Grand Rapids Rampage game notes

Published on January 25, 2005 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Grand Rapids Rampage News Release


Grand Rapids Rampage (0-0) vs. Arizona Rattlers (0-0)

Date: Friday, January 28, 2005

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Site: Van Andel Arena (10,594)

Officials: Referee: Pat Garvey; Umpire: Paul King; Head Linesman: Bill Ward; Line Judge: Wayne Mackie; Back Judge: Dino Paganelli

Series Record: Rattlers lead 3-1 – road team has won all four games.

Coaches:

Sparky McEwen, GR – 1st season (0-0)

Todd Shell, AZ – 8th season (46-36). 1st with team

TV: Fox Sports Detroit Matt Shepard, Rob Rubick, John Keating (tape-delayed at midnight)

TV: inHD (check local listings for multiple airings)

Radio : WBBL 1340 AM with Joe Parson and Tom Sullivan (LIVE).

THIS WEEK

The Rampage kickoff the 2005 AFL season with a Friday night tilt against the Arizona Rattlers, who have played in three straight ArenaBowls. The game features two head coaches in their first season with their respective club. Arizona head coach Todd Shell replaces AFL Hall of Fame coach Danny White, who coached the Rattlers for their first 13 seasons, including five trips to the ArenaBowl title game. Sparky McEwen inherits a franchise that suffered one of the worst seasons in AFL history.

RAMPAGE IN SEASON OPENERS

All-time the Rampage are 4-3 in the opening game of the season. The Rampage have won their last two at home and four of the last five openers overall. Here's a look at all seven previous season-opening contests.

DATE GAME NOTES

2/08/2004 30-50 loss at Chicago Rampage gain just 107 yards – least in team history

2/07/2003 54-36 win at Buffalo Dolezel tosses 4 scores – three to Steve Smith

4/20/2002 49-45 win vs. Detroit GR wins by 4 despite leading by 23 in the second half

4/14/2001 60-59 (OT) win at Indiana Clint Dolezel lifts GR to first win en route to ArenaBowl XV

4/15/2000 51-31 win vs. Los Angeles Thomas Bailey & Michael Baker go over 100 yards each

4/24/1999 53-54 loss vs. San Jose Carlos Huerta hits 36-yard FG with :01 left to win

5/01/1998 27-42 loss at Orlando led 10-7 in 2nd quarter before being outscored 35-17

RAMPAGE HEAD COACHES IN THEIR FIRST GAME

Sparky McEwen becomes the Rampage's fourth head coach in team history. All three previous Grand Rapids head coaches lost their first game as the Rampage's head man and did not score more than 30 points.

HEAD COACH 1st GAME RESULT FIRST RAMPAGE WIN

Michael Trigg 5/01/98 at Orlando 42-27 loss Game 2

Bob Cortese 2/08/04 at Chicago 50-30 loss Game 9

Rick Frazier 4/27/04 vs. Austin 40-27 loss Did not occur

Sparky McEwen 1/28/05 vs. Arizona ????? ????

SERIES HISTORY: ARIZONA LEADS 3-1

The Rampage and Rattlers will play each other for the fourth straight season and fifth overall with the road team winning all four previous matchups. The game in 2003 marked the first of 15 straight losses for the Rampage that are the second-most in league history. Grand Rapids has also lost eleven straight home games that started with that contest, which was the highest scoring game in AFL history and the only one in which a team that scored 80 or more points lost.

2004 Arizona 51, RAMPAGE 41

2003 Arizona 82, RAMPAGE 81 (OT)

2002 Rampage 71, ARIZONA 53

1998 Arizona 69, RAMPAGE 27

RAMPAGE FACE LIFT

The Rampage have ten players returning to the team from last year's team, 10 brand-new Rampage players and four former Rampage players returning to the team for a second go-around. Four former Rampage players will be making a return trip to Grand Rapids (Bowick, Browder, Graham and Johnson).

RETURNING NEW 2ND-TIME

PLAYERS PLAYERS RAMPAGE PLAYERS

Chris Avery William Carr Tony Bowick

Michael Bishop* Lance Clelland Nick Browder

Michael Blair Wendell Davis Derin Graham

Josh Bush Anthony Hines Mad Dog Johnson

Cecil Doggette Sedrick Irvin

Jason Gamble* Chris Jackson

Damon Hodge* Peter Martinez

Hardy Mitchell Otis Moore

Teto Simpson* Travis Reece

Will Sullivan Chris White

* denotes players not on the 24-man roster for the last Rampage game (5/29/2004 vs. Detroit Fury). NOTE: that it is only six.

BIG OFF-SEASON MOVES

Following the 1-15 season, the Rampage have made some major off-season moves to bring the team back to championship-caliber. Here's a brief look at those major pickups.

Aug. 13 – hires Sparky McEwen as head coach

Oct. 1 - Re-signs 2004 Rampage Ironman Chris Avery

Oct. 14 - gets Anthony Hines in dispersal draft from the Indiana Firebirds

Oct. 26 - Signs 2003 AFL Offensive Player of the Year Chris Jackson

Nov. 30 – signs former University of Michigan lineman William Carr.

Dec. 2-4 – team holds first-ever mini-camp

Dec. 30 – the Rampage re-sign AFL all-time pass break up leader Cecil Doggette and two-time ArenaBowl champion Wendell Davis to solidify the Rampage's defensive specialist position.

Jan. 21 – the team re-signs WR/LB Anthony Hines and WR/DB Josh Bush through the 2006 season

RAMPAGE ON FOX SPORTS DETROIT

This game will mark the fourth time the Rampage have played on Fox Sports Detroit with all three previous appearances occurring in the team's inaugural 1998 season with the Rampage going 1-2 in those contests. The team's lone win was when Rampage head coach Sparky McEwen made his first AFL start as Grand Rapids beat the New York CityHawks 53-43

DATE OPPONENT RESULT

May 29, 1998 Milwaukee Mustangs Lost 41-54

June 19, 1998 at New York CityHawks Won 53-43

August 1, 1998 Tampa Bay Storm Lost 44-55

LOOKING FOR A SPARK

Sparky McEwen's offenses over the past four seasons have scored more points and gained more yards than any team in Arena Football. After an offensive-anemic 2004 season, where the Rampage finished last in total yards and points scored. Here's a look at McEwen's averages from 2001-04 as an offensive coordinator and the Rampage's 2004 season.

SPARKY RAMPAGE

STAT 00-04 avg. 2004 Difference

Points Scored 56.5 36.3 30.2 ppg

Total Yards 294.3 228.4 65.9 ypg

Passing Yards 276.1 205.5 70.6 ypg

Offensive TDs 108 74 34 TD per season

HEAD COACHING CLASS OF 2005

Sparky McEwen is one of seven coaches that will be the head coach of new teams this season. Five of these seven will be making their head coaching debuts this season (Shell and Sperduto have previous head coaching experience).

COACH TEAM

Weylan Harding New York Dragons

Ron James Las Vegas Gladiators

Sparky McEwen Grand Rapids Rampage

Doug Plank Georgia Force

Todd Shell Arizona Rattlers

Pat Sperduto Nashville Kats

Chris Spielman Columbus Destroyers

HARD ROAD AHEAD

Despite having the worst record in 2004, the Rampage have the fifth hardest schedule based on 2004 records. To figure this out, you must take the amount of wins from the previous years regular season record of the teams each team is scheduled to play and divide by 16. Those playing Nashville get a 0 for the games scheduled, since they are an expansion team.

TEAM Avg. wins by opponent (2004 records)

1. Orlando 8.938

2. Georgia 8.563

3. Los Angeles 8.188

3. Nashville 8.188

5. Grand Rapids 8.063

5. Austin 8.063

7. Arizona 8.000

7. Columbus 8.000

9. San Jose 7.875

9. Las Vegas 7.875

9. Dallas 7.875

12. Tampa Bay 7.625

13. Philadelphia 7.563

14. New Orleans 7.313

14. New York 7.313

16. Chicago 6.875

16. Colorado 6.875

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from January 25, 2005


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