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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

Must-see matchups: ArenaBowl XVIII

June 25, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


ARIZONA'S BO KELLY, JOE JACKSON AND HUNKIE COOPER vs. SAN JOSE'S MATT KINSINGER, BRIAN JOHNSON AND JAMES ROE

Perhaps no position finds these teams more evenly matched than FB/LB and WR/LB. Defensively, Arizona's HUNKIE COOPER is one of the most active 'jack' linebackers in all of Arena Football. Cooper, who is a perennial U.S. Army Ironman of the Year candidate, recorded 41.0 tackles this season, including an interception, six passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. San Jose counters at 'jack' with JAMES ROE. An explosive offensive player, Roe is also a linebacker with 25.5 tackles, one interception, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two passes defensed. BO KELLY and JOE JACKSON split time at "mac" for the Rattlers. They have combined for 17.5 tackles and three passes defensed, nearly identical stats to San Jose's MATT KINSINGER and BRIAN JOHNSON. Offensively, neither team relies too much on the running game from the fullbacks, but Kinsinger and Johnson have combined for 11 touchdowns this season; compared to 10 between Kelly and Johnson. San Jose's backs will serve as lead blockers for BARRY WAGNER, who has run for 13 total touchdowns this year. Arizona's fullbacks have led the way for QB SHERDRICK BONNER and Cooper, who also have combined for 13 rushing touchdowns this season. If there is an edge here, it may belong to Arizona in pass blocking, as Bonner has been sacked just six times all season.

ARIZONA'S NELSON GARNER vs. SAN JOSE'S DAN FRANTZ

Another area where these teams are extremely close is the kicking game. San Jose's DAN FRANTZ (8-of-16 in field goals) and Arizona's NELSON GARNER (7-of-15 in field goals) both play for high-scoring offenses that do not rely much on the field goal as a weapon. Both kickers have almost been identical in PAT percentage, with Frantz converting 86.1 percent (106-of- 123) compared to Garner's 85.3 percent (87-of-102). In breaking down the game, PAT SPERDUTO, Director of Arena Football Operations for the Tennessee Titans, called the kicking game "dead even" between the two teams. But with a close game expected, this game could come down to a field goal in the final seconds. In a long field goal situation (longer than 40 yards), neither kicker has had many attempts or successes, with Garner going 1-5 (20 percent) and Frantz going 0-4 from outside 40 yards. The experience factor belongs to Garner, who is in his fifth AFL season, compared to Frantz, who is in his rookie year.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 25, 2004


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