Sports stats



SaberCats Game Notes

April 17, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Arizona Rattlers (0-0) at San Jose SaberCats (0-0)
Date: Saturday, April 20, 2002
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (PDT)
Site: Compaq Center at San Jose (12,700)
Officials: R: Bill LeMonnier; U: Al Granado; HL: Allen Baynes; LJ: David Meslow; BJ: Billy Beckett.
Television: No local television.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station The Ticket (KTCT) 1050-AM will broadcast the game live from Compaq Center at 7:30 pm (PDT). Bob Fitzgerald, the television voice of the NBA's Golden State Warriors will call the play-by-play with former San Francisco 49er and four-time Super Bowl champion Keena Turner supplying the commentary. Oakland Raider great George Atkinson and Chris Gargano will co-host an extended pre-game show from Compaq Center beginning at 5:00 pm.
Internet: Log on to www.ticket1050.com to hear a live webcast of the game.
Series Record: Rattlers lead 9-6.
Last Meeting: San Jose 68, Arizona 49 (Quarterfinal playoff game, August 4, 2001).
Streaks: San Jose won 4. Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (30-16 overall, 4th season). Arizona, Danny White (102-48 overall, 11th season).

OVERVIEW: The SaberCats open their eighth season in the Arena Football League and begin defense of their back-to-back Western Division titles when they host division rival the Arizona Rattlers in the regular season opener on Saturday, April 20 in Compaq Center at San Jose. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (PDT). San Jose and Arizona are the only Western Division teams to win the division title since the league expanded to a four-division format in 1995. San Jose completed its third straight undefeated preseason schedule with a 68-35 win at Georgia on April 12. The SaberCats scored on all 11 possessions and quarterbacks Mark Grieb and John Dutton combined to complete 20-of-26 passes for 340 yards and seven touchdowns as the SaberCats posted their sixth straight preseason victory. Arizona also went 2-0 in exhibition play holding the opposition to 36 points in each of its two games. The SaberCats defeated Arizona in all three meetings last year and have won four straight overall. However, the Rattlers still hold a 9-6 edge in the series. The first 7,500 fans through the turnstiles on Saturday night will receive a SaberCats hat, compliments of Fry's Electronics.

THE SERIES: The two teams will be meeting for the 16th time and the series is the second-longest running in the league. Only Orlando and Tampa Bay have a longer running division/conference rivalry (started in 1991). San Jose swept the season series for the first time ever last year and topped it off with a Quarterfinal playoff win giving the SaberCats four straight victories over the Rattlers. Arizona still holds a 9-6 advantage in the all-time series...San Jose has played more games against Arizona (15) than any other AFL team...Nine of the 15 games in the series have been decided by 11 or fewer points, while the other six games have seen the winning team win by an average of 26 points per game...The SaberCats are 4-5 against Arizona in San Jose.

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Arizona it would...
*Be San Jose's 5th straight win over the Rattlers.
*Be San Jose's 4th straight season opening win.
*Give San Jose a 58-39 all-time regular season record.
*Give San Jose 31 regular season home wins.
*Give San Jose a 6-4 record in April games.
*Give San Jose a 21-15 record vs Western Division foes.

THE COACHES:

San Jose – Darren Arbet, 4th season
28-14 (.667) regular season; 30-16 (.652) overall 5-2 (.714) career vs. Arizona
Arbet became the SaberCats' winningest head coach when San Jose beat Arizona in the quarterfinals of the AFL playoffs last year. The win gave Arbet 30 victories in 46 career games. He surpassed former head coach Todd Shell, who posted 29 wins in 57 career games. Arbet owns a 30-16 (.652) overall record and is 28-14 (.667) in regular season games. The SaberCats are 5-2 (.714) against Arizona under Arbet. He was named the AFL's Coach of the Year in 2000 following a league record tying 12 regular season wins, Arbet guided the SaberCats to an AFL record 15 consecutive regular season victories (11 in '00, 4 in '01) and is the only head coach in team history to post a playoff victory.

Arizona – Danny White, 11th season.
89-41 (.685) regular season; 102-48 (.680) overall 9-6 (.600) career vs. San Jose
White is the only head coach the Rattlers have had joining the team in 1992. Last year he became the second head coach in AFL history to reach 100 career wins when the Rattlers defeated Houston 77-67 on June 30. He currently has 102 career wins and trails Tampa Bay's Tim Marcum who has 136 career victories. White has led the Rattlers to two AFL Championships (1994, '97) and ranks fourth in career winning percentage.

RECENT RESULTS: San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb threw three first half touchdown passes to James Hundon and the SaberCats rolled to a 68-35 victory over the Georgia Force in the preseason finale for both squads. The first-ever home game for the Force, who moved from Nashville during the off-season, drew 9,032 at Philips Arena. Grieb connected with Hundon on the first of two 45-yard touchdown strikes on the SaberCats second offensive play to give them an early 7-0 lead. Barry Wagner set up the scoring play by intercepting Eric Zeier's pass attempt in the endzone. The SaberCats would never trail in winning their sixth straight preseason game. Another turnover led to the second 45-yard touchdown pass. Following a spectacular interception by defensive specialist Anthony Cobbs in his own endzone, Grieb and Hundon teamed up again on the first play of the ensuing drive to stake the SaberCats to a 30-12 lead with 1:50 left in the first half. Grieb played the entire first half and completed 8-of-11 passes for 161 yards. Hundon, who was named the game's MVP, caught six balls for 157 yards with his third TD coming on a 25-yard play. John Dutton played the second half at quarterback for San Jose and was just as impressive as Grieb was in the first half. Dutton completed 12-of-15 for 185 yards and four touchdowns as the SaberCats put up 35 second half points in their highest scoring preseason game in history. The SaberCats were unstoppable on offense as they racked up 366 total yards and scored nine touchdowns and two field goals in their 11 offensive possessions. Shalon Baker, who did not play in San Jose's first preseason game, scored three second half touchdowns to spark the SaberCats offensively. Baker was on the receiving end of a 26- and 24-yard Dutton offering and scored on a 1-yard run on a fourth-down play that gave San Jose a 47-15 bulge with just under six minutes left in the third quarter. Markeith Cooper had a big game for the Force hauling in a game-high 10 receptions for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Former NFL quarterback Eric Zeier struggled for Georgia throwing two interceptions and completing just 10-of-20 passes for 98 yards in the first half.

A LOOK BACK: The 2001 season ended much like that of 2000. No matter how many wins or records broken it ended all too familiar for San Jose. The SaberCats could not get by the Nashville Kats for the second straight year. They lost in a semifinal playoff game at Nashville, 71-47. The season began with the SaberCats winning their third straight season opener and extending their regular season win streak to 12. The SaberCats won their first four games of the season breaking the Tampa Bay Storm's record of 14 consecutive regular season wins with a 73-17 thumping of Oklahoma on May 5. The 56-point margin of victory was also a San Jose record. The streak came to an end the following week at the hands of the New York Dragons in a 62-58 loss. San Jose proceeded to lose two of the next three games and headed into the bye week with a 5-3 record. San Jose's first game following the off-week was a re-match of the 2000 semifinal contest against the Nashville Kats on June 16. The SaberCats overcame a 17-point fourth quarter deficit and posted an exciting 58-57 overtime victory in QB Mark Grieb's first start of the season. Grieb threw for a team record 430 yards and seven touchdowns in the win. More remarkable was his performance in the fourth quarter and overtime. Grieb completed 16 consecutive passes and totaled a team record 30 completions for the game, giving San Jose the revenge it was looking for. In a nationally televised game, San Jose defeated Oklahoma, 60-41, and returned home to face Florida. In another dramatic overtime game, the SaberCats beat the Bobcats 56-55 on June 30 behind Grieb's 418 passing yards. With that performance Grieb became just the third player in league history to have multiple 400-yard passing games in a career, and he did it in three weeks! San Jose traveled to Arizona on July 6 for a showdown with division rival the Rattlers. San Jose notched its first-ever season sweep of the Rattlers and clinched its second straight Western Division title with a 73-63 win. Grieb entered the SaberCats' record book again as he tossed a team record nine TD passes. San Jose ended the season with an 80-27 win over Houston and became the first team in league history with two 50-plus point wins in a season. For the second straight year the SaberCats earned a first-round playoff bye becoming the only team to do so in the two seasons after the league changed its playoff format. The SaberCats quarterfinal round opponent turned out to be a familiar foe as the playoffs brought the Arizona Rattlers in for a third meeting between the bitter Western Division rivals. It's almost unheard of for a team to play three times in one season and for the same team to be victorious in all three. San Jose pulled it off with a 68-49 win for its second playoff victory in franchise history.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT: Arizona posted a 2-0 record in postseason games limiting the opposition (Dallas and Detroit) to just 36 points in each of the two games. The Rattlers used fourth quarter comebacks in both games to get the wins. They erased a three-touchdown deficit at Detroit on April 9 to notch a 46-36 win and overcame a six-point Dallas lead early in the fourth quarter on April 13 to beat the expansion Desperados 44-36. Arizona quarterback Sherdrick Bonner, who did not play in the second half, completed 8 of 13 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown against Dallas... Arizona has a mark of 5-5 in season opening games and is 6-4 in opening night games on the road. The Rattlers have opened the road portion of their regular season schedule at San Jose three times and are 1-2 in those games. San Jose beat Arizona, 48-37, on April 21, 2001, and 54-50 on May 15, 1999. The Rattlers posted a 43-37 overtime win at San Jose on May 12, 1995.

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats trimmed their roster to the league maximum 24 on April 15 by placing four players on injured reserve and waiving two others. WR/LB Shalon Baker (migraines), OL/DL Chuck Reed (knee), FB/LB Keala Keanaaina (toe) and OL/DL Dan Loney (knee) were all placed on IR, while WR/LB James Battle and FB/LB Josh White were waived from the squad. The SaberCats also made a trade last week dealing OL/DL Ken Talanoa to Toronto for future considerations.

MILESTONES:
*OL/DL Sam Hernandez needs 2 sacks for 50 career.
*QB Mark Grieb needs 22 pass completions for 500 in his career.
*K Daron Alcorn needs 12 points to reach 500 career.
*WR/DB Jerry Reese needs 36 receiving yards for 3,000 career.
WR/DB Barry Wagner needs 24 receiving yards for 11,000 career.

NOTES:

NEW RUSH RULE – The AFL has adopted a new 4-man rush-kicking rule for the 2002 season. On all scrimmage kicks (field goals and PATs), the kicking team is allowed free substitutions and the defense is allowed to rush four down linemen. The four-down are allowed to rush outside and they may twist, however, to further protect the holder/kicker, a ‘blocked into the kicker' foul will be enforced as a ‘Roughing Penalty'.

OPENERS – The SaberCats will open the regular season at home for the third consecutive season and sixth time in their eight years in the league. The SaberCats are 4-3 in regular season home openers and have won three straight by outscoring the opposition 183-97. In regular season opening games San Jose has a 3-4 all-time record. However, since Darren Arbet took over as head coach in 1999, the SaberCats are 3-0 in season openers.

NFL EXPERIENCE – With FB/LB James Williams signed to the active roster on April 9, the SaberCats now have nine players with 31 years of experience in regular season NFL games. Williams is a 9-year NFL veteran who played five seasons with the New Orleans Saints after being drafted in the 5th round in 1990. He also played one season in Jacksonville, two seasons with San Francisco and a season with Cleveland. OL/DL Frank Beede is next in line with five seasons of NFL experience as a Seattle Seahawk. Other former NFL players include James Hundon (4 yrs w/Cincinnati), James Roe (4 yrs w/Baltimore), Wendell Davis (3 yrs w/Dallas), George Williams (3 yrs w/NY Giants), Matt Keneley (1 yr w/San Francisco), Jerry Reese (1 yr w/Buffalo) and Mike Ulufale (1 yr w/Dallas).

QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSY? – Mark Grieb, last season's league leader in pass efficiency, played well in preseason but, if you go by the numbers, John Dutton fared better. Grieb completed 17-of-27 passes (63%) for 259 yards and five TDs in his two games while Dutton completed 78.6 percent of his pass attempts (22-of-28) for 344 yards and seven TDs. Dutton's passer rating in two games was an incredible 157.4, not bad considering the highest possible rating is 158.3. Grieb led the AFL last season with a league record 133.9 rating.

SIZE MATTERS – The nine linemen on San Jose's 24-man roster stand an average height of 6-4 and combine to weigh 2,576 pounds, or an average of 286.2 pounds per man. Three players tip the scales at or above 300 pounds, including Albrey Battle at 306, and George Williams and Frank Beede each at 300. Ironically it's the smallest lineman, Sam Hernandez at 6-3, 255 pounds, who is the leagues all-time sack leader with 48.0.

RECORDS – Rookie DS Clevan Thomas did something no other SaberCat player had done before when he returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Carolina in the preseason opener on March 29. In the second preseason game at Georgia on April 12, the SaberCats had three pass plays of over 40-yards that resulted in scores, another first for the team. Mark Grieb had a pair of 45-yard scoring tosses to James Hundon and John Dutton hooked up with James Battle on a 43-yard TD pass as San Jose defeated the Force 68-35. The SaberCats had three pass plays of over 40 yards against Oklahoma on May 5, 2001 but only two netted touchdowns. Unfortunately, preseason records don't count.

OLD FRIENDS REUNITE – Quarterback Mark Grieb, OL/DL Chuck Reed (currently on IR) and OL/DL Sam Hernandez were all teammates with the Anaheim Piranhas in 1997. DS Wendell Davis and OL/DL Mike Ulufale were both drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1996 NFL Draft. Ulufale was a 3rd round pick (95th overall) and Davis was selected in the 6th round (207th overall). The two played together on the '96 Cowboys squad that finished the season 10-6, won the NFC East title and advanced to the Divisional Playoffs.

HE'S BACK – Speaking about OS James Hundon, SaberCats' broadcaster Bob Fitzgerald once said, "he's got another gear!" Hundon showed the Georgia Force that gear in his first preseason game on April 12 when he caught 6 passes for 157 yards and 3 TDs, in the first half! To say he was Mark Grieb's favorite target in that game would be an understatement considering Grieb completed 8 passes for 161 yards.

FULLBACKS/LINEBACKERS – With Keala Keanaaina placed on IR and Josh White waived, the SaberCats will have nine-year NFL veteran James Williams and Matt Kinsinger as the reserves to Bob McMillen at the FB/LB spot. Keanaaina was impressive until he ruptured a flexor tendon in his toe against Georgia on April 12 and White was the odd man out in a fierce battle. Williams, signed on April 9, played his first AFL game at Georgia and recorded a tackle and a sack. He's no stranger to the defensive side of the football since his nine years in the NFL were spent as a linebacker.

ROOKIES? – The SaberCats have six AFL rookies on their 24-man roster, but you can't really consider them rookies in the true sense. Of the six, four have spent time on an active NFL regular season roster, one played in two NCAA Division I National Championship games and another was a four-year player at a D-I school. FB/LB James Williams spent nine years in the NFL, OL/DL Frank Beede spent five seasons with the Seahawks, OL/DL George Williams was with the New York Giants for four seasons and Wendell Davis was a Dallas Cowboy for three years. DS Clevan Thomas was a starting DB at Florida State and the local kid, Travis Seaton was a four-year player at San Jose State.

PLAYERS/MATCH-UPS TO WATCH:

BONNER vs SAN JOSE DEFENSE – In 11 career games against San Jose, Arizona's Sherdrick Bonner has thrown for 2,494 yards and has completed 61.3 percent (201-of-328) of his passes with 46 TDs. He set a SaberCats opponent record by completing 76.9 percent (30-of-39) of his passes on May 24, 1997 in a 59-50 Rattlers win. However, in the last four games against San Jose, all SaberCats wins, Bonner has struggled completing just 54.3 percent of his passes (63-of-116) for 768 yards (192 ypg) and 14 TDs. In those four games he's been sacked six times and intercepted three times. In the previous seven games he against San Jose he was sacked just once and picked off four times.

HUNKIE COOPER – The two-time AFL Ironman of the Year (99, 00) has feasted on San Jose. In 14 career games against the SaberCats, Cooper has returned 5 kickoffs for TDs and 2 interceptions for scores. He's also caught 10 TD passes and rushed for two other scores. In fact, Cooper is the only San Jose opponent to return a kickoff and an interception for a TD in the same game. Hunkie turned the trick on April 21, 2001 when he scampered 56 yards for a TD on a kickoff and returned an INT 31 yards for a score. Despite his efforts, the SaberCats pulled out a 48-37 win.

GRIEB vs ARIZONA DEFENSE – San Jose QB Mark Grieb was surgeon-like the way he dissected the Rattlers secondary last season. In San Jose's three wins, Grieb completed 70.4 percent of his passes (69-of-98) for 860 yards (286.6 ypg) and 22 TDs without being intercepted. Grieb set a SaberCats single-game record when he threw nine TD passes against the Rattlers in Arizona on July 6 and set a SaberCats playoff record when he tossed eight TD passes against the Snakes on August 4. His first career start as a SaberCat came against Arizona on May 15, 1999 and threw a career-high 41 passes in leading San Jose to a 54-50 win. Grieb is 4-1 in five career starts as a SaberCat against Arizona.

SAN JOSE SECONDARY – If the preseason is any indicator, San Jose should be solid in the defensive backfield this season. The SaberCats had five interceptions in their two exhibition games, with rookie DS Clevan Thomas getting a pair. Thomas also led the team with 10.5 tackles and tied Barry Wagner with 3 breakups. Wagner enters his 11th season in the AFL tied with former SaberCats teammate Tracey Perkins for second all-time with 38 interceptions. Wagner, Anthony Cobbs and Jerry Reese also had interceptions in the preseason.

KICK RETURNS – With Steve Papin off to New York, the SaberCats are looking at a kick return by committee this year. Four players; Barry Wagner, Clevan Thomas, Travis Seaton and Omarr Smith returned kicks during the preseason and look for more of the same once the regular season starts. Smith had 6 returns for 105 yards while Seaton had 2 for 56 yards, including a 54-yard TD return vs Carolina in the first preseason game.

OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY – It's not how often you score that decides an AFL game, it's how often you don't. The SaberCats did very well scoring in the preseason converting 21 of their 25 offensive possessions into points in their two games scoring 19 touchdowns and 2 field goals. Against Georgia on April 12, San Jose scored on all 11 possessions with nine TDs and two field goals. In the preseason opener the SaberCats scored 10 TDs on 14 possessions. Their last possession of that game lasted all of 3 seconds and ran out the clock in the fourth quarter. San Jose scored 134 points in the preseason, an average of 67 points per game. We're just playing here, but average that over a 14-game season and you get a total of 938 points. The league record for most points in a season is 898 set by the New York Dragons last year.

TURNOVERS – Since every possession is a scoring opportunity, turnovers are huge in the AFL. In 2000 the SaberCats led the league with a +19 turnover margin and finished with a league record tying 12 victories. During the preseason had five interceptions and recovered a fumble to go +3 in turnover margin. More impressive was the fact that all six turnovers were turned into touchdowns.

THE KICKING GAME – San Jose's Daron Alcorn made his 2002 debut at Georgia and didn't miss a beat. Alcorn connected on both his field goal attempts (44 and 31 yards) and converted all eight of his PAT kicks. One attempt failed when a bad snap forced Alcorn to throw the ball after chasing it down on the other side of midfield. Alcorn threw the ball well over 30 yards off the net and a Georgia player intercepted it. Arizona counters with former SaberCat Chris Sailer. Sailer was selected by Arizona off the Oklahoma roster in the Dispersal Draft (3rd round, 42nd player). Sailer played nine games with San Jose during the 2000 season and tied a SaberCats single-game record when he converted 11 PATs vs New England on June 9, 2000.

• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 17, 2002


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.

Other Recent San Jose SaberCats Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central