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Nashville Kats game notes

March 7, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Colorado Crush (3-2) at Nashville Kats (1-5)
Date: Saturday, March 12
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (CT)
Site: Gaylord Entertainment Center (15,711)
Officials: R-Steve Pamon, U-Jeff Carr, HL-Brent Durbin, LJ-R.G. Detillier, BJ-Tony Lombardo
Television: Fox Sports Net South (Tape-Delayed; 11 p.m. CT). Eli Gold (Play-by-Play), Dave Archer (Analyst), Steve Wrigley (Sideline).
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: Colorado – bye
Chicago 45, Nashville 38
Coaches: Pat Sperduto, NAS (4th season; 33-23 overall); Mike Dailey (9th season; 78-54 overall).

OVERVIEW: The Kats return home looking to put an end to a five-game losing streak which is not only tied with Arizona for the longest current skid in the league, but is the longest in the team's history as well. Getting back on the winning track will not be an easy task, as the Central Division-leading Colorado Crush come to Nashville, toting a 3-2 record and a high-powered offense. The Crush feature All-Arena superstar receiver Damian Harrell, who already has 16 TD receptions in just five games. While Colorado's offense has begun to click on all cylinders, the Kats are still trying to get up and running. Nashville ranks last in the league in yards per play and next-to-last in points per game, averaging only 41.3 points per contest. The Kats will once again pin their hopes on the arm of QB Tony Zimmerman, who will get his third straight start while Leon Murray recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery. Zimmerman has thrown for 571 yards, seven TD's and two interceptions since taking over for Murray three weeks ago. Zimmerman will have a new weapon in his arsenal this week, as OS Travis McGriff, the 2003 AFL Rookie of the Year, joins the Kats offense after being picked up on waivers from Orlando last week. McGriff is lightning quick with great hands and may be just what a sluggish Nashville offense needs to turn the corner. A win this week would give the Kats a big confidence boost heading into next week's bye, and would keep them alive in a very crowded American Conference playoff picture.

THE SCHEDULES:
2005 Colorado Crush (3-2)
Game Opponent Result Time/Score
Jan. 30 @ Orlando Lost 36-39
Feb. 5 GRAND RAPIDS Won 72-56
Feb. 13 CHICAGO Lost 48-51
Feb. 19 @ Arizona Won 74-69
Feb. 27 LOS ANGELES Won 58-40
Mar. 12 @ Nashville 7:30 p.m.
Mar. 20 COLUMBUS 2:00 p.m.
Mar. 25 @ Dallas 7:30 p.m.
Apr. 3 LAS VEGAS 2:00 p.m.
Apr. 10 PHILADELPHIA 12 noon
Apr. 17 @ Chicago 12 noon
Apr. 22 SAN JOSE 8:00 p.m.
Apr. 30 @ Grand Rapids 5:30 p.m.
May 8 @ New Orleans 12 noon
May 13 NASHVILLE 8:00 p.m.
May 21 @ New York 6:00 p.m.

2005 Nashville Kats (1-5)
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 Lost 32-40
Mar. 6 @ Chicago Lost 35-48
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.

THE SERIES: The Kats and Crush have never met. Colorado entered the AFL in 2003, two years after the original Kats franchise was sold and moved to Georgia.

SERIES NOTABLES: Kats' defensive specialist Tony Scott played the 2004 season with Colorado, appearing in six games and posting 12 tackles and four pass breakups... This is the third regular season meeting between Kats head coach Pat Sperduto and Crush head coach Mike Dailey. Dailey, who was head coach of the Albany Firebirds in the coaches' two previous meetings holds a 2-0 edge in the series, winning games against Sperduto's Kats in 1999 and 2000... Colorado is co-owned by NFL Hall of Famer John Elway, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and Stan Kroenke, who also owns the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets and the St. Louis Rams.

LAST WEEK:
Colorado had a bye last week.
Colorado 58, Los Angeles 40 (@ Denver - Feb. 27)
The Colorado Crush led from start to finish and sailed to a 58-40 win over the Los Angeles Avengers at Pepsi Center on Sunday afternoon. The win improved the Crush to 3-2, and sends the team into its bye week on a two-game winning streak following a 1-2 start in which both losses were by three points apiece. Colorado sprinted to a 14-0 lead less than four minutes into the contest on the strength of a 1-yard John Peaua touchdown run and a 6-yard interception return for a score by wide receiver/linebacker Kevin McKenzie. Damian Harrell scored five times for the Crush on passes from John Dutton, who had six touchdown strikes overall. Wide receiver/defensive back Ahmad Hawkins had his best receiving day in the AFL, snaring five passes for 81 yards and a score.

Chicago 45, Nashville 38 (@ Chicago – Mar. 6)
A furious late rally was not enough for the Nashville Kats, who cut a 21-point fourth quarter lead to a final seven-point deficit in a 45-38 loss on Sunday against the Chicago Rush. The Kats (1-5) were victimized by Rush QB Todd Hammel, who threw for five TD's on the afternoon. Hammel was 20-of-31 for 223 yards, two INT's and the five TD's, as the 14-year vet filled in for the injured Raymond Philyaw. Five different Rush players found the end zone on the day. Nashville's offense, which has been sluggish all season, never got untracked until it was too late. Tony Zimmerman, who was filling in at quarterback for an injured Leon Murray for the second straight week, completed 25 of 48 throws for 227 yards, four TD's and two picks, but the overwhelming majority of Zimmerman's stats and the Kats' 243 total yards were accumulated late in the fourth period, as Nashville tried to rally from a big deficit. The Kats had only 126 total yards with 10 minutes to go in the game. Darryl Hammond caught three TD passes for the Kats in the game.

THE COACHES:
Colorado – Mike Dailey, 9th Season
78-54 (.591) overall
After leading the Crush to the greatest turnaround in AFL History last season, Dailey now faces the responsibility of keeping the Crush atop the Central Division. Dailey joined the Crush following 13 seasons in the Albany/Indiana Firebirds organization, including the final seven as head coach. In his first season in Colorado, Dailey helped guide the Crush to the largest turnaround in AFL history, inheriting a 2-14 team and leading them to an 11-5 record in 2004, tied for the best in the league. He also led the Crush to their first playoff appearance and first win, advancing to the AFL Semifinals. In 1999 Dailey led the Firebirds to their only ArenaBowl championship and a regular season-playoff record of 14-3, best in franchise history. He was named AFL Coach of the Year following that standout campaign.


Nashville – Pat Sperduto, 4th season
33-23 (.589) 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 Crush Kats
Scoring Offense (Rank) 57.6 (1st) 41.3 (16th)
Scoring Defense 51.0 (11th) 50.5 (10th)
Total Offense 271.0 (13th) 266.3 (14th)
Total Defense 324.8 (15th) 262.5 (6th)
Pass Offense 261.8 (10th) 232.0 (14th)
Pass Defense 293.6 (15th) 245.2 (6th)
Rushing Offense 9.2 (17th) 32.3 (3rd)
Rushing Defense 31.2 (14th) 17.3 (6th)
Interceptions 6 (t-7th) 8 (2nd)
Turnover Margin +4 (t-4th) +1 (8th)
Kickoff Return Avg. 17.0 (10th) 16.3 (11th)
Kickoffs–Opp.Avg. Start 9.3 (2nd) 16.5 (15th)
Penalty Yards 263 (6th) 345 (12th)
Sacks By 11 (t-1st) 5 (t-5th)
Sacks Against 2 (t-2nd) 6 (t-10th)

NOTES:
BREAKING THE SKID – Nashville's current five-game losing streak is the first in franchise history (1999 was the only previous season in which the Kats lost more than two straight). The five-game skid is tied with Arizona for the longest current losing streak in the AFL. The team will try to bounce back against Colorado 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.

MURRAY UNDER THE KNIFE – Nashville Kats quarterback Leon Murray underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Monday to repair damage that has kept him out of the Kats' last two games. The procedure was performed by Dr. David Alexander, Nashville's team physician. Murray injured the knee in the Kats' week one win over Columbus. He continued to play on it until Nashville's week four game at New York, but he finally was forced to sit out the team's last two games. Murray was active but did not play in the Kats' losses to Las Vegas and Chicago.Arthroscopic surgery has a normal recovery time of two to four weeks. The Kats play at home against Colorado on Saturday and do not play again until March 26 against Arizona, with their bye week falling in between the two games. If Murray misses Saturday's game as expected, he will have 18 days to rest before possibly playing again. 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.

ZIM'S IN - With Murray recovering from surgery, Tony Zimmerman is once again expected to start under center for the Kats when they line up against the Crush on Saturday. Zimmerman has completed 54 of 93 passes for 571 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions since taking over at quarterback in the fourth quarter of Nashville's game against New York three weeks ago. 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. While recovering from surgery, it is unlikely that Murray will even be available in a backup role, as he has been the last two weeks. If that is the case, the Kats may place the former Tennessee State star on injured reserve and activate rookie quarterback Bill Whittemore from the practice squad. Whittemore (6-0, 205) played at Kansas and hails from nearby Brentwood, Tenn.

HAMMOND MAKES HISTORY – No one in Arena Football League history has more experience in the sport than Kats WR/LB Darryl Hammond, who is in his 15th year. Last week, he became the third player in AFL history to surpass 600 stops (San Jose's Barry Wagner and Orlando's Damon Mason are the other two). He also is just 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 8,058 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. In the last two weeks, the University of Virginia product has caught 14 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns. He 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 21 receptions for 231 yards, three TD's and 15 tackles in five games played this season.

BUMPS & BRUISES –WR/DB Jarrick Hillery is questionable with a hamstring injury, as is DS Rober' Freeman with the same ailment. Quarterback Leon Murray is out after undergoing knee surgery. WR/LB Cosmo DeMatteo is eligible to come off of injured reserve this week and could play on Saturday.

THIRD QUARTER WOES – Nashville has been shut out in the third quarter in each of the last two games, and in each of their five 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 their most recent losses against Las Vegas and Chicago. 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, 140-115, in the second half of their six games this year.

McGRIFF JOINS KATS – Offensive specialist Travis McGriff (5-8, 185) has joined the Kats and will likely see his first action for the team this week against Colorado. McGriff, who was named the 2003 AFL Rookie of the Year, started the first four games of this season at offensive specialist for the Orlando Predators, catching 20 passes for 221 yards and four touchdowns. McGriff comes to the Kats with an impressive resume. As an AFL rookie with Orlando in 2003, the former University of Florida receiver caught 81 passes for 1,216 yards and scored 25 touchdowns. He also added more than 1,000 kick return yards and added another touchdown. Last season, he missed the first six games of the regular season with a hamstring injury. He returned to catch 34 passes for 473 yards and 12 touchdowns in five games, but tore a thumb ligament in Week 12 against New Orleans and missed the final five games of the regular season. For his career, he has 135 receptions for 1,910 yards and 41 touchdowns in 23 career games played.

THIRTYSOMETHING – The Kats have been held to less than 40 points in three of their six games this season. Nashville has scored in the 30s or lower 14 times in franchise history, winning only three of those games. The most times the Kats have scored fewer than 40 in a season was in 1999 (Pat Sperduto's first year as head coach), when it happened four times.

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 six weeks, the Kats rank third in the league in rushing, having gained 206 yards on a league-high 78 carries for an average of 2.6 yards per carry. In addition, their 15 rushing TD's are the most of any team in the league. Nashville has two players in the AFL's top 13 rushers. FB/LB Dan Alexander is second with 105 yards (2.9 yds per carry) and quarterback Leon Murray is 13th 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 six 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 six weeks of the season. Alexander ranks second in the league with 105 yards rushing and leads the AFL with 36 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 2.9 yards per carry, and he has run for five TD's so far. He is also a receiving threat, having caught seven passes for 72 yards and two TD's as well.

GETTING PICK-Y – The Kats have intercepted eight passes so far this season, tying them for third in the AFL in that category. Three of the INT's came by DS DeRon Jenkins, who is tied for third in the AFL in picks. DS Khalil Carter has two picks and DS Angel Estrada, FB/LB Levelle Brown and WR/DB Jarrick Hillery also have INT's this year.

THE PLAYMAKER – Kats offensive specialist Fred Coleman has been a star for the Kats in the first six games, leading the team with 44 catches for 460 yards and five scores by air. He is fifth in the league in receptions, and he is seventh in the AFL with 826 all-purpose yards. He also found the end zone on a thrilling 56-yard kickoff return against New Orleans in week two. With the addition of McGriff, who is also an offensive specialist, Coleman will likely see some time on both sides of the ball as the season progresses. 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 six weeks, the Kats rank last in the AFL in yards per play, averaging only 5.1 yards per offensive play. They also rank last in yards per pass play, averaging only 9.9 yards per attempt. The Kats, however, have run more offensive plays (316) than any team in the AFL this season.

TITANS CONNECTIONS – Five players on Nashville's 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 three tackles in the last four games, including one for a four-yard loss at Chicago last week, 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).

COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH – The Kats are tied for third in the league in fourth-down efficiency and sixth in third-down efficiency. Nashville has converted 30-of-59 third down plays (50.8 percent) and 7-of-14 fourth down plays (50 percent).

SPECIAL TEAMS STRUGGLES – Despite connecting on a career-long 50-yard field goal, kicker Gary Kral missed three extra points in last week's loss at Chicago. He is 25-for-33 on PAT tries so far this season. 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 16.5-yard line following kickoffs this season.

IN THE RED ZONE – The Kats have been good in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on 19 of 26 trips inside the 10-yard line this season, ranking them seventh in the AFL in that category. Defensively, Nashville ranks fifth in keeping opponents out of the end zone, allowing TD's on 19 of 31 trips inside the red zone this season.

SCOUTING COLORADO
The Colorado Crush will be fresh in Nashville as they come off their bye week, sitting atop the Central Division at 3-2. The Crush also bring a two-game winning streak to the Music City after starting 1-2. Although the Crush's statistics do not indicate a division leading squad, the Crush find a way to win. Quarterback John Dutton sits fourth in the AFL in TD's thrown and OS Damian Harrell is third in the AFL in points scored. WR/LB Kevin McKenzie provides another imposing offensive force opposite Harrell, tied for 21st in the AFL in receptions. On defense, DS Rashad Floyd was February's ADT Defensive Player of the Month and leads an opportunistic squad that is fourth in the AFL in take-away, give-away ratio with a net +4.

QB JOHN DUTTON – Dutton currently sits fourth in the AFL in TD's thrown during the 2005 season and is the 10th rated quarterback this season. The fourth year quarterback has completed 114 passes out of 185 attempts for 1,322 yards and 28 touchdowns and only four interceptions. The solid QB runs the high-powered offense for the AFL Central Division leaders with occasional input from Crush Co-owner and CEO John Elway, an all-time great Denver Broncos quarterback.

OS DAMIAN HARRELL – In 2005, Harrell sits third in the AFL in scoring with 16 TD's for 96 points. Dutton's favorite target has four games with at least 100-yards receiving. Two weeks ago against Arizona, Harrell had three TD's for 144 yards on nine receptions. Last week versus Los Angeles, Harrell scored five TD's with 10 catches for 135 yards. After an impressive 2004 season where Harrell earned second-team All-Arena honors, the fifth-year receiver has become one of the sport's best at his position. Harrell holds all franchise single-game, season and career marks for scoring and receiving

DS RASHAD FLOYD– Coming off February's ADT Defensive Player of the Month award, Floyd will look to wreak havoc against the Nashville offense. The four-year player has recorded a league-leading 51.5 tackles, along with 11 pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble in guiding the Crush to a 3-2 record and the Central Division lead. Floyd, who has earned Defensive Player of the Game honors in four of the Crush's five games in 2005, has made 10+ tackles three times this season. He was named AFL Defensive Player of the Week following Week 5 after making an AFL single-game record 17.5 total tackles, including a tackle for a loss and three pass breakups in a 58-40 win over Los Angeles on February 27. Floyd also earned Defensive Player of the Month for March of the 2004 season.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 7, 2005


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