Nashville Kats game notes

Published on March 7, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Nashville Kats (4-2) at Utah Blaze (2-4)
Date: Saturday, March 10, 2006
Kickoff: 8:00 p.m. (CT)
Site: Delta Center (16,400)
Officials: R- David Cutaia , U- Doug Wilson, HL- Greg Shields , LJ- Dave Chesney, BJ- James Cole
Television: None
Radio: Kats Radio Network. Flagship - 104.5 The Zone. Mike Keith (Play-by-Play), Larry Stone (Analyst).
Internet: AFL Net, www.arenafootball.com
Series Record: Nashville and Utah have never met.
Last Meeting: N/A
Series Streaks: First Meeting
Last Week: Nashville 52, Arizona 49
Utah 65, San Jose 50
Coaches: Pat Sperduto, NAS (5th season; 42-29-1 overall). Danny White, UTH (14th season; 143-69 overall)

OVERVIEW: The Kats look to rebound from a disappointing loss at Arizona last week by making their first-ever trip to the state of Utah to face the expansion Blaze. The Kats have been bitten by turnovers, penalties and missed kicks in recent weeks, and must eliminate those mistakes on Friday against a Utah squad that can score a ton of points. A win will guarantee Nashville no worse than second place in the Central Division, behind Colorado, while a loss could potentially drop the Kats two games back of the division leaders. Nashville will seek to contain the explosive duo of QB Joe Germaine and OS Siaha Burley, who have quickly become one of the top pass-catch tandems in the AFL.

THE SCHEDULES:
2006 Nashville Kats (4-2)
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 Won 58-36
Feb. 25 GRAND RAPIDS Won 47-31
Mar. 4 @ Arizona Lost 52-49
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 Utah Blaze (2-4)
Game Opponent Result Time/Score
Jan. 28 @ San Jose Won 48-35
Feb. 4 DALLAS Lost 53-56
Feb. 11 NEW YORK Lost 81-84
Feb. 18 @ Arizona Lost 38-45
Feb. 25 @ Los Angeles Won 68-66
Mar. 4 SAN JOSE Lost 65-50
Mar. 10 NASHVILLE 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 16 @ Grand Rapids 5:00 pm
Mar. 24 LAS VEGAS 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 1 @ Tampa Bay 5:30 p.m.
Apr. 7 ARIZONA 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 15 LOS ANGELES 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 21 @ Colorado 7:00 p.m.
Apr. 28 @ Las Vegas 8:30 p.m.
May 6 @ Chicago 6:00 p.m.
May 12 KANSAS CITY 7:00 p.m.

THE SERIES: This will be the first meeting between Nashville and the expansion Utah Blaze.

KATS INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Chris Angel Knee Out
Cory Fleming Concussion Out
Tyrone Hopson Knee Questionable
Ronald Jones Elbow Questionable
Monty Montgomery Finger Questionable
Reggie Stephens Knee Probable

LAST MEETING: This is the first meeting between Nashville and Utah.

LAST WEEK:
Nashville 52, Arizona 49 (Mar. 4 @ Arizona)
Nashville Kats kicker Tony Dodson missed a 52-yard field goal attempt as time expired and the Kats fell to the Arizona Rattlers. The Kats battled back from a 15-point halftime deficit to claim a 49-45 lead with just one-minute to go, but Rattlers quarterback Shedrick Bonner led his squad on a seven-play, 43-yard drive in just 49 seconds to move Arizona back into the lead. The Kats made their share of mistakes in the game, turning the ball over three times, missing three extra point attempts and drawing 10 penalties.

Utah 65, San Jose 50 (Mar. 4 @ Utah)
A late comeback bid came up short for the Blaze as they lost to division rival San Jose. The Blaze started the fourth quarter down 27 points, but cut the lead down to eight with less than a minute in the game. The late onside kick attempt was unsuccessful. Blaze QB Joe Germaine finished 28-of-43 passing with 367 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. WR/DB Orshawante Bryant led the receiving corps with nine catches for 115 yards.

SERIES NOTABLES:

QB Joe Jermaine played with the Arizona Rattlers before moving to the expansion Blaze this year. Here's how he fared against the Kats last year:

Jermaine vs. Kats
Date Result Com-Att Yds Td Int
3/26/05 ARI 48, NAS 35 27-37 314 6 0
Totals 27-37 314 6 0

The Blaze's two receiving leaders Siaha Burley and Orshawante Bryant were also with the Rattlers last year. Here are their totals in the one game against Nashville:

Burley vs. Kats
Date Result Rec Yds TD
3/26/05 ARI 48, NAS 35 11 107 2
Totals 11 107 2

Bryant vs. Kats
Date Result Rec Yds TD
3/26/05 ARI 48, NAS 35 5 65 2
Totals 5 65 2

THE COACHES:
Nashville - Pat Sperduto, 5th season
42-29-1 (.587) 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.

Utah - Danny White, 14th season
143-69 (.675) overall
White is currently in his 14th season as an AFL head coach and first with the Blaze. White has compiled a record of 142-69 and advanced to the AFL Playoffs in 12 of the previous 13 years (hasn't missed the postseason since 1992). Prior to joining the Blaze, White was the head coach of the Arizona Rattlers for 13 seasons (1992-2004). The AFL Hall of Fame coach has two titles (1994 and 1997) to his credit and has made five ArenaBowl appearances (1994, 97, 2002-04). During his last season in Arizona in 2004, White compiled a 13-6 record and made his third straight ArenaBowl appearance. White, won AFL "Coach of the Year" award in 1993. White officially became the head coach of the Blaze on April 21, 2005. He played quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys (1976-88) and helped lead the Cowboys to the postseason five times and won three NFC East titles during his tenure as starting QB. In his first year as a starter (1980), White set the club single-season record for touchdown passes (28) and then broke the record (29) in 1983. Those records still stand as the top two single-season marks in franchise history. He still owns eight Cowboy records and is the member of FOUR Halls of Fame (Arizona Sports, Arizona State, College Football and Arena Football).

2006 TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Category Kats Blaze
Scoring Offense 53.2 (8th) 56.3 (2nd)
Scoring Defense 38.2 (1st) 58.5 (17th)
Total Offense 261.8 (14th) 330.3 (2nd)
Total Defense 253.5 (3rd) 307.3 (15th)
Pass Offense 236.2 (15th) 321.0 (2nd)
Pass Defense 237.5 (4th) 299.5 (16th)
Rushing Offense 25.7 (6th) 9.3 (17th)
Rushing Defense 16.0 (5th) 7.8 (1st)
Interceptions 11 (2nd) 2 (t-9th)
Turnover Margin +11 (1st) -3 (13th)
Kickoff Return Avg. 19.1 (t-3rd) 15.9 (15th)
Sacks By 13 (1st) 3 (t-9th)
Sacks Against 6 (t-6th) 12 (t-8th)

NOTES:
NEW FOOT IN TOWN - The Kats waived kicker Tony Dodson on Monday after the three-year veteran had missed five extra point attempts in the past two games. Dodson, who was six-of-12 on field goal attempts and 35-of-44 on extra point tries, became the first player to be cut from the active roster so far this season for the Kats. He will be replaced by Jason Witczak, who kicked in one game with the Arizona Rattlers in 2004 and who has also kicked in NFL Europe and in training camps with the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills. Witczak kicked collegiately at Marshall, before finishing his career at Southeast Missouri.

MOUNTING MISTAKES - The Kats have shot themselves in the foot recently with turnovers, penalties and missed kicks. In the last two games, Nashville has turned the ball over six times and been penalized 20 times for 107 yards. They have also missed five PAT attempts and three field goal tries.

BOUNCING BACK - The Kats have traditionally been very strong after a loss, posting a 19-12 all-time record after a defeat. Nashville bounced back from its only previous loss this season to post a convincing 58-36 win over Colorado on Feb. 18.

GETTING DEFENSIVE -Nashville's defense has clearly been the class of the league through the first six weeks of 2006, ranking first in four statistical categories and second in another. The Kats rank as the stingiest team in the league, allowing just 38.2 points per game, and they also lead the AFL in yards per play (4.8), yards per pass play (5.3) and sacks (13). Nashville ranks third in total defense (253.5) and fourth in pass defense (237.5). They also lead the league in interceptions with 11. 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. In Chicago in week three, the Kats held Chicago to under 200 yards passing. In week four, Nashville held a Crush team that had led the AFL in scoring through the first three weeks to just 36 points and forced five turnovers. Two weeks ago, Nashville forced four more turnovers and held a Grand Rapids squad that had scored more than 60 points in its two previous contests to just 31. Through the first six games, Nashville leads the league with a +11 turnover margin and has given up a league-low 229 points.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS -WR/DB Jarrick Hillery leads the AFL in kickoff returns, averaging 26.8 yards per return in the three games he has played so far this season. The Kats welcomed Hillery back from injured reserve two weeks ago, and the veteran's impact has been felt right away. After averaging 30.0 yards per kickoff return in the week one win over New York, Nashville's return game suffered significantly during Hillery's absence with a dislocated elbow. His week one performance included three returns for a grand total of 90 yards, including a team-record 58-yarder for a TD. During his absence, the Kats averaged just 12.3 yards per return and did not have a runback longer than 23 yards. In his first two games back from the injury, Hillery has averaged 23.2 yards on 10 returns, including one that he took back 44 yards against Grand Rapids two weeks ago. His presence has been felt at more places than just the return game, however. After piling up 42 rushing yards in the season opener, the Kats had only managed 49 total yards on the ground during Hillery's four-game stint on IR. In his return against the Rampage, Hillery ran the ball four times for 25 yards, including a 12-yard TD, and Nashville accumulated a season-high 43 yards on the ground. Last week, Hillery picked up 17 more yards on four carries. The seven-year AFL veteran has been named Ironman of the Game in two of the three contests he has played in this year. He is averaging 146.0 all-purpose yards per game this season. Hillery is one of the Arena Football League's top Ironmen, having excelled in all facets of the game in his first six 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.

STOERNER LOOKS TO BOUNCE BACK - Quarterback Clint Stoerner had been on a tear to start the 2006 season - his first 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 had a pair of rough outings in the team's last two games. He completed 12-of-22 passes for 156 yards, four TD's and three INT's in the win over Grand Rapids two weeks ago, then was 18-of-31 for 238 yards, five TD's and three picks at Arizona last week. Through the first four weeks of the season, Stoerner had only been intercepted once, but he has been picked off six times in the past two games. He has completed 114-of-189 passes (60.3%) for 1,447 yards, 27 TD's and seven INT's in the first six 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. He set a Kats franchise record for passing yards in a game with 368 at Chicago earlier this season. The previous record was 362 by Andy Kelly in 1998 overtime win at Milwaukee. In addition, the 54 passes he attempted in that game tied Kelly's mark originally set in a 1999 loss to Albany.

NARROW LOSSES - The Kats' two losses have come by a combined three points, despite the fact that Nashville trailed by at least 15 points in each game. At Chicago in week three, the Kats rallied from a 22-point deficit before eventually losing 56-55 in overtime. Last week at Arizona, Nashville was down by 15 at the half and came back to reclaim the lead before eventually falling 51-49.

LEGENDARY PAIR - In Cory Fleming and Darryl 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 - Lost in the jaw-dropping performances by the Kats' defense is the fact that Nashville's offensive production has made a 180-degree turnaround from what it was at this point last season. Through the first six games in 2006, the Kats are averaging 53.2 points per game. That compares to a 41.3 points-per-game average through the first six weeks of 2005. 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 is currently eighth in scoring offense, and the 47 points they put up against Grand Rapids two weeks ago was the fewest they have scored all year. In 2005, the Kats scored 47 or fewer points 10 times.

SACK ATTACK - The Kats lead the AFL with a whopping 13 sacks on the season, through week six. 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), Anthony Herron (3), James Baron (2), Joe Minucci (2), Darryl Hammond (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 and Herron, Baron and Minucci make up four of the 22 AFL players who have posted two or more sacks so far this year. No other team has more than two players on that list. 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.

FORCING TURNOVERS - The Kats lead the Arena Football League in turnover margin with a whopping +11 mark through six weeks. The team with the next-best margin is Austin at +4. In fact, the Kats have added to their turnover margin despite the fact that they have turned the ball over six times themselves in the past two weeks. Nashville has forced 20 turnovers (nine fumbles and 11 INT's) in the first six games, while committing only nine (seven INT's and a pair of fumbles). The Kats have forced 13 turnovers in the past three weeks.

NO TIME AT ALL - The Kats are scoring plenty of points and getting great defensive play despite the fact that they have controlled the ball less than any team in the league through the first six weeks of the season. Nashville is averaging only 26:37 of possession time per game so far in 2006.

FULL MONTY - Kats DS Monty Montgomery has been a force in the secondary in the first six weeks, tying for the league lead with six interceptions and ranking second in the AFL with 46 tackles. He has also batted away nine passes (tied for 5th in AFL). Montgomery, who was a coveted free agent signee from New Orleans in the offseason, also forced and recovered a fumble at Chicago in week three. Last week, Montgomery had 7.5 total tackles and picked off two passes at Arizona. He is listed as questionable this week with a finger injury.

T.T. MEANS TD - OS T.T. Toliver continues to find the end zone at an amazing clip so far in 2006. Four of his eight catches in Saturday's game at Arizona went for touchdowns, and he is tied for sixth in the AFL with 14 total touchdowns this season. Toliver has scored 11 TD's on receptions, two on rushes and another on a net recovery. His 562 receiving yards ties him for seventh in the league through week six, and his 15.6 yards-per-catch average is the best of any receiver in the AFL. He had his third game with more than 100 receiving yards last week, catching eight passes for 132 yards and four scores at Arizona. He grabbed a game-high 12 catches for 144 yards and a TD at Chicago in week three, also scoring on a three-yard run. His 132 receiving yards at New York was the most of any player in the league in week one. He continues to show the "true meaning" of his initials by scoring two or more touchdowns in nearly every game he plays with the Kats. He has at least two TD's in 10 of the 13 contests he has played in with the Kats since being acquired in a midseason trade with Tampa Bay last season, and he has found the end zone in all 13 of those games. 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 last week and 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.

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 is second in the league in sacks (4) and leads the AFL in tackles for loss (5.5). Meanwhile, free agent pickup Monty Montgomery, whom Nashville signed away from New Orleans, is tied for the AFL lead in INT's with six and is second in tackles with 46. Quarterback Clint Stoerner, who was landed in a trade with Dallas, has thrown for 1,447 yards and 27 TD's this year. Lineman Anthony Herron, who was activated from the Kats' exempt list after playing last season in the NFL, has three sacks so far and is second in the league only to Carter with 4.5 tackles for loss. Wide receiver/defensive back Cornelius Bonner, who was also a free agent pickup in the offseason, has 27 catches for 351 yards and nine TD's. Plus, he had a team-record 56-yard INT return for a score against Colorado, and has 19 tackles on the year. Nashville WR/LB Cory Fleming came over in a trade with Orlando, and he has three TD catches so far on the season.

SGT. CARTER - FB/LB Frank Carter has been a major addition for the Kats in 2006, after signing a free agent deal in the offseason. He is currently second in the AFL in sacks with 4.0 and leads the league in tackles for loss with 5.5. He also has 12 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery so far this season. Offensively, he has gained 27 yards on 14 carries and scored two TD's.

SECOND-AND-LONG - The Kats have been the best defensive team in the AFL to this point on first down, holding opponents to 4.14 yards per play on first down. The league average is 6.38 yards.

3rd DOWN INEFFICIENCY - Despite excelling in nearly all phases of the game, the Kats have been weak on third down, converting on just 38.2 percent of their third down plays. Nashville ranks 15th out of 18 AFL teams in third down efficiency.

BONNER IS TRUE IRONMAN - WR/DB Cornelius Bonner has been a true example of an Ironman for the Kats so far this season, even winning AFL Ironman of the Week honors after Nashville's week two win over Columbus. For the year, he has 27 catches for 351 yards and nine TD's. Plus, he had a team-record 56-yard INT return for a score against Colorado three weeks ago, and has 19 tackles on the season. Like Frank Carter, Bonner signed with the Kats as a free agent in the offseason after spending the last few years with the Las Vegas Gladiators.

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. The Kats have not activated a rookie for a game so far this season.

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 LIKELY TO RETURN - Kats DS Reggie Stephens is likely to return from injured reserve this week after injuring his knee in the win over Columbus four weeks ago. Stephens had 5.5 tackles and two broken up passes in his brief time on the field so far this season.

SECOND(ARY) TO NONE - The Kats have put together one of the most formidable secondaries in the league, having picked off a league-best 11 passes and given up a league-low 5.3 yards per pass play through six weeks.

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.

FLEMING PLACED ON IR -WR/LB Cory Fleming has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in the win over Grand Rapids two weeks ago. He is expected to miss just one more week. Fleming has caught nine passes in his last two games and forced a key fumble in the win over Grand Rapids. One of the AFL's all-time greats, 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 now has 819 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 815 career receptions ranks him third, all-time, behind Barry Wagner and Eddie Brown. He ranks third on the all-time list for career touchdowns (237) and fourth in receiving yards (9,912). 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 will be played in his 100th game as a Kat (including playoffs) on Saturday at Arizona. He has 41.5 career sacks, placing him third on the AFL's all-time list. He will move into second with two more full sacks. So far this season, he has two sacks and a tackle for loss. 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). He had 2.5 stops last week at Arizona, and he had 4.5 tackles and a 44-yard fumble return in the win over Colorado three weeks ago, continuing his string of game-changing defensive performances so far this season. His nine tackles at Chicago in week three 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 three 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 649.5. He will join teammate Cory Fleming on the prestigious 800 career reception list with just three more catches.

SCOUTING UTAH
Although the Blaze show a 2-4 record, they enter Friday's game touting one of the best offenses in the league. Led by QB Joe Jermaine, the Blaze are ranked second in scoring offense (56.3 pts/gm), total offense (330.3 yds/gm) and passing offense (321.0 yds/gm). The Kats, who struggled out of the gate last week allowing 31 first half points to Arizona, will have to pressure Jermaine and limit to limit his chances. Despite losing three fumbles and two interceptions last week, Utah still managed 353 total offensive yards.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
JOE JERMAINE - QB
Starting only six games for the Arizona Rattlers last year, Jermaine comes to head the Blaze's high powered offense. Thus far he has earned his place as one of the leagues top QB's. He has a 67.5 completion percentage which is fourth in the league. Last week he had 342 yards passing with five TD's.

SIAHA BURLEY - WR/DB
Burley is the Blaze's leading receiver with 61 catches averaging 14.0 yards per catch. He also has 21 touchdowns on the year. Burley was named the 2005 Offensive Player of the Year by the AFL Writers Association when he was with the Arizona Rattlers. He also set a franchise record and led the league with 45 TD catches last year.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 7, 2006


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