New Orleans VooDoo news and notes
March 29, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
⢠WHAT A START: Sparked by a 7-1 start, the VooDoo has enjoyed one of the most impressive starts by an AFL expansion team through the first eight games of the season. Only the New Jersey Red Dogs began their first season as quickly as the VooDoo. The Red Dogs compiled an 8-1 start in 1997, but fell to 9-5 by the end of the season, missing the playoffs. The VooDoo can tie this mark by defeating the Orlando Predators on Friday April 9.
⢠TOPS AT HOME: Another contributing factor for the VooDoo's 7-1 start is their undefeated 4-0 mark at home. New Orleans along with fellow division leaders Colorado (4-0) and San Jose (4-0) are the only other teams to have an unbeaten mark at home.
⢠WHAT A CROWD: Through their first four home games, the VooDoo have attracted an average of 15,155 fans per game to the New Orleans Arena. New Orleans' average crowd is ranked fourth in the AFL, leads attendance figures for teams in the Southern division and is above the league's average of 12, 496. The VooDoo enjoyed their first sellout on Saturday when they attracted 16,245 fans for their contest with the Carolina Cobras, with over 1200 fans being turned away. Below are the top ten attendance figures.
Team Average Attendance
1. Columbus Destroyers 17,140
2. Philadelphia Soul 17,093
3. Colorado Crush 15,994
4. New Orleans VooDoo 15,155
5. Tampa Bay Storm 15,064
6. Chicago Rush 14,969
7. San Jose SaberCats 13,147
8. Orlando Predators 13,130
9. Arizona Rattlers 12,774
10. Los Angeles Avengers 12,184
⢠WHAT A RUSH: VooDoo FB/LB Dan Curran has emerged as one of the top two-way players in the game. Curran is the leading rusher in the AFL with 39 carries for 190 yards and a 12 rushing TDs, pacing the VooDoo rushing offense, which is ranked fourth in the league. Curran has already set career-highs in all major offensive categories. The University of New Hampshire product is tied for 19th in the AFL in scoring among non-kickers with 72 points. The AFL record for rushing TDs is held by Bernard Hall of the St. Louis Stampede, who scored 26 in 1996. In addition to Curran, the VooDoo has benefited from a strong rushing offense from his backup, Jason Bratton. Bratton has appeared in six games and rushed 12 times for 35 yards with three TDs, while also recording the only TD reception of his career. He is currently tied for first in the AFL in third and one rushing, successfully converting all three attempts.
⢠DEFENSE NEVER RESTS: A major reason for the VooDoo's 7-1 start is the team's ability to keep the opposition out of the end zone. Through seven games, New Orleans has surrendered an average of only 40.8 points per game, putting them in first place in the AFL in scoring defense. In the seven games the week before playing New Orleans (not counting the opener at Philadelphia), VooDoo opponents had averaged 52.7 points on offense and were held to an average of 41.7 points by the VooDoo defense, a difference of -11 points.
⢠IMPACT PLAYER: OS Aaron Bailey has made an immediate impact on the VooDoo offense. Bailey, a four-year AFL veteran who came to New Orleans from San Jose after spending his first two seasons playing under Mike Neu in Carolina, is among the AFL's leading receivers. Through eight games Bailey has 47 receptions for 667 yards with 19 TDs. Bailey is currently tied for fourth in the AFL in scoring among nonkickers (120), tenth in receptions, ranked seventh in receiving yards, 14th in kickoff return average (19.1), fourth in first downs (41) and tied for sixth in third down receptions (10). Bailey is on pace to surpass his finest AFL season, when he caught 89 balls for 1,102 yards and 18 TDs under Neu with the Carolina Cobras in 2002. He has already tied his career-high of 19 TD receptions, which he originally set in his rookie year in 2001. A five-year NFL veteran, Bailey played for the Indianapolis from 1994-98 and is the Colts' career leader with 3,501 kickoff return yards and is tied for the team's all-time lead with two touchdown returns.
⢠COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH: QB John Fitzgerald has been a steadying presence to the VooDoo offense, completing 130-of-234 passes for 1629 yards, with 31 TD passes and six interceptions. The fourth-year veteran has played his best when it matters most, as he has posted a third down passer rating of 117.0, which ranks fourth in the AFL, as well as a fourth quarter passer rating of 114.1, which is fifth. On third-down plays, Fitzgerald has completed 25-of-40 passes for 323 yards and eight TD passes. In the final quarter, Fitzgerald has completed 29-of-56 passes for 393 yards with nine TD passes and 0 interceptions. Overall, the VooDoo has been impressive on third down, successfully converting 58% (29-of-50) of their attempts, the second-highest percentage in the AFL.
⢠VooDoo ON THE AIRWAVES: VooDoo and AFL fans will enjoy plenty of chances to watch the newest team in New Orleans both live and on various on radio and television programs throughout the 2004 season.
Every VooDoo game will be broadcast on WWL 870-AM or WSMB 1350-AM. The Voice of the VooDoo, Chris Kenyon, will handle the play-by-play. Selected Saints coaches, players and front office personnel will serve as color analysts. The April 9 game at Orlando will be broadcast on WSMB and Saints RB Fred McAfee will serve as color analyst. WWL will broadcast The Mike Neu Show with VooDoo Head Coach Mike Neu each Tuesday from 9-10 pm as Kenyon and WWL's Kenny Wilkerson co-host. Fans can call into the show or submit questions for Coach Neu through the club's official web site, GoVooDoo.com.
Ten of the VooDoo's 16 regular season games are scheduled to be telecast by NBC (WDSU-TV 6 in New Orleans). Cox Sports Television will telecast the remaining six games on regional cable, including the April 9 contest at Orlando (6:30 pm CT) with each telecast starting with a 30-minute pre-game show. Todd Kalas will handle the play by play and Harry McCulla will handle sideline reporting. Various local celebrities and selected Saints coaches, players and front office personnel will serve as color analysts. Saints CB Ashley Ambrose will serve as analyst for the upcoming game. Cox will air Inside VooDoo with Mike Neu, a 30-minute show, each week. Inside VooDoo with Mike Neu will air this week on Thursday, April 1 from 5:30-6 pm.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 29, 2004
- Fury Defeat Rush in Final Seconds at Chicago - Detroit Fury
- Orlando Predators game notes - Orlando Predators
- New Orleans VooDoo news and notes - New Orleans VooDoo
- AFL on NBC returns this Sunday, April 4 - AFL I
- Detroit Fury and Gameworks Raise Money for R.I.M. - Detroit Fury
- Cobras Host Junior Cheerleading Clinic - Carolina Cobras
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.
