Nashville Kats game notes
May 9, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release
THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Nashville Kats (6-7-1) at Colorado Crush (9-5)
Date: Fri., May 13
Kickoff: 8:00 p.m. (CT)
Site: Pepsi Center (18,093)
Officials: R-David Lambros, U-Al Granado, HL-Mike McCabe, LJ-Art Lucky, BJ-David Cutaia
Television: None
Radio: Kats Radio Network. Flagship 104.5 The Zone. Mike Keith (Play-by-Play), Larry Stone (Analyst).
Internet: Game broadcast live on AFLNET and live stats available at www.arenafootball.com.
Series Record: Colorado leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Colorado 42, Nashville 35 (3/12/05)
Series Streaks: The Crush won the only previous meeting.
Last Week: Nashville 54, Grand Rapids 33
Colorado 63, New Orleans 57
Coaches: Pat Sperduto, NAS (4th season; 39-25-1 overall)
Mike Dailey, COL (9th season; 84-57 overall)
OVERVIEW: The Nashville Kats unbelievable turnaround continues, as the team is now unbeaten in its last six games. The team still has a shot at making the playoffs if it can win the next two games and get some help. The task before them is a formidable one this week, as the Central Division-leading Crush await Nashville. Colorado, who already defeated the Kats earlier in the season, are 5-1 at home, but have not been incredibly sharp as of late. Until last weeks big win on the road at New Orleans, the Crush had dropped three straight. Earlier in the season, when they were sitting at 8-2, they looked to be the odds-on favorite to win the ArenaBowl. Colorados offense, which is one of the leagues best, roared to life last week as quarterback John Dutton threw for eight TDs.
THE SCHEDULES:
2005 Nashville Kats (6-7-1)
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 Won 37-21
Apr. 29 @ San Jose Won 57-55
May 7 GRAND RAPIDS Won 54-33
May 13 @ Colorado 8:00 p.m.
May 22 CHICAGO 2:00 p.m.
2005 Colorado Crush (9-5)
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 Won 42-35
Mar. 20 COLUMBUS Won 52-37
Mar. 25 @ Dallas Won 66-58
Apr. 3 LAS VEGAS Won 61-40
Apr. 10 PHILADELPHIA Won 77-56
Apr. 17 @ Chicago Lost 51-75
Apr. 22 SAN JOSE Lost 41-89
Apr. 30 @ Grand Rapids Lost 52-58
May 8 @ New Orleans Won 63-57
May 13 NASHVILLE 8:00 p.m.
May 21 @ New York 6:00 p.m.
THE SERIES: Nashville leads the series, 3-2, after securing a 40-27 win at Grand Rapids in an earlier meeting last month. That game broke a seven-game losing skid for the Kats and marked the first meeting between the teams since ArenaBowl XV in 2001, as the original Kats played their final game before being sold and moved to Georgia a month later. Nashville lost, 64-42, in ArenaBowl XV and dropped a contest earlier in the 2001 regular season to the Rampage as well. Nashville won the first two meetings between the clubs, including a 54-17 thrashing in the opening round of the 2000 playoffs, which ranks as one of the biggest playoff blowouts in AFL history.
Date Result
3/12/05 Colorado 42, Kats 35 (@ Nashville)
SERIES NOTABLES: Kats lineman Nate Bolling was in camp with Colorado this season Crush lineman Hugh Hunter played the 1998 and 1999 seasons with Nashville, and he is still a close friend of Kats lineman James Baron This is the fourth 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 first two meetings between the coaches, holds a 3-0 edge in the series, winning games against Sperdutos Kats in 1999 and 2000 and earlier this season 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 MEETING:
Colorado 42, Nashville 35 (@ Nashville Mar. 12)
The Kats fell for the sixth consecutive week, 42-35, at home to intra-division foe Colorado. Nashville actually held the lead at halftime and had a potential go-ahead touchdown wiped away by a penalty late in the game. Penalties were Nashvilles main downfall, as the Kats were flagged 12 times for 74 yards and had three TDs called back due to penalty. Tony Zimmerman, starting again in place of the injured Leon Murray, completed 23-of-34 passes for 243 yards and two TDs. He was picked off once. Crush QB John Dutton was 23-of-34 for 232 yards and six TDs.
LAST WEEK:
Nashville 54, Grand Rapids 33 (@ Nashville May 7)
The Kats scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to preserve a 54-33 victory over the Grand Rapids Rampage to extend their unbeaten streak to six games. Nashville also shut down explosive Rampage quarterback Michael Bishop, who entered the game needing just 16 yards to break the AFL single-season rushing record. Bishop was held to minus-one yard rushing, and he was picked off three times, including twice y Jarrick Hillery, who was named Ironman of the game. Hillery caught two TD passes, ran for two more and had two lonk kick returns in addition to his two interceptions. Nashville quarterback Leon Murray continued his recent tear. The Kats signal caller completed 19-of-24 passes for 201 yards and five touchdowns to garner Offensive Player of the Game honors.
Colorado 63, New Orleans 57 (@ N. Orleans May 8)
John Dutton fired eight touchdown passes and the Colorado Crush defense kept the New Orleans VooDoo offense out of the end zone on back-to-back fourth-quarter possessions, allowing Colorado to pull out a 63-57 win in front of 14,205 at the New Orleans Arena on Sunday afternoon. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Crush, boosted the team's record to 9-5 and put the team back in control of its playoff future. Colorado got off to a quick start, taking a 7-0 lead 2:31 into the game via the first of four Dutton-to-Damian Harrell touchdown connections. That marked the first time the Crush had led in a contest since the final buzzer of a 77-56 win over the Philadelphia Soul on April 10.
THE COACHES:
Nashville Pat Sperduto, 4th season
39-25-1 (.608) 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.
Colorado Mike Dailey, 9th Season
84-57 (.596) 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.
2005 TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Category Crush Kats
Scoring Offense (Rank) 56.6 (1st) 42.7 (17th)
Scoring Defense 54.3 (14th) 44.1 (1st)
Total Offense 269.3 (14th) 256.9 (17th)
Total Defense 318.9 (17th) 266.0 (5th)
Pass Offense 258.7 (10th) 224.0 (17th)
Pass Defense 294.4 (17th) 246.2 (5th)
Rushing Offense 10.6 (16th) 32.9 (3rd)
Rushing Defense 24.5 (14th) 19.8 (9th)
Interceptions 17 (t-4th) 19 (3rd)
Turnover Margin +6 (t-3rd) +9 (2nd)
Kickoff Return Avg. 13.3 (9th) 13.9 (6th)
KickoffsOpp.Avg. Start 11.0 (2nd) 13.3 (8th)
Sacks By 17 (t-3rd) 23 (1st)
Sacks Against 5 (t-2nd) 14 (9th)
NOTES:
THE STREAK After going 1-7 to start the season, the Kats are the hottest team in the AFL and are now in the midst of a six-game unbeaten streak the longest current streak in the AFL and the longest in franchise history. The team followed its 40-27 win over Grand Rapids on April 3 with a rare 41-41 tie at Dallas. They won again in a 51-48 victory over Los Angeles on April 17, then got a big 37-21 victory over Tampa Bay the next week. The Kats followed that with their biggest win of the year, a 57-55 victory over defending champ San Jose two weeks ago, and a convincing 54-33 defeat of Grand Rapids last week. A win this week would give the Kats a team-record seven-game winning streak and would tie Colorado for the longest unbeaten streak in the AFL this season. The earlier seven-game skid was the longest in franchise history, and spanned 64 days.
PLAYOFF POSSIBILITIES The Kats are still in the picture for what at one point seemed an impossible goal the playoffs. In order to secure a playoff spot, the Kats must win their remaining two games and get some help. Two of either Chicago, San Jose or Las Vegas must lose their remaining two games. Nashville will be eliminated from the playoff picture if two or all three of those teams win this weekend. Here is a rundown of each teams remaining schedule:
San Jose SaberCats (8-6)
Date Opponent
May 14 @ Arizona (4-9)
May 21 GEORGIA (9-4)
Chicago Rush (8-6)
Date Opponent
May 15 GRAND RAPIDS (2-11)
May 22 @ Nashville (5-7-1)
Las Vegas Gladiators (8-6)
Date Opponent
May 14 @ Los Angeles (8-5)
May 22 ARIZONA (4-9)
Nashville Kats (5-7-1)
Date Opponent
May 14 @ Colorado (8-5)
May 21 CHICAGO (8-5)
HISTORIC TURNAROUND The Kats current six-game unbeaten streak has them on pace to make AFL history. If Nashville wins its remaining two games, the clubs turnaround from 1-7 at the seasons midpoint to a potential final record of 8-7-1 would make it the biggest midseason turnaround in league history. The Kats winning percentage after week eight was .125, and their final winning percentage (should they win out) would be .531. The .406 percentage-point reversal would be higher than the largest previous turnaround of .313 held by the 2004 Arizona Rattlers. The 04 Rattlers started the season 3-5 and won their last eight games to finish 11-5.
ROAD WARRIORS The Kats have always seemed to excel on the road, posting a 27-14-1 all-time record away from Nashville. This season has been no exception, as Nashville has gone 3-3-1 on the road. The Kats are unbeaten in their last three away games.
STRETCH RUN Pat Sperduto-coached teams have been traditionally very strong down the stretch. In his three years at the helm of the previous Kats organization, the team went a combined 5-1 in the last two regular season games of those three years (1999-2001).
U-TURN The Kats were written off entirely by most after starting the season at 1-7, but the team has posted one of the biggest turnarounds in league history in the last five games. Here is the Kats record since some key points in the season:
The Bye Week.............................................5-1-1
Midpoint of Season......................................5-0-1
Acquiring Rupert Grant.................................5-1-1
Firing Tres Sullivan......................................5-1-1
Acquiring T.T. Toliver...................................4-0-1
Return of Leon Murray from injury.................5-1-1
SACK ATTACK Despite only getting two QB sacks in the first five weeks of the season, Nashville has exploded for 21 in the last nine games and they lead AFL with 23 sacks overall. The Kats are also averaging more sacks per play than any other team in the league. Six players (Henry Taylor, James Baron, Levelle Brown, Joe Minucci, Aaron McConnell and Rupert Grant) rank among the leagues top 24 in sacks. Minucci, a rookie, leads the team with 5.0, and Taylor is next with 4.5. McConnell, who is also a rookie, is third with 3.5, while the other three each have three. Nashville is the only team to have more than two players among the top 24.
POINTS TAKEN The Kats defense leads the league in points allowed, giving up an average of just 44.1 points per game. From halftime of the first Grand Rapids game that started the unbeaten streak six weeks ago through last weeks home win over the Rampage, the Kats have given up only 25 touchdowns on their opponents last 66 offensive possessions. In the last six games, the Kats have given up TDs on only 37.9% of opponents possessions, far below the league average of 60%. The 33 points given up to Grand Rapids last week marked the eighth time this season the Kats have held an opponent to 45 points or less (the most in the AFL). Earlier in the year, Nashville had a span of 55:20 in which they did not allow a single point, spanning from halftime of the first Grand Rapids game until late in the first half of the Dallas game. The Kats have pitched a shutout in eight periods in the last six games. The 21 points Nashville gave up to Tampa Bay three weeks ago tied the team record for fewest allowed in a game.
RALLY KATS Nashville has rallied from a second-half deficit in five of the seven games they have won or tied this season. In fact, the win over Grand Rapids last week marked just the second time all season the Kats have not trailed at all in the second half. After finding it difficult to rally after falling behind during their seven-game losing streak, Nashville has done so on a regular basis since breaking the skid. The Kats rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat Grand Rapids, 40-27, on April 3. They were down 11 in the fourth quarter at Dallas and came back to take the lead before eventually ending the contest in a tie. Four weeks ago, they were down, 48-43, to L.A. before scoring the winning TD with nine seconds to play. Two weeks ago, Nashville trailed San Jose until late in the third quarter.
CLUTCH PERFORMERS Since starting their current six-game unbeaten streak last month, the Kats have outscored their opponents 153-87 in the second half. The strong play in the final 30 minutes of those games has been a big reason for the teams turnaround after fizzling during the last two quarters during their earlier 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 on April 3, the Kats had 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.
MURRAY ON FIRE After struggling or missing time due to injury for much of the season, Nashville Kats quarterback Leon Murray has been impressive during the teams six-game unbeaten streak. In the last four games, Murray has completed 69-of-110 passes for 829 yards, 20 touchdowns and no interceptions. Since the unbeaten streak began six weeks ago, he is 108-of-180 for 1,598 yards, 28 TDs and four INTs. Murray missed all or part of four games earlier this season with a knee injury that forced him to undergo arthroscopic surgery, and he has also battled sternum and shoulder injuries as well. For the year, Murray has completed 59.1 percent of his throws for 2,393 yards, 43 touchdowns and 10 INTs. He has thrown for 136 touchdowns and 7,777 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 six weeks ago. Scott Rislov, a rookie from San Jose State who took his first AFL snap last week, is now serving as the backup. Bill Whittemore, another rookie who played collegiately at Kansas, was moved back to the practice squad two weeks ago.
KAT BURGLARS The Kats are second in the AFL in turnover ratio with a +9 mark. Nashville forced three turnovers last week, all on interceptions one by Kahlil Carter, who leads the league with seven picks overall, and two more by Jarrick Hillery, who has three on the season. Five other players DeRon Jenkins (four), Darryl Hammond, Levelle Brown, Lindsay Fleshman and the now-departed Angel Estrada have also recorded interceptions this season. Offensively, the Kats have only turned the ball over 19 times the third lowest number of any team in the league.
NIFTY TO BE 50 After failing to reach the 50-point mark all season, the Kats have now reached that mark in three of their last four games. Nashville beat L.A. 51-48 on Apr. 17, defeated San Jose, 57-55, two weeks ago, and then beat Grand Rapids, 54-33, last week. The Kats, who rank last in the league with an average of only 42.7 points per game, had not scored more than 48 points in a game all year before the L.A. win four weeks ago. 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 five of the last six games. Nashville has scored in the 30s or lower 17 times in franchise history, winning only four of those games. They are 48-18-1, all time, when scoring 40 or more points, and 32-9 when putting up more than 50.
T.T. MEANS TRIPLE THREAT 2004 All-Ironman selection T.T. Toliver, who was acquired by the Kats last month in a trade with Tampa Bay, has been an excellent addition since coming to the Kats. In fact, he was named Offensive MVP in each of his first three games he played with the team, and he has scored in all four contests he has played in since the trade. Toliver, a WR/DB, has 22 receptions for 359 yards and eight TD's since coming to Nashville. He also has 10 rushes for 40 yards and a TD, and he ran in a key two-point conversion against L.A. in a three-point win four weeks ago. Toliver caught five passes for 59 yards and a TD last week against Grand Rapids. In his fourth season in the AFL, Toliver has been one of the leagues best all-around players in the last two seasons. He was named to the AFLs 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 Bays 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.
MR. SHUT DOWN Kats DS Kahlil Carter, a third-year player from Southern Arkansas, continues to have perhaps the best second half of the season of any defender in the league. He has posted a team-high 39 tackles, five interceptions and 10 passes defended in the last six games, and he is tied for the league lead with seven interceptions overall. He also forced a fumble and recovered one to help preserve a tie at Dallas. He was named Defensive MVP in consecutive upset wins over Tampa Bay (10 tackles, 5 pass breakups) and San Jose (8 tackles, 2 interceptions). He is part of a defense that has only allowed 25 TD's in the last 66 possessions by opponents (37.9%), dating back to the April 3 win over Grand Rapids.
DOGGHEAD MAY RETURN - FB/LB Rupert Dogghead Grant may return from an ankle injury that has kept him out of the last two games. The sixth-year vet has made a triumphant return to Nashville after being acquired in a trade from Orlando in March, and the team is 5-1-1 since his acquisition. He became the teams all-time leading rusher last month, surpassing Jason Brattons old record of 328. Grant now has 347 rushing yards with the Kats. He also broke the teams all-time mark for most rushing TDs with 19 after scoring the winning TD against L.A. on a one-yard run with nine seconds left. 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 on April 8 and scored the winning points in the win over L.A. This season, Grant has 21 tackles with three quarterback sacks in seven games for the Predators and five 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 Despite putting up more than 50 points in three of the last four weeks, the Kats offense simply cant be found on the league leaders list. Nashville ranks dead last in the league in points per game and total yards per game. They also rank last in yards per play and passing yards per game. Quarterback Leon Murray ranks 20th in the AFL in passer rating, and the Kats do not have a player among the leagues 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 ROLLING Kats WR/LB Darryl Hammond, who is in his 15th year in the AFL (the longest tenure in Arena Football League history), continues to defy Father Time, as he is in the midst of an outstanding 2005 season. Hammond has 53 receptions for 514 yards, eight TDs and 39 tackles in 12 games played this season. He caught two passes for 14 yards and had 4.5 tackles and a stop for loss against Grand Rapids last week. Earlier this year, 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 8,338 receiving yards and 30 INTs. 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 778 career receptions and ranks ninth on the leagues all-time receiving-yards gained in a career with 8,338 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 629. The veteran is featured in this weeks issue of Sports Illustrated.
BUMPS & BRUISES DS Tony Scott OL/DL (quadriceps), Wes Stephens (shoulder) and Tim Morabito (concussion) are eligible to come off of injured reserve and are all questionable for this week, as is FB/LB Rupert Grant (ankle).
POUNDING THE ROCK Nashville is once again starting to rely on its ground game to churn out key yards. Last week marked the fifth consecutive game in which the Kats have run the ball 10 or more times, as they carried 15 times for 61 yards. It was the teams second-highest rushing total of the year. The renewed focus on the ground attack has come after the Kats ground game was slowed during the teams seven-game losing streak. After running for a whopping 82 yards on 22 carries in the teams opening week win over Columbus, Nashville had averaged 46 yards per game on the ground through the seasons first four weeks. After that, 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 contests leading up to the game at Dallas on April 8 when they broke loose for 51 yards. Nashvilles ground game is ranked third in the league with an average of 32.9 yards rushing per game, and their 29 rushing TDs is fourth in the AFL. Dan Alexander, Leon Murray, Rupert Grant and Levelle Brown are all listed among the AFLs top 21 rushers.
RETURN OF THE IRONMAN - WR/DB Jarrick Hillery is one of the Arena Football Leagues top Ironmen, and never was that more apparent than last week. Hillery was named Ironman of the game for the second time in four games last week after scoring four TDs (two rushing and two receiving) and picking off two passes against the Rampage. He also had an 18-yard kickoff return and a 36-yard missed field goal return in the game. He was also named Ironman four weeks ago against L.A. after taking back two kickoffs for TDs and racking up four kick returns for 169 yards in his first game back from a hamstring injury. He also had a 13-yard reception and two tackles in the game. Hillery scored on an eight-yard TD run in the win over Tampa three weeks ago, and he ran the ball twice for 15 yards, caught three passes for 23 yards and a TD and had two kick returns for 51 yards against San Jose two weeks ago. He has excelled in all facets of the game in his first five years in the league, and he has shown his versatility in the eight games he has played this year, catching 32 passes for 287 yards and eight TDs, while also carrying the ball 11 times for 53 yards and a TD on offense. Defensively, he has intercepted one pass, broke up another and has 19 stops. He also has had 13 kickoff returns for 332 yards (a 25.5-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.
TITANS CONNECTIONS Five players on Nashvilles 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 AFLs all-time greatest linemen, 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 12 games this season. Baron has been named the leagues 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 AFLs 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 Nashvilles 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 lead the league in fourth-down conversions, having converted 15-of-24 fourth down plays (62.5 percent).
KICKING AND SCREAMING The Kats kicking game has been a roller coaster this season. 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 month, the Kats added former Austin kicker Tony Dodson, who has made 18-of-25 PATs while going five-for-eight on field goals, including a team-record 56-yarder against L.A. Dodson was solid last week, hitting field goal attempts from 20 and 45 yards, and connecting on six of seven PATs. Kats kickers are a combined 8-for-29 (27.6%) 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 40 of 55 trips (72.7 percent) 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 once they get inside the 10, allowing TDs on only 44 of 65 trips inside the red zone this season.
SCOUTING COLORADO
The Crush (9-5) halted a three-game losing streak with a 63-57 victory at New Orleans. QB John Dutton has rediscovered his knack for making big plays as he threw for eight TDs against New Orleans. Colorado also would have clinched a playoff berth had Las Vegas lost to Dallas, but that was not the case. After starting the season 8-2, Colorado watched its defense struggle in its last three games. The Crush defense ranks 17th in total defense and pass defense and 14th in scoring defense. Injuries have also slowed the Crush. Standout receiver Damian Harrell has a balky hip, although the injury was difficult to detect, given his Sunday performance, which included 11 catches, and 4 touchdowns. DS Rashad Floyd has a bum wrist, and Kevin McKenzie has a neck injury.
QB JOHN DUTTON The fourth-year quarterback threw eight touchdown passes last week, marking the sixth time in the last seven games that he has thrown at least six touchdowns in a game. He now has 82 for the season -- which breaks his career high of 77 set in 2003. Dutton ranks second in the league in TD passes during the 2005 season. Dutton is also fifth in the league in completions with 315, third in attempts with 510 and sixth in the league in yards with 3,583.
OS DAMIAN HARRELL Even though he is slowed by a hip injury, Harrell continues to make history. Harrell's four touchdowns last week marked his seventh game this year with three or more scores. It was also his 47th consecutive game with at least one touchdown, adding to his ongoing league record. Harrell ranks tied for third in the league in points scored with 222, fourth in receiving yardage with 1,313, sixth in receptions with 106 and second in the AFL in receiving TDs with 37. The fifth-year receiver holds all franchise single-game, season and career marks for scoring and receiving.
DS RASHAD FLOYD Like Harrell, Floyd has also been hampered by injuries. Unlike Harrell, Floyd was not in the lineup every week. Floyd was benched by coach Mike Dailey two weeks ago. Floyd had 10 tackles in his return to the lineup this past week, giving him his sixth game with a double-digit total in unassisted stops. Floyd possesses the Arena Football League single-season record for tackles, set in 2004, established a single-game record for tackles earlier this season with 17.5 versus LA and is the league's leading tackler in 2005 with 109.5 tackles. Floyd was named Februarys ADT Defensive Player of the Month.
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