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Fury Game Notes

May 28, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Detroit Fury (1-5) vs Georgia Force (1-5)
Date: June 1, 2002
Kickoff: 7:30 PM
Site: The Palace (14,826)
Officials: Referee: Perry Havener; Umpire: Paul King Head Linesman: Pat Garvey; Line Judge: Mack Gilchrist; Back Judge: Greg Steed
Fury Radio: WDFN 1130 AM (Jamie Samuelsen, Bubba Baker)
Fury TV: None
All-time Regular Season Series Record: Have never met
Streaks: Detroit lost three; Georgia lost five
Coaches: Mouse Davis (8-12, 2nd)
Marty Lowe (0-1, 1st)

THE STAKES: Well when things start to look bleak, people must look back to just a year ago when the Fury started out 2-5 and made a 5-2 run during the second half that propelled them into a playoff position. The Fury are struggling to get wins on the board, but by no means are they out of the race. The Fury need to take care of business on their home turf. Detroit has just three road games remaining and five home games to look forward to.

That is the good news. The bad news is that time is starting to creep up on them and several more losses would be catastrophic. The playoffs are on the line...tonight. If Detroit can't pull off a win in this game, then they very may well have shot themselves in the foot. Georgia is another team that has struggled this season. Since relocating from Nashville last season, the Force have struggled mostly on defense. Their offense has been fairly productive and they boast two solid AFL veteran quarterbacks, but opposing AFL teams have been eating the Force alive when they are on defense, as they have given up a league-high average of 59.7 points per game. Detroit needs to exploit Georgia's defensive weakness and get the ball into the end zone.

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

THE IFs:

If DETROIT defeats Georgia, it would ...
· Give DETROIT 2-5 record
· Give DETROIT 1-0 all-time record against GEO
· Give Mouse Davis a 9-12 all-time record
· Give DETROIT a 2-1 home record
· Snap DETROIT'S three-game slide

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 has brought in a solid group of veterans, coupled with a promising corps of rookies, providing a competitive team that should vie for another postseason berth.

Marty Lowe was brought on to replace Robert Lyles a short time ago. The organization was not happy with Lyle's progress with the team so Lowe has taken over and has just one AFL game under his belt.

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: UNIONDALE, NY—Danny Kanell completed 14-of-18 passes and three touchdowns in a relief role, and Steve Papin caught nine balls for 65 yards and three TDs, as the New York Dragons burned the Detroit Fury 44-37 Saturday night at the Nassau Coliseum. New York improved to 2-4 while the Fury sank to 1-5.

In the opening quarter, Detroit got on the board first when Chuck Winters pulled in a 21-yard pass from Drew Miller at 10:21. Detroit kept New York off the board on the next series and Miller was able to connect to Bernard Williams giving the Fury a 12-0 lead. The Fury defense continued their strong play, forcing the Dragons to accept a Clay Rush 41-yard field goal at 5:40. In the next series, Miller twisted his left ankle, forcing Charles Puleri into action. Puleri's first pass was completed to Chuck Levy for a 27-yard TD at 1:21.

Rush scored the only points of the second quarter for either team, the first from 40 yards at 4:45 followed by a 24-yard boot as time expired in the half. The Detroit defense held the Dragons to just three field goals in the opening half.

In the third quarter, both teams started to pile on the points. Igancio Brache drilled a 29-yard field goal at 11:07 before NY's Rodney Filer ran one in from the one at 7:49. Rush nailed a perfect kickoff that bounced off the iron, eluding Winters, and into the hands of Donevits Franklin who scored on the play at 6:57. On the very next play, Winters returned a 56-yard kickoff for a touchdown, his third in the last two games, at 6:01 that brought the score to 28-23 in favor of Detroit. AFL newcomer Danny Kanell replaced starting QB Matt Nagy at the start of the second half, and connected with Steve Papin for a three-yard score at 4:19. Brache hit a 37-yard field goal that proved to be the final scoring play for the third frame. In the final quarter, Papin scored struck twice and Detroit's Ty Grovesteen intercepted a Kanell pass and scampered into the end zone for the final scoring play.

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Mouse Davis on the Force: "In their previous ball game they were hanging in before having three quick scores on them that turned it all around. After an onside kick, one off the net and another one off the net that goes off one of their kids hands and LA recovers, it was a over. A quick 21-point swing like that just did them in. They are in the same boat as we are, second-guessing yourself on what your true abilities are.

Mouse Davis on the Forces QBs: "They have Milwaukee's (Mustangs) two quarterbacks from last season who are both solid players. Both have quite a bit of AFL experience and know how to play the game."

DETROIT NEXT WEEK: 6/8—The Fury travel to the "Windy City" to battle with divisional foes, the Chicago Rush. The Rush have gotten off to a respectable start this season and boast several off-season key acquisitions, including OL/DL James Baron. Detroit knocked off the Rush last season in Chicago for one of the Fury's two road victories of the season. Can that feat be accomplished next week? Time will tell.

FURY NOTES/TRENDS:

Hazy Shade of Winters: Chuck Winters is becoming one of the best kickoff returners in the game today. Last week in New York, Winters returned a 56-yard kickoff for a TD, his third in the last two games. If Winters can continue on the pace he is on, Detroit will be back into the playoff hunt within the next few weeks.

Dinner on Delta: Another loss brings more changes. On Tuesday, Detroit shipped out K Ignacio Brache, OL/DL Troy Sienkiewicz and FB/LB Dwayne Woods. No replacements have been named at this point, but rumors are that a former kicker from the University of Michigan will be signed by Thursday.

Miller Time: Just when you think things could not get worse for the Fury, Drew Miller was brought down by a New York lineman last week and sprained his left ankle. Miller left the game and is currently getting treatment on the ankle. The good news is that Miller is expected to start on Saturday against Georgia.

"I'm Still Here": Charles Puleri saw his first action in his 10th game in a Fury uniform, dating back to last season when he signed with the club in week seven. On his first pass of the game, Puleri hit a wide-open Chuck Levy late in the first quarter. Puleri finished the game going 10-21 for 125 yards, one TD and two INTs.

Road Kill: Detroit currently has the worst road record in the league at 0-4. Detroit will have to better that in the coming two weeks when they travel to Chicago next week followed up by a June 14th match up in Indiana against the Firebirds.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Fury WR/DB Chuck Winters: Chuck Winters continues to be the man for the Fury on special teams. In the last two games, Winters has returned three kickoffs for TDs and has been a force on the defensive side of the ball. At this point of the season, it is safe to say that Winters has been the MVP of the team.

Fury OL/DL R-Kal Truluck: R-Kal Truluck had a big game last week, recording two sacks. The AFL's reigning Rookie of the Year vows to continue to wreck havoc on opposing QBs and has his sights set on Georgia's Donnie Davis this weekend.

Georgia QB Donnie Davis: Donnie Davis has spelled starting quarterback Kevin McDougal enough that it looks like he may have taken the job as the number one guy. Davis is the top dog in the AFL in pass rating with a 142.5 percentage. Davis is an experienced QB with a proven track record and can take a game over if not pressured into making bad passes.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 28, 2002


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