New York Dragons game notes
March 27, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New York Dragons News Release
New York Dragons (1-2)
vs. Philadelphia Soul (3-0)
Date: Sunday ▪ April 1, 2007
Kickoff: 1:00 PM (EST)
Site: Nassau Coliseum (11,985)
Radio: WNYG 1440AM with Peter Schwartz (play-by-play) and Wayne Morris (analyst).
Sirius Satelite Radio: Ch. 119
Regular Season Series Record: (4-2)
Regular Season Series Streak: +1
Last Regular Season Meeting: April 29th, 2006
New York 65, Philadelphia 58
Nassau Coliseum ▪ Uniondale, NY
Coaches All-Time Record:
Dragons ▪ Weylan Harding (21-16, 3rd year)
Soul ▪ Bret Munsey (13-8, 2nd year)
Officials: Referee: Bill LeMonnier, Umpire: Mike Delaney, Head Linesman: Allen Baynes, Line Judge: Dana McKinzie, Back Judge: Billy Beckett.
DRAGONS - SOUL ALL-TIME
DATE H/A SCORE
April 24, 2004 A 58-60
May 30, 2004* H 69-54
March 6, 2005* A 61-54
April 24, 2005* H 51-37
February 19, 2006 A 59-75
April 29, 2006* H 65-58
*Denotes Dragons win
ABOUT THE GAME
The Dragons return home in Week Five when they take on the Philadelphia Soul Sunday, April 1st at 1:00pm. Last season the Dragons and Soul were 1-1 and have posted a 4-2 all-time record. The Dragons are 3-0 when they face the Soul at the Nassau Coliseum.
NEXT WEEK'S PREVIEW
The Dragons return to the road in Week Six when they head to Grand Rapids to face the Rampage on Saturday April 7th at 7:00pm. Since moving to Long Island, the Dragons has posted a 1-2 record versus the Rampage and have a franchise overall record of 4-5.
DRAGONS' WEEK FIVE PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Tuesday (3/27): 12:00-2:00 at Mitchel Field Practice Facility
Wednesday (3/28): 12:00-2:00 at Mitchel Field Practice Facility
Thursday (3/29): 12:00-2:00 at Mitchel Field Practice Facility
Friday (3/30): 12:00-2:00 at Mitchel Field Practice Facility
Saturday (3/31): Walk Through 10:00am 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 Dragons their 106th regular season victory and their 113th of all-time.
- The team their 50th victory since moving to Long Island in 2001.
- The Dragons a 2-2 record and a 1-1 home record for the season.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
The Dragons register their first win and now look to even their season record at 2-2 this Sunday versus the Soul. The Dragons are undefeated when they face Philadelphia at the Nassau Coliseum. The Dragons look to extend that to 4-0 this Sunday.
FOLLOWING THE FIRST WIN
Since moving to New York, The Dragons are 2-4 overall following their first win. However, following their first road victory of the season, the Dragons have come back with a 4-1 record the following week.
WEEKLY AWARD NOMINEES
After Week Four's winning performance at Tampa Bay, WR/LB Chris Anthony and DB Billy Parker were both nominees for Ironman of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week respectively. Anthony recorded five receptions for 62 yards and two touchdowns. On defense he recorded 4.0 tackles along with a fumble recovery and an interception in the fourth quarter to keep the Dragons in the game and bring them out on top 59-52. Parker recorded 6.5 total tackles, one interception for two yards and one pass breakup.
TOOMBS IN A RUSH
FB Ja'Mar Toombs has recorded two rushing touchdowns in each of the two games he has now played in. He currently is ranked fourth in the league with yards per rush, averaging 4.0 yards on seven rushes for 28 yards with four touchdowns.
WARLEY KICKS HIS WAY TO THE TOP
Kicker Carter Warley is ranked second in the league among kickers in field goal percentage. His three of four field goals leave his with a 75% accuracy. He only trails San Jose kicker A.J. Haglund who currently has an 83.3 percentage completing five of six field goal attempts.
SWAYNE LOOKS FOR SEASON HIGHS
WR Kevin Swayne will look to set season highs again this year when the Dragons face Philly. Last season, Swayne recorded a season high 30 points on five touchdown receptions when the Dragons faced Philly at home on April 29th in a 65-58 victory.
HORACEK AIMS FOR MILESTONE
WR/LB Mike Horacek led the Dragons offense in the 2006 season after recording 121 receptions for 1,663 yards and 35 touchdowns in 15 games. He looks to reach a milestone of 10,000 yards this season and is shy by just 407 yards. Horacek also holds the league record for most receiving yards in a game with 285 when he accomplished the feat with the Iowa Barnstormers on July 15, 2000 versus Albany.
ANTHONY: AN IRONMAN ON AND OFF THE FIELD
Not only is Chris Anthony an outstanding athlete, but citizen as well. This Ironman kept busy this past offseason by starting his own non-profit organization called SpineLife. SpineLife assists athlete's who suffer sports related spinal cord injuries and head traumas. Anthony was first inspired after witnessing the tragic death of Al Lucas (Los Angeles Avengers) on the field during the Dragons game in Los Angeles in the 2005 season. Visit www.StandWithTravis.com to learn more about SpineLife's latest ventures.
DRAGONS KICKED OFF SEASON AT HOME
Since moving to Long Island, the Dragons have kicked off the season at home three times: 2001, 2005 and 2006. In each of those seasons, the Dragons have made the playoffs.
AARON GARCIA STARTS ON INJURED RESERVE
Aaron Garcia continues to rehab his leg in California as the Dragons head into Week One. This is the second home opener Garcia hasn't started with the other coming in 2002. That season, Garcia was with the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. Garcia will be out for an indefinite amount of time, but for a minimum of four weeks due to the AFL rule change of the injured reserve.
BLAST FROM A PAST SEASON
DB Billy Parker returns to the Dragons for the 2007 season after spending the 2006 season on the Carolina Panthers Practice Squad. In 2005, Parker led the Dragons defense in interceptions and tied the franchise interception record with ten. He was also named to the All-Rookie and All-Arena teams as a DS in 2005.
ARENABOWL XXI
New Orleans will host ArenaBowl XXI at New Orleans Arena on Sunday, July 29 at 3:00pm EST. This will be the first championship game held in New Orleans since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
STATISTICS:
A look at how New York and Philadelphia match-up based on 2007 regular season statistics:
Statistical NEW YORK PHILADELPHIA
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Scoring Offense 19th 35.3 2nd 67.7
Scoring Defense 13th 57.7 2nd 39.0
Total Offense (yds/g) 17th 248.0 15th 278.7
Total Defense (yds/g) 14th 295.3 8th 279.7
Pass Offense 17th 229.7 14th 254.0
Pass Defense 13th 269.3 14th 275.7
Rushing Offense 10th 18.3 6th 24.7
Rushing Defense 14th 26.0 3rd 4.0
Passer Rating 3rd 74.1 19th 131.4
Def. Passer Rating 9th 112.9 1st 76.7
Kickoff Returns (y/rtn) 13th 16.3 5th 18.5
MFG Returns T-18th 0.0 2nd 29.5
Turnover Margin 19th -8 2nd +5
Field Goals 3rd 3-4 12th 1-2
PATs 4th 13-14 8th 26-29
First Downs 19th 48 18th 54
Opp. First Downs 4th 60 2nd 55
3rd Down Conversion 19th 6-18 1st 12-16
4th Down Conversion 18th 1-6 1st 1-1
Penalties (yds/g) 3rd 39.7 5th 47.7
Sacks By 18th 2-11 3rd 5-30
Sacks Against 18th 7-43 3rd 1-3
Time of Possession 11th 29:14 18th 25:13
Red Zone Offense 17th 7-9 T-10th 11-13
Red Zone Defense 6th 11-14 5th 10-13
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