Nashville Kats game notes

Published on February 15, 2005 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Nashville Kats (1-2) at New York Dragons (1-1)
Date: Saturday, February 19
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Site: Nassau Coliseum (11,985)
Officials: R-David Lambros, U-Al Granado, HL-Mike McCabe, LJ-Brian Matthew, BJ-David Cutaria
Television: Fox Sports Net South (Tape-delayed, 8:30 p.m. CT)
Radio: Kats Radio Network. Radio Change – 103.3 KDF. Mike Keith (Play-by-Play), Larry Stone (Analyst).
Internet: Live stats online at www.arenafootball.com.
Series Record: New York (Iowa) leads 3-1
Last Meeting: Nashville 63, Iowa 56 (2000 AFL Playoffs)
Series Streaks: Nashville won the last meeting.
Last Week: Philadelphia 59, Nashville 48
Las Vegas 41, New York 37
Coaches: Pat Sperduto, NAS (4th season; 33-20 overall); Weylan Harding, NYD (1st season, 1-1 overall).

OVERVIEW: Although the Kats are sitting at 1-2 after narrowly missing a comeback win versus the Philadelphia Soul in week three, Nashville is only one game back of the three teams leading the American Conference. In the Central Division of the American Conference, the Kats are tied with Colorado for second place behind Chicago who is 2-1. Overall, the Orlando Predators are the only undefeated team in the AFL after three games. The Kats battled back from a 14-0 second quarter deficit and a 17-point fourth quarter hole with a chance to take the lead with less than a minute remaining versus Philadelphia. Even though the Kats were unable to come back for a win on Sunday, Nashville plans to bounce back versus the New York Dragons in New York on Saturday. This will be the third week in a row that that the Kats will be facing a top-flight quarterback, in QB Aaron Garcia. Nashville lost to AFL star Andy Kelly during week two and to last year's first-team All-Arena QB Tony Graziani last week. New York holds a 1-1 record under first-time head coach Weylan Harding, who comes to the Big Apple from Columbus where he was the defensive coordinator. Harding's best defensive player is rookie Billy Parker who is tied with Kats DS DeRon Jenkins for the AFL interception lead with three. On the offensive side, Mike Horacek, who was the 2000 AFL Offensive Player of the Year, has rebounded from an injury-riddled 2004 season to post four TD's including three in the opener. Just like Horacek, the Dragons and Kats hope to bounce back and make a statement in New York on Saturday.

THE SCHEDULES:
2005 Nashville Kats (1-1)
Game Opponent Result Time/Score
Jan. 28 @ Columbus Won 47-38
Feb. 4 NEW ORLEANS Lost 34-59
Feb. 13 @ Philadelphia Lost 48-59
Feb. 19 @ New York 6:00 p.m.
Feb. 26 LAS VEGAS 7:30 p.m.
Mar. 6 @ Chicago 2:00 p.m.
Mar. 13 COLORADO 5:30 p.m.
Mar. 28 ARIZONA 7:30 p.m.
Apr. 3 @ Grand Rapids 2:00 p.m.
Apr. 8 @ Dallas 7:30 p.m.
Apr. 17 LOS ANGELES 12 noon
Apr. 24 TAMPA BAY 12 noon
Apr. 29 @ San Jose 9:30 p.m.
May 7 GRAND RAPIDS 7:30 p.m.
May 13 @ Colorado 8:00 p.m.
May 22 CHICAGO 2:00 p.m.

2005 New York Dragons (1-1)
Game Opponent Result Time/Score
Feb. 6 DALLAS Won 55-45
Feb. 11 @ Las Vegas Lost 37-41
Feb. 19 NASHVILLE 6:00 pm CT
Feb. 27 ARIZONA 3:00 p.m.
Mar. 6 @ Philadelphia 12:00 p.m.
Mar. 12 GEORGIA 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 19 @ Austin 4:00 p.m.
Mar. 26 @ Columbus 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 2 CHICAGO 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 10 @ Los Angeles 3:00 p.m.
Apr. 15 @ Orlando 7:30 p.m.
Apr. 24 PHILADELPHIA 1:00 p.m.
Apr. 29 @ Dallas 8:30 p.m.
May 7 COLUMBUS 7:00 p.m.
May 15 @ Tampa Bay 1:00 p.m.
May 21 COLORADO 7:00 p.m.

THE SERIES: Though the two franchises have never met in their current existence, the Kats played the Dragons' forerunner – the Iowa Barnstormers – four times from 1999-2000. The Kats were 0-3 in the teams' three regular season meetings, but won the only postseason contest in 2000, 63-56. The win boosted Nashville into the 2000 AFL Semifinals and eventually to ArenaBowl XIV. The game was the last for the Iowa Barnstormers, who relocated to New York and became the Dragons the next season.

SERIES NOTABLES: In the Kats last meeting with the New York franchise, the Iowa Barnstormers, both Aaron Garcia and Mike Horacek came up big against Nashville. Garcia threw for eight TDs and completed 29-of-44 passes along with three interceptions. Horacek caught nine passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns. For the Kats, Darryl Hammond had an interception and a rushing TD while both he and Jarrick Hillery caught one pass. Hillery led the Kats with seven tackles as Nashville won 63-56 during the 2000 playoffs.

LAST SERIES MEETING: After losing a lopsided regular season matchup, the Kats went to Iowa as big underdogs in a 2000 AFL Quarterfinal contest. The seesaw struggle went into the fourth quarter, when the Kats finally took the lead for good on a double pass from Cory Fleming to Anthony Hicks. Interceptions by Darryl Hammond and Robert Gaddy in the fourth quarter helped seal the Nashville victory, 63-56.

LAST WEEK:
Philadelphia 59, Nashville 48 (Feb. 13 @ Philadelphia)
The Nashville Kats were unable to comeback from a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to the Philadelphia Soul, falling 59-48. Soul quarterback Tony Graziani threw for six TD's completing 18-of-27 passes. Soul receiver Steve Smith caught two of Graziani's touchdowns and also ran back a kick with only 0:04 seconds remaining in the first half. For the Kats, quarterback Leon Murray also threw six TD's on a 27-for-46 afternoon. Nashville started in a hole early going down 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and then down 35-21 at halftime. With the score 38-34, the Kats recovered an onside kick with two minutes remaining. Five plays later, Alexander mishandled a pitch from Murray and coughed up the football resulting in the failed comeback.

Las Vegas 41, New York 37 (Feb. 11 @ Las Vegas)
The scoring between the Las Vegas Gladiators and New York Dragons went back and forth the entire contest and came down to the last possession. Dragons QB Garcia completed 20 of 33 passes for 198 yards and two TDs. The Dragons got off to a fast start when OS Markeith Cooper returned the opening kickoff for a 57-yard score. The Dragons led 27-21 at the half and at the end of the third quarter until they were outscored 20-10 in the fourth quarter. With 56 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter Rob Bironas gave the Dragons a 37-35 lead. But with the clock running down, Rod Robinson scored on the ground from three yards to seal the game for Las Vegas.

THE COACHES:
Nashville – Pat Sperduto, 4th season
33-20 (.623) overall
After a three-season absence, Pat Sperduto returns as a head coach in the Arena Football League. He has spent the last four seasons as an assistant on the staff of the Tennessee Titans. He joined the NFL club after spending five seasons with the old Nashville Kats. He compiled a 32-18 record as head coach the last three seasons and led his team to back-to-back appearances in the ArenaBowl in 2000 and 2001. Sperduto replaced Eddie Khayat as head coach in 1999 and posted the best record of seven AFL coaches who took over new teams in 2000. Sperduto spent his first two years as defensive coordinator for the Kats and was elevated to assistant head coach in 1998. He is a three-time ArenaBowl World Champion, winning twice as a player for the Tampa Bay Storm (1991 and '93) and once as an assistant coach with the Storm (1994). Sperduto began his professional career as a player with the Canadian Football League's British Columbia Lions before joining the Tampa Bay Storm in the AFL from 1991-93.

New York – Weylan Harding 1st Season
1-1 (.500) overall
Harding begins his first season as the new head coach of the Dragons. Harding has spent the last three seasons as the Columbus/Buffalo franchise's defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. After his career as an AFL player concluded, Harding took his first coaching assignment with the Destroyers as their defensive backs coach for the 2000 season. Under his direct guidance, DS Prentice Taylor was an All-Rookie selection. The following season he mentored the defensive backs for the Rochester Brigade of arenafootball2. The Destroyers brought Harding back as their defensive coordinator in 2002. As a player, Harding was a defensive specialist for the Iowa Barnstormers - now the Dragons - Nashville and Portland before retiring as a player with Buffalo in 2000.

2005 TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Category Kats Dragons
Scoring Offense (Rank) 13th 11th
Scoring Defense 15th 5th
Total Offense 11th 17th
Total Defense 9th 11th
Pass Offense 12th 16th
Pass Defense 11th 10th
Rushing Offense 2nd 14th
Rushing Defense 3rd 14th
Pass Rating 16th 10th
Pass Defense Rating 14TH 3rd
Interceptions t-3rd t-1st
Turnover Margin t-10th t-1st
Kickoff Return Avg. 9th 4th
Field Goal Return Avg. 5th 14th
Sacks By T6th t-12th
Sacks Against t-13th t-13th

NOTES:
BOUNCING BACK – The Kats look to get back on track after consecutive losses. The Kats franchise has lost three in a row only once in team history (in 1999). In his previous tenure with the Kats, Sperduto's teams were very good at bouncing back after a loss. In the five seasons of their previous existence, the Kats were 17-5 in games following a loss.

QUITE A SHOW – In the Kats three games back in the AFL, an average of 16,773 fans have watched each game. Overall, 50,320 fans have watched the Kats first three games in the respective arenas. Despite the Kats largest attended game in franchise history of a sellout crowd of 16,517 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in their home opener, it has been the least attended game of the three. Columbus drew 17,171 to see the Kats and Philadelphia saw 16,632 fans come through the gates.

KATS ON FSN – This will be Nashville's first appearance on Fox Sports Net television this season. The Kats are slated to play on FSN seven times in all this year. The game is tape-delayed on FSN South, with the telecast scheduled to begin at 8:30 CT.

RALLY KAT – After struggling in the loss to New Orleans two weeks ago, Kats QB Leon Murray bounced back to have a very good outing in the game at Philadelphia last week. He completed 27-of-46 passes for 261 yards and six TD's and one INT. For the year, Murray has completed 59.6 percent of his throws for 653 yards, 10 touchdowns and four INT's. He has thrown for 103 touchdowns and more than 6,000 yards in his third year in the league. The former Tennessee State star played his first two seasons with Georgia, then signed as a free agent with Nashville in the offseason. His 46 yards rushing ranks him fourth in the league in that category, and his four rushing TD's ties him for the most in that department. Murray leads the league in rushing on third down-and-one, having converted all four of his third-and-one rushing attempts.

BIG BOY FOOTBALL – While most teams in the Arena Football League tend to air it out, Nashville loves to keep the ball on the ground. After three weeks, the Kats rank second in the league in rushing, having gained 141 yards on 44 carries for an average of 3.2 yards per carry. In addition, their eight rushing TD's are the second-most of any team in the league. Nashville has two players in the AFL's top four rushers. FB/LB Dan Alexander is second with 61 yards (3.4 yds per carry) and quarterback Leon Murray is fourth with 46 yards (4.2 yds per carry). Alexander has run for three scores and Murray has run for four. In week one the Kats ran the ball a whopping 22 times for 82 yards in the win over the Columbus Destroyers, and last week they ran for 44 on 12 attempts. Some AFL teams struggle to gain that many yards on the ground in a season (the 2001 Detroit Fury ran for only 12 yards all year), but for Pat Sperduto-coached teams it is not a surprise. The original Kats, under Sperduto, perfected what the coach calls "Big Boy Football," highlighted by a pounding ground game. Nashville led the AFL in rushing in 2000 and 2001, averaging more than 35 yards per game on the ground in both seasons.

GETTING PICK-Y – The Kats have intercepted four passes so far this season, three by DS DeRon Jenkins, who added another in the game at Philadelphia last week. Jenkins is tied for the league lead in picks. WR/DB Jarrick Hillery also has an INT this year.

FRESH FACES – Of the 24 players on the Kats' active roster, 10 are AFL rookies. However, that stat may be misleading. Three of those "rookies" are FB/LB Dan Alexander, OL/DL Tim Morabito and WR/DB Reggie Stephens, who have a combined 13 years of experience in the National Football League. Three more – FB/LB Casey Urlacher, OL/DL Joe Minucci and FB/LB Kevin Nagle – have all played in the af2 ranks.

EARLY MISTAKES – The first three weeks have seen the Kats draw their share of flags, earning 25 penalties for 154 yards (third most in the AFL after week two). Nashville was flagged 11 times for 56 yards in the game at Philadelphia last week.

TITANS CONNECTIONS – Five of the 24 players on Nashville's active roster have spent time with the Tennessee Titans organization. FB/LB Dan Alexander and DS DeRon Jenkins saw extensive playing time with the NFL club, while DS Rober' Freeman, OL/DL Aaron McConnell and WR/DB Rich Musinski were all in camp with the Titans at some point. Head coach Pat Sperduto has been on the Titans' staff the last four seasons, and FB/LB Levelle Brown is the brother of Titans' starting tailback Chris Brown.

BARON'S BACK – Nashville lineman James Baron had his streak of 131 consecutive games played come to an end in the season opener, when he missed the Columbus game with an ankle injury. After sitting out the home opener as well, Baron made his 2005 debut against the Philadelphia Soul last week. In the game, Baron made one tackle and was disruptive on the defensive line. Baron is widely known as one of the top players at his position in AFL history. He has been named the league's defensive player of the year once and lineman of the year twice. The former Virginia Tech standout earned all-Arena honors six times (1997-2002), including the first-team five times. He is a two-time member of the all-Ironman team (1999, 2001), and he has 36.5 career sacks — the fifth-highest total in league history. His 20.5 career tackles for loss is the second-highest total in AFL history, and he was named to the AFL's 15th Anniversary all-time team at the 2001 ArenaBowl. Baron, who played the last three seasons with Chicago, was one of only two players to play in all 80 games with the previous Kats franchise, including 10 postseason contests (joining quarterback Andy Kelly). He is Nashville's franchise leader in sacks (26.5), and he also holds team records for sacks in one season (7.0) and sacks in one game (2.5). He has been slowed during the second part of training camp and the first part of the season with an ankle injury, but is expected to play this week.

EXPERIENCE UP FRONT – The Kats have a wealth of experience in the trenches. Their usual starting offensive front – Baron, Charlie Morris and Henry Taylor – have 17 years of AFL experience between them. In addition to Baron's eight years in the league, Morris has played five seasons (all with the Arizona Rattlers) and Taylor has played two. Morris, who has played in the last three ArenaBowls with the Rattlers, has developed into one of the top blockers in the AFL, while Taylor has made a name for himself in two seasons with Dallas and New Orleans as a fearsome pass rusher, racking up 6.5 sacks in the last two years.

THE VETERAN – Speaking of experience, no one in Arena Football League history has more of it than Kats WR/LB Darryl Hammond, who is in his 15th year in the sport. He is tenth on the AFL's all-time receiving-yards gained in a career with 7,889 yards. Hammond has returned six interceptions for touchdowns in his career, tied for third-most in the AFL, and he ranks third in the league for career tackles with 588. The University of Virginia product has played with five different organizations, including Austin last season. However, he posted some of the best years of his career with the old Kats, with whom he played from 1997-2001. If age has slowed him down, no one has noticed. In 2004 with the Wranglers, he was on his way to having one of his finest seasons, catching 21 passes and scoring seven TD's in the first three games, before missing four weeks with an injury. Hammond has four receptions for 25 yards and 6.5 tackles in the first two weeks. Hammond missed the Philadelphia game because of a minor injury. Hammond is expected to play versus New York.

FULLY STOCKED – The Kats have three fullbacks/linebackers on their active roster and another on their injured reserve, which is more than the average team carries. Nashville kept a spot for all but one of the five players it brought to camp at the position (Dan Alexander, Kevin Nagle, and Casey Urlacher are on the active roster, while Levelle Brown is on the injured reserve). Despite entering the season with just 12 AFL carries and 63 yards between them, the group has been impressive, combining for 80 yards on 27 carries, 61 yards receiving and six touchdowns. Of the four, only Brown has previous AFL experience, having played the last two seasons with the Chicago Rush. Alexander played three years in the NFL, while Nagle and Urlacher have each been standouts in the af2 ranks.

THE PLAYMAKER – Kats offensive specialist Fred Coleman has been a star for the Kats in the first three games, leading the team with 24 catches for 240 yards and three scores by air. He also found the end zone on a thrilling 56-yard kickoff return against New Orleans last week. Coleman knows a thing or two about winning a championship. In fact, he is one of the few players to have won championships in both the NFL and the AFL. As a member of the New England Patriots in 2001, he won a Super Bowl ring in the team's win over the St. Louis Rams. Last season, he was an integral part of San Jose's ArenaBowl championship season, catching 55 passes for 719 yards and 17 TD's, despite playing in the shadow of some of the likes of the SaberCats' Barry Wagner. He signed a free agent deal with the Kats in the offseason and is looking to emerge as one of the top receivers in the sport this season.

FIVE-WAY THREAT – WR/DB Jarrick Hillery is one of the Arena Football League's top Ironmen, having excelled in all facets of the game in his first five years in the league. He has showed his versatility in the first three weeks, catching 19 passes for 156 yards and three TDs, while also carrying the ball twice for five yards on offense. Defensively, he has intercepted one pass, broke up another and is third on the team with 9.0 stops. He also has had six kickoff returns for 112 yards in the game. The former Tennessee State star was selected to the All-Ironman team in 2001 and was an All-Rookie selection in 2000, while with the old Kats. He played with the Georgia Force in 2002 and 2003, and played last season with the Carolina Cobras. In his first five years in the league, Hillery made 186.5 tackles, caught 231 passes for 2,483 yards and 36 TD's, rushed for 311 yards and 24 more TD's on the ground and accumulated more than 1,900 yards and scored four times on kickoff and missed field goal returns.

SCOUTING NEW YORK
The Dragons are beginning to take on the personality of first-year head coach Weylan Harding as they lead the league in interceptions although they have played only two games compared with the three that most of the other AFL squads have played. Harding, a former defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator, has the Dragons pass defense rated third in the league. Although the Dragons offense has struggled a bit in 2005, New York is not lacking the talent with quarterback Aaron Garcia. The 11-year AFL veteran is first all-time in the AFL with 642 TD's and second all-time in passing yards with 30,955. First-year Dragon WR/LB Mike Horacek has four TD catches and looks to be regaining his AFL Offensive Player of the Year form from 2000. Markeith Cooper returned the opening kickoff versus Las Vegas for a TD and William Holder returned a kick for a TD during week one. On defense, rookie Billy Parker is tied for the league lead with three interceptions and Holder and Corey Johnson each have a pick as well for the New York secondary.

WR/LB MIKE HORACEK – In 2000 he was named the AFL's Offensive Player of the Year and has been a league leader in receptions during multiple seasons. In his first game during 2005, Horacek started off the season with five catches for 97 yards scoring three touchdowns and took home both the Offensive Player and the U.S. Army Ironman awards. In his second game for the Dragons, Horacek had three catches and one TD for 40 yards. Horacek is looking to put up big numbers in 2005 after a knee injury last season allowed Horacek to only play in six games for the now defunct-Indiana Firebirds.

QB AARON GARCIA - Dragons QB Aaron Garcia is entering his eight year with the organization and his eleventh AFL season as one of the League's top passers. He remains first all-time with 642 touchdowns and moved ahead of Sherdrick Bonner to second in all-time passing yards with 30,955. Garcia remains fourth all-time with 2,403 completions. The All-Arena QB is now only eight touchdowns away from being the first person to each the 650 plateau. In his first two games in 2005, Garcia has thrown seven TD's and zero interceptions for 410 yards.

DS BILLY PARKER – Parker is currently tied with Kats DS DeRon Jenkins for the league lead in interceptions. In one fewer game, Parker has taken the ball away three times. The rookie has been named the ADT Defensive Player of the Game in both contests this season. Attending William and Mary with Kats player Rich Musinski, Parker has made a quick adjustment to the AFL.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 15, 2005


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