Los Angeles Avengers Game Notes

Published on April 29, 2003 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Game: Los Angeles Avengers at Arizona Rattlers
Date: Sunday, May 4, 2003
Kickoff: 12 p.m. (Pacific)
Site: Phoenix, Arizona
Arena: America West Arena (16,321)
Television: NBC (Eli Gold, Charles Davis, Marty Snider)
Radio: XTRA Sports 690 & 1150 (Larry Kahn, Ed Cunningham)
Web Radio: http://www.xtrasportsradio.com
Series Record: Arizona leads, 6-1
Last Meeting: Arizona 82, Los Angeles 76 (overtime) -- April 13, 2003, STAPLES Center
Officials: Darrel Leftwich (R), Jeff Carr (U), Bill Ward (HL), Jim Hatfield (LJ), Tony Lombardo (BJ)
Head Coaches: Los Angeles -- Ed Hodgkiss (second season, 17-10). Arizona -- Danny White (12th season, 108-49).

THE AVENGERS: With three regular-season games remaining, Los Angeles has already qualified for the 2003 AFL Playoffs, but remains in a dogfight for one of the firstround byes that go to the top four seeds. The Avengers currently occupy the No. 2 seed position, but have a difficult road to travel before heading into the postseason.

L.A. will face all three of its Western Division rivals down the stretch, beginning with Sunday's showdown at Arizona. One of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league, the Avengers are averaging 64.3 points in their last six games. L.A. has lost two of its last three after winning five games in a row. In that stretch of eight games, quarterback Tony Graziani has thrown just two interceptions (and none in his last 135 attempts). A leading candidate for "AFL Offensive Player of the Year" honors in only his second full season at the helm of the Avengers, Graziani has thrown for 81 touchdowns and 3,530 yards in 13 games. Incredibly, he throws for a score once every 3.16 completions. Offensive specialist Chris Jackson has been on the receiving end of 39 of those touchdown tosses. Another star pass catcher, WR/LB Greg Hopkins is just 27 receiving yards shy of his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season. On the down side, the Avengers suffered an injury last week to one of their key players as WR/DB Kevin Ingram fractured the fibula in his left calf at Dallas. Ingram, who is L.A.'s thirdleading receiver, interception leader and primary kick returner, could be lost for two to three weeks.

THE RATTLERS: Riding a fourgame winning streak, Arizona enters its rematch with Los Angeles trailing the first-place Avengers by just one game in the Western Division. Their winning streak includes two thrilling overtime victories at L.A. and Grand Rapids, sandwiched by two blowout wins at home. The Rattlers are led by QB Sherdrick Bonner (Cal State Northridge), who has thrown for 2,919 yards and 68 touchdowns this season, despite missing two games due to injury.

THE HEAD COACHES: One of the brightest offensive masterminds in the AFL and a prime candidate for "AFL Coach of the Year" honors, Ed Hodgkiss led the Avengers to a franchise-best 8-6 record and No. 5 seed in the AFL playoffs last season in his first year with the club. He became the head coach of the Avengers on Oct. 5, 2001, and signed a five-year contract extension shortly after the 2002 season. Not only did Hodgkiss lead the Avengers into the postseason for the first time in franchise history, he also instantly established the Avenger offense as one of the most feared in the AFL. In the final 2002 league statistics, the Avengers ranked at No. 2 in passing efficiency (115.0), No. 4 in total offense (275.6), No. 4 in rushing yards (20.8) and No. 5 in scoring (52.2). Prior to his arrival in L.A., Hodgkiss served as the offensive coordinator for the Indiana Firebirds for three seasons (1999-2001) ... The first and only head coach the Rattlers have ever had, Danny White is a living football legend in Arizona. In the previous 11 seasons, he has won two ArenaBowl championships (1994 and 1997), been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (1997) and had his Arizona State University jersey (No. 11) retired. On Christmas Day 1999, White was named the "Arizona Athlete of the Century" by The Arizona Republic. His 120 career wins rank him second all-time. He also ranks second all-time with 15 postseason victories, trailing only Tampa Bay's Tim Marcum. As a player, he led the Dallas Cowboys to five playoff appearances and three NFC East division titles.

THE SERIES: Arizona leads the series 6-1, winning the last two meetings in overtime. Earlier this season (April 13), the two teams combined for an AFL-record 23 touchdowns. Arizona prevailed in overtime, 82-76, in what was the fourth-highest scoring game in league history. L.A.'s only victory came on June 23, 2001, when the Avengers shocked the Rattlers at America West Arena in overtime, 54-48. In that contest, quarterback Tony Graziani came on in relief of Todd Marinovich and threw five touchdown passes in his AFL debut.

THE NEXT GAME: The Avengers return to STAPLES Center, on Saturday, May 10, to face the Colorado Crush in their final regular-season home game. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific) and the game will be televised on Fox Sports Net 2. The Crush are owned by former Denver Bronco quarterback John Elway.

QUICK STRIKE OFFENSE: Sixty-nine of L.A.'s 106 offensive touchdowns this season have been scored on "drives" of three plays or less. In fact, 22 of them have been one-play "drives," including 10 touchdown catches by offensive specialist Chris Jackson. Ironically, two of the 37 "long" drives are the six-play, 13-yard gamewinning march in the victory over San Jose that consumed 25 of the final 26 seconds (Feb. 9) and the eight-play, 30- yard touchdown drive that killed off the final 34 seconds at New York (March 9). The Avengers have scored on two "zero-play drives" this season. The first one came on a net recovery by WR/DB Siaha Burley while covering a kickoff in the victory at Colorado (Feb. 23). Against Indiana (March 16), OL/DL Mike Ulufale recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.

RATTLER SPECIALIST: Offensive specialist Chris Jackson has been especially dangerous versus the Arizona Rattlers. In five previous games versus L.A.'s Western Division rivals, he has racked up 48 receptions for 736 yards and 19 touchdowns. That averages out to 9.6 catches for 147.2 yards and 3.8 touchdowns per game against Arizona. In three games at America West Arena, Jackson has been even more effective, averaging 11.0 catches for 170.7 yards and 4.0 touchdowns. The Avengers have played seven games versus the Rattlers in their four-year history. Jackson did not play in two of those match-ups. He had not yet re-signed with the Avengers when the team hosted the Rattlers on April 27, 2001 (he did so four days later, after spending part of the 2000 NFL season with the Tennessee Titans) and missed last year's home game versus Arizona on July 6, 2002, with a hamstring injury.

THE "IF" SECTION:

If the Avengers defeat the Rattlers, it would ...
- Assure the Avengers of remaining in first place in the Western Division
- Trim Arizona's lead in the all-time series to 6-2
- Break a three-game losing streak to Arizona (the last two in overtime)
- Give the Avengers a 14-6 record in their last 20 regular-season games, dating back to last season
- Break a four-game losing streak in games televised by NBC back to the Los Angeles area
- Give L.A. a 3-1 record within the Western Division
- Guarantee at least a .500 divisional record for only the second time in team history (in Western Division play, the Avengers went 1-5 last year, 4- 4 in 2001, and 0-6 in 2000)

STEADY IMPROVMENT: With three games remaining in the regular-season, the Avengers have already established a new high for victories in a season with nine. After combining for eight wins in the franchise's first two seasons, L.A. had its first winning season in 2002.

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss on losing, 60-57, at Dallas last Sunday: "It was a real disappointing loss. Our defense played good enough to win and almost even won it for us. That unit did a good job against an explosive offense. We battled hard, but we didn't have the usual success offensively going down the field. You have to give credit to Dallas' defense as well. We were right there at the end, which was encouraging, but it was disappointing not to come out on top."

Hodgkiss on the loss of WR/DB Kevin Ingram to injury: "I'm not quite sure how we are going to replace him. It is a big loss. He was one of the top wide receiver/defensive backs in the league this year. I don't know if we can exactly replace him. We have a lot of good players so they need to step up. That's why you have depth."

Hodgkiss on the defense's three interceptions last week: "We got some pressure on (Dallas quarterback Jim) Kubiak. Our front guys did an excellent job and the secondary did an outstanding job of making the big play. Not only were they in position, but they made the play."

Hodgkiss on the approach this week's rematch with the Arizona Rattlers: "You always do things different when you play someone again. Hopefully we can slow down (Arizona quarterback Sherdrick) Bonner, which we didn't do last time."

HEART-STOPPING HEROICS: Four of L.A.'s nine victories in 2003 have come on the final play of the game. On Feb. 9, the Avengers defeated the San Jose SaberCats, 73-72, on a one-yard touchdown blast by FB/LB Mathias Vavao and a two-point conversion pass from Tony Graziani to WR/LB Greg Hopkins with one second left.

The following week in a game on the road against the Colorado Crush, L.A. forced overtime with a field goal by Remy Hamilton on the final play of regulation and then won on a TD pass from Graziani to Hopkins. On March 9, the Avengers defeated the New York Dragons, 65-61, on a one-yard touchdown run by FB/LB Kevin Clemens with no time remaining. Their most amazing victory of the season came on March 30, at Orlando, as the Avengers rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final 35 seconds to defeat the Predators, 64-63. The "miracle" occurred as Graziani hit offensive specialist Chris Jackson to cut the lead to five with 19 seconds remaining and defensive specialist Cornelius Coe recovered an onside kick five seconds later. That set up another Graziani-to-Hopkins game-winning TD on a "Hail Mary" pass off the rebound net as time expired. Three of L.A.'s four losses have also come in the final seconds (at Chicago on Feb. 23, vs. Arizona on April 13, and at Dallas on April 27).

AMONG THE LEAGUE'S HOTTEST: Winners in six of their last eight, the Avengers are now 13-6 in their past 19 regular-season games. Only the defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats, who are 14-5, own a better mark over that span of time. After winning three games in a row, the Orlando Predators are also 13-6.

THE TOUCHDOWN MAKER: Offensive specialist Chris Jackson has scored at least one touchdown in every game he has played in for the Avengers. In 46 games, Jackson has accounted for 111 TDs. All but five of those scores came as a pass receiver. Jackson's other touchdowns were as a runner, kickoff returner and three as a passer. He has caught a touchdown pass in all but one of his games with the Avengers (June 8, 2002, vs. San Jose), but in that contest he ran back the opening kickoff 51 yards for a score, keeping "The Streak" alive. Jackson is L.A.'s all-time leading receiver and scorer. He has racked up 338 receptions for 4,672 yards and has scored 656 points in his four-year Avenger career.

"Touchdown" Eddie Brown of the Indiana Firebirds is believed to be the AFL's record holder for touchdowns in consecutive games, with scores in 65 straight. But, no player in AFL history has scored touchdowns in more consecutive games to begin a career than Jackson.

ALL-PURPOSE AVENGER: Over the past three seasons, L.A.'s new offensive weapon Siaha Burley has racked up the most all-purpose yards in the league (5,580). That yardage is the equivalent of 2.9 miles, which is farther than the distance between STAPLES Center and Dodger Stadium. Acquired in a trade with the Orlando Predators, Burley moves to the WR/DB position (he was primarily an offensive specialist with the Predators). His single-game high as an Avenger came against his former team, as he racked up 169 all-purpose yards in L.A.'s victory at Orlando on March 30.

PERFECT GAME: Avenger quarterback Tony Graziani tossed a "perfect game" against the Las Vegas Gladiators on opening day (Feb. 2). His passer rating of 158.3 from that contest is the highest mark possible and ties an AFL record. In the 60-48 victory, Graziani was 18-of-23 for 288 yards. He threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to offensive specialist Chris Jackson on the first play of the 2003 season and went on to throw for a total of seven scores. Graziani also rushed for a touchdown from three yards out to cap the scoring with 53 seconds remaining.

SMART GAME: The Avengers are the AFL's least penalized team, averaging just 4.7 flags per game (27.2 yards). This brings a smile to the face of head coach Ed Hodgkiss, whose motto is "Play Hard, Play Smart." L.A. was especially sharp in the season opener on Feb. 2, getting called for only two penalties for a loss of just a yard, establishing a pair of new team records.

BIG MEN CAN CATCH: While L.A.'s well-known receivers get all the headlines, five Avenger linemen -- Mathias Vavao (converted into a fullback/linebacker), Tony Plantin, Vince Amey, John DeWitt and La'Zerius White -- have quietly made a "heavy" impact in the passing game since the beginning of last season. Those five players, who weigh a combined 1,520 pounds, have caught a total of 24 passes for 320 yards in the past 27 games. That's an average of 13.3 yards per reception for the "big men." This statistical comparison will forever be known as "The Arthur D. Gigantino Key to Success" in honor of Avenger Fox Sports Net 2 color commentator Artie Gigantino, who has been known to say, "Throwing to those big guys always works."

RECORD "D" DAY: The Avengers came into their game against Buffalo (April 18), allowing 54.4 points per game, but held the Destroyers to 14 points, establishing a new team record. That eclipsed the record set earlier in the season, when the Avengers held the Indiana Firebirds to 20 points on March 16. The 24 points allowed by the Avengers in their victory over the Tampa Bay Storm on May 17, 2002, had been the all-time best for the L.A. defense at home. It surpassed the effort in the 2002 season opener, which saw the Avengers defeat the New York Dragons, 43-25, on April 19, 2002, which was Ed Hodgkiss' first game as the Avenger head coach.

RECORD SETTING SIGNALCALLER: Quarterback Tony Graziani has set 14 team records during his three-year career with the Avengers.

LONG SUNDAY DRIVE: The Avengers put together what might have been the longest drive in the history of the Arena Football League versus the Indiana Firebirds on March 16, using 17 plays to march 47 yards. The touchdown drive consumed an incredible 10 minutes and 14 seconds. Furthermore, 11 plays occurred after L.A. reached Indiana's one-yard line.

EARLY FIREWORKS: In addition to late-game heroics (four victories on the final play of the game in 2003), the Avengers have also been good at the start, scoring on their first offensive snap of the game four times this season -- in the season opener against Las Vegas (Feb. 2, Chris Jackson), at Chicago (Feb. 23, Kevin Ingram), at Indiana (March 16, Jackson) and against Carolina (April 4, Jackson). On April 4 against Carolina, the Avengers scored touchdowns on their first three offensive plays, the other two going to WR/LB Greg Hopkins.

BLOWING PAST THE CENTURY MARK: With three more touchdowns in last week's game against the Dallas Desperados, offensive specialist Chris Jackson has now scored 108 touchdowns in his 46-game AFL career. ("C.J." has also passed for three touchdowns, all this season, but they don't count in his official scoring totals.)

Top Scorers in Avenger History

Player TDs Points
Chris Jackson (2000-present) 108 656
Greg Hopkins (2002-present) 58 352
Remy Hamilton (2002-present) 0 256
Travis Hannah (2000-01) 27 162

THE ORIGINAL AVENGER: Offensive specialist Chris Jackson is the only player on L.A.'s 2003 roster who played for the Avengers in their inaugural 2000 season (he was an WR/LB at the time). Jackson shared that distinction last season with wide receiver/defensive back Anthony Rice, who was released on Jan. 25, following the conclusion of training camp.

HOT TICKET: Five of the six largest crowds to see the Avengers play have come within L.A.'s last 14 regularseason games, dating back the end of the 2002 campaign. In consecutive games (Feb. 16, at Colorado and Feb. 23, at Chicago), the Avengers played before their two largest crowds ever. The Avengers are averaging 13,182 fans at home this season in seven games at STAPLES Center.

Top Crowds in Avenger History

Date Opponent Attendance
2/16/03 @ Colorado 17,417 (Pepsi Center)
2/23/03 @ Chicago 16,132 (Allstate Arena)
5/4/02 @ Dallas 15,196 (American Airlines)
2/9/03 San Jose 14,992 (STAPLES Center)
2/2/03 Las Vegas 14,827 (STAPLES Center)
7/20/02 Buffalo 14,427 (STAPLES Center)

DEFENDING THE HOME FRONT: In the "Ed Hodgkiss Era," which began at the beginning of the 2002 season, the Avengers have been particularly stingy on defense at home, allowing just 46.4 points per game at STAPLES Center (649 points in 14 games).

IN A ZONE OUT EAST: The Avengers have won six of their last seven games in the Eastern Time Zone, including victories over Orlando, New York and Indiana this season. L.A.'s victory at Orlando on March 30, marked a third consecutive road game within the Eastern Time Zone.

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