Sports stats



Dragons Game Notes

February 26, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New York Dragons News Release


Quick Facts
Orlando Predators (4-0) at New York Dragons (0-4)
Date: Sunday, March 2, 2003
Kickoff: 3:00 PM
Site: Nassau Coliseum (11,216)
Officials: Referee: Wes Fritz Umpire: Tony Payne Head Linesman: Rich Grube Line Judge: Kent Payne Back Judge: James Cole
Radio: WLIE 540AM: Sid Rosenberg and Peter Schwartz
TV: NBC Mike Breen and Ray Bentley with Dave Burns on sideline.
Series Record: The Predators have won four of the six regular season meetings vs. Iowa/New York. The teams have met three times in the playoffs with the Predators winning twice.
Last Meeting: Orlando 52 - New York 33 Nassau Coliseum, June 15, 2002
Coaches: Orlando - Fran Papasedero (7-7, 2nd year) Dragons - Todd Shell (29-25, 5th Year - 0-0, 1st year as Dragons coach)

2002 Meeting vs. Orlando:

June 15: Orlando 52, Dragons 33

Behind the arm of coach-turned quarterback Jay Gruden, the Orlando Predators defeated the New York Dragons 52-33 in front of near sold-out Nassau Coliseum.

Jay Gruden, the brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneer coach Jon Gruden, was 24-40 with 303 yards completed and six touchdowns. Siaha Burley lead the ‘Preds' with 11 receptions, four of them for touchdowns dropping the Dragons record to 2-7.

QB Danny Kanell was 12-21 for 157 yards before being replaced by QB Matt Nagy who did not fare much better going 3-9 for 43 yards. OS Steve Papin did his part putting up 212 all-purpose yards but it wasn't enough as the Predators outscored the Dragons 17-9 in the second half.

Game Preview:

In search of their first win of the season the 0-4 New York Dragons face the 4-0 Orlando Predators at the Nassau Coliseum with the game being televised nationally on NBC. The game marks the first for new Head Coach Todd Shell after replacing John Gregory earlier in the week. The IFS:...

If the DRAGONS defeat the Predators, it would...
*Give the Dragons a 1-4 record this season.
*Give the Dragons a 3-4 record all-time vs. Orlando.
*Give the Dragons their first win of the season.
*Give Todd Shell his first win as Dragons Head Coach.

Last Week:

A Jay McDonagh seven-yard rushing touchdown in the final minute was the difference as Las Vegas beat the Dragons in yet another heartbreaker for New York, 46-45.

A near-packed Nassau Coliseum saw yet another exciting Arena Football game. Although the Dragons took a four-point lead into the half, they had trouble moving the ball and the Gladiators made most of the key plays in the second half.

The 10,211 fans at the Coliseum saw a relatively low-scoring first half, which saw New York jump out of the gate early.  In the second quarter, Las Vegas took their first lead of the game off a McDonagh TD pass to Mike Horacek, but the Dragons fought right back with a touchdown score of their own from WR/DB Mike Furrey. This is where the game got interesting. New York's D recorded their second defensive stoppage of the game when Steve Videtich missed a 53-yard field goal attempt.

On the Dragons' ensuing possession, Steve Papin appeared to be out-of-bounds, however the officials ruled a fumble on the play. Las Vegas then went on to score as the quarter came to a close.

With the Gladiators up by two points with 4:32 left in the game, the Dragons decided to go for it on fourth down. It paid off as Garcia connected on a 15-yard pass to Chris Anthony. This led to a Chris Anthony touchdown score to put the Dragons up by five.

With 22.2 seconds remaining, McDonagh put Las Vegas up by one point with his 7-yard scramble. However, Vegas could not convert on a two-point conversion.  Aaron Garcia attempted to lead his troops down the field, but ran out of time. Kenny Stucker was called for a 39-yard field goal attempt with 6.5 seconds left in the game. The AFL veteran missed wide left as they Dragons dropped to 0-4.

Upcoming Schedule:

The Dragons finish up their three-game homestand when they face the Los Angeles Avengers at the Nassau Coliseum on NBC. The Dragons opened the 2002 season at the Avengers losing 43-25.

Dragon Tales:

Dragons Replace Entire Coaching Staff:

The New York Dragons announced on Monday that they relieved head coach John Gregory and his assistants of their duties. Gregory was in his ninth year with the Iowa/New York franchise, earning a record of 66-48.  In three years in New York with the Dragons, Gregory was 11-21. The Dragons are currently 0-4 after finishing the 2002 season 3-11. The New York Dragons named former San Jose Sabercats Head Coach Todd Shell as the second head coach in franchise history.

Serving as the first head coach in Sabercats history, Shell led his 1995 squad to a record of 8-4 and a Western Division Championship.  His team became the first expansion franchise in AFL history to win a division title.  After four seasons at the helm in San Jose, Shell compiled a record of 29-25 earning a playoff berth in three of four seasons.    Shell was the San Francisco 49ers' 1984 first-round draft pick out of BYU where he proceeded to win two Super Bowl rings (1984 and 1988). Shell played five seasons in San Francisco before retiring due to injuries.  He most recently worked as the color commentator for the Arizona Rattlers, where he served as defensive coordinator from 1992-1994. 

Garcia Looks to Top All-TimeLeague Rankings:

Dragons QB Aaron Garcia, who was named the Dragons' offensive coordinator prior to the 2003 season, continues to chase Detroit Fury QB Andy Kelly for the all-time lead in the three key quarterback rankings.

Furrey Earns Ironman of the Game Honors for Second Time:

For the second time in four weeks, despite a losing effort by the Dragons, 2002 All-Ironman Team member WR/DB Mike Furrey picked up Ironman of the Game honors after recording seven-catches for 97-yards and two touchdowns vs. the Las Vegas Gladiators. Furrey had previously earned the honor in Week 1 at Dallas following a seven-catch, 125 receiving yards, two touchdown and one interception performance vs. the Desperados.

Garcia Named Game MVP at Grand Rapids

Recording 380 passing yards and seven touchdowns, Dragons QB Aaron Garcia was named the Game MVP in a Week 3 loss in Grand Rapids.

From the Neighborhood:

This year's Dragons squad has a distinct New York accent. Local players include DS Kory Blackwell, born in Queens and now a Baldwin resident. Blackwell played at Stevenson High School in Queens and is a former New York Daily News All-City team member. Former New Orleans Saint OL/DL Jermaine Miles played high-school football at Canarsie in Brooklyn. WR/LB Carl Sacco played at CW Post. Former Cleveland Brown lineman Elliot Fortune was a two-year captain at Long Island's Roosevelt High School. Jason Maxwell, who played college football at Hofstra University, is a former recipient of Mayor's Trophy for sportsmanship from the Village of Hempstead in 2000.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 26, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent New York Dragons Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central