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New York Dragons game notes

March 16, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New York Dragons News Release


Quick Facts:
Columbus Destroyers (1-5)
at New York Dragons (3-3)
Date: Saturday, March 20, 2004
Kickoff: 7:00 PM (EST)
Site: Nassau Coliseum (11,216)
Officials:
Referee: Steve Pamon
Umpire: Jeff Carr
Head Linesman: Brent Durbin
Line Judge: Tom Symonette
Back Judge: Tony Lombardo
Supervisor: Buddy Ward
Radio: WLIE 540 AM Peter Schwartz (PxP)
Series Record: This is the first time the Dragons will meet the Destroyers since their move to Columbus. While in Buffalo, the Dragons held a 5-3 all-time record. The Dragons are 3-3 vs. the Destroyers since their move to New York going 2-1 at the Coliseum.
Last Regular Season Meeting:
New York 49 – Buffalo 30
May 11, 2003 – HSBC Arena
Coaches:
Columbus – Earle Bruce (14-20, 4th Year, 1-5, 1st year in Columbus)
Dragons - Todd Shell (40-32, 6th Year 11-7, 2nd year as Dragons Coach)

Last Meeting vs. Buffalo Recap:
New York 49 – Buffalo 30
May 11, 2003 – HSBC Arena

The Dragons improved to 5-0 on the road under Head Coach Todd Shell as his team eliminated the Buffalo Destroyers from playoff contention with a 49-30 victory. Rookie WR/LB Chris Anthony showed his prowess on both sides of the ball to the lead the Dragons to their seventh win of the season.

It was not the smoothest first half for both squads as the first 30 minutes saw 15 penalties and three turnovers take place. After kicker Ian Howfield booted a booming 46-yard field goal to put New York up, 10-7, the Dragons fell into some hot water as the Destroyers quickly put up a score to regain the lead, 13-10. Dwaine Carpenter then intercepted Garcia on the following possession.

The Dragons appeared to be in trouble as Garcia miss-handled a snap on second down and Buffalo turned that mistake into a seven points and a 20-10 lead. The Dragons quickly rallied and turned a 10-point deficit into a one-point lead by the end of the half.

After Anthony's second touchdown reception, LB Rodney Filer forced a fumble by Buffalo FB Juan Long - which the Dragon defense recovered. Garcia found WR William Holder on his first pass attempt with only 15.7 seconds remaining the second quarter for the score. The half ended with the Dragons holding a 24-23 advantage when Buffalo's Kral hit a 21-yard field goal.
The Dragons came out fast in the second half to break this game wide-open. Garcia wasted no time as he hooked up with Anthony for a third touchdown. On Buffalo's next possession, defensive linemen Anthony Hutch and Jermaine Miles forced Destroyers QB Bob Bees to throw an incomplete pass that did not go past the line of scrimmage. Since Bees was in the endzone, the officials ruled the play a safety, which gave the Dragons an extra two points to increase their lead to 32-23. The nine-point lead held true for the rest of third quarter.

Buffalo couldn't get back into the game as the Dragons' defense was relentless to finish out the effort. Anthony picked off a Bees' pass and Howfield successfully converted on a 43-yard field goal attempt to put this one away. Damien Groce added a touchdown reception late in the game and DS Corey Johnson recorded an interception of his own with 30 seconds remaining to seal the decision.

Game Preview:
Having defeated the last two ArenaBowl Champions in the Tampa Bay Storm and San Jose SaberCats on consecutive weekends, the Dragons will look to make it three straight wins when they face the Columbus Destroyers at the Nassau Coliseum.

Next Week:
The Dragons have their bye week and will be off all week.

The IFS:...
If the DRAGONS defeat the Destroyers it would...
*Give the Dragons a 4-3 record this season.
*Give the Dragons a three-game winning streak.
*Give the Dragons a 2-2 home record.
*Give the Dragons a 6-3 record all-time vs. Columbus.


2004 Schedule

Date Opponent Time Result
February 8 At Georgia 3:00 W 54-28
February 14 Chicago 3:00 L 54-56
February 22 Dallas 3:00 L 44-56
February 29 At Arizona 3:00 L 41-53
March 7 San Jose 12:00 W 64-50
March 14 At Tampa Bay 12:00 W 40-35
March 20 Columbus 7:00
April 4 At Carolina 3:00
April 10 At Columbus 7:00
April 18 Colorado 3:00
April 24 At Philadelphia 7:30
May 2 At Dallas 3:00
May 8 Carolina 7:00
May 16 Los Angeles 3:00
May 23 At Orlando 3:00
May 30 Philadelphia 4:00

Dragon Tales:
Back on Track on the Road:
With the 40-35 victory in Tampa Bay, the Dragons regained their prowess on the road. Earlier in the season, they had their road winning-streak snapped at seven games. Since Head Coach Todd Shell took over the Dragons on Feb. 24 last season, the team is 8-1 on the road in the regular season. The winning streak had dated back to a 65-57 overtime victory over the Detroit Fury on March 16.

Back on Track at Home:
With the Dragons home victory over the SaberCats, the team won their first home game of the year. Since moving to Long Island in 2001, the Dragons are 11-15 at the Nassau Coliseum, including a home playoff win last season vs. the Chicago Rush. This season they are 1-2 at home.

Holder Topping the Charts:
Dragons WR/DB Will Holder is having a breakout season sitting in the Top 10 of the AFL's receiving leaders. Holder ranks tied for fifth with 12 touchdown receptions, tied for sixth with 78 points. Holder was named the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game Week 3 vs. Dallas catching nine passes for 105 yards with four touchdowns.
QB Aaron Garcia Continues to Lead AFL:
Dragons QB Aaron Garcia enters his ninth AFL season as one of the League's top passers. He ranks first all time with 578 touchdowns, third with 28,131 passing yards and third with 2,172 completions. On March 7 vs. San Jose, Garcia went 28,000 passing yards. On Feb. 8 at Georgia, Garcia recorded his 2100th AFL completion.

Aaron Garcia All-Time Rankings:
Rank TDs Yardage Completions
1st Aaron Garcia578 Andy Kelly29,015 Andy Kelly2, 605
2nd AndyKelley571 Sherdick Bonner28, 166 Shedrick Bonner2, 217
3rd Sherdick Bonner 556 Aaron Garcia28,131 Aaron Garcia2, 172

Dupree Named Week 6 US ARMY Ironman of the Week:
Dragons rookie WR/DB/KR Lincoln Dupree was named the Week 6 US Army Ironman of the Week by the AFL following their 40-35 victory over Tampa Bay. The 5-11, 190-pound Dupree played college football at Eastern Michigan and was the 2002 arenafootball2 Rookie of the Year. He tallied two receptions for 28 yards and two touchdowns on offense, 1.5 total tackles and a fumble recovery on defense, and a 55-yard kickoff return and a 38-yard missed-field-goal return for two additional touchdowns. This marks the first time that the former Eagle has earned an AFL weekly honor.

Garcia Named Week 5 Offensive Player of the Week:
QB Aaron Garcia was named the AFL's Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Week after their 64-50 victory over the previously undefeated San Jose SaberCats (3-1). The 2001 Offensive Player of the Year led New York by completing 19-of-21 (90 percent) for 285 yards and nine touchdown passes and one interception. He connected with five different receivers for touchdowns and currently leads the AFL in touchdown passes (30). The former Hornet connected on three scoring strikes in the final quarter as the Dragons outscored the SaberCats 20-3 in the final 15 minutes. This marks the 10th time that the two-time All-Arena QB has earned an AFL weekly honor

Will Holder Named Week 1 Ironman of the Week:
Dragons WR/DB Will Holder was named the US Army Ironman of the Week following the team's 54-28 victory over the Georgia Force. As a wide receiver, Holder caught six passes for 81 yards along with two touchdowns. On defense, he came up with a key interception in the fourth quarter. Holder had an "Only in the Arena League" stretch of the fourth quarter where he caught a touchdown pass, recorded a special teams tackle and intercepted a pass in three consecutive plays.

Game Award Winners:
Week 1 at Georgia:
Offensive Player of the Game: Aaron Garcia
Defensive Player of the Game: Will Holder

Week 3 vs. Dallas:
Offensive Player of the Game: Will Holder
Defensive Player of the Game: Donvetis Franklin
Ironman of the Game: Joey Dozier

Week 5 vs. San Jose:
Offensive Player of the Game: Aaron Garcia
Defensive Player of the Game: Terrance Joseph
Ironman of the Game: Lincoln Dupree

Week 6 at Tampa Bay
Offensive Player of the Game: Lincoln Dupree
Defensive Player of the Game: Lincoln Dupree
Ironman of the Game: Rodney Filer
Dragons Transactions:

3/12 – Signed OL/DL Ken Talanoa off IR. Signed FB/LB Kerry Taylor
3/9 – FB/LB Joey Dozier on IR
3/7 – Placed WR/LB Chris Anthony on IR
3/5 – FB/LB Chin Achebe on IR. Signed WR/LB Cosmo DeMatteo off of IR.
2/27 – Signed off practice squad WR/DB Chuck Wesley and DS Jerald Brown.
2/27 – Signed off IR FB/LB Chin Achebe.
2/27 – Placed on IR OL/DL Jermaine Miles
2/26 – Signed K Gary Kral
2/25 – Waived K Pete Elezovic
2/23 – Waived WR/LB Vinny Sutherland
2/21 – Activated WR/LB Richmond Flowers from IR
2/21 – Released WR/DB Sean Riley
Signed OL/DL Kelvin Ingram
Placed OL/DL Ken Talanoa on IR
2/17 – Placed WR/LB Curtis Fagan on IR
2/11 – Announced Retirement of Eddie Brown.

MILESTONES WITHIN REACH

Donvetis Franklin – 13 solo tackles shy of 200
William Holder – 59 receiving yards shy of 1000
Anthony Hutch – 1.5 sacks shy of 20
Corey Johnson – 2 tackles shy of 200 solo tackles
Jerry Sharp – 4.0 tackles shy of 100 total tackles
Chuck Wesley – 25 receiving yards shy of 200

MILESTONES REACHED

Chris Anthony – 1,000th receiving yards (2-14 vs. Chicago)

Lincoln DuPree - Made his AFL debut (2-8 at Georgia)
Recorded his first career AFL reception (2-8 at Georgia)
Recorded his first career AFL touchdown (2-8 at Georgia)

Curtis Fagan – Made his AFL debut (2-8 at Georgia)
Recorded his first career AFL reception (2-8 at Georgia)
Recorded his first career AFL touchdown (2-8 at Georgia)

Donvetis Franklin – 0.5 tackles shy of 200 total tackles

Aaron Garcia – 2100th AFL completion (2-8 at Georgia)

Terrence Joseph – 50th total tackle (2-8 at Georgia)

Richmond Flowers – Made his AFL debut (2-22 vs. Dallas)
Recorded his first career AFL reception (2-22 vs. Dallas)

Jerry Sharp – 100th games played (2-14 vs. Chicago)

Vinny Sutherland - Made his AFL debut (2-8 at Georgia)
Recorded his first career AFL reception (2-8 at Georgia)
Recorded his first career AFL touchdown (2-14 vs. Chicago)

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