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Nashville Kats game notes

May 16, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Nashville Kats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: #4 Nashville Kats (8-8) v. #5 Chicago Rush (7-9)
Date: Saturday, May 21, 2006
Kickoff: 2 p.m. (CT)
Site: Gaylord Entertainment Center (15,871)
Officials: R- Bill Athan, U- Doug Wilson, HL- Tim Podraza, LJ- Brian Matthew, BJ- Rich Wilborn
Television: NBC (LIVE)
Radio: Kats Radio Network (LIVE). Flagship - 104.5 The Zone. Mike Keith (Play-by-Play), Larry Stone (Analyst).
Internet: www.arenafootball.com
Series Record: Chicago leads 3-1
Last Meeting: Nashville won 48-47
Series Streaks: Nashville won the previous meeting.
Last Week: Nashville 60, Tampa Bay 50
Chicago 70, Grand Rapids 47
Coaches: Pat Sperduto, NAS (5th season; 46-35-1).
Mike Hohensee (13th season; 95-87).

OVERVIEW:
The Chicago Rush (7-9) comes to Nashville (8-8) for the second time this season to kick off the 2006 playoff campaign by the renewal of a heated divisional match-up. The teams went head-to-head twice this year in a pair of the most exciting games in each of their seasons. Both games were decided by a single point, the first being a Rush victory in overtime at Chicago. Last week, Nashville was finally able to finish a team off when having control of their own playoff destiny, beating Tampa Bay 66-50 last week to guarantee a first-round home game. The Kats failed to do so against Grand Rapids and Los Angeles in the previous two weeks, and have lost four of their last five match-ups. Chicago has been on an offensive-tear lately, racking up a total 154 points in their past two contests where they pounded Utah 84-48 and Grand Rapids 66-50.

THE SCHEDULES:

2006 Nashville Kats (8-8)
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 Lost 73-56
May 13 TAMPA BAY Won 66-50

2006 Chicago Rush (7-9)
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 @ Nashville Lost 48-47
Mar. 26 GRAND RAPIDS Won 51-44
Apr. 2 @ Orlando Lost 55-27
Apr. 9 @ Philadelphia Lost 56-55 (OT)
Apr. 15 @ Arizona Lost 61-42
Apr. 23 LAS VEGAS Won 67-47
Apr. 29 @ Georgia Lost 55-20
May 6 UTAH Won 84-48
May 13 @ Grand Rapids Won 70-47

FINAL PLAYOFF STANDINGS:
Seed American Conf. National Conf.
1 *-Colorado 11-5 *-Dallas 13-3
2 x-San Jose 10-6 x-Orlando 10-6
3 Arizona 8-8 New York 10-6
4 Nashville 8-8 Austin 10-6
5 Chicago 7-9 Georgia 8-8
6 Utah 7-9 Philadelphia 9-7
Las Vegas 5-11 Columbus 8-8
Grand Rapids 5-11 Tampa Bay 7-9
Los Angeles 5-11 Kansas City 3-13
x-Clinched division
*-Clinched division & best record in conference

THE SERIES: The Kats and Rush have split their series this year with both games being decided by a single point. In the first contest, Chicago gave the Kats their first loss of the season in a thrilling overtime victory that saw Nashville rally from a 22-point deficit to send the game into OT. In their second game of the year, Cornelius Bonner stuffed Chicago's two-point conversion attempt on the 1-yard line with 48 seconds left to seal the Kats' win.

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)
3/17/06 Nashville 48, Chicago 47

KATS INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Chris Angel Knee Questionable
Reggie Stephens Knee Out
Eric Joyce Knee Out
Anthony Herron Knee Questionable

SERIES NOTABLES:
Rush QB Matt D'Orazio had his first two outings versus the Kats this year. Here are his numbers from those games:

D'Razio vs. Kats
Date Result Com-Att Yds Td Int
2/12/06 CHI 56, NAS 55 21-29 210 4 0
3/17/06 NAS 48, CHI 56 22-33 226 2 0
Totals 43-62 436 6 0

The Rush's receiving corps is led by Etu Molden and newly acquired Bobby Sippio. Molden has played in Chicago's every meeting with the Kats, and Sippio saw Nashville for the first time last year with Dallas:

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
3/17/06 NAS 48, CHI 47 5 55 1
Totals 17 172 3

Sippio vs. Kats
Date Result Rec Yds Td
4/8/05 NAS 41, DAL 41 6 71 1
Totals 6 71 1

The Kats' second-year quarterback Clint Stoerner has had a pair of his biggest games against the Crush. Earlier this year he set franchise records for yards thrown in a game. Here's those numbers:

Stoerner vs. Rush
Date Result Com-Att Yds Td Int
1/30/06 DAL 66, CHI 65 26-40 398 6 0
2/12/06 CHI 56, NAS 55 30-52 368 4 0
Totals 56-92 766 10 0

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

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
3/17/06 NAS 48, CHI 47 7 97 2
Totals 36 510 7

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
3/17/06 NAS 48, CHI 47 3 25 1
Totals 20 248 5

LAST MEETING:
Nashville 48, Chicago 47 (Mar. 17 @ Nashville)
The Nashville Kats snapped a two game losing skid and continued their stellar play at home by beating the Chicago Rush 48-47 for the first win against the Rush in franchise history. Nashville led for nearly the entire game, but needed a late defensive stop on a two-point conversion with 28 seconds remaining to seal the victory. Kats QB Leon Murray made is first start of the season over the injured Clint Stoerner and went 21-33 passing for 189 yards, four TD's and two INT's. The Kats did not do it all through the air, securing a strong running game led by FB/LB Dan Alexander who had 36 yards on seven carries with one TD. In the final minute, Chicago had a chance to take the lead after QB Matt D'Orazio ran one in from five yards out to put Chicago within one. On the conversion, D'Orazio threw it two his right to an open C.J. Johnson, but he was stopped just one yard short by WR/DB Cornelius Bonner to give the Kats their fourth home win of the year.

LAST WEEK:

Nashville 60, Tampa Bay 55 (May 13 @ Nashville)
The Nashville Kats were able to break out for a 28-point fourth quarter effort to best the Tampa Bay Storm 60-55 last week. Highlighted by the play of sixteen-year AFL veteran Darryl Hammond, the Kats were able to seal a home playoff game for first round of the playoffs. Hammond, who played in his final regular season home game, had two fourth quarter touchdowns and added an interception to help him earn Ironman honors. He finished with three catches with 45 yards and added four tackles defensively. Kats QB Clint Stoerner finished 19-for-29 passing and had four TD's with no INT's. The win broke the Kats four game losing slide.

Chicago 70, Grand Rapids 47 (May 13, @ Columbus)
For the second straight week the Chicago Rush put on an offensive clinic, scoring 70 points to oust the Grand Rapids Rampage by a score of 70-47. Grand Rapids would cut the score to 35-20 on its first series of the second half, but the Rush would extend the lead to 50 to 27 by the end of the third quarter and never look back. Rush Chicago QB Matt D'Orazio completed 18-for-29 throws for 189 yards and six TD's and received Offensive Player of the Game for his efforts. Rush WR/DB Dennison Robinson set the tone defensively with 8.5 tackles, two interceptions and forced a fumble in the game.

THE COACHES:
Nashville - Pat Sperduto, 5th season
46-35-1 (.567) 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
95-87 (.522) 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
Points Per Game 51.1 (1st) 51.6 (7th)
Points Allowed 49.9 (8th) 52.1 (10th)
Total Offense 272.3 (15th) 285.4 (8th)
Total Defense 263.9 (1st) 286.4 (11th)
Pass Offense 240.4 (15th) 261.3 (16th)
Pass Defense 244.1 (2nd) 258.9 (6th)
Rushing Offense 31.9 (3rd) 24.1 (6th)
Rushing Defense 19.8 (8th) 27.6 (17th)
Interceptions 16 (t-8th) 16 (t-8th)
Turnover Margin +2 (t-8th) +10 (3rd)
Kickoff Return Avg. 16.1 (16th) 17.9 (6th)
Sacks By 23 (1st) 21 (t-3rd)
Sacks Against 20 (t-9th) 24 (10th)

NOTES:

PLAYOFF TIME - The Kats clinched the No. 4 playoff seed in the American Conference last week, giving them their fifth postseason berth in franchise history. This is the worst regular season record (8-8) for any Kats team that has made it to the postseason. Nashville is 5-5 all time in the playoffs and has been knocked out of the first round three times (1997, 1998, 1999). In 2000, and 2001 the Kats made two of their best playoff runs, losing to Orlando 41-38 in ArenaBowl XIV in 2000 and falling to Grand Rapids in the third round in 2001. Last year was the first time the Kats failed to make the playoffs in their seven seasons in Nashville. There are two current Kats players that own franchise playoff records. Jarrick Hillery recorded the most career tackles (25.5) during the Kats 2000 and 2001 campaigns. Darryl Hammond is tied for the longest reception in a game, with his 45 yard grab against Orlando in ArenaBowl XIV. Here is a list of this weekend's playoff match-ups and who the winners will meet in round two:

AMERICAN CONFERENCE
- No. 3 Arizona vs. No. 6 Utah
- No. 4 Nashville vs. No. 5 Chicago
(winner of each game will play at either No. 1 Colorado or No. 2 San Jose)

NATIONAL CONFERENCE
- No. 3 New York vs. No. 6 Philadelphia
- No. 4 Austin vs. No. 5 Georgia
(winner of each game will play at either No. 1 Dallas or No. 2 Orlando)

NEW FACES - The Kats seemingly had a revolving door on their locker room last week, releasing a total of five players, and adding three more. Those let go were DS Rober' Freeman, WR/DB Jermaine Lewis, OL/DL Ronald Jones, QB Glen Gauntt and WR/DB Cory Fleming. To fill some of the voids, the Kats brought in OL/DL Derham Cato, who injured his knee in the second quarter last week, but later returned, and former Vanderbilt Star Dominique Morris who was assigned to the practice squad. Joining him on the practice squad last week was WR/DB C.J. Johnson, who played for Chicago in 12 games this year but was released. Despite being released, Johnson is still 2nd among Rush receivers with 66 catches and leads their team in total yards with 743. He also had eight touchdowns with the Chicago.

HEALING UP - The Kats are finally starting to get healthy this week after a string of bad luck with injuries in recent weeks. Last week Nashville got key returns in players DS Monty Montgomery and WR/DB Jarrick Hillery. Still questionable this week is OL/DL Anthony Herron who injured his ankle three weeks ago, and DS Chris Angel.

BRINGING BACK THE 'D'- The biggest difference between the Kats 4-1 start to the season and their 1-4 finish has been their ability to stop the drive. Through the first five games, the Kats gave up an average of 35.6 points per game, and stopped their opponents 27 out of 57 possessions, or 47.4 percent of the time (1st in the league at that time). Through the last five games they allowed an average of 58.2 points, and have given up scores on 94 out of 125 possessions, or 75.2 percent of the time. Since traveling to Colorado in week 10, the Kats registered only one sack and one interception in their next five games. Through week five, the Kats totaled 8 picks and 13 sacks. They started to break the trend two weeks ago in Los Angeles and have had three sacks and four interceptions in the past two weeks. Offensively things continue to look good for the Kats. In the last five games, they have been just above their seasonal average, scoring 51.1 points per game. Nashville has scored over 50 points in all but six contests this season and even in losing efforts, they are averaging 47.5 points per game. Despite the problems, the Kats are still ranked first in allowed yards per game (263.9), allowed yards per play (5.5), and have the highest sack total in the league (23).

RETURN MAN RETURNS - WR/DB Jarrick Hillery returned to the Kats lineup last week after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury. Hillery is the Kats' main return-man and continues to give a much needed boost to the special teams. In 11 games Hillery has been in action this season, the Kats average 100.4 return yards per game, while only managing 85 yards in games where he had to sit. He is averaging 19.4 combined-kickoff return yards and is ranked 13th in the league in that category. Nashville is tied for 4th in the AFL in starting position following kickoffs, starting at an average of their own 14.0 yard line.

HAMMOND'S FINALE - Darryl Hammond could not have had a better ending to his final regular-season home game last week at the GEC. The 16-year veteran (the longest running tenure in AFL history) had his best game of the season, logging two TD grabs, one interception and four tackles, and earned league-wide Ironman Player of the Week Honors for his performance. Hammond, who announced before the season this will be his final year in the AFL, is expected to suit up again this week in what may be his final game in Nashville. He has been on injured reserve since week 11, but 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. 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 in week two, 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.

STOERNER HITS STRIDE - QB Clint Stoerner seems to have found his rhythm since returning from an injury in week 11. It was up and down, at first, for the second-year starter since his three-week absence, but he posted solid numbers for the second straight week on Saturday. Stoerner went 19-for-29 passing against the Storm and threw for 256 yards with four TD's and no INT's. He went 19-for-34 with a season-high seven touchdowns and only one interception against Los Angeles two weeks ago and his 357 yards was also his highest since a 368 yard performance in Chicago in week four. In week 14 at Grand Rapids, Stoerner completed 17-of-27 throws with four TD's and only one INT. 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 fifth time he's reached that number or higher this year. For the year, he has completed 59.1 percent of his throws for 3,134 yards, 54 TD's and 12 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.

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. In week 13 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 in week seven 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 in week 12 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. Since his return he has missed only five out of 32 PAT tries.

T.T. MEANS TD - T.T. Toliver continues to show why he is one of the top touchdown machines in the league, scoring at an amazing pace through the 2006 season. After a mediocre performance against Kansas City in week 13, 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 a solid performance at Grand Rapids the next week, grabbing four passes with three going for scores. At LA two weeks ago he logged five grabs for 55 yards and one touchdown. Last week he managed two catches for 48 yards with one touchdown. Twenty-two of his last 49 catches have gone for touchdowns, and he is ranked ninth in the league with 33 total touchdowns on the year. He has scored on 35.6 percent of his receptions this year, placing him fourth in the league in that category. Toliver has scored 28 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 1273 receiving yards ranks him 16th in the league, and his 16.3 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 24 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.

Average Yards Per Catch (Min. 60 rec.)
Player Avg.
T.T. Toliver, NAS 16.3
Tony Locke, LAA 15.0
Ben Nelson, SJS 14.9
Bobby Sippio, Chi. 14.2
Siaha Burley, UTH 14.2

Pct. Of Rec. for TD (Min. 60 rec.)
Player Pct.
Randy Gatewood, ARI 39.3
Damian Harrell, COL 39.5
Bobby Sippio, CHI 37.6
T.T. Toliver, NAS 35.6
Terrill Shaw, DAL 33.3

T.T. TIES RECORD - With his 100-yard showcase against Grand Rapids in week 14, 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 79.6 yards per game. Fleming had six 100-yard games in 1998 when he averaged 98.3 yards per game.

PICKED OFF - Despite throwing no interceptions last week, the Kats throwing accuracy has been off-kilter since the season's first few games. The Kats have tossed 22 interceptions this season which is the second most in the league, despite only logging one in the first four games of 2006. They are being picked off on 4.3 percent of their passes, which is the worst in the league. Since week four, Nashville has thrown 21 INT's - an average of 1.8 per game. Regular starter Clint Stoerner has thrown 12 in his 11 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 (3.2) of any team in the AFL. Overall, Nashville ranks third in the league in rushing, averaging 31.9 yards per game. They have also run for 33 touchdowns on the season. FB/LB Dan Alexander leads the team and is fourth in the AFL in rushing, despite playing in only nine of the team's 16 games this season. Alexander has run for 163 yards on 44 carries so far this season. In fact, the Kats average 38.1 rushing yards per game in contests in which Alexander plays, while they average 23.9 yards on the ground in games when he has not been on the field.

NO PRESSURE - The Kats had one of the most fierce pass rushes in the league through the first eight games this season, but their heat on the quarterback has cooled as of late. Through the first half of the season Nashville brought down the QB 18 times, as opposed to the last half where they did so only five times. It looked as if they broke out of that slump two weeks ago against Los Angeles, registering three sacks on quarterback Sonnie Cumbie. Last week, however, they did not get to the quarterback during the game for the seventh time this season. Much because of that strong start, they still remain first in the league in total sacks with 23 on the season. Eight players have had sacks so far this season - Frank Carter (4.5), Joe Minucci (5.5), Anthony Herron (4), James Baron (3), Aaron McConnell (3), Darryl Hammond (1), Jermaine Lewis (1) and Ronald Jones (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 7-3 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. The Kats have allowed a team record 19 sacks this year, and QB Clint Stoerner was brought down a team-record four times against Grand Rapids two weeks ago.

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 2-6 this year. In their eight home games, Nashville has outscored its opponents 468-247, while being outscored 449-396 in their eight road contests.

SECOND-AND-LONG - The Kats have been the best defensive team in the AFL to this point on first down, holding opponents to 5.25 yards per play on first down. The league average is 6.49 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 53.6 percent of the time.

OLD SCHOOL - This Kats team has a familiar look to it, as four players on this year's roster were also with the team in its previous version (1997-2001). OL/DL James Baron, 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 leads the team with 5.5, and he is tied for sixth among league leaders in that category. His four forced fumbles ties him for third 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 a player 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/DB Darryl Hammond, who was on the voting committee, also received votes.

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 in week 11, 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 161 of the 163 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).

SCOUTING CHICAGO
The Rush's offense has been white-hot lately notching two of their largest point totals of the season the past two weeks. The new combo of QB Matt D'Orazio and WR/LB Bobby Sippio has been deadly and the Kats can expect the big plays to go between the two. When he can not find an open receiver, D'Orazio is not afraid to run it out and is currently the team's leading rusher with 167 yards and 10 TD's.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB MATT D'ORAZIO - One of the best clutch performers in the league this season, D'Orazio is throwing a league-high 72.7 percent in the fourth quarter and 63.1 percent on third downs. Overall he is completing 68.7 percent of his passes and ranks third in the league in that category. He also has only five interceptions on the year and has thrown 63 touchdowns.

WR/LB BOBBY SIPPIO - Sippio has made an immediate impact since his arrival in week 12 and is the perfect compliment to D'Orazio's gunslinging. He has only played in five games for Chicago but is averaging 17.2 yards per catch and an astounding 130.8 yards per game. He ran the table on the Blaze secondary in the Rush's 84-48 romping of Utah two weeks ago racking out 217 yards and six TD's.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 16, 2006


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