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Orlando Predators Game Notes

February 25, 2003 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Orlando Predators News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Orlando Predators (4-0) at New York Dragons (0-4)
Date: Sunday, March 2, 2003
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m.
Site: Nassau Coliseum (11,965)
Officials: Referee: Wes Fritz; Umpire: Tony Payne; Head Linesman: Rich Grube; Line Judge: Kent Payne; Back Judge: James Cole
Radio: WQTM 740 The Team (Marc Daniels and Tom Morgan)
TV: NBC
Series Record: Predators lead all time series, 5-4
Last Meeting: Orlando 52, New York 33 (6/15/2002)
Streaks: Orlando on four-game winning streak, New York on four-game losing streak.
Coaches: Orlando: Fran Papasedero (2nd Season, 13-8-0, .619) New York: TBA

THE STAKES: Off to a 4-0 start for just the third time in team history, the Predators will be slight favorites to grab a fifth straight victory when they travel to New York to face the winless Dragons. After last week's action, the Predators remain the only undefeated team in the Arena Football League and will be looking to maintain their two-game lead on division rivals, while trying to win an eighth straight regular season road game. New York is a much better team than the 0-4 record would indicate. The Dragons have faced a tough schedule with their first four games coming against teams with a combined 10-6 record. In those four losses, the Dragons have lost three of those by four points or less.

THE IFS:

If Orlando defeats New York, it would:
*Give the Predators a 5-0 record
*Give the Predators a 3-0 record on the road
*Give Fran Papasedero an all-time AFL record of 14-8-0 as a head coach
*Insure the Predators remain in 1st place in Southern Division
*Give the Preds an all-time record of 124-62-0
*Give the Predators all-time road record of 57-35-0
*Give Orlando 11 wins in last 14 regular season games
*Give Predators eight straight regular season road wins

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"These are the games that scare you. New York is a very talented team who could have been 3-1 with a break here or there. We're 4-0 and could just as easily be 2-2. We're playing a very dangerous team that has a lot of weapons and that knows it needs to win now. Hopefully, our guys will understand that we need to stay focused for this game."

--Fran Papasedero on playing a New York team that has lost four games by a total of 19 points.

THE CAROLINA WIN: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY: The Good: The Predators finally won a game by a blowout, recording a relatively easy 28-point win on the road...Orlando also won a regular season game on the road for a seventh straight time...Orlando's pass rush was outstanding, as the team recorded a season-high five quarterback sacks and had two interceptions...the team also had a season-high 48 rushing yards, after gaining just 47 yards in the previous three games...Justin Cleveland, Duke Pettijohn, CJ McLain and Connell Maynor – guys who were not part of the regular rotation in Weeks 1-2 – all played significant roles in the Predators win. The Bad: Orlando continues to give up the big plays at the wrong time...Carolina converted 5 of 8 third down plays and 2 of 3 fourth down plays for a 63.6% success rate on third and fourth down...the Cobras successfully converted plays of 3rd-8, 3rd-17, 3rd-20, 3rd-10, and 4th-7 in the game. The Ugly: After completing a pass to Travis McGriff on the first play of the third quarter, Jay Gruden sustained a severe ankle injury that was preliminarily diagnosed as a "tib-fib" ankle fracture (double break of ankle when tibia and fibula join at the ankle). Although Monday X-Rays revealed no break, Gruden will be out for an indefinite period of time. Gruden was off to the best start of his AFL career with 20 touchdown passes and no interceptions. More on Gruden's injury is listed below.

GRUDEN COULD RETURN: Team physicians at Jewett Orthopaedic Clinic examined Orlando Predators quarterback Jay Gruden on Monday and determined that the ankle injury he sustained last Friday against the Carolina Cobras was not as severe as first feared. X-Rays revealed no fractures, but Gruden did suffer deltoid ligament damage to the inside of his right ankle.

"The initial diagnosis was reasonable based on the fact that the Carolina team physicians did not have any X-Ray equipment at the Charlotte Arena," Orlando Predators Director of Sports Medicine Joel Johnson said. "Jay is going to have a long, tough road ahead as far as rehabilitation, but at this point, it is reasonable to assume that he should be able to return before the end of the season."

Gruden was fitted with both a walking boot and a compression boot (to reduce swelling) on Monday. He will undergo an MRI on Wednesday or Thursday to determine the extent of the ligament damage and he has already started an aggressive rehabilitation program at Sports Specific Training Center in Orlando. No surgery will be required. When asked about a possible return date, Johnson provided this assessment. "The deltoid ligaments are the hardest to injure, but they also take the longest to heal," Johnson said. "It will be a minimum of four weeks before he can put weight on the area and at that point we will have a better idea of a possible return date."

Gruden was off to the best start in his illustrious AFL career. In four games, he completed 59.4% of his passes (76 of 128) for 974 yards, 20 touchdowns and no interceptions in leading the Predators to the only 4-0 start in the Arena Football League.

With the injury to Gruden, Connell Maynor will take over as starting quarterback. Maynor was solid in relief against Carolina, completing seven of 11 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for two scores in the 70-42 win. "Connell is an experience quarterback who won an AFL title as a starter," Head Coach Fran Papasedero said. "We have all the confidence in the world that he can come in and lead this team."

Maynor took over as starting quarterback for the Predators after both Pat O'Hara and Browning Nagle were hurt late in the 1999 season. He directed the Predators to wins over both Tampa Bay and Iowa in the playoffs to become the first quarterback to take a number eight-seeded team to the AFL championship game. Handed the starter's job in 2000 by then head coach Gruden, Maynor won 14 of 17 starts culminating in a 41-38 win over Nashville in ArenaBowl XIV.

ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS: After four weeks of the 2003 season, the Orlando Predators remain the only unbeaten team in the league. Five other teams are at 3-1, including Buffalo, Detroit, Los Angeles, Grand Rapids and Indiana. Three of those teams lost for the first time last week. Colorado, New York and Carolina remain winless as we head into Week 5.

PREDATORS PLACE GRUDEN ON IR, SIGN FORMER UCF STARTER VIC PENN TO PRACTICE SQUAD: As expected, the Orlando Predators placed quarterback Jay Gruden on injured reserve on Tuesday. Although eligible to return in two weeks, Gruden is expected to miss 4-8 weeks with deltoid ligament damage to his right ankle. The Predators signed former UCF quarterback Vic Penn to its practice squad on Tuesday. Penn played at UCF from 1999-2000. As a junior, he passed for 3,078 yards and 156 touchdowns passes. He threw for 777 yards and 5 touchdowns during the first four games of his senior season, before injuring a shoulder and missing the six of the final seven games of the 2000 season. The Predators will likely elevate emergency quarterback Chris Wallace to second string this week and dress Penn as the emergency quarterback this weekend against New York.

SERIES NOTES: After a six-year run in Des Moines, Iowa, as the Iowa Barnstormers, the New York Dragons relocated to the Nassau Coliseum under new ownership in 2001...the Predators lead the all-time series, 5-4, including a 3-4 record against the Barnstormers and a 2-0 mark against the Dragons...the Preds are 2-1 against Iowa/New York in playoff games and 3-3 in regular season games...Orlando took a 52-33 decision in the last game played in the series, back on June 15, 2002... three of the games have been decided by eight points or less...the Predators came within one play of recording just the second shutout in Arena Football League history with a 28-6 win over Iowa back on May 15, 1998...the Iowa/New York franchise was founded by Jim Foster, who invented the game of Arena Football...counting this week's game, the Predators have had to play eight of the 10 series games on the road...Sunday's game will mark the second trip to the Nassau Coliseum for the Predators this year...Orlando played Tampa Bay in the second game of a pre-season doubleheader as part of an effort to assist the NBC Broadcast Crews back on January 22 (New York hosted Buffalo in the first game)...three of the games in the series came in the semifinals of the Arena Football League playoffs...Orlando was the visiting team and the underdog in all three games and came away with two victories.

Last Game: Orlando 52, New York 33 (June 15, 2002, Uniondale, NY)-- Jay Gruden passed for 303 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Orlando Predators (4-5) to a relatively easy 52-33 win over the New York Dragons (2-7) at the Nassau Coliseum. Four of Gruden's TDs came in the first half and Nick Gatto tacked on a 26-yard field goal as time expired as Orlando took a 35-24 lead into the locker room. Orlando used a 14-yard touchdown pass from Gruden to Siaha Burley to up the lead to 42-24 at the end of three quarters. From there, the Predators defense did the rest, limiting New York to just nine 4th quarter points. Five quarterback sacks aided the Predators, who outscored New York in all four quarters, as New York managed just 157 yards of total offense in the game.

FAST START BODES WELL FOR PREDATORS: Orlando's 4-0 start is the third best in team history. In 1994, the Predators started 11-0 and finished at 13-2 – losing to Arizona in the ArenaBowl. In 2000, the Predators started 7-0, finishing the regular season at 11-3 and then won the ArenaBowl over Nashville. A look at Orlando's history when the Predators start the season 2-0 or better:

Year Start Final Record Comment
1993 2-0 10-2 AFL Semifinals
1994 2-0 13-2 ArenaBowl Runner-up
1998 2-0 12-5 AFL Champions
2000 2-0 14-3 AFL Champions
2003 3-0 ?? ???

FAMILIAR FACES: In last week's game, the Predators and Cobras had nearly two-dozen players and coaches who had ties to the other team. This week, there are no discernable ties between the New York and Orlando rosters.

PREDATORS PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK: Predators begin preparation for New York on Wednesday. The team will workout Wednesday through Friday at 9:30 a.m. at the Citrus Bowl Complex in Orlando, before departing for New York on Saturday morning. The Predators are tentatively scheduled to conduct a practice at the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. The team will return to Orlando on Sunday evening after the game. PREDATORS INJURY REPORT: Orlando Predators trainer Kevin Mercuri has released the following injury report following the Carolina game:

QB Jay Gruden Ankle Out
OL/DL Reggie Lee Ankle Out
WR/DB Carl Bond Hamstring Out
OL/DL Colin Greczek Hand Questionable

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

"I told Jay to stay positive. Until you get the X-Rays done you never know. Fortunately, there was nothing broken and surgery will not be needed. He has a long road to hoe in rehab, but he's going to have a chance to get back on the field this year."

--Orlando Predators Director of Sports Medicine Joel Johnson Jay Gruden.

"This is not the way you want to become a starter. Jay was off to a great start and you hate to see something like this happen to any player. My job is take over for Jay and keep this team on the right track."

--Back-up Quarterback Connell Maynor on becoming a starter.

"Connell will do a good job. He has experience as a starting quarterback and has won a championship. Our styles are a little bit different but that's not necessarily a bad thing. When I'm faced with a tough pass rush, I'm going to either throw the ball away or take a sack. Connell is going to run around a little and try to make something happen. It will just be something else the other team's defense is going to have to worry about."

--QB Jay Gruden on Connell Maynor taking over as starting quarterback.

"This doesn't really change anything. The thing about this team is that we're not about having one player carry us. You can't key on any one of our receivers and you can't worry about stopping just one lineman. We feel the same way about our quarterbacks. Connell is capable of leading this team to victories."

--Lineman Ernest Allen on the 4-0 start and Gruden's Injury.

PREDS NEWS, NOTES, TRENDS

GRUDEN HITS 20,000: Before leaving the game with an ankle injury in the third quarter, Orlando Predators Quarterback Jay Gruden did manage to hit the 20,000-yard mark for career regular season passing. Gruden needed 45 yards coming into the game and hit the magical number early in the second quarter. Gruden finished with 154 yards passing and three touchdowns. Gruden's numbers below:
Year Team A-C-I Yards TD
1991-96 Tampa Bay 1983-1172-78 15,514 280
2002 Orlando 501-310-20 3,621 68
2003 Orlando 128-76-0 974 20
Career Totals 2612-1568-98 20,109 368

PREDATORS IN CAPABLE HANDS WITH MAYNOR: If anything positive is come out of Gruden's injury, it's the fact that the Predators are not going to have to turn the team over to an inexperienced quarterback. Connell Maynor is in his 10th year in the Arena Football League and has spent all or parts of four different seasons as a starting quarterback. Maynor completed 7 of 11 passes in the second half against Carolina last week, throwing for two touchdowns and running for two others. For his AFL career, Maynor has passed for more than 7,200 yards and 121 touchdowns. A versatile athlete, he has also ran for 13 touchdowns and caught 16 touchdown passes in his career. He is Orlando's leading rusher this year and also caught a pass as a wide receiver last week when the Predators were forced to use him at that position for the final 10 seconds of the first half.

A QUICK LOOK AT HOW THE PREDATORS 2003 ROSTER WAS BUILT:

Retained Orlando Free Agents (3): Connell Maynor, Fred Ray. Reggie Lee.

Veteran Free Agents (5): Rob Davis, Ricky Wood, Rick Hamilton, Chris Wallace, CJ McLain

Rookie Free Agents (6): Travis McGriff, Thabiti Davis, Jerry Johnson, EJ Burt, Matt Sweeney, Vic Penn

Re-signed Veterans Not Eligible for Free Agency (10): Antonio Stanley, Jay Gruden (2nd year, 2-year deal), Lamont Moore, Rashad Floyd, Reggie Doster, Kenny McEntyre (2nd year 2-year deal), Doug Miller, Ernest Allen (2nd year-2-year deal), Colin Greczek, Duke Pettijohn

Obtained by Trade (3): Brian Schmitz, Cory Fleming, Justin Cleveland.

Released/Traded Players No Longer on Roster: Junior Lord (Traded)*, Kevin McLeod (traded)*, Carl Bradley (released), Bill Duff (released), Albert Connell (released), Herman Bell (released), Karl Bates (released), Adrian Burnett (released), Terrell Harris (released), Na Brown (released), Cameron Chance (released)*, Ronney Daniels (released), Andre Purvis (Released), Brian Goolsby (Waived)*, Carlos McLaurin (Waived), Bernard Brown (Waived), Ratcliff Thomas (Waived), Chris Coleman (Waived).

*Indicates on 2002 Preds Roster

A THREESOME FOR THE PREDS?: In Orlando's previous 12 years of AFL play, the Predators have only had two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season. Barry Wagner (1,231) and Bret Cooper (1,027) each went over the 1000-yard mark in 1999 during a 14-game regular season schedule. It's interesting to note that if they keep producing at the same rate, the Predators will have three receivers gain 1,000 or more yards in a single season as Travis McGriff, Thabiti Davis and Cory Fleming are all on pace. Before this stat can be dismissed as being the product of a 16-game regular season schedule, it should be noted that all three guys are on pace to hit the 1,000 yard mark in 14 games.

PAPASEDERO'S ROAD WARRIORS: Since starting his career with a 0-2 Road Record in 2003, Fran Papasedero's team has won seven consecutive regular season games and have won eight of its last nine overall. ORLANDO LOOKING TO EXTEND AFL MARK: With a 4-0 start to the 2003 season the Predators need just five more victories (including playoff games) to extend one of the most remarkable strings in AFL history. Since 1992 (counting playoffs), the Predators are the only team in the Arena Football League to finish above .500 for 11 consecutive seasons. Orlando joins Tampa Bay as the only two teams to qualify for the playoffs in each of the last 11 seasons. Tampa Bay holds the AFL mark with 12 consecutive trips to the post-season.

KENNY MCENTYRE...TWO PICKS, ANOTHER TOUCHDOWN: With two interceptions against Carolina last week, Kenny "The Glove" McEntyre continues to pile up incredible defensive numbers. A former two-time winner of the AFL "Defensive Player of the Year," award, McEntyre's interceptions give him 38 for his career in just 62 career games. In addition, McEntyre has nine interceptions in the post season, to up his overall total to 47 interceptions in just 75 games played. Almost as impressive is what McEntyre does with the ball after getting an interception. He has eight career returns for touchdowns, including seven in regular season games.

OKAY, CALL HIM DEPENDABLE TOO! One other note about McEntyre. In addition to his interceptions, McEntyre has never missed a game because of injury since joining the Predators in the final week of the 1998 season. He has now started and played in 75 consecutive games, the most ever by an Orlando Predators player.

HARD TO RUN ON: Over the last half of the regular season in 2002, the Predators were one of the toughest teams to run on in the Arena Football League. Despite losing outstanding run stoppers Curtis Eason, Tommy Dorsey and BJ Cohen to free agency, the Predators are keeping up that tradition this season as opponents have gained only 26 net yards on 24 carries this season (an average of 1.1 yards per carry).

PAPASEDERO IMPROVES WON-LOST RECORD: After a 1-4 start last season, Orlando Predators Head Coach Fran Papasedero continues to get comfortable in his role as Head Coach. Under Papasedero, the Predators have won 12 of their last 16 games (75.0%).

ORLANDO SACK MACHINE: The Predators defensive line is off to a solid start this season with 10 quarterback sacks in its first four games. At this rate, the team is on-pace to record 40 sacks for the season, which would be a new club record. Probably the most impressive stat to date has been the fact that six different players have recorded sacks this season for the Predators.

McLAIN IMPRESSIVE: Although Predators coaches were worried about a 20-pound weight loss from last season to this year's pre-season in OL/DL CJ McLain, the former member of the Georgia Force has played extremely well since being activated in Week 3. In his last two games, McLain has recorded 3.5 tackles, with two quarterback sacks, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble. At 6-5, 260, McLain is also versatile enough to line up at "mac" linebacker, in addition to being a solid "rush" end.

CLOSING IN ON HUGE NUMBERS: Arguably the top wide receiver/jack linebacker in Arena Football League history, veteran Cory Fleming will most likely hit two impressive milestones against the New York Dragons this week. Fleming needs just two receptions and 14 receiving yards to hit 500 receptions and 6,000 receiving yards in his 7-year AFL career. Fleming is closing in on those totals, despite missing 11 regular season games in the 2001 season and four regular season games in 2000 with injuries.

RARE DEAL, PREDATORS PUT 70 ON THE BOARD: For the just the sixth time in franchise history, the Predators posted a 70-point game last week in beating the Carolina Cobras, 70-42. In the high-scoring world of Arena Football, putting 70 points on the board may not seem like a big deal. For example, the San Jose SaberCats scored 70 or more points four times last season. But for the Orlando Predators, one of the most successful teams in AFL history, it remains a rarity. The Predators have often built their teams around defense, believing that if they scored between 45 and 50 points they should be able to win most of their games. "Traditionally, some teams have been able to score 60 or 70 every week, but that's not our style," Head Coach Fran Papasedero said. "We don't want to get into a track meet with any team. We would rather take five or six minutes on each drive, limit the amount of time the other team's offense is on the field and then try to keep the score in the 40's. We just feel that is the type of game we have the best chance to win." Here are the Predators' highest scoring games in franchise history:

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Preds QB Connell Maynor: Maynor will make his first start since the 2002 season when he began the year with the Carolina Cobras. Still, Maynor has played extensively since rejoining the Predators last year, seeing action in goal line situations. A 10-year veteran, Maynor quarterbacked the Predators to a title during the 2000 season. He was solid in his replacement of Gruden last week, hitting 7 of 11 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a team-high 29 yards on four carries and scored two rushing touchdowns, while adding a 17-yard reception from Gruden during the final seconds of the first half to post a 168 all-purpose yard day. Dragons QB Aaron Garcia: It's hard to look at Aaron Garcia's statistics and try to figure out how this team is 0-4. Garcia has completed a gaudy 67.5% of his passes (104 of 154) this season for 1,347 yards and 29 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He is one of the Arena Football League's all-time leading passers with more than 24,000 career passing yards and 473-career touchdown passes.

Preds OL/DL Ernest Allen: One of the most consistent linemen in Orlando Predators history, Ernest Allen had a huge game last week with a pair of sacks and a batted down pass. His all-around effort, which included anchoring an offensive line that allowed the Predators to rack-up 70 points, earned Allen the nod as the Predators "Ford Built Tough Player of the Week."

San Jose OS Steve Papin: Now in his 7th year, Papin remains one of the most explosive offensive specialists in Arena Football League history. Last year against the Predators, Papin came close to breaking three kickoff returns for touchdowns. This year, he is averaging more than 180 all-purpose yards per game and has averaged more than 18 yards per kickoff return. He is a solid receiver with 24 catches for 242 yards and three touchdowns.

Preds OL/DL CJ McLain: Since coming off the injured reserve list in Week 3, McLain has made his presence felt as a back-up OL/DL and as a "Mac" linebacker. The Predators will move McLain around to take advantage of his speed. He has two sacks, a forced fumble, and a recovered fumbled and a pass defense in just two games this season.

Dragons WR/DB Mike Furrey: In just his second season, this former Northern Iowa star has become Garcia's "go to" receiver. In just four games, Furrey has already piled up 523 yards receiving with 11 touchdowns. Those totals give him 1,588 receiving yards and 38 touchdowns in just 18 career AFL games.

PREDATORS' AFL AWARD WINNERS:
Week1: Cory Fleming, "AFL Ironman of the Week"
Week 2: Jay Gruden "AFL Offensive Player of the Week"

NEXT WEEK'S GAME: The Predators return home to face the Indiana Firebirds in a rare Monday night game. The contest is scheduled for Monday, Mar. 10 at 7:30 p.m.



Arena Football League Stories from February 25, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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