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Phantoms Game Notes

May 21, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Toronto Phantoms News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Toronto Phantoms (3-2) vs. New Jersey Gladiators (3-2)
Date: Friday, May 24th
Kickoff: 7:00 PM EST
Site: Air Canada Centre (17,100)
TV: Rogers Sportsnet Ontario
Radio: MOJO AM 640
Officials: Bill McCabe (Referee), Doug Wilson (Umpire), Royce Cooley (Head Linesman), Gary Cavaletto (Line Judge), Joe Duncan (Back Judge)
Series Record: 2-0 Toronto
Last Meeting: Toronto 52 New Jersey 45 (July 14, 2001 – Toronto, Ontario)
Streaks: Toronto has lost 2 of its last 3 games; New Jersey has won 3 of its last 4 games
Coaches: Toronto - Mark Stoute (11-8, 2nd year); New Jersey – Frank Haege (2-2, 1st year)

THE STAKES: Toronto, New Jersey and Buffalo are locked in a 3-way tie atop the AFL’s Eastern Division, each with a record of 3-2. The winner of this game will maintain at least a share of top spot in the division.

THE SERIES: The Phantoms swept its 2 game series with the Gladiators in 2001. Toronto topped New Jersey 28-25 in the Continental Airlines Arena on April 27. In the second meeting between the teams held at Air Canada Centre on July 14th, the Phantoms edged the Gladiators 52-45.

THE IFs:

If Toronto defeats New Jersey, it would …
· Give Toronto a 4-2 record overall
· Give Toronto a 3-0 home record in 2002 (4-0 including preseason play)
· Give Toronto a 7-3 all-time regular season record at Air Canada Centre (10-3 including pre & postseason play)
· Give Toronto a 3-0 series lead over New Jersey
· Give Toronto a 1-1 record in Eastern Division play

HEAD COACHES: Toronto's Mark Stoute is spending his 2nd season as the Head Coach & General Manager of the Toronto Phantoms, after serving as an assistant in the AFL for the previous 6 years. In his first year at the helm, Stoute led the Phantoms to an 8-6 regular season record, an Eastern Division Championship and a playoff victory. Frank Haege is making his AFL head-coaching debut this season, after posting a remarkable 37-1 record in af2 over the past 2 years. Haege led Quad City to a pair of Arena Cup victories.

2002 IN REVIEW: After recording a pair of lop-sided routs to open the season, the Toronto Phantoms Arena Football Club has stumbled slightly losing 2 of its last 3 games. The Phantoms maintain a share of 1st place in the Eastern Division, tied with New Jersey and Buffalo. The Phantoms kicked off the new season with a 51-37 win over Tampa Bay (4/20). Chad Salisbury threw for 4 scores to earn MVP honours. Ty Law was named as the Ironman after hauling in two of those scoring strikes and making an interception to kill a 4th quarter Tampa Bay rally. Steve Konopka set a new Phantoms single game high with 3 sacks. On the last of those 3 sacks, Konopka knocked Tampa quarterback John Kaleo out of the game with what was later revealed to be a season-ending knee injury.

On Thursday, April 25th, Toronto staged its home opener in front of 7,107 phans at Air Canada Centre. The Phantoms made good on their President’s guarantee, rolling the Detroit Fury 50-30. Team President & CEO Rob Godfrey had guaranteed a win to the phans of Toronto – a guarantee backed by the promise of a free ticket to another Phantoms home game, in the event of a Phantoms loss. Salisbury was brilliant on “Guaranteed Win Night” throwing for 5 touchdowns without an interception. The Toronto QB was named as the MVP for the 2nd consecutive week, while Charlie Davidson earned Ironman honours. Davidson made a pair of touchdown catches and led his team with 4½ total tackles. The Phantoms 7 game regular season winning streak was snapped in a 58-47 road loss in Phoenix (5/4). Sherdrick Bonner threw for 362 yards and 7 touchdowns earning MVP honours in leading Arizona past Toronto. The Ironman of the game, WR/DB Chris Horn, caught two of those touchdown passes. Damian Harrell, Kerry Brown and Anthony Derricks all turned in strong individual showings in the loss. Harrell and Brown each scored a pair of touchdowns, while Derricks recorded 214 kickoff return yards taking one kick back 56 yards for a score.

Toronto set a new team rushing record in an impressive Week 4 win over the visiting Indiana Firebirds (5/9). Game MVP Jermaine Younger scored 2 of Toronto’s 3 rushing touchdowns, as the Phantoms out gained Indiana 43-23 along the ground. The Phantoms built an early 14-0 lead but actually head to the 4th quarter trailing by 2. Toronto outscored Indiana 14-3 in the final frame as Younger and Kerry Brown each scored the 2nd of their 2 touchdowns respectively to clip the wings of the Firebirds. Damian Harrell matched his own single game club record with 10 receptions, piling up 121 receiving yards with 1 touchdown. Charlie Davidson was selected as the Ironman after making 3 tackles and 2 receptions.

Toronto lost its 2nd consecutive road game, falling 49-46 to Buffalo on May 18th , in the latest installment of the so-called “Border War”. Toronto had a chance to win, but Chad Salisbury’s 4th down pass with 10 seconds remaining sailed incomplete when Damian Harrell was hauled down in the end zone by a Destroyer defender. Harrell finished the game with 3 touchdowns, making 7 receptions for 109 yards. Luke Leverson turned in a strong performance, starting in the place of the injured Charlie Davidson, making a pair of touchdown catches. Anthony Derricks led the Phantoms with 7 ½ tackles and 148 kick return yards, including a 55-yard return for a score. Lamont and Bret Cooper paced the Buffalo attack combining for 281 all-purpose yards and 4 touchdowns.

2001 MEETINGS:

April 27, 2001 – Toronto 28 New Jersey 25 East Rutherford (NJ): Pat O’Hara earned MVP honours for the 3rd time in as many games leading his Toronto Phantoms past the New Jersey Gladiators 28-25. The Phantoms quarterback completed 4 touchdown passes to 3 different receivers, hitting Charlie Davidson for a pair of scores and firing strikes to Ty Law and Damian Harrell. O’Hara finished the game with 267 passing yards.

Davidson was named as the Ironman for the 3rd consecutive game registering 5 receptions and 1 interception. Fomer Arena Bowl MVP Connell Maynor turned a strong effort in the losing cause completing a pair of 4th quarter touchdown passes. With the win, Toronto improved its record to 2-1 overall, 2-0 on the road.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
Toronto Phantoms 0 7 7 14 28
New Jersey Gladiators 10 0 0 15 25

Scoring Summary
1st NJG – Videtich 25 yd FG
NJG – Del Ricco 2 run (Videtich)
2nd TOR – Davidson 5 pass from O’Hara (George)
3rd TOR – Law 23 pass from O’Hara (George)
4th NJG – Hamilton 14 pass from Maynor (Videtich)
TOR – Davidson 27 pass from O’Hara (George)
TOR – Harrell 7 pass from O’Hara (George)
NJG – Del Ricco 8 pass from Maynor (Maynor 2 pt run)

July 14, 2001 – Toronto 52 New Jersey 45
Toronto (ON): A 19-yard touchdown reception with 47 seconds left in regulation time by Ty Law gave the Toronto Phantoms a 52-45 win, completing a season sweep of the New Jersey Gladiators. Chad Salisbury and Ironman Charlie Davidson led Toronto to its 4th straight victory. Salisbury completed 24 of his 35 passing attempts, hitting 7 different receivers during the game. His favorite target was Davidson who hauled in 7 catches covering 80 yards. Davidson scored a pair of Toronto touchdowns on a 40-yard 1st quarter touchdown pass and a 16-yard effort in the 3rd quarter. New Jersey’s Coco Blalock was superb in defeat, earning game MVP honours. Blalock compiled 255 all-purpose yards and scored 3 touchdowns. With the win, Toronto moved into a 3-way tie for 1st place in the Eastern Division along with Carolina and New York.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
New Jersey Gladiators 7 14 10 14 45
Toronto Phantoms 21 10 14 7 52

Scoring Summary
1st TOR – Davidson 40 pass from Salisbury (George)
TOR – White 3 run (George)
NJG – Blalock 49 pass from Maynor (Videtich)
TOR – Williams 1 run (George)
2nd NJG – Blalock 42 pass from Maynor (Videtich)
TOR – George 51 yd FG
NJG – Johnson 23 yd INT return (Videtich)
TOR – Brown 31 pass from Salisbury (George)
3rd NJG – Videtich 20 yd FG
TOR – Davidson 16 pass from Salisbury (George)
NJG – Blalock 30 pass from Maynor (Videtich)
TOR – Brown 22 pass from Salisbury (George)
4th NJG – Johnson 7 pass from Maynor (Videtich)
NJG – Maynor 2 run (Videtich)
TOR – Law 19 pass from Salisbury (George)

SERIES NOTABLES: Charlie Davidson has been named as the Ironman in each of the 2 meetings between the teams…Davidson made a pair of touchdown receptions in each of the 2 games between the Phantoms and Gladiators…Toronto has recorded 7 sacks against New Jersey, by far and away, the most sacks Toronto has recorded against any one opponent…The Phantoms set a team record with 5 sacks in the win at Air Canada Centre on July 14th…Kerry Brown & Ty Law, Toronto’s WR/LBs, have combined to make 17 receptions for 238 yards and 4 touchdowns in the two games with New Jersey…Toronto recorded –6 yards rushing in the April 27th game, marking the worst rushing performance in club history.

CAREER MILESTONES:

Chad Salisbury
· needs 2 TD passes to reach 75
· needs 859 passing yards to reach 5000

Charlie Davidson
· needs 10 tackles to reach 200

Damian Harrell
· needs 2 TD receptions to reach 60
· needs 469 receiving yards to reach 3500

Anthony Derricks
· needs 354 kick return yards to reach 4000

Kerry Brown
· needs 176 receiving yards to reach 3500
· needs 5 receptions to reach 250
· needs 7 tackles to reach 100

Ty Law
· needs 61 receiving yards to reach 2000
· needs 3 TD receptions to reach 40

Jermaine Younger
· needs 5 rushing yards to reach 200

Matt George
· needs 23 points to reach 300

THIS WEEK’S QUOTES:

“I can’t sit here and blame the officials – they’re only human. We have no one to blame but ourselves. We never should have been in that kind of position in the first place. With the way our defence played, we should have been up by 21 points”.

Phantoms offensive specialist Damian Harrell after being hauled down in the end zone on 4th down with 10 seconds left in the loss to Buffalo. Chad Salisbury’s pass sailed incomplete on the play. The officials declined to call pass interference, prompting complaints from the Phantoms coaching staff and players.

“We shot ourselves in the foot. Actually check that – we shot ourselves in the foot over and over again in that game. You can’t do that and expect to win in this league and in this division.”

Harrell’s response when asked about the performance of the Toronto offence in the loss to Buffalo. The Toronto defence generated 4 turnovers, but the offence could not capitalize on its opportunities turning the ball over on downs twice and missing two field goals.

“It’s nice to get into the end zone, but without the win those touchdowns are pretty hollow to me.” Phantoms WR/DB Luke Leverson after scoring a pair of touchdowns in the loss to Buffalo. Leverson was inserted into the starting lineup in place of the injured Charlie Davidson. Davidson sat out of the game to nurse a hamstring problem.

“I’ve been telling you guys all week that if you establish the run and stop their running game, you stop the Phantoms – and ‘s that exactly what happened here tonight.”

Buffalo Head Coach & General Manager Ray Bentley when queried by reporters after the game. Buffalo out-gained Toronto 62-15 on the ground. Toronto has lost both games this season when outrushed by the opposition.

“We are so very grateful to our friends with the Phantoms. We know how exactly how much work goes into staging and promoting an event at this great facility and how inconvenient it can be to move that event to another night. The Phantoms clearly support the need to reschedule and we thank them for that.”

Robert Hunter, Senior Vice President of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., after the Phantoms agreed to reschedule this week’s game in order to accommodate the NHL’s post-season schedule. The Maple Leafs have agreed to buy 5000 tickets for the Phantoms/Gladiators game – those tickets will be distributed to the first 5000 fans to arrive for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes. That game will face off on Thursday, May 23rd, the date the Phantoms and Gladiators will originally scheduled to play on.

“The Phantoms, from the front office to the coaching staff and on to the players, are thrilled with the post-season success our Leafs are enjoying. The spirit those players are showing in the face of a number of injuries is inspiring to our club. If we can help the Maple Leafs in their quest for the cup by moving the date of our game, we’re more than happy to do so. I speak for the entire organization when I say, Go Leafs Go!” Phantoms President & CEO Rob Godfrey on the need to reschedule the game between the Phantoms and Gladiators.

TORONTO PHANTOMS LAST WEEK:

May 18, 2002 – Buffalo 49 Toronto 46
Buffalo, NY: Damian Harrell caught virtually every ball thrown his way Saturday night but the Toronto Phantoms superstar was hung up afterwards on the proverbial “one that got away”. Chad Salisbury’s 4th down pass with 10 seconds left in regulation time sailed just over Harrell’s fingertips in the end zone as the Buffalo Destroyers hung on to defeat the Phantoms 49-46 in front of 8014 fans at the HSBC Arena.

Harrell was bear-hugged and slammed to the turf on the play prompting the Phantoms to plead pass interference – both Salisbury and Head Coach Mark Stoute were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in arguing the decision. However, Harrell took the call – or lack thereof – in stride. “I can’t sit here and blame the officials – they’re only human”, he says. “We have no one to blame but ourselves. We never should have been in that kind of position in the first place. With the way our defence played, we should have been up by 21 points”.

Harrell does have a point. The Toronto defence came up with 3 interceptions, a fumble recovery and a sack in this game. On most nights in a league with rules designed almost entirely to favour the offence, those kind of defensive numbers would lend themselves to a one-sided rout. Toronto, however, could not take advantage of its many scoring opportunities turning the ball over on downs twice in the red zone and missing a pair of “makeable” field goals. “We shot ourselves in the foot”, says Harrell. “Actually check that – we shot ourselves in the foot over and over again in that game. You can’t do that and expect to win in this league and in this division.”

Buffalo’s Head Coach & General Manager Ray Bentley was positively gleefully in talking with reporters after the upset win. “I’ve been telling you guys all week that if you establish the run and stop their running game, you stop the Phantoms – and ‘s that exactly what happened here tonight.” Buffalo outrushed Toronto 62-15 getting a pair of rushing touchdowns from quarterback Fred McNair. Toronto, meanwhile, was held without a rushing touchdown for the first time in 5 games this season. The Destroyers also benefited from a double scoop of Coop. Bret and Lamont Cooper, Buffalo’s two prize off-season free agent acquisitions. Combined for 281 all-purpose yards and 4 touchdowns. Bret Cooper hauled in a pair of 2nd half touchdown passes from McNair, including what turned out to be the game-winning score on a 23 yard route with 3:56 left to play. Lamont Cooper, no relation, scored on each of Buffalo’s first two possessions in the game making a 28 yard touchdown catch and returning a kick 54 yards for a score. Lamont was named as the MVP, making his return to the Destroyers lineup after being hospitalized in the week leading up to the game with a bleeding ulcer. He was only cleared to play after undergoing a blood test on game day. “He’s amazing,” says Bentley. “You could see how badly he wanted to play.”

Carlos James was tabbed as the Ironman of the game for his two-way play. The Buffalo WR/DB made a game-high 7 ½ tackles. He also pulled in an interception and a touchdown catch in the 4th quarter.

Toronto had to make do in this game without two of its top players. Both Steve Konopka and Charlie Davidson sat out to rest nagging hamstring injuries. Donald Dinkins and Luke Leverson jumped into the starting lineup in the absence of Konopka and Davidson and both played well. Dinkins was given credit for a ½ sack while Leverson made a pair of touchdown catches. Says Leverson, “It’s nice to get into the end zone, but without the win those touchdowns are pretty hollow to me.” Leverson finished the game with 5 catches for 58 yards, second only on his team to Harrell. The Phantoms offensive specialist made 7 catches for 109 yards and scored 20 points. He made 3 touchdown catches and also hauled in a pass for a successful 2-point conversion late in the game. Salisbury and Anthony Derricks also posted impressive numbers in the loss. Salisbury, a University of Buffalo grad, threw for 253 yards and 5 touchdowns. He completed 23 of his 36 passing attempts, but was haunted by a 4th quarter interception. That turnover led to a Buffalo touchdown that gave the Destroyers its first lead of the night.

Derricks was a standout on defence and special teams. He led the Phantoms with 7 ½ tackles and 1 interception (with a 25 yard return). He also returned 6 kicks for 148 yards, scoring a touchdown on a 56-yard return in the first quarter. With the loss, Toronto’s record falls to 3-2 overall and 1-2 on the road. The Phantoms now find themselves locked in a 3-way tie atop the Eastern Division with the Destroyers and this week’s opponent, the New Jersey Gladiators. The Phantoms and Gladiators will kick off at 7 PM on Friday, May 24th at the Air Canada Centre.

Originally, the game had been scheduled for Thursday night, but was moved to accommodate Game 4 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Final between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes. The Maple Leafs organization, as a token of its gratitude, is buying a block of 5000 tickets to the rescheduled Phantoms game. Those tickets will be distributed to the first 5000 fans through the turnstiles at the Air Canada Centre for Game 4 between the Leafs and Canes.

TORONTO PHANTOMS NEXT WEEK: The Phantoms will face an Eastern Division rival for the 3rd straight week traveling to New York to face the Dragons on Saturday, June 1st. Toronto and New York have met 5 times in pre, regular and post-season play – Toronto has won all 5 games, including a victory over New York in this year’s preseason schedule.

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE DAVIDSON!: Charlie Davidson was pulled from the Phantoms lineup in Buffalo after a hamstring problem plagued him during the warm-up. Toronto struggled without its leading tackler and second-leading receiver falling 49-46. Davidson has now missed a total of 6 regular season games due to injury in his time with the Phantoms. Toronto has lost all but one of those games (1-5). With a healthy Davidson in the lineup, Toronto’s record stands at 10-3.

RUSHING TO VICTORY (OR DEFEAT): While the bulk of the offence in any Arena Football game is given over to passing, there seems to be a direct correlation between Toronto’s running game and its win-loss record. Toronto has won all 3 games in which it has outrushed the opposition, but has lost both times when the opposition piled up more rushing yards.

Net Rushing Yards
Week Opp. Tor. Opp.
1 @Tampa 23 9
2 Detroit 40 -7
3 @Arizona 12 31
4 Indiana 43 23
5 @Buffalo 15 62

QUALITY OPPONENTS: Of Toronto’s 3 wins this season, only one has come at the expense of a team with a winning record – Indiana, now at 3-2. Tampa Bay and Detroit, the victims in Toronto’s first two wins, are each 1-4 to start their respective seasons. THE 50 POINT PLATEAU: The Toronto Phantoms have enjoyed remarkable success when the club eclipses the 50 point plateau in a game. The Phantoms have scored 50 or more points in 10 of the team’s 19 regular season games – Toronto has won all but one of those games (9-1). However, when the Phantoms score less than 50, the team’s won-loss record stands at just 2-7.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

New Jersey QB Jay McDonagh vs. Toronto DS Del Lee: McDonagh beat out NFL veteran Glenn Foley for the starter’s job and has acquitted himself quite well throwing 22 TD passes. However, he has also thrown 8 interceptions. Lee has made an interception in 3 of Toronto’s last 4 games and appears to be emerging as one of the top defensive specialist in the game today.

Toronto KR Anthony Derricks vs. Gladiators Special Teams: After struggling through the preseason and the first two games of the regular season, Anthony Derricks has returned to form as one of the most dangerous kick returners in the AFL. Over the past 3 games, A-D has piled up 507 yards in kickoff and missed field goal return yards. He has also returned a pair of kicks for touchdowns during that span.

Phantoms OS Damian Harrell vs. Gladiators DS Chris Pointer: New Jersey plucked Pointer from the Phantoms practice roster on April 30th and almost immediately inserted him into the starting lineup. Pointer lined up against Harrell in training camp and is well aware of his considerable talents. Harrell has 100 or more receiving yards in each of Toronto’s last 4 games and has scored at least 1 touchdown in all of them.

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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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