San Jose SaberCats game notes

Published on June 2, 2004 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Tampa Bay Storm (9-7) at SaberCats (11-5).
Date: Saturday, June 5, 2004.
Kickoff: 11:45 a.m. (PDT).
Site: HP Pavilion at San Jose (14,041).
Officials: Bill Athan (Referee); Doug Wilson (Umpire); Neil Brunner (Head Linesman); Dave Chesney (Line Judge); Joe Duncan (Back Judge).
Television: NBC will broadcast the game live with Bob Papa (play-by-play), Ray Bentley (color) and Lewis Johnson (sideline).
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). Tim Liotta and George Atkinson will host the pre-game show.
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: Tampa Bay leads 5-4.
Last Meeting: San Jose 62, Tampa Bay 55 (April 4, 2004 in Tampa, Fla.)
Series Streaks:.San Jose Won 4.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (6th season; 70-27 overall; 6-3 postseason). Tampa Bay, Tim Marcum (16th season; 167-62 overall; 25-8 postseason).

OVERVIEW: Despite losing their final regular season game to Arizona, which snapped a 10-game regular season home winning streak, the SaberCats will enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed for the first time ever and will host the Tampa Bay Storm in a quarterfinal game on Saturday, June 5 at 11:45 a.m. (PT). San Jose was the No. 1 seed in 2000, 2002 and 2003 and entered the 2001 postseason seeded third. Against Arizona, San Jose held a 20-point lead (34-14) late in the first half, but failed to hold the advantage and lost for the third time in their last four games. Sherdrick Bonner tossed four TD passes in the game, including a 5-yard strike to Hunkie Cooper with 30 second left to give the Rattlers a 44-43 lead. San Jose had one last chance to pull out the victory, but Barry Wagner dropped a potential game-winning TD pass and Dan Frantz had his 48-yard field goal attempt with a second left blocked and returned for a score by Wendall Gaines. Mark Grieb completed 28-of-38 passes for 274 yards and 5 TDs to establish new AFL season records for completion percentage (73.0) and passer rating (133.5). He also set team season records for completions (335), yards (4,111) and TDs (75). Tampa Bay leads the all-time series with San Jose 5-4 and the teams have split two playoff games.

THE SCHEDULES:
2004 San Jose SaberCats (11-5)
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
Apr. 16 CHICAGO Won 51-43
Apr. 25 @Georgia Won 63-34
May 1 NEW ORLEANS Won 68-34
May 9 @Arizona Lost 41-58
May 16 @Las Vegas Lost 35-44
May 22 PHILADELPHIA Won 48-36
May 30 ARIZONA Lost 43-50
Game Opponent Time Radio/TV
June 5 TAMPA BAY 11:45 am 1050/NBC

2004 Tampa Bay Storm (9-7)
Game Opponent Result Score
Feb. 8 ORLANDO Won 41-52
Feb. 13 GEORGIA Lost 70-62
Feb. 22 @Austin Lost 48-56
Feb. 29 PHILADELPHIA Won 37-40
Mar. 7 @New Orleans Lost 43-55
Mar. 14 NEW YORK Lost 40-35
Mar. 21 @Carolina Lost 43-54
Mar. 27 @Georgia Won 53-24
Apr. 4 SAN JOSE Lost 55-62
Apr. 11 @Chicago Lost 36-51
Apr. 18 AUSTIN Won 58-52
Apr. 25 @Columbus Won 46-36
May 2 @Orlando Won 63-58
May 9 LOS ANGELES Won 63-55
May 23 NEW ORLEANS Won 59-51
May 30 @Dallas Won 59-57
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
June 5 @San Jose 11:45 am NBC

THE SERIES: Tampa Bay leads the all-time series 5-4...The Storm won the first five meetings between the clubs and the SaberCats have won the last four meetings, including a 62-55 win in Tampa on April 4, 2004...The clubs have split two playoff games with each winning at home. San Jose beat Tampa Bay, 55-48, in a quarterfinal matchup on its way to an ArenaBowl title on Aug. 3, 2002...Tampa Bay defeated the SaberCats, 65-46, in a quarterfinal game on Aug. 8, 1998...San Jose's only home win over the Storm in four games was its 2002 playoff victory...The last five series games have been decided by a combined total of 38 points.

SERIES NOTABLES: WR James Roe tied an AFL record with 7 TD catches at Tampa Bay on April 4, 2004...DS Omarr Smith set a career-high with 8.5 total tackles against Tampa Bay on April 27, 2002...QB Mark Grieb is unbeaten in three career starts against Tampa Bay with all three coming on the road...San Jose set a team record for fewest rushing yards (-4) vs Tampa Bay on Aug. 2, 1997...Tampa Bay scored a team-high 30 third quarter points at San Jose on Aug. 2, 1997...George Williams returned his first career INT for a 10 yard touchdown at Tampa Bay on May 11, 2003...The SaberCats scored a touchdown on a net recovery off their own missed field goal for the first time in franchise history at Tampa Bay on May 11, 2003...San Jose overcame an 18-point second-half deficit to defeat Tampa Bay in a quarterfinal playoff game in San Jose on Aug. 3, 2002. The SaberCats went on to claim their first league championship that season.

LAST SERIES MEETING: SaberCats 62, TAMPA BAY 55 – James Roe caught a San Jose game record seven touchdown passes, including the game-winner with seven seconds left in regulation, and the SaberCats edged the defending ArenaBowl champion Tampa Bay Storm, 62-55, Sunday afternoon. Mark Grieb matched a San Jose record and career-high with nine scoring passes and completed 27-of-34 for 351 yards. He tossed six TD passes in the second half to help the SaberCats overcome a 17-point halftime deficit. Lawrence Samuels helped stake the Storm to a quick 14-0 lead. He caught a 10-yard scoring pass from Shane Stafford on the first offensive possession of the game and recovered a loose ball for a net recovery touchdown on the ensuing kickoff. A 30-yard Stafford to T.T. Toliver scoring play with eight seconds left in the first half gave Tampa Bay a 38-21 lead at the break. San Jose lost two fumbles and failed on a field goal attempt after a bad center snap in the first half. Roe scored all three San Jose touchdowns in the third quarter on grabs of 10, 12 and 29 yards and his sixth TD catch of the game, a 6-yarder with 12:28 remaining in the game, gave the SaberCats their first lead of the game at 48-45. Following a Grieb to Fred Coleman scoring toss of 26 yards, Storm kicker Matt George tied the game at 52-52 by connecting on a 21-yard field goal with 28 seconds left in the fourth. Grieb completed three consecutive passes to march San Jose from their own 5-yard line to the Tampa Bay seven setting up the game-winner. Roe, the Offensive Player of the Game, led all players with 11 receptions for 158 yards. San Jose defensive specialist Omarr Smith, who played with Tampa Bay last season, intercepted a desperation Stafford pass at the final horn. It was the 10th career interception for Smith as a SaberCat, tying him with Herschel Currie for fifth place on the team's career list. San Jose has now won four straight on the season and four consecutive games over Tampa Bay.

Score By Quarters
SaberCats................................ 7 14 20 21 – 62
Storm...................................... 21 17 7 10 – 55

SCORING SUMMARY
Team Scoring Play
TBY Samuels 10 pass from Stafford (George kick)
TBY Samuels 0 net recovery (George kick)
SAN Roe 24 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
TBY Toliver 4 pass from Stafford (George kick)
SAN Roe 26 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
TBY Stafford 5 run (George kick)
TBY FG George 17
SAN Wagner 11 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
TBY Toliver 30 pass from Stafford (George kick)
SAN Roe 10 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Roe 12 pass from Grieb (kick failed)
TBY Toliver 26 pass from Stafford (George kick)
SAN Roe 29 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Roe 6 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
TBY Solomon 18 pass from Stafford (George kick)
SAN Coleman 26 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
TBY FG George 21
SAN Roe 9 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)

INDIVIDUAL STASTICS
Passing: SAN - Grieb 27-34-0-351. TBY – Stafford 25-41-1-309.
Rushing: SAN - Kinsinger 1-3; Buck 2-3; R.Davis 2-1; Roe 2-0. TBY – Stafford 1-5; Bowden 4-(-1); White 1-(-3).
Receiving: SAN - Roe 11-158; Hundon 6-72; Wagner 4-50; Coleman 4-48; R.Davis 2-23. TBY - Solomon 8-102; Toliver 7-118; Samuels 6-54; Dell 2-22; Bowden 2-13.
Kick Returns: SAN – R.Davis 5-139; Coleman 1-23; Wagner 1-19; Hundon 1-4. TBY – Toliver 6-98; Solomon 2-27.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
Apr. 4, 2004 San Jose 62, @Tampa Bay 55
May 11, 2003 San Jose 47, @Tampa Bay 34
Aug. 3, 2002 @San Jose 55, Tampa Bay 48 (po)
Apr. 27, 2002 San Jose 61, @Tampa Bay 54
July 24, 1999 Tampa Bay 52, @San Jose 48
Aug. 8, 1998 @Tampa Bay 65, San Jose 46 (po)
May 1, 1998 Tampa Bay 45, @San Jose 23
Aug. 2, 1997 Tampa Bay 58, @San Jose 34
June 1, 1996 @Tampa Bay 36, San Jose 22

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Tampa Bay it would...
*Advance them to the semifinals for a 5th straight year.
*Be their 5th straight quarterfinal win.
*Give them a 5-3 record in quarterfinal games.
*Give them a 7-6 playoff record.
*Give them a 7-3 home playoff record.
*Tie the series with the Storm at 5-5.

THE COACHES:
San Jose – Darren Arbet, 6th season
70-27 (.722) overall; 6-3 (.667) postseason
4-1 (.800) career vs. Tampa Bay
One of the most successful coaches in the Arena Football League, two-time Coach of the Year Darren Arbet completes his sixth season at the helm of the SaberCats and 10th overall with the organization. Arbet became the 8th coach in league history to reach the 70-win mark with San Jose's victory over Philadelphia on May 22, and he earned AFL Coach of the Year honors in 2000 and 2002. Arbet has guided the SaberCats to five straight double-digit win seasons – matching the longest streak in league history – and his teams have compiled a 58-16 (.784) 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).

Tampa Bay – Tim Marcum, 16th season
167-62 (.729) overall; 25-8 (..758) postseason
5-4 (.556) career vs. San Jose
Legendary AFL head coach Tim Marcum is in his 10th season as head coach of the Tampa Bay Storm and his 16th overall as an AFL head coach. A charter member of the Arena Football League Hall of Fame, Marcum is the winningest head coach in Arena Football history with 167 total victories. He enters 2004 having won seven ArenaBowl championships and has coached in ten of the league's 17 ArenaBowls. Marcum is the only coach in Arena Football history to lead three different teams to ArenaBowl championships (Denver, Detroit, and Tampa Bay). A two-time recipient of the AFL Coach of the Year Award (1987 and 1998), Marcum was the first coach in AFL history to win more than 100 games and has missed out in playing for the league championship only five times in his career. His teams have also advanced to the postseason in every year he has coached. Marcum owns a 110-45 overall record in Tampa Bay and his teams have earned nine straight playoff berths, winning three championships.

RECENT RESULTS: Arizona 50, SABERCATS 43 – Arizona quarterback Sherdrick Bonner threw for three second-half touchdowns and the Rattlers' defense shutdown San Jose to overcome a 20-point deficit and defeat the SaberCats, 50-43. The loss by San Jose (11-5) drops them to the No. 2 seed and the SaberCats will play host to the Tampa Bay Storm (9-7) at 11:45 a.m. Saturday in HP Pavilion. With the Arizona (11-5) win, and Colorado's 56-47 win over Chicago, the Rattlers, who become the No. 1 seed, will play host to the Los Angeles Avengers (10-6) on Sunday. The Avengers lost at home, 52-50, to Orlando (10-6) and the Predators will play at Chicago (11-5) on Sunday and Colorado (11-5) will play at New Orleans (11-5) in the other quarterfinal game Sunday. The VooDoo defeated Austin, 38-21, to gain the No. 4 spot behind Chicago. Behind the line play of Bryan Henderson, Wendall Gaines and Tony Plantin, the Rattlers held San Jose to no points in the third quarter and limiting the SaberCats to nine in the fourth. Bonner was 15 of 17 passing in the second half for 154 yards and had touchdown passes to Justin Taplin, Siaha Burley and Hunkie Cooper. The 4th-down pass to Cooper with 30 seconds left and Nelson Garner's kicked extra point gave Arizona its first lead of the game, 44-43. San Jose took over and quarterback Mark Grieb moved the ball to the SaberCats' 18 yard line. Barry Wagner dropped a 2nd-down pass with one second left at the Arizona one yard line and then Dan Frantz' 48-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Gaines, who gobbled up the ball and carried it in for a touchdown. With 15 seconds left in the second half, Grieb connected with James Hundon for 13 yards and San Jose led, 34-14. But Garner kicked a 49-yard field goal as time ran out to close the gap to, 34-24. Arizona got the opening second-half kickoff and Bonner moved the team 45 yards in seven plays with fullback Bo Kelly going in from three yards out. That started the rally and closed San Jose's lead to 34-24. Grieb connected with Hundon on what looked like a touchdown with 8:27 left in the 3rd quarter, but a holding penalty called the play back. Six plays later, the SaberCats were in a 4th-and inches situation at the Arizona 7-yard line and Wagner was stopped on a running play by Rattlers' lineman Vince Amey. Bonner then connected with Taplin for 37 yards and San Jose's lead was down to 34-30.
Frantz hit a 33-yard field goal at 13:26 of the fourth quarter and Shalon Baker then forced a fumble of a Tom Pace reception and recovered the ball with 10:53 remaining. On the ensuing series, San Jose drove to the Arizona 3-yard line and a Frantz 18-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Bryan Henderson and recovered by Ricky Parker. Bonner ended up 22 of 32 for 213 yards and four TD passes. Grieb was 28 of 38 for 274 and five TD passes. Burley ended up with eight catches for 105 yards and a pair of scores. Hundon and Fred Coleman each had two TD receptions out of eight catches apiece.

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats placed two of their top three FB/LBs on injured reserve with cervical strains. Matt Kinsinger and Keala Keanaaina, who rank 2nd and 3rd respectively on the club in rushing yards, will miss the regular season finale. FB/LB Tupo Tuupo and OL/DL Sebastian Barrie were activated to fill the roster spots.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
May 21 Activated OL/DL Sebastian Barrie and FB/LB Tupo Tuupo from IR. Placed FB/LBs Matt Kinsinger and Keala Keanaaina on IR.
May 28 Re-signed OL/DLs Albrey Battle, Frank Beede, Sam Hernandez, Joe Jacobs, Dan Loney, Chuck Reed and George Williams, QB Mark Grieb, OS James Hundon and WR/LB James Roe.
May 29 Re-signed DS Wendell Davis, DS Clevan Thomas and WR/DB Barry Wagner. Activated OS James Hundon from the IR.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Fred Coleman Ankle sprain Probable

2004 FINAL LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category SaberCats Storm
Scoring Offense (Rank) 55.3 (2nd) 50.9 (7th)
Scoring Defense 47.1 (7th) 49.9 (13th)
Total Offense 275.9 (3rd) 263.1 (10th)
Total Defense 270.3 (14th) 256.2 (5th)
Pass Offense 255.3 (5th) 251.6 (7th)
Pass Defense 257.9 (18th) 238.2 (6th)
Rushing Offense 20.6 (9th) 11.5 (17th)
Rushing Defense 12.4 (1st) 18.0 (5th)
Pass Rating 131.9 (1st) 108.2 (12th)
Pass Defense Rating 98.7 (3rd) 105.1 (7th)
Interceptions 22 (1st) 14 (7th)
Turnover Margin +10 (5th) +8 (6th)
Kickoff Return Avg. 20.9 (2nd) 17.7 (11th)
Field Goal Return Avg. 23.0 (5th) 17.4 (14th)
Sacks By 14 (T-11th) 14 (T-11th)
Sacks Against 22 (17th) 10 (T-5th)



2004 FINAL LEAGUE INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
Player Category No. Rank
Mark Grieb Total Offense 4,113 5th
Mark Grieb Completion Pct. 73.0 1st
Mark Grieb Pass TDs 75 7th
Mark Grieb Passer Rating 133.5 1st
Mark Grieb Passing Yards 4,111 5th
Mark Grieb Pass Yards/Game 256.9 5th
Mark Grieb Pass Yards/Att. 9.0 1st
James Roe Scoring 174 10th
James Roe TD Receptions 27 8th
James Hundon Receiving Yards 1,253 9th
Rashied Davis KOR Average 24.1 1st
Rashied Davis KOR Touchdowns 4 T-3rd
Barry Wagner Rushing TDs 12 8th
Dan Frantz Kick Scoring 127 8th
Dan Frantz PAT Attempts 123 1st
Dan Frantz PAT Makes 106 1st
Omarr Smith Interceptions 9 T-1st
Omarr Smith INT Return TDs 1 T-3rd
Omarr Smith Passes Defended 23 T-4th
Omarr Smith Tackles 83.0 6th
Sam Hernandez Sacks 4.0 T-9th
Joe Jacobs Sacks 4.0 T-9th

2004 SEASON REVIEW:
The SaberCats have set the standard for success in the Arena Football League and 2004 was no different. Going 11-5 this season, the team tied for the best overall record in the league and matched an AFL record by posting 10-or-more wins in a season for the fifth consecutive year. San Jose started the year quickly by posting its sixth straight season opening win, beating the Detroit Fury 58-43 in the Motor City. Heroics by Rashied Davis allowed the SaberCats to defeat the Avengers, 61-55, in Los Angeles. Davis tied a team record by returning two kickoffs for scores. For the second straight year the SaberCats were the last team to play a home game, but it was worth the wait. Jumping out to a 21-0 lead, San Jose cruised to a 62-31 win over Grand Rapids to improve to 3-0. San Jose lost more than a game in Week 5. A cross-country trip that saw the team fly into Philadelphia and bus to New York due to weather problems also ended the team's run. The Dragons dealt the SaberCats a 64-50 loss and in the process the team lost DS Clevan Thomas for the year with a knee injury. Calvin Schexnayder and Jerry Reese also sustained injuries that forced them to leave the game. Home cooking was just what the SaberCats needed, and it came in the form of a three-game homestand. San Jose posted wins over Colorado, Las Vegas and Los Angeles to improve to 6-1 on the year. San Jose tied a league record with six rushing TDs and scored the fifth-most points in team history in their 79-62 win over the Gladiators. A thrilling game with the Avengers extended San Jose's regular season home win streak to seven games. James Roe intercepted a Tony Graziani pass and returned it 7-yards for a score to give the SaberCats their first lead of the game. It was the first INT thrown by the L.A. signal-caller this season. A trip to Tampa saw the last two ArenaBowl champs square off in a Sunday matinee. Roe followed his defensive heroics with an offensive outburst as he tied a league record with seven TD receptions, including the game winner with just :07 remaining, to lift San Jose to a 62-55 win. Grieb tied a career-high and team game record with nine scoring tosses. The Dallas Desperados scored a late touchdown to snap San Jose's 4-game win streak in Week 10. Jason Shelley's 6-yard scoring run with 25 seconds left offset a 13-catch, 179 yard effort by James Hundon to give Dallas a 58-54 win. A matchup with Central Division leading Chicago in Week 11 saw San Jose win again at home. Brian Johnson scored his 1st career rushing TD and the SaberCats used a 21-6 fourth quarter run to upend the Rush 51-43 extending their home winning streak to eight. A road trip to Georgia saw the SaberCats jump out to a 49-14 lead and cruise to a 63-34 win over the Force in Week 12 to improve to 9-2 on the season. James Roe became just the second player in franchise history with 300 career receptions when he snared a 16-yard TD pass from Grieb midway through the third quarter. The two teams with the best record in the AFL met in Week 13 when San Jose hosted New Orleans. Both squads entered the contest with identical 10-2 records, but it was San Jose who proved to be the better team on this night. The SaberCats overcame an early 20-7 deficit and outscored the VooDoo 40-7 in the second half to post a 68-34 win. Grieb had a perfect second half going 10-for-10 for 155 yards and three scores and San Jose's defense intercepted four John Fitzgerald passes, tying a team record. A bump in the road came on the road in Weeks 14 and 15. The SaberCats suffered back-to-back losses at Arizona, 58-41, and Las Vegas, 44-35, sending the team home for the final two games with a 10-4 record. The loss at Arizona marked the first time all season the SaberCats failed to score at least 50 points in a game and the point total against the Gladiators was the lowest since the 2001 season. The SaberCats secured a top-4 seed in the playoffs and got back in the win column with a 48-36 win over the expansion Philadelphia Soul in Week 16. The brawl for it all took place on the final weekend of the regular season when the SaberCats hosted rival Arizona with the winner taking the Western Division title and the No. 1 seed for the postseason. The SaberCats jumped out to a 34-14 lead but failed to hold the advantage and dropped their third straight game to the Rattlers. A potential game winning scoring pass was dropped by Barry Wagner with seven seconds remaining and a Dan Frantz 48-yard field goal attempt was blocked and returned for a touchdown as time expired. Individual accolades came to QB Mark Grieb as he set new league standards by completing 73 percent of his passes and amassed a passer rating of 133.5. Grieb completed over 70 percent of his passes in 12 of 16 games. Wagner, in his 13th season, surpassed former Albany/Indiana Firebird Eddie Brown as the AFL's career leader in receiving yards and ended the year with a career total of 12,812.

DRIVE TO ARENABOWL XVIII
The Drive to ArenaBowl XVIII begins on Saturday, June 5 when the SaberCats host Tampa Bay. Three other quarterfinal round playoff games take place on Sunday, June 6. All games will be televised on NBC

Quarterfinal Playoff Games
Saturday, June 5
(7) Tampa Bay at (2) San Jose, 11:45 a.m.

Sunday, June 6
(8) Los Angeles at (1) Arizona, 12:00 p.m.
(6) Orlando at (3) Chicago, 12:00 p.m.
(5) Colorado at (4) New Orleans, 12:00 p.m.

The highest remaining seed will host the lowest and the second highest will host the second lowest seeded team in the semifinals on June 12 and 13. ArenaBowl XVIII will be at the venue of the highest remaining seeded team on Sunday, June 27.

PLAYOFF NOTABLES:
POSTSEASON HISTORY – The SaberCats secured a playoff berth for the fifth straight season and the eighth time in the franchise's 10-year history. San Jose posted its first-ever playoff win with a 63-40 quarterfinal decision over the Oklahoma Wranglers in HP Pavilion on Aug. 4, 2000, and has won at least one playoff game in each of the last four seasons. San Jose has played a quarterfinal game the last four years, advancing to the semifinal round. San Jose is 6-6 all-time in postseason play going 6-3 at home and 0-3 on the road.

PLANT THE SEED – For the first time in eight playoff appearances the SaberCats enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed. San Jose was the top seeded team in 2000, 2002 and 2003 and played as the No. 3 seed in 1995 and 2001. The team entered the postseason as the seventh-seeded team in 1997 and was the eighth seed in 1998.

Year Seed Result
2004 No. 2 ??
2003 No. 1 Lost in semis
2002 No. 1 Won ArenaBowl
2001 No. 3 Lost in semis
2000 No. 1 Lost in semis
1998 No. 8 Lost in quarters
1997 No. 7 Lost in quarters
1995 No. 3 Lost in quarters

PLAYOFFS OR BUST – WR/DB Barry Wagner has never missed the playoffs in his 13-year career. He made eight postseason appearances with the Orlando Predators and this marks his 5th straight season with the SaberCats. Only once during his career has he not made it past the quarterfinal round. That came in 1996 when Orlando lost to Arizona. Wagner has played in six ArenaBowls, five with Orlando and one with San Jose, winning championships in 1998 and 2002.

PLAYOFF EXPERIENCED – The SaberCats have 19 players who are currently on the active roster or injured reserve that were affiliated with the team during its championship season of 2002, including seven linemen. Chuck Reed, Sam Hernandez, Frank Beede, Joe Jacobs, Albrey Battle and George Williams all played in San Jose's ArenaBowl XVI victory, while Dan Loney was on IR in 2002.

BACK TO BACK TO BACK – DS Omarr Smith has won consecutive titles with two different teams and has a chance to become, what is believed to be, the first player in league history to win three consecutive championships. Smith was a starting two-way player with San Jose in 2002 before moving to Tampa Bay and claiming another title as a DS last season.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME – Saturday's game will be the 6th straight postseason game at HP Pavilion for the SaberCats. San Jose has not played on the road in the postseason since dropping a 71-47 semifinal game at Nashville on Aug. 11, 2001. San Jose won three home games in 2002, including a 52-14 victory over Arizona in ArenaBowl XVI, and had two games at HP Pavilion last season. The SaberCats own a 6-3 all-time record in home playoff games.

QUARTERS – The quarterfinal round of the playoffs has been kind to the SaberCats over the last four seasons. San Jose has won four straight quarterfinal round playoff games by outscoring the opposition 255 to 185 while not allowing a team to reach the 50-point mark. The SaberCats are 4-3 all-time in quarterfinal round playoff games.

LORDS OF THE RINGS – The SaberCats have four players on their roster that have ArenaBowl championships with other teams in the league. Omarr Smith, Barry Wagner and Joe Jacobs each won a ring with the SaberCats in 2002 as well. Smith captured his second ring last season as a member of the Storm, while Wagner captured a title with in Orlando in 1998 and Jacobs with Albany in 1999. Calvin Schexnayder earned a ring as a member of the Arizona Rattlers' 1997 title team.

AGAINST THE FIELD – The SaberCats have a 33-22 (.600) combined overall record against the seven teams in the 2004 playoffs and have a winning record against five clubs. The SaberCats have not lost to Chicago (3-0), Colorado (3-0) and New Orleans (1-0) and have a winning record against Orlando (4-2) and Los Angeles (8-2). Arizona (13-10) and Tampa Bay (5-4) are the two clubs with winning overall records against San Jose.

TRENDS:
HOME SWEET HOME – The SaberCats tied a league record with seven home wins in 2004 and are 39-6 (.867) overall in HP Pavilion since the start of the 2000 season. San Jose's loss to Arizona on May 30 snapped a 10-game regular season home win streak. The SaberCats are 6-3 in postseason games at HP Pavilion.

PASS ATTACK – Opposing starting QBs threw 30-or-more passes in all but one game this season, including the last 12, and have thrown 40-or-more times in six games. Arizona's Sherdrick Bonner threw 32 passes against San Jose on May 30, completing 22 of his attempts. The only starting QB to attempt fewer than 30 passes was New York's Aaron Garcia, who launched 21 passes on Mar. 7. In contrast, Mark Grieb threw 30-or-more passes in a game just six times.

IN THE SACK – The SaberCats allowed a team single season record 22 sacks during the regular season, placing 17th in the league, and gave up at least on sack in 12 of the 16 regular season games. San Jose allowed a season-high four sacks to Philadelphia on May 22, the second-highest single-game total allowed in team history and over the last three regular season games they have allowed eight sacks.

PICKIN' IT – Fred Coleman collected his 1st career interception in the regular season finale against Arizona on May 30, giving San Jose a league-best 22 INTs on the season. San Jose tallied at least one pick in 13 of 16 games this season and had multiple interceptions in a game six times.

WHAT'S THE POINT – San Jose failed to reach the 50-point mark for the fourth straight game in its 50-43 loss to Arizona on May 30, and has not gone four straight without cracking the half century mark since early in the 1998 season. The SaberCats began the 1998 campaign without scoring 50-or-more points in the first six games of the year.

HOLD THAT LEAD – In their last three losses the SaberCats have not been able to hold a lead. San Jose let a 20-point lead (34-14) late in the first half slip away in a 50-43 loss to Arizona on May 30. At Las Vegas on May 16, the SaberCats held a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter and lost the game 44-35 marking the largest lead relinquished in a loss. And at Arizona on May 9 they were up 21-10 in the second quarter before succumbing 58-41.

TOSS UP – When the SaberCats win the coin toss they usually win the game, at least that's what happened in 2004. San Jose went 7-0 when winning the opening toss and was 4-5 when losing. The SaberCats lost the coin toss in each of their final four games and went just 1-3.

NOTES:
DOUBLE TROUBLE – San Jose's win over New Orleans on May 1 was the clubs 10th of the year matching a league record for consecutive seasons with double-digit regular season victories. The SaberCats have now won 10-or-more games in five straight seasons, matching the record held by the Arizona Ratters from 1996 to 2000, and have a 58-15 (.795) record since the start of the 2000 season. San Jose won 12 games in 2000, 10 in 2001, 13 in 2002 and 12 last season.

ON THE MARK!! – QB Mark Grieb completed 73.7 percent (28-of-38) of his passes in the season finale against Arizona on May 30 and in the process set a new AFL single-season record for completion percentage. Grieb completed over 70% of his passes in 12 of 16 games and finished the year at 72.98 percent, becoming the first QB in league history (with a minimum of 200 attempts) to have a percentage above 70. Grieb ended the year with a team season record 335 completions in 459 attempts. He also became the first QB in franchise history to throw for over 4,000 yards (4,111) and broke his 2003 team season record for TD passes with 75. Grieb also broke Raymond Philyaw's 2001 league season pass efficiency record by accumulating a 133.5 rating. He had a mark of 120.0 or higher in 11 games and twice had a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

DO THE ‘D' – Defensive Player of the Year candidate Omarr Smith, who was last season's runner-up to current teammate Clevan Thomas for the award, made a case for the honor this season. Smith established a season career-best with a league-high tying 9 interceptions, the fourth highest total in franchise history, and set club records with 83.0 total tackles and 71 solo stops. Smith also led the team with 14 PBUs and tied for 4th in the league with 23 passes defended.

THAT 70s SHOW – Darren Arbet finally reached the 70-win mark in his third attempt with San Jose's 48-36 victory over Philadelphia on May 22. Arbet became the 8th head coach in AFL history with 70 career victories and holds the second highest winning percentage of all the coaches in the 70-win club.

Rnk Coach, Team Record Pct.
1. Tim Marcum, Tampa Bay 167-62 .729
2. Danny White, Arizona 139-64 .685
3. Perry Moss (retired) 86-35 .711
4. Mike Hohensee, Chicago 84-76 .525
5. Mike Trigg, Philadelphia 78-84 .481
6. Mike Dailey, Colorado 74-51 .592
7. John Gregory (retired) 73-56 .566
8. Darren Arbet, San Jose 70-27 .722

JUST WIN – The SaberCats need one victory to become the fourth franchise in AFL history with 100 overall wins. The Tampa Bay/Pittsburgh franchise leads the way with 168 wins followed by Orlando (142), Arizona (139) and Albany/Indiana (117). Below is a breakdown of the winningest franchises in AFL history.

Team Record Pct. Wins/Year
Tampa Bay/Pittsburgh 168-81 .675 9.3
Orlando 142-73 .660 10.1
Arizona 139-64 .685 10.7
Indiana/Albany 117-87 .575 8.4
San Jose 99-55 .643 9.9

CLIMBING THE CHARTS – Mark Grieb tossed five touchdown passes in San Jose's May 30 loss to Arizona and finished the season ranked 8th on the AFL's career leader board in TD passes with 348. Grieb became the 12th player in league history to toss 300 career TD passes in San Jose's 55-52 win over Los Angeles on Mar. 26. He matched his own team record and career-high with 9 TD passes in a 62-55 win at Tampa Bay on Apr. 4 to move ahead of Rickey Foggie into 10th place and then leapfrogged both Fred McNair and Mike Perez to move into 8th place with four scoring strikes in a 48-36 win against Philadelphia on May 22.

AFL CAREER TD PASS LEADERS
Rank Player TD Passes
1. Aaron Garcia, New York 635
2. Andy Kelly, Detroit 621
3. Sherdrick Bonner Arizona 611
4. Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 575
5. John Kaleo, Austin 425
Todd Hammel, Philadelphia 425
7. Jay Gruden 392
8. Mark Grieb, San Jose 348
9. Mike Perez 341
10. Fred McNair 340
11. Rickey Foggie, Carolina 331
12. Mike Pawlawski 303

THE JAMES GANG – The members of San Jose's ‘James Gang' have been battling for career leadership in every major receiving category this year. Both James Hundon and James Roe have established themselves as premier pass catchers and have reached career milestones in 2004. Hundon became the 3rd player in team history with 300 career receptions when he caught a team-high tying 8 against Arizona on May 30 to move past Roe into 2nd place with 307. Against Chicago on Apr. 16, he passed Steve Papin to become the team's all-time leader in receiving yards and on May 1 he matched Papin's club record of three straight years with over 1,000 yards in receptions. Roe missed the final four games of the regular season with a groin injury, but still finished with 75 receptions for 884 yards and a team-high 27 TDs. He became the second player in club history with 300 career catches when he snared five at Georgia on Apr. 25 and caught his 100th career TD pass against New Orleans on May 1. Roe also set a team record with four 10-plus reception games on the year.

CAREER LEADERS IN RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Recpts
1. Steve Papin 326
2. James Roe 304
3. James Hundon 307
4. Barry Wagner 285
5. Jerry Reese 243

CAREER LEADERS IN TD RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Rcv TDs
1. James Roe 100
2. James Hundon 99
3. Jerry Reese 76
4. Steve Papin 65
5. Shalon Baker 57

CAREER LEADERS IN RECEIVING YARDS
Rank Player Rcv Yards
1. James Hundon 4,648
2. Steve Papin 4,282
3. James Roe 4,066
4. Jerry Reese 3,485
5. Barry Wagner 3,322

HARDWARE – The SaberCats claimed plenty of hardware offered by the league office in 2004. QB Mark Grieb earned Offensive Player of the Month honors twice (February, April) and was twice named the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Week (week 6 and 13). James Roe claimed league weekly honors in back-to-back weeks, earning the U.S. Army Ironman award in Week 8 and Co-Offensive POW in Week 9. Omarr Smith was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week following the opening week of play, Rashied Davis earned Ironman honors in Week 3 and Barry Wagner received his league record 38th weekly award with Ironman honors in Week 15. The Arena Football League Writers Association (AFLWA) also voted Grieb and Roe as its Player of the Week.

TAMPA BAY PLAYERS TO WATCH:
WR/LB LAWRENCE SAMUELS – The MVP and Ironman of ArenaBowl XVII last season, Samuels is the first player in league history to win both honors. He put up Ironman of the Year type number in 2004 with 81 receptions for 951 yards with 9 TDs and also posted 27.5 tackles, 2 interceptions and 5 fumble recoveries. During his 10-year career, Samuels has played in all nine games against San Jose and has totaled 45 catches for 495 yards and 10 TDs with 14.0 tackles, 4 pass breakups and 2 fumble recoveries. Samuels is the only player to return an interception for a touchdown against San Jose in a playoff game going 17 yards with an errant John Dutton offering on Aug. 3, 2002.

QB SHANE STAFFORD – Returns to the Storm after competing in NFL Europe with the Scottish Claymores in 2003 and completed 278-of-441 attempts for 3,418 yards with 67 TDs and 13 INTs in 15 games. Stafford has faced the SaberCats three times in his career completing 63-of-122 for 847 yards with 12 TDs. He hasn't beaten the SaberCats in his three tries and has tossed an interception in each of the three games. Former Tampa Bay DS Omarr Smith picked Stafford's offering in San Jose's 62-55 win in Tampa on Apr. 4, 2004.


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) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
@Georgia (Apr. 25) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
NEW ORLEANS (May 1) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
@Arizona (May 9) QB Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona
@Las Vegas (May 16) OS Marcus Nash, Las Vegas
PHILADELPHIA (May 22) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
ARIZONA (May 30) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose


ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Detroit (Feb. 5) DS Omarr Smith, San Jose
@Los Angeles (Feb. 22) 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) DS Omarr Smith, San Jose
@Georgia (Apr. 25) DL Joe Jacobs, San Jose
NEW ORLEANS (May 1) DS Omarr Smith, San Jose
@Arizona (May 9) DS Ricky Parker, Arizona
@Las Vegas (May 16) DB Barry Wagner, San Jose
PHILADELPHIA (May 22) DL Dwayne Missouri, Philadelphia
ARIZONA (May 30) DL Bryan Henderson, Arizona


ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Detroit (Feb. 5) FB/LB Cameron Chance, Detroit
@Los Angeles (Feb. 22) WR/DB/KR 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/KR Rashied Davis, San Jose
LAS VEGAS (Mar. 20) WR/DB/KR 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) OL/DL Dan Loney, San Jose
@Georgia (Apr. 25) WR/DB/KR Rashied Davis, San Jose
NEW ORLEANS (May 1) WR/LB Fred Coleman, San Jose
@Arizona (May 9) WR/LB Hunkie Cooper, Arizona
@Las Vegas (May 16) WR/DB Coco Blalock, Las Vegas
PHILADELPHIA (May 22) WR/LB Shalon Baker, San Jose
ARIZONA (May 30) WR/LB Shalon Baker, San Jose


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 0-1 5-0
40-49 points 1-2 2-1
50-59 points 4-2 3-3
60-69 points 5-0 1-1
70-79 points 1-0 0-0
80+ points 0-0 0-0

Games decided
by 7 or fewer points 3-2
by 3 or fewer points 1-0

Leading after the 1st 4-3
Trailing after the 1st 6-2
Tied after the 1st 1-0

Leading at Half 7-4
Trailing at Half 3-1
Tied at Half 1-0

Leading after the 3rd 9-3
Trailing after the 3rd 2-1
Tied after the 3rd 0-1

Scoring First 4-4
Opp. Score First 7-1

More Total Offense 5-4
Less Total Offense 6-1

More Pass Yards 5-4
Less Pass Yards 6-1

More Rushing Yards 8-2
Less Rushing Yards 3-2

Thursday games 1-0
Friday games 2-0
Saturday games 4-1
Sunday games 4-4

On NBC 3-2
On WB20 1-0
On NBC11 0-2

vs. West 3-3
vs. Central 4-0
vs. South 3-0
vs. East 1-2

Outscoring Opponent 11-0
Being Outscored 0-5

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 2, 2004


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