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L.A. Avengers Game Preview

April 9, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Los Angeles Avengers at Chicago Rush
Date: Friday, April 12, 2002
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. (Pacific)
Site: Chicago, Ill. – Allstate Arena (8,700)
Television: none
Radio: none
Internet Broadcast: none
Series Record: Avengers lead 1-0
Coaches: Los Angeles Avengers – Ed Hodgkiss (1st season). Chicago Rush – Mike Hohensee (8th Season; 55-56 overall, including 4-5 in the playoffs)
2001 Final Record: 5-9
2001 Most Valuable Player: Mark Ricks (DS)
2001 Ironman of the Year: Carlos Fowler (OL/DL)
2001 All-Arena (first team): Mark Ricks
2001 Ford Toughman Team: Carlos Fowler
All-Time Record (two seasons): 8-20

THE STAKES: In the final preseason tune-up for both teams, the Avengers and Chicago Rush meet at Allstate Arena. Much is expected from both clubs in the upcoming 2002 Arena Football League season. Coming off a 5-9 showing in 2001, the Avengers are under the direction of new head coach Ed Hodgkiss and feature a revamped roster. L.A. is gunning for its first playoff berth in the franchise's three-year history, while Chicago reached the postseason last year in its inaugural campaign. The game will mark the 2002 debut of fullback-linebacker Chad Dukes and offensive specialist Chris Jackson, both of whom did not play in last week's preseason opener versus the Georgia Force. The two teams have met once before. L.A. won, 55-47, at STAPLES Center on June 30, 2001.

THE 2002 SEASON: The Avengers open the 2002 season (the AFL's 16th) on Friday, April 19, at STAPLES Center against the New York Dragons. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and everyone in attendance will receive a free Avenger "Red-Out" T-shirt. Eleven of the Avengers' regular-season games will be against teams that participated in last year's AFL Playoffs. Five of L.A.'s seven home games will be played on Saturday night and each contest will feature great promotional giveaways (including three "Bobblehead Nights") and post-game autograph sessions. Season tickets, which include all seven home games played at STAPLES Center, are now on sale and can be purchased over the telephone at (888) AVENGERS or online at www.laavengers.com.

THE RUSH: Chicago is coming off an incredible inaugural season in 2001. Under the direction of head coach Mike Hohensee, the Rush finished with a 7-7 record and advanced to the AFL semifinals after defeating the Orlando Predators, 41-26, in the first round. Quarterback Billy Dicken, a former arenafootball2 star, completed 219-of-358 for 2,668 yards and 56 touchdowns (with 13 interceptions) in 2001. Offensive specialist Joe Douglass had 99 catches for 1,287 yards and 26 scores last year. Defensively, the Rush will be led by "All-Arena" OL/DL James Baron, perhaps the most feared pass rusher in the AFL, and WR/DB Dameon Porter, who led the league with 11 interceptions last year 2001.

LAST WEEK'S GAME:

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (April 4, 2002) -- Los Angeles Avengers quarterback Tony Graziani threw for a touchdown and two-point conversion in the final seconds of regulation play to dramatically tie the game, but the Georgia Force went on to earn a 51-44 overtime victory in the first preseason contest of the 2002 season for both teams. After the Force scored a touchdown on its first possession of the extra period, Graziani was intercepted on the second play of L.A.'s drive, ending the game played before 2,002 screaming fans at Centennial Garden. "I should have thrown it away," Graziani said. "Nobody was open. I was just trying to make too much happen on that play." Wide receiver-linebacker Greg Hopkins led the Avengers with five catches for 78 yards and three touchdowns, while kicker Remy Hamilton booted three field goals and had a game-high five tackles. The Avengers were playing their second consecutive preseason game (dating back to last season) at Centennial Garden, which is the home field of the Bakersfield Blitz of arenafootball2 (the developmental league established by the AFL in 1999). Almost exactly one year earlier (April 5, 2001), Arizona defeated Los Angeles, 51-38, at Centennial Garden. The Blitz are operated by L.A. Avenger owner and chief executive officer Casey Wasserman.

AVENGER PRESEASON HISTORY: After losing last week to the Georgia Force in overtime (51-44), the Avengers have an all-time record of 3-2 in preseason games. Prior to their inaugural 2000 season, the Avengers won both preseason contests (54-47 over the Arizona Ratters on March 27, 2000, and 54-48 over the Oklahoma Wranglers on April 9, 2000). Last season, the Avengers defeated the Nashville Kats, 40-18, at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tenn., on March 30, 2001. The Avengers jumped out to a 16-0 advantage and never looked back. Los Angeles quarterbacks Erik Wilhelm and Harry Leons combined to complete 19-of-32 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. The Avenger defense came up with four interceptions and kept the Kats passing offense in check for the entire game. Three Nashville QBs combined to go 6-of-26 for 80 yards. On April 5, 2001, the Avengers suffered their first-ever preseason defeat, falling to the Arizona Rattlers, 51-38, at Centennial Garden in Bakersfield, Calif. The Rattlers scored touchdowns on their first four possessions and led the Avengers, 31-23, at halftime. The Avengers were not sharp early, turning the football over on their first two drives.

FAMILIAR FACES: Many of the Avenger and Rush players are well aware of each other as Los Angeles hosted Chicago at STAPLES Center last year on June 30. The Avengers won that game, 55-47. Brent Winter, who is currently the assistant head coach and director of player personnel for the Avengers, was on the Rush coaching staff last year as the director of player personnel and special teams coordinator. Some AFL fans in Southern California might recognize Rush head coach Mike Hohensee, who was the head coach of the Anaheim Piranhas in 1997.

2001 SEASON IN REVIEW: The Los Angeles Avengers second season in the Arena Football League could easily be divided into three segments. The 2001 campaign began with a 52-30 loss on the road to the San Jose SaberCats and unfortunately four more defeats followed. After the third loss in that five-game stretch, head coach Stan Brock was relieved of his duties and defensive coordinator Robert Lyles was installed as the interim head coach. In his third game at the helm, Lyles led the Avengers to their first victory of the season, beating the Oklahoma Wranglers in a 36-33 thriller at STAPLES Center. The return of wide receiver-linebacker Chris Jackson, the 2000 AFL "Rookie of the Year" who went on to join the Tennessee Titans of the NFL, also had a positive effect on the club. The Avengers went on to win four of their next five games, becoming one of the hottest teams in the league. After defeating three consecutive Western Division foes (Oklahoma, 36-33; San Jose, 47-44; Houston, 48-45), Los Angeles came up a point short in a 49-48 overtime loss to the Detroit Fury. The Avengers, however, were not shaken and responded with perhaps their biggest victory in franchise history, defeating the powerful Arizona Rattlers, 54-48, in overtime at America West Arena in Phoenix. Then, Los Angeles kept the good times rolling and stayed in contention for a playoff berth with a 55-47 victory over the Chicago Rush back home at STAPLES Center. At 5-6 and with three games remaining in the season, the red-hot Avengers were suddenly one of the most talked about teams in the AFL. Unfortunately, however, a rash of injuries hit the squad like a ton of bricks. Quarterbacks Todd Marinovich (elbow, wrist, knee), Tony Graziani (knee) and Harry Leons (shoulder) were all placed on the injured reserve list at some point amid the final three contests. At one point, wide receiver-defensive back Shannon Culver was forced to play quarterback and then, Wally Richardson and Jim Druckenmiller were activated to call the signals in the final two games of the season. In addition, Los Angeles lost Jackson to a stress fracture in his left foot. The Avengers ended up losing their last three games and barely missed qualifying for the post-season.

HEAD COACHES: One of the brightest offensive minds in the Arena Football League, Ed Hodgkiss is in his first year as a head coach with the Avengers. He served as the offensive coordinator for the Indiana Firebirds during the previous three seasons (1999-2001). Last year, Hodgkiss' offense averaged 58.1 points and 301.6 yards per game ... Chicago head coach Mike Hohensee enters his second season with the Rush after leading the team to a 7-7 record and a playoff berth in its inaugural campaign in 2001. He has spent a total of 12 seasons coaching in the AFL, including prior head coaching stints with the Washington Commandos (1990), Albany Firebirds (1994-96), Anaheim Piranhas (1997) and New England Sea Wolves (1999-2000).

TWO PLAYERS FROM TWO YEARS AGO: Only two players – wide receiver-defensive back Anthony Rice and offensive specialist Chris Jackson – on L.A.'s 2002 training camp roster played for the Avengers in the team's first-ever regular-season game on April 15, 2000, at Grand Rapids.

HALF FROM LAST YEAR: Only 15 of the 30 players currently on the Avenger training camp roster played in at least one game for the Avengers last season. Among the new additions are a pair of "All-Arena" performers – wide receiver-linebacker Greg Hopkins and fullback-linebacker Chad Dukes.

THE "IF" SECTION:

If the Avengers defeat the Rush, it would ...
· Give the Avengers a 4-2 all-time record in preseason games
· Give the Avengers a 2-0 record versus the Rush (the previous victory was during the 2001 regular season)
· Give the Avengers a preseason victory on an opponent's home field for the third consecutive season (L.A. won at Arizona in 2000, and at Nashville in 2001)
· Give the Avengers just their second-ever victory in the month of April (pre- or regular-season)

AVENGER INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
OL/DL Mathias Vavao Knee Out
OS Chris Jackson Hamstring Probable
QB Harry Leons Elbow Probable

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Avenger wide receiver-defensive back Kevin Ingram: One of the standouts in L.A.'s first exhibition game was WR-DB Kevin Ingram, who had two touchdown catches in addition to a two-point conversion reception that tied the game in the closing seconds, sending the game into overtime. Ingram also performed well on both sides of the ball in a scrimmage that the Avengers held for 1,179 season ticket holders on March 30.

Rush offensive-defensive lineman James Baron: James Baron, the AFL's 1998 and 2001 "Lineman of the Year," and 1999 "Defensive Player of the Year," signed a three-year contract with the Rush over the off-season. He spent the first five years of his AFL career with the Nashville Kats, leading them to consecutive ArenaBowl appearances in 2000 and 2001. In his outstanding career, Baron has been named "All-Arena" four times (2001, 1999, 1998 and 1997) and was selected as the "Ironman" of ArenaBowl XIV in 2000.

Avenger defensive specialist Mark Ricks: With additional defensive help around him this season, Avenger DS Mark Ricks could have an outstanding campaign as a follow up to his "All-Arena" performance last year as an Avenger, which included eight interceptions and 15 pass deflection. And once he gets his hands on the ball, he has a nose for the end zone. Ricks is the AFL's all-time leader in interception returns for touchdowns with seven.

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss on his team's preparation thus far in training camp: "I'm extremely pleased with the work ethic. The players have dedicated themselves to getting better with every practice. We have a long way to go, but we are progressing everyday."

Hodgkiss on what he hopes to accomplish in the preseason: "Our main objective is to evaluate players. We'll take a look at who is physically tough, who has learned their assignments and who is willing to play hard. Our goal is not to win or lose the exhibition games. What we want to do is play hard and learn from our mistakes."

Hodgkiss on how he looks at the game against the Chicago Rush in particular: "We should be progressing. This game should be a lot cleaner, with better execution than the first preseason game. This is the last dress rehearsal before these games are for real. We are still in an evaluation mode, but we're trying to get our timing and execution down. Chicago has been forecasted to have the best defensive front in the league, so it will be a challenge for us in terms of offensive protection."

HEART STOPPING FOOTBALL: Six of the last nine Avenger games of the 2001 season were not decided until the final play of the contest. Two of the games were won with field goals at the buzzer and another two required overtime to settle the score.

TOP-RANKED DEFENSE: The Avengers have a "title" of sorts to defend this year. The Los Angeles defense finished the 2001 regular-season ranked No. 1 in the AFL in total defense (249.4 yards per game) and No. 2 in passing defense (231.5). On July 7, 2001, the Avenger defense held the powerful Nashville Kats to just 151 total net yards (128 passing) and followed that up by limiting the Carolina Cobras to 192 yards in on July 13. The 151 total yards and 128 passing yards gained by Nashville are all-time lows for the Kat offense and all-time bests for the Avenger defense. As a point of comparison, the Avengers allowed opponents an average of 301.0 total yards per game (273.2 passing) during its inaugural 2000 season.

MAKING THEM WORK: In its five victories during the 2001 season, the Avenger defense allowed opponents just 13 touchdown drives consisting of four plays or less. In its nine losses, L.A. allowed a grand total of 43 "short drives" and no less than four of them per contest. In addition, the Avengers surrendered 14 touchdown plays from the opponent's own side of the field (covering 25 yards or more) in the nine losses, as opposed to just three in the five victories. Furthermore, eight of those 14 long TDs came on what was the only play of the "drive." L.A. also has been victimized by nine "zero-play drives" in its losses – five interception returns for scores, two kickoff returns for scores, a blocked field goal recovery for a touchdown and a net recovery in the end zone off a missed field goal.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: The 33 points allowed by the Avengers in their 36-33 victory over the Oklahoma Wranglers on May 26, 2001, was an all-time best for the L.A. defense. The Avengers defense held eight of their 2001 opponents under 50 points last season (which includes two overtime games). L.A.'s three game winning streak in the middle of the 2001 season – Oklahoma (36-33), San Jose (47-44) and Houston (48-45) – represents the first three times in Avenger history that a foe was held to 45 points or less. Los Angeles has held an opponent under 50 points only nine times in its brief AFL history. The first time during the inaugural 2000 season when the Avengers held the New England Sea Wolves to 46 points for L.A.'s first-ever victory in franchise history.

STOPPING THE RUSH: After allowing a whopping 389 yards rushing during the inaugural 2000 season, the Avengers were much better at stopping the run in 2001. L.A. gave up just 251 yards on the ground last season, and only allowed the Nashville Kats (the No. 1 rushing team in the AFL in 2001) just 23 yards on the ground on July 7, 2001, at STAPLES Center.

WESTERN DIVISON SUCCESS: Four of L.A.'s five victories last season came at the expense of divisional foes. The Avengers beat each of the other four occupants of the Western Division (Arizona Rattlers, Houston ThunderBears, Oklahoma Wranglers and San Jose SaberCats). The division has a new look in 2002 after deleting Houston and Oklahoma and adding the Dallas Desperados, who are owned and operated by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. After opening the 2002 season against the New York Dragons on April 19, at STAPLES Center, the Avengers will face three consecutive Western Division opponents on the road (@ Arizona, April 27; @ Dallas, May4; @ San Jose, May 11).

OFFENSIVE TURNAROUND: New Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss has his sights set on making a big improvement with the L.A. offense. Last year, the Avengers ranked near the bottom of the AFL in many categories – scoring offense (18th - 40.3), total offense (17th - 245.6), pass offense (17th - 228.1), pass rating (19th - 76.4), touchdowns (18th - 77) and kickoff return average (19th -14.9).

TIME TO APPLY PRESSURE: The Avengers would also be wise to pump up the volume on their pass rush. Los Angeles only sacked the quarterback nine times last year. And that statistic looks even worse when one considers the fact that five of those nine sacks came against the Oklahoma Wranglers in the 2001 season finale (Oklahoma 60, Los Angeles 42 – July 22). Veteran OL/DL Carlos Fowler led the way with 3 ½ sacks in 2001. The Avengers recorded their first sack of the 2001 season against Detroit on June 16. Prior to that contest (the eighth game of the season), L.A. was the only team in the AFL without a quarterback sack. The Nashville Kats finished the 2001 regular-season with league-high 25 sacks.

PAINFUL PENALTIES: Last season, the Avengers were penalized an average of 63.5 yards per game (122 flags for 889 yards – last in the AFL). Meanwhile, their opponents barely committed any miscues. L.A.'s opponents in 2001 were flagged just 97 times for 542 yards (avg. 38.7 – fewest in the AFL).

NFL AVENGERS: Eleven Avengers have spent time on NFL rosters – OL/DL Vince Amey (1998 Oakland), OL/DL Andy Aracri (2001 Tampa Bay), WR/DB Ron Atkins (2001 New Orleans), FB/LB Chad Dukes (1998 San Diego, 1998-99 Washington, 2000 Jacksonville, 2000 St. Louis, 2001 Carolina), QB Tony Graziani (1997-99 Atlanta, 2000 Cleveland), FB/LB Malcolm Hamilton (1998-2000 Washington, 1998 Atlanta), WR/DB Ken Haslip (2000 Kansas City), OS Chris Jackson (1998-99 Seattle, 1998 Tampa Bay, 2000 Tennessee), OL/DL Tony Plantin (2000 San Francisco, 2000 Carolina), WR/DB Anthony Rice (1997-98 Philadelphia) and WR/DB Russell Shaw (1998 St. Louis). Two – Amey and Graziani – were NFL Draft picks (both in the seventh round). Graziani is the most experienced, having played in 19 games (including five starts) for the Atlanta Falcons. Dukes has been with the most teams (five).

OH CANADA: Three Avengers have spent time on Canadian Football League rosters – OL/DL Andy Aracri (2001 British Columbia), OL/DL Carlos Fowler (1995-96 Toronto) and DS Mark Ricks (1994-96 Saskatchewan, Toronto, Ottawa).

NFL EUROPE AVENGERS: Five Avengers have spent time on NFL Europe (formerly "World League" rosters – OL/DL Carlos Fowler (1998 England), QB Tony Graziani (2000 Barcelona), OS Chris Jackson (2000 Berlin), OL/DL Tony Plantin (1999 Amsterdam) and WR/DB Anthony Rice (1998 England).

PICKED FROM THE PAC: Seven players on the current Avenger training camp roster hail from Pacific-10 Conference schools. USC leads the way with two (WR/DB Ken Haslip and FB/LB Shamsud-Din Abdul-Shaheed), while Oregon State (FB/LB Kelron Sykes), Washington (WR/DB Mel Miller Jr.), Washington State (OS Chris Jackson), Oregon (QB Tony Graziani) and Arizona State (OL/DL Vince Amey) each have one. Four of those Avengers played in the Rose Bowl – Graziani (1995), Haslip (1996), Amey (1997) and Jackson (1998). In addition, OL/DL Carlos Fowler played in the 1994 Rose Bowl for Wisconsin (against UCLA).

2002 RULE CHANGES: There are a few rule changes for the 2002 regular season and the AFL is also testing a few rules changes during the preseason. Rule changes for the 2002 regular season include:

· Kick returner may have one foot on the end line (out of bounds) when retrieving kickoffs and missed field goals off the end zone rebound net or the soft net

· On PAT attempts, if the kick is blocked and behind the line of scrimmage, the ball is live and can be recovered for a two-point conversion by either team. In the event that the ball is kicked, crosses the line of scrimmage and/or strikes any part of the goal system, whether deflected or not, it is whistled dead immediately.

· Free substitution (kicking team only) on all scrimmage kicks (field goals and PAT)

PRESEASON RULES (testing):

· Teams may dress up to 30 players for a preseason game and there are no substitution rules in affect (free substitution).

· For free kicks (field goals and PATs), there can be four down lineman (must be helmet to helmet with offensive lineman (excluding center) and they may rush outside and may twist.

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