Preds Destroyers Game Notes
March 26, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Orlando Predators News Release
Orlando Predators (2-2) at Columbus Destroyers (1-2) Date: Saturday, March 29, 2008 Toe-To-Leather Time: 7:00 p.m. (EST) Site: Nationwide Arena Officials: Referee: Pat Garvey; Umpire: Paul King; Head Linesman: Bill Ward; Line Judge: Bob McElwee; Back Judge: James DeBell; Supervisor: Ed Manning
Television: WRDQ Channel 27 Radio: WFLA 540 AM Series Streak: Series Tied 1-1 Series Record: Orlando won the last meeting 39-36 on April 9, 2006. Coaches: Orlando: Jay Gruden (8th season, 86-55-0, .609) Columbus: Doug Kay (3rd season with Destroyers,19-21-0, .475)
MEDIA CONTACTS Predators: Denise Cullen - Office: 407-447-3303; Cell: 407-595-2715; Email: denisesports@msn.com
Destroyers: Brian Dancel - Office: 614-246-7258; Cell: 614-546-5197; Email: bdancel@bluejackets.com________________________________________
PREDS IMPROVE TO 2-2
The Orlando Predators (2-2) needed every inch of the field to survive the Georgia Force (1-3) on Saturday night as they took home a 50-45 victory in front of 12,107 fans at Amway Arena.
The final play saw Force quarterback Chris Greisen find wide receiver Charles Pauley for an 18-yard gain to Orlando's 1-yard line as time expired. The call was very close, but the officials ruled Pauley out of bounds and the Georgia players chased the officials off the field in protest, while the Preds celebrated a much needed victory.
"The defense played great the last three series of the game," head coach Jay Gruden said. "We are still cleaning some things up but they did a great job."
Orlando's previous drive started at their own 2-yard line with 56 seconds remaining in the game. Quarterback Shane Stafford completed consecutive short passes to wide receiver Ron Johnson to move the Preds up to the 23. On the next play Stafford would find Chas Gessner for a 27-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds remaining to give the Predators a 50-45 advantage.
"The offensive line did a phenomenal job," said Gruden. "I knew if we gave our quarterback time we would make great plays and except for the turnovers we did.
Preds defensive back Kenny McEntyre recorded the 73rd interception of his career in the second quarter. That set up a 35-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to receiver T.T. Toliver to give Orlando a 24-21 lead with 8:38 to go before halftime.
Orlando's fullback Marlon Moye-Moore scored his league leading seventh touchdown of the season from 3-yards out tying the game at 38 going into the fourth quarter.
Toliver recorded his fourth consecutive game with over 100 yards receiving as he went for 154 on 8 receptions. Johnson led the Preds with 9 receptions in the game for 76 yards.
Orlando Schedule and Results
Date Opponent W/L Score Mar. 1 @ Philadelphia L 56-77 Mar. 9 @ New Orleans L 54-54 Mar. 14 Utah W 61-69 Mar. 22 Georgia W 45-50 Mar. 29 @ Columbus Apr. 6 Chicago Apr.13 @ Grand Rapids Apr. 19 @ Georgia Apr. 26 Tampa Bay May 3 San Jose May 9 @ Cleveland May 18 @ Kansas City May 23 Dallas May 31 Arizona June 7 @ Tampa Bay June 13 New Orleans June 21 Bye
NEWS AND NOTES:
ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS
Date ORL GA 4/20/02 49 67 7/13/02 40 41 3/23/03 36 38 4/16/03 38 27 3/12/04 44 52 4/18/04 30 7 3/19/05 47 49 4/22/05 52 49 6/04/05 58 60* 1/28/06 31 48 4/14/06 57 41 5/04/07 34 55 6/15/07 44 55 *AFL Semifinals
SERIES NOTES:
The Predators and Destroyers have only met twice, splitting the series with one win each.
The last time they played was in Columbus with the Predators coming out on top with a game winning field goal with 1:56 left on the clock.
Orlando started the game strong forcing four turnovers and building a 33-14 lead heading into half time. But the second half saw the Preds outscored 22-6.
"We came on the road and got a win and that was our only goal, but the second half was unacceptable," said head coach Jay Gruden after the game. "There was no way we would have been able to cover us with the personnel they had out there."
The Destroyers lost both starting defensive specialists after a first half skirmish.
The Destroyers won the first match up in 2004 55-46 in Columbus.
KEY MATCH UPS FOR SATURDAY
Derek Lee vs. Kenny "The Glove" McEntyre
The Orlando Predators enter the Week 5 match-up with the Columbus Destroyers a team still looking for consistency on defense. This week they face one of the top receivers in the league in Derek Lee who has struggled in his career against the Predators compared to other competition.
In six career games against Orlando as a member of the Georgia Force, Lee posted 34 receptions for 314 yards and five touchdowns, with his best performance coming on March 19, 2005 when he had nine receptions for 86 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-47 win for the Force. This will be his first meeting with the Preds as a member of the Destroyers.
The Preds defensive backfield is led by Kenny "The Glove" McEntyre, who is the AFL's All-Time leader with 74 interceptions. McEntyre recorded his most recent pick against Lee's former team in a 50-45 victory for the Predators in Week 4. Since rejoining the Orlando squad, McEntyre has recorded 15 tackles and a forced fumble to go with the one interception.
Chas Gessner and Ron Johnson vs. Nate Coggins and E.J. Underwood
Orlando has prided themselves for years on spreading the ball around on offense and so far the 2008 season has been no different. Wide receivers Chas Gessner and Ron Johnson have dominated the competition four games into the season as they are both playing their first full year in the AFL. Gessner (6'5 220 lbs.) provides the Predators with an equalizer to Derek Lee on the Predators offense and Johnson (6'3 227 lbs.) gives the Preds another big target in the red zone. Completing this trio is T.T. Toliver who leads the league through Week 4 with 545 receiving yards.
Columbus will counter with Nate Coggins and E.J. Underwood who will try to stop the Predators potent attack. They are the tallest of Columbus' defensive backs at 6'1 and will be giving up two inches to Johnson and four inches to Gessner. If the Destroyers are unable to contain the Predators trio they could be in for a long night.
Battle in the Trenches
The Preds offensive line is overloaded with rookies in 2008 as three of the four players in the rotation are in their first season. Jasper Harvey and Bobby Harris start on the offensive line and fellow rookie Jonathan Clinkscale backs up at all three positions. Charles Hill is the only veteran to start on the line for Orlando and has recorded two receptions from the tight end spot. So far this season the Predators have allowed just three sacks and have not allowed a sack since a Week 2 loss against the New Orleans VooDoo.
The Destroyers are led by Prentice Purnell on the defensive line, who has recorded one sack on the season. Orlando will most definitely be challenged up front on the road again this week. It is no coincidence that the only sacks the Preds have allowed so far have been on the road where crowd noise is a factor. They will try to improve on that this week as they face a Columbus team that averages 15,946 in attendance through their first home game.
FAST FACTS
PREDS IN THE HUNT:
OL/DL B. J. Cohen is tied for 4th place all-time in sacks after taking down VooDoo QB Danny Wimprine in Week 2, bringing Cohen's total to 43.5. He's just 15.5 behind Sam Hernandez who sits in first place with 59.0.
DB Kenny McEntyre is just one interception shy of the 75 mark. The league leader snagged his 74th interception against Georgia in Week 4.
FB/LB Marlon Moye-Moore logged 1 rushing touchdowns Friday against the Force, bringing him to a grand total of 43, just 26 shy of Barry Wagner's record. He is first in the league with seven rushing touchdowns, third on the team in total touchdowns.
QB Shane Stafford has 385 career passing touchdowns, just 15 shy of the 400 mark and 12 shy of Jay Gruden's record. He also logged his 26th 300+ yard game in Week 2 against New Orleans. Stafford's game winning touchdown pass to Chas Gessner in Week 4 was his 100th touchdown pass with Orlando. He needs just one more to tie former Preds QB Connell Maynor, two more to surpass Maynor and 18 more to surpass Jay Gruden's record.
WR T. T. Toliver surpassed the 5,000 yard receiving mark Saturday against Georgia. For the season, Toliver has recorded 35 receptions for 545 yards and 13 touchdowns. The 13 touchdowns is 2nd in the league and his 545 yards receiving leads the league. Toliver is also lighting up the kick off return numbers with 401 return yards on 21 returns, which is fifth in the league.
KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE:
The Orlando Predators are tied for the longest active sports streak of 16 consecutive appearances in the playoffs. Tied only with the Detroit Red Wings, Gruden and his staff are looking to keep it alive.
Consecutive Playoff Appearances Team Streak Years Orlando 16 1992- 2007 Tampa Bay 15 1991- 2005 Arizona 12 1992- 2004 San Jose 8 2000- 2007
We are nine seasons away from the St. Louis Blues' all-time record of 25.
PREDS HEAD COACH JAY GRUDEN
AFL Hall of Famer Jay Gruden has seen unprecedented success in professional football as both a player and a coach. 17 years in the Arena League and 17 years in the playoffs that have produced eight trips to the ArenaBowl and six Championship rings.
Gruden's illustrious career started with the Tampa Bay Storm. As their starting quarterback, he led the team to an unprecedented four ArenaBowl titles in six seasons. During his playing career, he racked up two All-Arena selections and snagged the 1992 MVP honors. He threw for more than 15,000 yards and 280 touchdowns while leading the Storm. In 1996, Gruden surprised everyone when he hung up his cleats in return for a whistle. The man with the Midas touch entered the coaching ranks, starting as the Offensive Coordinator for the expansion Nashville Kats and got right to work leading the first-year Kats to an impressive 10-4 season. It was the first time in league history an expansion team won 10 games.
A few months later at the age of 30, Gruden became the youngest head coach in the AFL when the Orlando Predators hired him to replace the legendary Perry Moss, who retired after nearly 50 years in coaching.
True to form, Gruden's impact on the Predators was immediate. After a 9-5 regular season mark, the new coach led the Predators to a pair of playoff wins that set up an ArenaBowl match-up with his former team, the top seeded Storm. Although Tampa Bay was the heavy favorite, Gruden delivered Orlando's first ArenaBowl Championship with an incredible 62-31 win over Tampa Bay.
In his second season, Gruden faced more challenges than before, but still make league history. After a 7-7 injury riddled season, he became the first coach in Arena League history to take a number eight seed to the ArenaBowl, scoring stunning upsets over top seeded Tampa Bay (41-19) and second seed Iowa (48-41).
But perhaps it was his third season that was his best. Racing out to a 7-0 start, the Predators finished the 2000 campaign with an 11-3 record to capture the second seed for the playoffs. Gruden and his squad went on to post an 11-3 record capturing the second seed for the playoffs. Orlando then defeated Tampa Bay, Arizona, and Nashville in the playoffs to claim their second ArenaBowl title.
Gruden's career continues to dominate the top spots in Arena Football. As a head coach, he is 85-55 overall and ranks in the top 10 in coaching wins and winning percentage. He is one of only five AFL coaches with two or more ArenaBowl Championships. In the playoffs, his mark is 13-6 as a head coach and ranks in the top five all-time in victories and winning percentage. As a quarterback, Gruden is still among the top ten with more than 20,000 passing yards and close to 400 touchdowns. He won 15 of his 19 post-season starts with 4,761 passing yards and 77 touchdowns. His career record as a quarterback is 84-25 (.770). Gruden was elected to the AFL Hall of Fame in 1999.
Gruden's success is not confined to Arena Football. For the past 6 seasons he has served as an offensive assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was his first season with the Bucs that Gruden earned his seventh professional football championship ring when they won the 2002 Super Bowl.
A three-year starter at Louisvlle (1985-1988) under head coach Howard Schnellenberger, Gruden racked up two MVP titles in 1987 and 1988 and set numerous passing records along the way. He completed his collegiate career with 7,024 passing yards, completing 572 of 1049 for 44 touchdowns. All four stats still rank in the top five in Louisville history.
The Gruden family's football ties run deep, starting with Jay's father Jim, who is a long time college and NFL assistant and NFL scout and is currently a personnel consultant with the Bucs. Jay and his wife Sherry reside in Orlando with their three sons: JJ, Joey and Jack.
GRUDEN AT A GLANCE: Jay Gruden AFL Coaching Record
Year Team Position Record 2008 Orlando Head Coach 0-2-0 2007 Orlando Head Coach 8-9-0 2006 Orlando Head Coach 12-7-0 2005 Orlando Head Coach 11-7-0 2004 Orlando Head Coach 10-7-0 2001 Orlando Head Coach 8-7-0 2000 Orlando Head Coach 14-3-0 1999 Orlando Head Coach 9-8-0 1998 Orlando Head Coach 12-5-0 1997 Nashville Offensive Coordinator 10-5-0 As a Head Coach 85-55-0 As an Offensive Coordinator 10-5-0 Overall 96-60-0
DESTROYERS HEAD COACH DOUG KAY Doug Kay enters his third season as the head coach of the Columbus Destroyers. He became the third coach in team history - and sixth in the history of the Buffalo/Columbus franchise - on July 14, 2005 and has compiled an 18-18 record, including a 3-1 mark in the playoffs. Last season, Kay guided the Destroyers to a 7-9 mark in the regular season and then led the squad to its first-ever National Conference championship and ArenaBowl appearance. Along the way, Columbus set franchise records for combined regular season and playoff wins with 10 and home wins in the process with five. He became the first head coach to lead the Destroyers to a playoff victory on June 29, 2007 with a 56-55 victory over the Tampa Bay Storm in the Wild Card Round. The team upset the Dallas Desperados, who finished the best regular season in AFL history at 15-1, in the Divisional Round by a score of 66-59 before defeating the Georgia Force, 66-56, for the National Conference title and a berth in ArenaBowl XXI-New Orleans. Buoyed by the signings of several key free agents, including quarterback Matt Nagy and wide receiver Damien Groce, the Destroyers matched the best start in franchise history with a 6-4 record through 10 games before suffering a five-game skid late in the season. The Destroyers rebounded in Week 17 to beat the New York Dragons and earn the first playoff appearance since re-locating to Columbus in 2004 with a 7-9 record. In 2006, Kay led Columbus to the biggest turnaround of any AFL team that season. Taking over a squad that posted a 2-14 record in 2005, he guided the Destroyers to an 8-8 record and led them to within one win of a playoff berth. A key to the improvement was the play of the defense. After finishing 16th in the League in scoring defense in 2005 (56.8 points per game), the Destroyers ranked second in 2006 (44.8 points per game). Kay has more than 40 years of football experience, including 14 seasons in the Arena Football League. In those 14 AFL campaigns, Kay's teams have made the postseason 11 times. He began his AFL career in 1993 as the defensive coordinator of the ArenaBowl VII champion Tampa Bay Storm. Four years later, Kay was once again the defensive coordinator of a championship team as he helped the Arizona Rattlers capture ArenaBowl XI in 1997. Prior to joining the Destroyers, he served as the head coach of the Charlotte Rage in 1995 and the Carolina Cobras in 2000 and 2001. His coaching career began in 1960 at his alma mater, Western Illinois, as the quarterback's and wide receivers coach. In 1961, Kay took over at Deerfield (Ill.) High School and coached there through the 1966 season. From 1967-1969 Kay served as the defensive coordinator at Indiana State University. Kay was then named the head coach of Olivet (Mich.) College in 1970. He spent the next six seasons with Olivet before taking over as the offensive coordinator at San Jose State in 1976. Kay moved to UCLA in 1977 where he was an assistant coach, working mainly with the linebackers and defensive line. In 1980, he took over at the University of Hawaii as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for three seasons. He also spent four seasons coaching in the United States Football League with the Boston/New Orleans Breakers and Tampa Bay Bandits. A native of Chicago, Kay served in the U.S. Army for two years between 1954 and 1956. He received a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1961 from Western Illinois University, where he played both football and baseball. On the gridiron, he played under the tutelage of Lou Saban as a quarterback, defensive back, tight end and punter. He went on to earn a master's degree in physical education at Indiana State University in 1966. Kay and his wife, Dawn, have two children, Kimber and Bart. PREDATORS NOT IN THE MEDIA GUIDE
#23 Chas Gessner Wide Receiver Height: 6-5 Weight: 220 Birthdate: 8/17/1981 College: Brown Experience: Rookie
Gessner comes to the Predators by way of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, having spent 2007 with the Bucs, subbing in for an injured Michael Clayton. He also spent time in camp with the New York Jets and New England Patriots and actually earned a Super Bowl ring with the squad in 2003.
In 2004, Gessner was All-NFL Europe, helping the Berlin Thunder win the World Bowl title.
Collegiately, the receiver played at Brown University, where he was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top player in division I-AA. He ranked second in the nation with 9.22 receptions per game his junior year, seventh nationally with 1,182 yards and caught 83 passes for 12 touchdowns.
His given name is Charles Lewis "Chas" Gessner. He was born in Hyattsville, MD on August 17, 1981. He attended Our Lady of the Good Counsel High School in Wheaton, MD lettering in football, basketball and lacrosse.
#75 Bobby Harris Offensive Lineman Height: 6-4 Weight: 315 Birthdate: 6/15/1983 College: Mississippi Rookie
Harris joined the Predators through free agency this year, and although he has no prior AFL experience, the offensive lineman spent time in camp with the Carolina Panthers last year.
The 24 year old played college football at the University of Mississippi where he started at tackle.
#55 Chris Jahnke Offensive Lineman Height: 6-5 Weight: 315 Birthdate: 12/4/1981 College: Indiana AFL Rookie
Jahnke signed with the Predators via free agency from the af2's Quad City Steamwheelers.
Jahnke has some AFL experience, having spent time on the practice squad of the Columbus Destroyers.
The 26-year old lineman played collegiate ball at Indiana University.
#11 Jason Perry Defensive Back Height: 5-8 Weight: 167 Birthdate: 9/24/1984 College: Youngstown State Rookie
Perry was signed from the Orlando Predators practice squad through the 2008 season.
The defensive back was second team all Gateway conference as a senior at Youngstown State University in 2006. Perry is 23 years old, born September 24, 1984.
#91 Rob Schroeder Defensive Lineman Height: 6-4 Weight: 285 Birthdate: 5/6/1983 College: Buffalo Experience: 2
Rob Schroeder was signed by the Orlando Predators in a trade from the Utah Blaze and is signed through the 2008 season.
Schroeder played the 2007 season with the now defunct Austin Wranglers where he posted 18 tackles and 4.5 sacks, including three against Orlando on May 20th.
In three games with the Blaze in 2008 he recorded 3.5 tackles.
He played college ball for the University of Buffalo, where he recorded 31 tackles-for-loss, good for a tie of 7th place in school history.
Schroeder is 24 years old and was born in Rochester, NY.
#6 John Vaughn Kicker Height: 6-1 Weight: 210 Birthdate: 6/15/1984 College: Auburn Experience: Rookie
Vaughn played collegiate ball at Auburn University, where he finished his career nailing 162 of 163 extra points, which is a school record and third best in SEC history. He also converted 50 field goals, for a 72.5% success rate. Vaughn's career total of 312 points made him the Tigers career scoring leader and ranks him tied for 12th in SEC history.
The Lou Groza award finalist was named All-SEC performer by Coaches, AP and scout.com and received Honorable mention All-American by Pro Football Weekly and SI.com.
Vaughn is 23 years old, born in Brentwood, Tennessee and graduated in 2003 from Brentwood Academy.
2008 Orlando Predators Alphabetical Roster
No. Name Pos. Exp. Height Weight College 24 Nick Allison DB R 5'11 175 Eastern Illinois 32 Odie Armstrong FB R 6'2 260 Northwestern Oklahoma State 60 Darrell Campbell DL R 6'4 295 Notre Dame 4 Ahmad Carroll DB R 5'10 190 Arkansas 50 Jonathan Clinkscale OL R 6'2 315 Wisconsin 5 B.J. Cohen DL 9 6'2 280 Marshall 1 Jake Eaton QB 2 6'2 215 Maine 21 Chas Gessner WR R 6'5 220 Brown 75 Bobby Harris OL R 6'4 315 Mississippi 72 Jasper Harvey OL R 6'3 305 San Diego State 98 Charles Hill OL/DL 2 6'2 300 Maryland 3 Ron Johnson WR 1 6'3 227 Minnesota 28 Kenny McEntyre DB 10 5'11 185 Kansas State 9 Marlon Moye-Moore FB/LB 4 6'1 245 Maryland 91 Elton Patterson DL R 6'2 260 UCF 11 Jason Perry DB R 5'9 175 Youngstown State 93 Rob Schroeder DE 1 6'4 285 Buffalo 14 Shane Stafford QB 6 6'3 220 Connecticut 17 T.T. Toliver WR/DB 6 5'11 185 Bethune-Cookman 6 John Vaughn K R 6'1 210 Auburn
Placed on IR:
35 Mike Douglas FB R 6'3 245 Massachusetts 55 Chris Jahnke OL R 6'5 315 Indiana 70 Jim Sodano OL 3 6'3 310 East Stroudsburg 94 Cleveland Pinkney DL 1 6'2 295 South Carolina
Practice Squad:
15 Dion Byrum DB R 5'11 180 Ohio University 27 Reggie Cooley MLB R 6'4 265 Arkansas State 9 Levon Thomas WR 2 6'0 195 Georgia Tech
2008 Orlando Predators Numerical Roster
No. Name Pos. Exp. Height Weight College 1 Jake Eaton QB 2 6'2 215 Maine 3 Ron Johnson WR 1 6'3 227 Minnesota 4 Ahmad Carroll DB R 5'10 190 Arkansas 5 B.J. Cohen DL 9 6'2 280 Marshall 6 John Vaughn K R 6'1 198 Auburn 9 Marlon Moye-Moore FB/LB 4 6'1 245 Maryland 11 Jason Perry DB R 5'9 175 Youngstown State 14 Shane Stafford QB 6 6'3 220 Connecticut 17 T.T. Toliver WR 6 5'11 185 Bethune-Cookman 21 Chas Gessner WR R 6'5 220 Brown 24 Nick Allison DB R 5'11 175 Eastern Illinois 28 Kenny McEntyre DB 10 5'11 185 Kansas State 32 Odie Armstrong FB R 6'2 260 Northwestern Oklahoma State 50 Jonathan Clinkscale OL R 6'2 315 Wisconsin 60 Darrell Campbell DL R 6'4 295 Notre Dame 72 Jasper Harvey OL R 6'3 305 San Diego State 75 Bobby Harris OL R 6'4 315 Mississippi 91 Elton Patterson DL R 6'2 260 UCF 93 Rob Schroeder DE 1 6'4 285 Buffalo 98 Charles Hill DL 2 6'2 300 Maryland
Placed on IR:
35 Mike Douglas FB R 6'3 245 Massachusetts 55 Chris Jahnke OL R 6'5 315 Indiana 70 Jim Sodano OL 3 6'3 310 East Stroudsburg 94 Cleveland Pinkney DL 1 6'2 295 South Carolina
Practice Squad:
15 Dion Byrum DB R 5'11 180 Ohio University 27 Reggie Cooley MLB R 6'4 265 Arkansas State 19 Levon Thomas WR 2 6'0 195 Georgia Tech
PREDATORS DEPTH CHART
Preds offense:
WR: 3 Ron Johnson 4 Ahmad Carroll WR: 21 Chas Gessner 4 Ahmad Carroll WR: 17 T.T. Toliver 4 Ahmad Carroll TE: 98 Charles Hill 50 Jonathan Clinkscale C: 73 Jasper Harvey 50 Jonathan Clinkscale T: 75 Bobby Harris 50 Jonathan Clinkscale QB: 14 Shane Stafford 1 Jake Eaton FB: 32 Odie Armstrong 9 Marlon Moye-Moore
Preds defense:
DB: 28 Kenny McEntyre 24 Nick Allison DB: 11 Jason Perry 24 Nick Allison DB: 4 Ahmad Carroll 24 Nick Allison JLB: 24 Nick Allison 9 Marlon Moye-Moore MLB: 9 Marlon Moye-Moore 96 Doug Miller DE: 5 B.J. Cohen 60 Darrell Campbell N: 60 Darrell Campbell 98 Charles Hill DE: 93 Rob Schroeder 60 Darrell Campbell
Preds special teams:
K: 6 John Vaughn H: 14 Shane Stafford KR: 17 T.T. Toliver LS: 9 Marlon Moye-Moore
PREDATORS PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Odie Armstrong - Oh-Dee Dion Byrum - DEE-on Chris Jahnke - YAWN-kee Kenny McEntyre - MAC-en-tire Marlon Moye-Moore - Moy-eh Moore
2008 ORLANDO PREDATORS STATS
ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE - 2008 SEASON ORLANDO Overall Team Statistics (WEEK 4 (MARCH 22)) All games
TEAM STATISTICS ORL OPP -------------------------------------------------------- SCORING....................... 228 237 Points Per Game............. 57.0 59.2 FIRST DOWNS................... 88 96 Rushing..................... 11 10 Passing..................... 64 69 Penalty..................... 13 17 RUSHING YARDAGE............... 35 55 Yards gained rushing........ 47 64 Yards lost rushing.......... 12 9 Rushing Attempts............ 23 29 Average Per Rush............ 1.5 1.9 Average Per Game............ 8.8 13.8 TDs Rushing................. 7 4 PASSING YARDAGE............... 1191 1212 Att-Comp-Int................ 148-104-3 156-101-1 Average Per Pass............ 8.0 7.8 Average Per Catch........... 11.5 12.0 Average Per Game............ 297.8 303.0 TDs Passing................. 24 26 TOTAL OFFENSE................. 1226 1267 Total Plays................. 174 186 Average Per Play............ 7.0 6.8 Average Per Game............ 306.5 316.8 KICK RETURNS: #-YARDS......... 24-401 27-379 FG RETURNS: #-YARDS........... 1-0 1-1 INT RETURNS: #-YARDS.......... 1-16 3-51 KICK RETURN AVERAGE........... 16.7 14.0 FG RETURN AVERAGE............. 0.0 1.0 INT RETURN AVERAGE............ 16.0 17.0 FUMBLES-LOST.................. 8-6 8-4 PENALTIES-YARDS............... 43-259 36-198 Average Per Game............ 64.8 49.5 TIME OF POSSESSION/GAME....... 27:14 32:36 3RD-DOWN CONVERSIONS.......... 12/21 19/24 3rd-Down Pct................ 57% 79% 4TH-DOWN CONVERSIONS.......... 3/4 1/3 4th-Down Pct................ 75% 33% SACKS BY-YARDS................ 1-6 3-16 MISC YARDS.................... 49 39 TOUCHDOWNS SCORED............. 33 34 FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS.......... 2-5 1-3 4-point drop-kick FGs....... 0-0 0-0 PAT-ATTEMPTS.................. 24-30 30-33 2-point drop-kick PATs...... 0-0 0-0 ATTENDANCE.................... 21829 30911 Games/Avg Per Game.......... 2/10914 2/15456 Neutral Site Games.......... 0/0
SCORE BY QUARTERS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total -------------------- --- --- --- --- --- ORLANDO............. 46 69 55 58 - 228 Opponents........... 49 83 52 53 - 237 ________________________________________ Overall Individual Statistics ________________________________________
ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE - 2008 SEASON ORLANDO Overall Individual Statistics (WEEK 4 (MARCH 22)) All games
RUSHING GP Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G ---------------------------------------------------------------- T.T. Toliver 4 3 19 2 17 5.7 0 14 4.2 Odie Armstrong 4 6 13 2 11 1.8 0 5 2.8 Marlon Moye-Moore 4 10 10 3 7 0.7 7 2 1.8 Shane Stafford 4 4 5 5 0 0.0 0 4 0.0 Total.......... 4 23 47 12 35 1.5 7 14 8.8 Opponents...... 4 29 64 9 55 1.9 4 8 13.8
PASSING GP Rating Att-Cmp-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/G -------------------------------------------------------------------- Shane Stafford 4 125.76 148-104-3 70.3 1207 24 47 301.8 TEAM 3 39.58 0-0-0 0.0 -16 0 0 -5.3 Total.......... 4 125.31 148-104-3 70.3 1191 24 47 297.8 Opponents...... 4 125.32 156-101-1 64.7 1212 26 45 303.0
RECEIVING GP No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G ------------------------------------------------------ T.T. Toliver 4 35 545 15.6 13 40 136.2 Ron Johnson 4 34 300 8.8 2 31 75.0 Chas Gessner 4 29 327 11.3 9 47 81.8 Odie Armstrong 4 4 25 6.2 0 14 6.2 Charles Hill 4 2 10 5.0 0 5 2.5 Total.......... 4 104 1207 11.6 24 47 301.8 Opponents...... 4 101 1218 12.1 26 45 304.5
FG RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long -------------------------------------------- T.T. Toliver 1 0 0.0 0 0 Total.......... 1 0 0.0 0 0 Opponents...... 1 1 1.0 0 1
INTERCEPTIONS No. Yds Avg TD Long -------------------------------------------- Kenny McEntyre 1 16 16.0 0 16 Total.......... 1 16 16.0 0 16 Opponents...... 3 51 17.0 1 42
KICK RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long -------------------------------------------- T.T. Toliver 21 401 19.1 1 54 TEAM 2 0 0.0 0 0 Ron Johnson 1 0 0.0 0 0 Total.......... 24 401 16.7 1 54 Opponents...... 27 379 14.0 1 56
FUMBLE RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long -------------------------------------------- Ahmad Carroll 2 49 24.5 1 47 Total.......... 2 49 24.5 1 47 Opponents...... 2 39 19.5 2 0 ________________________________________
ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE - 2008 SEASON ORLANDO Overall Individual Statistics (WEEK 4 (MARCH 22)) All games
|------- PATs -------| SCORING TD FGs Kick Rush Rcv Pass 2PT Saf Points -------------------------------------------------------------------- T.T. Toliver 14 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 84 Chas Gessner 9 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 54 Marlon Moye-Moore 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 42 John Vaughn 0 2-5 24-30 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 30 Ron Johnson 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 12 Ahmad Carroll 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6 Shane Stafford 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-2 0 0 0 Total.......... 33 2-5 24-30 0-0 0 0-2 0 0 228 Opponents...... 34 1-3 30-33 0-1 0 0-0 0 0 237
TOTAL OFFENSE G Plays Rush Pass Total Avg/G --------------------------------------------------- Shane Stafford 4 152 0 1207 1207 301.8 T.T. Toliver 4 3 17 0 17 4.2 Odie Armstrong 4 6 11 0 11 2.8 Marlon Moye-Moore 4 10 7 0 7 1.8 TEAM 3 0 0 -16 -16 -5.3 Total.......... 4 171 35 1191 1226 306.5 Opponents...... 4 185 55 1212 1267 316.8
FIELD GOALS FGM-FGA Pct 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-99 Lg Blk ----------------------------------------------------------------- VAUGHN 2-5 40.0 0-0 2-2 0-0 0-2 0-1 26 0
FG SEQUENCE ORLANDO OPPONENTS ---------------------------------------------------- PHILADELPHIA (26),51 - NEW ORLEANS 43 50 UTAH - 50 GEORGIA (23),41 (23) COLUMBUS - - CHICAGO - - GRAND RAPIDS - - GEORGIA - - TAMPA BAY - - SAN JOSE - - CLEVELAND - - KANSAS CITY - - DALLAS - - ARIZONA - - TAMPA BAY - - NEW ORLEANS - -
Numbers in (parentheses) indicate field goal was made.
KICKOFFS No. Yds Avg TB OB Retn Net YdLn ------------------------------------------------------------- John Vaughn 36 1928 53.6 12 1 Total.......... 36 1928 53.6 12 1 439 41.4 8 Opponents...... 36 1966 54.6 13 2 466 41.7 8
2-POINT DK PATS: None. 4-POINT DK FGS: None. ________________________________________
ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE - 2008 SEASON ORLANDO Overall Individual Statistics (WEEK 4 (MARCH 22)) All games
ALL PURPOSE G Rush Rec FG KOR IR Tot Avg/G ----------------------------------------------------------- T.T. Toliver 4 17 545 0 401 0 963 240.8 Chas Gessner 4 0 327 0 0 0 327 81.8 Ron Johnson 4 0 300 0 0 0 300 75.0 Odie Armstrong 4 11 25 0 0 0 36 9.0 Kenny McEntyre 4 0 0 0 0 16 16 4.0 Charles Hill 4 0 10 0 0 0 10 2.5 Marlon Moye-Moore 4 7 0 0 0 0 7 1.8 Total.......... 4 35 1207 0 401 16 1659 414.8 Opponents...... 4 55 1218 1 379 51 1704 426.0 ________________________________________
Overall Defensive Statistics ________________________________________
ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE - 2008 SEASON ORLANDO Overall Defensive Statistics (WEEK 4 (MARCH 22)) All games
|--------Tackles--------| |-Sacks-| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd DEFENSIVE LEADERS GP Solo Ast Total TFL/Yds No-Yds Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------- 9 Marlon Moye-Moore 4 17 9 21.5 2.0-7 . . 3 . . . . . 4 Ahmad Carroll 4 19 1 19.5 . . . . . 2-49 1 . . 2 Damon Mason 3 17 3 18.5 . . . . . . 1 . . 28 Kenny McEntyre 4 14 2 15.0 . . 1-16 4 . . 1 . . 24 Nick Allison 3 9 3 10.5 . . . 2 . . . . . 11 Jason Perry 1 9 1 9.5 . . . 1 . . . . . 93 Rob Schroeder 2 3 5 5.5 1.5-2 . . . . . . 2 . 5 B.J. Cohen 4 3 3 4.5 1.0-6 1.0-6 . 1 . . . . . 21 Chas Gessner 4 4 1 4.5 . . . . . . 1 . . 3 Ron Johnson 4 4 . 4.0 . . . . . 1-0 . . . 97 Chaz Murphy 2 3 1 3.5 . . . . . . . . . 27 Reggie Cooley 1 2 . 2.0 . . . . . . . . . 52 Stevie Baggs 1 1 1 1.5 . . . . . . . . . 32 Odie Armstrong 4 1 1 1.5 . . . . . . . . . 96 Doug Miller 3 1 1 1.5 . . . 1 . . . . . 14 Shane Stafford 4 1 . 1.0 . . . . . . . . . 60 Darrell Campbell 4 1 . 1.0 . . . . 1 . . . . 6 John Vaughn 4 1 . 1.0 . . . . . . . . . 98 Charles Hill 4 . 1 0.5 . . . . . . . . . Total.......... 4 109 28 123.0 3-13 1-6 1-16 12 1 3-49 4 . . Opponents...... 4 101 34 118.0 11-32 3-16 3-51 13 2 4-39 4 . .
2007 IN REVIEW
The Predators posted an 8-9 overall record and set a national record for professional sports for consecutive season in the playoffs, tied only with the Detroit Red Wings at 16, however, there was not a lot of celebrating.
The team wrapped up 2007 by losing to the Philadelphia Soul in consecutive weeks; the final week of the regular season and again during the Wild-Card Playoff Game (41-26).
Soul quarterback Tony Graziani threw three touchdown passes in the game. Although Orlando fought valiantly and had the game tied at half time 20-20, they couldn't stop the Philly defense from forcing a Stafford interception and two turnovers on downs.
Jay Gruden was frustrated to say the least after the game.
"I don't know who we can beat with the way we are playing right now," said Gruden after the game. "The third and fourth quarters in the last four weeks are absolutely despicable."
One highlight from the season came from Preds defensive lineman Greg White. White set an AFL record with 15 sacks and snagged the ADT Defensive Player of the Year and the AFL's 2007 Lineman of the Year before going on to start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, completing two professional football seasons in one year.
PREDATORS ANNOUNCE NEW PRESIDENT/GM FOR 2008
Alan Gooch joins the Orlando Predators for the 2008 season as President and General Manager. His name is synonymous with Central Florida and football having spent 23 years as a member of the University of Central Florida football family.
Gooch's Orlando football career started his junior year in college when he transferred to UCF in 1981. After the conclusion of his collegiate playing career, he immediately joined the coaching ranks at UCF and continued his education earning his masters degree in 1984. In fact, Gooch is among the very few who played, graduated and worked his way to the position of head coach without ever leaving his alma mater.
In 2003 he wrapped up his illustrious career as interim head coach and went on to spend the next 18 months guiding the Golden Knights Club to record breaking fund-raising numbers as their Executive Director.
During his career at UCF, Gooch received many accolades for his dedication to the football program. His most celebrated and he says his most memorable came during the 1997 season when he worked with tailback Dwight Collins, who is deaf. The duo received national attention for their work together, including ESPN's National Spirit Award which is given to the nation's most courageous college football player. Gooch and Collins were later recognized in 1998 by President Clinton and the Nation Consortium for Academics and Sports during a White House ceremony.
Following his ornamented 1997 season, Gooch was named NCAA Division 1-A Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.
His many accomplishments with the UCF football program earned him an induction to the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame and he followed that up in 2007 by being named the College of Education's Alumni of the Decade for the 1980's for his service to UCF and the Central Florida community.
In his new role for the Predators, Gooch will oversee all aspects of operations, including sponsorships, marketing, ticketing, game day operations, public relations and community relations. Gooch will also represent the Orlando Predators on the AFL Board of Directors. With his dedication and passion for success, Gooch looks to help Jay Gruden and his coaching staff guide the Predators to a third ArenaBowl Championship in 2008.
PREDATORS DANCE TEAM ANNOUNCES CAMP
The Orlando Predators Dance Team has announced their Dance and Cheer Camp for May 31st, 2008. All girls ages 6-16 are welcome to attend at Amway Arena. The participants will then perform a routine during halftime of the Arizona game that same night. For more information, log on to orlandopredators.com.
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