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Fury Game Notes

May 7, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Detroit Fury (1-2) at Buffalo Destroyers (1-2)
Date: May 11, 2002
Kickoff: 7:00 PM
Site: HSBC Arena (18,457)
Officials: Referee: Wes Fritz; Umpire; Tony Payne; Head Linesman: Rich Grube; Line Judge: Kent Payne; Back Judge: Tony Lombardo
Fury Radio: WDFN 1130 AM (Jamie Samuelsen)
Fury TV: None
Regular Season Series Record: Detroit leads 1-0
Streaks: Detroit won one; Buffalo lost two
Coaches: Mouse Davis (8-9, 2nd)
Ray Bentley (12-15, 3rd)

THE STAKES: Detroit did what they were expected to do last weekend...win at home. This week they return to the road to do battle, once again, with the Destroyers. It is no secret that the Fury seems to struggle on the road, as they hold a 2-7 all-time regular season road record. The positive going into this game is that Detroit knows they can beat Buffalo, as they have defeated them twice this year, once in the preseason and the other just last week. A Detroit win would put them in the hunt for first in the Central, a loss would send them to the cellar.

THE SERIES: This is the second and final time these two clubs will meet during the regular season. Detroit knocked off Buffalo last week 50-48 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

THE IFs:

If DETROIT defeats BUFFALO, it would ...
· Give DETROIT 2-2 record
· Give DETROIT 2-0 record against Buffalo
· Give Mouse Davis a 9-9 all-time record
· Give DETROIT a 2-2 all-time record against Eastern Division opponents

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.

Ray Bentley is entering his third season as the head coach and GM of the Destroyers. Last year his team fell short of making the playoffs at 6-8. The former Michigan Panther has made numerous improvements to his roster for this season and is already considered a dangerous opponent.

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 WEEK: AUBURN HILLS—Chuck Levy and Robert Gordon each scored two touchdowns and Steve McLaughlin's kick sailed wide left with six seconds remaining, as the Detroit Fury held on to sink the Buffalo Destroyers 50-48 Saturday night at The Palace. Detroit gets their first victory of the year, improving to 1-2, while Buffalo falls to 1-2. Fury QB Rickey Foggie got Detroit going with a three-yard dash into the endzone at 8:58. On the ensuing kickoff, Lamont Cooper ran it all the way for a Buffalo 52-yard TD. Levy scored his first of the night off a 23-yard pass at 5:09, which proved to be the final tally of the quarter. Ignacio Brache made up for a missed PAT when he drilled a 20-yard field goal, Detroit's first of the season, at 5:17. Thomas Bailey pulled in a 16-yard pass from Fred McNair at 1:08 before Cooper would strike again, this time off a 43-yard bomb with 31 seconds remaining in the half. Eddie Brown found the paint for the first score of the third stanza, pulling in a seven-yard toss at 12:26. Torey Hunter answered back for Detroit, snatching a Buffalo onside kick and running it in for a seven-yard TD. Cooper continued his masterful performance on the evening, returning a 56-yard kickoff for a TD. Levy scored his final TD shortly after that, corralling a 13-yard pass from Foggie at 6:52. Gordon's TD at 14:18 of the fourth signaled the start of what would turn out to be a wild finish. Cooper scored his final TD at 13:01 off a 38-yard pass from McNair. Shawndel Tucker yanked in his first TD of the season at 11:31. Bailey scored again for Buffalo before Gordon would tally his second of the night Foggie finished the evening 23-of-45 with five TDs while McNair went 18-of-29 for 276 yards, five TDs and two INTs. The Fury will complete the home-and-home series Saturday in Buffalo, as Detroit will face-off against the Destroyers on Saturday, May 11 at 7:00 PM. Fans can catch all the Fury games on Sports Radio 1130 The Fan. The Fury returns to The Palace on Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 PM when they host the Indiana Firebirds. Tickets are available by calling (248) 377-0100 or by logging onto www.detroitfury.com.

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Mouse Davis on the Destroyers: "We have to find a way to slow down Cooper because he was spectacular against us on offense and special teams. I would look for them to be better on their home turf than they were on ours. So we must improve our game to have success against them."

Defensive Coordinator Rich Stubler on Buffalo's defense: "They played very hard last week and boast an excellent pass rush. They changed up coverages enough to keep us on the edge."

Chuck Levy on last weekend's game: "It was important to get the monkey off our back. Too bad we had to win it in such a suspenseful fashion, but regardless, it was great to get a ‘W' anyway."

MILESTONES:

ROBERT GORDON
· Needs 252 yards to reach 3,000
· Needs 34 TDs to hit 100

DETROIT NEXT WEEK: 5/18 versus Indiana-A very important Central division matchup. This is a game Detroit must win if they are to compete for the divisional title at the end of the season.

FURY NOTES/TRENDS:

Chuck "Ironman" Levy: Chuck Levy continues to be on a personal tear this season, leading the Fury in yards and TDs. Last week against Buffalo, Levy pulled in two TDs and led the team with 120 yards receiving.

Bobby Fantastic: Last week Robert Gordon surpassed the 200-career receptions mark in the game against Buffalo. Gordon now stands at 202.

Thank You...May I have another?: Rookie DS Torey Hunter had quite a game last week. Not only did the 5-10 180-pounder out of Washington State pull in his second INT of the year, but he also snatched up an onside kick and ran it seven yards for the TD.

Well Hello... Again: The Fury and the Destroyers are getting sick of seeing each other. The two clubs met up last week and also locked up in week one of the preseason. This will FINALLY be the last time these two teams meet, unless it's in the postseason...

Home Cookin': It is rather ironic when you compare Detroit's start from last year to this year's. Last season the Fury dropped their first two road games and won their first home game. Hmm...seems like we've read that story recently.

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 two games on the road this season. Detroit has an all time road record of 2-7.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Fury OS Robert Gordon: Fury fans are still searching for Robert Gordon's breakout game. Last season, Gordon pulled in six TDs in a game...twice. Teams have been on Gordon like white on rice this season. But with Detroit's solid offensive corps, others have been contributing to the overall offense. Many get that feeling that Flash is going to strike soon and often.

Fury WR/DB Chuck Levy: Chuck Levy has let everyone around the AFL know that he is a force to be reckoned with. The former Arizona Cardinal and San Francisco 49er is fourth in the league in scoring and leads the Fury in virtually every offensive category.

Buffalo QB Fred McNair: AFL vet Fred McNair is going to have to come up with a better performance against Detroit this week if he wants to lead his team to victory. McNair was picked off two times and Buffalo can't afford to turn the ball over in a tight game like last week.

Buffalo OS Lamont Cooper: Can this guy fly or what?? He ran back two kickoffs for TDs and he would have had three if it was not for a Buffalo penalty. He led his team in receptions last week with 11 for 202 yards. He was fantastic on offense and special teams. If Detroit wants to go 2-0 against Buffalo this season, they are going to have to shut this man down.

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