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Fury Game Notes

February 5, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Fury News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Georgia Force (1-0) at Detroit Fury (0-1)
Date: February 9, 2003
Kickoff: 3:00 PM
Site: The Palace of Auburn Hills (14,826)
Officials: Wes Fritz (Referee), Tony Payne (Umpire), Rich Grube (Head Linesman), Kent Payne (Line Judge), James Cole (Back Judge)
Radio: WDFN, 1130 AM Jamie Samuelsen (Play-by-Play) Marc Spindler (Color)
TV: None
Series Record: 0-1
Last Meeting: Georgia defeated Detroit 49-34 at The Palace of Auburn Hills on 6-1-02
Streaks: Georgia – Win One Detroit – Lost 12 (2002-2003)
Coaches: Marty Lowe (6-4, 2nd Year) Al Luginbill (0-1, 1st Year)

THE STAKES: The Fury are looking to break their 12-game losing streak and put some positive momentum into the 2003 season. The Force will be playing for their second straight road win, before returning to play their first home game in their brand new arena. Although all teams in the Eastern Division lost in week one, Detroit is looking to take an early lead in the division, while Georgia must continue to win in order to keep up with Orlando and Tampa Bay.

THE SERIES: The Fury and Force played against each other last season, where Detroit fell to Georgia 49-34 at The Palace. Although both teams are relatively new to the league, they are now conference rivals and look forward to many more games against one another.

HEAD COACHES:

AL LUGINBILL, Detroit (0-1, 1st Year): Luginbill enters his first season as head coach and general manager of the Detroit Fury and his first season coaching in the Arena Football League. He brings over 33 years of football experience to the Fury. Luginbill began his coaching career at Pasadena City College, where he guided Pasadena City College to Jr. Rose Bowl Championship in his final season as a head coach. He then moved on to Arizona State University and worked as an assistant coach from 1977-1984 with a one-year coaching stint at the University of Wyoming. Finishing his career as a Sun Devil, he left ASU to pursue a job with the San Diego State University Athletic department. After three years on the administrative side, Luginbill was given the control over the slumping Aztec football program, where he served as head coach of SDSU for five years. He is the only coach in SDSU to ever have five consecutive winning seasons. Luginbill's career turned when he left the collegiate ranks to coach in the NFL Europe (World League). He served as head coach and director of football operations of Amsterdam Admirals from (1995-2000). In his tenure there, he guided the Admirals to the World Bowl. Luginbill moved back to States and took a job with up-start XFL and guided the Los Angeles Xtreme to XFL's first and only league championship. Throughout his career, Luginbill is credited with finding and developing NFL stars such as Marshall Faulk (San Diego St. Player), Kurt Warner (NFL Europe / Amsterdam Player) and most recently, Tommy Maddox (XFL). Luginbill currently holds a 86-56-2 overall record as a head coach. He has won three championships and appeared in five bowl games during his coaching tenure.

MARTY LOWE, Georgia (6-4, 2nd Year): Lowe returns to the Force for his first full season as head coach. Lowe took the reigns for the Force after they started the 2002 season 1-4, losing four straight games. He began to turn the team around, finishing the season with a 6-8 record. Prior to taking over the head coaching position, Lowe served as the offensive coordinator for the Force (Nashville Kats) from 2000-2001. Before joining the Force, Lowe worked as the running back's coach at the University of Texas-El Paso. He began his AFL career as a quarterback for the St. Louis Stampede (1996) and played for the Texas Terror in 1997 before a knee injury ruined his playing career. Lowe got his coaching break following his injury, with his collegiate Alma Mater, Louisville. He was responsible for breaking down game tape and practice films. Lowe started 22 consecutive games for the Cardinals, and is still one of only four quarterbacks in Louisville history to pass for over 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.

2002 REVIEW:

The Fury finished the 2002 season with a record of 1-13. The season was highlighted by players R-Kal Truluck for winning the league's award for Lineman of the Year. Chuck Winters received the AFL's Community Hero Award, which is given the player that has given the most back to his local community.

LAST WEEK:

The Fury lost their season and home opener 66-57, in a battle against the Indiana Firebirds. The game seemed to be a back and forth battle in the first half, with each team trading scores and but Indiana caught a hot streak and scored the first three touchdowns of the second half. The Fury attempted a late fourth quarter rally when Ron Carpenter returned a kickoff 55 yards for a touchdown and scored again to cut the Firebirds' lead to 11, but the deficit was too great. Indiana's Evan Hlavacek returned a kickoff for a touchdown to put the game out of reach. Indiana's rushing attack proved to be a tough foe, as they scored four rushing touchdowns in the game. Fury DS Ron Carpenter led the Fury with 10 tackles and returned 10 kicks for 294 yards.

DETROIT FURY NEXT WEEK:

The Fury hit the road to an unfamiliar arena in Charlotte, North Carolina to face the Carolina Cobras. The Cobras relocated from the Raleigh to Charlotte following the 2002 season. Carolina will be aiming to keep their home undefeated streak against the Fury intact. The Fury will be trying win their first road game since June 23, 2001. Fury teammates Jon McCall and Dary Myricks will be leading the charge against their former team.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:

Assistant Head Coach Tom Luginbill on this week: "We are looking to build on the positives from last week and there were many, but we also need to evaluate and clean up some things. We feel good about our team's mindset preparing for Georgia."

Fury DS Ron Carpenter on preparing for Sunday: "We are making some changes on both the offensive and defensive lines to make sure they are both more effective. Last week, we were perfect in the red zone. It is just a matter of getting there this week. I know they will be ready for me to return kicks, but I think we can still show them some new surprises."

FURY NOTES / TRENDS:

Force Insiders: For the second week in a row, members of the Fury roster will be playing against their former teams. FB/LB Rupert Grant, DS Ron Carpenter, QB Andy Kelly and Assistant Coach Tom Luginbill will have a little extra to play for this Sunday. For Grant, it will be a time to re-establish his name as a major player in the AFL. In 2001, Grant was named second team All-AFL as a member of the Force (then Nashville Kats), but suffered an Achilles injury prior to the 2002 season. The injury kept Grant off the field for the entire season, and he is looking to get back out there and play against many of his former teammates. Carpenter will try to continue his dominance on special teams against his former squad. He finished the 2002 season as the Force's leader in interceptions (7), kickoff return yards (835), missed field goal return yards (134), and all-purpose yards in a season (1,136).

Tennessee Dominance: With so many new faces on the Fury roster, it is hard to believe that seven of the 24 players came from a college in Tennessee. OL/DL Matt Norwood, WR/DB Mario Kelso and OS Sulecio Sanford hail from Middle Tennessee State, while quarterback Andy Kelly and WR/LB Marcus Nash represent the Volunteers of Tennessee. Offensive specialist Bunkie Perkins comes to Detroit straight from Memphis, and former Orlando Predator lineman Curtis Eason represents East Tennessee State.

Welcome back Ty: As only one of two returning players to the Fury from the 2002 squad, WR/LB Ty Grovesteen certainly showed why. He led the Fury's receiving corps against the Firebirds, catching nine passes for 83 yards and three touchdowns. Grovesteen's final catch of the game was the best of them all, leaping up and catching it in the back corner of the end zone.

Returns for Records: For his performance last Sunday, Fury Defensive Specialist Ron Carpenter's 294 kickoff return yards placed him third on the AFL's all-time leader board for most kickoff return yards in a game. With a longer 16-game season, Carpenter could be on pace to break Steve Papin's record of 2,086 kickoff return yards, which he set last season with the New York Dragons.

Division is Wide Open: Although the Fury fell to the Firebirds last week, they have not lost any ground on the rest of their division rivals. All members of the Eastern Division lost their first game, leaving Buffalo, Detroit, Las Vegas and New York in a tie for first place at (0-1). A win would give the Fury a .500 record and a shot to jump ahead of the pack. Each division winner is guaranteed a home playoff game, and a lot could be at stake early.

RUNNING WITH THE RECORDS: Watch as Fury Quarterback Andy Kelly continues his assault on the Arena Football League's record books, as he hopes to remain the league's all-time leading passer. AFL Veterans Aaron Garcia (NY) and Sherdrick Bonner (AZ) are right behind.

THE IFs:

If DETROIT defeats GEORGIA, it would ...
· Give DETROIT a (1-1) record against Georgia
· Give DETROIT a .500 record for first time since the end of the 2001 season
· Give Head Coach Al Luginbill his first win in the AFL
· Give DETROIT a 1-1 record for 2003
· Give DETROIT their first win at The Palace since Saturday, May 4, 2002

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB, Andy Kelly:

- Ranks 1st in the AFL as All-Time Passing Leader for completions, attempts, yards and touchdowns
- Has lead his team to the playoffs five years in a row, including the expansion Dallas Desperados in 2002
- Has appeared in two if the last three ArenaBowls
- Has an entirely new receiving corps to throw to for the second season in a row
- Finished the 2002 ranked 2nd as the AFL's offensive touchdown leader (75) and 3rd in passing touchdowns (73) DS, Ron Carpenter:

- Signed by the Fury in the offseason to give them a proven veteran on defense but as well as kickoff and missed field goal returns
- Finished 3rd in the 2002 season ranked third in MFG return yards (33.5), 3rd in interceptions (7), 2nd in interception return yards (135) and 2nd in interceptions returned for touchdowns (2).
- Last week, his 294 kickoff return yards placed him third on the AFL's All-time leader board for most kickoff return yards in a game

WR/LB, Ty Grovesteen:

- Entering his 3rd season in the AFL
- One of only two returning players from the 2002 Fury team, Grovesteen is a consistent two-way player.
- Last week vs. Indiana, Grovesteen led the Fury receivers, hauling in nine catches for 83 yards and three touchdowns.

Offensive / Defensive Lines:

- A completely new group of guys fighting in the trenches, they are a strong group of AFL veterans who could be the difference makers late in the game for the Fury.
- Curtis Eason comes to Detroit from Orlando and finished as the team's second QB sack leader.
- Matt Keneley was a part of the 2002 ArenaBowl Champion San Jose SaberCats and is a proven offensive lineman.
- Dary Myricks and Jon McCall come from Carolina and are proven two-way lineman. Myricks was the team's leading lineman tackler.
- Lucas Yarnell comes from Grand Rapids, and is well known for his pass protection skills that he displayed during ArenaBowl XV.

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