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San Jose SaberCats game notes

March 2, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: SaberCats (3-0) at New York Dragons (1-3).
Date: Sunday, March 7, 2004.
Kickoff: 9:00 a.m. (PST).
Site: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (11,216).
Officials: Referee: Perry Havener; Umpire: Tom Laverty; Head Linesman: Kelly Saalfeld; Line Judge: David Meslow; Back Judge: Dino Paganelli
Television: Sunday's game will be televised live on NBC and can be seen in the Bay Area on NBC11 starting at 9:00 a.m. Tom Hammond (play-by-play), Pat Haden (analyst) and Lewis Johnson (sideline) call the action.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Rich Waltz handling play-by-play duties and George Atkinson supplying the color commentary.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of the game.
Series Record: Tied 4-4 (New York played as Iowa Barnstormers from 1995-2000).
Last Meeting: San Jose 65, New York 41 (June 22, 2002 in San Jose).
Series Streaks: San Jose Won 1.
Season Streaks: San Jose Won 3; New York Lost 3.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (6th season; 56-19 regular season, 62-22 overall). New York, Todd Shell (6th season; 38-32 regular season, 39-36 overall).


OVERVIEW: The SaberCats improved to 3-0 on the season and won their 8th straight regular season game dating back to last season with an impressive 62-31 win over Grand Rapids on Feb. 28. Mark Grieb and James Hundon combined on four scoring passes and Clevan Thomas returned his 1st interception of the season 43 yards for a score as the SaberCats built a 21-0 lead after the first quarter and never looked back in winning their sixth straight home opener. Grieb continued his torrid play completing 12-of-17 passes for 213 yards and six scores. The SaberCats will face former head coach Todd Shell for the first time when they travel to New York to battle the Dragons in a regionally televised NBC game on Sunday, Mar. 7. Shell, named the AFL's Coach of the Year in 2003, posted a 29-28 overall record in four seasons with San Jose. The last time these teams played in New York, the Dragons ended San Jose's AFL record 15-game regular season win streak with a 62-58 win on May 12, 2001. Ironically, the streak began with a 54-52 win at Iowa (The Dragons relocated from Des Moines prior to the '01 season) on May 6, 2000. After winning their opener the Dragons have lost three straight, including last week's 51-43 decision in Arizona. The all-time series between San Jose and Iowa/New York is even at 4-4.
THE SCHEDULES:
2004 San Jose SaberCats (3-0)
Game Opponent Result Score
Feb. 5 @Detroit Won 58-43
Feb. 22 @Los Angeles Won 61-55
Feb. 28 GRAND RAPIDS Won 62-31
Game Opponent Time Radio/TV
Mar. 7 @New York 9:00 am 1050/NBC
Mar. 14 COLORADO 5:00 pm 1050
Mar. 20 LAS VEGAS 7:30 pm 1050
Mar. 26 LOS ANGELES 7:30 pm 1050
Apr. 4 @Tampa Bay 9:00 am 1050/NBC
Apr. 10 @Dallas 5:30 pm 1050/WB
Apr. 16 CHICAGO 7:30 pm 1050
Apr. 25 @Georgia 9:00 am 1050/NBC
May 1 NEW ORLEANS 7:30 pm 1050
May 9 @Arizona 12:00 pm 1050/NBC
May 16 @Las Vegas 12:00 pm 1050/NBC
May 22 PHILADELPHIA 7:30 pm 1050
May 30 ARIZONA 1:00 pm 1050/NBC

2004 New York Dragons (1-3)
Game Opponent Result Score
Feb. 8 @Georgia Won 54-28
Feb. 14 CHICAGO Lost 54-56
Feb. 22 DALLAS Lost 44-56
Feb. 29 @Arizona Lost 41-53
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
Mar. 7 SAN JOSE 9:00 am NBC
Mar. 14 @Tampa Bay 9:00 am NBC
Mar. 20 COLUMBUS 4:00 pm
Apr. 4 @Carolina 12:00 pm
Apr. 10 @Columbus 4:00 pm
Apr. 18 COLORADO 12:00 pm NBC
Apr. 24 @Philadelphia 4:30 pm
May 2 @Dallas 12:00 pm NBC
May 8 CAROLINA 4:00 pm
May 16 LOS ANGELES 12:00 pm NBC
May 23 @Orlando 12:00 pm NBC
May 30 PHILADELPHIA 1:00 pm NBC

THE SERIES: The series between the SaberCats and Dragons is tied at 1-1 with each team winning on its home turf. The last meeting took place on June 22, 2002 with the SaberCats winning 65-41 in San Jose...The series dates back to 1995 when the Dragons were known as the Iowa Barnstormers. San Jose and Iowa each won three games in their six meetings.

WHAT'S AHEAD: Following Sunday's contest, the SaberCats return to San Jose for a three-game homestand beginning on Sunday, March 14, with an early evening (5:00 p.m.) matchup with the Colorado Crush. The SaberCats will also host the Las Vegas Gladiators (Mar. 20) and the Los Angeles Avengers (Mar. 26).

SERIES NOTABLES: San Jose and the Iowa/New York franchises both entered the AFL in 1995 as expansion teams. New York was known as the Iowa Barnstormers back then...Barry Wagner set a San Jose career-high with nine receptions at New York on May 12, 2001, he has since matched that mark two more times...The SaberCats tied a team game record with four 2-point conversion attempts and set a record with three successful tries in their 54-52 win at Iowa on May 6, 2000...Clevan Thomas was the last SaberCat to return the opening kickoff for a TD when he went 55 yards against New York on June 22, 2002...San Jose and New York combined for a SaberCats record 42 first quarter points (SJ 28-NY 14) on May 12, 2001.

LAST SERIES MEETING: SAN JOSE 65, New York 41 • Saturday, June 22 • HP Pavilion – The SaberCats used rushing TDs by James Williams and Bob McMillen and four TD passes by Mark Grieb to down the New York Dragons 65-41. San Jose pushed its record to a perfect 10-0. The SaberCats entered the game with the league's highest scoring offense but it was the defense that secured the win holding New York to seven second half points. Clevan Thomas got the game off to his usual thrilling start, returning Clay Rush's kickoff 55-yards for a touchdown. It was the second straight week Thomas opened the game by returning the kickoff for a score. New York was quick to answer with a 1-yard TD run Chin Achebe two minutes later. New York quarterback Aaron Garcia, returning to the team following a stint with the San Francisco 49ers, tossed four first half TDs and the Dragons trailed 37-34 at the break. After Grieb hit OS James Hundon with a 16-yard TD pass midway through the third to push the SaberCats lead to 44-34, the San Jose ground game took over. McMillen broke through the Dragons defensive line for a 1-yard score on a fourth-and-goal situation to open the fourth quarter and following a Joe Jacobs interception, Matt Kinsinger scored on 4-yard run to increase the lead to 58-34. James Hundon made a spectacular grab on a 30-yard TD pass from Grieb with just over a minute remaining to seal the win. The game was marred by penalties, perhaps a reason why the San Jose offense got off to a sluggish start. The SaberCats were called for 12 penalties for 85 yards while New York was issued eight infractions for 40 yards. Hundon had 127 receiving yards on eight catches and three touchdowns to earn game Most Valuable Player honors. Jacobs added 2 tackles and a sack to earn game Ironman honors. New York OS Steve Papin amassed 257 all-purpose yards in his return to San Jose.

Score By Quarters
Dragons.................................. 13 21 0 7 - 41
SaberCats............................... 13 24 7 21 - 65

SCORING SUMMARY
Tm Scoring Play
SAN Thomas 55 kickoff return (kick failed)
NYD Achebe 1 run (kick failed)
SAN Reese 12 pass from Grieb (Alcorn kick)
NYD Groce 22 pass from Garcia (Rush kick)
SAN Kinsinger 6 run (Alcorn kick)
NYD Papin 20 pass from Garcia (Rush kick)
NYD Maxwell 3 pass from Garcia (Rush kick)
SAN Williams 12 run (Alcorn kick)
SAN Hundon 28 pass from Grieb (Alcorn kick)
NYD Furrey 10 pass from Garcia (Rush kick)
SAN FG Alcorn 46
SAN Hundon 16 pass from Grieb (Alcorn kick)
SAN McMillen 2 run (Alcorn kick)
SAN Kinsinger 4 run (Alcorn kick)
NYD Groce 24 pass from Garcia (Rush kick)
SAN Hundon 30 pass from Grieb (Alcorn kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: NYD - Garcia 17-37-2-228. SAN - Grieb 16-31-1-225.
Rushing: NYD - Achebe 2-1; Perry 1-0; Garcia 3-(-7). SAN - Williams 5-20; McMillen 5-10; Kinsinger 2-10; Wagner 1-1.
Receiving: NYD - Papin 7-94; Furrey 4-54; Groce 2-46; Sacco 2-18; Tremblay 1-13; Maxwell 1-3. SAN – Hundon 8-127; Baker 3-43; Wagner 3-34; Reese 1-12; Smith 1-9.
Kick Returns: NYD - Papin 7-163; Maxwell 2-0. SAN - Thomas 3-79; Hundon 1-8; Battle 1-0.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
June 22, 2002 @San Jose 65, New York 41
May 12, 2001 @New York 62, San Jose 58
May 6, 2000 San Jose 54, @Iowa 52
May 29, 1999 Iowa 34, @San Jose 30
July 11, 1998 Iowa 44, @San Jose 41
Aug. 8, 1997 @Iowa 68, San Jose 59 (po)
June 14, 1997 San Jose 37, @Iowa 31 (ot)
June 24, 1995 San Jose 33, @Iowa 17

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat New York it would...
*Be their 9th straight regular season win.
*Give them a 4-0 season record.
*Be their 5th straight road win.
*Be their 2nd straight win over the Dragons.
*Give them a 5-4 series advantage.
*Give San Jose an 86-44 all-time regular season record.
*Give San Jose a 41-25 all-time reg. season road record.

THE COACHES:
San Jose – Darren Arbet, 6th season
56-19 (.747) reg. season; 62-22 (.738) overall
2-2 (.500) career vs. New York/Iowa
Now in his sixth season at the helm of the SaberCats, Darren Arbet owns the highest regular season winning percentage (.747) in league history among coaches with at least 20 victories and his 62 career wins rank him 8th in league annals. Named AFL Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2002, Arbet has guided the SaberCats to four straight double-digit win seasons – the longest current streak in league history – and his teams have compiled a 50-11 (.820) regular season record since the start of the 2000 campaign. Under his direction the SaberCats have set league records for most regular season wins (13 – 2002), most wins in a season (16- 2002), most consecutive wins in a regular season (12 – 2002), most wins to end a season (11 – 2000) and the longest regular season win streak (15 – 2000-01). Arbet's first career victory came at Grand Rapids on April 24, 1999.

New York – Todd Shell, 6th season
38-32 (.543) reg. season; 39-36 (.520) overall
0-0 career vs. San Jose
The 2002 Coach of the Year returns for his first full season at the helm of the Dragons and second overall. He currently owns an overall career record of 39-36 (.520) and is 10-8 (.556) with New York. Shell became the second head coach in franchise history on February 25, 2003, when he replaced John Gregory after an 0-4 start, and led the Dragons to eight wins in their final 12 games and a playoff berth. He posted his first career playoff victory when the Dragons defeated Chicago, 48-45, in last year's Wild Card round. The original head coach of the SaberCats organization, Shell guided the team for four seasons amassing an overall record of 29-28 with three playoff appearances in four seasons.

RECENT RESULTS: SABERCATS STAY UNBEATEN WITH 62-31 WIN OVER RAMPAGE - Mark Grieb tossed six scoring passes, four to James Hundon, and the SaberCats stayed unbeaten on the season and won their sixth straight home opener with a convincing 62-31 win over the Grand Rapids Rampage on Saturday night before 15,193 fans at the HP Pavilion. Grieb connected with Hundon on the game's first offensive play for a quick 7-0 lead just 22 seconds into the contest. The two combined on a 10-yard scoring play late in the first quarter as San Jose built a 21-0 lead after one stanza. The pair combined on scoring plays of 28 and 24 yards in the second quarter and Barry Wagner added his 110th career rushing TD on a 1-yard plunge late in the first half as San Jose built a 42-14 halftime lead. Rampage QB Anthony Buich, a Novato native, completed 24-of-47 passes for 219 yards and scored on a pair of 1-yard runs, his second coming early in the third quarter as the Rampage pulled to within 42-21. Grieb, the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game completed 12-of-17 passes for 213 yards, threw two more scoring passes in the third quarter, an 18-yarder to James Roe and a 36-yard strike to Calvin Schexnayder, to increase San Jose's advantage to 56-21 after three quarters. Nick Rolovich replaced Grieb in the fourth quarter and completed 3-of-11 passes for 31 yards. He did throw his first career TD pass, an 8-yard strike to Schexnayder, that lifted San Jose over the 60-point mark for the second straight game and 38th time in franchise history. Clevan Thomas, named the ADT Defensive Player of the Game, collected his 19th career interception and returned It 43 yards for a score in the first quarter. It was his 4th career interception return TD. He also added 5.5 tackles and two breakups. Fellow DS Omarr Smith also intercepted a pass as the San Jose defense held the Rampage to 220 yards of total offense.

ABOUT THE DRAGONS: The New York franchise entered the AFL in 1995 as the Iowa Barnstormers and relocated to New York prior to the 2001 season...The Dragons started last season losing their first six games before rallying for eight wins in their last 10 games to finish with an 8-8 record and a playoff berth...Aaron Garcia is the only professional QB to throw 100 TD passes in a season and he's done it twice. He tossed 104 in 2001 and hit the century mark last season.

ROSTER MOVES: As of press time the SaberCats have not made any roster moves since Feb. 20 when Keala Keanaaina and George Williams were activated of IR.



RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
Feb. 13 Signed OL/DL Sebastian Barrie
Feb. 16 Placed OL/DL Sebastian Barrie on IR
Feb. 17 Signed WR/LB Jerry Reese to practice squad
Feb. 18 Signed WR/DB Charles Pauley to practice squad
Feb. 20 Activated FB/LB Keala Keanaaina and OL/DL George Williams off IR. Placed WR/DB Vaughn Jarrett and FB/LB Tupo Tuupo on IR

INJURY REPORT: San Jose again escaped with no major injuries. Both FB/LB Kevin Buck and OL/DL Albrey Battle sustained minor joint problems, but the injuries do not appear to threaten their ability to play on Feb. 28.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Brian Johnson ITB syndrome Probable
Chuck Reed Knee inflammation Probable
George Williams Ankle sprain Probable
Omarr Smith Cramping Probable

MILESTONES:
*The SaberCats need 9 wins for 100 overall in franchise history.
*OL/DL Joe Jacobs needs 2.5 sacks for 30 career.
*DS Clevan Thomas needs 1 INT for 20 career.
*WR/DB Barry Wagner needs 2 catches for 900 career and 3 catches for 250 in SJ career.
*OL/DL Chuck Reed needs 2.5 sacks for 25 career.
*QB Mark Grieb needs 6 completions for 1,000 in San Jose career; 13 TD passes for 300 AFL career and 14 attempts for 1,700 AFL career.
*WR/LB James Roe needs 1 TD catch for 80 career.
*OS James Hundon needs 13 catches for 250 career.

TRENDS:
ON THE ROAD AGAIN – After playing their first home game of the season on Feb. 28, the SaberCats take their road show to New York to battle the Dragons. Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats have posted a 23-8 (.742) record in regular season road games, including a 2-0 mark this year. San Jose went 6-1 on the road in both 2000 and 2002, had a 4-3 record in 2001 and went 5-3 last season. The team is 40-25 (.615) all-time in regular season road games.

SACK THIS – After allowing three sacks in each of the first two games, the SaberCats did not allow the Rampage to get to QBs Mark Grieb and Nick Rolovich in their win on Feb. 28.

FINISH THE DEAL – The SaberCats have led all three games this season entering the fourth quarter and have been able to hold on to fourth quarter leads despite being outscored 39-34 in the final quarter. San Jose has been able to hold the advantage by outscoring its three opponents 43-21 in the third quarter allowing just seven points in each of the three games.

BALL SECURITY – A big reason for the SaberCats 3-0 start is their ability to hold on to the football. San Jose has turned the ball over by fumble, interception or downs just once this season. A Mark Grieb fumble while being sacked in the second quarter of San Jose's game at Detroit on Feb. 5, is the only turnover committed by the SaberCats. Since that time the team has had 26 offensive possessions and has scored 19 touchdowns. In all three games the SaberCats ran out the clock at the end.

THE SIXTIES – San Jose's 62-31 win over Grand Rapids on Feb. 28 marked the 38th time in franchise history the team has scored 60 or more points in a regular season game. The win upped the SaberCats all-time record to 34-4 when hitting the 60-point mark.

JUST WIN – In 52 career regular season starts as a member of the SaberCats, quarterback Mark Grieb owns a 44-8 (.846) record.

KEEP IT LEGAL – The SaberCats are averaging exactly 10 penalties a game – and those are the ones that are accepted. San Jose has been flagged 30 times for 182 yards in its three games. The nine teams that have been penalized more than San Jose have each played four games on the season. The SaberCats already had their bye in Week 2 of the season.

NOTES:
STREAKING – San Jose's AFL record 15-game regular season win streak both started and ended at the hands of the Iowa/New York franchise. The SaberCats posted a 54-52 win at Iowa on May 6, 2000 then proceeded to win their final 10 regular season games of that season to post a league mark of 11 straight wins to end a season. San Jose won its first four games of the 2001 campaign to best the old record of 14 straight regular season wins set by the 1995-96 Tampa Bay Storm. The Dragons ended San Jose's run with a 62-58 win on May 12, 2001.

GOOD GRIEB! – The return of a healthy Mark Grieb could mean trouble to the rest of the AFL. Grieb continued his hot start to the 2004 season by completing 12-of-17 passes for 213 yards and six TDs with no INTs in three quarters of work in a 62-31 win over Grand Rapids on Feb. 28. For the season, the UC Davis product has completed 78.9 percent of his passes (45-of-57) for 568 yards with 14 TDs and no interceptions. He actually raised his league leading passer rating from 143.2 to 147.8 with his performance.

THE MALLEY FACTOR – Since taking over as the SaberCats' offensive coordinator with six games remaining in the 1999 season, Terry Malley has had the headset on for 67 regular season games. In those games the SaberCats have scored 4,039 points for an average of 60.3 ppg. The team has averaged over 60 ppg in three of his four full seasons, no other team in league history has averaged over 60 ppg more than once, and the SaberCats have posted four of the six highest per game averages in AFL history under the guidance of Malley.

Team, Year Points Avg.
New York (2001) 898 64.1
San Jose (2002) 878 62.7
Albany (1996) 873 62.4
San Jose (2000) 871 62.2
San Jose (2003) 966 60.4
San Jose (2001) 831 59.4

TOP CAT – San Jose head coach Darren Arbet has posted a 56-19 record in career regular season games, and currently owns the highest winning percentage among coaches who have coached in 25 games. The top 10 is listed below. (* - active coaches)

No Coach Record Winning %
1. Darren Arbet* 56-19 .747
2. Tim Marcum* 135-49 .734
3. Perry Moss 75-28-1 .726
4. Danny White* 112-52 .683
5. Ed Hodgkiss* 21-12 .636
6. Pat Sperduto 25-15 .625
7. John Hufnagel 17-11 .607
8. Jay Gruden* 36-23 .610
9. Mike Dailey* 61-43 .587
10. John Gregory 66-48 .579

JHUN – SaberCats OS James Hundon is up to his old tricks. JHun had four TD catches of his five total and led all receivers with 116 yards in San Jose's win over Grand Rapids on Feb. 28. Hundon extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one TD catch to 20 and posted his 18th career 100-yard receiving game and 7th career game with at least four TD catches. Not bad considering he's only played 34 games with San Jose.

RECORD COLLECTOR – Dragon's QB Aaron Garcia completed 32 passes in a 62-58 Dragon victory over San Jose May 12, 2001 – setting a record for a SaberCats opponent and, more importantly, ending San Jose's 15-game regular season winning streak. Garcia's 50 pass attempts that day were just one off the record for a SaberCats opponent (51), and he was only the fourth quarterback to attempt 50-or-more passes against San Jose. Garcia also appears in the SaberCats' record book with the second-most rushing attempts in a game (11) and the seventh-most rushing yards (36) by an opponent.

SHAKES – Calvin Schexnayder, the 1998 AFL Offensive Player of the Year, is resurrecting his career after missing the entire 2003 season. Shakes had a season-high 3 catches for 55 yards and 2 TDs in San Jose's 62-31 win over Grand Rapids on Feb. 28. The TD grabs were the 170th and 171st of his career. The one-time Arizona Rattler also became just the sixth player in AFL history to surpass the 8,000 mark in career receiving yards (8,048).

AFL CAREER RECEIVING YARDS
Rank Player Rcv Yards
1. Eddie Brown 12,726
2. Barry Wagner 12,407
3. Gary Compton 10,158
4. George LaFrance 9,004
5. Hunkie Cooper 8,171
6. Calvin Schexnayder 8,048

NUMBERS GAME – Two San Jose players experienced a change in their uniform number prior to the Feb. 28 game, and for different reasons. OL/DL Joe Jacobs is now wearing No. 93, a change from his customary 56, because his stats were not up to Jacobs-like standards. Brian Johnson switched positions so his number also changed. Johnson started his career as a lineman with No. 75 but moved to FB/LB and played in that position against Grand Rapids on Feb. 28 with uniform No. 27. Johnson also had his 1st career rush attempt for 7 yards.

BOMBS AWAY – Even compared to the rest of the pass-first Arena Football League, the Dragons throw the ball a lot. The result has been record numbers of touchdowns through the air. Behind the arm of Garcia, New York owns the top two season touchdown pass totals in AFL history. Behind Garcia's AFL record 104 TD passes, the Dragons racked up 106 scoring throws in 2001, then topped it last season with 107 TD strikes with Garcia again reaching triple-digits with 100. The SaberCats will counter with a defense that led the AFL with 28
interceptions last season.

REUNION TOUR – The SaberCats will visit ‘San Jose East' to face the New York Dragons, who boast five SaberCat alumni on their roster and coaching staff. Head coach, Todd Shell was San Jose's first-ever coach and posted 29 wins, three playoff appearances and one Western Division title in four seasons. Defensive coordinator, Derrick Chachere, is the SaberCats' all-time leading rusher with 154 attempts for 442 yards. He also scored the first touchdown and recorded the first quarterback sack in team history. FB/LB Joey Dozier spent two seasons in San Jose (2000-01), and led the team in rushing both seasons, while contributing 32.5 tackles, two sacks and one INT on defense. Defensive specialist, Terrance Joseph posted 34.5 tackles, three INT and 12 PBU for San Jose in 2000-01. OL/DL Ken Talanoa played three seasons (1999-2001) for the SaberCats and contributed 29.5 tackles, six sacks and three forced fumbles.

CLEVAN THE MAN – Two-time ADT Defensive Player-of-the-Year Clevan Thomas got his first interception of the season and returned it 43 yards for a score in San Jose's win over Grand Rapids on Feb. 28. It was the 4th interception return TD in Thomas' career, giving him the SaberCats' career lead in that category. Thomas is also closing in on the team's career lead for INTs. His 19th career pick moved him within five of tying Pat McGuirk for the club's all-time lead.

TEAM CAREER INT LEADERS
Rank Player INTs
1. Pat McGuirk 24
2. Clevan Thomas 19
3. Tommy Jones 17
4. Barry Wagner 15
5. Herschel Currie 10

WINNING TRADITION – After setting a league record for most regular season wins in 2002 with 13, the SaberCats once again topped the AFL with 12 victories last season and have opened the 2004 campaign with three straight victories. San Jose has posted a double-digit regular season win total in each of the last four years – the longest current streak in league history and the second longest ever. Arizona had five straight double-digit win seasons from 1996-00. Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats own a league-best 50-11 regular season record. Arizona (43) is the only other team to exceed 40 wins in the same time frame. Below is a look at the records of teams since the 2000 season.
Team Record Pct.
San Jose SaberCats 50-11 .820
Arizona Rattlers 43-19 .694
Orlando Predators 39-22 .639
Tampa Bay Storm 38-24 .613
Nashville/Georgia Force 34-27 .557
Grand Rapids Rampage 33-29 .532
Albany/Indiana Firebirds 31-31 .500
Iowa/New York Dragons 29-33 .468
Los Angeles Avengers 29-32 .475
New Jersey/Las Vegas Gladiators 25-37 .403
Buffalo/Columbus Destroyers 23-39 .371
Carolina Cobras 18-44 .290

TOUCHDOWN MAKERS – Three of the top five TD scorers in team history are battling for position in 2004. OS James Hundon scored four times against Grand Rapids on Feb. 28 to tie James Roe for 3rd place all-time with 85. Roe scored once and Barry Wagner added one to up his total to 93. They all trail Steve Papin, who scored 126 times in his SaberCats career, for the top spot on the chart.

CAREER LEADERS IN TOUCHDOWNS SCORED
Rank Player TDs Scored
1. Steve Papin 126
2. Barry Wagner 93
3. James Roe 85
James Hundon 85
5. Jerry Reese 79

CATCHING ON – It's James Hundon's week to make a run on the team's career receptions chart. JHun led the SaberCats with five catches in their win over Grand Rapids on Feb. 28 and is inching closer to 4th place on the all-time list. Hundon trails Jerry Reese by three for the fourth spot and is just 10 catches behind Barry Wagner for 2nd place. Barry Wagner and James Roe each had three catches to remain in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. Hundon, Roe and Wagner all have a shot at catching Steve Papin, who leads the pack with 326 career receptions.

CAREER LEADERS IN RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Recpts
1. Steve Papin 326
2. Barry Wagner 247
3. James Roe 244
4. Jerry Reese 240
5. James Hundon 237

JAMES GANG – The James Gang (Hundon and Roe) are 1-2 on the SaberCats career TD receptions list and will battle all season for the top spot. Roe entered the season in 3rd place, but his six TD grabs on the year have moved him ahead of Jerry Reese for sole possession of 2nd place.

CAREER LEADERS IN TD RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Rcv TDs
1. James Hundon 85
2. James Roe 79
3. Jerry Reese 76


NEW YORK PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB AARON GARCIA – From the very first game of their history, Dragons QB Aaron Garcia has proved to be one of the SaberCats' chief nemeses. Garcia was under center for the Arizona Rattlers in San Jose's first-ever AFL game, completing 16-of-27 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Rattlers to a 43-37 overtime win on May 12, 1995. Garcia won his first four games against the SaberCats and is 5-2 overall. San Jose has kept the games close as five of the seven games have been decided by six points or less. For his career, Garcia has completed 132-of-232 passes for 1,510 yards and 28 touchdowns against the SaberCats.

OS WILL HOLDER – Tied for the league lead with 9 TD catches, the former New York practice squad player is flourishing with Aaron Garcia as his QB. The Dragons like to throw the ball and Holder leads the team with 23 receptions for 322 yards, both ranking him in the top 10 of league leaders.

WEEKLY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
BABY RUTH OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Detroit (Feb. 5) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
@Los Angeles (Feb. 22) OS Joe Douglass, Los Angeles
GRND RAPIDS (Feb. 28) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
@New York (Mar. 7)
COLORADO (Mar. 14)
LAS VEGAS (Mar. 20)
LOS ANGELES (Mar. 26)
@Tampa Bay (Apr. 4)
@Dallas (Apr. 10)
CHICAGO (Apr. 16)
@Georgia (Apr. 25)
NEW ORLEANS (May 1)
@Arizona (May 9)
@Las Vegas (May 16)
PHILADELPHIA (May 22)
ARIZONA (May 30)

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Detroit (Feb. 5) DS Omarr Smith, San Jose
@Los Angeles (Feb. 22) OL/DL Sam Hernandez, San Jose
GRND RAPIDS (Feb. 28) DS Clevan Thomas, San Jose
@New York (Mar. 7)
COLORADO (Mar. 14)
LAS VEGAS (Mar. 20)
LOS ANGELES (Mar. 26)
@Tampa Bay (Apr. 4)
@Dallas (Apr. 10)
CHICAGO (Apr. 16)
@Georgia (Apr. 25)
NEW ORLEANS (May 1)
@Arizona (May 9)
@Las Vegas (May 16)
PHILADELPHIA (May 22)
ARIZONA (May 30)

ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Detroit (Feb. 5) FB/LB Cameron Chance, Detroit
@Los Angeles (Feb. 22) WR/DB Rashied Davis, San Jose
GRND RAPIDS (Feb. 28) WR/DB Barry Wagner, San Jose
@New York (Mar. 7)
COLORADO (Mar. 14)
LAS VEGAS (Mar. 20)
LOS ANGELES (Mar. 26)
@Tampa Bay (Apr. 4)
@Dallas (Apr. 10)
CHICAGO (Apr. 16)
@Georgia (Apr. 25)
NEW ORLEANS (May 1)
@Arizona (May 9)
@Las Vegas (May 16)
PHILADELPHIA (May 22)
ARIZONA (May 30)


THE SABERCATS RECORD WHEN...:

Scoring Allowing
0 - 9 points 0-0 0-0
10-19 points 0-0 0-0
20-29 points 0-0 0-0
30-39 points 0-0 1-0
40-49 points 0-0 1-0
50-59 points 1-0 1-0
60-69 points 2-0 0-0
70-79 points 0-0 0-0
80+ points 0-0 0-0

Games decided
by 7 or fewer points 1-0

Leading after the 1st 1-0
Trailing after the 1st 1-0
Tied after the 1st 1-0

Leading at Half 2-0
Trailing at Half 0-0
Tied at Half 1-0

Leading after the 3rd 3-0
Trailing after the 3rd 0-0
Tied after the 3rd 0-0

Scoring First 1-0
Opp. Score First 2-0

More Total Offense 1-0
Less Total Offense 2-0

More Pass Yards 1-0
Less Pass Yards 2-0

More Rushing Yards 3-0
Less Rushing Yards 0-0

Thursday games 1-0
Friday games 0-0
Saturday games 1-0
Sunday games 1-0

On NBC 1-0
WB20 1-0

Outscoring Opponent 3-0
Being Outscored 0-0

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