2 vs. Southern Division
2-4 vs. Central Division
1-3 vs. Western Division

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

1-3 on Thursdays
1-3 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
0-2 in May

2-0 when leading after first quarter
1-6 when trailing after first quarter
1-3 when tied after first quarter

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

3-1 when leading after three quarters
1-7 when trailing after three quarters
0-1 when tied after three quarters

1-5 in games decided by 10+ points
1-3 in games decided by 4-9 points
2-1 in games decided by 3 or less points

1-9 when opponent scores more than 40 points
3-0 when opponent scores 40 points or less

3-6 when Fury score more than 40 points
1-3 when Fury score 40 points or less

3-7 when the Fury score first
1-2 when opponent score first

0-1 in overtime


AFL STANDINGS:

American Conference - Central Division Team W L T
Chicago Rush 9 4 0
Colorado Crush 9 4 0
Indiana Firebirds 7 7 0
Detroit Fury 4 9 0
Grand Rapids Rampage 1 12 0

American Conference - West Division
Team W L T
San Jose SaberCats 10 3 0
Arizona Rattlers 9 5 0
Los Angeles Avengers 7 6 0
Las Vegas Gladiators 6 7 0

National Conference - Eastern Division
Team W L T
New York Dragons 8 5 0
Dallas Desperados 6 7 0
Philadelphia Soul 5 8 0
Carolina Cobras 4 9 0
Columbus Destroyers 4 9 0

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


2004 Playoff Seedings (Through Week 13):

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

* Current Division Leader


Last Week in the AFL:
Friday, May 7
Detroit Fury 59 @ Indiana Firebirds 68
Saturday, May 8
Carolina Cobras 39 @ New York Dragons 61
Chicago Rush 63 @ Grand Rapids Rampage 35
Las Vegas Gladiators 63 @ Philadelphia Soul 35
Sunday, May 9
Los Angeles Avengers 55 @ Tampa Bay Storm 63
San Jose SaberCats 41 @ Arizona Rattlers 58
Dallas Desperados 36 @ Austin Wranglers 48
Georgia Force 72 @ Columbus Destroyers 51
Orlando Predators 45 @ New Orleans VooDoo 40

Bye: Colorado Crush

This 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

Next Week in the AFL:
Saturday, May 22
Grand Rapids Rampage @ Carolina Cobras, 7:30 pm
Columbus Destroyers @ Dallas Desperados, 8:30 pm
Philadelphia Soul @ San Jose SaberCats, 10:30 pm
Las Vegas Gladiators @ Los Angeles Avengers, 10:30 pm
Sunday, May 23
Indiana Firebirds @ Chicago Rush, 3:00 pm
Colorado Crush @ Detroit Fury, 3:00 pm
Austin Wranglers @ Georgia Force, 3:00 pm
New Orleans VooDoo @ @Tampa Bay Storm, 3:00 pm
New York Dragons @ Orlando Predators, 3:00 pm

Bye: Arizona Rattlers

* All Times Eastern

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