Los Angeles Avengers Playoff Game Notes
May 27, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release
QUICK FACTS:
Game: Arizona Rattlers at Los Angeles Avengers
Date: Sunday, June 1, 2003
Kickoff: Noon (Pacific)
Site: Los Angeles, California
Arena: STAPLES Center (17,932)
Television: NBC (Eli Gold, Charles Davis, Dave Burns)
Radio: XTRA Sports 690 & 1150 (Larry Kahn, Troy West)
Web Radio: http://www.xtrasportsradio.com
Series Record: Arizona leads, 6-2
Last Meeting: Los Angeles 63, Arizona 49 -- May 4, 2003, America West Arena
Officials: Tom McCabe (R), Roy Ellison (U), Bill Ward (HL), James Mellow (LJ), James Anderson (BJ), Bob Mantooth (S)
Head Coaches: Los Angeles -- Ed Hodgkiss (second season, 19-11). Arizona -- Danny White (12th season, 110-50).
THE AVENGERS: The familiar faces of the Arizona Rattlers stand between the Avengers and a trip to the semifinals of the 2003 AFL Playoffs. Los Angeles is well rested after earning the first-round bye that goes along with its No. 4 seed. Arizona, the No. 6 seed, is perhaps the hottest team in the league, winning seven of its last eight games, including a 69-26 rout of the Las Vegas Gladiators in a first-round playoff contest this past Sunday (May 25). The only team to beat the Rattlers since late March is the Avengers, who dominated Arizona, 63-49, at America West Arena in Phoenix on May 4. That victory marked only the second time in eight meetings that the Avengers have defeated their Western Division rivals from the desert. One of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league, the Avengers are averaging 57.8 points this season. Quarterback Tony Graziani, a candidate for AFL "Offensive Player of the Year" honors, threw 96 touchdowns in the 16 regular-season games. Incredibly, he throws for a score once every 3.17 completions (and 5.16 attempts). Offensive specialist Chris Jackson has been on the receiving end of 46 of those touchdown tosses, which tied an all-time AFL single-season record. Another star pass catcher, WR/LB Greg Hopkins has recorded his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season and could repeat as AFL "Ironman of the Year." The Avenger defense has also been playing well as of late, forcing 16 turnovers and allowing just 204 points in its last five outings (40.8 average).
THE RATTLERS: Having never lost in four previous trips to STAPLES Center, the Rattlers will be brimming with confidence as they ride into Los Angeles on a threegame winning streak. "All-Arena" quarterback Sherdrick Bonner is one of the best triggermen in the AFL history, accounting for 26,786 passing yards and 534 touchdowns in his career.
THE HEAD COACHES: One of the brightest offensive masterminds in the AFL and the leading 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. As a player, he led the Dallas Cowboys to five playoff appearances and three NFC East division titles.
THE SERIES: Arizona leads the series 6-2, but the Avengers won the last meeting, 63-49, on May 4, at America West Arena. Arizona has won all four meetings at STAPLES Center, with the last two victories coming in overtime. On April 13, the two teams combined for an AFL-record 23 touchdowns as Arizona prevailed in overtime, 82-76, in what was the fourth-highest scoring game in league history.
All-Time Arizona vs. Los Angeles Series
Score Date Site
Avengers 63, Rattlers 49 5-4-03 Phoenix
Rattlers 82, Avengers 76 (OT) 4-13-03 STAPLES
Rattlers 52, Avengers 46 (OT) 7-6-02 STAPLES
Rattlers 63, Avengers 59 4-27-02 Phoenix
Avengers 54, Arizona 48 (OT) 6-23-01 Phoenix
Rattlers 49, Avengers 21 4-27-01 STAPLES
Rattlers 54, Avengers 51 6-10-00 STAPLES
Rattlers 55, Avengers 28 5-11-00 Phoenix
THE NEXT GAME: With a victory over the Rattlers, Los Angeles would advance to the semifinals of the 2003 AFL Playoffs on either June 7 or 8 (site and opponent TBD).
STEADY IMPROVMENT: The Avengers had their most successful regular season in franchise history by winning 11 games in 2003. After combining for eight wins in the franchise's first two seasons, Los Angeles had its first winning season in 2002.
THE "IF" SECTION:
If the Avengers defeat the Rattlers, it would ...
- Give L.A. its first playoff win in franchise history
- Mark the first time the Avengers have won at home against Arizona
- Give L.A. a 7-2 record at home this season
- Be the first time L.A. has won consecutive matchups against Arizona
THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
Avenger head coach Ed Hodgkiss on his team coming off the bye week: "It's a new thing for us. It's yet to be seen how it will affect us. We worked out hard for three days last week and balanced in some rest. We met today (Tuesday) and the guys seem rested and ready to go. It also gave us a chance to heal up."
Hodgkiss on the difference between the playoffs and regular season: "You can't try any harder come playoff time than you do in the regular season. Our guys always give their best effort. That's why we have had success this year. It's more of a mental focus for the playoffs. Physically, it will be the same, but mentally, you understand there is no ânext week.' The games become more intense. Guys realize that and don't want to go home."
Hodgkiss on what a convincing 63-49 victory over Arizona in the last meeting does for his team: "âConvincing' isn't as important as us realizing that we can beat them. We put that in the back of our mind, but we realize it will still be a tough game. If we play well, we know we can come out ahead."
Hodgkiss on what he expect Arizona to do differently this time: "Both opponents know each other pretty well, so I don't think they will do a lot of different things. They will try to limit their mistakes. The team that makes the least mistakes will win. Both teams are good and can execute. Neither would have gotten this far if they couldn't. They will do the same things they've been doing for years."
THE TOUCHDOWN MAKER: Offensive specialist Chris Jackson's streak of scoring at least one touchdown in every game he has played in for the Avengers ended on May 10, against the Colorado Crush at 47 games. He started a new streak the following week at San Jose and has now accounted for 118 TDs in 49 games. 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 two of his games with the Avengers, but in one of those contests (June 8, 2002, vs. San Jose), he ran back the opening kickoff 51 yards for a score. Jackson is L.A.'s alltime leading receiver and scorer. He has racked up 352 receptions for 4,931 yards and has scored 692 points in his four-year Avenger career. No player in AFL history has scored touchdowns in more consecutive games to begin a career than Jackson (47 games).
QUICK STRIKE OFFENSE: Eighty-one of L.A.'s 124 offensive touchdowns this season have been scored on "drives" of three plays or less. In fact, 25 of them have been one-play "drives," including 10 touchdown catches by offensive specialist Chris Jackson. Ironically, two of the 43 "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 six "zero-play drives" this season, including the longest play in franchise history, which came on a 57-yard kickoff return by Siaha Burley in the season finale at San Jose. A week earlier, they had two "zero-play drives" against Colorado. Both came on 56-yard returns, with WR/DB Russell Shaw returning a missed field goal for a score and defensive specialist Cornelius Coe taking an interception to the house. The first "zero-play drive" of the season came on a net recovery by Burley while covering a kickoff in the victory at Colorado (Feb. 23). At Indiana (March 16), OL/DL Mike Ulufale recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Against Arizona (April 13), WR/LB Greg Hopkins returned an interception for a score for the ninth time in his AFL career, which is a league record.
HEART-STOPPING HEROICS: Four of L.A.'s 11 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 gamewinning TD on a "Hail Mary" pass off the rebound net as time expired. Four of L.A.'s five losses have also come in the final seconds (at Chicago on Feb. 23, vs. Arizona on April 13, at Dallas on April 27 and at San Jose on May 17).
RECORD "D" DAY: On April 18, the Avengers held the Buffalo Destroyers to just 14 points, establishing a new team record. That eclipsed the record set earlier in the season, when the Avengers limited 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.
WELL BALANCED: The Avengers are the only team in the AFL to have four players with more than 1,000 allpurpose yards this season. Offensive specialist Chris Jackson (1,774), WR/DB Siaha Burley (1,315),WR/LB Greg Hopkins (1,228) and WR/DB Kevin Ingram (1,129) have combined for 5,446 yards in 16 games this season (the equivalent of 2.9 miles). Only four other AFL teams (Arizona, Dallas, Grand Rapids and San Jose) are even close, with three players over 1,000 all-purpose yards.
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 (5,862). That yardage is the equivalent of 3.2 miles. Acquired in a trade with the Orlando Predators, Burley has moved 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 allpurpose yards in L.A.'s victory at Orlando on March 30.
PLAYING SMART: The Avengers are the AFL's secondleast penalized team, averaging just 5.3 flags per game (32.5 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.
AMONG THE LEAGUE'S HOTTEST: Winners in eight of their last 11, the Avengers are now 15-7 in their past 22 regular-season games. Only the defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats, who are 17-5, and Orlando Predators, who are 16-6 after winning six games in a row, own better marks over that span of time.
HOT TICKET: Five of the six largest crowds to ever see the Avengers play have come this season. In consecutive games (Feb. 16, at Colorado and Feb. 23, at Chicago), the Avengers played before their two largest crowds in team history. The Avengers are averaging 13,220 fans at home this season in eight games at STAPLES Center.
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).
ELEVEN WINS: The last professional football team in the Los Angeles area to win 11 or more regular-season games was the 1990 Los Angeles Raiders, who went 12-4 before advancing to the AFC Championship game. (The Los Angeles Rams went 11-5 in 1989, before reaching the NFC Championship game.)
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 27 passes for 329 yards in the past 30 games. That's an average of 12.2 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 SETTING SIGNALCALLER: Quarterback Tony Graziani has set 14 team records during his three-year career with the Avengers. Here is a complete list of his team passing records:
Yards (season) â 4,290 (2003)
Yards (career) â 8,120 (2001-03)
Touchdowns (season) â 96 (2003)
Touchdowns (career) â 170 (2001-03)
Completions (game) â 28 (April 27, 2003)
Completions (season) â 304 (2003)
Completions (career) â 609 (2001-03)
Attempts (season) â 495 (2003)
Attempts (career) â 999 (2001-03)
Completion percentage (season) â 61.4 (2003)
Passing rating (game) â 158.3 (Feb. 2, 2003)
Passing rating (season) â 115.8 (2002)
300-yard passing games (career) â 9 (2001-03)
Longest pass â 49 yards (April 27, 2002)
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.
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 45.5 points per game at STAPLES Center (683 points in 15 games).
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 five 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), against Carolina (April 4, Jackson) and against Colorado (Greg Hopkins). On April 4 against Carolina, the Avengers scored touchdowns on their first three offensive plays, the other two going to Hopkins.
THE MILLENNIUM'S FINEST: WR/LB Greg Hopkins and offensive specialist Chris Jackson are not only L.A.'s top pass catchers, they're also the most productive in the AFL since the dawning of the new millennium. Hopkins ranks first with 402 receptions for 4,998 and Jackson is second with a grand total of 355 for 4,992 yards since the 2000 season.
BLOWING PAST THE CENTURY MARK: Although he was held scoreless for the first time in his career against Colorado on May 10, offensive specialist Chris Jackson has scored 115 touchdowns in his 49-game AFL career. Only 16 other players in AFL history, including teammate Greg Hopkins (168), are members of the "Century Club." ("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) 115 698
Greg Hopkins (2002-present) 60 364
Remy Hamilton (2002-present) 0 279
Travis Hannah (2000-01) 27 162
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