Sports stats



New Orleans VooDoo game notes

May 12, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release


QUICK FACTS
New Orleans VooDoo (8-6) vs. Austin Wranglers (6-9)
Site: New Orleans Arena (16,021)
TV: Cox Sports Television
Play-by-Play: Todd Kalas Analyst: Jim Pyne
Radio: WSMB (1350-AM)
Play-by-Play: Chris Kenyon Analyst: Dwayne Ledford
Coaches: NO: Mike Neu (2nd Season in New Orleans,
3rd season overall, 25-19, regular season; 1-3 playoffs);
AUS: Skip Foster (2nd season in Austin, second season
overall, 14-17, regular season)
Series Record: New Orleans leads series 2-1

VooDoo FACE AUSTIN IN MUST WIN HOME MATCHUP
The 8-6 VooDoo will face the Austin Wranglers on Saturday, May 14 at the New Orleans Arena in a critical Southern Division contest. The VooDoo, currently in a tie for third place in the division, still control their own postseason destiny as wins in their final two contests will ensure a playoff spot. The VooDoo had a tough time at the New Orleans Arena on Sunday, as they fell to the Colorado Crush 63-57. The New Orleans defense surrendered a season-high 63 points. VooDoo QB Andy Kelly became the second quarterback in professional football history to throw 700 career touchdown passes, when he found OS Aaron Bailey for a 14-yard scoring pass in the second quarter. WR/LB Thabiti Davis had a strong game for New Orleans, setting a VooDoo individual record with 15 receptions for 140 yards and three TDs. Kelly completed 28-of-42 passes for 272 yards with seven TDs. He now 703 career TD passes. Saturday's game will be the second meeting of the season between the VooDoo and the Wranglers. The VooDoo fell to the Wranglers 56-55 on April 1 in Austin, when Wranglers FB/LB Dane Krager had
a two-yard TD run with six seconds remaining in the game.

NEXT WEEK
The VooDoo will face the Orlando Predators on Sunday, May 20 at 2 p.m. at the TD Waterhouse Centre. in what is shaping up to a crucial regular season finale with playoff implications for both the VooDoo and the Predators. The game will be nationally televised on NBC.

2005 SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

NEW ORLEANS VooDoo (8-6)
Date Opponent Time Result
Jan. 30 at Georgia 3 p.m. 44-46
Feb. 4 at Nashville 7:30 p.m. 59-34
Feb. 13 SAN JOSE 2 p.m. 62-61
Feb. 20 PHILADELPHIA 11 a.m. 61-47
Feb. 25 TAMPA BAY 7 p.m. 48-42 (ot)
Mar. 5 at Dallas 7:30 p.m. 53-51
Mar. 13 ORLANDO 2 p.m. 52-63
Mar. 20 at Chicago 11 a.m. 46-40 (ot)
Mar. 26 GEORGIA 7 p.m. 40-43
Apr. 1 at Austin 7:30 p.m. 55-56
Apr. 8-10 Bye Weekend
Apr. 16 COLUMBUS 7 p.m. 64-28
Apr. 23 at Grand Rapids 6:30 p.m. 49-47
Apr. 30 at Tampa Bay 6:30 p.m. 36-47
May 8 COLORADO 12 p.m. 57-63
May 14 AUSTIN 7 p.m.
May 22 at Orlando 2:00 p.m.

www.GoVooDoo.com
For updated news, press releases, statistics, rosters, players, coach and front office biographies, ticket information, merchandise, photo galleries and New Orleans VooDoo Dolls information, go to the official website of the New Orleans VooDoo, www.GoVooDoo.com. Updated daily, www.GoVooDoo.com has the most extensive information on the VooDoo and the Arena Football League.


THE COACHES
Mike Neu: The first coach of the New Orleans VooDoo, Mike Neu is a six-year Arena Football coaching veteran.

Since being named coach of the VooDoo on June 17, 2003, Neu worked has worked tirelessly to make New Orleans a winning team. In his first season at the helm, he successfully molded a 24-man roster comprised of a mix of AFL veterans and rookies, allowing the VooDoo to get off to a 7-1 start, one of the fastest starts for a first-year AFL entry. Neu led the VooDoo to an 11-5 record, making them the only team in league history to win 11 games in their first season. The VooDoo's Southern Division title marked only the fourth time in AFL history that an expansion franchise has won their division in their first year of play. Following the season, Neu was named the AFL Coach of the Year.

For his professional career, Neu has posted a 25-19 regular season record as an AFL head coach and has reached the playoffs every season as both a coach and a player in the Arena Football League.

Neu came to New Orleans after serving as head coach of the Carolina Cobras. In 2002, Neu guided the Cobras to a 5-2 record on the road and their second-straight playoff berth. Carolina posted the first playoff victory in club history in 2002 as the club featured the AFL's fourth-ranked defense. As offensive coordinator with the Cobras in 2001, before being promoted to head coach prior to the team's first round playoff game, the Cobras averaged over 56 points a game (fifth in the league) and finished 7-7 (improving from a 3-13 record the year before).

Prior to coming to Carolina, Neu served as head coach and director of football operations for the Augusta Stallions of af2 in 2000. In his only season, Neu led Augusta to a 14-4 record, the American Conference title and was named the league's Coach of the Year. Augusta finished in the top four in every major offensive and defensive category. Neu started his Arena Football League coaching career with Nashville in 1998, when he served as quarterbacks coach for the Kats and handled all play-calling responsibilities for the offense. The next year he was promoted to offensive coordinator and the Kats achieved their third consecutive playoff berth. The team also set franchise highs in six offensive categories, including scoring and total offense. Current New Orleans QB Andy Kelly, one of top quarterbacks in Arena Football League history, enjoyed a career-high passer rating of 116.4 under Neu's tutelage in 1999. Neu began his coaching career in 1994 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Ball State.

Neu's professional playing career started with a stint with the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders in 1995 before joining the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators in 1996 and moving on to the Nashville Kats in 1997. The 1997 Nashville squad which Neu played on won an expansion record 10 games, a record which was broken by this VooDoo in 2004.

Neu played four seasons at Ball State, where he was named the MAC Most Valuable Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year as a senior in 1993. A four-year starter, Neu guided Ball State to the conference championship his final year and holds school career passing records in passing yardage, passing attempts, completions and touchdown passes. He was recently voted to the school's Athletic Hall of Fame. Neu and his wife, Charmin, have a daughter, Graycen and a son, Carson.

Skip Foster: Head Coach Skip Foster is entering his second AFL season with the Austin Wranglers.

Foster, deemed the second most winning coach in arenafootball2 history with a 44-10 record will again act as the Wranglers offensive coordinator in addition to carrying the head coaching duties. After finishing the team's 2004 debut season with a commendable 8-8 record, Foster has built a 2005 team that will take the Wranglers to an ArenaBowl championship.

In the team's inaugural season performance, Foster's offense scored 104 touchdowns, averaged 47.8 points per game, led the Arena Football League in total offense for five weeks and remained one of the League's top total three offenses for a total of fifteen weeks in 2004. The Wranglers offensive unit gained more than 300 yards in five different performances and had two 200+ receiving yards games for AFL All-Rookie Tacoma Fontaine. Quarterback John Kaleo posted career-highs in attempts with 565 and completions with 352. Kaleo passed for more than 4,000 yards for his second consecutive season bringing his career total to 26,077 passing yards. Fontaine and veteran WR/DB Charlie Davidson led the Wranglers receivers combining for 1,959 of the team's 4,045 yards receiving and 37 of the team's 82 receiving touchdowns.
Prior to joining the Wranglers, Foster served as the head coach for the 2003 af2 champion Tulsa Talons. Foster led the team to a 13-3 regular season record while accumulating 3,995 yards in total offense, 3,679 yards passing and 316 yards rushing. This offensive effort also concluded with Tulsa outscoring their opponents 832-690 in regular season play. The Talons totaled 745 yards in offense and outscored their postseason opponents 179-130 on their way to winning the 2003 ArenaCup. Foster was the only af2 coach to go undefeated at home over three consecutive seasons.

Before moving to arena football, Foster compiled a record of 82-39-2 at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas and led the Red Ravens to six conference championships during his 12 seasons as the head coach. In 1990, Foster led Coffeyville to a national championship and an undefeated season. He was selected as Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Coach of the Year in both 1990 and 1991.

Foster is a graduate of Missouri Western State College, having earned a bachelor of science in education.

2005 AWARD WINNERS
Andy Kelly.....AFL Offensive Player of the Week (Week 2)
AFL Offensive Player of the Week (Week 3)
AFL Offensive Player of the Month (Feb.)
AFLWA Offensive Player of the Mid-Season All AFLWA Mid-Season team
B.J. Cohen.....AFLWA Lineman of the Mid-Season All-AFLWA Mid-Season team
ADT Defensive Player of the Week (Week 12)

STATISTICS
A quick look at how the VooDoo and Wranglers match up based on 2005 AFL statistics and league rankings.
Category New Orleans Austin
Scoring Offense 726 (7) 706 (14)
Scoring Defense 668 (t4) 824 (14)
Total Offense (Yds/G) 301.1 (3) 289.7 (5)
Total Defense (Yds/G) 261.4 (4) 300.0 (13)
Pass Offense (Yds/G) 291.8 (2) 274.1 (5)
Pass Defense (Yds/G) 240.1 (3) 274.3 (12)
Rushing Offense (Yds/G) 9.4 (17) 15.7 (12)
Rushing Defense (Yds/G) 21.3 (10) 25.7 (16)
Kickoff Returns 15.8 (16) 16.6 (14)
Field Goals 11-20 (4) 10-27 (14)
PAT Kicking 87-97 74-86
Sacks By (sks/yds) 17/84 (4) 10/65 (14)
Sacks Against (sks/yds) 7/50 (4) 5/34 (2)
First Downs 317 (1) 313 (6)
Penalties (#/yds) 106/632 137/815
Turnover Margin +3 (t6) -6 (13)
Time of Possession 31:48 30:43
IF THE VooDoo WIN

If the VooDoo win against the Wranglers, it would
* Give the VooDoo a 3-1 all-time record vs. the Wranglers
* Give New Orleans a 9-6 overall record.
* Help New Orleans remain at least tied for the final playoff spot.
* Help New Orleans snap a two-game losing streak.
* Give New Orleans a 5-3 2005 home record.
* Improve New Orleans'record against National Conference opponents to 5-5

THE VooDoo's RECORD WHEN?
4-3 at home 4-3 on the road 3-1 vs. Central Division 3-0 vs. Eastern Division 1-5 vs. Southern Division 1-0 vs. Western Division
Scoring Allowing
0-9 points 0-0 0-0
10-19 points 0-0 0-0
20-29 points 0-0 1-0
30-39 points 0-1 1-0
40-49 points 3-2 4-3
50-59 points 2-3 1-1
60-69 points 3-0 1-2
70-79 points 0-0 0-0
80+ points 0-0 0-0

0-0 on Thursdays 2-1 on Fridays 3-2 on Saturdays 3-3 on Sundays
0-1 in January 4-0 in February 2-2 in March 2-2 in April 0-1 in May
3-1 in games televised on NBC 3-3 in games televised on Cox Sports Television 1-1 in games televised on Fox Sports Net 1-1 in games not televised
5-2 when leading after the first quarter 3-1 when tied after the first quarter 0-3 when trailing after the first quarter
7-1 when leading at the half 1-0 when tied at the half 0-5 when trailing at the half
4-1 when leading after three quarters 1-0 when tied after three quarters 3-5 when trailing after three quarters
5-4 outcome 7 points or less 3-3 outcome 3 points or less 2-0 overtime games
5-1 when the VooDoo scores first 3-5 when the opponent scores first
7-4 when the VooDoo has more total offense 1-2 when the VooDoo's opponent has more total offense
7-4 when the VooDoo has more yards passing than opp. 1-2 when the VooDoo has less yards passing than opp. 0-0 when the VooDoo has same passing yards as opp. 1-1 when the VooDoo has more yards rushing than opp. 7-5 when the opp. has more yards rushing than VooDoo

2005 WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS


A listing of the weekly game award winners
for 2005 VooDoo games
Offensive Player of the Game
Week 1: (at GEO): Troy Bergeron (GEO)
Week 2: (at NASH): Andy Kelly (NO)
Week 3: (SJS): Andy Kelly (NO)
Week 4: (PHI): Andy Kelly (NO)
Week 5: (TB): Jacques Rumph (NO)
Week 6: (at DAL): Jason Shelley (DAL)
Week 7: (ORL): Joe Hamilton (ORL)
Week 8: (at CHI): Carl Bond (NO)
Week 9: (GEO): Troy Bergeron (GEO)
Week 10: (at AUS): Aaron Bailey (NO)
Week 12: (CLB): Andy Kelly (NO)
Week 13: (at GR): Andy Kelly (NO)
Week 14: (at TB): Matt George (TB)
Week 15: (COL): Damian Harrell (COL)
Week 16: (AUS):
Week 17: (at ORL):

ADT Defensive Player of the Game
Week 1: (at GEO): Dialleo Burks (GEO)
Week 2: (at NASH): B.J. Cohen (NO)
Week 3: (SJS): B.J. Cohen (NO)
Week 4: (PHI): Monty Montgomery (NO)
Week 5: (TB): Chris Pointer (NO)
Week 6: (at DAL): Alvin Porter (NO)
Week 7: (ORL): Kenny McEntyre (ORL)
Week 8: (at CHI): Jeroid Johnson (CHI)
Week 9: (GEO): Kevin Gaines (GEO)
Week 10: (at AUS): Darrin Chiaverini (AUS)
Week 12: (CLB): B.J. Cohen (NO)
Week 13: (at GR): Damon Mason (GR)
Week 14: (at TB): Jonathan Ordway (TB)
Week 15: (COL): Rashad Floyd (COL)
Week 16: (AUS):
Week 17: (at ORL):

U.S. Army Ironman of the Game
Week 1: (at GEO): Robert Thomas (GEO)
Week 2: (at NASH): Thabiti Davis (NO)
Week 3: (SJS): Thabiti Davis (NO)
Week 4: (PHI): Lamont Moore (NO)
Week 5: (TB): B.J. Cohen (NO)
Week 6: (at DAL): Bobby Perry (DAL)
Week 7: (ORL): Cory Fleming (ORL)
Week 8: (at CHI): Bob McMillen (CHI)
Week 9: (GEO): Derek Lee (GEO)
Week 10: (at AUS): Ira Gooch (AUS)
Week 12: (CLB): Carl Bond (NO)
Week 13: (at GR): B.J. Cohen (NO)
Week 14: (at TB): Anthony Derricks (TB)
Week 15: (COL): Willis Marshall (COL)
Week 16: (AUS):
Week 17: (at ORL):

SEASON FINALE MOVED
The regular season finale between the Voodoo and the Orlando Predators at TD Waterhouse Centre has been rescheduled from Friday, May 20 at 6:30 p.m. to Sunday, May 22 at 2 p.m. in a nationally televised NBC contest.

WHAT A CROWD
Through the regular season in 2004, the VooDoo attracted an average of 15,240 fans per game to the Graveyard. New Orleans' average crowd ranked third in the Arena Football League, led attendance figures for teams in the Southern Division and was above the league average of 12,019. This season, the VooDoo's attendance has once again remained third in the AFL, above the league average of 12,775 and possess the highest figures in the Southern Division, fueled by three sellout crowds. Below are the league's top 10 average attendance figures for the 2005 season.

Team Average Attendance
1. 1. Philadelphia Soul15,982
2. 2. Columbus Destroyers15,549
3. 3. New Orleans VooDoo 15,219
4. 4. Tampa Bay Storm 15,129
5. 5. Chicago Rush14,352
6. 6. San Jose SaberCats 13,694
7. 7. Orlando Predators13,289
8. 8. Colorado Crush13,217
9. 9. Georgia Force12,528
10. 10. Austin Wranglers 12,309


GETTING DEFENSIVE

An important reason for the New Orleans VooDoo's 11-5 inaugural season was the team's ability to keep the opposition out of the end zone on the defensive end. Through 16 regular season games, New Orleans surrendered an average of only 45.1 points per game, putting them in second place in the Arena Football League in scoring defense. The New Orleans defense has kept a similar pace in 2005, surrendering an average of only 47.7 points per game, ranking them third in the AFL in scoring defense. After surrendering 257.1 yards per game in 2004, the VooDoo have surrendered only 261.4 yards per game for the fourth ranked defense in the league.

LINE PLAY

Since the VooDoo started play in 2004, coach Mike Neu has stressed the importance of line play towards the team's success. This has proven true once again in 2005, as the line has been amongst the AFL's best in protecting Andy Kelly as well as in rushing opposing passers. In 2005, the New Orleans line has allowed Kelly to be dropped only seven times, the fourth lowest total in the Arena Football League. On the defensive side of the ball, New Orleans has recorded 17 sacks, the fourth highest total in the AFL. While presenting solid depth, B.J. Cohen has remained the line's constant over the past two seasons. Cohen has recorded a career-high nine sacks for New Orleans, tied for the second -highest total in the Arena Football League in 2005.

IMPACT PLAYER
New Orleans VooDoo OS Aaron Bailey has been an impor
tant part of the VooDoo offense and one of the AFL's leading receivers since signing with the team prior to their inaugural season. In 2004, Bailey recorded 91 receptions for 1364 yards with 32 touchdowns and finished among league leaders in all major receiving categories, while setting career-highs. This season, Bailey is once again ranked among AFL leaders with a career-high 127 receptions for 1505 yards and 30 TD catches, while returning 19 kickoffs for 300 yards with one TD. Bailey is currently ranked fifth in the AFL in scoring among nonkickers (192) and touchdown receptions, ranked first in receptions and second in receiving yardage and total yards from scrimmage (1506), ninth in all-purpose yards (1810), second in first downs (93) and tied for fifth in third down receptions (17).

ANDY KELLY
Andy Kelly, one of the AFL's premier quarterbacks and it's all-time passing leader, was signed by the VooDoo to improve their passing offense. He currently holds AFL career passing records for completions (3292), attempts (5269) and passing yards (36, 137) and is second all-time in touchdown passes (703). Kelly helped engineer squads in Nashville, Dallas and Detroit to playoff berths in seven consecutive seasons from 1997-2003 and helped lead the Kats to consecutive ArenaBowl berths from 2000-01. Kelly has started 132 straight games, the all-time record for consecutive starts by a QB. Kelly currently trails New York's Aaron Garcia (711) for the league's all-time lead in touchdown passes by seven scores. With his 14-yard scoring pass to Aaron Bailey last Sunday, Kelly joined Garcia as the only two professional football players to have 700 TD passes. He currently one of the top ranked quarterbacks in the AFL in 2005 and is at or near the top of the league leaders in most categories, completing 409-of-616 passes for 4104 yards with 83 TD passes and nine interceptions. The 12-year AFL veteran is currently leading the league in attempts and completions and TD passes, is ranked second in passing yardage, and fourth in completion percentage (66.4).

B.J. COHEN

OL/DL B.J. Cohen's presence on the line has played a key role for the VooDoo. Starting 16 games in 2004, Cohen recorded 26 tackles, four sacks and finished third in the Arena Football League with a career-high four forced fumbles. In 2005, Cohen is currently among the AFL's defensive leaders with 28.5 tackles, a career-high nine sacks, three tackles for a loss, one interception and six passes defensed. Cohen is tied for second in the AFL in sacks and is ranked second in combined tackles for a loss with 12.

VooDoo ON THE AIRWAVES
New Orleans VooDoo fans will have plenty of chances to catch them live and on various radio and TV programs throughout 2005.

Every VooDoo game will be heard on WWL-AM 870 or WSMB-AM 1350. Chris Kenyon will handle play-by-play, selected New Orleans Saints players and coaches and local media personalities will serve as guest color analysts and Kenny Wilkerson will handle sideline duties for home games. This week's game will be broadcast on WSMB. New Orleans Saints G Dwayne Ledford will be this week's guest color analyst WWL will also broadcast a weekly coaches show with Mike Neu on Tuesdays from 8-9 p.m., with Kaare Johnson and Kenyon as the show's hosts.

Four of the VooDoo's regular season games are scheduled to be broadcast regionally by NBC and will be seen locally on WDSU Channel 6. Cox Sports Television is scheduled to broadcast six games and Fox Sports Net will broadcast two. This Saturday's game will be televised regionally on Cox Sports Television. New Orleans Saints players and coaches will serve as guest color analysts throughout the season on Cox Sports Television broadcasts. Todd Kalas will handle play-by-play, New Orleans Saints assistant offensive line coach Jim Pyne will serve as guest color analyst and Tim Fanguy will serve as sideline reporter for the Austin contest. Cox Sports Television will air "Inside VooDoo with Mike Neu" on a weekly basis, featuring a review of the last week's game, preview of the upcoming game and player and coach features. The half-hour show can be seen on Friday, May 13 from 6:00-6:30 p.m. Kenyon will serve as the host.

VooDoo-AUSTIN CONNECTIONS
Owner Tom Benson has numerous automotive and banking interests in the San Antonio area...Owner / Executive Rita Benson LeBlanc is a graduate of Texas A&M University...Austin QB John Fitzgerald served as New Orleans' starting quarterback in the team's inaugural season in 2004, starting every game for the VooDoo. Coach Mike Neu served as Fitzgerald's coach in Carolina in 2002, where he played with VooDoo OS Aaron Bailey, WR/DB Carl Bond and K Brian Schmitz...Austin WR/DB Greg Brown prepped at Catholic HS in Baton Rouge...Special teams coordinator Ken Matous succeeded Austin Coach Skip Foster as head coach of the af2 Tulsa Talons in 2004...Strength and Conditioning Coach Adam Bailey served as a grad assistant at the University of Texas...OL/DL Tim Martin played for Austin defensive coor-dinator/line coach Jon Norris in Dallas in 2002. Martin and QB Andy Kelly were teammates with Austin FB/LB Jeremy Beutler and OL/DL Tom Briggs in Dallas. Bailey, Martin and Austin OL/DL Aaron Humphrey were teammates with the XFL's Chicago Enforcers in 2001 ...Austin WR/DB Charlie Davidson played at Mississippi State. Neu and Davidson were teammates in Orlando in 1996. Neu, Kelly and line coach Junior Ili played with Davidson in Nashville in 1997. FB/LB Leroy Thompson and Davidson were teammates in Albany in 1997. Kelly played with Austin DS Brent Browner and OL/DL Angel Rubio in Detroit in 2003. Bond and Kelly played with Austin WR/LB David Hill in Detroit in 2004...OL/DL B.J. Cohen, WR/DB Lamont Moore and Rubio were teammates in Orlando from 2001-02. Cohen and Austin OL/DL Eric Thomas were teammates in Tampa Bay in 2003.

THE LAST TIME THE VooDoo...
Team Individual
Scored 50+ Points - 57, vs. Colorado, 5/8/05 Scored 50+ Points (Opponent) -63, vs. Colorado, 5/8/05 Scored 60+ Points -64, vs. Columbus, 4/16/05 Scored 60+ Points (Opponent) -63, vs. Colorado, 5/8/05 Held to Less Than 40 Points -36, @ Tampa Bay, 4/30/05 Held to Less Than 40 Points (Opponent) - 28, vs.
Columbus, 4/16/05 Held to Less Than 30 Points -24, @ Orlando, 4/9/04 Held to Less Than 30 Points (Opponent) -28, vs.
Columbus, 4/16/05 Won by 1 Point -62-61, vs. San Jose, 2/13/05 Won by 1 Point (Opponent) -56-55, @ Austin, 4/1/05 Had 30+ Yards Rushing -37, @ Tampa Bay, 5/23/04 Had 30+ Yards Rushing (Opponent) - 39, @ Chicago,
3/20/05 Had 50+ Yards Rushing -58, vs. Tampa Bay, 3/7/04 Had 50+ Yards Rushing (Opponent) -50, vs. Orlando,
3/13/05 Had 300+ Yards Total Offense - 336, @ Austin, 4/1/05 Had 300+ Yards Total Offense (Opponent) -344, @
Austin, 4/1/05 Had 300+ Passing Yards -338, @ Austin, 4/1/05 Had 300+ Passing Yards (Opponent) -344, @ Austin,
4/1/05 Turned Ball Over 3+ Times -3, vs. Orlando, 3/13/05 Turned Ball Over 3+ Times (Opponent) -3, @ Dallas
3/5/05 Turned Ball Over 5+ Times -5, at San Jose, 5/1/04 Turned Ball Over 5+ Times (Opponent) -Never Won on Last Play of Game -@ Chicago, 3/20/05 Won on Last Play of Game (Opponent) - Never
Had Player Rush for 30+ Yards -37, Dan Curran, vs. Columbus, 4/18/04
Had Player Rush for 30+ Yards (Opponent) -39, Robert Thomas, @ Georgia, 1/30/05
Had Player Rush for 3 TDs -3, Dan Curran, vs. Georgia, 5/15/04
Had Player Rush for 3 TDs (Opponent) -Never
Had Player Pass for 300+ Yards - 302, Andy Kelly, @ Grand Rapids, 4/23/05
Had Player Pass for 300+ Yards (Opponent) -344, John Fitzgerald, @ Austin, 4/1/05
Had Player Pass for 8+ TDs -8, Andy Kelly, @ Austin, 4/1/05
Had Player Pass for 8+ TDs (Opponent) -8, John Dutton, vs. Colorado, 5/8/05
Had Player Throw 40+ Passes -42, Andy Kelly, vs. Colorado, 5/8/05
Had Player Throw 40+ Passes (Opponent) -40, John Dutton, vs. Colorado, 5/8/05
Had Player Throw 50+ Passes -50, Andy Kelly, vs. Georgia, 3/26/05
Had Player Throw 50+ Passes (Opponent) -54, Shane Stafford, vs. Tampa Bay, 2/15/05
Had Player Complete 25+ Passes -30, Andy Kelly, @ Tampa Bay, 4/30/05
Had Player Complete 25+ Passes (Opponent) -35, John Fitzgerald, @ Austin, 4/1/05
Had Player Complete 30+ Passes -30, Andy Kelly, @ Tampa Bay, 4/30/05
Had Player Complete 30+ Passes (Opponent) -30, John Dutton, vs. Colorado, 5/8/05
Had Player with 100+ Receiving Yards -140, Thabiti Davis, vs. Colorado, 5/8/05
Had Player with 100+ Receiving Yards (Opponent) - 130, Damian Harrell, vs. Colorado, 5/8/05
Had Player with 150+ Receiving Yards -155, Aaron Bailey, vs. Philadelphia, 2/20/05
THE LAST TIME THE VooDoo...
Returned an Interception for a Touchdown -Chris
Had Player with 150+ Receiving Yards (Opponent) -168, James Roe, vs. San Jose, 2/13/05
Had Player with 200+ Receiving Yards -Never
Had Player with 200 + Receiving Yards (Opponent)
Never
Had 2 Players with 100+ Receiving Yards -Aaron Bailey (135) and Carl Bond (112), @ Austin, 4/1/05
Had 2 Players with 100+ Receiving Yards (Opponent)
Damian Harrell (130) and Willis Marshall (110), vs. Colorado, 5/8/05
Had Player with 5+ Receiving Touchdowns -Never
Had Player with 5+ Receiving Touchdowns (Opponent) -5, James Roe, vs. San Jose, 2/13/05
Had Player with 8+ Tackles -8.5, Denario Smalls, @ Austin, 4/1/05
Had Player with 8+ Tackles (Opponent) -10, Rashad Floyd, vs. Colorado, 5/8/05
Had Player with 10+ Tackles - 14, Chris Pointer, vs. Tampa Bay, 2/25/05
Had Player with 10+ Tackles (Opponent) - 10, Rashad Floyd, vs. Colorado, 5/8/05
Had Player with 2+ Sacks -3, B.J. Cohen, vs. Columbus, 4/16/05
Had Player with 2+ Sacks (Opponent) -Never
Had Player with 2+ Interceptions - 2, Two Times, Lamont Moore, vs. Tampa Bay, 3/7/04; Monty Montgomery, vs. Georgia, 5/15/04
Had Player with 2+ Interceptions (Opponent) - 2, Three Times, Omarr Smith, @ San Jose, 5/1/04; Kenny McEntyre, vs. Orlando, 5/9/04; Kenny McEntyre, vs. Orlando, 3/13/05
Recorded a Safety -Bruce McClure, @ Tampa Bay, 4/30/05
Recorded a Safety (Opponent) -Jamie McGourty, @ Chicago, 3/20/05
Returned a Fumble for a Touchdown -B.J. Cohen, vs. Orlando, 5/9/04
Returned a Fumble for a Touchdown (Opponent) -Greg Krause, @ Orlando, 4/9/04
Pointer, @ Grand Rapids, 4/23/05
Returned an Interception for a Touchdown (Opponent)
Kenny McEntyre, vs. Orlando, 5/9/04
Returned Kickoff for Touchdown -Aaron Bailey (54 yards), vs. Orlando, 3/13/05 Returned Kickoff for Touchdown (Opponent) - Derek
Lee (10 yards), vs. Georgia, 3/26/05 Returned 2 Kickoffs for Touchdown -Never Returned 2 Kickoffs for Touchdown (Opponent) - Never Had 150+ Kickoff Return Yards -Never Had 150+ Kickoff Return Yards (Opponent) -Never Returned FG for Touchdown -Never Returned FG for Touchdown (Opponent) - Never Made 50+ Yard Field Goal -Never Made 50+ Yard Field Goal (Opponent) -54, Peter
Martinez, @ Grand Rapids, 4/23/05
COACH NEU SAYS

Excerpts from VooDoo Head Coach Mike Neu's comments to the media from his postgame press conference and weekly press conference on May 9.

(on if this is another week where Orlando and Tampa Bay lose and another opportunity is missed) "Yes, no question, because the door was definitely swinging wide open, waiting for somebody to run right through it. We knew that. I had no doubt in my mind, everybody's intentions, everybody's mindset, everybody's focus was exactly where it needed to be. For whatever reason, we didn't seize the moment when we had the chance to run through the door when it was open for us."

(on if the VooDoo got a good pass rush up front against Colorado, but just quite could not get to the quarterback for a sack) "At the same time, it's disappointing because you look out there and you see B.J. Cohen getting tackled or you see him getting held from behind and it's a no-call. It's just a little hard to swallow. As long as there's consistency, I have no problem. As long as it's going both ways, that's fine, but it's just tough and you look out there and your best pass rusher is being tackled or on the ground. We did. We had some good pressure. The kid (Dutton) just made some throws."

(on Andy Kelly becoming the only the second player in Arena Football League history to throw 700 touchdown passes in his career) "Andy's an awful good football player, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game and his longevity and consistency certainly speaks volumes. I know he would like to celebrate that in a winning effort, but we just got to battle back, make sure the mindset's alright when we leave here and come back and battle Austin next week."

(on if he thought that the VooDoo had their momentum back after Denario Smalls' fourth quarter net recovery) "Yes, we did. It was a nice swing in momentum, we had a chance right there and I thought we caught a break right there. We had a chance, let's take advantage of it. When we had that momentum switch we didn't take advantage of it."

(on if he is feeling any better after reviewing the film of Sunday's game) "Anytime after you lose I don't feel any better the day after. After watching the film, I know one thing, our guys were playing hard. Our guys were competing and flying around and still battling in the fourth quarter. I certainly thought it was disappointing. I thought Thabiti did a great job competing and getting off the ball. It was a touchdown. He caught that. It was a touchdown. For whatever reason, to have the offensive pass interference. I certainly thought the defender got into him first and he was fighting to get off and made a nice move to compete for the football and caught it. That's a little hard to swallow, but I'm not here by any means to talk about officiating or anything like that. It's not going to do anybody any good. It is what it is. I would have liked to have seen things go our way on a couple of calls, but that's what it is and you got to move on."

(on the attitude with which the team will go into Saturday's game vs. Austin) "No question, we got to beat Austin now. We got to get ourselves ready for another war on this weekend on Saturday night. We just got to take care of business against Austin and that's all we're worried about right now. You can't look ahead to the last game of the season. We're just worried about Austin right now."

(on if he can put his finger on a scenario as to why the team started off so well and that the team has struggled since their 5-1 start) "I can't. That's been a tough thing. We won five straight there and went through a nice stretch. Since that 5-1 start we're sitting at 3-5 since that 5-1 start. I can't sit there and tell you. Everybody's gone through the same problems with the injuries. Everybody goes through that. You have to keep moving forward and keep plugging away. It's been a little tough, because I haven't been able to put my finger on why since that great start we have gone 35 since."

(on if he is concerned about the team's recent struggles) "Yes I am, I won't lie about that to you. I am concerned about that, but by no means do I have the problem solved in order to give you an answer right now."

(on the fact that the VooDoo had a chance to pull the game out leading up the last play on Sunday against Colorado) "That's Arena Football. It takes years off of the end of your life, but that's what you get every week. There's going to be a game that always seems to find it's way to the last play of the game. That's what makes the game fun for the fans to watch. It makes it a fun game to coach, but like I said, it takes years off your life. You like to have that excitement and to come out on the winning end than to have that excitement and come out on the losing end."

(on if the absence of Dan Curran has hurt the team and the running game) "We definitely miss that. The makeup of our team, we got a group of what I consider an athletic group of linemen. We're not big and overpowering. We got guys like B.J. Cohen and Tim Martin and Aaron Hamilton when he was in the lineup and Dan Rumishek now and we got more athletic guys that do a good job of hooking the edges. What works so well hand in hand last year is that Dan Curran's a guy who can get out in the perimeter quick. When you're a pretty athletic team and can hook the ends, it gives you a chance to get in the perimeter and Dan can do that. our makeup up front is not to physically overpower you right up inside and get running yards that way, but our makeup right now from a fullback standpoint, we got a couple of 270, 275 pound fullbacks who are more catered to inside runs right now and that's really not the makeup of our team up front. So, it has hurt us, because the running game is important. Anytime you can have a running game that is effective, I firmly believe that it takes good defense and running the football. That's a common recipe in winning championships.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 12, 2005


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 New Orleans VooDoo Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central