Fans eligible to vote for AFL season honors
May 20, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
New Orleans VooDoo and Arena Football fans have four days remaining in the regular season to vote AFL players online in the fan voting the league's annual individual coach and player awards.
For the third consecutive season, visitors to the League's official Web site â www.arenafootball.com â can vote for individual awards. The fan vote will count towards 25 percent of the total vote for each award. Voting by players, coaches and media will also count towards the results. Voters are limited to one choice per category. Voting ends Monday, May 23.
New Orleans QB Andy Kelly is currently fourth in the online voting for Offensive Player of the Year. In his first season with the VooDoo, Kelly has enjoyed one of his finest years in leading New Orleans' playoff push, leading the league in completions (443), attempts (662) and touchdown passes (93). He is one of only two quarterbacks in professional football history to throw 700-or-more touchdown passes (713) along with New York's Aaron Garcia. Kelly has earned the league's Offensive Player of the Week award three times this season and was named the league's Offensive Player of the Month for February.
Kelly has already broken the AFL season-record in completions and passing attempts, which he previously held. With seven touchdown passes, he can become only the second player in AFL history along with Garcia to have thrown 100 passes in a season. With 4,465 passing yards, Kelly is also within striking distance of the single-season passng record set by Georgia QB Jim Kubiak while with the Dallas Desperados in 2003 (4,762).
VooDoo OL/DL B.J. Cohen is currently second in the online voting for Lineman of the Year. He is currently ranked second in the AFL in sacks and is ranked first in the league in combined tackles for a loss (13). Cohen, in his seventh AFL season, has set career-highs in most major categories, recording 30.5 tackles, nine sacks, four tackles for a loss, one interception and six passes defensed. Offensively, Cohen has been his team's top pass catching linemen, recording seven receptions for 53 yards with one touchdown.
VooDoo players who are surprisingly not in the top five in online fan voting are OS Aaron Bailey, WR/LB Thabiti Davis and K Brian Schmitz.
Bailey has made a strong case for Offensive Player of the Year after posting 139 receptions for 1639 yards and 35 touchdowns. He ranks first in the league in receptions, is second in receiving yards and is ranked first in the league in first downs. Bailey's reception total is the second-highest in AFL history behind Las Vegas OS Marcus Nash's 145 catches in 2004.
Davis has made a case for Ironman of the Year after recording 104 receptions for 925 yards with 18 touchdowns, while adding 25.5 tackles, 0.5 sacks, one tackle for a loss and one pass defense. Davis is tied for eighth in the AFL in receptions and is seventh on his team in tackles. This is the second consecutive year that he has caught more than 100 passes in a season.
Schmitz is enjoying his finest season in his five-year AFL career. He ranks seventh in the league in scoring with 129 points scored. Schmitz has connected on 96 of 106 extra point attempts this season and has hit 11 field goals on 20 tries. He ranks fourth in the league in field goal percentage, making good on 55 percent of his attempts.
The following is a schedule of when each AFL award will be announced:
· All-Rookie Team â Tuesday, May 24
· All-Arena Team â Wednesday, May 25
· All-Ironman Team â Thursday, May 26
· Kicker of the Year â Monday, May 30
· Lineman of the Year â Tuesday, May 31
· Rookie of the Year â Wednesday, June 1
· Coach of the Year â Thursday, June 2
· ADT Defensive Player of the Year â Tuesday, June 7
· Offensive Player of the Year â Wednesday, June 8
· U.S. Army Ironman of the Year â Thursday, June 9
The VooDoo return to action this Sunday, May 22, when they travel to face the Orlando Predators at the TD Waterhouse Centre at 2:00 p.m., in a battle between two 9-6 teams fighting for their playoff lives. The game will be broadcast in 75 percent of the nation on NBC (WDSU-6 locally). and can be heard live on WSMB 1350 AM.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 20, 2005
- AFL week 17 final injury report - AFL I
- Fans eligible to vote for AFL season honors - New Orleans VooDoo
- Dragons close in on more records - New York Dragons
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.
