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New York Dragons game notes

April 13, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New York Dragons News Release


Quick Facts: Colorado Crush (7-3) at New York Dragons (5-4) Date: Sunday, April 18, 2004 Kickoff: 3:00 PM (EST) Site: Nassau Coliseum (11,216) Officials: Referee: Bill McCabe Umpire: Doug Wilson Head Linesman: Royce Cooley Line Judge: Kent Payne Back Judge: Jimmy Buchanan Supervisor Buddy Ward TV: Tom Hammond (pxp) Pat Haden (color) Lewis Johnson (sideline) Radio: WLIE 540 AM Peter Schwartz (PxP) and Wayne Morris (color) Series Record: This is the second meeting all-time between the teams. The Dragons won the first match-up 61-52 last season at the Coliseum. Last Regular Season Meeting: Colorado 52 – New York 61 March 30, 2003 – Nassau Coliseum Coaches: Colorado – Mike Dailey (55-45 8th year, 7-3 1st year as Crush Coach) Dragons - Todd Shell (42-33, 6th Year 13-8, 2nd year as Dragons Coach)

Last Meeting vs. Colorado Recap: Colorado 52 – New York 61 March 30, 2003 – Nassau Coliseum

The Dragons extended their winning streak to three games with an impressive home win over the Colorado Crush. Aaron Garcia, the game's MVP, threw eight touchdown passes to lead the Dragons to a 61-52 victory, their first on home turf. Donvetis Franklin also turned in yet another outstanding performance. The Dragons came out strong in the first quarter and opened up a 14-7 lead off a Rodney Filer rushing TD and a terrific catch and run touchdown by OS Mike Furrey. At the end of the first frame, the Dragons defense came up with a big stop. They held the Crush to a four-and-out as kicker Geoff Groshelle failed to convert on a 57-yard field goal attempt. New York started to open up a lead in the second, which was highlighted by a Jermaine Miles touchdown reception from three-yards out. That play opened up a fourteen-point lead for the Drags and they eventually walked into the locker room at halftime with a nine-point advantage. With Colorado trying to mount a comeback in the third, the Dragons defense came up big. The Crush were trailing by eight in the closing minutes of the quarter when John Dutton fumbled a snap and the newest Dragon, Jerry Sharp, snatched up the loose ball. On the ensuing possession, now in the fourth quarter, Garcia hooked up with WR/DB Chris Anthony to give New York a commanding 16-point lead, 49-33. Donvetis Franklin's interception streak was extended to three games when he picked off a Dutton pass with five minutes to go in the game. That sealed the victory for the Dragons as Franklin ended the contest with two INT's. For the first time this season, the Dragons were able ease their way through the last half of the fourth quarter.

Game Preview: The Dragons look to rebound from a disappointing 65-55 loss in Columbus when they meet the Colorado Crush at the Nassau Coliseum. The John Elway-owned Crush own a 7-3 record while the Dragons will look to stay above .500 with the win.

Next Week: The Dragons head down the Turnpike to Broad Street to face John Bon Jovi's Philadelphia Soul. This will be the first time the Dragons meet their new divisional rivals.

The IFS:... If the DRAGONS defeat the Crush it would... *Give the Dragons a 6-4 record this season. *Give the Dragons a one-game winning streak. *Give the Dragons a 3-2 home record. *Give the Dragons a 2-0 record all-time vs. Colorado.

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 W 62-41 April 4 At Carolina 3:00 W 57-41 April 10 At Columbus 7:00 L 55-65 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: On the Road: With the 65-55 loss in Columbus, the Dragons dropped their road record to 3-2 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 9-2 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.

Winning at Home: With the Dragons home victory over the Destroyers, the team won their second home game of the year. Since moving to Long Island in 2001, the Dragons are 12-15 at the Nassau Coliseum, including a home playoff win last season vs. the Chicago Rush. This season they are 2-2 at home. The Dragons have won consecutive home games for the first time since May 25 – June 3, 2001 when they won four straight.

One-Sided Games: Averaging only 47.2 points allowed per game, which is sixth best in the AFL, the Dragons boast one of the League's best defenses. The Dragons are scoring 52.3 points per game, which is seventh in the League. The Dragons have won their five games by an average score of 55-39.

Dragons Getting Stops: In the five wins, the Dragons have recorded 23 stops and four made field-goals while in the four losses they only stopped Chicago twice with missed field-goals and Columbus once with a missed field-goal. They had recorded 18 stops and four FG's in the four game winning streak which was snapped last week.

Taking it to the House: Dragons KR's Lincoln Dupree, Donvetis Franklin and Corey Johnson are topping the AFL charts as the special teams play has been successful in recent weeks. Dupree is eighth in the AFL with 81 missed field-goal return yards and tied for first with one touchdown. As a kick returner, Dupree is sixth averaging 21.4 yards/return and tied for third with two scores. Johnson is ninth in MFG return yardage with 72.

QB Aaron Garcia Continues to Lead AFL: Dragons QB Aaron Garcia enters his tenth AFL season as one of the League's top passers. He ranks first all time with 585 touchdowns, third with 28,334 passing yards and fourth with 2,207 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 Garcia 596 Andy Kelly 30,412 Andy Kelly 2, 633 2nd Andy Kelley 593 Sherdick Bonner 29, 127 Shedrick Bonner 2, 481 3rd Sherdick Bonner 579 Aaron Garcia 28, 797 Clint Dolezel 2,310 4th Aaron Garcia 2, 245

Dupree Named Week 6 US ARMY Ironman of the Week: The AFL following the Dragons 40-35 victory over Tampa Bay named rookie WR/DB/KR Lincoln Dupree the Week 6 US Army Ironman of the Week. 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 Week 7 vs. Columbus: Offensive Player of the Game: Aaron Garcia Def. Player of the Game: Terrance Joseph Ironman of the Game: Richmond Flowers Week 9 at Carolina: Offensive Player of the Game: Lincoln Dupree Def. Player of the Game: Terrance Joseph Ironman of the Game: Richmond Flowers

Dragons Transactions: 4/8 – Placed WR/LB Richmond Flowers on IR. Activated WR/LB Curtis Fagan. 4/7 – Re-signed OS Kevin Swayne. 4/7 – Waived and placed on practice squad DS Jerald Brown and FB/LB Kerry Taylor. Released OL/DL Corey Brannon 4/3 – Activated OL/DL Jerry Sharp off IR. 4/1 – Signed OL/DL John Gilles to practice squad 3/18 – Placed OL/DL Jerry Sharp and Tim McGill on IR. Activated OL/DL Jermaine Miles off IR. 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 – 4 solo tackles shy of 200 Aaron Garcia – 4 touchdowns shy of 600 Jerry Sharp – 3.0 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) William Holder – 1000th AFL receiving yard (3-20 vs. Columbus) Anthony Hutch – 20th AFL sack (4-10 at Columbus) Corey Johnson – 200th solo tackles (4-4 at Carolina) 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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