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Rampage Game Notes

May 14, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Grand Rapids Rampage News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Grand Rapids Rampage @ Carolina Cobras
Date: Friday, May 17, 2002
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (EST)
Site: Entertainment & Sports Arena (16,985)
Officials: Dave Lambros (Referee), Nels Strickland (Umpire), Mike McCabe (Head Linesman), Art Lucky (Line Judge), James Cole (Back Judge)
Radio: WBBL 1340 AM, Joe Parson & Tom Sullivan
TV: None
Series Record: Grand Rapids leads 1-0.
Last Meeting: Grand Rapids 41, Carolina 38 (5/11/01)
Coaches: Grand Rapids Rampage, Michael Trigg (55-54 overall, 9th Year). Carolina Cobras, Mike Neu (3-1 overall, 1st Year).

THE STAKES: Both of these teams currently sit atop their respective division. A victory for either club guarantees the winner will remain in the driver's seat.

THE SERIES: This will be the second meeting between these two clubs, and the first in Carolina. In the teams' first meeting, Grand Rapids slipped by Carolina, 41-38, when Bjorn Nittmo's 31-yard field goal sailed wide right with no time left on the clock.

THE IFs:

If Grand Rapids defeats Carolina, it would ...
* Give the Rampage a 2-0 series record with Carolina
* Give the Rampage a 1-1 road record in 2002
* Give the Rampage a 3-2 overall record
* Give the Rampage a 2-0 non-conference record
* Give the Rampage a 2-0 record against the Southern Division
* Give Michael Trigg a 57-54 record as a coach

HEAD COACHES: MICHAEL TRIGG, Grand Rapids Rampage (56-54, 8th Year): Michael Trigg enters his fifth season with the Rampage, boasting a history of achievement both on the sidelines and on the field. That history reached new heights on August 19, 2001 when the AFL's smallest market team won ArenaBowl XV in front of a sold-out Van Andel Arena and a national television audience on ABC. Last season, Trigg not only guided the Rampage to the team's third consecutive playoff berth and first championship, but he also led the team to a league-best 11-3 record. For his efforts last season, Trigg was named the 2001 AFL Coach of the Year. He is just the sixth coach in AFL history to reach the 50-win plateau and now ranks as the fifth winningest coach in AFL history.

MIKE NEU, Carolina Cobras (3-1, 1st Year): First-year head coach Mike Neu was promoted from his offensive coordinator position on July 26, 2001, just three days before the club's first-ever playoff game. Neu stepped in for Doug Kay, who abruptly resigned after leading the Cobras to a 7-7 regular season finish. Neu, who turned 31 just five months ago, is the youngest head coach in the Arena Football League. Prior to joining the Cobras as offensive coordinator in 2001, Neu served as head coach and director of football operations for the Augusta Stallions of af2. He led the Stallions to an overall record of 14-4, including a 13-3 regular season finish and was named af2 Coach of the Year.

RAMPAGE LAST WEEK: Steve Smith set career-highs in receptions and receiving yards and Clint Dolezel threw five TD passes as the Rampage snapped its two-game losing streak with a 69-55 victory over the Orlando Predators. Smith, who earned MVP honors, caught a game-high 13 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns. His catch total was two catches shy of the Rampage's single-game record, which is held by Terrill Shaw and Thomas Bailey (15). Dolezel, who entered the game as the league's third highest rated passer, completed 27-of-39 passes for 277 yards and one interception. Grand Rapids forced four Predators' turnovers to even its record at 2-2 and move into a three-way tie for first place in the Central Division.

RAMPAGE NEXT WEEK: The Rampage return home to face Grand Rapids native Ray Bentley and the Buffalo Destroyers on Saturday, May 25. During the preseason, Grand Rapids fell 51-48 to the Destroyers at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo. It will be the third regular season meeting between these two teams and the first at Van Andel Arena.

2001 REVIEW:

* In just their fourth Arena Football League season, the Grand Rapids Rampage won their first ArenaBowl championship, defeating the Nashville Kats 64-42 in front of an overflow crowd at Van Andel Arena and a national television audience on ABC.

* The Rampage's finished the regular season with a league best 11-3 record, winning their first Central Division title.

* The Rampage began the season with records of 5-0 and 7-1, marking the best starts in franchise history. In addition, the team's five consecutive wins to start the season set a record for the longest winning streak in franchise history.

* QB Clint Dolezel enjoyed the most prolific season ever for a Rampage hurler, breaking his own AFL record with 574 attempts while establishing team marks for touchdown passes (80), passing yards (3,952) and completions (364). The 80-TD threshold has been eclipsed just seven times in AFL history, and Dolezel became the only man to do it three times (81 in 1998, 80 in 2001 and 1999).

* Two Rampage players added their names to the AFL's all-time greats. In a 41-38 win vs. Carolina on May 11, WR/LB Michael Baker became the fifth player in league history to accumulate 5,000 receiving and 5,000 return yards for his career. Then, in a 79-58 win vs. Chicago on July 7, QB Clint Dolezel became just the seventh player in AFL history to record 300 passing touchdowns and the tenth player to record 2,000 passing attempts.

* Five members of the Rampage were honored by the AFL. After leading the Rampage to the league's best regular season record, coach Michael Trigg was chosen as the AFL's Coach of the Year. In addition to Trigg, K Brian Gowins was named AFL Kicker of the Year and DS JoJo Polk was presented with the league's Most Inspirational Award, following his miraculous recovery from a broken neck. QB Clint Dolezel, WR/LB Michael Baker, and Gowins are also named to the All-Arena Second Team. Polk was also named to the All-Rookie Team.

LAST MEETING: Carolina 38, GRAND RAPIDS 41 (5/11/01) - A crowd of 7,235 at the Van Andel Arena watched as Bjorn Nittmo's 31-yard field goal sailed wide right with no time left on clock, to give the Grand Rapids Rampage a 41-38 victory over the Carolina Cobras. In just his second Arena Football League game Willis Marshall recorded three touchdowns while Rampage quarterback Clint Dolezel completed 23 of 40 for 297 yards as the Rampage improved to a franchise best 4-0 on the season. Most Valuable Player of the game Michael Baker became just the fourth player in AFL history to record 5,000 return yards and 5,000 receiving yards after his 14-yard reception from Dolezel in the second quarter.

Marshall opened the scoring after he found the endzone on a two-yard toss left to give the Rampage an early 7-0 lead. The Cobras managed just three points on their first drive after Nittmo nailed a 33-yard field goal. On the ensuing possession Marshall pulled in a five-yard pass from Dolezel to give Grand Rapids a 14-3 advantage. Carolina trimmed the lead to four late in the first quarter after Fred McNair connected on an 11-yard strike with Kotto Cotton.

In the second quarter the Cobras took a 24-14 lead, after Fred McNair hooked up with Jamie Deese on a 22-yard touchdown pass and defensive specialist Carlos Brooks interrupted a Dolezel pass and returned it for a 49-yard touchdown. Late in the second quarter Chris Ryan cut the lead to just three after he took a pitch right into the endzone from one yard out.

The Cobras and Rampage traded touchdowns in the third quarter. McNair's one-yard rush regained the ten-point advantage for Carolina at 31-21, but Baker's 23-yard reception pulled the Rampage to within three with 15 minutes remaining in the contest.

In the final quarter of play, the Rampage answered with 14 points as Chris Ryan rushed for his second touchdown of the game and Willis added his third touchdown reception of the evening, to give the Rampage a commanding ten point advantage with just over four minutes to play. Carolina would make a game of it as McNair connected with Kevin Jackson on a six-yard reception for their final score of the game.

SERIES NOTABLES: Rampage QB Clint Dolezel completed 23 of 40 passes for 297 yards, three TDs, and two interceptions in his one game against Carolina...WR/LB Michael Baker, who will miss Saturday's game with an ankle injury, earned MVP honors in last year's match-up after catching nine passes for 109 yards and one touchdown...He also added three tackles on defense...WR/DB Willis Marshall caught six passes for 177 yards and two TDs on offense, and added 3.5 tackles on defense on his way to being named Ironman of the Game in last year's battle...DS JoJo Polk registered a game-high eight tackles and defended three passes...While with the Nashville Kats last season, Cobras' WR/LB Cory Fleming caught four passes for 88 yards against the Rampage in ArenaBowl XV.

FAMILIAR FACES: Rampage FB/LB Michael Blair signed with Carolina as a free agent on November 12, 2001...He spent part of the 2002 training camp with the Cobras before being released...Rampage OL/DL Israel Raybon and Cobras' OL/DL Marcus Keyes were roommates and teammates for two years at North Alabama University...Both players were also named NCAA Division II All-Americans while playing on the same line...Carolina QB Aaron Sparrow played in one game for Grand Rapids in 1998, finishing the game with 171 passing yards, two TDs and one INT...Carolina QB John Fitzgerald spent training camp time with Grand Rapids in 2000 and 2001...Grand Rapids' DS Jeff Popovich and Carolina WR/DB Nick Ward played in the same secondary for four years at the University of Miami (FL)...Cobras' OL/DL Desmond Byrd was traded by Grand Rapids in 1999 to the Florida Bobcats for QB Craig Kusick.

MILESTONES:

* Rampage QB Clint Dolezel recently moved up the AFL all-time charts in completions and passing yards. Dolezel passed Mike Perez for sixth place in completions (1,468) and Mike Pawlawski for eighth place in passing yards (17,289).

TEAM NOTES:

Michigan Connections: Carolina OS Aaron Bailey is an Ann Arbor native and played his high school ball at Pioneer High School...Carolina OL/DL Jon McCall is a Troy, Michigan native and played at Central Michigan from 1995-98...Two other Carolina linemen also played their college football at Michigan schools. Tony Henderson played at the University of Michigan and Colin Greczek played down the road in Kalamazoo at Western Michigan University.

Injury Bug Bites Again: Each week it seems the Rampage have a new player to add to the injured reserve list. Joining Michael Baker and Ricky Ross is lineman Demetrius Crowder, who tore a ligament in his knee against Orlando.

Central Division Breakdown: After starting below .500 for the first time since 1998, the Rampage have pulled their record even, and consequently pulled even with the rest of the Central Division pack. Currently Chicago, Indiana and Grand Rapids sit atop the division with 2-2 records.

National Conference Dominance: Dating back to last season, the Rampage are 5-1 against National Conference opponents. Their only loss came at the hands of the Tampa Bay Storm at home on Memorial Day weekend.

Give and Take Equally: After four games of play, the Rampage rank fourth overall in scoring offense, scoring 55.0 points per game. One of the reasons that Grand Rapids is sitting at 2-2 is because their defense is also giving up that same 55.0 points per game.

First Time for Everything: Saturday's game will be Grand Rapids' first trip to Carolina's Entertainment & Sports Arena. It will also be the first of four new stops for the franchise this season. Other first time venue visits include Arizona's America West Arena, New Jersey's Continental Airlines Arena and New York's Nassau Coliseum.

Return Coverage: The past two weeks the Rampage have given up kick returns for touchdowns. Stopping this week's opponent from returning the distance won't get any easier as Carolina leads the league with a 22.8 return average and three touchdowns.

Turnovers Key to Success: One of the many reasons Carolina has gotten off to a 3-1 start is their +4 turnover margin. Trailing only Indiana in the category, the Cobras have lost only six turnovers, while forcing 10. Sitting on the opposite side of the stick is Grand Rapids, who currently is tied for dead last with a -4 margin. In last week's victory over Orlando, the Rampage took strides to improving their plus minus by forcing four Predators' turnovers.

Penalty Free: Well not quite, but the Rampage are equalizing some of their turnovers with smart play. Grand Rapids has only 25 penalties for 141 on the season, which trails only Arizona.

RAMPAGE PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB Clint Dolezel: Dolezel, who signed a two-year contract extension during training camp, returns for his second season with the Rampage after setting Rampage single-season records in passing yards (3,952), pass attempts (574), pass completions (364) and touchdowns (80). He also broke Rampage single-game records in passing yards (402), pass attempts (50), pass completions, (35) and touchdowns (8). Although he hasn't started this season as hot as last, Dolezel still ranks among the league leaders in completions (2nd), attempts (2nd), yards (3rd), touchdowns (T-4th) and rating (3rd).

OS Terrill Shaw: Despite battling nagging foot and calf injuries, Terrill Shaw is still a consistent contributor for the Rampage offense. The former ArenaBowl MVP has caught 25 passes for 330 yards and eight TDs. Last week Shaw even contributed on the defensive side of the ball, scoring his first defensive touchdown on a fumble recovery in the victory over Orlando.

WR/DB Willis Marshall: Looking to make a name for himself in the AFL, Willis Marshall has become one of the Rampage's most versatile players. The second-year player out of Youngstown State currently ranks second on the team in catches (28) and third in receiving yards (301). He also leads the team in kickoff returns with 13, including a 54-yard return for a touchdown vs. Orlando last week.

OS Steve Smith: Speaking of making a name for himself, Steve Smith definitely has done just that in the past two weeks. In the past two games, the speedy offensive specialist has caught 25 balls for 322 yards and seven TDs. His catch total of 13 last week against Orlando was just two shy of a Rampage single-game record held by Terrill Shaw and Thomas Bailey.

COBRAS PLAYERS TO WATCH:

WR/LB Cory Fleming: Regarded as one of the biggest free agent signings during the off-season, Cory Fleming entered this season among the league's all-time leaders in receptions (406), receiving yards (4,919), and receiving TDs (116). The 1997 AFL Rookie of the Year currently sits second on the team in all three of the previous categories.

WR/DB Carl Bond: After making the jump from af2 (Tallahassee) to the AFL, Carl Bond proved he belonged at the higher level by catching 45 passes for 497 yards and nine TDs in his rookie season at Carolina. He also returned 19 kickoffs for 439 yards and two scores. The second-year player currently leads the Cobras in every receiving category and all-purpose yards.

QB Connell Maynor: Connell Maynor, who owns four ArenaBowl championship rings, is one of only two players in AFL history to throw a touchdown, catch a touchdown, run for a touchdown, return a kick for a score, intercept a pass and record a quarterback sack during his career. The veteran signal caller was brought in to fill the void of Steve McNair, who was traded to Buffalo during the off-season. With Maynor at the helm, Carolina has gotten off to a 3-1 start and a two-game lead in the Southern Division. In four games, Maynor has completed 47 of 78 for 585 yards and ten TDs. He has also thrown only one pick. BUILT FORD TOUGH AWARD (selected by coaches) The Built Ford Tough Award is a national recognition award given after every game to the player or players on each team best demonstrating determination and toughness in that game. The award honors the players who made a game-saving tackle or score-saving tackle, threw a key block on the big play or exhibited physical sacrifice or consistent tough blocking and tackling on both sides of the ball. The honored players receive a helmet sticker that recognizes the Built Ford Tough Player of the Game.

Week Opp. Player
1 DET Michael Baker, Travis McDonald, Willis Marshall, Chris Ryan, Lucas Yarnell
2 IND Willis Marshall, Chris Ryan, Travis McDonald, Israel Raybon, Lucas Yarnell
3 CHI Demetrius Crowder
4 ORL Travis McDonald, Israel Raybon, Chris Ryan, Terrill Shaw, Rickie Simpkins

GAME MVP AWARD (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 DET Terrill Shaw (G.R.)
2 IND Eddie Brown (Ind.)
3 CHI Billy Dicken & Antonio Chatman (Chi.)
4 ORL Steve Smith (G.R.)

GAME IRONMAN AWARD (selected by media)
Week Opp. Player
1 DET Willis Marshall (G.R.)
2 IND Jay Jones (Ind.)
3 CHI Dameon Porter (Chi.)
4 ORL Travis McDonald (G.R.)

RECENT ROSTER MOVES:
Date Action Player
5/13 Placed on I.R. OL/DL Demetrius Crowder
5/9 Activated from Exempt DS Jeff Popovich
Waived DS Verone McKinley
5/8 Signed from P-Squad WR/LB Curtis Ceaser
Placed on I.R. WR/LB Ricky Ross

RAMPAGE INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
WR/LB Michael Baker Ankle Out
OL/DL Demetrius Crowder Knee Out
WR/LB Ricky Ross Knee Out
OS Terrill Shaw Foot Probable

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Head Coach Michael Trigg: on the turnovers and loose balls falling into the hands of the Rampage, "It was nice to have some breaks come our way. This game is full of things that you can't control and when they start to go your way, they can really turn the tide of the game."

On what it will take to defeat Carolina, "When we are in control of the game we have a lot more options than we do when we're behind. If we can stay consistent and not turn the ball over, which really is the key for us, then I think we are hard to beat."

DS JoJo Polk: on his neck injury late in the Orlando game, "I think I got knocked out for a couple seconds. I don't really remember that well, but I think my head just went into the boards. I was trying to go back out [to play], but Coach Trigg hid my helmet so I couldn't."

On what the win means for the Rampage, "We are back to where we want to be (.500), but we definitely want to get better and better from here on out."

WR/DB Willis Marshall: on the win over Orlando, "This was a must-win for us. Fortunately for us Indiana and Chicago both lost this week, and although we didn't win the way we wanted to, a win is a win. We just needed something to build off of."

On the match-up with the Cobras, "Next week is going to be a measuring stick for the rest of the season. Carolina is real good from what I have seen and we are just going to have to build off of this game and come out [against Carolina] and dominate.

QB Clint Dolezel: on the offense beginning to come to form, "We are still not completely comfortable, there still were a few miscues. That is the way we were last year through week eight though. I'm not worried about that at all, I know it is going to come.

On the dangers of playing in E&S Arena, "Carolina is really playing well right now, they have beaten some really good teams. As long as we take care of the ball we will be all right. That is the best way to combat a hostile environment."

OS Steve Smith: on his career high 13 receptions (two short of a franchise record), "I have people coming up to me telling me how many catches I have. I don't know [how many receptions]. I just go out and try to catch everything that comes my way and the more comfortable I get with the offense the more big things will happen."

On the breaks that the team got this week, "The force is with us. All we have to do is go out and play as a team, and as a unit, everything else will take care of itself."

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