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San Jose SaberCats game notes

April 13, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Chicago Rush (7-2) at SaberCats (7-2).
Date: Friday, April 16, 2004.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (PDT).
Site: HP Pavilion at San Jose (14,041).
Officials: Referee: Craig Wrolstad; Umpire: Rick Lowe; Head Linesman: Dale Newhouse; Line Judge: Rusty Baynes; Back Judge: Scott Helverson.
Television: No local TV
Radio: The game will be broadcast live on San Jose's flagship radio station KNBR 1050 with Bob Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Keena Turner (analyst).
SaberCats Sideline Report: SSR returns and can be seen on NBC11 every Sunday at 11:50 p.m. with host Bob Fitzgerald and a special guest.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of the game.
Series Record: SaberCats lead 2-0.
Last Meeting: San Jose 71, Chicago 49 (March 9, 2003 in Chicago, Ill.).
Series Streaks: San Jose Won 2.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (6th season; 60-21 regular season, 66-24 overall). Chicago, Mike Hohensee (11th season; 75-66 regular season, 80-73 overall).


OVERVIEW: The SaberCats play their only home game of the month when they host the Chicago Rush on Friday, April 16, with the top spot in the Arena Football League standings on the line. San Jose, Chicago and New Orleans each have a 7-2 record with Colorado close behind at 7-3. The top eight teams with the best overall records, regardless of division, make the playoffs. The SaberCats saw their four-game winning streak come to an end with a 58-54 loss at Dallas on April 10. The team committed a season-high tying three turnovers but still held a lead in the last minute. Dallas WR/LB Jason Shelley scored on a 6-yard run with 25 seconds left for the deciding points. San Jose had a chance but failed to score when a Mark Grieb to Rashied Davis pass came up 11 yards short of the endzone as time expired. OS James Hundon was the main offensive target for San Jose catching 13 passes for 179 yards and four TDs. Hundon increased his career TD reception total to 93, leapfrogging James Roe (92) as the team's career leader. Mark Grieb had his streak of consecutive passes without an INT end at 118, but still went 26-of-36 for 319 yards with four TDs. San Jose has never lost to Chicago winning both games by scoring over 70 points in each contest. Chicago head coach Mike Hohensee, who posted his 80th career victory last week in a win over Tampa Bay, has never beaten San Jose going 0-6 all-time.

THE SCHEDULES:
2004 San Jose SaberCats (7-2)
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
Mar. 26 LOS ANGELES Won 55-52
Apr. 4 @Tampa Bay Won 62-55
Apr. 10 @Dallas Lost 54-58
Game Opponent Time Radio/TV
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 Chicago Rush (7-2)
Game Opponent Result Score
Feb. 8 GRAND RAPIDS Won 50-30
Feb. 14 @New York Won 56-54
Feb. 22 COLORADO Won 65-35
Feb. 29 @Indiana Won 49-46
Mar. 7 @Philadelphia Lost 47-53
Mar. 21 ORLANDO Won 58-15
Mar. 28 DETROIT Lost 71-72
Apr. 4 @Las Vegas Won 57-55
Apr. 11 TAMPA BAY Won 51-36
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
Apr. 16 @San Jose 7:30 pm
Apr. 25 LOS ANGELES 12:00 pm NBC
May 2 @Detroit 12:00 pm NBC
May 8 @Grand Rapids 12:00 pm
May 16 DALLAS 12:00 pm NBC
May 23 INDIANA 12:00 pm NBC
May 30 @Colorado 1:00 pm NBC

THE SERIES: San Jose leads the all-time series 2-0...The SaberCats have outscored the Rush 145 to 117 and have scored over 70 points in both meetings...San Jose defeated Chicago, 74-68, on June 15, 2002 in the only meeting in San Jose...The SaberCats posted a 71-49 win in Chicago on March 9, 2003 in the team's last meeting.

WHAT'S AHEAD: Following Friday's game the SaberCats play three of their next four on the road beginning with a trip to Georgia for a schedule NBC game on Sunday, April 25. After hosting New Orleans on Saturday, May 1, the SaberCats conclude the road portion of their 2004 schedule with games at Arizona (May 9) and Las Vegas (May 16).


SERIES NOTABLES: The SaberCats have intercepted 3 passes in each of the two series games...WR/DB Rashied Davis set a career-high with 6 catches and had his 1st career INT return touchdown at Chicago on Mar. 9, 2003...San Jose allowed a record 32 third quarter points against Chicago and the teams combined for a SaberCats record 52 third quarter points on June 15, 2002...Four of OS James Hundon's five career receptions against Chicago have been for TDs...FB/LB Keala Keanaaina had a career-high 2 pass breakups at Chicago on Mar. 9, 2003...San Jose set team records with 252 combined kick return yards (200 KOR, 52 MFG) and 3 return TDs against Chicago on June 15, 2002...The SaberCats have scored 70-or-more points in a game 19 times in franchise history and have done it in both games with Chicago.

LAST SERIES MEETING: SAN JOSE 71, Chicago 49 • Sunday, March 9, 2003 • AllState Arena – Aaron Bailey set a San Jose game record with four rushing touchdowns and added a fifth on a pass reception helping head coach Darren Arbet earn his 50th career victory with a 71-49 defeat of the Chicago Rush. Bailey staked San Jose to a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard run just over five minutes into the game and added his second scoring run, a 2-yard scamper, to give San Jose a 22-6 lead after the first quarter of play. The former Carolina Cobra added 1 and 2 yard scoring runs in the second half to break the club record of three rush TDs in a game. Chad Salisbury replaced an ineffective Brian Ah Yat at quarterback late in the second quarter for the Rush and got Chicago within 43-35 following an 8-yard scoring pass to Anthony Ladd. Salisbury completed 12 of 17 for 150 yards and four scores. The SaberCats put the Rush away after that scoring the game's next 21 points. Rashied Davis, named Ironman of the Game for the second straight week, capped off the run by returning an interception 33 yards for a score to give the SaberCats a 64-35 advantage with 7:47 left in the game. Mark Grieb completed his first 9 passes of the game for San Jose and finished 19 of 25 for
267 yards and three TDs. James Roe and Davis each caught six passes while Bailey had a game-high 104 receiving yards on five catches. Sam Hernandez posted
career sack No. 50 when he got to Ah Yat in the endzone for a safety and a 9-0 lead early in the game. The SaberCats also added three interceptions to raise their league leading total to 15. Davis, Roe and Clevan Thomas posted the picks with Thomas tying a team record with a pick in six straight games. Brian Johnson lifted San Jose over the 70-point mark for the third straight game when he returned an on-side kick by the Rush 6-yards for his first career TD late in the game.

Score By Quarters
SaberCats................................ 22 14 7 28 – 71
Rush........................................ 6 14 15 14 – 49

SCORING SUMMARY
SAN Bailey 1 run (Alcorn kick)
SAN Hernandez safety
SAN R.Davis 12 pass from Grieb (Alcorn kick)
CHI Chatman 57 kickoff return (Gatto kick failed)
SAN Bailey 2 run (Alcorn kick failed)
CHI Fleshman 11 pass from Ah Yat (Gatto kick)
SAN Bailey 47 pass from Grieb (Alcorn kick)
SAN Keanaaina 8 run (Alcorn kick)
CHI Fleshman 18 pass from Salisbury (Gatto kick)
SAN Bailey 2 run (Alcorn kick)
CHI Brown 3 run (Gatto kick)
CHI Ladd 8 pass from Salisbury (Ladd pass)
SAN Bailey 1 run (Alcorn kick)
SAN Roe 17 pass from Grieb (Alcorn kick)
SAN R.Davis 33 interception return (Alcorn kick)
CHI Chatman 25 pass from Salisbury (Gatto kick)
SAN Johnson 6 kickoff return (Alcorn kick)
CHI Bonner 9 pass from Salisbury (Gatto kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: SAN - Grieb 19-25-1-267. CHI - Salisbury 12-17-1-150; Ah Yat 3-12-1-43.
Rushing: SAN - Keanaaina 2-9; Kinsinger 4-8; Bailey 5-8; Wagner 1-2. CHI - Brown 2-6; McMillen 1-1; Salisbury 1-0.
Receiving: SAN - Roe 6-85; R.Davis 6-65; Bailey 5-104; Wagner 1-8; G.Williams 1-5. CHI - Chatman 5-70; Fleshman 3-42; Ladd 3-22; Bonner 2-17; Bowick 1-29;
Alfonzo 1-13.
Kick Returns: SAN - Thomas 4-76; Johnson 2-6; Bailey 1-0. CHI - Chatman 8-263; Porter 1-4.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
March 9, 2003 San Jose 71, @Chicago 49
June 15, 2002 @San Jose 74, Chicago 68

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Chicago it would...
*Be their 8th straight regular season home win.
*Break their 1-game losing streak.
*Give them an 8-2 season record.
*Give them a 3-0 series lead over the Rush.
*Give them a 96-52 all-time record.
*Give them a 90-46 all-time regular season record.
*Give them a 49-19 all-time regular season home record.

THE COACHES:
San Jose – Darren Arbet, 6th season
60-21 (.741) reg. season; 66-24 (.733) overall
2-0 (1.000) career vs. Chicago
Now in his sixth season at the helm of the SaberCats, Darren Arbet owns the highest regular season winning percentage (.741) in league history among coaches with at least 20 victories and his 66 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 54-13 (.806) 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).

Chicago – Mike Hohensee, 11th season
75-66 (.532) reg. season; 80-73 (.523) overall
0-6 career vs. San Jose
Chicago head coach Mike Hohensee became just the fourth coach in AFL history to accumulate 80 career wins when the Rush defeated Tampa Bay last week and owns an 80-73 (.523) all-time record. Now in his 11th season as a head coach in the AFL, Hohensee was hired as the first coach in Rush history on September 26, 2000. He has a regular season record of 31-22 (.585) in his fourth season with the Rush and is 33-25 (.569) overall. He has led the Rush to three-consecutive playoff berths and a 2002 Central Division title.

RECENT RESULTS: DALLAS 58, SaberCats 54 – A six-yard scoring run by Jason Shelley with 25 seconds left in the game lifted the Dallas Desperados (6-3) to a 58-54 win over San Jose (7-2) snapping the SaberCats four-game win streak. For the third straight week the SaberCats fell behind early, digging themselves a 14-point deficit after failing to get a first down on their first offensive possession. Dallas QB Glen Gauntt tossed a 13-yard TD pass to Bobby Sippio for the game's first score and San Jose's Rashied Davis fumbled the ball away on the ensuing kickoff leading to a 1-yard Gauntt TD run. San Jose outscored Dallas 27 to 10 over the remainder of the first half to take a 27-24 halftime lead. Mark Grieb tossed three TD passes to James Hundon and Kevin Buck scored on a career-long 13-yard run. The SaberCats appeared to gain control of the game at the start of the second half when Omarr Smith intercepted a Gauntt offering leading to a Matt Kinsinger score and a 10-point San Jose lead early in the third. Following a 39-yard Sippio scoring reception, Davis fumbled on another kickoff return and Dallas scored on a 13-yard Shelley reception on the next play to stake the Desperados to a 37-34 lead. The team's traded touchdowns the rest of the way with San Jose taking its final lead of the game on a 5-yard scoring pass from Grieb to Hundon. Hundon finished the game 13 receptions for 179 yards and four TDs while Grieb completed 26 of 36 for 319 yards. San Jose attempted an onside kick following their go-ahead score, but Dallas recovered leading to the eventual game-winning touchdown. Gauntt, playing with an injured knee, completed 19 of 32 for 217 yards and six TDs. Sippio led all Dallas receivers with seven catches for 100 yards and four scores. At 7-2, San Jose is tied with New Orleans for the best record in the AFL. The SaberCats return to action on Friday, April 16 when they host the Chicago Rush.

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats signed veteran WR/LB Shalon Baker to the practice squad on Mar. 25 and released him on Apr. 8.

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
Mar. 24 Re-signed DS Omarr Smith
Mar. 25 Signed WR/LB Shalon Baker to practice squad
Apr. 8 Released WR/LB Shalon Baker from practice squad



INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Albrey Battle Lower leg contusion Probable
Frank Beede Leg strain Probable

MILESTONES:
*The SaberCats need 5 wins for 100 overall in franchise history.
*OL/DL Joe Jacobs needs 0.5 sacks for 30 career.
*WR/DB Barry Wagner needs 180 receiving yards to become AFL's all-time leader, 19 rush yards for 800 career and 2 TDs for 100 in SJ career.
*OL/DL Chuck Reed needs 2.5 sacks for 25 career.
*QB Mark Grieb needs 3 TD passes for 300 in San Jose career.
*WR/LB James Roe needs 13 catches for 300 career and 116 receiving yards for 4,000 career.
*OS James Hundon needs 61 receiving yards to become team's career leader and 7 TD catches for 100 career.
*FB/LB Matt Kinsinger needs 1 rush yard for 300 in San Jose career and 1 rush TD for 20 in San Jose career.
*DS Omarr Smith needs 1 INT for 20 career.
*WR/DB Rashied Davis needs 108 KOR yards for 1,000 season.
*FB/LB Kevin Buck needs 30 rush yards for 100 career and 3 rush TDs for 10 career.

2004 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category SaberCats Rush
Scoring Offense (Rank) 59.6 (1st) 56.0 (3rd)
Scoring Defense 50.6 (11th) 44.0 (4th)
Total Offense 277.1 (5th) 256.7 (12th)
Total Defense 285.2 (18th) 249.8 (4th)
Pass Offense 251.8 (7th) 221.8 (15th)
Pass Defense 277.8 (18th) 216.1 (2nd)
Rushing Offense 25.3 (6th) 34.9 (2nd)
Rushing Defense 7.4 (1st) 33.7 (17th)
Pass Rating 137.1 (1st) 121.6 (4th)
Pass Defense Rating 104.8 (5th) 99.9 (3rd)
Interceptions 9 (T-3rd) 11 (1st)
Turnover Margin +2 (7th) +11 (T-2nd)
Kickoff Return Avg. 23.8 (1st) 19.8 (4th)
Field Goal Return Avg. 20.3 (6th) 0.0 (19th)
Sacks By 8 (T-8th) 14 (2nd)
Sacks Against 13 (T-17th) 3 (T-1st)

TRENDS:
HOME SWEET HOME – The SaberCats are 4-0 at home this season and have won seven straight regular season home games dating back to last season. San Jose, in fact, has been most dominant at home winning 21 of its last 22 and 29 of its last 31 regular season games played in HP Pavilion. Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats own a 30-3 (.909) record in regular season games and are 36-5 (.878) 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 48-19 (.712).

DIGGING HOLES – For the second consecutive week the SaberCats found themselves trailing 14-0 early and for the third straight game faced a two touchdown deficit. Unlike their games at Tampa Bay on Apr. 4 and against Los Angeles on Mar. 26, the SaberCats were unable to secure the victory at Dallas on Apr. 10. After failing to get a first down on their first offensive possession, San Jose gave up a TD and fumbled the ensuing kickoff leading to another Dallas score and a two TD deficit just seven and a half minutes into the game. San Jose fell behind Tampa Bay 14-0 just 4:46 into the game and faced a 17-point halftime deficit and were down by two TDs in the first half to Los Angeles.

ON THE MARK – Mark Grieb has completed 70 percent or more of his passes in eight of the SaberCats nine games this season and leads the league with a percentage of 75.7. Grieb completed 26-of-36 (72.2%) for 319 yards and four TDs at Dallas on Apr. 10.

HALF CENTURY POINT – San Jose kept its season-long streak of scoring at least 50 points going in their 58-54 loss at Dallas. The SaberCats are the only team to reach the half century mark in every game this season and have scored 50-or-more points in 61 of 73 regular season games since Terry Malley took over as offensive coordinator with six games left in the 1999 season. Prior to Malley's arrival the SaberCats had reached the half century mark just 19 times in 62 games. San Jose is 51-10 when hitting the half century mark under Malley and is 65-15 all-time when scoring 50-or-more points in a regular season game.

JUST WIN – The loss at Dallas on Apr. 10 was just the 10th for QB Mark Grieb in 58 career regular season starts (.828) as a member of the SaberCats.

FAST STARTS – San Jose has outscored the Rush 42-9 in the first quarter of their two series games. The SaberCats held a 20-3 advantage after the first quarter of their 74-68 win on June 15, 2002 and got off to another quick start, holding a 22-6 lead after one, in their 71-49 win at Chicago on Mar. 9, 2003.

TURNOVERS – The SaberCats have committed three turnovers in each of the last two games and are a -4 in turnover margin in that span. San Jose lost two fumbles on kickoff returns and an INT and were still within four points of pulling out the win at Dallas on Apr. 10. The last two games also mark the only times this year that San Jose has committed more turnovers than their opponent.

WAIT A SECOND – The SaberCats have owned the second quarter this season outscoring the opposition 167 to 106 (+61). San Jose has scored at least two TDs in every second quarter this season and has tallied three TDs five times.

NOTES:
SHOWDOWN – The SaberCats host the Chicago Rush on Friday, April 16, in a game that could have an impact on playoff seedings. Both teams are tied with the New Orleans VooDoo for the best record in the AFL at 7-2. The top eight teams with the best overall records, regardless of division, qualify for posteason play with head-to-head results as the first tie-breaker. San Jose also plays host to New Orleans on May 1, in what could be another tilt with playoff seedings hanging. San Jose is 2-0 all-time against the Rush.

OH FOR COACH HO – Chicago head coach Mike Hohensee has never beaten San Jose in six games as a head coach in the AFL. San Jose beat Hohensee's Albany Firebirds, 69-40, in 1996 and twice beat Anaheim in 1997, Hohensee's only season coaching the Piranhas. The SaberCats defeated the New England Sea*Wolves, 85-76, on June 9, 2000 and have beaten the Rush in each of the last two seasons. San Jose has scored 70-or-more points in a game 19 times in team history, including the last three times against Hohensee-coached teams.

OFFENSE vs. DEFENSE – An interesting matchup in this game will be the efficient San Jose offense against the Rush's stingy defense. The SaberCats lead the league scoring an average of 59.6 ppg and have scored 50-or-more points in all nine games. Chicago is allowing just 44.0 ppg (4th in AFL) and has given up 50-plus points in just four of nine games. Both Chicago losses on the year have come when the team has allowed over 50 points.

BUCK THE SYSTEM – FB/LB Kevin Buck established a new season career-high in rush yards when he scampered for a game-high 18 on 2 attempts at Dallas on Apr. 10. Buck increased his season total to 41 surpassing his 2003 rookie total of 29. Buck also scored on a career-long 13-yard run for one of his career-high tying two scores. Buck has four rush TDs this year, which is one more than he had in last season.

SO WHAT'S IN A NUMBER? – Since changing his uniform number from 56 to 93 in the third game of the season, Joe Jacobs has put up some impressive numbers. With 3 solo tackles and a sack at Dallas on Apr. 10, Jacobs now has 13 solo and 8 assisted stops (17.0 total) with 2.0 sacks, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup since the number change seven games ago.

GREAT GRIEB! – Despite not feeling 100 percent at Dallas on Apr. 10, QB Mark Grieb had a nice game. Grieb completed 26 passes for 319 yards reaching the 16,000 mark in career passing yards (16,191) and tossing the 1,200th completion of his career (1,218). Grieb also tossed four TD passes to up his career total to 317 leaving him 23 behind Fred McNair for 9th place on the all-time list.

AFL CAREER TD PASS LEADERS
Rank Player TD Passes
1. Aaron Garcia, New York 596
2. Andy Kelly, Detroit 594
3. Sherdrick Bonner Arizona 579
4. Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 542
5. Todd Hammell, Philadelphia 399
6. John Kaleo, Austin 397
7. Jay Gruden 392
8. Mike Perez 341
9. Fred McNair 340
10. Mark Grieb, San Jose 317
11. Rickey Foggie, Carolina 305
12. Mike Pawlawski 303

ON THE FLY – James Hundon was on the loose at Dallas on Apr. 10. Jhun tallied 13 receptions, the 2nd highest total in San Jose game history, for 179 yards, the 5th highest total in the AFL this year, with 4 TDs. It was the 9th career 10-plus reception game of Hundon's career and the 20th career 100-plus receiving yard game. His four scoring grabs also marked the 8th time in his 40 game career that he has caught four or more scoring passes.

ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER – For the second straight week Rashied Davis established a new career-high in all-purpose yardage by amassing 235 at Dallas on Apr. 10. Davis tallied 139 on seven KORs, 41 yards on 2 MFG returns and had 55 yards on a career-high tying six receptions. Davis ranks 6th in the league with 1,341 all-purpose yards, the 12th highest single-season total in franchise history, and continues to lead the circuit in KOR average (27.0) and KOR touchdowns (4). Davis became just the 9th player in team history to record a 200 all-purpose yard game.

OMARR THE INTERCEPTOR – DS Omarr Smith picked off a pass in his second straight game and it was his 11th career INT as a SaberCat, moving him past Herschel Currie into 5th place on the team's career list. Smith picked a Glen Gauntt offering on Dallas' first possession of the second half leading to a San Jose TD on Apr. 10. It was the 5th INT of the year for Smith and 19th of his five-year AFL career. Smith is tied with Colorado's Rashad Floyd for the league lead in INTs.

CAREER INTERCEPTION LEADERS
Rnk Player INTs
1. Pat McGuirk 24
2. Clevan Thomas 19
3. Tommy Jones 17
4. Barry Wagner 16
5. Omarr Smith 11

THE RUNNING MEN – FB Keala Keanaaina became the 5th player in franchise history to reach the 300 mark in career rush yards when he gained 9 on three carries at Dallas on Apr. 10 to move into 5th place on the team's career list. Matt Kinsinger moved within 1 yard of becoming the 6th player to reach 300 when he gained 6 yards. Kinsinger also scored his 20th career rush TD in the Dallas game. The two have nearly identical stats on the season with Kinsinger leading the team with 57 rush yards and KK close behind with 53. They have each carried the ball 22 times on the year.

CAREER RUSHING YARDAGE LEADERS
Rank Player Rush Yds
1. Derrick Chachere 442
2. Tom Petithomme 400
3. Mike Jones 328
4. Steve Papin 326
5. Keala Keanaaina 303
6. Matt Kinsinger 299

MADE TO BE BROKEN – Mark Grieb remains on pace to shatter the AFL season records for completion percentage and passer rating. Grieb completed 72.2 percent of his passes (26-of-36) at Dallas on Apr. 10 and actually saw his percentage go down. He continues to lead the league at 75.7 percent and has topped the 70 percent mark in eight of nine games this year. Grieb's passer rating of 115.39 at Dallas was his 2nd lowest game rating this year and brought his league leading rating to 139.91. The AFL passer rating record is 131.7 by Chicago's Raymond Philyaw, who was with Indiana in 2001. Dallas' Jim Kubiak holds the completion percentage record of 69.7 set in 2003.

IN PURSUIT – Barry Wagner remains in pursuit of the AFL's career lead for receptions and receiving yards. Wags was held in check at Dallas on Apr. 10 and remains 39 catches and 179 yards behind leader Eddie Brown.

AFL CAREER RECEPTION LEADERS
Rnk Player Career Recpts
1. Eddie Brown 949
2. Barry Wagner 910
3. Gary Compton 736
4. Hunkie Cooper 749
5. Daryl Hammond 706

AFL CAREER RECEPTION LEADERS
Rnk Player Career Recpts
1. Eddie Brown 12,726
2. Barry Wagner 12,547
3. Gary Compton 10,158
4. George LaFrance 9,004
5. Hunkie Cooper 8,336

THE JAMES GANG – The season long battle between James Hundon and James Roe continues. The two are vying for the top spot on San Jose's career chart for receptions, receiving yards and TD receptions. After moving past Hundon into 1st place on the career TD receptions list last week, Roe was shut out at Dallas. Hundon, meanwhile, collected all four scoring passes to move back into the top spot (93 to 92). Jhun's season high 179 receiving yards also moved within 60 of Steve Papin for the franchise lead. Roe had 4 catches for 62 yards to inch closer to a pair of milestones. He now needs 13 catches to become the 2nd player in team history with 300 and is just 116 yards shy of the 4,000 career mark.

CAREER LEADERS IN RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Recpts
1. Steve Papin 326
2. James Roe 287
3. James Hundon 276
4. Barry Wagner 259
5. Jerry Reese 243

CAREER LEADERS IN RECEIVING YARDS
Rank Player Rcv Yards
1. Steve Papin 4,282
2. James Hundon 4,222
3. James Roe 3,884
4. Jerry Reese 3,485
5. Shalon Baker 3,058

CAREER LEADERS IN TD RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Rcv TDs
1. James Hundon 93
2. James Roe 92
3. Jerry Reese 76
4. Steve Papin 65
5. Shalon Baker 55

TOUCHDOWN MAKERS – James Hundon and Barry Wagner are looking to become the 3rd and 4th players in franchise history to score 100 career touchdowns. Hundon caught four scoring passes at Dallas on Apr. 10 to up his career total to 93 (all receiving) and Wagner scored his AFL record 114th career rush TD to increase his San Jose touchdown total to 98. After a record-setting 7 TD performance at Tampa Bay on Apr. 4, James Roe was kept off the scoreboard at Dallas, but became the 2nd player in team history to reach the century mark. Roe has scored in every way imaginable during his five-year career, Roe has caught 92 TD passes, returned four INTs and 2 fumbles for scores, had a net recovery TD and this season added his 1st career rushing TD. They all trail Steve Papin, who totaled 126 TDs in his career.

CAREER LEADERS IN TOUCHDOWNS SCORED
Rank Player TDs Scored
1. Steve Papin 126
2. James Roe 100
3. Barry Wagner 98
4. James Hundon 93
5. Jerry Reese 79

CHICAGO PLAYERS TO WATCH:
FB/LB BOB MCMILLEN – Former SaberCat Bob McMillen returns to HP Pavilion for the first time since ArenaBowl XVI. McMillen currently ranks 2nd in the AFL with 150 rush yards and is 3rd in the league with a season career-high 12 rush TDs. He became the 5th player in league history to rush for 1,000 career yards when he totaled 16 against Tampa Bay last week. In two seasons with the SaberCats, McMillen rushed for 224 yards and 14 TDs.

QB RAYMOND PHILYAW – Philyaw has thrown for 829 yards with 17 TD passes and just one INT in three career starts with Indiana against San Jose. He threw for a SaberCats opponent record 393 yards on 31-of-40 passing with 7 TDs in a 66-63 Firebirds win on July 15, 2001. The record was broken by Las Vegas' Clint Dolezel this year. In the three games Philyaw has completed 64.9 percent of his passes (63-of-97) and has rushed for 19 yards and 2 scores. On July 15, 2002, Philyaw failed to finish the game after going just 7-of-20 for 91 yards in the first half of a 52-41 SaberCats victory.

OL/DL JAMES BARON – The two-time AFL Lineman of the Year has been a thorn in the SaberCats side. Baron was a member of the Nashville Kats in 2000 and 2001 when they defeated the SaberCats in the semifinal round of the playoffs. Now in his 8th season in the AFL, Baron hasn't missed a game in his career and has posted 36.5 career sacks to rank 5th in league history. He has failed to record a sack against San Jose as a member of the Rush but he did tally three sacks against San Jose in six games with Nashville.










AFL STANDINGS THROUGH WEEK 10

TOP EIGHT MAKE PLAYOFFS
Rk Team W L T Pct PF PA
1. San Jose 7 2 0 .778 536 455
Chicago 7 2 0 .778 504 396
New Orleans 7 2 0 .778 389 383
4. Colorado 7 3 0 .700 460 474
5. Austin 6 3 0 .667 484 477
Dallas 6 3 0 .667 475 456
7. Los Angeles 5 4 0 .556 516 460
New York 5 4 0 .556 471 425

Rk Team W L T Pct PF PA
9. Arizona 5 5 0 .500 512 492
Indiana 5 5 0 .500 489 420
11. Detroit 4 5 0 .444 434 451
Orlando 4 5 0 .444 420 414
Philadelphia 4 5 0 .444 410 391
14. Georgia 4 6 0 .400 436 517
15. Columbus 3 6 0 .333 420 480
16. Carolina 3 7 0 .300 466 544
Las Vegas 3 7 0 .300 526 544
Tampa Bay 3 7 0 .300 467 490
19. Grand Rpids 1 8 0 .111 327 473


Week 11 Schedule

Friday, April 16
Chicago at San Jose, 7:30 pm
Detroit at Los Angeles, 7:30 pm

Saturday, April 17
Indiana at Grand Rapids, 4:30 pm
Philadelphia at Carolina, 4:30 pm

Sunday, April 18
Austin at Tampa Bay, 12:00 pm
Dallas at Arizona, 12:00 pm
Columbus at New Orleans, 12:00 pm
Colorado at New York, 12:00 pm
Orlando at Georgia, 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) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
@Tampa Bay (Apr. 4) WR James Roe, San Jose
@Dallas (Apr. 10) WR Bobby Sippio, Dallas
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) DL Silas DeMary, Los Angeles
@Tampa Bay (Apr. 4) DS Omarr Smith, San Jose
@Dallas (Apr. 10) FB Duke Pettijohn, Dallas
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) WR/LB James Roe, San Jose
@Tampa Bay (Apr. 4) WR/DB T.T. Toliver, Tampa Bay
@Dallas (Apr. 10) FB/LB Kevin Aldridge, Dallas
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 3-2 3-1
60-69 points 3-0 1-1
70-79 points 1-0 0-0
80+ points 0-0 0-0

Games decided
by 7 or fewer points 3-1
by 3 or fewer points 1-0

Leading after the 1st 3-0
Trailing after the 1st 3-2
Tied after the 1st 1-0

Leading at Half 4-2
Trailing at Half 2-0
Tied at Half 1-0

Leading after the 3rd 6-2
Trailing after the 3rd 1-0
Tied after the 3rd 0-0

Scoring First 3-1
Opp. Score First 4-1

More Total Offense 2-2
Less Total Offense 5-0

More Pass Yards 2-2
Less Pass Yards 5-0

More Rushing Yards 6-2
Less Rushing Yards 1-0

Thursday games 1-0
Friday games 1-0
Saturday games 2-1
Sunday games 3-1

On NBC 2-1
On WB20 1-0
On NBC11 0-1

vs. West 3-0
vs. Central 3-0
vs. South 1-0
vs. East 0-2

Outscoring Opponent 7-0
Being Outscored 0-2



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 13, 2004


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