Sabercats Look To Maintain Division Lead
May 8, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Friday's San Jose SaberCats at Arizona Rattlers Arena Football League game will mark the 33rd meeting in the longstanding rivalry between the clubs, but it will be the first time since 2004 the Western Division lead will be on the line.
The Rattlers (4-5) took that contest nearly four years ago with a 50-43 win at HP Pavilion which gave them the division title and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. But the SaberCats (5-5) would exact revenge during ArenaBowl XVIII, winning their second league title against their nemesis, 62-69.
"Everybody knows what this rivalry means," stated quarterback Mark Grieb. "I think there is a certain level of respect between the two teams but there's also that healthy competition that you want to win every time you go at it."
With a victory on Friday, the SaberCats would take a decisive game-and-a-half lead in the Western standings but conversely, if the Rattlers pulled off the upset it would propel them into the top spot by a half game.
What makes this game more intriguing are the coaching storylines that were also present in the teams' first bout of 2008 when San Jose trounced Arizona by 20 points. Kevin Guy was the defensive coordinator for two seasons (2006-07) with the SaberCats and with the success he had was given the head coaching spot in the desert.
Current âCats defensive coordinator, Jeff Jarnigan, was in the same position on Skip Foster's coaching staffs with the Austin Wranglers (2004) and the af2's Tulsa Talons (2001-03). Foster was the head coach of both teams, and he and Jarnigan won an ArenaCup title together in 2003.
"I think it definitely makes you a little more competitive," admitted Jarnigan when asked about coaching against his peers. "You certainly don't want to lose to a buddy, in anything. I do enjoy coaching against those guys and it makes for a good rivalry."
In the first game on March 15, Jarnigan's defensive line recorded a season-high 4.0 sacks against backup quarterback Jeff Smoker. The Rattlers starting signal caller, Lang Campbell, has returned to action since then and hasn't been sacked in the last four games.
"I think they are better protectors than the first time we played them," Jarnigan said. "They've made some personnel changes and I think their players have improved so we are going to have our work cut out for us."
A new addition to the SaberCats roster that could see his first glimpse of action is rookie receiver Jamall Broussard. He was reunited with former college teammates Scott Rislov, William Obeng and Trestin George from San Jose State after being signed on April 25.
Broussard (5-9, 175, San Jose State) has one game of AFL experience under his belt, playing for Philadelphia in the March 9 contest against Chicago where he caught 5 passes for 44 yards. He spent the last four seasons bouncing around various NFL teams including the Carolina Panthers in 2004 where he returned 24 kickoffs for 555 yards.
Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. (PT) at U.S. Airways Center in downtown Phoenix. Comcast SportsNet Bay Area will air the game live and in HD called by Bob Fitzgerald and Keena Turner with a 30-minute pre and post game show. San Jose's flagship radio partner KNBR 1050 will air the game live with Ted Robinson and Steve Papin calling the action.
A premiere franchise in the Arena Football League, San Jose has won three ArenaBowl championships and captured seven Western Division titles, eight consecutive playoff appearances and owns the league's best regular season record this decade.
Season and group tickets for the 2008 season are now on sale. Contact a SaberCats account executive at (408) 573-5577 to reserve your seats today. Individual game tickets can be purchased at the HP Pavilion ticket office, all Northern California Ticketmaster locations and online at ticketmaster.com.
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