Nashville Kats game notes

Published on February 14, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Colorado Crush (3-0) at Nashville Kats (2-1)
Date: Saturday, February 18
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Site: Gaylord Entertainment Center (15,711)
Officials: R-David Lambros, U-Al Granado, HL-Bill Ward, LJ-Brian Matthews, BJ-Joe Duncan
Television: FSN Rocky Mtn. (live)
Radio: Kats Radio Network. Flagship - 104.5 The Zone. Mike Keith (Play-by-Play), Larry Stone (Analyst).
Internet: Live stats available at www.arenafootball.com.
Series Record: Colorado leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Colorado 52, Nashville 49 (5/13/05)
Series Streaks: The Crush won the previous two meetings.
Last Week: Nashville 55, Chicago 56
Colorado 65, Las Vegas 55
Coaches: Pat Sperduto, NAS (5th season; 40-28-1 overall) Mike Dailey, COL (10th season; 91-58 overall)

OVERVIEW: The Kats look to bounce back from their first loss of the season, but must do so against the defending champion Colorado Crush. Still smarting from a one-point overtime defeat at Chicago, Nashville must rebound in order to hand the Crush their first loss of the season and avoid falling to 0-2 in the division. Colorado features one of the sport's best all-around teams and also one of the highest-scoring squads in the AFL. Quarterback John Dutton has a trio of weapons in receivers Damian Harrell, Willis Marshall and Andy McCullough, so the Kats defense must be ready to play. A win by the Kats would tie them with Colorado for the top spot in the Central, but a loss would drop Nashville two games behind the Crush.

THE SCHEDULES:
2006 Nashville Kats (2-1)
Game Opponent Result Time/Score
Jan. 28 @ New York Won 57-28
Feb. 3 COLUMBUS Won 53-27
Feb. 12 @Chicago Lost 56-55
Feb. 18 COLORADO 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 25 GRAND RAPIDS 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 4 @ Arizona 8:00 p.m.
Mar. 10 @ Utah 8:00 p.m.
Mar. 17 CHICAGO 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 25 SAN JOSE 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 1 @ Colorado 8:00 p.m.
Apr. 8 @ Las Vegas 9:30 p.m.
Apr. 14 PHILADELPHIA 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 21 KANSAS CITY 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 29 @ Grand Rapids 7:00 p.m.
May 6 @ Los Angeles 9:30 p.m.
May 13 TAMPA BAY 7:00 p.m.

2006 Colorado Crush (3-0)
Game Opponent Result Time/Score
Jan. 29 CHICAGO Won 65-56
Feb. 5 @ Georgia Won 61-59
Feb. 12 LAS VEGAS Won 65-55
Feb. 18 @ Nashville 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 26 @ Philadelphia 12:00 p.m.
Mar. 5 GRAND RAPIDS 2:00 p.m.
Mar. 10 @ Chicago 7:30 p.m.
Mar. 19 @ Los Angeles 5:00 p.m.
Mar. 25 COLUMBUS 8:00 p.m.
Apr. 1 NASHVILLE 8:00 p.m.
Apr. 8 @ Grand Rapids 6:30 p.m.
Apr. 16 @ Kansas City 12:00 p.m.
Apr. 21 UTAH 8:00 p.m.
Apr. 28 ORLANDO 8:00 p.m.
May 6 @ San Jose 9:30 p.m.
May 12 ARIZONA 8:00 p.m.

THE SERIES: The Kats and Crush saw each other twice in the regular season last year with Colorado winning both contests. In the first meeting (3/12/05), the Kats led 14-13 at the half but could not overcome a second half flurry by the Crush in a 42-35 decision. In the second match (5/13/05), the Kats' six-game unbeaten streak was broken in the waning seconds by Crush kicker Clay Rush who put his team ahead 42-39 on a 31-yard attempt. That loss kept the Kats from a chance to qualify for the 2005 playoffs.

Date Result
3/12/05 Colorado 42, Kats 35 (@ Nashville)
5/13/05 Colorado 42, Kats 39 (@ Denver)



KATS INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Khalil Carter Groin Questionable
Jarrick Hillery Elbow Out
Tyrone Hopson Knee Out
Ronald Jones Elbow Questionable
Reggie Stephens Knee Out

LAST MEETING:
Colorado 52, Nashville 49 (@ Denver 5/22/05)
The Kats' six-game winning streak was snapped by the foot of Colorado kicker Clay Rush after his 31-yard field goal put the Crush ahead 52-49 as time expired. A see-saw battle, with the score tied after each quarter, Colorado pulled ahead 49-41 with 2:31 remaining in the fourth after Willis Marshall's one-yard run. The Kats answered back on the next drive with T.T. Toliver's two-yard push with 16 seconds left, followed by another run by Toliver for the conversion which tied the score. Crush QB John Dutton responded with two quick throws on the final possession, setting up Rush's game winning boot. Darryl Hammond led Kats receivers, hauling in 12 for 118 yards. Toliver added six grabs for 78 yards and also led Kats rushing with 14 yards. Ironman of the Game, Willis Marshall, led the Crush with 109 yards on 11 catches with one for a touchdown. This loss eliminated Nashville's hopes for a playoff birth.

KATS-CRUSH TIES: 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 fifth 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 4-0 edge in the series, winning games against Sperduto's 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 WEEK:
Chicago 56, Nashville 55 (Feb. 12 @ Chicago)
Cornelius White hauled in a Matt D'Orazio pass in the back of the end zone for a two-point conversion 7:53 into overtime that gave the Chicago Rush a 56-55 win over the Nashville Kats on Sunday. The conversion gave Chicago (1-2) its first win of the season and handed the Kats (2-1) their first loss.

Nashville had trailed by as much as 22 points in the game and by 14 with under two minutes remaining in regulation before the Kats got some late-game heroics on both sides of the ball. Monty Montgomery forced a fumble, and T.T. Toliver hauled in a 10-yard TD pass from Clint Stoerner to cut Chicago's lead to 48-41 with just 1:23 to go.

Kats kicker Tony Dodson surprised the Rush with a hurried onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, and the Kats recovered with under a minute to play. But when Nashville turned the ball over on downs with just 38 seconds left, all appeared to be lost for the Kats.

Nashville's strong defense stepped up, however, forcing the Rush to settle for a long Dan Frantz field goal attempt that missed and gave the Kats one last shot with 14 ticks on the clock. Stoerner's first long pass went incomplete into the stands. But on the last play of regulation, he hit Cory Fleming over the middle, and Fleming turned and handed the ball off to Cornelius Bonner who streaked the rest of the way for the TD. The play went for 30 yards, and the subsequent PAT tied the game and sent it into overtime.

In the extra period, Nashville took eight plays to go 45 yards and punch in the go-ahead score on a two-yard plunge by Rupert Grant. Dodson's PAT gave the Kats a 55-48 lead.

On Chicago's possession, the Rush converted two fourth downs and used 10 plays to cover the 45 yards to the end zone for the tie and winning conversion.


Colorado 65, Chicago 55 (Feb. 12 @ Denver)
After leading at halftime 35-27 and scoring on their first six possessions the Las Vegas Gladiators cooled off in the second half and fell to the reigning AFL champions Colorado Crush 65-55 at the Pepsi Center.

The turning point in the game came when Colorado recovered an onside kick after their first score in the second half and never looked back. Colorado rallied in the second half forced three turnovers and outscored Las Vegas 38-20 in route to their first 3-0 start in franchise history.

The Gladiators were led by Joe Douglass who had six grabs for 104 yards and four touchdowns in his first action of the season. Craig Whelihan had a strong performance going 23 of 34 for 298 yards seven touchdown tosses and was intercepted once. Whelihan also missed a series with an injury in the second half but returned to play the remainder of the game.

Damian Harrell was more involved in the second half and finished with a game high nine catches with 108 yards and two scores. Quarterback John Dutton was 27 of 46 for 307 yards and six touchdown passes with no interceptions.

SERIES NOTABLES:

Crush All-Arena OS Damian Harrell had modest success against the Kats in last year's games, but it was QB John Dutton and WR/DB Willis Marshall that did the most damage. Here's a look at what those players did versus Nashville in 2005:

Dutton vs. Kats
Date Result Com-Att Yds Td Int
3/12/05 COL 42,NAS 35 23-24 232 6 0
5/13/05 COL 52,NAS 49 31-40 349 5 0
Totals 54-64 581 11 0

Marshall vs. Kats
Date Result Rec Yds Td
3/12/05 COL 42,NAS 35 4 37 1
5/13/05 COL 52,NAS 49 11 109 1
Totals 15 146 1

Harrell vs. Kats
Date Result Rec Yds Td
3/12/05 COL 42,NAS 35 4 53 1
5/13/05 COL 53,NAS 49 6 75 2
Totals 10 128 3

Kats QB Clint Stoerner had a big day against the eventual champion Crush when he was with Dallas last season. Here's a look at his numbers from the Desperados' 2005 win:

Stoerner vs. Crush
Date Result Com-Att Yds Td Int
1/30/05 DAL 66,COL 58 22-36 273 6 1
Totals 22-36 273 6 1

Kats receivers have had some excellent outings against Colorado in the past. Here's a look at their production in those games:

Fleming Vs. Crush
Date Result Rec Yds Td
5/4/03 ORL 48, COL 42 9 132 3
Totals 9 132 3

Hammond Vs. Crush
Date Result Rec Yds Td
2/2/03 GEO 44, COL 40 6 83 1
2/27/04 COL 37, AUS 35 6 52 1
3/12/05 COL 42, NAS 35 7 48 0
5/13/05 COL 53, NAS 49 12 118 0
Totals 31 301 2

Toliver vs. Crush
Date Result Rec Yds TD
5/13/05 COL 52, NAS 49 6 78 1
Totals 6 78 1

Bonner vs. Crush
Date Result Rec Yds TD
4/13/03 CHI 76, COL 58 2 51 1
2/6/04 COL 43, LVG 42 5 36 1
Totals 7 87 2

THE COACHES:
Nashville - Pat Sperduto, 5th season
40-28-1 (.595) overall
Pat Sperduto is in his fifth season as head coach of the Nashville Kats. After struggling to a 1-7 start in 2005, the Kats first year back in Nashville after moving to Atlanta in 2001, Sperduto pushed the Kats to win five of their last eight games to finish 6-9-1. He was at the helm of the original Kats team from 1999-2001. Prior to last year, he 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
85-57 (.598) overall
Dailey enters his third season in Colorado and tenth as head coach in the AFL, after becoming the Crush's second head coach on June 26, 2003. Dailey joined the Crush following 13 seasons in the Albany/Indiana Firebirds organization, including the final seven as head coach. One of the most successful and well-respected coaches in AFL history, his teams have made seven postseason appearances and he has won four division titles and two championships. Last season under Dailey's guidance, the Crush captured their first Central Division title en route to claiming a 51-48 victory in ArenaBowl XIX giving Colorado their first AFL championship in only their third year of existence. Before being named head coach of the Firebirds in 1997, Dailey served as an assistant in Albany for five seasons. Dailey began his AFL coaching career with the Washington Commandos where he served as offensive/defensive line coach in 1990. He joined the Firebirds organization in the same capacity in 1991. Prior to the AFL, Dailey worked as an assistant coach at Towson State University and was the offensive coordinator at Montgomery College-Rockville (Md.). Dailey got his start in coaching in 1981 as a 22-year-old assistant at Georgetown Prep High School in Rockville, Md. The move to coaching followed a semi-pro football career in the Washington D.C. area.

2006 TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Category Kats Crush
Scoring Offense 55.0 (5th) 63.7 (1st)
Scoring Defense 37.0 (1st) 56.7 (14th)
Total Offense 307.3 (3rd) 302.0 (5th)
Total Defense 220.0 (2nd) 301.0 (14th)
Pass Offense 282.3 (5th) 289.7 (4th)
Pass Defense 197.3 (2nd) 270.3 (13th)
Rushing Offense 25.0 (7th) 12.3 (11th)
Rushing Defense 22.7 (11th) 30.7 (17th)
Interceptions 4 (t-2nd) 2 (t-4th)
Turnover Margin +4 (2nd) +1 (t-4th)
Kickoff Return Avg. 16.0 (13th) 14.6 (16th)
Sacks By 11 (1st) 2 (t-5th)
Sacks Against 3 (t-4th) 1 (t-2nd)

NOTES:
BOUNCING BACK - The Kats have traditionally been very strong following a loss, going 18-12, all-time, after a defeat. Nashville has been particularly good in the week following a loss in overtime, going 3-0 after defeats in the extra period.

A RECORD-SETTING EFFORT - Quarterback Clint Stoerner, who was named as the team's starter just before the season opener three weeks ago, set a Kats franchise record for passing yards in a game with 368 at Chicago on Sunday. The previous record was 362 by Andy Kelly in 1998 overtime win at Milwaukee. In addition, the 54 passes he attempted in the game tied Kelly's mark originally set in a 1999 loss to Albany. Stoerner is off to a good start with the Kats. The second-year player, who finished second in last season's Rookie of the Year voting as the starter for the Dallas Desperados, has completed 68-of-113 passes (60.2%) for 859 yards, 13 TD's and just one INT in the first three games. Stoerner played three seasons in the NFL before bursting onto the AFL scene with Dallas last year and being named to the league's all-rookie squad.

GETTING DEFENSIVE - Despite giving up more points in last week's loss at Chicago (56) than it had in the first two games combined (55), Nashville's defense still ranks as the stingiest in the league, allowing just 37 points per game through the first three weeks. In week one, the Kats held the high-flying New York Dragons and legendary quarterback Aaron Garcia to just 28 points and 241 yards of total offense in a 57-28 win. In week two, Nashville continued to turn up the heat, holding a Columbus team that had scored 53 points in a week one win over Grand Rapids to just 27 in a 53-27 blowout. The Kats held the Destroyers to only 175 yards of total offense. Last week in Chicago, two of the Rush's touchdowns were set up by turnovers and another came on a kick return. For the game, the Kats held Chicago to under 200 yards passing. Through the first three games, Nashville ranks second in the league with a +4 turnover margin and has given up a league-low 111 points. The 220 yards per game that Nashville has averaged so far ranks second in the AFL.

LEGENDARY PAIR - In Fleming and Hammond, Nashville features two of the top receivers in AFL history, and they are about to give the Kats a historic first. Cory Fleming became just the third player in league history to catch 800 passes in his career at New York in week one. With 797 career receptions, Hammond is just three catches shy of becoming the fourth player on that list. When he does, the Kats will become the first team ever to have two 800-catch receivers on the same roster.

OFFENSIVE U-TURN - Nashville's offensive production has made a 180-degree turnaround from what it was at this point last season. Through the first two games in 2006, the Kats are averaging 55 points per game and 307.3 yards of total offense. That compares to a 43 points-per-game average through the first three weeks of 2005 and an average of just 259.7 yards per contest in the first three games last year. The Kats ranked dead last in the AFL in scoring offense in 2005 (41.8 ppg) and dead last in total offense (262.1 ypg). Nashville currently ranks fourth in scoring offense and third in total offense.

SACK ATTACK - The Kats lead the AFL with a whopping 11 sacks on the season, through week three. The team boosted its total with four sacks in Sunday's game at Chicago. Nashville, which finished tied for the league lead in sacks last season with 24, nearly tied the AFL record for sacks in a game in its week one win at New York. The seven QB takedowns that the Kats registered against the Dragons were the most in team history and just one shy of the league record of eight. Six players have had sacks so far this season - Frank Carter (4), James Baron (2), Anthony Herron (2), Darryl Hammond (1), Joe Minucci (1) and Aaron McConnell (1). Carter's four in a game was the most in team history and ties him for third in AFL history. He currently ranks atop league sack leaders, and he, Baron and Herron make up three of the nine AFL players who have posted more than one sack so far this year. Last year, the Kats had six players who had at least three sacks on the year, while no other team had more than three players reach that mark. Of those six players, the Kats return four (James Baron, Rupert Grant, Aaron McConnell, Joe Minucci), plus they have added FB/LB Frank Carter, who tied for second in the league with nine sacks a year ago.

MOVING THE CHAINS - The Kats have been racking up first downs in the first three weeks, ranking second in the league with an average of 22.0 first downs per contest.

NEWCOMERS MAKING BIG SPLASH - Nashville made a few well-publicized acquisitions in the offseason, and several of those have made key impacts in the first two weeks. FB/LB Frank Carter, who was signed as a free agent from Las Vegas, currently leads the league in sacks (4) and tackles for loss (5.5). He had half of a tackle for a loss at Chicago last week. Meanwhile, free agent pickup Monty Montgomery, whom Nashville signed away from New Orleans, has three interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and five pass breakups to go with a team-leading 19.5 tackles in the first three weeks. Quarterback Clint Stoerner, who was landed in a trade with Dallas, has thrown for 859 yards, 13 TD's and just one INT. Lineman Anthony Herron, who was activated from the Kats' exempt list after playing last season in the NFL, has two sacks so far. Wide receiver/defensive back Cornelius Bonner, who was also a free agent pickup in the offseason, was Ironman of the game against Columbus, and he has 15 catches for 186 yards and five TD's. Nashville WR/LB Cory Fleming came over in a trade with Orlando, and he has two TD catches so far on the year.

SECOND-AND-LONG - The Kats have been the best defensive team in the AFL to this point on first down, holding opponents to 3.65 yards per play on first down. The league average is 6.08 yards.

FORCING TURNOVERS - The Kats currently rank second in the league in turnover margin with a +4 mark through three weeks. Nashville has forced seven turnovers in the first two games, while committing only three (one INT and a pair of fumbles). The Kats have picked off four passes and recovered three fumbles so far this season.

PLAYING BY THE RULES - One of the biggest downfalls of the Kats last season was penalties, finishing as the league's seventh most-penalized team in 2005. So far in 2006, Nashville has turned that tide. Through three weeks, the Kats have been penalized only 16 times for 100 yards - the fourth-best mark in the AFL.

OLD SCHOOL - This Kats team has a familiar look to it, as five players on this year's roster were also with the team in its previous version (1997-2001). OL/DL James Baron, WR/LB Cory Fleming, FB/LB Rupert Grant, WR/LB Darryl Hammond and WR/DB Jarrick Hillery all played with the old Kats, and all were on Nashville's back-to-back ArenaBowl squads in 2000 and 2001.

ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? - Nashville began the 2006 season with a much different look than when it began the 2005 season. The biggest change is reflected in the years of AFL experience this year's roster has compared to last year's. When the Kats played their season opener at Columbus on Jan. 28, 2005, the active roster featured 24 players with a combined 46 years of AFL experience. When Nashville opened the year at New York exactly one year later, they featured 23 players with a combined 80 years of experience. That is an improvement of 34 combined years, and that does not include the nine years of AFL experience between injured reserve players Rupert Grant and Chris Angel. The 2005 opening week roster had 11 rookies, where this year's opening roster had only one - lineman Tyrone Hopson, who was inactive for the first game.

SUPER SOPHS - The Kats feature four of last year's AFL All-Rookie selections, easily the most of any other team. Nashville FB/LB Dan Alexander and linemen Aaron McConnell and Joe Minucci were honored for their outstanding rookie seasons in 2005, and the Kats got the All-Rookie quarterback (Clint Stoerner) in a trade with Dallas in the offseason.

STEPHENS OUT FOR 2-3 WEEKS - Kats DS Reggie Stephens is likely to remain on injured reserve for a few more weeks after injuring his knee in the win over Columbus two weeks ago. He is expected to miss 2-3 weeks more weeks. Khalil Carter, who moved from WR/DB to DS when Stephens went down, will likely start alongside Monty Montgomery at DS this week, if Carter's groin injury is better. If not, Chris Angel will get his second consecutive start at the DS spot.

FULL MONTY - Kats DS Monty Montgomery has been a force in the secondary in the first three weeks, picking off three passes (2nd in the AFL), batting away five passes (tied for 7th in AFL), making 19.5 tackles (9th in AFL) and posting 4.5 stops on special teams (tied for 2nd in AFL). Montgomery, who was a coveted free agent signee from New Orleans in the offseason, also forced and recovered a fumble in last week's game at Chicago.

SECOND(ARY) TO NONE - The Kats have put together one of the most formidable secondaries in the league, having picked off four passes and given up a league-low 4.8 yards per pass play through three weeks.

RED ZONE - Nashville is second in the AFL in red zone defense, only allowing six scores in 12 opponents' trips inside the 10-yard line. Only Philadelphia at 25% is better.

NEW FACES - Nashville made some significant roster additions over the offseason, resulting in several new faces on this year's squad. One of the most notable is WR/LB Cory Fleming, who rejoins the Kats after a year in Carolina and three seasons with Orlando. He was the AFL Ironman of the Year in 2004. Nashville also signed first-team All-Arena FB/LB Frank Carter, as well as veteran WR/DB Cornelius Bonner, both of whom played for Las Vegas last season. The Kats also traded for QB Clint Stoerner, who started all 16 games for Dallas in 2005, and they signed defensive specialist Monty Montgomery, who was an AFL All-Rookie choice in 2004. A list of the new faces to the 2006 Kats:

Player Pos. Exp. Spent 2005...
Chris Angel DS 2 New York
Cornelius Bonner WR/DB 6 Las Vegas
Frank Carter FB/LB 4 Las Vegas
Cory Fleming WR/LB 9 Orlando
Anthony Herron OL/DL 1 NFL-Atlanta
Tyrone Hopson OL/DL R ----
Ronald Jones OL/DL R ----
Monty Montgomery DS 2 New Orleans
Clint Stoerner QB 1 Dallas

TITANS CONNECTIONS - Five of the 23 players on Nashville's active roster have spent time with the Tennessee Titans organization. FB/LB Dan Alexander and saw extensive playing time with the NFL club, while DS Rober' Freeman, WR/LB Jermaine Lewis, OL/DL Aaron McConnell and OL/DL Joe Minucci were all in camp with the Titans at some point. Head coach Pat Sperduto also served on the Titans' staff the four seasons between his stints with the Kats.

AMONG THE GREATEST - The Kats had two players on the recently-announced AFL's 20 Greatest Players of All-Time list. Lineman James Baron, who is widely considered the most dominant lineman to ever play the game, was ranked sixth. That is higher than any other non-quarterback or receiver. WR/LB Cory Fleming was tied for 14th on the list. Darryl Hammond, who was on the voting committee, also received votes. Nashville and Arizona were the only two teams to have two active players on the list.

KHALIL MAY RETURN - A groin injury that kept Kats DS Khalil Carter sidelined at Chicago is probably not severe enough to keep him out of Saturday night's game against the Crush. The injury forced Nashville to make a game-time decision to deactivate Carter and start Chris Angel at the DS spot.

FLEMING LOOKING FOR BREAKOUT GAME -One of the AFL's all-time greats, WR/LB Cory Fleming returns to the Kats in 2006 after spending the last three years with the Orlando Predators. He has posted 39 games with 100 or more receiving yards and 23 games with 10 or more catches in his nine-year career. He had six grabs for 76 yards in last week's game at Chicago. He failed to have a TD reception for the first time in 43 games, and he is still looking for a breakout game this season. He now has 810 career receptions, ranking him third all-time in that category. Fleming has earned first unit All-AFL honors four times, including 1997, 1998, 2004 and 2005, and he was named AFL Ironman of the Year, signifying the Arena Football League's best two-way player in 2004. He was tabbed AFL Rookie of the Year in 1997. His 810 career receptions ranks him third, all-time, behind Barry Wagner and Eddie Brown. He ranks fourth on the all-time lists for career touchdowns (198) and receiving yards (9,819). Fleming has averaged 89 receptions, 1,073 receiving yards and 25 receiving touchdowns in his previous nine seasons in the AFL, despite missing all but five games in 2001 and the final four games of the 2000 season with injuries. Last season, he was named to the first-team All-Arena squad, catching 96 passes for 1,089 yards and 33 touchdowns for the Orlando Predators, and helping to lead the team to the AFL semifinals.

BARON OF DEFENSE - OL/DL James Baron is widely known as one of the AFL's all-time greatest linemen, and he showed why last week in a two-sack performance at Chicago. The pair of QB takedowns gives him 41.5 career sacks, moving him to third on the AFL's all-time list. He will move in to second with two more full sacks. Last year, Baron sat out the first two games of the season with an ankle injury, ending his streak of 131 consecutive games played. He returned, registering 11 tackles, four stops for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a safety in his 14 games. Baron was recently named no. 6 on the list of the league's 20 greatest players, and 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). His 26.5 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 three seasons with Chicago between stints in Nashville, 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 (28.5), and he also holds team records for sacks in one season (7.0).

SWEET 16 - Kats WR/LB Darryl Hammond is in the midst of his 16th year in the AFL (the longest tenure in Arena Football League history). His nine tackles in last week's loss at Chicago led the team, and he also registered his first sack since 2002 in the game. He had a 49-yard interception return for a TD against Columbus two weeks ago, marking the seventh pick in which he has run back for a TD in his career. Hammond continued to defy Father Time in 2005, earning a selection to the league's All-Ironman team. He had 66 receptions for 632 yards, eight TD's and 42.5 tackles in 14 games played last season. In 2005, he became just the second player in league history to have 8,000 receiving yards and 30 interceptions in a career. San Jose WR/LB Barry Wagner is the only other player to have accomplished the feat. Hammond now has 8,521 receiving yards and 30 INT's. He is one of only three players in AFL history to surpass 600 stops (Wagner and Grand Rapids' Damon Mason are the other two). He is fourth in AFL history with 797 career receptions and ranks eighth on the league's all-time receiving-yards gained in a career with 8,521 yards. Hammond has returned seven interceptions for touchdowns in his career, tied for third-most in the AFL, and he ranks third in the league for career tackles with 642.5. He will join teammate Cory Fleming on the prestigious 800 career reception list with just three more catches.

T.T. MEANS TWO TOUCHDOWNS - OS T.T. Toliver is fifth in the AFL with 336 receiving yards, and his 23 receptions has him tied for 11th in the league in catches. He had a game-high 12 catches for 144 yards and a TD last week, also scoring on a three-yard run. His 132 receiving yards was the most of any player in the league in week one, and he has posted two of the league's top ten receiving performances so far in 2006. He continues to show the "true meaning" of his initials by scoring two touchdowns in nearly every game he plays with the Kats. He has scored two or more touchdowns in seven of the nine contests he has played in with the Kats since being acquired in a midseason trade with Tampa Bay last season. Toliver has proven to be an excellent pickup for Nashville. In fact, he was named Offensive MVP in each of his first three games he played with the team, and he got the same honor in this year's season opener. Toliver, who was named to the league's All-Ironman squad as a WR/DB in 2004, had 55 receptions for 768 yards and 17 TD's with Tampa Bay and Nashville last season. He also had 14 rushes for 57 yards and three TD's, and he ran in a pair of key two-point conversions as well. 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 Buccaneers and St. Louis Rams. Toliver has moved to offensive specialist this season after being a two-way player for his first four seasons.

HILLERY OUT AT LEAST ONE MORE WEEK - WR/DB Jarrick Hillery is on injured reserve and is expected to miss at least one more week after dislocating his elbow in the week one win at New York. Hillery proved in that game why he is one of the game's best all-around players, scoring TD's on a reception, rush and kickoff return. He had 139 total yards before being injured in the third quarter, and was named Ironman of the Game. Hillery is one of the Arena Football League's top Ironmen, having excelled in all facets of the game in his first five years in the league. 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 six years in the league, Hillery made 214 tackles, caught 268 passes for 2,840 yards and 45 TD's, rushed for 393 yards and 28 more TD's on the ground and accumulated more than 2,000 yards and scored six times on kickoff and missed field goal returns.

FEBRUARY FRUSTRATIONS - The Kats are just 1-5, all-time, in the month of February. The 2005 campaign marked the first time Nashville had ever played in February.

GETTING HIS KICKS - Nashville kicker Tony Dodson has knocked home four of his six field goal attempts so far this season, including a 53-yarder in the win over Columbus. He has also hit 19 of his 22 PAT attempts in the first three games.


SCOUTING COLORADO
The Kats will have their hands full when it comes to the Crush offense. Nashville's stubborn defense, which is allowing the fewest points in the AFL over the first three weeks, will be facing a Colorado squad that is averaging a league-best 63.7 points per game. Crush quarterback John Dutton has been outstanding, completing 64.5 percent of his throws for 875 yards, 20 touchdowns and just one INT after the first three games. His favorite target, as usual, is all-world offensive specialist Damian Harrell, who already has 11 TD receptions on 27 catches for 351 yards.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
WR/DB WILLIS MARSHALL - A six year veteran in the AFL and starting his third with the Crush following three seasons at Grand Rapids. Marshall is among Rampage's all-time leaders in receptions, kickoff returns and return yardage. Had eight receptions for 80 yards and two TD's last week vs. Las Vegas.

QB John Dutton - One of the best drop-back passers in the league, and has started 45 of 48 regular season games in Crush history. Dutton owns all single-game, season and career franchise passing records for the Crush. Entering his seventh year in the AFL, he currently has thrown for 15,878 career yards with 310 TD passes and only 51 interceptions. On the year he has completed 78 of 121 throws for 875 yards and 20 TD's with one interception.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 14, 2006


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