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Kansas City Brigade game notes

March 7, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Kansas City Brigade News Release


AT A GLANCE
Game: Kansas City Brigade (1-5) vs. Philadelphia Soul (3-3)
Date: Monday, March 13, 2006
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. (CST)
Site: Kemper Arena (16,200)
Officials: Referee-Bill LeMonnier, Umpire-Mike Delaney, Head Linesman-Kelly Saalfeld, Line Judge-Paul Engleberts, Back Judge-Billy Beckett
Television: Fox Sports Net Midwest will broadcast the game live with Dave Armstrong doing the play-by-play and Gary Reasons providing the color commentary. Danni Boatwright will report from the sidelines.
Radio: The Brigade's flagship station, 97.3 MAX FM, will broadcast the game live with Chris Gervino handling the play-by-play and Stan Weber supplying the color analysis. The station will air a half-hour pre-game show beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Series record: The teams have never played
Last meeting: This is the first-ever meeting
Series streaks: The teams have never played

OVERVIEW
The Brigade team that will take the field against Philadelphia will be profoundly different than what fans have seen so far this season. The personnel have not changed, but the overall philosophy has.

The Brigade offense scored a season high and franchise record eight touchdowns and 59 points as Kansas City fans witnessed their first two "one-hitter quitters"-touchdowns on the first play from scrimmage. The task this week will be to compliment that first breakthrough performance with an equivalent effort against a stingy Soul defense.

The Brigade faces a Soul team carrying very little momentum after two consecutive loses, the last a blowout at Las Vegas. Philadelphia started the season strong but the team got off track when QB Tony Graziani was injured in Week 2. Graziani has played the last three games but the offense has not functioned very well. The Soul's strength is on third down and in the red zone, where it has scored 22 touchdowns in 27 possessions.

The Brigade defense, still first in the league, seems to peaking at just the right time. The line has stepped up and will need to play well again against Philadelphia, who has two rushers in the league's top 10. The secondary is battling minor injuries and must have a short memory after the Tampa Bay game. The playmakers in the backfield will have to create turnovers to keep the Soul out of the red zone and give the Brigade offense a short field.

THE SERIES
This will be the first-ever meeting between the National Conference opponents.



UP NEXT
The Brigade hits the road for two games, one a rematch against a quickly-established division rival in the Austin Wranglers. Then Kansas City endures a somewhat short week before traveling to New York.

THE SCHEDULES
All times CST

2006 Kansas City Brigade (1-5)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 29 at Dallas Lost 58-44
Feb. 3 at Orlando Lost 48-41
Feb. 12 AUSTIN Lost 37-33
Feb. 19 COLUMBUS Won 45-24
Feb. 24 at Georgia Lost 51-19
Mar. 5 TAMPA BAY Lost 69-59
Date Opponent Time (CST) TV/Radio
Mar. 13 PHILADELPHIA 7:00 p.m. FSN/97.3 FM
Mar. 18 at Austin 7:00 p.m. MS, WB62/97.3 FM
Mar. 24 at New York 6:30 p.m. MS, WB62/97.3 FM
Apr. 1 GEORGIA 7:00 p.m. FSN/97.3 FM
Apr. 9 LOS ANGELES 12:00 p.m. NBC/97.3 FM
Apr. 16 COLORADO 12:00 p.m. NBC/97.3 FM
Apr. 21 at Nashville 7:00 p.m. MS, WB62/97.3 FM
Apr. 29 at Tampa Bay 6:30 p.m. MS, WB62/97.3 FM
May 6 ORLANDO 7:00 p.m. FSN/97.3 FM
May 12 at Utah 8:00 p.m. MS, WB62/97.3 FM

2006 Philadelphia Soul (3-3)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 29 TAMPA BAY Won 52-34
Feb. 5 LOS ANGELES Won 47-33
Feb. 11 at Orlando Lost 47-33
Feb. 19 NEW YORK Won 75-59
Feb. 26 COLORADO Lost 48-38
Mar. 5 at Las Vegas Lost 67-49
Date Opponent Time (CST) TV/Radio
Mar. 13 at Kansas City 7 p.m. FSN
Mar. 18 at Columbus 6:00 p.m.
Mar. 25 at Dallas 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 31 AUSTIN 6:00 p.m.
Apr. 9 CHICAGO 12:00 p.m. NBC
Apr. 14 at Nashville 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 21 COLUMBUS 6:00 p.m.
Apr. 29 at New York 6:00 p.m.
May 6 DALLAS 3:00 p.m.
May 13 at Georgia 6:00 p.m.

2006 STANDINGS
This season the playoffs will be separated into conferences
with division winners receiving first round byes. The next four teams with the best records within each conference qualify for the postseason

NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Southern Division
Team W L Pct. PF PA
Austin 5 1 .833 311 272
Georgia 3 3 .500 324 259
Orlando 4 2 .666 287 275
Tampa Bay 4 2 .666 337 329
Kansas City 1 5 .166 241 287

Eastern Division
Team W L Pct. PF PA
Dallas 5 1 .833 329 281
Columbus 3 3 .500 249 260
New York 3 3 .500 331 360
Philadelphia 3 3 .500 294 288

AMERICAN CONFERNCE
Central Division
Team W L Pct. PF PA
Colorado 5 1 .833 341 320
Nashville 4 2 .666 319 229
Chicago 3 3 .500 320 324
Grand Rapids 2 4 .333 290 310

Western Division
Team W L Pct. PF PA
Arizona 2 4 .333 237 280
Las Vegas 2 4 .333 301 335
San Jose 2 4 .333 306 319
Utah 2 4 .333 338 351
Los Angeles 1 5 .166 260 336

WEEK 7 SCHEDULE (all times CST)

Friday, March 10
Georgia at Columbus, 6 p.m.
Colorado at Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
Nashville at Utah, 8 p.m.
Orlando at Arizona, 8 p.m.
Grand Rapids at Las Vegas 9:30 p.m

Sunday, March 12
Dallas at Tampa Bay, 11 a.m.
Los Angeles at San Jose,
New York at Austin, 2 p.m.

Monday, March 13
Philadelphia at Kansas City, 7 p.m.

THE COACHES
Kansas City-Kevin Porter, first year
1-5 overall
Kevin Porter comes to the Brigade as its first head coach with a reputation as one of the AFL's finest young defensive minds. In his first season as the defensive coordinator with New Orleans in 2004, the VooDoo finished second in the league in scoring defense, surrendering only 721 points, sixth in rushing defense and fourth in passing defense.

Porter's previous head coaching experience was in arenafootball2 with the Macon Knights and Pensacola Barracudas. He is the winningest coach in af2 history with a 45-27 record and he led his teams to the playoffs every year, including a trip to the 2003 ArenaCup with Macon. Porter started his coaching career as the defensive backs coach of the Orlando Predators in 1999.

Porter was a third round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1988 NFL Draft and played five years at strong safety, the last two with the New York Jets. He recorded 290 tackles, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Porter was an honorable mention All-America as a senior cornerback at Auburn.

Philadelphia-Bret Munsey, first year
3-3 overall
Bret Munsey becomes the third head coach of the Philadelphia Soul in its third season. He joins the Soul for his first head coaching job after serving under Jay Gruden on Orlando's staff for three seasons.

Munsey served as the Predator's offensive coordinator and wide receivers/defensive backs coach in his first season before he was promoted to assistant head coach in 2003. He other roles included director of player personnel and defensive coordinator in 2004 and 2005.

Munsey came to the Predators from the Carolina Cobras, where he served as defensive coordinator. Under his guidance the Cobras were ranked in the top five in the league in many defensive categories and came within one play of earning a spot in the conference semifinals.

Prior to his stint in Carolina Munsey served as head coach and director of football operations for Tennessee Valley of the af2. In his first season as a head coach, Munsey led his team to a 14-2 regular season record and to the second round of the playoffs. His defense ranked in the top five in all major categories and three defensive players were named All-af2. The Vipers' success earned Munsey af2 Coach of the Year honors.

LOCAL ANGLE
Director of player personnel and FB/LB coach Robert Smith served as director of player personnel and assistant coach for Philadelphia the previous two seasons. OS Steve Smith played last season in Philadelphia where he led the league in all-purpose yards.

STATISTICAL COMPARISON
A look at the offensive and defensive league rankings of the Brigade and the Soul:
Brigade Offensive Category Soul
10 Total Offense 7t
9 Rushing offense 3
8 Passing offense 13
2t First downs/game 9
17 Third down efficiency 6
13t Fourth down efficiency 8t
18 Kick return average 16
17 Points/game 12

Brigade Defensive Category Soul
1 Total defense 9
10 Rushing defense 17
3 Passing defense 7
6 First downs/game 3
12 Third down efficiency 13
16 Fourth down efficiency 15
17 Kick return average 7
8 Points/game 9

INJURY REPORT
The Brigade's updated injury information for Week 7:
Player Injury Status
DS Alvin Porter Elbow IR-Mar. 13
Player Injury Status
WR/LB Nathan Black Hamstring IR-Mar. 13
OL/DL John Hilliard Lumbar IR-Mar. 13
OL/DL Jon McCall Knee IR-Mar. 13
WR/LB Tremaine Neal Knee IR-Mar. 13
OL/DL Chad Pegues Knee IR-Mar. 13
DS Cliff Green Achilles IR-out for season

PLAYER POINTS
- Andy Kelly took control of the offense last week, throwing six touchdowns for the second time this season. He is sixth in the league in yards (1,644), first in completions (161) and attempts (262). Kelly also surpassed 38,000 career yards (38,256) with 278 against the Storm. Kelly continues to outpace all comers in completions (3,504) and attempts (5,616). His 48-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith in Week 6 at Georgia is the longest in the league this season.

Chasing TD History
Kelly is 18 touchdowns behind the all-time leader, New York's Aaron Garcia, who is out for the season with a broken leg:
Player Career TD passes
Aaron Garcia 757
Andy Kelly 739

- Steve Smith exploded for 124 receiving yards and four touchdowns against the Storm, both franchise single-game records. A return total of 181 yards gave him 309 all-purpose yards, another team record and a league-high this season.

- Jerel Myers did not match his typical output with the move to wide receiver last week, but three catches gives him 49, good for fifth in the league.

- Dawan Moss is in a tie for fifth in the league in rushing with 73 yards. His 3.5 average is third in the league with a minimum 15 carries.

- Lucas Yarnell's net recovery for a touchdown off Tim Seder's missed field goal was his first score of any kind at any level (19 years).

- Denario Smalls remains in the top 15 in the league in solo tackles (tied for 10th) and total tackles (12th).

- Tim Seder leads the league in field goal attempts with 16

- The Offense established team records for touchdowns and points, in addition to recording at least 20 first downs for the sixth straight game.

BRIGADE HONORS
Players who have received a player of the game honor this season:
Offensive Player of the Game Stats
Andy Kelly, Week 2 vs. Orlando 33-56, 353 yds, 6 TDs
Jerel Myers, Week 3 vs. Austin 10 rec., 116 yds, 2 TDs
Jerel Myers, Week 4 vs. Columbus 5 rec. 71 yds, 1 TD
Steve Smith, Week 6 vs. Tampa Bay 11 rec., 124 yds, 4 TDs

ADT Defensive Player of the Game Stats
Denario Smalls, Week 4 vs. CLB 6 tkls (5 solo), four pass def., 1 forced fum., 1 fum. recovery, 2 int. (1 ret. 39 yards for TD)
Chris Pointer, Week 6 vs. TB 3.5 tkls (3 solo)

U.S. Army Ironman of the Game Stats
Jacques Rumph, Week 4 vs. CLB 5 rec. for 46 yds, 1 rush for 1 yd, 4 tkls (3 solo)

WHEN STATS
The Brigade's record when this occurs:
When Record
At Kemper Arena 1-2
On the road 0-3
Scores more than 40 points 1-3
Scores less than 40 points 0-2
Allows more than 40 points 0-4
Allows less than 40 points 1-1
Scores first 1-0
Opponent scores first 0-5
Commits fewer turnovers 1-1
Commits more turnovers 0-4
Leads at halftime 1-0
Trails at halftime 0-5
Commits fewer penalties 1-3
Commits more penalties 0-2
Game decided by 7 points or less 0-2
Game decided by more than 7 points 1-3

SKY HIGH
The Brigade's individual season highs through Week 6:
High No. Player
Completions 33 Kelly, Week 2 at Orlando
Attempts 56 Kelly, Week 2 at Orlando
Passing yards 353 Kelly, Week 2 at Orlando
TD passes 6 Kelly, Week 2 at Orlando & Week 7 vs. TB
Long pass 48t Kelly, Week 5 at Georgia
Receptions 12 Myers, Week 5 at Georgia
Receiving yards 124 Smith, Week 7 vs. Tampa Bay
TD catches 4 Smith, Week 7 vs. Tampa Bay
Long reception 48t Smith, Week 5 at Georgia
Rushing att. 5 Moss, Week 3 vs. Austin
Rushing yards 34 Moss, Week 3 vs. Austin
Rushing TDs 2 Moss, Week 7 vs. Tampa Bay
Long rush 19 Moss, Week 3 vs. Austin
Long kick return 29 Rumph, Week 1 at Dallas
Smith, Week 7 vs. Tampa Bay
All-purpose yds 309 Smith, Week 7 vs. Tampa Bay
Tackles 10 Smalls, Week 3 vs. Austin
Tackles for loss 1 11 times, most recently Smalls, Douzart, Noah & Cohen, Week 7 vs. Tampa Bay
Interceptions 2 Smalls, Week 4 vs. Columbus
Forced fumbles 1 Moss, Week 1 vs. Dallas
Coleman & Spears, Week 2 at Orlando
Smalls & Pointer, Week 4 vs. Columbus
Fumble return 1 Seven times, most recently Yarnell, Week 7 vs. Tampa Bay
Field goals 4 Seder, Week 4 vs. Columbus
Long field goal 43 Seder, Week 1 at Dallas

The Brigade's team season highs through Week 6:
High No. Game
Points 59 Week 7 vs. TB
Offensive touchdowns 8 (6 pass, 2 rush) Week 7 vs. TB
Total offense 368 Week 2 at Orlando
Total plays 59 Week 2 at Orlando
First downs 25 Week 1 at Dallas
Time of possession 34:04 Week 5 at Georgia
Rushes 11 Week 4 vs. Columbus
Rushing yards 29 Week 3 vs. Austin
Defensive touchdowns 1 Week 4 vs. Columbus
Tackles 35 Week 2 at Orlando
Tackles for loss 4 Week 7 vs. TB
Interceptions 2 Week 2 at Orlando
Week 4 vs. Columbus
Forced fumbles 2 Week 2 at Orlando
Week 4 vs. Columbus
Fumble recoveries 3 Week 4 vs. Columbus
Special teams touchdowns 1 (net recovery) Week 4 vs. Columbus
Week 7 vs. TB
Penalties 10 Week 1 at Dallas
Largest Lead 21 Week 4 vs. Columbus
Largest Deficit 32 Week 5 at Georgia

TEAM FIRSTS
The Brigade has recorded a number of firsts in its inaugural season:
First Play
Completion, Week 1 vs. Dallas Kelly to Myers for five yards
First down, Week 1 vs. Dallas Kelly to Myers for nine yards
Rushing TD, Week 1 vs. Dallas Moss for one yard
Passing TD, Week 1 vs. Dallas Kelly to Myers for 20 yards
Field goal, Week 1 vs. Dallas Seder from 43 yards
Tackle, Week 1 vs. Dallas Pointer
Forced fumble, Week 1 vs. Dallas Noah
Fumble recovery, Week 1 vs. Dallas Moss
Fum. ret. for TD, Week 4 vs. CLB Coleman
Interception, Week 1 vs. Dallas Spears
Int. ret. for TD, Week 4 vs. CLB Smalls
Safety, Week 5 at Georgia Hamilton
Lead, Week 2 vs. Orlando 14-10 in second quarter
50 point game, Week 6 vs. TB 59 total points



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 7, 2006


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