New York Dragons game notes

Published on April 27, 2004 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New York Dragons News Release


Quick Facts:
New York Dragons (6-5) at Dallas Desperados (6-5)
Date: Saturday, May 1, 2004
Kickoff: 8:30 PM (EST)
Site: American Airlines Center (15,978)
Officials:
Referee: Perry Havener
Umpire: Tom Laverty
Head Linesman: Kelly Saalfeld
Line Judge: David Meslow
Back Judge: Dino Paganelli
Radio: WLIE 540 AM Peter Schwartz (PxP)
Series Record: This is the fourth meeting between the franchises with the Desperados winning all three prior match-ups.
Last Regular Season Meeting:
Dallas 56 – New York 44
February 22, 2004 – Nassau Coliseum
Coaches:
Dallas – Will McClay (6-5, 1st Year)
Dragons - Todd Shell (42-34, 6th Year 13-9, 2nd year as Dragons Coach)

Last Regular Season Meeting:
Dallas 56 – New York 44
February 22, 2004 – Nassau Coliseum

The Dragons lost another close game to the Dallas Desperados 56-44. WR/DB Will Holder brought down four touchdown passes and was named the offensive player of the game.
The Dragons received the ball first and immediately put pressure on the Desperados. QB Aaron Garcia hooked up with WR/DB Will Holder for a 19-yard touchdown strike on the first play from scrimmage. The defense then stepped up and held Dallas to a three-and-out, which resulted in a failed field goal attempt by Jason Wells. Following a Desperados score later in the quarter, FB/LB Joey Dozier punched the pigskin in from three-yards out and New York found themselves leading 14-7 after the first quarter.

The second quarter was filled with a lot of physical play. Dallas came back and re-tied the game at 14 off a four-yard Will Pettis touchdown grab. The Dragons then marched down the field and matched the Desperados touchdown score, but not before they ran into the hard-nosed Dallas defense. On this drive, the visitors took a personal foul penalty and stuffed several goal-line rush attempts. However, the Dragons offense would eventually prevail. On a fourth-and-goal attempt, Garcia hooked up with Holder once again to give New York a 21-14 advantage.
Unfortunately, the Dragons could not hold the Desperados on a fourth down with 0:20 seconds remaining in first half. Dallas tied the game at 21 and the teams went to their respective locker rooms with the game knotted up.

Both squads traded touchdown scores in the third quarter, but the Dragons came away with the upper hand. FB Duke Pettijohn scored on a 1-yard rush to put Dallas ahead by seven points; however Garcia and Holder connected for a third touchdown to tie the game at 28. Late in the period, the Dragons defense came up with a big defensive stop. Joey Dozier hit Desperados QB Glen Gauntt on a third-and-10, which forced a failed 41-yard field goal attempt.

Building on their momentum from the previous quarter, the Dragons gave themselves their first lead of the half when K Pete Elezovic connected on a 30-yard field goal attempt. With the home team up by three points, Dallas showed no signs of backing down. They quickly came back to re-take the lead, 35-31. But the Dragons showed the same moxie and Garcia lead his troops down the turf for another touchdown. Once again Garcia found Holder in the endzone, who made a sliding grab on his knees, for a fourth time. With that score, the Dragons were ahead, 38-35.

However, Dallas kept fighting back and re-gained a four-point edge when WR Jason Shelley rushed two-yards for a touchdown. Down 42-38, Aaron Garcia and the Dragons were then guilty of their first mistake when the QB's pass was deflected and then intercepted by Desperados DS Jermaine Jones. Dallas then added seven more point to their lead when Gauntt rushed one-yard into the endzone. Although they were down by 11 points, New York would not give up easily. Garcia hooked up with WR Chris Anthony to cut Dallas' lead to five points, 49-44. An onsides kick was needed for the Dragons to stay alive. DS Donvetis Franklin appeared to recover the kick, but a controversial penalty ruled the Dragons illegally touched the ball. Dallas added another score as time was expiring to seal the victory

Game Preview:
It's a battle of 6-5 teams as the Dragons head to Dallas to take on the Desperados. Tied for the lead in the Eastern Division, both teams sit in a four-way tie for the final two playoff-spots.

Next Week:
The Dragons return home for a match with division rival Carolina Cobras. The Dragons defeated Carolina 57-41 earlier in the season.


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 W 52-49
April 24 At Philadelphia 7:30 L 58-60
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

The IFS:...
If the DRAGONS defeat the Desperados it would...
*Give the Dragons a 7-5 record this season.
*Give the Dragons a four-game home winning streak.
*Give the Dragons a 4-2 home record.
*Give the Dragons a 3-1 record all-time vs. the Desperados.

Dragon Tales:
Struggles On the Road:
With the 60-58 loss to the Philadelphia Soul, the Dragons dropped their road record to 3-3. It's marks the first two-game road losing-streak since Head Coach Todd Shell took over the Dragons on Feb. 24,2003. The team is 9-3 on the road in the regular season under Shell. Their last three-game road losing-streak occurred during a six-game stretch from Apr. 19 to June 30, 2002.

Winning at Home:
With the Dragons 52-49 home victory over the Colorado Crush, the team won their third home game of the year. Since moving to Long Island in 2001, the Dragons are 13-15 at the Nassau Coliseum, including a home playoff win last season vs. the Chicago Rush. This season they are 3-2 at home. The Dragons have won three-consecutive home games for the first time since May 25 – June 3, 2001 when they won four straight.

The Defense Rests:
Averaging 48.5 points allowed per game, which is ninth best in the AFL, 16.4 rushing yards, which is fourth best, the Dragons boast one of the League's better defenses. The Dragons are scoring 52.8 points per game, which is sixth in the League. The Dragons have won their six games by an average score of 55-41.

Dragons Getting Stops: In the six wins, the Dragons have recorded 27 stops and four made field-goals while in the four losses they only stopped Chicago twice (missed field-goals), Columbus once (missed field-goal) and the Soul twice (interception and missed field goal).

Taking it to the House:
Dragons KR Lincoln Dupree is 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 while ranking sixth averaging 27.0 yards per return. As a kick returner, Dupree is fourth averaging 21.4 yards/return and tied for fourth with two scores.

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 609 touchdowns, third with 29,324 passing yards and fourth with 2,286 completions. On Apr. 18 vs. the Colorado Crush, Garcia became the first professional football player to throw for 600 career TD's. On March 7 vs. San Jose, he went over 28,000 passing yards. On Feb. 8 at Georgia, he recorded his 2100th AFL completion.

Aaron Garcia All-Time Rankings:
Rank TDs Yardage Completions
1st Aaron Garcia609 Andy Kelly30,745 Andy Kelly2, 663
2nd AndyKelley596 Sherdick Bonner29,736 Shedrick Bonner2, 532
3rd Sherdick Bonner 593 Aaron Garcia29,324 Clint Dolezel2,323
4th Aaron Garcia2, 286



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
Week 10 vs. Colorado:
Offensive Player of the Game: Aaron Garcia
Def. Player of the Game: Donvetis Franklin
Ironman of the Game: Lincoln Dupree
Week 11 at Philadelphia:
Defensive Player of the Game: Jermaine Miles





Dragons Transactions:
4/16 – Activated WR/LB Chris Anthony and OL/DL Tim McGill from IR. Placed OS Kevin Swayne on IR.
4/14 – Waived OL/DL John Gillies from practice squad.
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
Chris Anthony - 3 receptions shy of 100 receptions
Rodney Filer - 8 receiving yards shy of 200 yards
10 solo tackles to 100 tackles
Aaron Garcia - 676 passing yards shy of 30,000
14 completions shy of 2,300 completions.
Will Holder - 10 catches shy of 100 recpetions
Terrance Joseph - 7 total tackles shy of 100 total tackles
Jerry Sharp – 3.0 tackles shy of 100 total tackles
Kevin Swayne - 7 touchdown receptions shy of 100 touchdowns.

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 – 200th total tackle (4-18 vs. Colorado)
50th Pass Break-Up (4-18 vs. Colorado)
Aaron Garcia – 2100th AFL completion (2-8 at Georgia)
600th AFL touchdown (4-18 vs. Colorado)
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)
Chuck Wesley – Recorded 200th receiving yard (4-24 at Philadelphia)

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 27, 2004


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