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New York Dragons game notes

March 14, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New York Dragons News Release


New York Dragons (4-3)
at Tampa Bay Storm (5-1)

Date: Saturday ▪ March 18, 2006
Kickoff: 7:30 PM (EST)
Site: St. Pete Times Forum (19,200)

TV: FSN
Radio: WLIE 540 AM: Peter Schwartz (play-by-play) and Wayne Morris (analyst)

Regular Season Series Record: 2-3
Regular Season Series Streak: New York -1
Last Regular Season Meeting:
New York 58, Tampa Bay 61
St. Pete Times Forum ▪ Tampa, FL
May 15, 2006

Coaches Record:
Dragons ▪ Weylan Harding (14-9, 2nd year)
Storm ▪ Tim Marcum (153-61, 18th year)

Officials: Referee: Tom McCabe (8), Umpire: Rick Lowe (59), Head Linesman: Rod Pearson (64), Line Judge: Art Lucky (63), Back Judge: Scott Helverson (36).

ABOUT THE GAME
The Dragons continue on the road in Week Eight as they head to Tampa Bay to face the Storm Saturday night at 7:30 PM. The Dragons have a current season record of 4-3 and are 3-1 on the road. Tampa Bay is also 4-3 this season with a 2-2 record at home. This will be the two team's seventh all-time meeting leaving the Storm leading 4-2 which includes a Dragons franchise loss in Arena Bowl X when they were formerly the Iowa Barnstormers. The game will take place at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

LAST WEEK'S RECAP
Last Sunday the Dragons took on the Austin Wranglers at the Frank Erwin Center for their fourth away game of the season. Despite the loss of quarterback Juston Wood in the first quarter, the Dragons stepped up their efforts to defeat the Wranglers 59-56. Nick Browder stepped in for Wood and completed 21 of 39 passes for 222 yards and five touchdowns. This makes the Dragons away record 3-1 and regular season record 4-3.

NEXT WEEK'S PREVIEW
The Dragons return home when they take on the Kansas City Brigade Friday night, March, 24th at 7:30 PM. The Dragons current home record is 1-2 and they will look to improve that record to 2-2.

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DRAGONS' WEEK SEVEN PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Tuesday (3/14): 12:30-2:30 at Mitchel Field Practice Facility
Wednesday (3/15): 12:00-2:00 at Mitchel Field Practice Facility
Thursday (3/16): 12:00-2:00 at Mitchel Field Practice Facility

To confirm the Dragons' practice schedule/time or to receive directions, please contact Kerri Griesbeck at 516-501-6889.

IF THE DRAGONS WIN, IT WOULD GIVE...
- The team a 5-3 record for the season and a 4-1 record on the road.
- The Dragons their 98th regular season victory and their 104rd of all-time.
- The team their 43rd victory since moving to Long Island in 2001.
- The Dragons a regular season record of 3-3 and all-time record of 3-4 against the Storm.

DRAGONS CONTINUE ON THE ROAD
The Dragons continue on the Road for Week Eight when they take on the Tampa Bay Storm. The Dragons will look to improve their road record to 4-1 and their regular season record to 5-3. After they return from Tampa Bay, the Dragons will have three weeks at home before returning to the road in Week 11 when they head to Columbus.

DEFENDING THE EAST
The Dragons are currently 0-2 in the Division after their loss to Philadelphia in Week Three and Columbus in Week Six. The Dragons will face both teams again and have yet to face Dallas, the fourth division rival currently in first place in the division. Last season, the Dragons won the Eastern Division for the third consecutive season (2003-2005). The Dragons swept all of their Eastern foes (Columbus, Dallas and Philadelphia) with a perfect 6-0 record in divisional play.

WOOD OUT FOR AN INDEFINITE AMOUNT OF TIME
In Week Seven vs. the Ausitn Wranglers, quarterback Juston Wood suffered a dislocated knee cap in the first quarter, the second Dragons quarterback to be injured within a two week period following Garcia's injury in Week Five. Wood will undergo surgery on Thursday and is out for an indefinite amount of time.

GARCIA OUT FOR THE SEASON
In Week Five versus the Orlando Predators, QB Aaron Garcia suffered a fractured tibia in the third quarter. He underwent successful surgery and will be out for the season.

OBERT LEADS IN WEEK 5 AND WEEK 6
Rookie Kicker Jesse Obert was the leagues top kicker in week five, recording 2 field goals and going seven for seven on extra points. In Week Six he went 7-7 on PAT kicks and 1-1 on the field goals, giving him the highest field goal percentage among kickers in the league with 80.0 percent . His current season total for field goals is 5-7 and he is 45-48 on PAT kicks.

OBERT HOLDS NEW DRAGONS RECORD
After Week Seven vs. Austin, Obert now holds a new Dragons record making 25 consecutive PAT kicks. In the league he is in the top 16 in the last 3 seasons for most consecutive PAT kicks and is the only Kicker that still has an ongoing streak. Look for Obert's performance in Tampa to improve his current record.

BROWDER TO START AT QUARTERBACK
After Wood's injury in the first quarter of Week Seven, quarterback Nick Browder subbed in with the Dragons trailing 14-7. Browder completed 21 of 39 passes for 222 yards and five touchdowns and led the Dragons to a 59-56 victory over the Austin Wranglers. Browder will be starting in this weeks match-up versus the Tampa Bay Storm.

BACKGROUND ON BROWDER
Browder returned to the Rampage in 2005 after a season with the expansion Philadelphia Soul, in which he set career marks in every passing category. He previously played for the Rampage in 2001 and 2003 behind the team's all-time leading passer Clint Dolezel. In 2004 with the Soul, he went 3-6 as the starting QB and set career highs in completions (145), attempts (244), yards (1,685) and touchdowns (31). In 2003 he completed 8-of-13 for 120 yards with one passing score and three rushing scores. In 2002 he went through training camp with the Rampage. Signed to the Indiana Firebirds practice squad on May 20, then picked up by the Detroit Fury and had his best games when he tossed five scores and ran in another with 299 yards against the Rampage and was named Game MVP. He also ran in a 16-yard score. In 2001 he did not record any stats backing up Clint Dolezel, but saw action in six games on defense, registering 2.5 tackles. In the playoffs, he completed 3-of-5 passes for 26 yards vs. Chicago and rushed for a touchdown. In 2000 Browder played in five games with Buffalo where he totaled 122 yards and threw one touchdown along with one fumble recovery. In 1999, he was the starting quarterback for the Indoor Football League champion Green Bay Bombers.

Browder spent his college career at Valparaiso and ranked as the school's all-time total offense leader. He received All-Conference honors in 1995 and 1996 and was elected as an All-American in 1996. He graduated with a degree in sports management and earned his master's in athletic administration from Valparaiso and lettered in basketball, baseball, football and track in high school.

DRAGONS AND BLAZE SET NEW AFL RECORD
Garcia and Germaine also greatly added to the 24-combined touchdown total, breaking the old record of 23 combined touchdowns in a game. The four remaining touchdowns were scored by Utah's Kevin Moffett on a net recovery with :03 left in the second quarter, Utah's Justin Skaggs on a one-yard run with 2:48 left in the third quarter, Dragons OS Kevin Swayne with a 54-yard kickoff return with 1:53 remaining in the third quarter, followed by FB/LB Bruce Blue scoring on a one-yard run with :00 left in the third. The previous records of 23 touchdowns was set on April 13, 2003 when Arizona (12) faced Los Angles (11) as well as on April 3, 2004 when Los Angeles (12) faced Austin (11).

GARCIA AN ALL-TIME GREAT
It was already known by most, but QB Aaron Garcia is now enshrined as one of the top-20 all-time great players in AFL history. During training camp, the league came out with their top-20 players from the first 20 years of the AFL. Garcia ranked 11th, one spot ahead of fellow former Iowa Barnstormer QB Kurt Warner. After Warner left the franchise, Garcia supplanted him as the franchise's star quarterback and the Dragons - or Barnstormers - have never looked back.

RETURNING DRAGONS
The Dragons have 11 players on their roster from their final 2005 roster. QB Aaron Garcia is the longest tenured Dragon at eight seasons. The complete list includes: WR/LB Chris Anthony, OL/DL Jamaal Cherry, DS DaShane Dennis, WR/DB Angel Estrada, OL/DL Stacy Evans, WR/LB Mike Horacek, WR/DB Will Holder, OL/DL Joe Laudano, OL/DL Marcus "Snowball" Owen, OL/DL Steve Scifres and OS Kevin Swayne along with Garcia.

DRAGONS WITH af2 EXPERIENCE
The Dragons have 10 players on their roster who have played in af2 at one point in their career. The list includes: WR/LB Chris Anthony, WR/LB Maurice Brown, OL/DL Jamaal Cherry, WR/DB DaShane Dennis, OL/DL Jon Hall, OL/DL Joe Laudano, FB/LB Richard McCleskey, K Jesse Obert, DS Dahnel Singfield, OL/DL Andrew Tippins, OL/DL Paul White and QB Juston Wood.

SITUATIONAL RECORDS
At Home 1-2 Tied At Half 1-0
On The Road 3-1 Behind At Half 1-2
Friday Games 1-1 Ahead After Three Quarters 2-1
Saturday Games 2-1 Tied After Three Quarters 1-0
February 3-2 Behind After Three Quarters 1-2
National Conference 2-2 Outcome 6 pts or Less 1-0
Eastern Division 0-2 Outcome 3 pts or Less 2-0
Southern Division 2-0 Outcome 7 pts or More 1-3
American Conference 2-1 Outcome 4 pts or More 0-0
Central Division 1-1 Overtime 0-0
Western Division 1-0 Plus Turnover Margin 4-0
Opponents Scored First 2-1 Even Turnover Margin 0-0
Ahead At Half 2-1 Minus Turnover Margin 0-3

INSIDE THE HEADSET:
Every week, Dragons head coach Weylan Harding lets the fans get inside his headset in an open question and answer forum. Here's this week's journal.

Can you describe the feeling of losing two quarterbacks in a matter of two weeks and how does a coach move on from here?
WH: I can't describe the feeling of watching two players go down with season ending injuries. My first concern is for the injured players well being. It is difficult to be a witness to this because of the work Aaron and Juston have put into preparing themselves. As a coach you prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Injuries are a hazard of our profession. We must push on so that the effort these men have given is not wasted. We will continue to be a team no matter the circumstance.

It seems as if the win against Austin was another bittersweet win like the one in Week Five with Aaron Garcia's injury. Can you really enjoy a win in that situation and what does it say about your team?
WH: Why can't you enjoy a win that was hard earned? It means more to me that we won despite the controversey. How upsetting would it have been for a team to lose in that situation because circumstances dictate that you should have? If you can't enjoy a win like that your missing the point of team sport. I love the way my team fights. Character is molded in controversey, not when
everything is going well. We have character!

Juston Wood looked strong in his short time starting. Do you have the same confidence in Nick Browder and will he be taking over for the season?
WH: We are very careful as far as who bring to our team. Though it is not an exact science, you have an idea about who your players are. Browder will be fine and we have every confidence in him. He will perform as required. He is not by himself and he knows this. His role is to do his 1/8 and let the rest of his family do their part. Nick is our quarterback.

Congratulations on the win! Your road record has improved to three out of four. Do you feel there is more concentration on the road with the Dragons or is anything done differently than at home?
WH: There is nothing done differently in preparation for either home or away. I may be naive to say that there is no difference in level of concentration. We should be just as intense wherever the setting.

2006 SCHEDULE
DATE TIME/SCORE OPPONENT
Sat, 1/28 L 57-28 vs. Nashville
Fri, 2/3 W 51-47 at Chicago
Sat, 2/11 W 84-81 at Utah
Sun, 2/19 L 75-59 at Philadelphia
Sun, 2/26 W 55-35 vs. Orlando
Fri, 3/3 L 65-54 vs. Columbus
Sun, 3/12 W 59-56 at Austin
Sat, 3/18 7:30 at Tampa Bay
Fri, 3/24 7:30 vs. Kansas City
Sat, 4/1 7:00 vs. Grand Rapids
Sun, 4/9 1:00 vs. Dallas
Fri, 4/14 7:00 at Columbus
Sat, 4/22 10:30 at Los Angeles
Sat, 4/29 7:00 vs. Philadelphia
Sat, 5/6 7:00 vs. Georgia
Sat, 5/13 8:00 at Dallas

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NY-TAMPA CONNECTIONS:
There are no current connections between the Tampa Bay Storm and the New York Dragons.
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GARCIA FIRST IN TD'S, SECOND IN COMPLETIONS AND YARDS:
Although he's currently injured, here is where Dragons QB Aaron Garcia stacks up against other quarterbacks in the league. Garcia remains one of the league's top passers. He's first all-time with 757 touchdowns and is second in all-time passing yards with 36,074 and in completions with 3,062. His recent injury will prevent him from reaching 800 touchdowns this season.

The All-Arena QB became the first player to reach the 700-touchdown plateau last season on April 29 at Dallas.

LIVING YOUNG:
The Dragons are led by one of the great defensive coaches in the AFL and he also happens to be the youngest in professional football. Weylan Harding enters the 2006 season at 34 years old -- 14 months and 13 days younger than the second-youngest head coach - Los Angeles' Ed Hodgkiss. However, Harding does not hold the distinction of being the youngest coach in league history. That honor goes to Kevin Guy of the 2000 New Jersey Red Dogs, who was 27 years old.

Team Coach DOB Age
NYD Harding 1/5/1972 34
LAA Hodgkiss 10/23/1970 35
PHI Munsey 8/19/68 37

ARENA-BRED COACHES
The Dragons are the only team in the league to have their entire coaching staff comprised of former AFL players. In total, the Dragons' coaching staff has a combined 22 years of AFL playing experience and another combined 18-plus years as coaches.

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SWITCHING POSITIONS
DaShane Dennis and Jamaal Cherry have switched positions from 2005 and will now line up at DS and OL/DL, respectively. Bruce Blue began training camp as a lineman and has since converted to FB/LB. Although Cherry was listed at FB/LB last season, he played primarily as a defensive lineman in his rookie season.

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THREE DRAGONS TO WATCH:

OL/DL Marcus "Snowball" Owen: An All-Ironman selection in 2005, Owen will once again anchor the offensive and defensive line of the Dragon. Linemen sometimes go unnoticed, but watch out for Owen's contributions on the offensive side.

OS Kevin Swayne: When he remains healthy, Swayne is one of the best receivers in the league. He's a big target for Garcia and one of his favorites, too. In Week One, Swayne caught three of the four touchdowns thrown by Garcia.

DS Dahnel Singfield: Singfield is off to a strong start in his rookie season. He has recorded 41.0 tackles in the first five games with 11 solo tackles in Week Two vs. Chicago. He also recorded five interceptions so far this season for a gain of 95 yards and one touchdown.

ORIGINAL DRAGONS

QB Aaron Garcia is a New York Dragon through thick and thin. He is the only player to be a part of the team for each of its first five seasons on Long Island. Garcia made the move when the Iowa Barnstormers relocated to New York prior to the 2001 season. Garcia was traded to Iowa from New Jersey on June 2, 1998 for WR/DB Chris Spencer and OL/DL John Dixon. This is Garcia's 12th AFL season and ninth with the franchise.

OS Kevin Swayne has been the property of the Dragons for all six seasons, however he spent two seasons on the exempt list from 2002-2004. After a successful 2001 campaign, he was signed by the NFL's New York Jets and stayed there for three seasons. He returned to the Dragons mid-way through the 2004 season. Swayne also suited up for the Barnstormers from 1998-1999.

WR/LB Mike Horacek is the only other player to have played for both the Barnstormers and the Dragons. From 1997 to 2000, Horacek split time as a WR/DB and an OS with Iowa. He was the AFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2000, his last with the team until he was selected in 2004 Dispersal Draft. The 2006 season is his second with the Dragons, but sixth with the franchise.

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