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San Jose SaberCats game notes

March 23, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Los Angeles Avengers (4-2) at SaberCats (5-1).
Date: Friday, March 26, 2004.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (PST).
Site: HP Pavilion at San Jose (14,041).
Officials: Bill McCabe (Referee); Doug Wilson (Umpire); Royce Cooley (Linesman); Kent Payne (Line Judge); Jimmy Buchanan (Back Judge).
Television: There is no local television.
Radio: Friday's game will be broadcast live on the SaberCats flagship radio station KNBR 1050 with Grant Napear calling the play-by-play and former San Francisco 49er Keena Turner supplying the color commentary. The SaberCats' extended pre-game show also returns with hosts Tim Liotta and George Atkinson providing insight into the game live from HP Pavilion starting at 5:00 p.m.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of the game.
Series Record: SaberCats lead 7-2.
Last Meeting: San Jose 61, Los Angeles 55 (February 22, 2004 in Los Angeles).
Series Streaks: San Jose Won 2.
Season Streaks: San Jose Won 2; Los Angeles Won 2.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (6th season; 58-20 regular season, 64-23 overall). Los Angeles, Ed Hodgkiss (3rd season; 23-13 regular season, 23-15 overall).


OVERVIEW: The SaberCats conclude their three-game home stand when they host the Los Angeles Avengers on Friday, March 26. The Western Division opponents are each riding two-game winning streaks and will face each other for the second time this season, San Jose defeated Los Angeles 61-55 on February 22 in LA. The SaberCats won their sixth straight regular season home game with a 79-62 win over Las Vegas on Mar. 20 and have won 20 of their last 21 games played in HP Pavilion. San Jose rushed for an AFL single-game record tying six touchdowns, including two by Barry Wagner, who became the SaberCats' all-time leader surpassing Steve Papin. Despite being out gained 456 to 270 in total yards, the SaberCats posted a league season-high point total and tied a team record for the fifth most points in a game. Rashied Davis returned his league-leading 4th kickoff for a touchdown and has a kickoff return score in two straight games. Davis tied a one-game record with two kickoff return TDs at Los Angeles on Feb. 22. San Jose has won seven of the nine games played between the teams and is 4-0 against Los Angeles at HP Pavilion outscoring the Avengers 255 to 142 in those four games. The Avengers won their second straight game with a 60-44 win at Dallas on Mar. 21.

THE SCHEDULES:
2004 San Jose SaberCats (5-1)
Game Opponent Result Score
Feb. 5 @Detroit Won 58-43
Feb. 22 @Los Angeles Won 61-55
Feb. 28 GRAND RAPIDS Won 62-31
Mar. 7 @New York Lost 50-64
Mar. 14 COLORADO Won 55-35
Mar. 20 LAS VEGAS Won 79-62
Game Opponent Time Radio/TV
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 Los Angeles Avengers (4-2)
Game Opponent Result Score
Feb. 8 @ Arizona Won 51-32
Feb. 14 @ Las Vegas Won 62-55
Feb. 22 SAN JOSE Lost 55-61
Mar. 1 GEORGIA Lost (ot) 52-53
Mar. 14 @ Grand Rapids Won 48-33
Mar. 21 @ Dallas Won 60-44
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
Mar. 26 @ San Jose 7:30 pm
Apr. 3 AUSTIN 7:30 pm
Apr. 10 COLORADO 7:30 pm
Apr. 16 DETROIT 7:30 pm
Apr. 25 @ Chicago 12:00 pm NBC
May 1 ARIZONA 7:30 pm
May 9 @ Tampa Bay 12:00 pm NBC
May 16 @ New York 12:00 pm NBC
May 22 LAS VEGAS 7:30 pm
May 30 @ Orlando 1:00 pm NBC

THE SERIES: The SaberCats lead the all-time series 7-2 and have won two straight...San Jose is 4-0 at home against the Avengers outscoring them 255 to 142...San Jose has won its seven games by an average of 20.6 points while Los Angeles' two series wins have come by a combined four points.

WHAT'S AHEAD: The past two ArenaBowl champions will square off when the SaberCats visit Tampa Bay on Sunday, April 4 in a scheduled NBC broadcast. The SaberCats won ArenaBowl XVI in 2002 while the Storm captured AB XVII last season with both teams beating Arizona to claim the title.

SERIES NOTABLES: San Jose's point total in its 73-72 loss at LA on Feb. 2, 2003 is the highest ever in a defeat and the 17th highest in franchise history...San Jose has scored in the 70's four times against LA, the only four 70-point games allowed by the Avengers in team history. The SaberCats put up 78 points twice (5/27/00 and 5/11/02), 75 points (7/8/00) and 72 points (2/9/03)...LA's Chris Jackson became the first San Jose opponent to return the opening game kickoff for a TD when he went 51 yards on June 8, 2002...The 147 combined points scored between the teams on July 8, 2000 and the 145 scored on Feb. 9, 2003 represent the second and third highest scoring games in SaberCats history...San Jose's James Hundon has 33 receptions, including a team game record 14 on May 17, 2003, for 500 yards and 11 TDs in five career games against LA...Rashied Davis tied a SaberCats team record with 2 kickoff return TDs at LA on Feb. 22, 2004...San Jose scored a TD on each of its first nine possessions before running out the clock on its 10th at LA on Feb. 22, 2004...San Jose scored a team record 29 first quarter points vs LA (5/27/00) and allowed a team record 35 fourth quarter points to LA (2/9/03)...San Jose OL/DL Albrey Battle had his 1st career reception go for 14 yards and a TD in San Jose's win at LA on Feb. 22, 2004.

LAST SERIES MEETING: San Jose 61, LOS ANGELES 55 • Sunday, February 22, 2004 • Staples Center – Rashied Davis returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and Mark Grieb threw for 207 yards and six touchdowns to lead the SaberCats to a 61-55 victory over the Los Angeles Avengers on Feb. 22 at STAPLES Center. The teams traded touchdowns on each of their first three possessions with Davis, the Army Ironman of the Game, scoring his first TD on a 57-yard kickoff return to pull San Jose within 21-20 early in the second quarter. Following a 25-yard Remy Hamilton field goal that gave the Avengers a four point lead, Barry Wagner scored his 109th career rushing touchdown with nine seconds left in the half that gave the SaberCats their first lead of the game at 27-24. Hamilton nailed his second field goal of the half, a 47-yarder as time expired, to tie the game at 27-27 at the break. The teams traded scores again to start the second half before Davis struck again. The San Jose State product tied a SaberCats game record when he again scampered 57-yards for his second kick return score of the game to stake San Jose to a 40-34 lead. San Jose came up with a big defensive stop on Los Angeles' next possession forcing a turnover on downs and the offense turned it into a touchdown. Albrey Battle hauled in his first career reception for a 14-yard touchdown and the SaberCats went up 47-34. San Jose recovered two onside kick attempts late in the game to preserve the win. The SaberCats scored every time they had the ball with the exception of their final possession when they ran out the clock. Grieb completed 18-of-21 attempts for the SaberCats throwing three scoring passes to James Roe and two to James Hundon. Tony Graziani was 20-of-40 for 289 yards and seven touchdowns in Los Angeles' first loss of the season. Chris Jackson caught seven balls for 138 yards and three scores while Joe Douglas added eight receptions for 104 yards and a pair of scores.

Score By Quarters
SaberCats................................ 13 14 20 14 – 61
Avengers................................. 14 13 7 21 – 55
SCORING SUMMARY
Tm Scoring Play
LAA Ingram 4 pass from Graziani (Hamilton kick)
SAN Roe 17 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick failed)
LAA Douglass 7 pass from Graziani (Hamilton kick)
SAN Hundon 32 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
LAA Douglass 10 pass from Graziani (Hamilton kick)
SAN R. Davis 57 kickoff return (Frantz kick)
LAA FG Hamilton 25
SAN Wagner 1 run (Frantz kick)
LAA FG Hamilton 47
SAN Roe 11 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick failed)
LAA Jackson 26 pass from Graziani (Hamilton kick)
SAN R. Davis 57 kickoff return (Frantz kick)
SAN Battle 14 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
LAA Jackson 28 pass from Graziani (Hamilton kick)
SAN Roe 7 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
LAA Jackson 27 pass from Graziani (Hamilton kick)
SAN Hundon 3 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
LAA Hopkins 2 pass from Graziani (Hamilton kick)

INIDVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: SAN - Grieb 18-21-0-07. LAA - Graziani 20-40-0-289.
Rushing: SAN - Keanaaina 4-10; Kinsinger 2-2; Wagner 3-1. LAA - Jeffries 2-2; Douglass 1-0 (-7).
Receiving: SAN - Roe 7-74; Hundon 5-77; R.Davis 4-34; Battle 1-14; Wagner 1-8. LAA – Douglass 8-104; Jackson 7-138; Ingram 3-21; Hopkins 2-26.
KICK RETURNS: SAN – R. Davis 4-153; Thomas 1-20. LAA – Ingram 6-65; Shaw 3-65.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
Feb. 22, 2004 San Jose 61 @Los Angeles 55
May 17, 2003 @San Jose 47, Los Angeles 43
Feb. 9, 2003 @Los Angeles 73, San Jose 72
June 8, 2002 San Jose 55, @Los Angeles 33
May 11, 2002 @San Jose 78, Los Angeles 44
June 2, 2001 @Los Angeles 47, San Jose 44
April 14, 2001 @San Jose 52, Los Angeles 30
July 8, 2000 San Jose 75, @Los Angeles 72
May 27, 2000 @San Jose 78, Los Angeles 25

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Los Angeles it would...
*Give them a 3-game winning streak.
*Give them a 6-1 season record.
*Be their 7th straight regular season home win.
*Be their 3rd straight win over the Avengers.
*Give them an 8-2 series lead over Los Angeles.
*Give San Jose an 88-45 all-time regular season record.
*Give San Jose a 48-19 all-time regular season home record.

THE COACHES:
San Jose – Darren Arbet, 6th season
58-20 (.744) reg. season; 64-23 (.736) overall
7-2 (.778) career vs. Los Angeles
Now in his sixth season at the helm of the SaberCats, Darren Arbet owns the highest regular season winning percentage (.744) in league history among coaches with at least 20 victories and his 64 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 52-12 (.813) 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).

Los Angeles – Ed Hodgkiss, 3rd season
23-13 (.639) reg. season; 23-15 (.605) overall
1-4 (.200) career vs. San Jose
In his first two seasons at the helm, he directed the Avengers to a 19-11 record. No head coach in AFL history won more games in his first two seasons than Hodgkiss, who was the runner-up for the 2003 AFL "Coach of the Year" award. Last season, the Avengers won a franchise-best 11 games and earned a first-round bye in the AFL Playoffs. He became head coach of the Avengers on Oct. 5, 2001, and signed a five-year contract extension shortly after the 2002 season ended. In 2002, Hodgkiss not only led the Avengers into the postseason for the first time in franchise history, he also instantly established the Avenger offense as one of the most feared in the AFL. Prior to joining the Avengers, Hodgkiss had been with the Indiana Firebirds since 1997. He was the team's offensive coordinator for three seasons (1999-2001). While helping the Firebirds win the 1999 ArenaBowl world championship, Hodgkiss led the Firebirds offense to a league-high 58.7 points per game and finished second in total offense averaging 326.5 yards per game.

RECENT RESULTS: SAN JOSE 79, Las Vegas 62 – The San Jose SaberCats tied an Arena Football League record with six rushing touchdowns and Omarr Smith returned an interception 48 yards for a score to propel San Jose (5-1) to a 79-62 win over the Las Vegas Gladiators (3-4) on March 20. Matt Kinsinger scored on a pair of 3-yard runs in the first quarter and Barry Wagner added two fourth quarter rushing touchdowns as the SaberCats tied a league game record held by 11 other teams. Wagner's second rushing score of the game was the 44th of his San Jose career moving him ahead of Steve Papin as the team's all-time leader. Keala Keanaaina and Rashied Davis also scored on the ground for the SaberCats. With San Jose leading 34-21 late in the first half and Las Vegas driving, Smith stepped in front of a Clint Dolezel offering at his own 2-yard line and went the distance to give the SaberCats a 41-21 lead at the break. It was the second longest interception return in team history. Davis kept up his torrid play scoring on a 4-yard run, a 57-yard kickoff return and a 10-yard reception in the second half and added his first interception of the year to earn game Ironman honors for the second straight week. Davis leads the AFL with four kickoff return scores on the season. Dolezel threw for a SaberCats opponent record 451 yards and tied a mark with nine scoring strikes on 31-of-52 passing. His two interceptions deep in San Jose territory hurt Las Vegas' chances of pulling out the win. Marcus Nash was his favorite target hauling in 12 passes for 189 yards and five scores. Despite being out gained 456 to 270 in total offense, the SaberCats posted a league season-high in points and tied a team record for the fifth highest game total. Mark Grieb led an efficient San Jose offense completing 15-of-18 for 228 yards and three scores. OS James Hundon caught three passes for 78 yards but had his streak of 22 straight games with a touchdown catch snapped. The SaberCats scored 11 touchdowns and a field goal on their 13 possessions.

ABOUT THE AVENGERS: Deuces are wild for Los Angeles. The Avengers began the season with a pair of wins, then lost two straight before winning their last two contests...The Avengers have increased their win total in each of their four seasons. They won 3 games in 2000, 5 in 2001, 8 in 2002 and posted 11 victories last season. They would have to go 8-2 in their final 10 games to keep the streak alive...The Avengers have allowed a team to score in the 70s four times in history – all four have been to the SaberCats...Eight of QB Tony Graziani's 15 interceptions last season were to SaberCats defenders...OS Chris Jackson is the only remaining player from the original 2000 Avengers squad.

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats made a roster adjustment at the FB/LB position prior to their Mar. 20 game by activating Kevin Buck from injured reserve and placing Brian Johnson (knee) on IR.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
Mar. 9 Placed WR/LB Jerry Reese and WR/LB Calvin Schexnayder on IR.
Mar. 11 Signed WR/DB Charles Pauley from practice squad. Signed WR/DB DeVon Banks to practice squad.
Mar. 12 Signed DS Art Smith to practice squad.
Mar. 13 Placed DS Clevan Thomas on IR. Activated DS Wendell Davis from IR.
Mar. 19 Activated FB/LB Kevin Buck from IR. Placed FB/LB Brian Johnson on IR

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Frank Beede Cervical sprain Probable
Keala Keanaaina Leg contusion Probable
Wendell Davis Shoulder contusion Probable

MILESTONES:
*The SaberCats need 7 wins for 100 overall in franchise history.
*OL/DL Joe Jacobs needs 1.5 sacks for 30 career and 1.0 tackle for loss to tie Howard Butler with 11.0 for the team's all-time record
*WR/DB Barry Wagner needs 3 receiving yards for 12,500 career and 4 TDs for 100 in SJ career
*OL/DL Chuck Reed needs 2.5 sacks for 25 career.
*QB Mark Grieb needs 2 TD passes for 300 AFL career.
*WR/LB James Roe needs 10 TDs for 100 career.
*OS James Hundon needs 69 receiving yards for 4,000 and 12 TD receptions for 100 career.
*FB/LB Matt Kinsinger needs 3 rush yards for 300 career and 23 for 300 in San Jose career.
*FB/LB Keala Keanaaina needs 11 rush yards for 300 career.
*DS Omarr Smith needs 3 INTs for 20 career and 1 INT for 10 in San Jose career.


2004 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category SaberCats Avengers
Scoring Offense (Rank) 60.8 (1st) 54.7 (3rd)
Scoring Defense 48.3 (9th) 46.3 (6th)
Total Offense 256.3 (8th) 263.7 (6th)
Total Defense 300.8 (19th) 272.2 (15th)
Pass Offense 232.2 (10th) 249.5 (5th)
Pass Defense 294.7 (19th) 261.3 (17th)
Rushing Offense 24.2 (7th) 14.2 (14th)
Rushing Defense 6.2 (1st) 11.8 (2nd)
Pass Rating 115.9 (3rd) 145.8 (2nd)
Pass Defense Rating 102.3 (4th) 107.9 (13th)
Interceptions 6 (T-5th) 8 (T-2nd)
Turnover Margin +6 (T-3rd) +11 (T-1st)
Kickoff Return Avg. 25.0 (1st) 15.6 (17th)
Field Goal Return Avg. 12.7 (14th) 32.0 (2nd)
Sacks By 5 (T-9th) 9 (4th)
Sacks Against 9 (T-15th) 9 (T-15th)

TRENDS:
HOME SWEET HOME – San Jose won its sixth straight regular season home game with a 79-62 win over Las Vegas on Mar. 20. The SaberCats have also won 20 of their last 21 and 28 of their last 30 regular season games played in HP Pavilion. Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats own a 29-3 (.906) record in regular season games and are 35-5 (.875) overall in that span. San Jose last lost a regular season home game on April 11, 2003 to the Detroit Fury, 45-42. The team's all-time record in regular season home games stands at 47-19 (.712).

HEADS OR TAILS – The SaberCats have lost the coin toss in each of the last four games and were on the receiving end of the opening kickoff. San Jose has made the most of the game's first possession by scoring a TD on each opening drive. Matt Kinsinger scored the first of his two rushing TDs on the game just 1:47 into the opening quarter in San Jose's win over Las Vegas on Mar. 20.

JUST WIN – San Jose's win over Las Vegas on Mar. 20 gave Mark Grieb a career record of 46-9 (.836) in 55 regular season starts as the SaberCats' QB.

HE SCORES – When Barry Wagner scores a rushing TD the SaberCats win. Wagner has at least one rush TD in all five San Jose wins, including a season-high two against Las Vegas on Mar. 20. He failed to score on the ground in San Jose's only loss this season at New York on Mar. 7.

ON THE MARK – QB Mark Grieb has completed over 70 percent of his passes in each of the SaberCats six games this season and leads the league with a completion percentage of 77.3 (109-of-141). Grieb completed over 80 percent of his passes for the third time this season by going 15-of-18 (83.3%) against Las Vegas on Mar. 20. He set a team game record by completing 85.7% (18-of-21) at Los Angeles on Feb. 22. No QB in league history, with a minimum of 200 attempts, has completed over 70 percent for a season.

NOTES:
WHAT'S THE POINT – The SaberCats posted a league season-high point total in their 79-62 win over Las Vegas on Mar. 20. The total also matches the fifth-highest in team history and the combined total of 141 is the sixth-highest. It also marked the 19th time in history that the SaberCats have eclipsed the 70-point barrier and the team is 18-1 in those games. San Jose has scored in the 70s four times in nine all-time meetings with Los Angeles with their only 70 point loss coming on Feb. 9, 2003 (73-72) in Los Angeles.

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 70 regular season games. In those games the SaberCats have scored 4,223 points for an average of 60.3 ppg. The team has averaged over 60 ppg in three of his four full seasons and leads the league in 2004 with an average of 60.8 ppg. 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

PAYDIRT – Barry Wagner and Matt Kinsinger each scored a pair of rush TDs and Keala Keanaaina and Rashied Davis scored once each as the SaberCats tied a team and league record with six in their 79-62 win over Las Vegas on Mar. 20. San Jose tied the league record held by 11 other teams, including three times previously by the SaberCats. San Jose rushed for six scores vs Portland (5/8/99), vs Colorado (2/22/03) and vs Carolina (3/28/03).

RUSH TD WATCH – Barry Wagner's two rush TD against Las Vegas gives him 44 for his San Jose career moving him past Steve Papin (43) as the team's all-time leader. Wagner also upped his overall career total to 113, also a career record. Matt Kinsinger tied a career-high with two rush TDs and moved past Tom Petithomme for sole possession of 4th place on the team's career list. Kinsinger now has 18 career rush scores with San Jose.

CAREER RUSHING TD LEADERS
Rank Player Rush TDs
1. Barry Wagner 44
2. Steve Papin 43
3. Derrick Chachere 34
4. Matt Kinsinger 18
5. Tom Petithomme 16

RETURN THREAT – Rashied Davis returned a kickoff for a touchdown in his second straight game for his league leading fourth of the year when he went 57 yards against Las Vegas on Mar. 20. He became the second player in San Jose history to return a KO for a score in consecutive games tying Steve Papin, who did it on five different occasions during his SaberCats career. No player in team history has returned a KO for a score in three straight games. Davis continues to lead the league in return average as well at a 31.2 yards per.

PICKIN IT – DS Omarr Smith nabbed his team-high 3rd interception of the season and returned it 48 yards for a TD against Las Vegas on Mar. 20. The return was the second longest in team history behind Pat McGuirk's 52-yard return at Iowa June 12, 1995. It was the fourth time in Smith's career that he returned a pick for a score and his third as a SaberCat, moving him into a tie for 2nd place on the team's list behind Clevan Thomas' four. It was also the 17th career INT for Smith and the 9th as a SaberCat, leaving him one behind Herschel Currie for 5th place on the SaberCats leader board.

CAREER INTERCEPTION LEADERS
Rnk Player INTs
1. Pat McGuirk 24
2. Clevan Thomas 19
3. Tommy Jones 17
4. Barry Wagner 16
5. Herschel Currie 10
6. Omarr Smith 9

MR. EVERYTHING – "I expect to be Ironman," claimed Rashied Davis before the season started. Well, he's making his case. Davis scored three TDs on a 4-yard run, a 10-yard receptions and a 57-yard kickoff return and added his 1st interception of the season to earn game Ironman honors for the second straight game and third overall this year. Davis leads the team and ranks 9th in the AFL with 768 all-purpose yards.

THE 900 CLUB – After having his streak of 111 consecutive regular season games with a reception snapped against Colorado on Mar. 14, Barry Wagner began a new streak with a pair of receptions against Las Vegas on Mar. 20. Wagner increased his career total to 906 and is only the second player in AFL history with more than 900 career catches. Wags still trails former Albany/Indiana Firebird Eddie Brown, who remains as the league's career leader with 949.

AFL CAREER RECEPTION LEADERS
Rak Player Career Recpts
1. Eddie Brown 949
2. Barry Wagner 906
3. Gary Compton 736
4. Hunkie Cooper 736
5. Daryl Hammond 698

GREAT GRIEB! – For the second straight week QB Mark Grieb had a perfect passer rating. Grieb went 15-for-18 for 228 yards and 3 TDs without an INT for a perfect 158.3 passer rating in San Jose's win over Las Vegas on Mar. 20. In San Jose's five wins this season, Grieb has thrown just 19 incomplete passes. He completed 80.4 percent (78-of-97) for 1,088 yards with 23 TDs and NO interceptions in those five games for a passer rating of 152.98 (highest rating is 158.33). In San Jose's only loss of the year, Grieb completed a team record 31 passes in a career-high 44 attempts with 2 INTs. He has not thrown more than 22 passes or completed more than 18 in the five wins.

THE JAMES GANG – James Hundon and James Roe continue to battle for the top spot on San Jose's career chart for receptions, receiving yards and TD receptions. Hundon matched his career-low with 3 receptions and had his streak of 22 straight games with a TD catch snapped against Las Vegas. He did collect a team-high 78 receiving yards, however, to move within 69 of the 4,000 career mark. Roe also had 3 catches to move past the 260 career mark (262) and hauled in a 42-yard TD pass to move within five of Hundon for the all-time lead. Steve Papin remains the team's career leader with 326 receptions and 4,282 receiving yards.

CAREER LEADERS IN RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Recpts
1. Steve Papin 326
2. James Roe 262
3. Barry Wagner 255
4. James Hundon 254
5. Jerry Reese 243

CAREER LEADERS IN RECEIVING YARDS
Rank Player Rcv Yards
1. Steve Papin 4,282
2. James Hundon 3,931
3. James Roe 3,564
4. Jerry Reese 3,485
5. Shalon Baker 3,058

CAREER LEADERS IN TD RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Rcv TDs
1. James Hundon 88
2. James Roe 83
3. Jerry Reese 76
4. Steve Papin 65
5. Shalon Baker 55

TOUCHDOWN MAKERS – Three of the top five TD scorers in team history are battling for position in 2004. Barry Wagner scored twice to increase his San Jose total to 96 while James Roe scored one time to reach the 90 mark. James Hundon remained at 88 after going touchdown-less for the first time in 22 games. The three should all pass the century mark in TDs scored at some point this season and they all trail Steve Papin, who scored 126 times in his SaberCats career.

CAREER LEADERS IN TOUCHDOWNS SCORED
Rank Player TDs Scored
1. Steve Papin 126
2. Barry Wagner 96
3. James Roe 90
4. James Hundon 88
5. Jerry Reese 79

SAN JOSE PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB MARK GRIEB – Grieb set a SaberCats game record by completing 85.7% of his passes (18-of-21) at Los Angeles on Feb. 22 and leads the AFL with a 77.3 completion percentage. He has completed 66.5 percent (143-of-215) of his passes for 1,936 yards and 39 TDs in eight career games against the Avengers. He has started seven of those games and the SaberCats are 6-1 with him as a starter. Two of Grieb's career 300-plus passing yard games have come against the Avengers.

WR/DB RASHIED DAVIS – The speedy WR/DB didn't play against the Avengers last season after breaking his leg in just his fourth game. The main kickoff return threat on the SaberCats, Davis leads the league with four KOR scores and an average of 31.4 yards per return. He tied a SaberCats record with two KOR touchdowns at LA on Feb. 22 and also added 3.5 tackles and a PBU to earn game Ironman honors.

LOS ANGELES PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB TONY GRAZIANI – The owner of 10 Los Angeles passing records has started the 2004 season where he left off in 2003. Graziani has thrown for 1538 yards on 119-of-191 passing (62.3%) with 38 TDs and no interceptions in six games this season. Graziani threw just 15 picks last season with eight coming against San Jose (four in each game). Three of the eight picks were returned for TDs. Graziani completed 20-of-40 for 289 yards and seven touchdowns in the Avengers loss to San Jose on Feb. 22. In five games against San Jose, Graziani has completed just 51.1 percent (90-of-176) passes for 1,201 yards (240.2 ypg) with 23 TDs and 10 interceptions.

OS CHRIS JACKSON – The reigning AFL Offensive Player of the Year and last original Avenger leads the team with 34 receptions for 437 yards and 12 TDs and has at least one TD catch in all but two games he's played. C.J. caught three TDs seven catches for 138 yards in the Avengers loss to the SaberCats on Feb. 22, and in seven games against San Jose has 39 catches (5.6 pg) for 512 yards (73.1 ypg) and eight TDs.

WR/DB KEVIN INGRAM – Acquired from the Firebirds in a trade in Dec. 2001, the two-way player has fit the bill for the Avengers. Defensively he leads the team in tackles (25.0), interceptions (3), and pass breakups (4) while also posting a team-high 746 all-purpose yards. He is 3rd on the team in receiving and 2nd in scoring (66). Ingram is also the main kick return threat for LA with 20 KORs for 314 yards. He's played four games against San Jose compiling 13 receptions for 102 yards and 2 TDs with 12.0 tackles and an INT.

K REMY HAMILTON – The AFL's top point getter among kickers with 64, Hamilton also tops the circuit with 8 made field goals and a percentage of 57.1. He has converted 40-of-44 PATs for a percentage of 90.9 and was perfect in his first game against San Jose. Hamilton converted all seven of his PAT attempts and made field goals of 25 and 47 yards.


AFL STANDINGS THROUGH WEEK 7

Western Division
Team W L T Pct PF PA
San Jose 5 1 0 .833 365 290
Los Angeles 4 2 0 .667 328 378
Arizona 3 4 0 .429 335 334
Las Vegas 3 4 0 .429 365 347

Central Division
Team W L T Pct PF PA
Chicago 5 1 0 .833 325 233
Colorado 5 2 0 .714 307 328
Detroit 2 4 0 .333 275 291
Indiana 2 5 0 .286 334 305
Grand Rapids 0 6 0 .000 195 332

Southern Division
Team W L T Pct PF PA
New Orleans 6 1 0 .857 317 295
Austin 4 2 0 .667 307 310
Georgia 4 3 0 .571 346 380
Orlando 2 4 0 .333 257 292
Tampa Bay 2 5 0 .286 323 353

Eastern Division
Team W L T Pct PF PA
Dallas 5 2 0 .714 386 355
New York 4 3 0 .571 359 319
Carolina 3 4 0 .429 363 374
Philadelphia 3 4 0 .429 303 295
Columbus 2 5 0 .286 323 353


Week 8 Schedule

Friday, March 26
Grand Rapids at Indiana 4:30 pm
Los Angeles at San Jose 7:30 pm

Saturday, March 27
Tampa Bay at Georgia 4:00 pm
Las Vegas at Orlando 4:30 pm
Carolina at New Orleans 5:00 pm
Arizona at Colorado 6:00 pm

Sunday, March 28
Detroit at Chicago 12:00 pm
Philadelphia at Austin 12:00 pm


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) QB Aaron Garcia, New York
COLORADO (Mar. 14) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
LAS VEGAS (Mar. 20) OS Marcus Nash, Las Vegas
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) DS Terrance Joseph, New York
COLORADO (Mar. 14) DL Joe Jacobs, San Jose
LAS VEGAS (Mar. 20) DS Omarr Smith, San Jose
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) WR/DB Lincoln Dupree, New York
COLORADO (Mar. 14) WR/DB Rashied Davis, San Jose
LAS VEGAS (Mar. 20) WR/DB Rashied Davis, San Jose
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 2-0
40-49 points 0-0 1-0
50-59 points 2-1 1-0
60-69 points 2-0 1-1
70-79 points 1-0 0-0
80+ points 0-0 0-0

Games decided
by 7 or fewer points 1-0

Leading after the 1st 3-0
Trailing after the 1st 1-1
Tied after the 1st 1-0

Leading at Half 4-1
Trailing at Half 0-0
Tied at Half 1-0

Leading after the 3rd 5-1
Trailing after the 3rd 0-0
Tied after the 3rd 0-0

Scoring First 3-1
Opp. Score First 2-0

More Total Offense 1-1
Less Total Offense 4-0

More Pass Yards 1-1
Less Pass Yards 4-0

More Rushing Yards 5-1
Less Rushing Yards 0-0

Thursday games 1-0
Friday games 0-0
Saturday games 2-0
Sunday games 2-1

On NBC 1-1
WB20 1-0

Outscoring Opponent 5-0
Being Outscored 0-1

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 23, 2004


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