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Orlando Predators Game Notes

April 22, 2003 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Orlando Predators News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Orlando Predators (8-4-0) at Georgia Force (7-5-0)
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2003
Toe-to-Leather Time: 7:30 p.m.
Site: The Arena at the Gwinnett Center (11,200)
Officials: Referee: Bill Athan; Umpire: Rick Nelson; Head Linesman: Allen Baynes; Line Judge: Thomas Symonette; Back Judge: Rob Vernatchi
Radio: WQTM 740 The Team (Marc Daniels and Tom Morgan)
TV: None
Streaks: Orlando is on a two-game winning streak, Georgia has won one in a row
Series Record: Georgia leads the all-time series 3-0
Coaches: Orlando: Fran Papasedero (2nd Season, 17-12-0, .586); Georgia: Marty Lowe (2nd Season, 12-9-0, .571)

THE STAKES: Undisputed sole possession of second place in the Southern Division, an opportunity to move a step closer to a coveted top four finish and its accompanying first round bye, a chance to clinch a playoff spot, and a little bit of revenge all make this week 13 contest with the Georgia Force more than a little bit interesting. The Predators, 8-4 and winners of two straight, can clinch an AFL playoff berth with a victory against the Georgia Force – a team that has beaten the Predators in all three previous meetings (see series notes for more information). It was the last loss to Georgia—a 38-36 defeat four weeks ago – that was particularly hard to take as the Predators had a 36-35 lead and the ball with 15 seconds remaining when quarterback Connell Maynor fumbled to set up a game-winning field goal as time expired. That loss, along with a 63-62 loss to Los Angeles the following week when the Avengers overcame a 12-point deficit in the final 30 seconds to beat Orlando on the last play of the game, essentially cost the Predators a chance at a number one seed for the playoffs. "Revenge is probably too strong of a word," Head Coach Fran Papasedero said. "But we have lost two games to these guys where we felt we should have won. They are one game behind us in the standings, so this is a critical game for both teams.

Papasedero Quote of the Week: "We've played it smart before and had the field goal blocked. It seemed like momentum was on our side and it would have been huge to go up by 14 at the half. It worked so we look like geniuses. Had it failed, we would have been idiots."

Papasedero on electing to go for the touchdown after the half was extended one play because of a penalty on Las Vegas.

THE LAS VEGAS GAME: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY: The Good: For a second straight week, the Predators recorded a blow-out win, this time over a quality opponent...Jay Gruden continued his dream season with five touchdown passes and one interception to bring his season totals to 30 TDs and just two interceptions...Kenny McEntyre led a defense that has now forced 12 turnovers in the last two games...Gruden was able to leave the game early for a second consecutive week, leaving mop-up duty to back-up Connell Maynor. The Bad: The Predators failed to take advantage of several first half opportunities that would have put a lot more breathing room between the two teams...in fact, had Las Vegas had scored on a its 4th and goal opportunity with 10 seconds left, the Gladiators could have taken a tie into the locker room at halftime and would have had the ball first in the second half...Orlando received a scare when Gruden was hit late on play and a Las Vegas lineman rolled up on his bad ankle..."I was scared for just a second," Gruden said. ‘I heard a pop but it must have been scar tissue breaking loose." The Ugly: Las Vegas was called for 15 penalties for 96 yards, both season highs for a Predators opponent this season...the penalties played a major role in keeping several Predators drives alive and did little to improve the quality of NBC's broadcast.

A LOOK AT THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT: This week's match-up should be an exciting one to watch as both the Predators and Georgia are defensive-minded teams that try to take advantage of their opponent's mistakes. Both teams are ranked in the top third of the league in total defense, pass defense, scoring defense and turnover margin. Orlando's offense, particularly with Jay Gruden at helm, is probably a little better than Georgia's, but the fact remains the Predators have yet to beat the Force.

ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS: Orlando is now in a fourth place tie with Grand Rapids for the best record in the Arena Football League. More importantly, with Tampa Bay being upset by Colorado, only one game separates the top five teams in the league, with several other teams – including this week's opponent Georgia -- just two games back. At this juncture in the season, every game is critical for the AFL's top teams.

DRIVE TO ARENABOWL XVII: WHAT A WEEK! Discounting blow out wins by Orlando, Georgia, Los Angeles and New York, the other four games in Week 12 of the Arena Football League produced four incredible finishes. In Grand Rapids, Arizona scored on a four-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the game to force overtime. In OT, Clint Dolezel was stuffed at the one-yard line on a 2-point conversion try, as Arizona held on for an 82-81 victory. San Jose also stopped Raymond Philyaw on a two-point conversion with 11 seconds left to record a 73-71 win over the Firebirds. In Tampa Bay, the 1-10 Colorado Crush overcame a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to stun Tampa Bay and break an eight-game Storm winning streak. Damian Harrell caught a 44-yard pass from John Dutton with just eight seconds left and then grabbed the game-winning pass with two seconds left for the stunning win. In Chicago, the Rush fumbled on the one-yard line in overtime and Dallas drove down the field for the game-winning touchdown to beat Chicago 60-54. Dallas needed a touchdown and two-point conversion in the final seconds to send the game into overtime. "The parity in this league is just incredible," Predators Head Coach Fran Papasedero says. "It seems like every week we have four or five games that come down to the final play of the game to determine the winner. When you have a 1-10 team knock off the hottest team in the league, you know you are playing in a league where you can't take any opponent lightly. It's certainly something that makes the Arena Football League one of the most competitive professional sports leagues."

SERIES HISTORY: Georgia is another one of those Arena Football League franchises that started in one city and moved to another. Under AFL rules, a franchise that moves to another city has the option of retaining the records and history from its previous city. The New York Dragons, for example, recognize and retain the history of the Iowa Barnstormers, which moved to the Nassau Coliseum a few years ago. When the Nashville Kats were sold and moved to Georgia before the start of the 2002 season, the new Force owners decided not to incorporate the history of the Nashville Kats into its books – even though it retained Nashville's players. The decision was also curious, given Nashville had played in two ArenaBowl Championships and enjoyed an outstanding won-lost record through the years. That said, the Georgia Force leads the all-time series with the Predators, 3-0, having beaten Orlando 67-49 in the 2002 season opener in Atlanta and then held on for a 41-40 win in Orlando on July 13. The Force also used a Predators fumble with 15 seconds remaining to kick a game-winning field goal and defeat the Predators 38-36 back on March 23 of this season.

SERIES RESULTS AND SCORES
Date ORL GEORGIA
Apr. 20, 2002 (A) 49 67
July 13, 2002 (H) 40 41
March 23, 2003 (H) 36 38

LAST GAME: GEORGIA 38, ORLANDO 36

ORLANDO, FL (March 23, 2003)—Steve McLaughlin booted a 30-yard field goal as time expired as the Georgia Force defeated the Orlando Predators, 38-36. Orlando trailed for most of the game and faced a 12-point deficit when Darryl Hammond returned a Connell Maynor interception 10-yards for a touchdown at the 10:34 mark. But Travis McGriff cut the gap to 35-29 on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Maynor with 7:36 remaining. On the ensuing Georgia possession, EJ Burt sacked Donnie Davis in the end zone and forced a fumble that Doug Miller recovered for a touchdown. The Predators defense held Georgia on the next possession and apparently had the game won when McLaughlin missed a 28-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining. Taking over with 17 seconds left, Maynor rushed to his left, only to have Hammond knocked the ball loose. Hammond then recovered the fumble and one play later McLaughlin hit the game-winning field goal.

SERIES NOTES: The Predators were the first opponent in Georgia Force history last season, dropping a 67-49 decision in the Phillips Arena ...Orlando fell behind 40-7 in that game, but used a furious rally to go on a 27-0 run in the contest to close to 40-33 in the 4th quarter...a 54-yard kickoff return by Ron Carpenter, followed by a 28-yard TD reception from Darryl Hammond upped Georgia's lead back to 21 to kill any chance of a Predators comeback...Jay Gruden is probably looking forward to his first shot at Georgia this season...Gruden threw for 692 yards in two games last season...his 361 yards in game 1 last year was the most in his illustrious career, while the 331 yards in game two was the third highest in his career.

FAMILIAR FACES: At first glance, only a few connections between the Predators and the Georgia Force appear to exist. Bret Cooper, who started the 2003 season with Buffalo, was waived earlier this season by the Destroyers and later signed with the Force in time to face the Predators in the first game of the season between the two teams. Cooper had an outstanding career with the Preds from 1998-2001 and ranks second in most of Orlando's career receiving categories. Georgia FB/LB Tommy Dorsey was a part-time starter for the Predators from 1998-2002 and picked up a pair of championship rings with the Predators. In addition, Force DS Kevin Gaines also played for the Predators from 1998-99. On the other side, Orlando OL/DL CJ McLain played last season for the Georgia Force.

But in reality, the familiarity between the two teams does not end with those four players. When Georgia played in Nashville, Orlando Predators quarterback Jay Gruden served as that team's offensive coordinator in 1997. When the Predators tried to hire Gruden as head coach in 1998, Nashville held up the deal, refusing to release Gruden from his contract without compensation. The Predators send OL/DL Jerry Sharp and cash to Nashville for the rights to Gruden. In addition, Preds Head Coach Fran Papasedero played for Nashville in 1997, Where he was a teammate of several current Georgia Force players, including Darryl Hammond In addition, Papasedero was a teammate of Cory Fleming in 1997, when both played for the Nashville franchise.

OH YEAH, IT WAS CJ : One other curious note between these two teams. When Georgia stuffed Connell Maynor at the goal line on the two-point conversion with two seconds left to stave off the Predators last season, it was current Orlando lineman CJ McLain that made the stop.

IN CASE YOU WERE CURIOUS: As mentioned earlier, the Georgia Force formerly played in Tennessee as the Nashville Kats. That franchise played in the Arena Football League from 1997-2001. The Predators played the Kats a total of 12 times in five years, including playoff games in 1998 and 2000. Nashville won six of the 10 regular season games, but the Predators took both playoff contests. The scores of those games were:

Date ORL NASH
May 30, 1997 (H) 36 46
July 25, 1997 (A) 55 74
May 22, 1998 (A) 48 62
July 10, 1998 (H) 37 22
Aug. 7, 1998 (H) 58 43*
Apr. 23, 1999 (A) 49 40
July 23, 1999 (H) 41 51
May 19, 2000 (A) 71 54
July 7, 2000 (H) 41 45
Aug. 9, 2000 (H) 41 38**
Apr. 13, 2001 (A) 25 50
May 13, 2001 (H) 34 30

*AFL Quarterfinal Game
*ArenaBowl XIV

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 (4): Rob Davis, Ricky Wood, Chris Wallace, CJ McLain

Rookie Free Agents (7): Travis McGriff, Thabiti Davis, Jerry Johnson, EJ Burt, Matt Sweeney, Kevin McLeod, Glenn Davis

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)*, 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), Carl Bond (Waived), Rick Hamilton (waived), Vic Penn (Waived from Practice squad),

*Indicates on 2002 Preds Roster

PREDS NEWS, NOTES, TRENDS

TURNOVER MANIA: Orlando's defense forced eight turnovers against Buffalo two weeks ago and followed that performance with four turnovers against Las Vegas. In the last two weeks, the Predators have forced 12 turnovers to up their league-leading turnover margin to a +14 on the season.

THE GLOVE'S BIG DAY: For a second consecutive week, Orlando Predators Kenny McEntyre has been named the Arena Football League's Defensive Player of the Week. McEntyre single handedly turned the flow of the game around against Las Vegas with a huge play to end the first half. McEntyre, who already had an interception against Las Vegas, picked up a Jay McDonagh fumble at the goal line on a 4th and one play as Las Vegas was attempting to tie the score at halftime. McEntyre broke a tackle (face mask on the play) and returned the ball 41 yards as time expired. A pair of penalties on the play gave Orlando one un-timed play from the two-yard line. From there, Jay Gruden hit Lamont Moore on a touchdown pass and Orlando went from looking at a halftime tie to taking a 14-point lead into the locker room. McEntyre also thwarted a second half drive with his second interception of the game to finish with two tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. The Predators turned McEntyre's three defensive plays into 21 points – representing a potential 42 point swing in scoring. A week earlier, McEntyre intercepted three passes against Buffalo. K-Mac or "The Glove" just missed tying Tony Scott's 11-year-old club record of four interceptions in a single game when he had a fourth interception nullified by a defensive holding penalty away from the ball. McEntyre returned one of the interceptions 45-yards for a touchdown, his 10th interception for touchdown in his career and third of this season. With his five interceptions in the last two weeks, 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 gave him 44 in just 70 career games. In addition, McEntyre has nine interceptions in the post season, to up his overall total to 53 interceptions in just 83 games played. Of McEntyre's 10 interception returns for touchdown, he has had nine in the regular season – tying Greg Hopkins (Los Angeles) for most in league history.

ORLANDO LOOKING TO EXTEND AFL MARK: With an 8-4 start to the 2003 season the Predators moved to within one victory (including playoff games) of extending 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. The Predators can also clinch a playoff spot with a victory against Georgia this week.

GRUDEN MAKES A DIFFERENCE: Although he continues to modestly deflect all the credit to his teammates, there is definitely something to be said about what Jay Gruden means to the Orlando Predators. Here is a comparison of the Predators with and without Jay Gruden as the starting quarterback this season:

With Jay Without Jay
Games 6 6
Record 6-0 2-4
Win Pct. 1.000 .333
Total Points 343 285
Average 57.2 47.5

McGRIFF RETURN LIKELY: Travis McGriff, Orlando's leading receiver and a top candidate for Arena Football's Rookie of the Year Award, is likely to return to the Predators this week after missing the last two games with a sprained knee. McGriff could have played last week, but team trainers and physicians recommended that McGriff sit out one more game as a pre-cautionary measure.

MAYNOR SOLID IN A RESERVE ROLE: Quarterback Connell Maynor played well in the fourth quarter last week after spelling Jay Gruden. In two series, Maynor completed four of four passes (44 yards) for one touchdown and ran for a team high 25 yards on just one attempt in helping the Predators run out the clock.

ONE FINAL NOTE ON MAC: Counting playoffs, DS Kenny McEntyre has now started an Orlando Predators' record 83 consecutive games without missing a start to injury.

OKAY WE LIED...HERE'S ONE MORE ON K-MAC: McEntyre's 8 interceptions this season has moved him up three spots on the Arena Football League's all-time list for career interceptions. With 44 regular season picks, McEntyre now only trails Durwood Roquemore for the most in AFL history. Roquemore, a former Predators player, has 50 career interceptions in a nine-year career spent with three different teams. McEntyre has moved into second place in less than five full seasons in the league. It's interesting to note that of the top five players in career interceptions, four have spent at least part of their career with the Orlando Predators.

ORLANDO REMAINS TIED WITH VEGAS FOR FEWEST KICKOFF RETURNS FOR TD: Despite facing one of the most dangerous kickoff return men in the AFL in Las Vegas' Sedrick Robinson, the Orlando Predators ran their streak of not allowing a kickoff return for touchdown to 17 consecutive regular season games. The streak is the longest current streak in the Arena Football League (Las Vegas is second with 13 games without allowing a kickoff return for touchdown); while the Gladiators and Predators are the only two teams that have not allowed a TD this season via kickoff return.

PAPASEDERO'S EXPLANATION: Asked why the Predators have improved greatly in this category over last year when they allowed six kickoff returns for touchdowns in the first nine games of the season, Head Coach Fran Papasedero pointed to a couple of reasons. "First, this year's team is very athletic and they get down the field at the same time. It makes it extremely difficult for someone to break one for a touchdown. Secondly, I credit Brian Schmitz. His kickoffs this season have been exceptional and he's not afraid to make a tackle. He probably has saved three or four touchdowns himself this season."

OTHER END OF THE SPECTURM: On the other end of the spectrum, this week's opponent Georgia joins three other teams for allowing the most kickoff returns for touchdown. Georgia, New York, Carolina and Arizona have all allowed five touchdown returns on kickoffs this season, while Chicago has allowed four. The stats tend to be misleading, however, as they include on-sides kicks returned for touchdown – something Orlando's Kenny McEntyre has already done twice this season by himself.

GRUDEN MYSTIFIED BY INTERCEPTION COUNT: With five touchdowns and just one pick last week against Las Vegas, Jay Gruden upped his season totals to 30 touchdowns with just two interceptions, the best touchdown to interception ratio in his eight-year AFL career. This year's totals come on the heels of a season where Gruden threw a league-leading 20 interceptions last year. If you want a reason for Gruden's improvement this season you may not find it from the quarterback. "I can't explain it. When I was winning titles with Tampa Bay, I was always throwing 10, 12 or 14 interceptions every season and I threw 20 last year. The main reason is that I always tried to make things happen and always felt I could throw the ball through a small crack when I had to. If I had to come up with a reason, I'd probably say my group of receivers are bigger and stronger...Cory Fleming and Thabiti Davis will not let a defensive back go through them to make an interception and I guess that's one of the reasons why the pick total is down this year." This season, Gruden is throwing touchdowns at a 15 to 1 ratio compared to interceptions. Prior to this season, Jay's best year for this category was 1996, when his touchdown to interception ratio was just 5:1. A chart of Gruden's picks:

Year G TD INT TD/INT Ratio
2002 6 30 2 15:1
2001 14 68 20 3.4:1
1996 14 70 14 5:1
1995 12 44 11 3:1
1994 12 49 12 4.1:1
1993 12 41 14 2.9:1
1992 10 50 15 3.3:1
1991 9 26 12 2.2:1

ONE MORE ON GRUDEN...WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN: With just four weeks to go in the regular season, one has to wonder what might have been had Jay Gruden not missed six and one-half games with an ankle injury.

WHERE'S EJ?: After recording six sacks and forcing seven fumbles in eight games of the regular season, rookie sensation EJ Burt hasn't recorded a sack or a forced fumble in each of the last four games. When asked about the stat, Head Coach Fran Papasedero said that it wasn't anything to be concerned about. "EJ's been a little dinged up and being a smaller player, it has taken away his effectiveness a little," Papasedero said. "But at the same time he's been getting pretty good pressure and has come close to several sacks the last couple of weeks."

SCORING FIRST TRANSLATES TO VICOTRY: How important is for the Orlando Predators to score first in a game? Well is you just look at the stats, you would say extremely important. Orlando is a perfect 8-0 this season when they score first in a game. When they don't score first, they are 0-4.

PREDATORS ANNOUNCE REVOLUTIONARY SEASON TICKET POLICY FOR 2004: The Orlando Predators have announced a revolutionary new policy that will provide significantly lower prices and new perks to season ticket holders. The six-point plan unveiled two weeks ago features lower season ticket prices in 77% of the TD Waterhouse Centre, a new payment play, a reconfigured TD Waterhouse Centre that will eliminate obstructed view seats, lower bowl season tickets for just $10 per game, more Friday and Saturday night games, and free playoff tickets for the 2003 season.

"Season ticket totals and single game attendance for professional sports has been in a downward spiral for the past couple of years. In some cases, theses decreases have been significant," Predators President Brett Bouchy said in unveiling the Predators new plan. "The Orlando Predators are not going to be a part of that trend. We have a great product in Arena Football and our goal is make it extremely easy and affordable for all of our fans to purchase season tickets."

Major points in the plan include a significant decrease in most ticket price categories. For example, certain lower bowl sideline corner seats that were priced at $297 for a nine-game season ticket package this year, will be sold for $225 for the 2004 season – a 24.2% decrease. A lower bowl seat in the top half of the end zone that sold for $135 this season will drop to $90 next season, a savings of 33.3%. Upper Bowl corner seats will drop 16% from $108 to $90. Season ticket holders in some upper bowl sections will see as much as a 44% drop in the price of their tickets for 2004. In all, the Predators will drop the price of season ticket in 31 sections, will have no increase in 11 sections, and will have a slight increase in just eight sections. "Season ticket prices on the majority of seats in the TD Waterhouse Centre will drop and drop significantly," Bouchy said. "We're extremely proud of the fact that fans will now be able to purchase a lower bowl season ticket for less than $100."

The team also announced a new payment plan where season ticket purchasers can spread their payments over nine months. Bouchy said that the move was spurred by the popularity of a six-payment credit card plan the team introduced several years ago. "A lot of professional sports team ask their fans for a season ticket deposit of up to 50% right away and then set a deadline for the balance just a few months later. We're going to give our fans an opportunity to purchase their tickets over nine months, essentially giving them a full month to pay for just one game in the season ticket package."

Reconfiguration of the TD Waterhouse also figures into the new policy. The Predators will no longer sell seats in several sections. This will allow the team to use these sections as a press box area, provide more access areas for NBC cameras and will also kill certain upper bowl corner seats that have been deemed by fans to have poor sight lines. The new capacity of the TD Waterhouse Centre will be 13,100, matching the capacity of the Orlando Arena when the team sold out 25 consecutive home games from 1992-1995.

Free playoff tickets for the 2003 season are also included in the plan. Current season ticket holders who renew before May 16 will not have to pay for any playoff games hosted by the Orlando Predators during the 2003 season. The free playoff ticket offer is also being extended to new season ticket holders who purchase before May 16. "It's our way of thanking our fans for making a commitment to us," Bouchy said.

Bouchy also announced the Predators will play more home games on Friday and Saturday night next season. "We surveyed our current season ticket holders and they said that they prefer Friday and Saturday night games by a two-to-one margin over Sunday afternoons," Bouchy said. "With our national broadcast package, we know we are going to have to play Sunday afternoon games, but we are going to do our best to strike a balance between our television obligations and what our fans want. I can almost guarantee that we will play at least three or four home games on Friday or Saturday night next year and the Arena Football League has already said they will work with us on this issue."

Season tickets as well as additional information for the 2004 Orlando Predators (9-game package) are available by calling the Predators ticket office at 407-44-PREDS.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

PREDS QB JAY GRUDEN Orlando will be counting on their veteran signal called to help the Predators break out of a three-game losing streak to the Force. Gruden put together back-to-back 300-yard passing games against Georgia last season, only to see the Predators lose both games. Gruden is 6-0 as a starter this season, but Orlando lost a 38-36 decision to Georgia when Connell Maynor – subbing for the injured Gruden – fumbled with 15 seconds remaining which allowed Steve McLaughlin to kick a game-winning field goal.

FORCE WR/LB DARRYL HAMMOND: He may be an aging veteran and some may say he's past his prime, but the Predators know that 12-year veteran Darryl Hammond remains one of the top WR/LB in the Arena Football League. "He's always been a Predators killer," Gruden says about his long-time rival and close friend, who will turn 36 after the season. Hammond – more than any other player – was single handedly responsible for Georgia's 38-36 win over Orlando this year. All Hammond did was intercept two passes from his "jill" linebacker position and return both for touchdowns. Then, with the game on the line, he forced a Connell Maynor fumble and made the recovery with 15 seconds left to set up the game winning field goal. Hammond, who was named "Defensive Player of the Week" scored 12 points and was responsible for 16 of Georgia's 38 total points in the come-from-behind win. For the season, Hammond has 26 tackles with 3 TFL, 2 INT, 4 Pass Defenses and a pair of forced fumbles to go with a team-leading 60 receptions (637 yards) and 12 touchdowns.

PREDS DS KENNY "THE GLOVE" McENTYRE: K-MAC may possibly be the hottest defensive specialist in the Arena Football League. In the last two weeks, he has had five interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown. A former two-time Defensive Player of the Year, McEntyre now has eight interceptions on the season to go 72 tackles, two fumble recoveries and 13 Pass Defenses. McEntyre, who has not played a down of offensive football in his career, is tied for sixth in team scoring with five touchdowns.

FORCE QB DONNIE DAVIS OR LEON MURRAY: The whole tone of the game could hinge on whether Donnie Davis can return from a concussion he sustained against Tampa Bay two weeks ago. Although Murray was solid against Carolina (22-32, 68.8%, 6 TD), he was sacked three times against New York the week before. Murray has also been sacked eight times in two-and-a-half games, compared to the more mobile and experienced Davis, who was sacked just five times in 8.5 games.

PREDS OL/DL MATT SWEENEY: Predators Head Coach Fran Papasedero believes that it is no accident that Orlando's four-game losing streak lined up with Matt Sweeney's four-game absence following knee surgery. Sweeney has played great since returning two weeks ago. He was credited with being a major force in both goal line stands and stopped quarterback Jay McDonagh on a fourth and goal from the one. "Matt is turning into a very good two-way player. On defense, he's tough as nails and makes plays," Papasedero said. "His offense has also improved. This guy is just a couple of seasons removed form college and could become an upper echelon lineman in this league."

FORCE DS KEVIN GAINES: For a second consecutive week, the Predators will face a rugged defensive specialist who used to wear the black and red of the Predators. After playing against LasVegas' Damon Mason last week, the Predators must now deal with DS Kevin Gaines, who played for the Predators from 1998-99, this week. Gaines is having a standout season for Georgia. His seven interceptions this year leads the Force and is third highest in the league behind San Jose's Clevan Thomas (9) and Orlando's Kenny McEntyre (8). Gaines leads a secondary ranked first in the league in both pass defense and pass defense rating. He has 40.5 tackles with 10 pass defenses and a recovered fumble to go with his seven interceptions.

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