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Kansas City Brigade game notes

March 9, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Kansas City Brigade News Release


AT A GLANCE
Game: Kansas City Brigade (1-0) vs. Colorado Crush (0-1)
Date: Saturday, March 10, 2007
Kickoff: 8:00 p.m. (CT)
Site: Pepsi Center (18,129)
Officials: Referee-Barry Anderson, Umpire-Rick Lowe, Head Linesman-Brent Durbin, Line Judge-Art Lucky, Back Judge-Scott Helverson, Supervisor-Scott Helverson
Television: AFLNet
Radio: The Brigade's flagship station, ESPN Radio 97.3, will broadcast the game live with the inaugural team of Chris Gervino (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analysis) returning. The station will air a half-hour pre-game show hosted by Nick McCabe and Dave Borchardt beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Series record: Colorado leads 1-0
Last meeting: Colorado won 55-49
Series streaks: Colorado won the only meeting to date

LAST TIME
Not many comparisons can be made to last season's 55-49 loss to the Crush on Easter Day on NBC. Chris Sanders to Aaron Boone was the team's quarterback-receiver tandem, but both of them are gone now. Even Colorado's roster has seen significant changes in 2007.

The first-ever meeting of the two teams was played up because it was Kansas City and Denver, two pro football cities that don't like each other. There was also the added element of an ownership rivalry between Neil Smith and John Elway-former NFL rivals and Super Bowl champion teammates-that was largely manufactured for national TV. Elway didn't even attend the game because it was Easter.

And the contest wasn't that close, despite the hype. Only the first quarter was respectable as each team scored two touchdowns. The Crush then outscored the Brigade 35-14 in the second and third quarters to take a commanding lead. Kansas City answered with 22 in the final period, but it took a Sanders touchdown pass to Boone with two seconds left to cut the deficit to single digits.








UP NEXT
The Brigade heads back to the Hangar for its only home stand of the season. Jerry Jones's Dallas Desperados, arguably the best team in the league, visits Kansas City for the first team. The Desperados goal is to go undefeated this season, but they will face a much different Brigade team than what they saw in the 2006 season opener.

THE SCHEDULES
2007 Kansas City Brigade (1-0)
Date Opponent Result/Time TV/Radio
March 4 CHICAGO (W) 54-41 ABC Regional ESPN Radio 97.3
Mar. 10 at Colorado 8 p.m. ESPN Radio 97.3
Mar. 16 DALLAS 7 p.m. FSN MidwestESPN Radio 97.3
BYE
Mar. 30 ARIZONA 7 p.m. ESPN Radio 97.3
April 8 at Las Vegas 3 p.m. ESPN Radio 97.3
April 14 GRAND RAPIDS 7 p.m. ESPN Radio 97.3
April 20 at Nashville 7 p.m. ESPN Radio 97.3
April 27 COLORADO 7 p.m. ESPN Radio 97.3
May 5 at Philadelphia 6 p.m. ESPN Radio 97.3
May 12 UTAH 7 p.m. ESPN Radio 97.3
May 20 at New York 12 p.m. FSN MidwestESPN Radio 97.3
May 26 LOS ANGELES 5 p.m. ESPN Radio 97.3
June 2 at Grand Rapids 6 p.m. ESPN Radio 97.3
June 8 at Columbus 6 p.m. ESPN Radio 97.3
June 16 NASHVILLE 7 p.m. ESPN Radio 97.3
June 23 at Chicago 7 p.m. FSN MidwestESPN Radio 97.3

2007 Colorado Crush (0-1)
Date Opponent Time (CT) Score
March 4 GRAND RAPIDS 2 p.m. (L) 44-42
Mar. 10 KANSAS CITY 8 p.m. -
Mar. 16 ARIZONA 8 p.m. -
Mar. 22 at Philadelphia 6 p.m. -
April 1 NASHVILLE 2 p.m. -
April 6 at San Jose 9:30 p.m. -
BYE
April 21 at New York 12 p.m. -
April 20 LAS VEGAS 8 p.m. -
April 27 at Kansas City 7 p.m. -
May 7 at Chicago 7 p.m. -
May 11 NASHVILLE 7 p.m. -
May 18 COLUMBUS 9 p.m. -
May 26 at Grand Rapids 9:30 p.m. -
June 4 Utah Blaze 7 p.m. -
June 18 CHICAGO 9 p.m. -
June 25 DALLAS 7 p.m. -




2007 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.

AMERICAN CONFERNCE
Central Division
Team W L Pct. PF PA
Kansas City 1 0 1.00 54 41
Grand Rapids 1 0 1.00 44 42
Nashville 0 1 .000 56 58
Colorado 0 1 .000 42 44
Chicago 0 1 .000 41 54

Western Division
Team W L Pct. PF PA
San Jose 1 0 1.000 66 58
Utah 1 0 1.000 63 61
Arizona 0 1 .000 65 69
Los Angeles 0 1 .000 58 66
Las Vegas 0 1 .000 36 57

NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Southern Division
Team W L Pct. PF PA
Orlando 1 0 1.000 52 27
Austin 1 0 .000 57 36
Georgia 1 0 .000 69 65
New Orleans 0 1 .000 61 63
Tampa Bay 0 1 .000 27 52

Eastern Division
Team W L Pct. PF PA
Dallas 1 0 1.000 60 7
Columbus 1 0 1.000 58 56
New York 0 1 .000 7 60
Philadelphia 0 0 .000 - -

WEEK 1 SCHEDULE (all times CT)

Thursday, March 8
Las Vegas Gladiators @ Grand Rapids Rampage, 6 p.m.

Friday, March 9
Columbus Destroyers @ New Orleans VooDoo, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Soul @ Nashville Kats, 7 p.m.
San Jose SaberCats @ Chicago Rush, 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 10
Kansas City Brigade @ Colorado Crush, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay Storm @ Dallas Desperados, 7:30 p.m.
Utah Blaze @ Arizona rattlers, 8 p.m.

Sunday, March 11
Austin Wranglers @ Georgia Force, 2:30 p.m.

Monday, March 12
Los Angeles Avengers @ Orlando Predators, 6 p.m.

THE COACHES
Kansas City-Kevin Porter
Second year, 4-13 overall
Fourth year as AFL coach, second as head coach

Porter became the inaugural head coach of the Kansas City Brigade in 2006 with the reputation as a brilliant defensive strategist in the Arena Football League. His reputation proved true as the Brigade finished its first season ranked second in total defense and third in passing defense. As the defensive coordinator of the New Orleans VooDoo in 2004-05, Porter led the AFL's second-ranked scoring defense, surrendering only 721 points, the fourth-ranked pass defense and the sixth-ranked run defense.

Previously, Porter was the head coach of two teams in arenafootball2. He took the Macon (Ga.) Knights to the 2003 ArenaCup as the head coach in 2001-03. His first head coaching job came with the Pensacola Barracudas in 2000. In four seasons as an af2 head coach, Porter made four playoff appearances and at the time had the most wins in af2 history with a 45-27 record. His career as an indoor football coach began in 1999 as the defensive backs coach of the AFL's Orlando Predators.

A third-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1998 NFL Draft, Porter started four seasons at strong safety. He played with the New York Jets in 1992 and finished a five-year career with 290 tackles, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Previously, Porter starred for the Auburn Tigers as a four-year starter at cornerback, earning Honorable Mention All-American honors as a senior.

Colorado-Mike Dailey
Mike Dailey enters his fourth season in Colorado and 11th as head coach in the AFL, after becoming the Crush's second
head coach on June 26, 2003. Dailey joined the Crush following 13 seasons in the Albany/Indiana Firebirds
organization, including the final seven as head coach. One of the most successful and well-respected coaches in
AFL history, Dailey's teams have compiled an overall record of 99-64 record, a winning percentage of .607. His teams
have also made eight postseason appearances and he has won five division titles and two championships, including ArenaBowl XIX with the Crush. This season Dailey is posed to become only the fourth head coach in AFL history to surpass the 100 win mark. He currently stands as the league fourth all-time winningest coach.

AT SECOND GLANCE
Well, a kicker isn't normally a big free agent pick-up, but then most teams don't struggle in the kicking game the way the Brigade did last season. Upgrading the position was a priority for the coaching staff and ownership. They decided not to pull any punches and just went after one of the best in AFL history-Clay Rush, formerly of the Colorado Crush.

A native of St. Louis and a graduate of Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Mo., Rush is essentially coming home to finish a stellar career. His strong and accurate leg has broken a lot of hearts over the years, including that of Brigade defensive coordinator Maurice Blanding. He was on staff with the Georgia Force when Rush kicked a game winner to beat Blanding and the Force in ArenaBowl XIX in 2005.



2007 STATISTICAL COMPARISON
A look at the offensive and defensive league rankings of the Brigade and the Crush after Week 1:

Brigade Offensive Category Crush
8 (318) Total Offense (yds/gm) 9 (299)
14 (5.7) Yards/play 11 (6.4)
1 (93) Rushing offense 16 (1)
15 (225) Passing offense 8 (298)
12 (3%) Pct. of INT/attempt 14 (4.4%)
1 (0) Sacked/100 pass plays 6 (2.17)
4 (25) First downs/game 3 (26)
4 (70% made) Third down efficiency 13 (40% made)
1 (100% made) Fourth down efficiency 1 (100% made)
5 (20) Kickoff return average 17 (9.8)
0 (12% made) Field goal percentage 12 (0% made)
4 (6) Penalties/game 14 (12)
11 (54) Points/game 14 (42)

Brigade Defensive Category Crush
3 (241) Total defense (yds/gm) 1 (180)
15 (7.5) Yards/play 7 (13)
7 (13) Rushing defense 17 (27.6)
5 (228) Passing defense 1 (167)
1 (7.4%) Pct. of INT/attempt 12 (0%)
3 (6.9) Sacks/100 pass plays 5 (5.25)
2 (16) First downs/game 2 (16)
16 (75%) Third down efficiency 2 (22.2%)
--- Fourth down efficiency 6 (66.7%)
8 (16.8) Kick return average 17 (23.2)
1 (1.0%) Field goal percentage 16 (100%)
12 (6) Penalties/game 6 (10)
4 (41) Points/game 6 (44)

ROSTER MOVES
The Brigade's updated roster information for Week 2:

Move Date
BJ Cohen and Chris Demaree re-signed 3/3

INJURY REPORT
The Brigade's updated injury information for Week 2:

Player Status
DL Chris Demaree Out-Injured Reserve
WR Boo Williams Out-Injured Reserve
DL Arrion Dixon Out-Injured Reserve
OL Ed Ta'amu Out-Injured Reserve
OL Jamarr Ward Out-Injured Reserve

A COACHING TREE
It's not exactly the House of David, but Brigade head coach Kevin Porter is developed his own Bill Walsh-style stable of assistant coaches. Consider these connections:

- Porter's second head coaching job in arenafootball2 was with the Macon (Ga.) Knights and in 2001 he hired Chris Siegfried, who had never coached before, as his offensive coordinator

- The Knights were rivals of the Augusta (Ga.) Stallions, whom Maurice Blanding played for as a defensive back in 2001 and then as the defensive backs and special teams coach in 2002.

- Porter and Blanding faced off four times in the last two seasons: twice when Porter coached for the New Orleans VooDoo and Blanding the Georgia Force, and twice last season between the Brigade and Force.

- Siegfried was in his first head coaching job in 2002 with the Cape Fear (N.C.) Wildcats of af2 when lineman Travis Crusenberry made the team. Crusenberry played another season for the Wildcats before joining Siegfried's staff in 2004 as the line coach. Crusenberry followed Siegfried when the moved to South Georgia in 2005 and became his assistant head coach when Siegfried accepted the Spokane Shock job. After one season Crusenberry joined Siegfried in Kansas City.

AF2 STOMPING GROUNDS
Both Porter and Siegfried enjoyed huge success in arenafootball2 before starting their AFL careers.

In four seasons as an af2 head coach, Porter made four playoff appearances, including a run to the ArenaCup in 2003. He left after that season with the most wins (47) in the league's history.

Siegfried was simply dominant in af2. He is the all-time leader in victories, compiling a 57-26 record in five seasons. He is one of only three coaches to reach the 50-win plateau, as his teams recorded 10 or more wins in four of out five seasons. Siegfried also owns the second-most playoff wins (6) and won the ArenaCup in 2006, for which he was named coach of the year.

NEW YEAR, NEW...EVERYTHING
An off-season full of changes saw head coach Kevin Porter hire an entirely new staff of four assistants. The roster also underwent serious changes.

- Only three-BJ Cohen, James Jordan, and Dawan Moss-of the original 12 players allocated to the Brigade from the New Orleans VooDoo in October 2005 are still on the team

- Only 10 players-Brown, Cohen, Coleman, Douzart, Jordan, Moss, Myers, Philyaw, Simmons, and Smalls-return from the roster that ended the 2006 season

- Of the 17 new players on the roster, eight were signed as free agents with AFL experience, and 9 are rookies. However, of those nine rookies, five have indoor experience and two have played in the NFL

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
The Brigade finished its inaugural season with 10 rookies on the roster, all of whom saw playing time during the season. Six of those rookies were regular starters, including the entire wide receiving corps, both linebackers, and the kicker.
While only five-Coleman, Douzart, Jordan, Myers, and Simmons-return in 2007, all of them now have one season of Arena Football experience and are expected to remain in the starting roles they filled last year.

STRONG FINISH
The Brigade was rarely better in its inaugural season than at the end of games, when it matters most. That attitude stems from Coach Porter's workman-like approach. The team outscored nine of its 14 opponent in the fourth quarter in 2006, giving up the second-fewest points in the league. The Brigade will surely need to repeat such late charges to be successful this season.

Game Fourth quarter score
Week 1 vs. Chicago 19-15
Total (through one game) 19-15

SOARING ATTENDANCE
How does an expansion team's arena get a nickname in its inaugural season? Air raid sirens and explosions, that's how. Kemper Arena became The Hangar in 2006 thanks to zealous Brigade fans that supported the team till the end. The Brigade finished third in the league in total and per-game attendance.

Game Attendance
Week 1 vs. Chicago 13,600
Total (one game) 13,600 (13,600 avg.)

NEW RECORDS
The Brigade's rushing attack against Chicago set a number of single-game franchise records.

Player Record
Yards Rushing Charles Frederick (60)
TD Rushes (tied) Charles Frederick (3)
Long Rush Charles Frederick (27)
Team Rushes 23
Team Yards Rushing 131
Team TD Rushes 6

WHEN STATS
The Brigade's record when this occurs:

When 2007 All-time
At Kemper Arena 1-0 3-6
On the road -- 1-7
Scores more than 40 points 1-0 4-9
Scores less than 40 points -- 0-4
Allows more than 40 points 1-0 3-12
Allows less than 40 points -- 1-1
Scores first -- 3-2
Opponent scores first 1-0 1-11
Commits fewer turnovers 1-0 4-3
Commits more turnovers -- 0-10
Even turnovers -- 0-1
Leads at halftime 1-0 4-1
Trails at halftime -- 0-11
Tied at halftime -- 0-1
Commits fewer penalties -- 2-5
Commits more penalties 1-0 2-8
Game decided by 7 points or less -- 1-5
Game decided by more than 7 points 1-0 3-8

SKY HIGH
2007 INDIVIDUAL SEASON HIGHS

High No. Player
Completions 23 Philyaw, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Attempts 33 Philyaw, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Completion pct. 69.6 Philyaw, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Passing yards 225 Philyaw, Week 1 vs. Chicago
TD passes 2 Philyaw, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Long pass 26 Philyaw, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Receptions 8 Myers, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Receiving yards 71 Simmons, Week 1 vs. Chicago
TD catches 2 Myers, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Long reception 26 Simmons, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Rushing att. 8 Frederick, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Rushing yards 60 Frederick, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Rushing TDs 3 Frederick, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Long rush 27 Frederick, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Long kick return 28 Simmons, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Long MFG ret. -- --
All-purpose yds 151 Simmons, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Tackles 6.5 Douzart, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Tackles for loss 1/-9 Demaree, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Sacks 1.0 Cohen and Demaree, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Pass defenses 2 McEntyre, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Interceptions 2 McEntyre, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Forced fumbles 1 Cohen and Coleman, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Fumble return 1 Demaree and Smalls, Week 1 vs. Chicago
Field goals -- --
Long field goal -- --

2007 TEAM SEASON HIGHS

High No. Game
Points 54 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Offensive touchdowns 8 (2 pass, 6 rush) Week 1 vs. Chicago
Total offense 356 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Total plays 56 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Yards per play 6.4 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Pass attempts 33 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Pass completions 23 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Passing yards 225 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Yards per pass 9.8 Week 1 vs. Chicago
TD passes 2 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Rushes 23 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Rushing yards 131 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Yards per rush 5.7 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Rushing TDs 6 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Time of possession 36:52 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Turnovers 2 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Tackles 24 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Tackles for loss 2 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Sacks 2 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Pass defenses 2 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Interceptions 2 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Forced fumbles 2 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Fumble recoveries 2 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Defensive touchdowns -- --
Special teams TDs -- --
Penalties 6 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Penalty yards 70 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Largest Lead 13 Week 1 vs. Chicago
Largest Deficit 6 Week 1 vs. Chicago

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