New Orleans VooDoo Wednesday Notes
Published on February 25, 2004 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
* BEST START IN NEW ORLEANS: The VooDoo's 3-0 start makes the AFL expansion franchise the first modern day New Orleans professional franchise to win their first three games in their inaugural season. The VooDoo's 3-0 record through their first three games surpasses the initial record of the New Orleans Saints (1967), New Orleans Hornets (2002), New Orleans Zephyrs (1993), the ECHL's New Orleans Brass (1997), New Orleans first AFL franchise, the Night (1991), former minor league baseball entry New Orleans Pelicans (1977), the NBA New Orleans Jazz (1974), now located in Utah and the former American Basketball Association's New Orleans Buccaneers (1967).
* EXPANSION SUCCESS: Sparked by a 3-0 start, the VooDoo has enjoyed one of the most impressive starts by an expansion AFL franchise. Only six other AFL teams have started their inaugural season as strongly as the VooDoo. Listed below are the other expansion Arena Football League teams that started off 3-0 and how their seasons ended.
Year Team Final Record
1987 Pittsburgh Gladiators 4-2 (ArenaBowl Finalists)
1992 Cleveland Thunderbolts 4-6 (First Round Playoffs)
1995 Iowa Barnstormers 7-5 (Second Round Playoffs)
1995 St. Louis Stampede 9-3 (First Round Playoffs)
1996 Anaheim Piranhas 9-5 (First Round Playoffs)
2000 Oklahoma Wranglers 7-7 (Second Round Playoffs)
2004 New Orleans VooDoo ????
* WHAT A RUSH: For the third consecutive game, FB/LB Dan Curran rushed for two touchdowns in a game. On Sunday, Curran rushed seven times for 21 yards with two touchdowns to lead both clubs. While Curran's two touchdowns were crucial in the VooDoo victory, his last rush a 10-yard run to the Force three yard line with one second remaining helped seal New Orleans' 55-52 victory at Georgia. One of the VooDoo's first offseason acquisitions, Curran was signed by New Orleans from the Georgia Force, where he established himself the past two seasons as one of the AFL's top fullbacks. Curran is currently the leading rusher in the Arena Football League with 15 carries for 70 yards and leads the league in rushing touchdowns. The University of New Hampshire product is also tied for 10th in the AFL in scoring among non-kickers with 36 points. Curran has scored 19 touchdowns in his four-year AFL career.
* DEFENSE NEVER RESTS: The VooDoo defense is currently ranked first in the AFL's National Conference, composed of teams from the league's Southern and Eastern divisions. New Orleans held up their ranking for the second consecutive week. The defense has given up only 126 points in their first three games, the third lowest AFL total for teams that have played three games so far. New Orleans has been led by a strong pass defense that has only surrendered 220.5 passing yards in its first three games, making it the stingiest pass defense in the National Conference. Even more impressive: The VooDoo secondary is manned by two first-time starters in Monty Montgomery and Chris Pointer. Montgomery, a five-year NFL veteran, has quickly adjusted to the indoor game, recording 12 tackles, one interception and three passes defensed. Pointer, who went to training camp with the Carolina Panthers in 2003, currently leads VooDoo defenders with 22 tackles.
* IMPACT PLAYER: OS Aaron Bailey has made an immediate impact on the VooDoo offense. Bailey, a four-year AFL veteran who came to the VooDoo from the San Jose SaberCats after spending his first two seasons playing under VooDoo coach Mike Neu in Carolina, is the third-leading receiver in the Arena Football League after three games with 24 receptions for 412 yards and seven touchdowns. Bailey's receiving yardage total is ranked first in the AFL, while his reception total is ranked third. He is also tied for fourth in scoring among nonkickers. He is tied for first in the league in first downs (19) and is ranked third in third down receptions (6). Bailey is on pace to surpass his finest AFL season, when he caught 89 passes for 1,102 yards and 18 touchdowns under Neu with the Carolina Cobras in 2002. A five-year NFL veteran, Bailey played for the Indianapolis Colts from 1994-98 and is the Colts' career leader with 3,501 kickoff return yards and is tied for the club career record with two kickoff returns for TDs.
* COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH : QB John Fitzgerald has been a steadying presence to the VooDoo offense, completing 48-of-99 passes for 665 yards, with 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions. The fourth-year veteran has played his best when it matters most, as he has posted a third down passer rating of 131.7, which ranks second in the AFL. On third down plays, Fitzgerald has completed 13-of-21 passes for 194 yards and five TDs.
* PHOTOS AVAILABLE TO MEDIA : Action photos of the Orleans VooDoo are available for use by local, opponent and national media by contacting Justin Macione of VooDoo media Relations at (504) 731-1848 or at macionej@saints.nfl.com.
* 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 game will be heard on WWL-AM 870 or WSMB-AM 1350. Chris Kenyon will handle play-by-play. Various local celebrities and selected Saints coaches, players and front office personnel will serve as color analysts. Saints WR Michael Lewis will handle color for this week's game, which will be broadcast on WSMB. WWL will also broadcast a weekly coaches show with Head Coach Mike Neu on Tuesday evenings from 9-10 pm., with Kenyon and Kenny Wilkerson as the co-hosts.
Ten of the VooDoo's regular season games are scheduled to be broadcast by NBC, including this weekend's contest at Las Vegas, and will be seen locally on WDSU Channel 6. Cox Sports Television will broadcast the VooDoo's remaining six games regionally. They will also broadcast a 30-minute pre-game show before each VooDoo game broadcast. Cox Sports TV will also air "Inside VooDoo with Mike Neu" on a weekly basis. The half-hour show will show on Thursday, February 26 from 5:30-6:00 pm and will be replayed on Sunday, February 29, prior to the Las Vegas game from 10:30-11:30 am.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 25, 2004
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