Fury Game Notes

April 23, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Detroit Fury (0-1) at Toronto Phantoms (1-0)
Date: April 25, 2002
Kickoff: 7:00 PM
Site: Air Canada Centre (17,100)
National Anthem: TBA
Coin Toss: TBA
Officials: Referee: Joe Rider
Umpire: Nels Strickland
Head Linesman: Rusty Spindel
Line Judge: James Mello
Back Judge: Rich Wilborn
Fury Radio: WDFN 1130 AM (Jamie Samuelsen)
Fury TV: None
Series Record: Have never met
Streaks: Detroit lost one; Toronto won one
Coaches: Mouse Davis (7-8, 2nd)
Mark Stoute (9-6, 2nd)

THE STAKES: Detroit is looking to bounce back after taking a 49-45 loss at the hand of the Rampage in Grand Rapids on Saturday. A win would propel the Fury into a three-way tie for first place, while a loss would escort them to the bottom of the Central Division. The Phantoms on the other hand are looking to build off their impressive 51-37 thrashing of the Tampa Bay Storm this past week.

THE SERIES: This is the first time these two clubs have ever met.

THE IFs:
If DETROIT defeats TORONTO, it would ...
· Give DETROIT 1-1 record
· Give DETROIT 1-0 record against Toronto
· Give Mouse Davis a 8-8 all-time record
· Give DETROIT a 1-1 record for 2002
· Give DETROIT a 1-0 international record

HEAD COACHES:

Mouse Davis returns to right the ship for Detroit. Davis led a first-year team to a 7-7 record last season, coupled with the 10th seed in the AFL playoffs. Davis vows that the Fury will compete for the ArenaBowl Championship this season and feels that he has many of the pieces to the puzzle to accomplish that.

Mark Stoute is entering his second season as the head coach and GM of the Phantoms. Last year he led the squad to a 8-6 record and the Eastern Division title.

2001 REVIEW: Detroit capped off a successful freshman season in the AFL in 2001. The Fury finished with a 7-7 record and the 10th seed in the ArenaBowl playoffs. Robert Gordon led the team in virtually every offensive category, finishing the year third in the AFL in scoring.

PRESEASON HISTORY: Detroit completed the 2002 preseason with a 47-37 loss to the Arizona Rattlers at The Palace on April 9. The Fury sank the Buffalo Destroyers on March 30 32-27, winning their first-ever preseason game. In the 2001 season, Detroit dropped both contests.

LAST SERIES MEETING: Have never met

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Mouse Davis on the Phantoms: "They are a good football team that plays both sides of the ball well and has extremely good personnel."

Mouse Davis on Chad Salisbury: "He looks like he played very well last week. He is a guy who takes very good care of the ball and is an accurate thrower."

Marvin Thomas on the importance of this game: "I think that by winning this game it would put us back on the positive side for one, and would bring us into a winning mode that would set us up for our home opener."

MILESTONES:

RICKEY FOGGIE
· Needs seven pass completions to reach 1,500
· Needs 71 yards to reach 16,000

ROBERT GORDON
· Needs 415 yards to reach 3,000
· Needs 37 TDs to hit 100
· Needs 10 receptions to reach 200

DETROIT NEXT WEEK: 5/4 at Buffalo-The Fury will kickoff their home opener against the Buffalo Destroyers. Although the two clubs never met last season, they did lock up during this year's preseason, with Detroit holding on for a 32-27 victory.

FURY NOTES/TRENDS:

Chuck "Ironman" Levy : Chuck Levy was one of several Fury players who kicked off the season in high fashion. Levy led the team in receptions with five and scored a career high three TDs in the game. Levy is counted on to follow up his strong outing with another one against Toronto.

O' Canada!: The Phantoms came out with a bang, stomping the Tampa Bay Storm and surprising just about everybody around the AFL in doing so last week. In order for the Fury to keep the Phantoms at bay, they will need to get to QB Chad Salisbury and make his life Miserable. Enter R-Kal Truluck and Kelvin Kinney.

Kicked Out: After a poor preseason performance and an equally tough start to the regular season, kicker J.R. Jenkins was placed on recallable waivers by the Fury on April 22. Jenkins went just 1-of-4 on his PAT attempts at Grand Rapids, forcing Mouse Davis to go for two-point conversions. A new kicker will be named within the next 48 hours.

Welcome Back: Several members of the Detroit Fury players and staff have spent some significant time in the Toronto area with the local CFL team. Chuck Levy, Ty Grovesteen, Kelvin Kinney, Rickey Foggie and coaches Mouse Davis and Rich Stubler.

Waive Goodbye: Jenkins was not the only player to get the axe this week, joining him is WR/LB Mike Fletcher.

Road Kill: After posting a poor 2-5 record on the road last season, Detroit realizes that they need to change that around for 2002. The Fury dropped their first game on the road on Saturday in GR. If Detroit is to enjoy a strong start, this game is critical.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Fury QB Rickey Foggie: After an average outing in last week's game at GR, Rickey Foggie is looking to lead Detroit to their first win of the short season. As everyone knows, the QB position is the key to wins in this league. Foggie is an experienced AFL vet who is known to find the open man and get him the ball. With great receivers on the team in Chuck Levy and Robert Gordon, Detroit is a team that should not be taken lightly.

Fury WR/DB Chuck Levy: Chuck Levy started out the 2002 season with a solid performance and will be a key factor in this week's game. If the Phantoms are to shut down the Fury, Levy will have a bullseye on his chest.

Toronto QB Chad Salisbury : Chad Salisbury is back for another year with the Phantoms. The lanky QB out of Buffalo enjoyed a solid season and is currently riding a five-game regular season winning streak as the starting QB. Detroit's pass rush must get to Salisbury and wreck havoc.

Toronto WR/DB Ty Law: One of Salisbury's favorite targets is five-year AFL vet Ty Law. Law led the Phantoms last week with two TDs. The Fury will need to shut down the receiver from Rice. This job is in the very capable hands of Kevin Scott and Carl Greenwood.

BUILT FORD TOUGH AWARD (selected by coaches) The Built Ford Tough Award is a national recognition award given after every game to the player or players on each team best demonstrating determination and toughness in that game. The award honors the players, who made a game-saving tackle or score-saving tackle, threw a key block on the big play or exhibited physical sacrifice or consistent tough blocking and tackling on both sides of the ball.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 23, 2002


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