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New Orleans VooDoo game notes

May 18, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release


QUICK FACTS
New Orleans VooDoo (9-6) at Orlando Predators (9-6)
Site: TD Waterhouse Centre (13,692)
TV: NBC (WDSU-6 locally)
Play-by-Play: Bob Papa Analyst: Pat Haden
Radio: WSMB (1350-AM)
Play-by-Play: Chris Kenyon Analyst: Tim Fanguy
Coaches: NO: Mike Neu (2nd Season in New Orleans,
3rd season overall, 26-19, regular season; 1-3 playoffs);
ORL: Jay Gruden (6th season in Orlando and overall, 54-
33, regular season; 8-3 playoffs)
Series Record: Orlando leads series 3-0

VooDoo TRAVEL TO ORLANDO TO TRY TO CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT
The 9-6 VooDoo will face the 9-6 Orlando Predators on Sunday, May 22 at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando in a critical Southern Division contest and the season finale for both teams. The VooDoo are in a tie for second place in the division with the Predators and Tampa Bay Storm and control their own destiny as a win will ensure a playoff spot. The VooDoo kept their playoff hopes alive at the New Orleans Arena on Saturday, as they defeated the Austin Wranglers 69-68. VooDoo QB Andy Kelly completed 34-of-46 passes for a franchise-record 361 yards and nine touchdown passes. OS Aaron Bailey had 12 receptions for 134 yards with a career-high and franchise-record five touchdowns. WR/LB Thabiti Davis had nine receptions for 96 yards and two touchdowns, including a three-yard game-winning scoring grab from Kelly with 1:37 remaining in the game. Sunday's game will be the second meeting of the season between the VooDoo and the Predators. The VooDoo fell to Orlando 63-52 on March 13 at the New Orleans Arena in the first matchup between the two teams this season. The VooDoo will be looking to defeat Orlando for the first time in franchise history.

NEXT WEEK
If New Orleans defeats Orlando, they will advance to the
playoffs, going on the road to face either the Georgia Force or the New York Dragons on Sunday, May 29 at 2 p.m. The game would be televised regionally on NBC. If the VooDoo lose, they will not advance to the playoffs.

2005 SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

NEW ORLEANS VooDoo (9-6)
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. 69-68
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 26-19 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.

Jay Gruden: Jay Gruden is in his second stint and begins his 6th year overall as Coach and Director of Football Operations for the Predators. After a Hall of Fame career as a quarterback for the Tampa Bay Storm, Gruden began his coaching career in 1997 by serving as offensive assistant for the Nashville Kats. One season later, the Predators made him the youngest head coach in the AFL. Gruden would go on to lead the Predators to three consecutive appearances in the ArenaBowl and a pair of championships.

After guiding the Predators to a fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs in 2001, Gruden announced his intentions to resign in order to return to the playing field after a five-year layoff. In two seasons as Predators quarterback, Gruden directed Orlando to back-to-back appearances in the semifinals, falling one game short of his goal of returning to the ArenaBowl as a player. In 2003, he recorded a 10-0 mark with 49 TD passes and two interceptions as a starting quarterback. Off-season surgery, combined with the tragic loss of former Head Coach Fran Papasedero in a June 19, 2003 traffic accident, resulted in Gruden returning to the sideline.

Gruden will take a 62-36 (.633) all-time coaching record into the New Orleans game. He is 54-33 in regular season games (.621) and a solid 8-3 as a head coach in playoff games (.727).

In addition to his duties with the Predators, Gruden has spent the last years as an offensive assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL. In that capacity, Gruden earned a championship ring with the Bucs in 2002, his seventh championship ring in professional football.

A four-year letterwinner at Louisville (1985-88), Gruden finished his career with 7,024 passing yards, completing 572 of 1049 passes for 44 TDs. All four stats still rank as the third best career totals in Cardinals history. As a senior, he led Louisville to an 8-3 record, the first winning season in 10 years for the Cardinals. Following graduation with a degree in communications, Gruden spent two seasons as a graduate assistant on Coach Howard Schnellenberger's staff.

Gruden hails from a football family. His father Jim is a longtime NFL assistant coach and scout with Tampa Bay and San Francisco and currently works as a consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; while his brother Jon is the Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jay resides in Orlando with his wife Sherry and three sons, JJ (14), Joey (10) and Jack (8).

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 Predators match up based on 2005 AFL statistics and league rankings.
Category New Orleans Orlando
Scoring Offense 795 (6) 749 (11)
Scoring Defense 736 (6) 715 (3)
Total Offense (Yds/G) 305.5 (3) 280.9 (9)
Total Defense (Yds/G) 265.1 (4) 275.1 (6)
Pass Offense (Yds/G) 296.4 (2) 245.9 (14)
Pass Defense (Yds/G) 244.7 (3) 258.3 (8)
Rushing Offense (Yds/G) 9.1 (17) 35.1 (2)
Rushing Defense (Yds/G) 20.5 (10) 16.9 (t2)
Kickoff Returns 16.0 (15) 17.0 (11)
Field Goals 11-20 (4) 11-26 (11)
PAT Kicking 96-106 78-99
Sacks By (sks/yds) 17/84 (5) 18/114 (6)
Sacks Against (sks/yds) 7/50 (t4) 23/110 (14)
First Downs 341 (1) 298 (11)
Penalties (#/yds) 112/655 (2) 124/785
Turnover Margin +1 (7) +3 (6)
Time of Possession 31:42 (1) 29:53
IF THE VooDoo WIN

If the VooDoo win against the Predators on Sunday, it would
* Give the VooDoo their first win ever against Orlando
* Give New Orleans a 10-6 overall record.
* Help New Orleans clinch a playoff spot.
* Give New Orleans a two-game winning streak.
* Give New Orleans a 5-3 2005 road record.
* Give New Orleans a 3-5 Southern Division record.
* Improve New Orleans'record against National Conference opponents to 6-5.

THE VooDoo's RECORD WHEN?
5-3 at home 4-3 on the road 3-1 vs. Central Division 3-0 vs. Eastern Division 2-5 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 4-0 2-2
70-79 points 0-0 0-0
80+ points 0-0 0-0

0-0 on Thursdays 2-1 on Fridays 4-2 on Saturdays 3-3 on Sundays
0-1 in January 4-0 in February 2-2 in March 2-2 in April 1-1 in May
3-1 in games televised on NBC 4-3 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 1-3 when trailing after the first quarter
7-1 when leading at the half 1-0 when tied at the half 1-5 when trailing at the half
4-1 when leading after three quarters 1-0 when tied after three quarters 4-5 when trailing after three quarters
6-4 outcome 7 points or less 4-3 outcome 3 points or less 2-0 overtime games
6-1 when the VooDoo scores first 3-5 when the opponent scores first
8-4 when the VooDoo has more total offense 1-2 when the VooDoo's opponent has more total offense
8-4 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. 8-5 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): Andy Kelly (NO)
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): Chris Pointer (NO)
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): Thabiti Davis (NO)
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.

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 is fourth in the AFL at 15,388 and above the league average of 12,917, spurred by five sellout crowds. Below are the league's top 10 average attendance figures for the 2005 season.

Team Average Attendance
1. 1. Philadelphia Soul16,121
2. 2. Columbus Destroyers15,549
3. 3. Tampa Bay Storm 15,518
4. 4. New Orleans VooDoo 15,388
5. 5. Chicago Rush14,458
6. 6. San Jose SaberCats 13,694
7. 7. Colorado Crush13,504
8. 8. Orlando Predators13,289
9. 9. Georgia Force12,714
10. 10. Austin Wranglers 12,309

RECEIVING OPTION

WR/LB Thabiti Davis was signed from Detroit to fill the void of a tall receiver in the VooDoo offense and improve the team's red zone production. After enjoying career-highs in 2004 and finishing among league leaders with 127 receptions for 1557 yards and 26 touchdowns, Davis has helped the the VooDoo offense, recording 104 receptions for 925 yards and 18 touchdowns. Currently, Davis is tied for eighth in receptions, fourth in special teams tackles (13), 20th in first downs (55) and 11th in third down receptions (14). Davis has also been a steady defender at the "Jill" linebacker position, recording 25.5 tackles, 0.5 sacks, one tackle for a loss and one pass defense.

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. Cohen's 13 combined tackles for a loss leads the league overall.

IMPACT PLAYER
Aaron Bailey has been an important part of the VooDoo offense and one of the AFL's leading receivers since signing with the team's inaugural season. In 2004, Bailey had 91 receptions for 1364 yards with 32 TDs 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 139 catches for 1639 yards and 35 TD catches. Bailey is currently ranked fifth in the AFL in scoring among nonkickers (222) and touchdown receptions, ranked first in receptions and second in receiving yardage and total yards from scrimmage (1640), ninth in all-purpose yards (1953), first in first downs (103) and tied for fourth in third down receptions (19). Bailey's reception total is the second-highest in AFL season history behind Las
Vegas OS Marcus Nash's 154 catches in 2004.

ANDY KELLY
Andy Kelly, one of the Arena Football League'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 (3326), attempts (5315) and passing yards (36, 498) and is second all-time in touchdown passes (713). 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 133 straight games, the all-time record for consecutive starts by a quarterback. Kelly currently trails New York's Aaron Garcia (718) for the league's all-time lead in TD passes by five scores. Kelly and Garcia are the only two professional football players to have 700 TD passes. One of the top ranked quarterbacks in the AFL in 2005, he is at or near the top of the league leaders in most categories, completing 443-of-662 passes for 4465 yards with 93 TD passes and 11 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 (66.9). Kelly has set
the AFL season record for attempts and completions.

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 30.5 tackles, a career-high nine sacks, four tackles for a loss, one interception and six passes defensed, establishing himself as a "Lineman of the Year" candidate. Cohen is tied for second in the AFL in sacks and is ranked second in combined tackles for a loss with 13.

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 as well as this week's game. This week's game will be broadcast on WSMB. Tim Fanguy will be this week's 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. Sunday's season finale will be televised on NBC in 75% of the nation with the network's top rated broadcast team calling the action. Bob Papa will handle play-by-play, Pat Haden will serve as color analyst and Lewis Johnson will serve as sideline reporter for the Orlando matchup. 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 19 from 6:00-6:30 p.m. Kenyon will serve as the host.

VooDoo-ORLANDO CONNECTIONS

New Orleans coach Mike Neu was a backup quarterback
for Orlando in 1996. Neu, VooDoo line coach Junior Ili and QB Andy Kelly and Orlando assistant coach/linemen Willie Fears and WR/LB Cory Fleming played for Predators coach Jay Gruden when he was offensive coordinator in Nashville in 1997. Neu coached Fleming when he was Nashville's offensive coordinator in 1999 and they were teammates with Kelly and New Orleans OL/DL Bruce McClure. Kelly and Fleming were college teammates at Tennessee from 1990-91. Fears played at Northwestern State (La.)...VooDoo Defensive coordinator Kevin Porter served on Gruden's staff in Orlando in 1999 as defensive backs coach...Predators assistant head coach Bret Munsey served on Neu's staff with the Carolina Cobras in 2002 and with the af2 Augusta Stallions in 2000...OL/DL

B.J. Cohen played for Orlando from 1999-2002...WR/LB Thabiti Davis played for the Predators in 2003, earning first team All-AFL Rookie honors...WR/DB Lamont Moore played for Orlando from 2001-03...K Brian Schmitz played for the Predators in 2003...OS Aaron Bailey, WR/DB Carl Bond and Schmitz played with Orlando OL/DL Justin Cleveland and Fleming in Carolina in 2002, where they played for Neu. Bond spent part of the 2003 season on the Orlando practice squad. Bailey and Predators DS Kenny McEntyre were rookie teammates in training camp with the Indianapolis Colts in 1994...McClure and Orlando WR/DB Bret Cooper were teammates with the Georgia Force in 2003. Davis, Kelly and Predators DS Reggie Doster were teammates in Detroit in 2003...FB/LB Leroy Thompson and Orlando OL/DL Greg Krause were teammates in Indiana in 2004...Predators DS Korey Banks played at Mississippi State from 2001-02. Bond, Davis and Kelly played with Orlando OS Herman Bell in Detroit in 2003.

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 16.

(on pulling out the win despite struggles by the defense until the fourth quarter) "I believed in our defense down there at the end. That offensive pass interference (penalty) that Chris (Pointer) drew that gave them fourth and long and then he made that huge play again at the end, when he knocked that ball out of (Darrin) Chiaverini's hands, but it's a credit to the guys for fighting. The chips were stacked against us a little bit at halftime, because they had the ball coming out and they scored. We just kept fighting. I told those guys before the game, it's going to be 60 minutes and I promise you there's going to be points in this game that aren't going to go our way. We can't get down. We got to keep fighting and persevere, because we're in this thing for 60 minutes and you can't point fingers and get down on one another."

(on if there had to be a point in the second half where he didn't feel good about where the game was headed) "No question about it. You start to have those thoughts. As much as you try to knock them out of the back of your head, you think, oh man, our playoff hopes are starting to sneak away. I'm lying if tell you I'm not human and I'm not thinking about that a little bit in the back of my head. You use that as motivation to keep fighting. I'm proud of the guys because they did battle back and it was a great comeback"

(on Chris Pointer's fourth down pass defense in the fourth quarter on Darrin Chiaverini) "That's huge. Our defense doesn't get enough credit. They've been really so strong for us for almost two years now and one thing I can promise about Chris Pointer is he's going to fight and put it on the line for 60 minutes. He drew that offensive pass interference (penalty) on Austin and then, what a huge hit at the end, because that kid (Darrin Chiaverini) had that ball momentarily and he hit him and knocked the ball right out of his hands and I promise you one thing about Chris, he's going to lay it on the line for 60 minutes."

(on the fourth quarter defensive turnaround) "That's a credit to coach (Kevin) Porter and talking to those guys between series' when the offense is on the field. Coach Porter's talking to Alvin Porter, talking to Chris Pointer. It's not easy. This game's catered to the offense. They got motion. Yes they were clicking. Austin was on all night, but our guys at the end, when we needed them most, they stepped up and made a play. That's the credit to coach Porter and to the db's and to the defense, because the pass rush was starting to come along there right at the end of the game. It made it tough on John (Fitzgerald). Give those guys credit. They stepped up and made some huge plays."

(on if Pointer was leading the defense in the fourth quarter) "In the secondary, Chris is the one who stepped up and said, we're going to make a play. Give B.J. Cohen credit, him and the linemen keeping those guys coming. They battled and persevered. It's a cliche, but you got to play 60 minutes in this league. You know that more than ever."

(on if he felt his team's backs were against the wall during the game) "You're back's on the wall and as a coach, like it or not, that's how you're going to be remembered as a coach or as a player is how you respond in big games. This is no question a big game for us. Our back is against the wall. We're fighting and scrapping to make the playoffs. It's fair to say it's the most excited I've ever been."

(on how concerned he was against Austin through three quarters and what he hopes his team has learned from their first meeting against Orlando) "Early in that football game, the second drive, we had a turnover and we had a turnover again in the second quarter. We got ourselves in a hole. I think it's a credit to the guys to continue to fight and scrap and in the second half, our defense stepped up and made some big plays down the stretch that ultimately gave us an opportunity to get the ball and go ahead and force Austin to play that one drive from behind."

(on if his team is focused on where they want to be now) "This is a playoff game. This is a playoff week for us. You're sitting in a situation where you have to go to Orlando, which is a tough place to play. We got to win to make the playoffs. That's the only way it's going to happen for us is if we win. It's a playoff game. It's single elimination and you know what's at stake when you go to Orlando on Sunday."

(on if Andy Kelly took the team on his back) "Andy played as good as a football game...Those two interceptions, the first on that defensive lineman made a heck of a play. He jumped up on a screen to our wide receiver and tipped it and their Mac linebacker (Henry Bryant) caught it in the air and then the second one, it was a three step drop. Their defensive end (Aaron Humphrey) played mirror technique thinking he would take away the shortside play and sure enough he jumped up and made an athletic play, but from that point forward, Andy played some awful good football. He made some great throws and he kept battling. He kept those guys calm in the huddle on offense and certainly a lot of credit goes to him down the stretch, but our defense, as much as you're going to talk about giving up 68 points, but down the stretch at halftime, we talked in that locker room. I guarantee our defense is going to step up and make a play in the second half and they did."

(on Aaron Bailey's performance) "He's amazing. He's special to say it in a nutshell. He and I talked about it this morning when we had our meeting at 10. He and I were in this same position together in 2002 in Carolina, both of us, where we had to win at the end of the season to make the playoffs and we talked about that. I know, I can promise you, we've been in some big games in our career and I know he'll step up and respond to the challenge and he did a great job, because they tried to mix it up on him, tried to catch them up in motion a little bit, do some different things to him."



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 18, 2005


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