Nashville Kats game notes

Published on May 3, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS: Game: Nashville Kats (7-7) at L.A. Avengers (3-11) Date: Saturday, April 29, 2006 Kickoff: 9:30 p.m. (CT) Site: Staples Center (17,942) Officials: R- David Lambros, U- Al Granado, HL- Bill Ward, LJ- Brian Matthew, BJ- Joe Duncan Television: AFL Net Radio: Kats Radio Network (LIVE). Flagship - 104.5 The Zone. Mike Keith (Play-by-Play), Larry Stone (Analyst). Internet: www.arenafootball.com Series Record: Nashville leads 3-0 Last Meeting: NASHVILLE 51, Los Angeles 48 (4/17/05) Series Streaks: Nashville has won all three meetings. Last Week: Nashville 54, Grand Rapids 61 Los Angles 36, San Jose 53 Coaches: Pat Sperduto, NAS (5th season; 45-34-1 overall). Ed Hodgkiss, LAA (5nd season 41-35 overall).

OVERVIEW: A beaten up Kats team (7-7) is trying to break out of a defensive funk as they travel to Los Angeles to take on the struggling Avengers (3-11). The bad news for Nashville is Saturday's 61-54 falter to Grand Rapids put them in a three-game losing slump, their longest of the season. The good news is later that evening, thanks to a Utah victory over Las Vegas, they were still able to ensure a spot in the playoffs. For the second time in three weeks the Kats face a team at the bottom of its respected conference. Both Los Angeles and Kansas City, who upset the Kats 58-52 in week 13, are out of the playoff hunt. Los Angeles sits atop a six game losing streak, the largest in the league. Two of the Avengers three wins this year have been at home, the last being a 60-57 upset to the American Conference-leading Colorado Crush on March 19.

THE SCHEDULES:

2006 Nashville Kats (7-7) 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 Won 48-47 Mar. 25 SAN JOSE Won 51-48 Apr. 1 @ Colorado Lost 77-47 Apr. 8 @ Las Vegas Won 58-44 Apr. 14 PHILADELPHIA Lost 49-33 Apr. 21 KANSAS CITY Lost 58-52 Apr. 29 @ Grand Rapids Lost 61-54 May 6 @ Los Angeles 9:30 p.m. May 13 TAMPA BAY 7:00 p.m.

2006 Los Angeles Avengers (3-11) Game Opponent Result Time/Score Jan. 29 ARIZONA Won 40-31 Feb. 5 @ Philadelphia Lost 47-33 Feb. 12 @ Grand Rapids Lost 66-41 Feb. 18 CHICAGO Lost 65-46 Feb. 25 UTAH Lost 68-66 Mar. 5 @ Orlando Lost 59-34 Mar. 12 @ San Jose Won 75-61 Mar. 19 COLORADO Won 60-57 Mar. 24 @ Arizona Lost 58-45 Apr. 2 @ Las Vegas Lost 63-49 Apr. 9 @ Kansas City Lost 62-45 Apr. 15 @ Utah Lost 63-61 Apr. 23 NEW YORK Lost 70-61 Apr. 29 SAN JOSE Lost 53-36 May 6 NASHVILLE 9:30 p.m. May 13 LAS VEGAS 9:30 p.m.

CURRENT PLAYOFF STANDINGS: American Conf. National Conf. x-Colorado 10-4 *-Dallas 12-2 y-San Jose 8-6 y-Orlando 9-5 Arizona 7-7 New York 9-5 y-Nashville 7-7 Georgia 8-6 Utah 6-8 Austin 8-6 Chicago 5-9 Columbus 7-7 Las Vegas 5-9 Philadelphia 7-7 Grand Rapids 5-9 Tampa Bay 7-7 Los Angeles 3-11 Kansas City 3-11 y-Clinched playoff berth x-Clinched Division *-Clinched best record in conference

THE SERIES: Nashville is undefeated against the Avengers, beating them in all three meetings. Prior to last year's three point decision at Nashville, the Kats faced L.A. twice in 2001 holding the Avengers to just 27 points in each game.

Date Result 5/18/01 Nashville 64, Los Angeles 27 (@ NAS) 7/7/01 Nashville 40, Los Angeles 27 (@ LAA) 4/17/05 Nashville 51, Los Angeles 48 (@ NAS)

KATS INJURY REPORT Player Injury Status Chris Angel Knee Out Jason Ball Hamstring Out Reggie Stephens Knee Out Eric Joyce Knee Out Jarrick Hillery Hamstring Out Darryl Hammond Knee Questionable M. Montgomery Ribs Doubtful Anthony Herron Knee Questionable Alonzo Nix Ankle Questionable

SERIES NOTABLES: Los Angeles QB Sonny Cumbie is in his rookie season for the Avengers and is currently completing 58.7 percent of his passes and has thrown for 2,812 yards with 52 TD's and seven INT's. His favorite target is Kevin Ingram. Here's a look at Ingram's results against the Kats:

Ingram vs. Kats Date Result Rec Yds Td 4/17/05 NAS 51, LAA 48 6 42 2 Totals 6 42 2

Kats QB Clint Stoerner had his first contest against Los Angeles with Dallas last year in his rookie season. Here are his results:

Stoerner vs. Avengers Date Result Com-Att Yds Td Int 3/18/05 DAL 72, LAA 50 18-30 143 4 0 Totals 18-30 143 4 0

Nashville's Top receiver T.T. Toliver had is best effort against LA last year. With only six receptions he marked 100 yards and found the end-zone twice in a three point victory:

Toliver vs. Avengers Date Result Rec Yds Td 5/9/04 TBS 63, LAA 55 6 27 1 3/26/05 LAA 59, TBS 28 3 39 1 3/17/05 NAS 51, LAA 48 6 100 2 Totals 15 166 4

LAST MEETING: Nashville 51, Los Angeles 48 (Apr. 14 @ Nashville) FB/LB Rupert Grant rushed for the go-ahead touchdown with nine seconds to play as the Nashville Kats, losers of seven straight earlier in the 2005 season, stretched their record to 2-0-1 over the previous three weeks. QB Leon Murray completed 19-of-27 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns on the afternoon, two to WR/DB T.T. Toliver, who caught a 45-yard touchdown pass on the team's first play from scrimmage. That was Nashville's only offensive play in the first quarter, but the team took a 14-6 lead when WR/DB Jarrick Hillery returned the first of two kickoffs for touchdowns. The Avengers came back to tie the game at 20 at halftime and the teams traded blows throughout the second half until Los Angeles QB John Kaleo found OS Khori Ivy in the front corner of the end zone with less than two minutes to play. Down 48-43, Murray captained a last-minute drive for the Kats, ending in Grant's touchdown run. Murray hit WR/LB Darryl Hammond to convert the following two-point conversion.

LAST WEEK: Nashville 54, Gr. Rapids 61 (Apr. 29, @ Gr. Rapids) The Kats dropped their third straight game and fell to .500 for the first time this season in a 61-54 decision. The game saw five ties and six lead changes, and Nashville's offense got the ball with a chance to tie it with 42 seconds remaining, but failed to get a first down. It was the second time in as many weeks the Kats failed to score on their final drive. Grand Rapids quarterback Chad Salisbury was red hot, connecting on 21-of-38 throws for 321 yards and seven TD's and no interceptions. Ten of his passes went to Anthony Hines, who finished with 134 yards and four scores. Up by a touchdown, Grand Rapids had a chance to salt the game away by stopping the Kats late in the fourth, but Clint Stoerner found his big-play man T.T. Toliver on a crucial fourth-and-three from his own 10, and the 40-yard TD pass tied the score at 54 with just 3:53 remaining. Salisbury rose to the occasion, however, and led the Rampage on a four-play, 47-yard drive that culminated in a 23-yard TD pass to Hines for the winning points. For the game, the Rampage scored on 10 of their 13 possessions. Stoerner finished 17-of-27 for 289 yards and four TD's with one INT. Cornelius Bonner was his favorite target, catching nine balls for 127 yards and a score. Toliver, who finished four TD's on the night, caught four passes for 100 yards and three scores.

Los Angeles 36, San Jose 53 (Apr. 29 @ LA) Brian Johnson rushed for three touchdowns and Clevan Thomas made a key interception with 11 minutes left in the game as the San Jose SaberCats defeated the Los Angeles Avengers, 53-36, Saturday night for their fifth straight win clinching a playoff spot. San Jose QB Mark Grieb directed an assault on the Avengers in the first half and the SaberCats built a 31-21 margin. Johnson scored his first two touchdowns, both from 4 yards out, and fullback-linebacker Phil Glover added another from nine yards away at the end of the second half.A 13-yard toss by Grieb to James Roe kept San Jose on top, 44-28, in the third, but Avengers' QB Sonny Cumbie tossed a 2-yarder to Rob Turner to close to 44-36. Cumbie ended with four TD passes on 20-31 and 278 yards but had the two interceptions, the first by Pauley in the first half. Tony Locke led the Avengers (3-11) with 102 yards receiving, but had no scores.

THE COACHES: Nashville - Pat Sperduto, 5th season 45-34-1 (.569) 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.

Los Angeles - Ed Hodgkiss, 5nd season 41-35 (.539) overall One of the brightest offensive masterminds in the AFL, Ed Hodgkiss is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Avengers. In his four previous seasons, he compiled a record of 38-24 and advanced to the AFL Playoffs each year. In his first two seasons at the helm, he directed the Avengers to a 19-11 record. No head coach in league history has won more games in his first two seasons than Hodgkiss. Last season, the Avengers captured their first Western Division championship and compiled a 10-6 record. Under Hodgkiss' direction, Los Angeles led the league in offensive scoring percentage (74.4 percent) and turnover margin (+17). He finished second in the balloting for AFL "Coach of the Year" honors. In 2004, the Avengers went 9-7 and led the AFL in scoring, averaging 56.5 points per game. In 2003, the Avengers won a franchise-best 11 games and earned a first-round playoff bye. Hodgkiss, who was the runner-up for the 2003 AFL "Coach of the Year" award, oversaw the league's most efficient offense, which scored 122 touchdowns (most in the AFL) on only 619 total plays (least in the AFL). Hodgkiss became the head coach of the Avengers on Oct. 5, 2001, and signed a five-year contract extension shortly after a 2002 season that saw him adroitly pilot the team to an 8-6 mark and into the postseason for the first time in franchise history. In his first season as a head coach at any level, he instantly established the Avenger offense as one of the most feared in the AFL, scoring an average of 52.2 points per game. Prior to joining the Avengers, Hodgkiss was the Indiana Firebirds' offensive coordinator for three seasons (1999-2001) and was part of an ArenaBowl championship in 1999.

2006 TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS Category Kats Avengers Points Per Game 49.7 (10th) 49.4 (11th) Points Allowed 48.3 (t-7th) 58.8 (18th) Total Offense 253.0 (15th) 288.6 (6th) Total Defense 266.4 (2nd) 282.6 (9th) Pass Offense 231.6 (18th) 269.9 (8th) Pass Defense 246.5 (2nd) 260.4 (9th) Rushing Offense 31.4 (3rd) 18.8 (8th) Rushing Defense 19.9 (8th) 22.3 (14th) Interceptions 12 (t-8th) 12 (t-8th) Turnover Margin 0 (t-9th) -3 (13th) Kickoff Return Avg. 17.2 (11th) 16.8 (12th) Sacks By 20 (3rd) 7 (13th) Sacks Against 18 (t-10th) 28 (13th)

NOTES:

PLAYOFF BOUND - Despite losing for the second week in a row when having control of their own playoff fate, the Kats got a little help last week and are now guaranteed a spot in the postseason. Thanks to losses by both Las Vegas and Chicago on Saturday, even if Nashville loses their remaining games, there is no way for one of those teams to knock them out of a playoff spot. As it stands this week, the Kats are a four-seed in the American Conference, behind Arizona, which owns the tie-breaker over the Kats. The third and fourth seeds in each conference will host first-round wildcard games. There are three scenarios possible for Nashville to host a first-round home playoff game based on the remaining schedules:

1. Nashville wins their final two games 2. Utah loses their final two games 3. Nashville wins 1-of-2 + Utah loses 1-of-2

Colorado has already clinched the best record in the Central division and currently has a three game lead over the Kats.

ROAD WOES - Nashville has traditionally been a solid road team, but 2006 has seen the Kats struggle away from home. Going into the season, the Kats were 27-15-1, all-time, as the visitors, but are only 2-5 this year. In their seven home games, Nashville has outscored its opponents 342-297, while being outscored 376-340 in their six road contests.

BANGED UP - The Kats limp into Los Angeles for this week's game after losing a few key players to injury in the last several weeks. Five players will sit out this game with a chance of sitting another four. DS Monty Montgomery (ribs) played last week, but is listed as doubtful for this week. Joining WR/DB Jarrick Hillery (hamstring) on the IR is Eric Joyce, who suffered a knee injury in last week's game and will miss the rest of the season. WR/DB Alonzo Nix (ankle) and OL/DL Anthony Herron (knee) are also listed as questionable for Saturday. WR/DB Reggie Stephens, who re-injured his knee against Kansas City, required surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.

GETTING HIS KICKS - One of the few bright spots in the Kats' recent doldrums is the turnaround of the kicking game. Kicker Jason Witczak, who was brought in to replace Tony Dodson after week six when he dipped below 80% on PAT attempts, is in one of the best kicking streaks in recent history for the Kats. Two weeks ago versus K.C., he connected on all six of his PAT attempts and nailed his only field goal of the game, a 26-yarder. In Grand Rapids, Witczak went 6-for-7 on PAT's and nailed two field goals, a 32-yarder and a career best, 40-yarder. Witczak was a little rusty when he first came to Nashville and was moved to the practice squad in favor of Jason Ball after three weeks. Neither kicker gained a solid hold on the job, and Witczak left the team three weeks ago before the Philadelphia game. In that contest, Ball pulled his hamstring and missed the entire second half, forcing WR/DB Jarrick Hillery to take over kickoff duties. Witczak was then recalled to take the starting spot in time for the April 22 game against the Brigade.

STOERNER BOUNCES BACK- QB Clint Stoerner seems to have found his rhythm since returning from an injury in week 11. It has been up and down for the second-year starter since his three-week absence, but he posted solid numbers in last week's loss to Grand Rapids. With only one interception, Stoerner completed 17-of-27 throws with four TD's. His 289 passing yards was the second highest total this season and the most since his injury. Rebounding from a poor outing at home against Philadelphia in week 12, he went 27-for-41 passing with no interceptions against Kansas City. He also managed five touchdowns, the fourth time he's reached that number this year. For the year, he has completed 58.9 percent of his throws for 2,521 yards, 43 TD's and 11 interceptions. During his stint on IR, Stoerner was replaced by Leon Murray, who completed 57.5 percent of his passes for 824 yards, 15 TD's and 10 INT's.

T.T. MEANS TD - After a mediocre performance against Kansas City two weeks ago, in which he did not register a touchdown in a game for the first time in a Kats jersey, T.T. Toliver got back to his old ways with another solid performance at Grand Rapids. Toliver, who grabbed four passes with three going for scores, continues to show why he is one of the top touchdown machines in the league. Twenty of his last 42 catches have gone for touchdowns, and he is seventh in the AFL with 31 total touchdowns this season. He has scored on 36.6 percent of his receptions this year, placing him fourth in the league in that category. Toliver has scored 26 TD's on receptions, three on rushes and two on kick returns. He also threw a TD pass to Cory Fleming in a week nine win over San Jose. His 1170 receiving yards ranks him 13th in the league through week 14, and his 16.5 yards-per-catch average is the best of any receiver in the AFL with at least 60 receptions this season. 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 16 of the 21 contests he has played in with the Kats since being acquired in a midseason trade with Tampa Bay last season. 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, who has played only offensively for the Kats this season, moved back to playing two-way football last week, where he has played his previous four seasons in the AFL. He was tied for second in total tackles versus Kansas City, pulling down 3.5 Brigade players.

Average Yards Per Catch (Min. 60 rec.) Player Avg. T.T. Toliver, NAS 16.5 Ben Nelson, SJS 15.2 Tony Locke, LAA 15.0 Siaha Burley, UTH 14.7

Pct. Of Rec. for TD (Min. 60 rec.) Player Pct. Randy Gatewood, ARI 38.2 Damian Harrell, COL 36.9 Bobby Sippio, CHI 35.1 T.T. Toliver, NAS 36.6 Terrill Shaw, DAL 33.3

T.T. TIES RECORD - With last week's 100 receiving showcase, T.T. Toliver tied Cory Fleming for the Kats record for the most 100-yard receiving games in a single season. Toliver currently has six games where he has reached the century mark and is averaging 83.6 yards per game. Fleming had six 100-yard games in 1998 when he averaged 98.3 yards per game.

STRUGGLING D - The Kats defense was one of the best in the league through the start of the 2006 campaign, but recently has fallen into a slump. Through week five, the Kats were first in the league in defensive scoring percentage, holding their opponents scoreless 47 percent of the time. Since then, Nashville's opponents have put up points on 75 out of 108 possessions and are scoring 69 percent of the time. The Kats have also logged only one sack in the past five games and only one interception in their past eight. Through week six, the Kats totaled 11 picks and 13 sacks. Despite the recent back-track, the Kats are still ranked first in yards per play (5.5), and second in yards allowed per game (266.0).

PICKED OFF - The Kats are tied for a league high in interceptions thrown with 21 through 14 weeks this season, despite only tossing one in the first four games of 2006. Since week four, Nashville has thrown 20 INT's - an average of 2.0 per game. Regular starter Clint Stoerner has thrown 11 in his nine outings this year, while Leon Murray has also been picked off 10 times in his four appearances this season.

RUNNING TO GLORY - The Kats have been quite effective running the ball in 2006, averaging the second-most yards per carry (3.3) of any team in the AFL. Overall, Nashville ranks third in the league in rushing, averaging 31.4 yards per game. They have also run for 28 touchdowns on the season. FB/LB Dan Alexander leads the team and is third in the AFL in rushing, despite playing in only eight of the team's 14 games this season. Alexander has run for 144 yards on 38 carries so far this season. In fact, the Kats average 34.4 rushing yards per game in contests in which Alexander plays, while they average 19.5 yards on the ground in games when he has not been on the field.

WHERE'S THE PRESSURE? - The Kats had one of the most fierce pass rushes in the league through the first nine games this season, but their heat on the quarterback has cooled as of late. In the last five games the Kats have registered only one sack, opposed to the first nine weeks where they brought down the quarterback 19 times. Despite the slump, they are third in the league in total sacks with 20 on the season. Seven players have had sacks so far this season - Frank Carter (4.5), Joe Minucci (4.5), Anthony Herron (4), James Baron (3), Aaron McConnell (2), Darryl Hammond (1) and Jermaine Lewis (1). Carter's four in a game at New York was the most in team history and ties him for third in AFL history. He, Minucci and Herron make up three of the 22 AFL players who have recorded four or more sacks this year. Georgia is the only other team with three players on that list. Nashville 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. 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.

PROTECTING THE PASSER - One of the key factors in the outcome of games for the Kats so far this season has been the play of the offensive line. Nashville is 6-2 in games in which they give up no more than one sack, while they are 1-5 in contests in which they have allowed more than one QB takedown.

A GOOD START - The Kats have found themselves with great field position to start most of their drives this season. Nashville is third in the AFL in starting position following kickoffs, starting at an average of their own 15.1 yard line.

SECOND-AND-LONG - The Kats have been the best defensive team in the AFL to this point on first down, holding opponents to 5.1 yards per play on first down. The league average is 6.39 yards.

THIRD DOWN BLUES - Despite being the best in the league on first down, Nashville's defense has had its share of struggles on third down plays. The Kats rank 17th out of 18 teams in third down efficiency on defense, surrendering the first down 55.5 percent of the time.

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 at Utah in week seven, 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.

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.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE - OL/DL Joe Minucci is proving his outstanding rookie season was no fluke. The second-year player from Delaware was named to the AFL's All-Rookie squad in 2005 after leading the Kats with five sacks. So far this season, he is tied with teammate Frank Carter for the team lead in sacks with 4.5, and he is tied for fifth among league leaders in that category. His four forced fumbles ties him for second in the AFL. He was recently named to the Arena Football Writers Association mid-season All-AFL team.

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.

TITANS CONNECTIONS - Seven of the 22 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, OL/DL Joe Minucci, K Jason Witczak and WR/LB Alonzo Nix 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.

MR. 10,000 -WR/LB Cory Fleming reached one of the AFL's most coveted milestones - 10,000 career receiving yards - in the week nine win over San Jose. Fleming passed the mark with a seven-yard reception in the first half of the San Jose win. He became just the fourth player in league history to have reached that point before (Barry Wagner, Eddie Brown and Gary Compton are the others). One of the AFL's all-time greats, Fleming caught three passes for 17 yards and a TD at Las Vegas last week. He 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 840 career receptions, ranking him third all-time in that category, and 10,111 receiving yards, ranking him fourth. 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. He ranks third on the all-time list for career touchdowns (241), and 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 42.5 career sacks, placing him third on the AFL's all-time list. He had a sack in the win at Las Vegas three weeks ago, and he will move into second with one more full sack. So far this season, he has three sacks and a tackle for loss, as well as three fumble recoveries. 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, and has now played in 156 of the 158 weeks he has been in arena football. 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 (29.5), 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 became the fourth player in league history to catch at least 800 passes at Utah in week seven. 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 653.

SCOUTING LOS ANGELES Los Angeles has struggled to a 3-11 start this year and is in the midst of a six game losing streak, but the Avengers are dangerous when they want to be. Two of their three wins were against division-leading Colorado and San Jose, in which they put up a total 135 points. Their other win was against Arizona who sits at third in the American Conference.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: WR/DB KEVIN INGRAM - One of the top two-way players in the league. Ingram has been named the Ironman of the game five times this season. He leads the Avengers in receptions with 96 and touchdowns with 30, and is averaging 12.5 yards per catch. He is also tops on the team in interceptions with five, and is second in total tackles with 43.5 takedowns this year.

QB SONNIE CUMBIE - A college phenom at Texas Tech University, the first year QB led the NCAA in passing in 2004, and is No. 6 all time in Division I-A NCAA history in yards passing with 4,742. He has completed 58.7 percent of his passes with the Avengers, and has seven 52 TD's with seven INT's. His play could be the difference maker for Los Angeles especially against a struggling Kats defense.

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