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Nashville Kats game notes

February 28, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Nashville Kats (1-4) at Chicago Rush (2-3)
Date: Sunday, March 6
Kickoff: 2:00 p.m. (CT)
Site: Allstate Arena (16,000)
Officials: R-Perry Havener, U-Tom Laverty, HL-Kelly Saalfeld, LJ-David Meslow, BJ-Barry Anderson
Television: None
Radio: Kats Radio Network. Flagship – 104.5 The Zone. Mike Keith (Play-by-Play), Larry Stone (Analyst).
Internet: Live stats online at www.arenafootball.com.
Series Record: Have never met
Last Meeting: N/A
Series Streaks: N/A
Last Week: Las Vegas 40, Nashville 32
Orlando 45, Chicago 38
Coaches: Pat Sperduto, NAS (4th season; 33-22 overall); Mike Hohensee (12th season; 81-72).


OVERVIEW: The Kats head to the Windy City in search of that elusive second victory. Nashville needs a win to stay within range of division-leading Colorado, which sits at 3-2 after five weeks. Overall, however, the Kats' rough start has not knocked them far out of the playoff picture. In the American Conference, no team has fewer than two losses and only three teams have fewer than three. This week's matchup against the Rush will mark Nashville's first game against an opponent from within the division. A win this week would put the Kats in a tie for second place in the Central Division. Victory this week will not be easy, however, as the Rush sport one of the most talented rosters in the AFL. Chicago has made the playoffs in all four years of their existence, and they were a preseason favorite to advance to the ArenaBowl this season. But after starting off 2-1, with wins against Philadelphia and Colorado, the Rush have dropped two in a row to fall one game below .500. Like Nashville, they need to find a way to break their losing skid and keep pace with Colorado in the division standings. The Kats will go with Tony Zimmerman under center for the second week in a row, a starter Leon Murray continues to rest injured an injured shoulder and knee. Zimmerman looked good in his first start, but Nashville needs to improve its scoring output, as they rank next-to-last in points per game, averaging only 42 points. Defensively, the Kats must brace themselves for Rush QB Raymond Philyaw, one of the league's better signal-callers, and WR Etu Molden, who has scored 12 TD's this season.

THE SCHEDULES:
2005 Nashville Kats (1-3)
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 Lost 49-62
Feb. 26 LAS VEGAS 7:30 p.m.
Mar. 6 @ Chicago 2:00 p.m.
Mar. 12 COLORADO 7:30 p.m.
Mar. 26 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 Chicago Rush (2-3)
Game Opponent Result Time/Score
Jan. 30 @ Dallas Lost 65-66
Feb. 6 PHILADELPHIA Won 51-41
Feb. 13 @ Colorado Won 51-48
Feb. 19 @ Columbus Lost 39-52
Feb. 25 ORLANDO Lost 38-45
Mar. 6 NASHVILLE 2:00 p.m.
Mar. 13 @ Grand Rapids 11:00 a.m.
Mar. 20 NEW ORLEANS 11:00 a.m.
Apr. 2 @ New York 6:00 p.m.
Apr. 10 SAN JOSE 12 noon
Apr. 17 COLORADO 12 noon
Apr. 23 @ Los Angeles 9:30 p.m.
May 1 LAS VEGAS 12 noon
May 7 @ Arizona 9:00 p.m.
May 15 GRAND RAPIDS 12 noon
May 22 @ Nashville 2:00 p.m.

THE SERIES: The Kats and Rush have never met. Chicago entered the AFL in 2001, the last season for the original Kats franchise, but the teams did not meet that season.

SERIES NOTABLES: The Kats have three former Rush players on their 2005 roster – OL/DL James Baron, FB/LB Levelle Brown and WR/LB Lindsay Rutledge... Despite having a combined 16 years of AFL head coaching experience between them, this is the first regular season meeting between Kats head coach Pat Sperduto and Rush head coach Mike Hohensee as head coaches... Chicago is co-owned by former Bears head coach and NFL Hall of Famer Mike Ditka.

LAST WEEK:
Las Vegas 40, Nashville 32 (Feb. 26 @ Nashville)
QB Craig Wheilhan's 4-yard touchdown pass to OS Marcus Nash with under a minute to play sealed a 40-32 victory for the Las Vegas Gladiators (3-2) Saturday night in Nashville. Wheilhan finished 26-of-39 for 267 yards and five touchdowns – two to Nash – in the victory, Las Vegas' first over the Nashville Kats franchise. Tony Zimmerman was 25-of-38 for 272 yards and a touchdown starting for injured Kats QB Leon Murray. It was the fourth-straight loss for the Kats, the first four-game skid in franchise history. Nashville led 19-17 at halftime but was held scoreless in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Wheilhan helped pile up 23 first downs and 283 yards of offense for the Gladiators. Las Vegas WR/LB Coco Blalock caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Wheilhan with 7:49 left to play to put the Gladiators up 34-25 and put the Kats into hurry-up mode for the rest of the game. The Kats pushed down field in the closing minutes but a holding penalty – one of 25 in the game by both teams – ended the scoring chance at the 4-yard line.

Orlando 45, Chicago 38 (Feb. 25 @ Chicago)
A turnover-filled third quarter doomed the Chicago Rush in a 45-38 home loss to Orlando (4-1) last Friday night. The Rush entered the second half with a 21-17 lead and appeared to be on their way to another score when WR Jeremy McDaniel fumbled at the 1-yard line and the Predators recovered. From there, Orlando took the lead then added to it after recovering on onsides kick and getting another Chicago turnover later in the period. By the start of the fourth quarter, Orlando had a 17-point advantage. Rush QB Raymond Philyaw, who was nursing a knee injury, was 22-of-36 for 254 yards, five TD's and an INT in the loss.

THE COACHES:
Chicago – Mike Hohensee, 11th Season
81-72 (.529) overall
One of the most enduring figures in AFL history, Hohensee is in his 19th season of arena football and 12th as a head coach. He is the only coach in Rush franchise history, having led the team to a 37-28 record and playoff appearances in each of the team's first four seasons of play. He was previously a head coach for franchises in Washington, Albany and New England. Hohensee started his AFL career as a player for the Pittsburgh Gladiators in the league's first season (1987), throwing for more than 2,000 yards as the team's QB for two seasons.

Nashville – Pat Sperduto, 4th season
33-22 (.600) 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.

2005 TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Category Kats Rush
Scoring Offense (Rank) 16th (42.0) 13th (48.2)
Scoring Defense 11th (51.6) t-9th (51.0)
Total Offense 12th (271.2) 5th (295.4)
Total Defense 7th (268.4) 13th (305.6)
Pass Offense 14th (233.2) 5th (274.8)
Pass Defense 9th (253.8) 12th (275.2)
Rushing Offense 3rd (38.0) 8th (20.6)
Rushing Defense t-4th (14.6) 12th (30.4)
Interceptions t-4th (6) t-14th (3)
Turnover Margin 8th (+1) 12th (-3)
Kickoff Return Avg. 12th (16.6) 8th (18.0)
Kickoffs–Opp.Avg. Start 15th (17.6) 9th (12.8)
Penalties 10th (46) t-8th (41)
Sacks By t-11th (2) 7th (5)
Sacks Against t-13th (6) t-1st (1)

NOTES:
BREAKING THE SKID – Nashville's current four-game is the first in franchise history (1999 was the only previous season in which the Kats lost three straight). The team will try to bounce back at Chicago this week. 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.

HAMMOND CLOSES IN ON MILESTONES – 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 just a half-tackle shy of becoming the third player in AFL history to record 600 stops (San Jose's Barry Wagner and Orlando's Damon Mason are the other two). He also is just 10 receiving yards and one INT shy of becoming only the second player in league history to record 30 interceptions and 8,000 receiving yards in a career (only Wagner has accomplished that feat so far). He is tenth on the AFL's all-time receiving-yards gained in a career with 7,990 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. Hammond has 15 receptions for 163 yards and 11 tackles in five games played this season. Hammond missed the Philadelphia game because of a minor injury. He had a season-high eight receptions for 112 yards last week against Las Vegas.

BUMPS & BRUISES –WR/DB Jarrick Hillery will miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury, as will DS Rober' Freeman with the same ailment. Quarterback Leon Murray is still battling shoulder and knee injuries, and will likely miss his second staright start. DS Tony Scott and WR/LB Cosmo DeMatteo are eligible to come off of injured reserve this week and could play on Saturday.

SECOND HALF BLUES – In each of their four losses this season, the Kats have received the second half kickoff but failed to score on any of those possessions. Nashville QB Leon Murray was intercepted on the team's first drive of the second half in weeks two through four, and the Kats went three-and-out in the opening possession of the third quarter in last week's loss to Las Vegas. Nashville has held a lead in the fourth quarter only once this season – in their only win at Columbus in week one. The Kats have been outscored, 119-95, in the second half of their five games this year.

SITTING OUT AGAIN –Kats QB Leon Murray is expected to miss his second consecutive start this week, as he battles nagging knee and shoulder injuries. He is expected to be available in an emergency situation. For the year, Murray has completed 60 percent of his throws for 845 yards, 12 touchdowns and five INT's. He has thrown for 105 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 47 yards rushing ties him for sixth in the league in that category, and his six rushing TD's are 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.

A SOLID START - With Murray on the shelf, backup quarterback Tony Zimmerman is slated to get his second straight start this week at Chicago. Zimmerman looked sharp in his first start last week against Las Vegas, connecting on 25-of-38 passes for 272 yards and a TD. He did not throw an interception. He saw his first action of the season in relief of Murray two weeks ago at New York, completing four-of-seven passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Zimmerman played last season with the Indiana Firebirds, also in a relief role, and he was the af2 Offensive MVP in 2003. Zimmerman played his college ball at Duquesne.

FLAG WAVING - The Kats committed a staggering 16 penalties for 104 yards in last week's loss to Las Vegas. Nashville is the fifth most-penalized team in the AFL after week five.

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 five weeks, the Kats rank third in the league in rushing, having gained 190 yards on a league-high 60 carries for an average of 3.1 yards per carry. In addition, their 12 rushing TD's are the most of any team in the league. Nashville has two players in the AFL's top 11 rushers. FB/LB Dan Alexander is second with 99 yards (3.1 yds per carry) and quarterback Leon Murray is 11th with 47 yards (3.1 yds per carry). In week one the Kats ran the ball a whopping 22 times for 82 yards in the win over the Columbus Destroyers, and they have run for 43 yards or more in three of five games this season. Some AFL teams struggle to gain that many yards on the ground in a year (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.

THE WORKHORSE: Speaking of a potent running game, Kats FB/LB Dan Alexander has been the top running threat for Nashville and one of the top ground threats in the league through the first four weeks of the season. Alexander ranks second in the league with 99 yards rushing and leads the AFL with 32 carries. His nine carries in the Feb. 19 game at New York are the most by any player in the league this season. He is averaging 3.1 yards per carry, and he has run for five TD's so far. He is also a receiving threat, having caught six passes for 72 yards and two TD's as well.

GETTING PICK-Y – The Kats have intercepted six passes so far this season, three by DS DeRon Jenkins, who is tied for third in the AFL in picks. DS Khalil Carter picked off a pass in last week's game and DS Angel Estrada and WR/DB Jarrick Hillery also have INT's this year. Nashville has intercepted passes on the opening drives of the last two games.

THE PLAYMAKER – Kats offensive specialist Fred Coleman has been a star for the Kats in the first five games, leading the team with 38 catches for 389 yards and four scores by air. He is tied for fifth in the league in receptions, and he is seventh in the AFL with 713 all-purpose yards. He also found the end zone on a thrilling 56-yard kickoff return against New Orleans in week two. 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.

WHERE'S THE BIG PLAY? – Through five weeks, the Kats rank last in the AFL in yards per play, averaging only 5.1 yards per offensive play. They also rank next-to-last in yards per pass play, averaging only 6.26 yards per attempt.

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 OF DEFENSE – After sitting out the first two games of the year with an ankle injury and having his streak of 131 consecutive games played come to an end, OL/DL James Baron has returned, registering two tackles in the last three games and giving the Kats an extra push from 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.

OLD STOMPING GROUNDS – Three players on the Kats' roster will be returning to Chicago to face their former team this week. In addition to Baron, who had three outstanding seasons for the Rush, FB/LB Levelle Brown and WR/LB Lindsay Fleshman also figure to be active for a return trip to Chicago. Brown played the 2003 and 2004 seasons with the Rush, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and scoring four TD's in limited action with the team. Fleshman was named Chicago's Ironman for the 2003 and 2004 seasons, and he played three years overall with the club. Last season, he caught 44 passes for 514 yards and eight TD's, and led the Rush with three INT's on defense.

COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH – The Kats are fourth in the league in both third-down efficiency and fourth-down efficiency. Nashville has converted 26-of-49 third down plays (53.1 percent) and 7-of-12 fourth down plays (58.3 percent).

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.

SPECIAL TEAMS STRUGGLES – The Kats rank 15th out of 17 teams in the league in average field position after kickoffs. The Kats have allowed opponents to start at an average of their own 18-yard line following kickoffs this season.

IN THE RED ZONE – The Kats have been good in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on 17 of 24 trips inside the 10-yard line this season, ranking them ninth in the AFL in that category. Defensively, Nashville ranks fourth in keeping opponents out of the end zone, allowing TD's on 17 of 27 trips inside the red zone this season.

SCOUTING CHICAGO
For only the second time since the start of the 2004 season, the Chicago Rush have lost two straight games. The Rush were shocked by the Columbus Destroyers during Week 4 and were unable to outlast the Orlando Predators last week. The Rush sit at 2-3 and second in the AFL Central Division. Even though the Rush have dropped two disappointing games, they have not been disappointed with quarterback Raymond Philyaw's return from a knee injury suffered during 2004. Already, Philyaw has been named the AFLWA Player of the Week and leads the league in most passing yards in a game with 409 yards versus Colorado during Week 3. Philyaw has enjoyed passing to 2004 Rush Rookie of the Year, Etu Molden, who leads Chicago in passes caught and has 10 receiving TD's and 12 overall. Philyaw also liked the addition of new offensive specialist Henry Douglass who has seven TD's and leads the Rush in receiving yards with 393. On defense, lineman John Moyer has filled the middle nicely for current Kats lineman James Baron who shined in Chicago last year. Moyer leads Chicago with three sacks and is tied for seventh in the league in that category.

QB RAYMOND PHILYAW – After missing last season with an MCL knee injury, Philyaw is back and making up for last year with giant numbers in 2004. During week two, Philyaw was named the AFLWA Player of the Week after he threw four touchdown passes and rushed for two other TDs in the Rush's 51-41 victory over the Philadelphia Soul. In that game, he completed 20 of 29 passes for 177 yards with no interceptions. One week later, Philyaw threw for 409 yards – a career-best – along with five touchdowns and two interceptions. The 409 yards that Philyaw put up versus the Colorado Crush is the most thrown by an AFL quarterback this season.

WR/LB ETU MOLDEN – Molden has turned into one of the elite players in the AFL and is currently tied for seventh in the AFL with 12 TD's on the season. Molden leads the Rush in receiving with 34 catches for 366 yards and 10 touchdowns. Molden is also a force on defense with one interception and the ability to fly around and make plays. Etu was named Chicago's Rookie of the Year last season and was a finalist for AFL Rookie of the Year honors after joining the AFL from the University of Montana.

OL/DL JOHN MOYER – Moyer has taken over for former Rush and current Kats lineman James Baron by earning three sacks for the Rush during 2004. Moyer's three sacks in 2004 is tied for third in the league. Moyer is the Rush franchise leader in sacks for a career (16.0) and a season (9.0). Moyer earned first-team all-Arena and all-Ironman team honors in 2003 and was named to the second-team all-Arena squad after the 2002 season. Moyer also has one receiving TD during the 2004 season.

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