Las Vegas Gladiators game notes

February 27, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Las Vegas Gladiators News Release


GLADIATORS VS. WRANGLERS: THE FACTS

Date: Sunday, March 4

Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. Pacific

Site: The Frank Erwin Center

Officials: Referee: Riley Johnson, Umpire: Rick Podraza, Head Linesman: Jullian Mapp, Line Judge: R.G. Detillier, Back Judge: Bud McCleskey

THE GAME CAN BE HEARD...

On ESPNRadio 920 in Las Vegas with John Hanson handling play-by-play and Adam Grant will provide color commentary.

THE GAME CAN BE SEEN...

On Fox Sports Net at 1pm PST

THE SERIES - GLADIATORS VS. WRANGLERS

This will be the third meeting between the teams. The first meeting took place in Week 6 of the 2005 season when Austin scored a touchdown as time ran out to defeat the Gladiators 43-42 in Las Vegas. In 2006 Wranglers defeated the Gladiators 64-46 in the home opener on January 27th.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

If the Gladiators win, it would

- Give the Gladiators a 1-2 record versus Austin Wranglers

- Give Las Vegas a 1-0 Overall Record

- Give Las Vegas a 1-0 Road record

SCHEDULES

LAS VEGAS GLADIATORS (0-0)

Date Opponent Time Result Score

March 4 @ Austin 1:00pm

March 8 @ Grand Rapids 4:00pm

March 18 New Orleans 3:00pm

March 23 @ Arizona 4:00pm

April 1 Utah 3:00pm

April 7 Kansas City 3:00pm

April 15 @ Georgia 12:30pm

April 20 @ Colorado 6:00pm

April 29 Orlando 3:00pm

May 6 Los Angeles 3:00pm

May 12 @ San Jose 5:30pm

May 18 @ Utah 6:00pm

June 3 Arizona 3:00pm

June 10 Nashville 3:00pm

June 17 @ Los Angeles 3:30pm

June 25 San Jose 7:00 PM

All times PST

AUSTIN WRANGLERS (0-0)

Date Opponent Time Result Score

March 4 Las Vegas 1:00pm

March 11 @ Georgia 8:00am

March 16 @ Orlando 4:30pm

March 24 Nashville 5:30pm

March 31 @ Dallas 5:30pm

April 6 Utah 5:30pm

April 14 @ Columbus 4:00pm

April 21 New Orleans 5:30pm

May 6 Tampa Bay 1:00pm

May 12 @ Arizona 7:00pm

May 20 Orlando 1:00pm

May 27 Philadelphia 1:00pm

June 2 @ New York 4:00pm

June 9 Georgia 5:30pm

June 17 @ New Orleans 3:30pm

June 23 @ Tampa Bay 4:30pm

All times PST

GLADIATORS PREVIOUS GAME (Week 16 of 2006)

Saturday, May 13, 2006 (Los Angeles, CA) The Las Vegas Gladiators (5-11) ended their season on as they fell to the Los Angeles Avengers (5-11) 44-27 on Saturday night at the Staples Center.

The Gladiators took a 21-20 lead into halftime but managed to score only one touchdown in the second-half and were outscored 24-6. Three second-half turnovers proved costly as the Gladiators stumbled down the stretch.

Quarterback Jason Fife completed 21-of-38 passes for 164 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. WR/LB Joe Douglass led the Gladiator attack with eight receptions for 78 yards and three total touchdowns (two receiving and one rushing).

Gladiator DS Nick Davis was a bright spot defensively with 7.5 tackles, one forced fumble and two interceptions.

The Avengers were led by quarterback Sonnie Cumbie who finished with 193 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-28 passing despite two interceptions. WR/DB Kevin Ingram finished with a team-high nine receptions for 90 yards and one score.

THE COACHES

Danton Barto

Barto was named Head Coach of the Las Vegas Gladiators on June 18, 2006.

Barto spent the last five seasons as the Head Coach of the Memphis Xplorers of af2. His career regular season record entering the season stands at 49-35 and 4-2 in the postseason. He is the winningest coach in af2 over the last three seasons. He was named the af2 Coach of the Year in 2005 as he led the Xplorers to their best season in franchise history; a 13-3 regular season mark, a Midwest Division title and the 2005 ArenaCup Championship. In 2004, Memphis won ten games and earned their first trip to the playoffs, before falling to the eventual champion Florida Firecats on a last second field goal miss. Barto was promoted from defensive coordinator to the head coach position prior to the 2002 season and won his first three games in what turned out to be a 5-11 season. Coach Barto is still considered a University of Memphis legend; he played for the Tigers from 1990-1993. He currently is the only player to be named to the All-American team three different years. He is still ranked number one in career tackles for the University of Memphis with 473. Coach Barto also enjoyed a 5-year professional career in the CFL and AFL leagues. In the CFL, he played for the Shreveport Pirates, Memphis Mad Dogs, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Ottawa Rough Riders. In the AFL, he played for the Connecticut Coyotes in 1996. Coach Barto currently resides with his wife Rachel and his 9-year-old son Will in Collierville, TN. He is a native of Niceville, FL.

Barto's Season Records

2001 5-11

2003 6-10

2004 10-6 0-1 playoffs

2005 13-3 3-0 playoffs

2006 11-5 1-1 playoffs

His 49 wins rank him in a tie for 4th on the af2 all time list.

Brian Partlow

Brian Partlow will begin his first season as the new head coach of the Austin Wranglers in 2007. Partlow will also assume the role of the Wranglers offensive coordinator. Prior to joining the Wranglers, Partlow spent three seasons with the Colorado Crush as the team's offensive coordinator.

Having served four seasons with the Indiana Firebirds as an offensive assistant to Crush Head Coach Mike Dailey, Partlow has a total of seven years AFL coaching experience, including five years as an offensive coordinator under Dailey.

With the Crush, Partlow established himself as one of the AFL's budding offensive minds, boasting the league's second ranked scoring offense, averaging 56.4 points per game in 2006. Colorado quarterback John Dutton set a new career-high for the second consecutive season, throwing 95 touchdown passes en route to helping the Crush earn the second best record in the AFL at 11-5 and a playoff berth. Having worked with Crush offensive specialist Damian Harrell since 2004, Partlow has been important in his development as Harrell was named the AFL's Offensive Player of the Year for the second season in a row.

In the Colorado Crush's ArenaBowl XIX championship run in 2005, Partlow's offense topped the 70+ points mark three times on the year setting a new franchise record each time, culminating with a 77-point output against Philadelphia (4/10). Colorado's offensive explosion also led to Dutton throwing for 89 touchdowns during the regular season and offensive specialist Damian Harrell being named the AFL's Offensive Player of the Year for the first time.

In his first season in Colorado, Partlow's offense averaged 49.6 points per game and committed just 18 turnovers after giving the ball away 46 times the year prior to his arrival.

Partlow began his work as an offensive coordinator in the AFL with the Indiana Firebirds from 2002-03. He also served as a quarterbacks and receivers coach in 2001 with the Firebirds. Before the Firebirds moved to Indiana, Partlow was an offensive assistant with the Albany Firebirds during the 2000 season.

A graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, Partlow transferred to the Division III school from William & Mary and played quarterback from 1998-99. Despite playing only two seasons, he finished as the Yellow Jackets' all-time leading passer. In addition, he also pitched for the Randolph-Macon baseball team.

Partlow began his coaching career as an offensive assistant coach at William & Mary during the 2000 season and returned to Randolph-Macon as offensive coordinator during the 2001 AFL offseason. He also served as the quarterbacks coach at Shenandoah University during the 2002 AFL offseason.

A Virginia native, Partlow and his wife Courtney have been married for four years.

GLADIATORS' PREVIEW NOTES AND TRENDS

Game Preview

After finishing the 2006 season with a 5-11 record and making major changes to the team's roster, the Las Vegas Gladiators are looking to bypass the losses that a rebuilding period usually results in and skip straight to a winning season. The Gladiators will start the season playing the Austin Wranglers in a game that, after Austin's trip to the playoffs last year, leaves the Gladiators looking like underdogs. However, with the Gladiators' addition of several NFL-caliber players this off-season, the Wranglers are sure to be in for a surprise.

Las Vegas' Final Game, 2006

The Gladiators fell to the Los Angeles Avengers 44-27 in their last game of the 2006 season. The Gladiators' half-time lead of 21-20 was blown by three interceptions, and the team only scored one touchdown in the second half. WR/LB Joe Douglass led the Gladiator attack with eight receptions for 78 yards and three total touchdowns (two receiving and one rushing). DS Nick Davis lead the defense with 7.5 tackles, one forced fumble, and two interceptions.

Austin's Final Game, 2006

The Wranglers had their hopes crushed in a 52-35 defeat by the Philadelphia Soul in the National Conference Wild Card playoff game in 2006. With a half-time score of 21-21, OS Derrick Lewis led the Wranglers with four touchdowns and eight receptions for 108 yards.

Gladiators on Offensive

QB Shaun King is beginning his first season in the AFL, and he's adapting well. King has played in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals. During the scrimmage on Feb. 20, he was consistently accurate with only a few incompletions. FB Joshua Rue has stood out in training camp and, according to coach Barto, " He...has the ability to be a threat in the running game." Rue played in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals in 2003. On the offensive line, Jimond Pugh and Konrad Dean both have past AFL experience. Veteran WR Joe Douglass has been making big plays in camp, exceeding Coach Barto's expectations day in and out. WR Thabiti Davis who one of the ten AFL veterans on the team, is a solid addition to the team, signing on with the Gladiators late in training camp.

Gladiators on Defensive

Middle safety DJ Johnson has Coach Barto excited and he's adapting well to his new position. During the scrimmage DL Karon Riley had two sacks, with one resulting in a safety. According to Coach Barto Riley "has a chance to be an elite pass rusher for the team". DB Earthwind Moreland had numerous pass deflections and one interception. DL John Nix kept pressure on the quarterback throughout the scrimmage. Nix spent three years in the NFL with the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, and Dallas Cowboys. In his last season in the NFL (2004), Nix registered 21 tackles and one forced fumble.

Gladiators on Special Teams

Kicker Steve Azar was a consistent kicker in the AF2 before signing with the Gladiators. He kicked under Coach Barto with the Xplorers in the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

Rookies vs. Veterans

With the number of AFL Rookies outweighing the number of AFL veterans on the team, many may wonder if the Gladiators are going to get the job done. With the many changes that have taken the Arena League by storm, like free substitution, Coach Barto decided to take a more unconventional style of recruiting than most coaches. He looks at his non-conservative techniques as a step that will get them "ahead of the curve". Many teams took a conservative route and continued to recruit within the AFL, Barto went straight to the NFL and his previous team the Memphis Xplorers of the AF2. Going on the road the first two games back to back will be a true test of the strength of this team.

PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR THE WRANGLERS

#1 Adrian McPherson; Quarterback (6"3, 218, Florida State)

This Outstanding Quarterback was the 2004 AFL Rookie of the year, played with the New Orleans Saints in 2005 and 2006 and is entering his first season with the Wranglers as their leader.

#2 Damon Mason; Defensive Back (5"9, 185, Louisiana-Lafayette)

This AFL Veteran will have you watching your back. Last year he set Wranglers records with eight defensive interceptions in a season and three in a single-game at Arizona (2/3). He was also the first player in AFL history to reach over 800 tackles.

#87 Derrick Lewis; Wide Receiver (6"2, 185, San Diego State)

Lewis who began his AFL career just last year has proven to be a threat from the beginning. He started every game of his rookie campaign and set a new AFL rookie receiving yardage record and a new Wranglers team record with 1,411 yards. He earned Offensive Player of the Game honors with eight catches for 150 yards and four touchdowns in a game at Philadelphia (3/31) and against Grand Rapids (5/7) making seven catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.

#98 Rob Schroeder; Defensive Line (6"3, 285, University at Buffalo)

Watch at Shaun King and Brian Jones Schroeder although entering his first season in the AFL he is no stranger to the Defensive Line. In 2006 he played for the Hamilton TigerCats of the CFL. He finished collegiate career tied for seventh all-time with 31 tackles for a loss, to go with 120 tackles and 9.5 sacks and was named the Defensive MVP of both the Governor's Bowl (NY vs. NJ) and the Eddie Meath All-Star game after his senior prep season.

#57 Eric Thomas; Offensive Line (6"3, 300, Florida State)

He spent the past three seasons protecting the Quarterbacks for the Austin Wranglers. He at the center position, secured an offensive line that allowed only two sacks all season in 2006.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 27, 2007


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