Sports stats



Nashville Kats game notes

March 14, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Nashville Kats (4-3) at Chicago Rush (3-4)
Date: Friday, March 17, 2006
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Site: Gaylord Entertainment Center (15,711)
Officials: R- Bill Athan, U- Matt Jordan, HL- Tim Podraza, LJ- Tom Symonette, BJ- Greg Wilson
Television: FSN South (10 p.m. CT)
Radio: Kats Radio Network. Flagship - 104.5 The Zone. Mike Keith (Play-by-Play), Larry Stone (Analyst).
Internet: www.arenafootball.com
Series Record: Chicago leads 3-0
Last Meeting: Chicago won 56-55 (OT)
Series Streaks: Chicago has won all three meetings
Last Week: Utah 63, Nashville 34
Colorado 49, Chicago 42
Coaches: Pat Sperduto, NAS (5th season; 42-30-1 overall). Mike Hohensee, CHI (13h season; 91-82 overall)

OVERVIEW: The Nashville Kats return home after a dismal road trip in which they dropped a pair of games to teams with sub-.500 records. The Kats, which have dropped to 4-3 and sit two games back of division-leading Colorado, need a win this week against Chicago to stay ahead of the Rush in the standings. Nashville will have to go to work without QB Clint Stoerner, who is out 3-6 weeks with a leg injury. He will be replaced by Leon Murray, who started 13 games for the Kats in 2005. Chicago, like Nashville, is trying to break a two-game slide and move into a tie with the Kats for second place in the Central with a win this week. They have been getting great play out of QB Matt D'Orazio, who has completed nearly 69 percent of his throws for 32 TD's and just a pair of INT's.

THE SCHEDULES:
2006 Nashville Kats (4-3)
Game Opponent Result Time/Score
Jan. 28 @ New York Won 57-28
Feb. 3 COLUMBUS Won 53-27
Feb. 12 @Chicago Lost 56-55 (OT)
Feb. 18 COLORADO Won 58-36
Feb. 25 GRAND RAPIDS Won 47-31
Mar. 4 @ Arizona Lost 52-49
Mar. 10 @ Utah Lost 63-34
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 Chicago Rush (3-4)
Game Opponent Result Time/Score
Jan. 28 @ Colorado Lost 65-56
Feb. 3 NEW YORK Lost 51-47
Feb. 12 NASHVILLE Won 56-55 (OT)
Feb. 18 @ Los Angeles Won 65-46
Feb. 26 SAN JOSE Won 54-48 (OT)
Mar. 5 DALLAS Lost 59-42
Mar. 10 COLORADO Lost 49-42
Mar. 17 @ Grand Rapids 2:00 p.m.
Mar. 26 GRAND RAPIDS 2:00 p.m.
Apr. 2 @ Orlando 11:00 a.m.
Apr. 9 @ Philadelphia 12:00 p.m.
Apr. 15 @ Arizona 9:00 p.m.
Apr. 23 LAS VEGAS 3:00 p.m.
Apr. 29 @ Georgia 6:00 p.m.
May 6 UTAH 7:00 p.m.
May 13 @ Grand Rapids 3:00 p.m.

THE SERIES: The Kats have not beaten the Rush in any of the franchises' three meetings. Last year, the Rush swept the Kats in two regular season meetings. In the latest contest (2/12/06 at Chicago), the Kats fell to the Rush 56-55 in overtime, giving the Kats their first loss of the 2006 season. Nashville had rallied from a 22-point deficit to send the game into OT.

Date Result
3/6/05 Chicago 45, Nashville 38 (@ Chicago)
5/22/05 Chicago 45, Nashville 21 (@ Nashville)
2/12/06 Chicago 56, Nashville 55 OT (@ Chicago)

KATS INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Chris Angel Knee Questionable
Frank Carter Knee Questionable
Cory Fleming Concussion Probable
Tyrone Hopson Knee Probable
Ronald Jones Elbow Questionable
Monty Montgomery Finger Out
Clint Stoerner Leg Out

LAST MEETING:
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. Nashville had trailed by as much as 22 points in the game before the Kats got some late-game heroics. On the last play of regulation, Kats QB Clint Stoerner hit Cory Fleming over the middle, and Fleming dumped it to Cornelius Bonner on a hook-and-lateral who went 30 yards to the endzone. 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.

LAST WEEK:
Utah 63, Nashville 34 (Mar. 13 @ Utah)
Nashville's offense turned the ball over seven times and never got into sync, while the Kats struggled to slow down a high-flying Blaze offense which racked up 218 total yards and scored on all but three of their 12 possessions in the game. The Rush jumped to an early 14-0 lead scoring six plays after recovering a kickoff that took an odd bounce of the net. The Kats missed a valuable chance just before halftime. Trailing 28-20, they recovered a fumble, but fumbled it back just two plays later. The second half was no better for the Kats, turning the ball over on the first three possessions of the half. QB Leon Murray saw his first action of the season with the Kats going 13-for-25 for 150 yards and three TD's after replacing Clint Stoerner because of an injury. Murray also had two interceptions.

Colorado 49, Chicago 42 (Mar. 13 @ Chicago)
The Colorado Crush shook off a slow start and came back to beat the Chicago Rush 49-42 behind the accurate right arm of quarterback John Dutton and the spectacular receiving ability of Damian Harrell. Chicago held Colorado scoreless in the first quarter, with 13-0 lead. The rest of the game was a different story. Colorado battled back and took the lead for good with six seconds left in the first half, when Andy McCullough caught a 23-yard TD strike from John Dutton, giving Colorado a 28-27 edge. Chicago drew within 35-34 on Matt D'Orazio's eight-yard TD pass to John Sikora 20 seconds into the fourth quarter, but Harrell caught a 14-yard scoring toss from Dutton two minutes later to give Colorado a 42-34 cushion. D'Orazio completed 26-of-42 passes for 293 yards and six TDs for the Rush, which fell to 4-3 all-time against the Crush.

SERIES NOTABLES:
Rush QB Matt D'Orazio had his first outing versus the Kats this year and had a productive output. Here are his numbers from that game:

D'Razio vs. Kats
Date Result Com-Att Yds Td Int
2/12/06 CHI 56, NAS 55 21-29 210 4 0
Totals 21-29 210 4 0

The Rush's receiving corps is led by Etu Molden and C.J. Johnson. They have played in every meeting between the two franchises.

Molden vs. Kats
Date Result Rec Yds Td
3/6/05 CHI 45, NAS 38 6 60 1
5/22/05 CHI 45, NAS 21 5 64 1
2/12/06 CHI 56, NAS 55 1 13 0
Totals 12 117 2

Johnson vs. Kats
Date Result Rec Yds Td
3/6/05 CHI 45, NAS 38 7 100 2
5/22/05 CHI 45, NAS 21 2 20 1
2/12/06 CHI 56, NAS 55 7 71 2
Totals 16 191 5

Kats QB Leon Murray's only game versus the Rush was in last year's finale. Here are his results:

Murray vs. Rush
Date Result Com-Att Yds Td Int
5/22/05 CHI 45, NAS 21 15-27 200 3 0
Totals 15-27 200 3 0

Kats receivers have had some big days against Chicago in the past. Here are the numbers for some of Nashville's primary receivers against the Rush:

Fleming Vs. Rush
Date Result Rec Yds Td
3/21/04 CHI 58, ORL 15 10 84 1
2/2/03 ORL 47, CHI 35 6 55 1
2/12/06 CHI 56, NAS 55 6 76 0
Totals 22 215 2

Hammond Vs. Rush
Date Result Rec Yds Td
5/22/05 CHI 45, NAS 21 1 3 0
3/6/05 CHI 45, NAS 38 6 68 3
2/12/06 CHI 56, NAS 55 1 8 0
Totals 8 79 3

Toliver vs. Rush
Date Result Rec Yds TD
5/22/05 CHI 45, NAS 21 10 162 3
4/11/04 CHI 51, TBS 36 7 107 1
2/12/06 CHI 56, NAS 55 12 144 1
Totals 29 413 5

Bonner vs. Rush
Date Result Rec Yds TD
4/4/04 CHI 57, LVG 55 8 97 1
3/16/03 CHI 68, LVG 48 1 3 0
2/12/06 CHI 56, NAS 55 8 123 3
Totals 17 223 4

THE COACHES:
Nashville - Pat Sperduto, 5th season
42-30-1 (.579) 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.

Chicago - Mike Hohensee, 13th Season
91-82 (.526) overall
One of the most enduring figures in AFL history, Hohensee is in his 20th season of arena football and 13th as a head coach. He is the only coach in Rush franchise history, having led the team to a 44-34 record and playoff appearances in each of the team's first five seasons of play. He was previously a head coach for franchises in Washington, Albany and New England. Hohensee started his AFL career as a player for the Pittsburgh Gladiators in the league's first season (1987), throwing for more than 2,000 yards as the team's QB for two seasons.

2006 TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Category Kats Rush
Scoring Offense 50.4 (11th) 51.7 (10th)
Scoring Defense 41.7 (1st) 53.3 (11th)
Total Offense 259.9 (15th) 294.6 (7th)
Total Defense 248.4 (2nd) 290.9 (10th)
Pass Offense 235.7 (15th) 266.1 (9th)
Pass Defense 231.0 (2nd) 272.6 (11th)
Rushing Offense 24.1 (6th) 28.4 (5th)
Rushing Defense 17.4 (6th) 18.3 (8th)
Interceptions 11 (2nd) 6 (t-6th)
Turnover Margin +6 (1st) +3 (t-3rd)
Kickoff Return Avg. 17.5 (8th) 17.0 (10th)
Sacks By 16 (1st) 11 (3rd)
Sacks Against 8 (t-8th) 13 (11th)

NOTES:

SLOPPY SLUMP - The Kats have been plagued in recent weeks with turnovers, penalties and missed kicks. In the last three games, Nashville has turned the ball over 13 times and been penalized 29 times for 151 yards. The Kats have also missed seven extra point attempts during that span.

BOUNCING BACK - The Kats' loss to Utah was the second in a row after losing at Arizona two weeks ago. All-time, the Kats are 3-2 following two losses. Nashville's first two-game slide last year was the beginning of the longest losing streak in Kats history, a seven game skid that ended with a 35-48 victory over Grand Rapids (4/3/05). The only other time Nashville has dropped three straight came in 1999, Pat Sperduto's first season as head coach.

GETTING DEFENSIVE - Despite a record-setting loss last week and allowing a season-high 63 points, the Kats' defense still remains one of the league's best. Nashville ranks first in three categories and second in three others.
Their 41.7 points allowed per game, +6 turnover margin and 16 sacks are all league leaders. The Kats are second in the league in total defense (248.4), pass defense (231.0) and interceptions (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. In the fifth week, 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. Even with the offensive barrage by Utah last week, the Kats have still allowed the fewest points in the league (292), and are also allowing the fewest yards per play, giving up an average of just 4.8 yards per snap.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS - WR/DB Jarrick Hillery is second in the AFL in kickoff returns, averaging 22.8 yards per return in the four games he has played so far this season. In last week's loss, he had five returns for 65 total yards, including one for 20. The Kats welcomed Hillery back from injured reserve three 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. 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. The seven-year AFL veteran has been named Ironman of the Game in two of the four contests he has played in this year. He is averaging 132.8 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 HURT, MURRAY IN - Quarterback Leon Murray will get his first starting opportunity of the 2006 campaign as Clint Stoerner will sit due to injury. Murray came in during last week's loss after Stoerner went down on a hit to his left leg. Stoerner returned briefly but did not finish the game. Murray went 13-of-25 passing with three TD's and two INT's, one of which came in the end zone on the last play of the game. Murray, who saw action in 13 games last year, finished 2005 averaging 222.6 passing yards per game, and a 60.4 completion percentage. He also had 141 TD passes with 26 INT's. Murray finished 2005 on a tear and was a big contributor to the team's turnaround in which they posted a six-game unbeaten streak. He threw 25 TD's with no INT's in the final six games of the season. In the team's final game of the year, a 45-21 loss to Chicago, he had 200 yards passing with three TD's before leaving with a knee injury. Prior to joining the Kats as a free agent before the 2005 campaign, he spent two years with the Georgia Force, where he was named to the AFL's All-Rookie team and voted the Force's Co-Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 2003. Stoerner had a few rough outings in the team's last three games, throwing seven INT's, as opposed to only one in his first three contests this season.

GAUNTT JOINS KATS AS BACKUP - With the injury to QB Clint Stoerner and the move by Leon Murray into the starter role, the Kats have signed veteran signalcaller Glen Gauntt (6-2, 220). The former South Florida QB was the starter for Dallas in 2004, where he completed 60.2 percent of his throws for 3,009 yards, 58 TD's and 11 INT's. He was a backup with Georgia last year on the Force's ArenaBowl team, completing 15-of-18 throws for 177 yards and 4 TD's

KATS TRADE KHALIL CARTER FOR MAYS - The Kats shook things up this week when they traded DS Khalil Carter, a second-team All-Arena choice in 2005, to Orlando for rookie WR/DB Jermaine Mays (5-11, 180). Mays has been on injured reserve with the Predators for the last three weeks, but he had 23 tackles, an INT and two pass breakups in the first four weeks. He has also caught three passes for 22 yards. Mays played at the University of Minnesota, where he starred as a receiver and kick returner. He played two years in NFL Europe and as a cornerback and was in camp with the Minnesota Vikings in 2003 and 2005.

RECORD LOSS - Last week's 63-34 point thrashing dealt by the Utah Blaze marked the largest margin of defeat in franchise history for the Kats. The 29-point defeat eclipsed last year's 59-34 loss to the New Orleans Vodoo in which the Kats also managed only 34 points. In both games, the Kats got behind early and never recovered. Nashville was also held scoreless in a quarter (third) for the first time this year and also only managed only six points in the first quarter. Nashville's other two losses this year 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. Two weeks ago at Arizona, Nashville was down by 15 at the half and came back to reclaim the lead before eventually falling 51-49.

THE 800 CLUB - In Cory Fleming and Darryl Hammond, Nashville features two of the top receivers in AFL history, and they have given 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, and now sits at 818. With his four receptions last week, Darryl Hammond became the fourth player to reach that milestone with 801. The Kats are the first team ever to have two 800-catch receivers on the same roster.

OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES - After starting the season on a tear, the Kats' offense has struggled in the last three games. Through the first four weeks of the season, Nashville averaged 55.75 points and 278.5 total yards per game. In the last three games, the Kats are averaging just 43.3 points and 241 yards of total offense per contest. In addition, after only turning the ball over three times in the first four games, Nashville has turned it over 13 times in the last three weeks. The Kats are also averaging 50.3 penalty yards per game in the last three weeks after only averaging 37.5 yards on penalties in the first four games.

SACK ATTACK - The Kats lead the AFL with a whopping 16 sacks on the season, through week seven. 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. Seven players have had sacks so far this season - Frank Carter (4), Anthony Herron (4), James Baron (2), Aaron McConnell (2), Joe Minucci (2), Darryl Hammond (1) and Jermaine Lewis (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, McConnell and Minucci make up five of the 25 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 still lead the Arena Football League in turnover margin with a +6 mark through seven weeks, despite the fact that they have turned the ball over 13 times in the last three games. Nashville has forced 22 turnovers (11 fumbles and 11 INT's) in the first seven games, while committing 16 (10 INT's and six fumbles).

NO TIME AT ALL - The Kats have controlled the ball less than any team in the league through the first seven weeks of the season. Nashville is averaging only 26:59 of possession time per game so far in 2006.

MONTGOMERY OUT ONE MORE WEEK - Kats DS Monty Montgomery will miss one more week after fracturing the middle finger on his right hand. He 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. Two weeks ago, Montgomery had 7.5 total tackles and picked off two passes at Arizona, despite suffering the injury.

T.T. MEANS TD - OS T.T. Toliver continues to find the end zone at an amazing clip so far in 2006. Eight of his last 14 catches have gone for touchdowns, and he is tied for fourth in the AFL with 17 total touchdowns this season. Toliver has scored 14 TD's on receptions, two on rushes and another on a net recovery. His 630 receiving yards ranks him seventh in the league through week seven, and his 15.4 yards-per-catch average is the best of any receiver in the AFL. He had his third game with more than 100 receiving yards two weeks ago, 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 11 of the 14 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 14 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.

FRANK CARTER QUESTIONABLE - FB/LB Frank Carter is listed as questionable after spraining his MCL in last week's loss at Utah. Carter has been a major addition for the Kats in 2006, after signing a free agent deal in the offseason. He is tied for the team lead in sacks with 4.0. He also has 12.5 tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery so far this season. Offensively, he has gained 37 yards on 16 carries and scored four 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 4.28 yards per play on first down. The league average is 6.44 yards.

3rd DOWN INEFFICIENCY - The Kats have been weak on third down, converting on just 40.9 percent of their third down plays. Nashville ranks 14th 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 31 catches for 398 yards and nine TD's. Plus, he had a team-record 56-yard INT return for a score against Colorado in week four, and has 22 tackles and five passes defended 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.

SECOND(ARY) TO NONE - The Kats have put together one of the most formidable secondaries in the league, having picked off 11 passes (2nd in the AFL) and given up a league-low 5.4 yards per pass play through seven 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 RETURNS THIS WEEK -WR/LB Cory Fleming will return this week from a stint on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in the win over Grand Rapids three weeks ago. 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. 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 four receptions for 42 yards last week at Utah, making him the fourth player in league history to catch at least 800 passes. Hammond had a 44-yard fumble return in the win over Colorado in week four, 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 8,563 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 801 career receptions and ranks eighth on the league's all-time receiving-yards gained in a career with 8,563 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 650.5.

SCOUTING CHICAGO
Like the Kats, the Rush have dropped consecutive games in the last two weeks, and they need a win this week to catch Nashville in the Central Division standings. Chicago is 3-4 despite getting solid performances by new quarterback Matt D'Orazio, who has replaced Raymond Philyaw under center. The Rush are still one of the league's most dangerous teams, especially on offense where they feature the tremendously talented Etu Molden and C.J. Johnson at receiver and one of the AFL's top running games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

OS C.J. JOHNSON - Former Tennessee State standout has been a star with the Rush, leading the team with 45 catches for 532 yards and seven TD's so far this year.

WR/LB ETU MOLDEN - One of the best all-around players in the game, Molden has 20 catches for 233 yards and three TD's. He is also a force on defense, and he is the Rush's all-time leading receiver.

QB MATT D'ORAZIO - QB Matt D'Orazio has taken over as the starter in Chicago after the Rush did not re-sign Raymond Philyaw in the offseason. Prior to 2006 he spent four seasons in the AFL with Milwaukee, Buffalo and Columbus, but only played in 16 career games, with 13 of them coming last season. He has been outstanding for the Rush so far, completing 68.9 percent of his throws for 1,854 yards, 32 TD's and two INT's in the first seven games of the season.

• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...

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


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Nashville Kats Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central