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Nashville Kats game notes

April 20, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Tampa Bay Storm (7-4) at Nashville Kats (3-7-1)
Date: Sunday, April 24
Kickoff: 12:00 noon (CT)
Site: Gaylord Entertainment Center (15,711)
Officials: R-Dennis Lipski, U-Richard Brown, HL-Kavin McGrath, LJ-Art Lucky, BJ-Joe Duncan
Television: NBC (WSMV-Ch. 4)
Radio: Kats Radio Network. Flagship – 104.5 The Zone. Mike Keith (Play-by-Play), Frank Wycheck (Analyst).
Internet: Live statistics at www.arenafootball.com.
Series Record: Nashville leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Nashville (7/13/01)
Series Streaks: The Kats won the last meeting.
Last Week: Tampa Bay 54, Austin 42
Nashville 51, Los Angeles 48
Coaches: Tim Marcum (16th season, 174-67 overall)
Pat Sperduto, NAS (4th season; 35-25-1 overall)

OVERVIEW: The Kats are on a roll, having extended their unbeaten streak to three after last weekend's stirring 51-48 win over Los Angeles. It marked the first home win of the season for Nashville, which has not lost in the second half of the season after going 1-7 in the first part of the 2005 schedule. This week, the Kats get a huge test in the form of the Tampa Bay Storm – a perennial powerhouse and old rival of the Kats. Tampa Bay stands at 7-4 and in excellent shape for a playoff spot in the tough AFL Southern Division. The Storm is one of the league's toughest offensive teams, and the combination of quarterback Shane Stafford and WR/LB Lawrence Samuels has been one of the most effective in all of arena football. Up until last week, however, the Storm's one Achilles heel has been playing on the road. In fact, all four of Tampa's losses have come away from home.

THE SCHEDULES:
2005 Tampa Bay Storm (7-4)
Game Opponent Result Time/Score
Jan. 30 SAN JOSE Won 63-33
Feb. 6 AUSTIN Won 62-45
Feb. 11 @ Orlando Lost 46-61
Feb. 25 @ New Orleans Lost 42-48 (OT)
Mar. 6 GRAND RAPIDS Won 70-50
Mar. 13 ARIZONA Won 59-56
Mar. 20 @ Philadelphia Lost 63-69
Mar. 26 @ Los Angeles Lost 28-59
Apr. 2 GEORGIA Won 48-38
Apr. 9 ORLANDO Won 48-38
Apr. 17 @ Austin Won 54-42
Apr. 24 @ Nashville 12 noon
April 30 NEW ORLEANS 6:30 p.m.
May 8 @ Georgia 12 noon
May 15 NEW YORK 12 noon
May 22 @ Columbus 2:00 p.m.

2005 Nashville Kats (3-7-1)
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 Lost 49-62
Feb. 26 LAS VEGAS Lost 32-40
Mar. 6 @ Chicago Lost 38-45
Mar. 12 COLORADO Lost 35-42
Mar. 26 ARIZONA Lost 35-48
Apr. 3 @ Grand Rapids Won 40-27
Apr. 8 @ Dallas Tied 41-41
Apr. 17 LOS ANGELES Won 51-48
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: Two teams that had one of the Arena Football League's top rivalries from 1997-2001 will meet again for the first time since the Kats returned from their three-season hiatus. The teams met ten times in the five seasons that the original Kats franchise was around, with the Storm taking seven of the ten games. From 1998-2001 the two teams played together in the same division (Southern), and their last meeting (on July 13, 2001) took place on the final regular season weekend with the winner claiming the division title. Nashville won that game, 45-38, and went on to ArenaBowl XV. The teams also squared off in the playoffs in 1997, with Tampa claiming a 52-49 win.

Date Result
5/23/97 Tampa Bay 42, NASHVILLE 26
8/10/97 Tampa Bay 52, NASHVILLE 49*
5/9/98 Nashville 54, TAMPA BAY 52
7/17/98 NASHVILLE 49, Tampa Bay 43
5/22/99 TAMPA BAY 41, Nashville 34
5/28/99 Tampa Bay 32, NASHVILLE 43
6/17/00 TAMPA BAY 40, Nashville 30
7/14/00 Tampa Bay 35, NASHVILLE 31
4/21/01 TAMPA BAY 45, Nashville 40
7/13/01 NASHVILLE 45, Tampa Bay 38
* Playoff Game

SERIES NOTABLES: Kats WR/DB T.T. Toliver played with the Tampa Bay Storm until just three weeks ago, when he was traded to Nashville in exchange for exempt DS Fred Booker. Toliver played three and a half seasons with the Storm, earning an ArenaBowl ring with the team in 2003 and a place on the league's All-Ironman team last season... Kats coach Pat Sperduto played for the Storm from 1991 until 1993 and served as an assistant coach in 1994, winning ArenaBowls with the team in '91, '93 and '94... Kats line coach Darrin Kenney also played with Tampa Bay on their 1993 championship team... Including this season, the Storm is the only AFL team that the Kats have played in each of their six seasons... Nashville played Tampa Bay in the team's final regular season game in 2001 before being sold and moved to Atlanta.

LAST MEETING:
Nashville 45, Tampa Bay 38 (@Nashville–July 13, 2001)
In a battle for the Southern Division title, the Kats avenged an earlier season loss and snapped a five-game losing streak to Tampa Bay with a big 45-38 win. Nashville scored on its first offensive play and on each of their first five possessions to take a 35-14 lead into halftime. Rookie FB/LB Travis Reece had a big night on both sides of the ball, earning him Ironman honors. He rushed for two TD's, including a 39-yard romp. He also had sack and forced a fumble.

LAST WEEK:
Nashville 51, Los Angeles 48 (@ Nashville – Apr. 17)
FB/LB Rupert Grant rushed for the go-ahead touchdown with nine seconds to play as the Nashville Kats, losers of seven straight earlier in the season, stretched their record to 2-0-1 over the last three weeks. QB Leon Murray completed 19-of-27 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns on the afternoon, two to WR/DB T.T. Toliver, who caught a 45-yard touchdown pass on the team's first play from scrimmage. That was Nashville's only offensive play in the first quarter, but the team took a 14-6 lead when WR/DB Jarrick Hillery returned the first of two kickoffs for touchdowns. The Avengers came back to tie the game at 20 at halftime and the teams traded blows throughout the second half until Los Angeles QB John Kaleo found OS Khori Ivy in the front corner of the end zone with less than two minutes to play. Down 48-43, Murray captained a last-minute drive for the Kats, ending in Grant's touchdown run. Murray hit WR/LB Darryl Hammond to convert the following two-point conversion.

Tampa Bay 54, Austin 42 (@ Austin – Apr. 17)
Austin looked to be yet another trap for the Storm, as they found themselves down 21-7 after one quarter of play, but they came back to secure their first road victory of the season. Tampa Bay QB Shane Stafford passed for 207 yards and 5 TDs. WR/LB Lawrence Samuels, who hauled in 11 of Stafford's 25 completions, was the QB's top target. After giving up 21 points in the first quarter, the Storm defense stiffened and allowed only 21 more the rest of the way with single TD scores in each of the three remaining quarters. They stopped Austin on downs with under a minute to go, and ran out the clock to notch their seventh victory of the season.

THE COACHES:
Tampa Bay – Tim Marcum, 16th Season
174-67 (.722) overall
The winningest coach in AFL history, Marcum has won seven ArenaBowl titles and coached in 10 of the league's 18 ArenaBowls. He is in his 11th season as coach of the Storm, a team he has led to three championships. Before coming on board with Tampa Bay, Marcum coached arena football teams in Denver and Detroit and won four titles during that span, including the league's first-ever ArenaBowl in 1987. He led Ranger Junior College to the JuCo national championship in 1979 and also coached at Rice before spending time with the USFL's San Antonio Gunslingers and the New York Knights of the World League of American Football. Between AFL coaching stints, he was linebackers coach for the University of Florida under Steve Spurrier in 1990.

Nashville – Pat Sperduto, 4th season
35-25-1 (.582) 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 Storm Kats
Scoring Offense (Rank) 53.5 (4th) 40.9 (17th)
Scoring Defense 49.4 (t-8th) 46.3 (3rd)
Total Offense 295.5 (5th) 261.3 (17th)
Total Defense 279.1 (8th) 272.8 (6th)
Pass Offense 284.2 (4th) 231.5 (17th)
Pass Defense 290.0 (16th) 246.9 (5th)
Rushing Offense 11.4 (15th) 29.8 (4th)
Rushing Defense 17.0 (5th) 21.5 (9th)
Interceptions 12 (t-7th) 13 (t-4th)
Turnover Margin +3 (t-6th) +4 (5th)
Kickoff Return Avg. 16.3 (12th) 17.9 (7th)
Kickoffs–Opp.Avg. Start 12.1 (12th) 14.7 (4th)
Penalty Yard Avg. 39.7 (1st) 57.9 (9th)
Sacks By 10 (11th) 16 (1st)
Sacks Against 10 (t-8th) 12 (11th)

NOTES:
ON A ROLL – After going 1-7 to start the season, the Kats have started to improve dramatically in recent weeks and are now in the midst of a three-game unbeaten streak. The team followed its 40-27 win over Grand Rapids three weeks ago with a rare 41-41 tie at Dallas. They won again last week in a 51-48 victory over Los Angeles. Nashville seeks to win consecutive games for the first time this season with a win against Tampa Bay at home this week. The earlier seven-game skid had been the longest current losing streak in the AFL, and spanned 64 days.

HAPPY HOMECOMING – The Kats' win over L.A. last week was the team's first at home since 2001, before the team was sold and moved to Georgia. Nashville was 0-4 in its first four games at the Gaylord Entertainment Center this season, but finally stopped the slide last week. The Kats' 51 points in last week's win was easily the highest mark by the team at home this season. They had not scored more than 35 points in any of their first four home games this year.

THE BIG STAGE – This will be Nashville's second appearance on NBC television this season. They lost a 59-48 decision at Philadelphia in their earlier national appearance this season. The Kats are 1-3, all-time, on network television, having also lost ArenaBowls XIV and XV on ABC and having won a 2001 semifinal game against San Jose on ABC.

NIFTY TO BE 50 – Nashville finally reached the 50-point mark for the first time all season in last week's 51-48 win over Los Angeles. The Kats, who rank last in the league with an average of only 40.9 points per game, had not scored more than 48 points in a game all year, before the win. After having been held in the 30s in five of their first eight games this season – the most in franchise history – the Kats have passed the 40-point mark in each of the last three games. Nashville has scored in the 30s or lower 16 times in franchise history, winning only three of those games. They are 46-18-1, all time, when scoring 40 or more points.

SACK ATTACK – Despite only getting two QB sacks in the first five weeks of the season, Nashville has exploded for 14 in the last six games and they lead AFL with 16 sacks overall. The Kats are also averaging more sacks per play than any other team in the league. Five players (Henry Taylor, James Baron, Levelle Brown, Joe Minucci and Rupert Grant) rank among the league's top 18 in sacks. Taylor leads the way with 4.5, while the other four each have three. Nashville is the only team to have more than two players among the top 18.

GETTING STINGY – The Kats' defense is third in the league in points allowed, giving up an average of just 46.3 points per game, and they have not allowed more than 48 points in a game since week four. In fact, from week five through last week's win over L.A., Nashville is giving up an average of only 41.6 points per contest. From halftime of the Grand Rapids game three weeks ago until the second quarter against the Avengers, the Kats gave up only five touchdowns on their opponents' last 26 offensive possessions. In the last three games, the Kats have given up TD's on only 36.36% of opponents' possessions, far below the league average of 59.86%. Nashville's defense did not allow a single point in 55:20, spanning from halftime of the Grand Rapids game until late in the first half of the Dallas game.

FIT TO BE TIED – The Kats and Dallas fought to a rare 41-41 tie last week, resulting in only the second deadlock in the AFL's 19-year history. The last time a game ended in a tie was in July 1988 when the Chicago Bruisers and L.A. Cobras finished in a 37-37 tie.

RALLY KATS – After finding it difficult to rally after falling behind during their seven-game losing streak, Nashville has come back from second half deficits in each of the last three games. The Kats rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat Grand Rapids, 40-27, three weeks ago. Two weeks ago, they were down 11 in the fourth quarter and came back to take the lead before eventually ending the contest in a tie. Last week, they were down, 48-43, to L.A. before scoring the winning TD with nine seconds to play.

STRONGER DOWN THE STRETCH – The Kats' 22 fourth-quarter points in last week's win were the most by the team this season. That fact alone is telling of how the team has started to play much better in the second half after fizzling during the last two quarters during the seven-game losing streak. In fact, Nashville was forced to play comeback nearly the entire time during their skid. Only three times in the seven-game slide did the Kats hold a lead in the second half. In a total of 210 second-half minutes during those seven losses, Nashville only led for 17:14 of that time. Until the win at Grand Rapids, the Kats did not hold a lead past the six-minute mark of the third quarter since their week one win over Columbus. The Kats were outscored, 182-143, in the second half of their first eight games this year, and Nashville has outscored its opponents 86-59 in the second half of the last three games. There has not been a game this season in which the Kats have not trailed in the second half. Even in the team's three wins and the tie, they have had to play catch up after trailing in the second half.

DEFLATING DRIVES – The Kats have not been impressive on their first drive of the second half this season. Nashville has received the opening kickoff of the second half nine times in 11 games and have managed to score only twice (once on a TD and once on a FG). Overall, on the team's first possession of the second half, Nashville has scored only three times, while turning the ball over either on downs, a turnover or missed field goal eight times.

MURRAY COMING AROUND – After struggling or missing time due to injury for much of the season, Nashville Kats quarterback Leon Murray has put together solid games the last three weeks. He is 58-of-97 for 729 yards, 12 TD's and four INT's in the last three weeks. He missed all or part of four games earlier this season with a knee injury that forced him to undergo arthroscopic surgery. He has also battled sternum and shoulder injuries as well. For the year, Murray has completed 58.7 percent of his throws for 1,791 yards, 27 touchdowns and 10 INT's. He has thrown for 120 touchdowns and 7,175 yards in his third year in the league. Backup QB Tony Zimmerman, who made three starts while Murray was recovering from his injury, was released three weeks ago. Bill Whittemore, who has not taken an AFL snap, is now serving as the backup. Whittemore, who played collegiately at Kansas, has spent most of the season on the practice squad.

KAT BURGLARS – The Kats are fifth in the AFL in turnover ratio with a +4 mark. Nashville forced five turnovers two weeks ago at Dallas – three interceptions and two fumbles. Defensive specialists Kahlil Carter and DeRon Jenkins each picked off their fourth passes of the year. Five other players – Darryl Hammond, Levelle Brown, Lindsay Fleshman, Jarrick Hillery and the now-departed Angel Estrada have recorded interceptions this season. Offensively, the Kats have only turned the ball over 16 times – the fifth lowest number of any team in the league.

T.T. EQUALS MVP – 2004 All-Ironman selection T.T. Toliver, who was acquired by the Kats three weeks ago in a trade with Tampa Bay, has been an excellent addition since coming to the Kats. In fact, he has been named Offensive MVP in each of the two games he has played with the team. Toliver, a WR/DB, caught six passes for 100 yards and two TD's last week against L.A., and added a scoring run on a key two-point conversion. He also caught two TD passes at Dallas two weeks ago. In his fourth season in the AFL, Toliver has been one of the league's best all-around players in the last two seasons. He was named to the AFL's All-Ironman Team after last season, when he led the Storm with 2,095 all-purpose yards. He returned four kickoffs for scores, tied for the team lead in interceptions with three and finished second on the squad with 14 touchdown receptions. Toliver also ranked third on the team in receptions (64), receiving yards (749) and tackles (54.5) in 2004. The Bethune-Cookman product was a member of Tampa Bay's 2003 ArenaBowl championship squad, and he has spent time on NFL practice squads with the San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Bucaneers and St. Louis Rams. Toliver got a late start to this season after suffering a knee injury in training camp that kept him sidelined for the first four weeks of the year. Since returning on March 6, he has caught 39 passes for 539 yards and 13 TD's. He also has returned a missed field goal for a 53 yard score and averaged 17.0 yards on 12 kickoff returns. Defensively, he has 7.5 tackles and an interception.

HE JUST MAKES PLAYS – Kats FB/LB Levelle Brown may be the quietest man on the roster, but his play has spoken very loudly in recent weeks. In nearly every game since coming off injured reserve in week five, Brown has made one or more big plays on either side of the ball. Against Chicago on March 6, he had a TD run, a sack, a forced fumble and an INT. Against Colorado the next week, he ran for another score and had a tackle for loss. In the Arizona game, Brown once again had a TD run and added a sack. He had another sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a dazzling 27-yard TD reception in the win at Grand Rapids. Two weeks ago at Dallas, he had 22 rushing yards, a TD and a key fumble recovery in overtime. For the year, Brown has 61 rushing yards and five TD's. He also has three receptions for 47 yards and a score. Defensively, he has 14 tackles, 4.5 stops for loss, three sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries.

THIRD AND SHORT – Nashville quarterbacks are a perfect six-for-six in running for first downs on third-down attempts. Leon Murray leads the league in that category by moving the chains all four times he has run the ball on third down, while Tony Zimmerman also picked up the first in both of his third down rushing attempts.

DOGGHEAD DANCES TO RECORDS - FB/LB Rupert "Dogghead" Grant has made a triumphant return to Nashville after being acquired in a trade from Orlando last month. He became the team's all-time leading rusher two weeks ago, surpassing Jason Bratton's old record of 328. Grant now has 342 rushing yards with the Kats. He also broke the team's all-time mark for most rushing TD's with 19 after scoring the winning TD on a one-yard run with nine seconds to go last week. Grant has been a factor on both sides of the ball for the Kats since joining the team, scoring on a one-yard run against Arizona and earning Defensive MVP honors against Grand Rapids after notching a sack and helping make a key fourth-down stop in the win. He scored a TD and made 4.5 tackles at Dallas two weeks ago and scored the winning points in the win over L.A. He is in his seventh season in the AFL and returns to Nashville, where he accumulated 318 rushing in his previous three-year tenure with the Kats. Since the Kats were sold and moved following the 2001 season, Grant has played for three different teams. He missed the entire 2002 season as a member of the Georgia Force after suffering an Achilles injury in training camp. In 2003, he played for the Detroit Fury and had a team-high five rushing TD's. Grant moved on to Orlando in 2004, where he had perhaps the best season of his career, tying a Predators record with 9.5 sacks – one of the highest sack totals for a "Mac" linebacker in AFL history. He earned second-team All-Arena honors and had 121 rushing yards and six touchdowns in addition to three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries on defense. This season, Grant has 21 tackles with three quarterback sacks in seven games for the Predators and four for the Kats. The veteran from Howard University also has six touchdowns rushing, and he has continued to add to his reputation as one of the best blocking fullbacks in all of arena football.

STATISTICALLY CHALLENGED – The Kats' offense simply can't be found on the league leaders list. Nashville quarterback Leon Murray ranks 19th in the AFL in passer rating, and the Kats do not have a player among the league's top 20 in receptions, receiving yards or kickoff returns. Nashville has only gotten three 100-yard receiving games out of its players all season, with Darryl Hammond, Travis McGriff and T.T. Toliver each going over the century mark once this year. The Kats still have not had a QB throw for more than 300 yards in a game so far this season.

HAMMOND KEEPS ON GOING – Kats WR/LB Darryl Hammond, who is in his 15th year in the AFL (the longest tenure in Arena Football League history), never seems to slow down. He once again had an outstanding game last week, tying for the team lead with six receptions for 62 yards and a TD. He also caught a two-point conversion that gave the Kats their final margin of victory against the Avengers. He became just the second player in league history to have 8,000 receiving yards and 30 interceptions in a career a few weeks ago. San Jose WR/LB Barry Wagner is the only other player to have accomplished the feat. Hammond now has 8,282 receiving yards and 30 INT's. Earlier this season, he became the third player in AFL history to surpass 600 stops (Wagner and Grand Rapids' Damon Mason are the other two). He is fifth in AFL history with 772 career receptions and ranks ninth on the league's all-time receiving-yards gained in a career with 8,282 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 620.5. 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 47 receptions for 455 yards, six TD's and 26.5 tackles in ten games played this season.

BUMPS & BRUISES –DS Tony Scott is still out with a quadriceps injury, as is OL/DL Ryan Roth with a foot injury. OL/DL Wes Stephens and WR/DB Jermaine Lewis are both eligible to come off of IR this week and will be evaluated in the next few days. Stephens has been out with a shoulder injury, while Lewis has been battling tonsillitis.

NEW SUPERHERO – Since joining the team just a few weeks ago, offensive specialist Travis McGriff has been the main target for Kats quarterbacks. In fact, Sperduto has said that he is Robin to Murray's Batman on this team. Since taking the field for the Kats for the first time five games ago, McGriff has shown his superhero qualities, leading all Nashville receivers with 22 receptions for 369 yards and four scores. He also has returned 14 kickoffs for 230 yards, averaging 16.4 yards per return. McGriff, who started the first four games of the year with Orlando, had a huge game three weeks ago in the win at Grand Rapids, hauling in four passes – three of which went for scores – for 138 yards. It was the biggest receiving game for a Kats player this season. McGriff was named 2003 AFL Rookie of the Year.

POUNDING THE ROCK – Nashville's ground game showed two weeks ago why it was one of the best in the AFL earlier in the year. The Kats ran the ball 13 times for 51 yards and three TD's at Dallas. It was the team's most rushing attempts since a Feb. 19 game at New York, and their second-highest output of the season. The performance came after the Kats' ground game had been slowed in recent weeks. After running for a whopping 82 yards on 22 carries in the team's opening week win over Columbus, Nashville had averaged 46 yards per game on the ground through the season's first four weeks. Since that time, however, the Kats ran the ball much less. In fact, after carrying the ball 10 or more times in each of the first four games, the Kats ran more than 10 times in only one of the next five games leading up to the game at Dallas. Last week, the Kats once again carried the ball 10 times and scored the winning points on a one-yard TD run by Grant, but managed only 13 yards on the ground. Nashville's ground game is ranked fourth in the league with an average of 29.8 yards rushing per game. FB/LB Dan Alexander is still ranked tenth in the league in rushing with 105 yards, despite missing the last three games. Leon Murray, Rupert Grant and Levelle Brown are also listed among the AFL's top 30 rushers.

THE LONGEST YARDS: Nashville's defense is one of the stingiest in the league when it comes to giving up first downs, ranking fourth in first downs allowed. The Kats are averaging only 19 first downs allowed per game. Overall, Nashville's defense ranks sixth in the AFL in total defense, allowing only 269.3 yards per game. However, the Kats have been giving up the yards when it matters most. On third down, Nashville ranks 14th out of 17 AFL teams in the league in opponents' third-down conversions, giving up a first down 50 percent of the time. However, the Kats have kept opponents out of the end zone on all but five of their last 24 possessions.

RETURN OF THE IRONMAN - WR/DB Jarrick Hillery is one of the Arena Football League's top Ironmen, and he showed why last week in his first game since week four, when he went on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Hillery was named Ironman of the game after taking back two kickoffs for TD's and racking up four kick returns for 169 yards. He also had a 13-yard reception and two tackles in the game. Hillery has excelled in all facets of the game in his first five years in the league, and he has shown his versatility in the five games he has played this year, catching 25 passes for 217 yards and five TD's, while also carrying the ball twice for five yards on offense. Defensively, he has intercepted one pass, broke up another and has 12 stops. He also has had 10 kickoff returns for 281 yards (a 28.1-yard average) on the year. 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.

RETURN OF THE BIG PLAY – The Kats have only had ten offensive plays go for more than 30 yards all season, but five of those have come in the last three weeks. The Kats got three plays of 30+ yards in the win at Grand Rapids three weeks ago (all passes from Murray to McGriff), including a season-long 47-yard strike, and one long play from Murray to Toliver in the Dallas game two weeks ago. Toliver and Murray also connected for a 45-yard strike in last week's game against L.A. as well. Currently, the Kats still rank last in the AFL in yards per play, averaging only 5.3 yards per offensive play. They also rank last in yards per pass play, averaging only 6.3 yards per attempt.

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 – OL/DL James Baron is widely known as one of the AFL's all-time greatest lineman, and he is showing why in his return to the Kats this season. 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, Baron has returned, registering 10 tackles, four stops for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a safety in his nine games this season. Baron 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 39.5 career sacks — the fifth-highest total in league history. His 24.5 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).

NAGLE OFF TO ORLANDO – FB/LB Kevin Nagle, who has spent the last few weeks on the Kats' practice squad, was signed off the practice roster by the Orlando Predators on Monday. Nagle had run the ball nine times for 11 yards and scored two TD's in four games of action earlier this season. He had four tackles on defense.

COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH – The Kats are second in the league in fourth-down conversions, having converted 14-of-23 fourth down plays (61 percent). Only three teams have gone for it on fourth down more often than the Kats this season.

KICKING AND SCREAMING – The Kats' kicking game continues to be a roller coaster. Gary Kral started the season, and was only 3-for-17 on field goal tries in 2005. Rookie kicker Matt Hutto came on board for one week and missed three field goal attempts, including a potential game-winner from 31 yards in overtime. He also missed two extra points. Last week, the Kats added former Austin kicker Tony Dodson, who had an up-and-down game, missing two extra points but nailing a team-record 56-yard field goal. Kats kickers are a combined 4-for-21 (19%) on field goal attempts this season, ranking them last in the league in that category.

IN THE RED ZONE – The Kats have been good in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on 34 of 45 trips (75.6 percent) inside the 10-yard line this season, ranking them sixth in the AFL in that category. Defensively, Nashville ranks second in keeping opponents out of the end zone, allowing TD's on 34 of 53 trips inside the red zone this season.

BIG DEBUT – The Tennessee Titans' new radio team of Mike Keith and Frank Wycheck will make their debut on this Sunday's game between the Kats and Storm. Keith, who has been with the Titans since the franchise moved to Tennessee and serves as play-by-play man on Titans and Kats broadcasts, will welcome Wycheck into the booth. Wycheck played in the NFL with the Redskins and Titans and currently co-hosts The Wake Up Zone, a sports talk show on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville. He will fill in for regular color analyst Larry Stone, who is unable to attend this week's game.

SCOUTING TAMPA BAY
The Tampa Bay Storm earned their first road victory last week and the Nashville Kats earned their first home victory. Entering last week, the Storm were 0-4 on the road and the Kats were 0-4 at home. Neither the Storm nor the Kats have lost over the last three weeks. The Storm are on a three-game winning streak with a playoff berth within reach. With five games left, the Storm (7-4) is tied for third in the division with New Orleans, 1½ games behind Georgia and a half-game behind Orlando. The National Conference also has two wild-card berths. The Storm is one game ahead of New York, second in the Eastern Division at 6-5, but behind New Orleans for the second berth because of its 48-42 loss Feb.25.

QB SHANE STAFFORD – Stafford has completed better than 60 percent of his passes for seven consecutive games. The Storm have gone 5-2 over that span. He has completed better than 60 percent of his passes for a total of nine games this season with the Storm posting a 7-2 record in those games. Last week, Stafford completed 25 passes out of 41 attempts for five TD's. The UConn grad is the league's eighth-rated passer with a rating of 113.5. He also ranks second in pass attempts with 443 and in completions with 291. He is fourth in the AFL in yards with 3,163 and is fourth in passing touchdowns with 61. Stafford had a career day this season in Week 8's loss to the Soul. He put up a career single-game high with 348 yards through the air. He also completed 31 of 45 passes for seven touchdowns

WR/LB LAWRENCE SAMUELS – Samuels has became the Storm's all-time leader with 554 career receptions. In Week 8, Samuels passed Stevie Thomas, the previous franchise leader. Samuels also ranks second on the all-time receiving yards list with 6,843 and third on the all-time receiving touchdowns list with 100. Samuels set a personal record in Week 7 when he made 12 catches, a career best for receptions in a game. He also put up 145 receiving yards and a touchdown. Last week, Samuels put up impressive numbers also, catching 11 passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns. On the season, Samuels ranks sixth in the AFL for catches this season with 87 and 8th in receiving yards with 994.

DS JONATHON ORDWAY – Ordway finds himself leading the AFL in passes defended. He has 23 pass breakups and five interceptions to date this year. Two interceptions came in Week 2 vs. Austin as the Tampa native ran one back for a touchdown, tying the team record for longest interception return. He added his third pick in Week 8 at Los Angeles. He has set personal bests twice this season in breaking up five passes in Week 5 at New Orleans and in Week 11 versus Orlando. Last week, Ordway put a halt to an Austin Wranglers drive with a first half interception. His five interceptions also ranks tied for fourth in the AFL. He has accumulated 59 return yards off those picks.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 20, 2005


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