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San Jose SaberCats game notes

January 25, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: SaberCats (0-0) at Tampa Bay Storm (0-0).
Date: Sunday, January 30, 2005.
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. (PST).
Site: St. Pete Times Forum (19,200).
Officials: Referee: Riley Johnson; Umpire: Rick Podraza; Head Linesman: Julian Mapp; Line Judge: Paul Engelberts; Back Judge: Bud McCleskey
Television: The game will be shown as part of an AFL on NBC doubleheader live in the Bay Area on KNTV (NBC11) at noon. Allen Bestwick (play-by-play), Charles Davis (commentary) and J.P. Peterson (sideline) call the action.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Ted Robinson handling play-by-play duties and George Atkinson supplying the color commentary.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of Sunday's game.
Series Record: All-time series tied 5-5.
Last Meeting: San Jose 56-52 on June 5, 2004 in a quarterfinal playoff game in San Jose.
Series Streaks: San Jose Won 5.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (7th season; 64-24 regular season, 73-27 overall). Tampa Bay, Tim Marcum (17th season; 142-54 regular season, 167-63 overall).
MEDIA CONTACTS:
San Jose, Phil Simon (wk: 408.573.5587; cell: 408.234.4677; email: psimon@sanjosesabercats.com).
Tampa Bay, Stephen Evens (wk: 813.307.5904; cell: 225.772.7431; email: stephen@tampabaystorm.com).


OVERVIEW: The past two ArenaBowl champions square off in the Arena Football League's 19th season opener as the defending champion SaberCats travel to Tampa, Fla., to play the 2003 champion Storm. Tampa Bay, with five league titles, and the old Detroit Drive, with four, are the only teams in AFL history to have won more ArenaBowls than San Jose, who captured their second last year...With 11 regular season victories last season the SaberCats matched a league record by posting double-digit win totals in five consecutive seasons. The Arizona Rattlers also had five straight seasons with 10 or more wins from 1996 to 2000...The SaberCats have won six straight season opening games, all under head coach Darren Arbet, who is unbeaten in openers, and own a 6-4 record in their previous 10 season openers...San Jose is also 6-4 in road openers, having won the last four. Sunday's game at Tampa Bay marks the third consecutive season the SaberCats have opened the season on the road. San Jose beat Detroit, 58-43, last year and defeated Arizona, 49-28, on opening day 2003...After losing the first five games of the series to Tampa Bay, the SaberCats have won the last five to even the all-time series at 5-5...San Jose has won three of the five games played in Tampa, including regular season wins in each of the last three seasons.
THE SCHEDULES:

2005 San Jose SaberCats (0-0)
Game Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
Jan. 30 @Tampa Bay 12:00 pm 1050/NBC
Feb. 5 LAS VEGAS 7:30 pm 1050
Feb. 13 @New Orleans 12:00 pm 1050-680/NBC
Feb. 20 @Los Angeles 3:00 pm 1050/NBC
Mar. 6 @Orlando 9:00 am 1050/NBC
Mar. 11 PHILADELPHIA 7:30 pm 1050
Mar. 18 GRAND RAPIDS 7:30 pm 1050
Mar. 28 @Las Vegas 7:00 pm 1050
Apr. 3 ARIZONA 6:00 pm 1050-680
Apr. 10 @Chicago 10:00 am 1050/NBC
Apr. 15 DALLAS 7:30 pm 1050
Apr. 22 @Colorado 6:00 pm 1050
Apr. 29 NASHVILLE 7:30 pm 1050
May 7 LOS ANGELES 7:30 pm 1050-680
May 14 @Arizona 7:00 pm 1050
May 21 GEORGIA 7:30 pm 1050

2005 Tampa Bay Storm (0-0)
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
Jan. 30 SAN JOSE 12:00 pm NBC
Feb. 6 AUSTIN 9:00 am
Feb. 11 @Orlando 4:30 pm
Feb. 25 @New Orleans 5:00 pm
Mar. 6 GRAND RAPIDS 10:00 am
Mar. 13 ARIZONA 9:00 am NBC
Mar. 20 @Philadelphia 9:00 am NBC
Mar. 26 @Los Angeles 7:30 pm
Apr. 2 GEORGIA 4:30 pm
Apr. 9 ORLANDO 4:30 pm
Apr. 17 @Austin 10:00 am NBC
Apr. 24 @Nashville 10:00 am NBC
Apr. 30 NEW ORLEANS 4:30 pm
May 8 @Georgia 10:00 am NBC
May 15 NEW YORK 10:00 am NBC
May 22 @Columbus 12:00 pm NBC

THE SERIES: The all-time series is tied at 5-5 with each team winning three games on the others home turf...The SaberCats have won the last five series games after Tampa Bay won the first five...Tampa Bay holds a 4-3 series lead in regular season games, but all three of San Jose's wins have come in Tampa...In their championship seasons of 2002 and 2004, the SaberCats twice defeated the Storm, winning at Tampa Bay during the regular season and in San Jose in the postseason.

WHAT'S AHEAD – The SaberCats play their 11th home opener on Saturday, Feb. 5 hosting the Las Vegas Gladiators in a Western Division matchup. Game time has been moved to 6:00 p.m. (PT) to allow for a post game concert by the rock group Smash Mouth.

SERIES NOTABLES: WR/LB James Roe set a team game record, a career-high and tied an AFL mark with seven TD receptions at Tampa Bay on Apr. 4, 2004...In that game, QB Mark Grieb tied a team record and career-high with nine TD passes...No lead is safe in the all-time series. The team scoring first has just a 4-6 record, while the team with a halftime lead is just 4-4...OL/DL George Williams returned his 1st career interception for a TD at Tampa Bay on May 11, 2003...DS Omarr Smith set a career-high with 8.5 tackles at Tampa Bay on Apr. 27, 2002...In each of the SaberCats two championship seasons (2002 & 2004), they have beaten the Storm in Tampa during the regular season and in San Jose during the playoffs...The two teams have played a season opener once before starting the 1998 season. Tampa Bay defeated the SaberCats 45-23 in San Jose on May 1...San Jose set a club record for fewest TDs scored (2) in that game.

LAST SERIES MEETING: SaberCats 56, Tampa Bay 52 • Saturday, June 5, 2004 • HP Pavilion – Quarterback Mark Grieb's heroics gave San Jose a 35-6 half time margin, but his counterpart Shane Stafford with Tampa Bay had six second-half touchdowns that sparked a Storm comeback, but the SaberCats held on for a 56-52 Arena Football League quarterfinal win. The SaberCats (12-5), the AFL's 2nd seed, will be in the semifinals for the fifth straight year. Tampa Bay (9-8) closed out the season, despite a six-game winning streak at the end to get into the playoffs. Grieb, the game's Most Valuable Player, was 16 of 19 for 148 yards in the first half and had a pair of touchdown passes to James Roe and another to Shalon Baker in the second period to build a 35-6 lead. "I don't think we played the way we are capable of," said Grieb, who was six of 13 in the second half. "But a playoff win is a win, no matter how you look at it." Roe, who had season high's at Tampa earlier in the year, and James Hundon, each had a pair of touchdowns. Roe missed the last four games of the regular season, but he managed seven catches for 81 yards. "I was trying to shake off the rust of being out," said Roe, who teamed with James Hundon for 104 first-half yards."But, I'm just thankful I could be out there today." Freddie Solomon's five-yard catch from Stafford to close the opening third quarter drive and San Jose led, 35-12. The ensuing on-side kick by Ignacio Brache went straight to Omarr Smith at the eight yard line and the all-league defensive specialist ran it in for a touchdown that gave the SaberCats their biggest margin, a 42-12 lead with 10:36 left in the third quarter. The teams exchanged touchdowns with Keala Keanaaina's second rushing score from two yards out closing out the third-quarter scoring to give San Jose a 56-25 lead. "I thought we came out strong and even played a good third quarter," said San Jose head coach Darren Arbet. "We just need to correct the fourth quarter problems." Stafford was 17 of 27 for 237 yards and six touchdowns in the second half. He had touchdown passes to Lawrence Samuels and a pair to Solomon, including a one-yarder with 15 seconds left in the game. Brache's extra point kicked was wide left, which would have closed the gap to three points. "They're line play was excellent in the first half, but we protected better in the second half," said Tampa head coach Tim Marcum.


Score By Quarters
Storm....................................... 6 0 19 27 – 52
SaberCats................................. 14 21 21 0 – 56

SCORING SUMMARY
Team Scoring Play
SAN Johnson 1 run (Frantz kick)
TBY Toliver 6 pass from Stafford (kick failed)
SAN Keanaaina 1 run (Frantz kick)
SAN Roe 6 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Roe 20 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Baker 8 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
TBY Solomon 5 pass from Stafford (pass failed)
SAN Smith 8 kickoff return (Frantz kick)
TBY Dell 20 pass from Stafford (pass failed)
SAN Baker 15 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
TBY Saunders 31 pass from Stafford (Brache kick)
SAN Keanaaina 2 run (Frantz kick)
TBY Samuels 7 pass from Stafford (kick failed)
TBY Solomon 17 pass from Stafford (Dell pass)
TBY Saunders 35 fumble recovery (Brache kick)
TBY Solomon 1 pass from Stafford (kick failed)

INDIVIDUAL STASTICS
Passing: TBY – 25-43-1-318. SAN - Grieb 22-32-0-223.
Rushing: TBY – Stafford 1-2; Muhammad 1-2; Saunders 1-(-2). SAN – Wagner 2-7; Keanaaina 3-5; Johnson 3-(-2); Grieb 2-(-4).
Receiving: TBY – Samuels 11-140; Solomon 6-63; Saunders 4-70; Dell 2-35; Toliver 2-10. SAN - Roe 7-81; Hundon 7-64; Baker 3-28; Wagner 2-18; Keanaaina 1-19; Williams 1-16; Pauley 1-(-3).
Kick Returns: TBY – Toliver 6-94; Solomon 2-31. SAN – Wagner 2-35; Baker 1-19; Smith 1-8.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
June 5, 2004 @San Jose 56, Tampa Bay 52 (po)
April 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)
April 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...
*Be San Jose's 7th straight season opening win.
*Be San Jose's 5th straight season opening road win.
*Be San Jose's 6th straight win over Tampa Bay.
*Give San Jose a 6-5 series advantage over Tampa Bay.
*Give San Jose a 94-49 all-time regular season record.
*Give San Jose a 43-29 all-time reg. season road record.
*Be San Jose's 12 reg. season win against Florida teams.

THE COACHES:
San Jose – Darren Arbet, 7th season
64-24 (.727) reg. season; 73-27 (.730) overall
5-1 (.833) career vs. Tampa Bay
Now in his seventh season at the helm of the SaberCats, two-time Coach of the Year Darren Arbet enters 2005 tied for 7th place in career coaching victories with 73 and his .730 (73-27) winning percentage is tops among coaches who have been involved in at least 25 games. Last season Arbet led his club to its second league title in three years and the SaberCats tied a league record by winning 10 or more regular season games for the fifth consecutive season. Since the start of the 2000 season his teams have compiled a 58-16 (.784) regular season record and 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, 17th season
142-54 (.724) reg. season; 167-63 (.726) overall
5-5 (.500) career vs. San Jose
Legendary AFL head coach Tim Marcum is in his 11th season as head coach of the Tampa Bay Storm and his 17th 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 2005 having won seven ArenaBowl championships and has coached in ten of the league's 18 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 112-51 overall record in Tampa Bay and his teams have earned nine straight playoff berths, winning three championships.

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats set their opening day roster by releasing seven players and placing seven others on injured reserve. Veteran WR/LB Shalon Baker was the most notable player cut from the squad. Former San Jose State standout Ron Ockimey was also released from the roster.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
Jan. 22 Placed DS Clevan Thomas and FB/LB Kevin Buck on Injured Reserve.
Jan. 24 Waived K Nick Browne, FB/LB Jamaal Cherry, WR/DB Chad Lucas, DS Ron Ockimey, FB/LB Sigmund Platt, OL/DL Kurt Sigler and WR/DB George Williams. Released WR/LB Shalon Baker.
Jan. 24 Placed OL/DL Jeff Ruffin, WR/DB Yardon Brantley, OL/DL Rex Richards, OL/DL Sebastian Barrie on IR.

INJURY REPORT: Seven players were placed on IR to start the 2005 campaign. League rules stipulate that players on IR must be inactive for two weeks. All players are eligible to be activated to the roster in time for San Jose's Feb. 13 game at New Orleans.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Erin Damond L knee scope IR
Clevan Thomas Knee surgery IR
Kevin Buck Knee surgery IR
Jeff Ruffin R groin strain IR
Sebastian Barrie L hamstring strain IR
Yardon Brantley L hamstring strain IR
Rex Richards R groin strain IR

MILESTONES:
*Head Coach Darren Arbet needs 1 win to move ahead of John Gregory into sole possession of 7th place in career victories. Each currently has 73
*QB Mark Grieb needs 28 completions for 1,400 career
*OS James Hundon needs 1 TD catch for 100 career
*FB/LB Matt Kinsinger needs 18 rush yards for 350 career
*DS Omarr Smith needs 2 INTs for 25 career.
*WR/DB Barry Wagner needs 1 rush TD for 120 career and 188 receiving yards for 13,000 career.

TALE OF THE TAPE: In 2004 the SaberCats led the AFL in interceptions for the second straight season. The club also topped the circuit in rushing defense (12.4), TDs scored (126) and passer rating (131.9), while finishing second in scoring (55.3). San Jose's 2004 stingy run defense faces the league's 17th ranked team from last season in rush offense (11.5).

2004 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS (FINAL)
Category SaberCats Fury
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)
Touchdowns 126 (1st) 113 (7th)
Pass Rating 131.9 (1st) 108.2 (12th)
Pass Defense Rating 98.7 (3rd) 105.1 (7th)
Interceptions 22 (1st) 14 (T-7th)
Kickoff Return Avg. 20.6 (2nd) 17.7 (11th)
Field Goal Return Avg. 23.0 (5th) 17.4 (14th)
Turnover Margin +10 (5th) +8 (6th)
Sacks By 14 (T-11th) 14 (T-11th)
Sacks Against 22 (16th) 10 (5th)

2004 SEASON IN REVIEW:
REGULAR SEASON – The SaberCats have set the standard for success in the Arena Football League and 2004 was no different. Going 11-5, 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 on the year. 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.

PLAYOFFS – The SaberCats limped into the playoffs having lost three of their last four regular season games, but the team played a solid three quarters in its playoff opener against Tampa Bay. San Jose built a 35-12 halftime lead and was up 56-25 entering the fourth quarter. But the Storm didn't let up. The SaberCats survived being outscored 27-0 in the fourth quarter to advance to the semifinals for a fifth consecutive season with a 56-52 win. A gutsy performance by QB Mark Grieb, who had been 0-3 as a starter in the semis, propelled San Jose to its second ArenaBowl appearance in three years. Grieb, who was injured during San Jose's title march in 2002, finally exorcised the demons and a solid defense led San Jose to a 49-35 win over Chicago. The SaberCats became the first visiting team to win an ArenaBowl since 1998 when they ventured into America West Arena and defeated Arizona, 69-62, snapping the Rattlers 10-game win streak and handing them their 3rd straight title game loss. Grieb set an ArenaBowl record with 8 TD passes and was named Offensive MVP while WR/LB James Roe tied three title game records with his five scoring catches to earn Ironman honors.

2004 SEASON RESULTS
Date Opponent Result Score Record
Feb. 5 @Detroit Won 58-43 1-0
Feb. 22 @Los Angeles Won 61-55 2-0
Feb. 28 GRAND RAPIDS Won 62-31 3-0
Mar. 7 @New York Lost 50-64 3-1
Mar. 14 COLORADO Won 55-35 4-1
Mar. 20 LAS VEGAS Won 79-62 5-1
Mar. 26 LOS ANGELES Won 55-52 6-1
Apr. 4 @Tampa Bay Won 62-55 7-1
Apr. 10 @Dallas Lost 54-58 7-2
Apr. 16 CHICAGO Won 51-43 8-2
Apr. 25 @Georgia Won 63-34 9-2
May 1 NEW ORLEANS Won 68-34 10-2
May 9 @Arizona Lost 41-58 10-3
May 16 @Las Vegas Lost 35-44 10-4
May 22 PHILADELPHIA Won 48-36 11-4
May 30 ARIZONA Lost 43-50 11-5
Playoffs
June 5 TAMPA BAY Won 56-52 12-5
June 12 CHICAGO Won 49-35 13-5
June 27 @Arizona (AB) Won 69-62 14-5

TRENDS:
OPENERS – The SaberCats have never lost a season opening game under head coach Darren Arbet going 6-0 with him at the helm. Overall the SaberCats are 6-4 in season openers. This game marks the third straight season the SaberCats open on the road and the fifth time in team history. San Jose won at Detroit, 58-43, to open the 2004 season and posted its first-ever season opening win in Arbet's head coaching debut at Grand Rapids on April 24, 1999. San Jose is 3-1 all-time when opening the season on the road with its only loss coming at Nashivelle to start the 1997 campaign.

ROAD WARRIORS – Over the past five seasons the SaberCats have posted a 25-12 (.676) record in regular season road games and the team owns a 42-29 (.592) all-time road record. San Jose has defeated Tampa Bay in Florida in each of last three regular seasons winning 62-55 last year, 47-34 in 2003 and 61-54 in 2002.

STARTING UP – Teams beginning defense of their ArenaBowl championship own a 14-3 record in season openers, including wins in each of the last three years. The SaberCats followed up their 2002 championship season with a 49-28 win at Arizona to start the 2003 campaign. The last ArenaBowl champion to lose its season opener the following year was the 2000 Orlando Predators, who fell, 50-25, at Nashville to open the 2001 season.

TWO AND TWO – In each of their two championship seasons the SaberCats have defeated the Storm in Tampa during the regular season and posted a playoff win in San Jose. The SaberCats posted a 62-55 regular season win and a 56-52 quarterfinal playoff win last year. In 2002, the SaberCats won the regular season meeting, 61-54, and were 55-48 quarterfinal winners.

JUST WIN – In 65 career regular season starts as a member of the SaberCats, quarterback Mark Grieb owns a 52-13 (.800) record and is unbeaten (4-0) in season opening games. Grieb directed San Jose to opening night wins in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004. He was John Dutton's backup for the 2001 opener.

CHAMPIONS COLLIDE – Winners of the last three ArenaBowls clash in this contest. San Jose captured its second league title in 2004 after winning it in 2002 while Tampa Bay won its fifth championship in 2003. Tampa Bay has the most ArenaBowl victories in league history while the SaberCats are tied with Orlando and Arizona for the third-most. The old Detroit Drive won four titles during the first six years of the league. Sunday's game also marks the first time in AFL history that the past two ArenaBowl champs open the season against each other.

TURNOVERS – The SaberCats placed 5th in the AFL last season with a +10 turnover margin, giving the club five straight seasons in the positive and a +66 combined total. San Jose led the league in both 2002 (+14) and 2000 (+19) while finishing second in 2003 at +15. The last time the SaberCats failed to register a positive margin was in 1999 when they finished at -9 and posted a record of just 6-8.

NOTES:
ROSTER MAKE UP – The 2005 opening day roster has 17 players who played for the team last year and 11 players who were members of both the club's championship teams of 2002 and 2004. This year's squad has a veteran look as eight players possess five or more years of AFL experience. That group is led by Barry Wagner, who enters his 14th season in the league. Linemen Chuck Reed and Joe Jacobs, and WR/LB Calvin Schexnayder each have nine seasons under their belts. QB Mark Grieb has been in the league for seven seasons while WR/LB James Roe and OL/DL Albrey Battle each have five years of service. Both FB/LB Matt Kinsinger and OS James Hundon enter their fifth season in 2005. Roe, Battle and Hundon have been with the SaberCats their entire AFL careers.

HEY ROOKIE – To compliment the veteran presence, the SaberCats have three rookies and four players who will be entering their second season on their opening day roster. The three AFL rookies include DS Tremain Mack, WR/DB Ryan Fernandez and WR/DB Rodney Wright. Both Mack and Wright were NFL draft picks while Fernandez spent a good portion of last season on the SaberCats' practice roster.

ON THE MARK – QB Mark Grieb, who set league records for completion percentage (73.0) and pass efficiency rating (133.5) last season, has enjoyed success against the Storm. Grieb has not lost to the Storm in his four career starts and has completed 80-of-125 passes (64%) for 1,093 yards with 21 TDs and NO interceptions. The last time the teams met in Tampa, Grieb completed 27-of-34 for 351 yards, the 4th highest yardage total in his career, and tied a team game record and career-high with nine TD passes in San Jose's 62-55 win on April 4, 2004.

PICK-LESS – Including last year's playoffs, quarterback Mark Grieb has not thrown an interception in his last 175 pass attempts. Grieb threw a career-high tying three INTs at Las Vegas on May 16, 2004 and proceeded to end the year without throwing another one. Grieb was the only starting QB of the eight playoff teams to not throw an INT in last year's postseason, tossing 108 passes in the SaberCats title run.

FOLLOW UP – Three times in the history of the AFL has a team repeated as league champions. The last to do it was Tampa Bay in 1996, beating Iowa in ArenaBowl X after defeating Orlando the previous year in ArenaBowl IX. San Jose lost to Arizona in the semifinals following its 2002 championship season and Tampa Bay lost last year at San Jose in a quarterfinal game after being crowned league champs in 2003.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS – With his next victory, San Jose Head Coach Darren Arbet will move into sole possession of 7th place on the league's all-time coaches win list. Arbet is currently tied with former Iowa/New York/Carolina coach John Gregory with 73 career coaching victories. Tampa Bay coach Tim Marcum heads the list with 167 wins followed by former Arizona coach Danny White with 141.

Coach, 2005 Team Record Pct
Tim Marcum, Tampa Bay 167-63 .726
Danny White 141-65 .684
Perry Moss 86-35 .711
Mike Hohensee, Chicago 85-77 .525
Michael Trigg, Philadelphia 78-84 .481
Mike Dailey, Colorado 75-52 .591
Darren Arbet, San Jose 73-27 .730
John Gregory 73-57 .562

COUNTDOWN – With seven regular season wins the SaberCats will become the fourth franchise in AFL history to post 100 wins. Entering the 2005 season San Jose has an all-time record of 93-49 (.655) and trails Tampa Bay (131-55), Orlando (123-63) and Arizona (121-55) in all-time regular season wins. Tampa Bay and Orlando both came into existence in 1991 while Arizona joined the league in 1992. San Jose didn't join the AFL until 1995.

RECORD HOLDER – If you play 13 years in an 18-year old league you are likely to hold some records. Barry Wagner holds some records. Wags enters the 2005 campaign as the AFL's career leader in scoring (2,376 pts), TDs scored (396), rush TDs (119), receiving yards (12,812) and tackles (671.5). Now in his sixth season with San Jose, Wagner is also inching up the SaberCats career leader boards. He is the club's all-time leader in rush TDs (50), tackles (280.5), solo tackles (247) and fumbles forced (16). He also ranks in the top five in 20 other team career statistical categories.

HIGH FIVE – The SaberCats and Storm have split the 10 series meetings with each team posting five-game win streaks. San Jose has had the upper hand lately, winning the last five contests. During their winning streak the SaberCats have a slim 7.6 point margin of victory, outscoring Tampa Bay 281 to 243. During Tampa Bay's five-game win streak, the Storm outscored San Jose 256 to 173 for a 16.6 point margin of victory per game.

THE DIFFERENCE – Nicknamed ‘The Difference' by SaberCats broadcaster Keena Turner, WR/LB James Roe has lived up to the moniker. Named to the league's All-Ironman team last year for a second consecutive season, Roe should be a serious contender for the 2005 Ironman of the Year award. With Roe playing the first 12 games of the year in 2004, the SaberCats went 10-2 and averaged 59.8 points a game. With him shelved for the final four regular season games, the team struggled at 1-3 and scored just 41.8 ppg. Roe led the team with 27 TD grabs last season, including an AFL record tying seven at Tampa Bay on April 4.

JHUN – OS James Hundon amassed a team-high 1,253 yards in receptions last year, his 3rd straight season with over 1,000 yards tying former teammate Steve Papin for the team record. JHun also eclipsed Papin's career mark for receiving yards in 2004, ending the season with 4,648. Papin totaled 4,282 yards during his career. Hundon needs just one TD catch to become the 3rd player in team history to reach 100 and is 20 receptions away from surpassing Papin as the franchise career leader.

THE JAMES GANG – Together Roe and Hundon form the dangerous ‘James Gang'. Last season Hundon led the squad with 87 receptions and 1,253 yards and placed second to Roe with 21 TD grabs. The two accounted for 47 percent of the team's receptions, over 50 percent of the team's receiving yards and 62 percent of the squad's TD receptions. Hundon and Roe were both out of the lineup for two games last year and San Jose managed just 83 points (41.5 ppg). With the ‘James Gang' in the lineup the SaberCats averaged 59.8 ppg.

STOPPERS – Thanks in part to DS Omarr Smith's career-best and league-high tying nine interceptions last year, the SaberCats led the AFL for a second consecutive season by nabbing 22 balls in 2004. With 15 INTs in his San Jose career (23 overall), Smith has jumped into 5th place on the team's leader board and has an opportunity to move up during the course of the year.
TEAM CAREER INT LEADERS
Rank Player INTs
1. Pat McGuirk 24
2. Clevan Thomas 19
3. Barry Wagner 18
4. Tommy Jones 17
5. Omarr Smith 15

CENTER OF ATTENTION – With last year's starting center Frank Beede placed on Refused to Report and not expected to play in 2005, the SaberCats will open the season with a new starting center for the third straight year. Dan Loney, who started three games last year and played in all 16, will start at Tampa Bay. Former Arizona Rattler Jason Andersen and rookie Rex Richards, a highly decorated lineman at Texas Tech, will backup Loney. Current Nashville assistant coach Darrin Kenney started every game at center for San Jose from 2001 to 2003.

SAM I AM – For the first time since the 1997 season, lineman Sam Hernandez will not be on the SaberCats opening day roster. Hernandez, the AFL's career leader in quarterback sacks with 58.0, was placed on the team's Refused to Report list. During his seven seasons with San Jose, Hernandez led the team in sacks six times and accumulated a franchise best 37.5.

WINNING TRADITION – The SaberCats posted a league-high regular season win total for the third straight season and they posted double-digit wins for the fifth straight year, tying an AFL record. Arizona had five seasons of 10 or more wins from 1996-2000. Since the start of the 2000 season the SaberCats own a league-best 58-16 regular season record. Arizona (52) is the only other team to exceed 50 wins in the same time frame. Below is a look at the records of teams over the past five years.

Team Record Pct.
San Jose SaberCats 58-16 .784
Arizona Rattlers 52-22 .703
Orlando Predators 48-26 .649
Tampa Bay Storm 45-29 .608
Nashville/Georgia Force 40-34 .541
Albany/Indiana Firebirds 39-35 .527
Iowa/New York Dragons 37-37 .500
Los Angeles Avengers 36-38 .486
Grand Rapids Rampage 34-40 .459
New Jersey/Las Vegas Gladiators 31-43 .419
Buffalo/Columbus Destroyers 28-46 .378

GETTING HIS KICKS – Returning to handle the teams kicking chores for a second season is former Portland State standout Dan Frantz. In his rookie campaign Frantz led the AFL in PATs made (106) and attempted (123) while converting 7-of-15 field goals (46.7%). His 127 points ranked 8th in the league among kickers and was the 3rd highest single-season total in team history. Frantz also helped on special teams by posting 13.0 tackles to help San Jose become one of just two teams (Philadelphia) to not allow a kickoff return TD in 2004.

NEW SACK MAN – With Sam Hernandez, the league's career leader in sacks, on Refused to Report, the chore of harassing the opposing team's QB will fall on veteran Joe Jacobs. The nine-year vet is one of seven players in AFL history to register over 30 sacks in a career and enters the 2005 season in 7th place on the AFL list with 31.5. With 1.5 sacks this season Jacobs would become just the fourth player in team history to reach double figures in career sacks. Hernandez (37.5), Mike Ulufale (11.5) and Al Noga (11.0) are the only SaberCats to record 10-or-more career sacks.

WHAT'S IN A NAME – Both teams will have a player named Omar(r) Smith in the lineup. San Jose's Omarr Smith is a three-time ArenaBowl winner, having won the title with the SaberCats in 2002 and 2004. In between, Omarr signed a deal with Tampa Bay and helped the Storm to the 2003 championship. Ironically all three of his title game wins came against the Arizona Rattlers. Tampa Bay signed OL/DL Omar Smith on Jan. 5 and he is listed as the No. 2 center on the Storm's depth chart.

MAKING THE MOVE – For the second straight season the SaberCats have plucked a lineman to make the switch to the FB/LB position. Following in the footsteps of Brian Johnson, who made the transition last season, is George Williams. A three-year AFL veteran who has logged major minutes on the line during his career, Williams has experience as a fullback having played during his high school days at Lakewood High School in Roseboro, N.C. Williams was so dominating in high school that his jersey was retired during the summer of 1999.

TAMPA BAY PLAYERS TO WATCH:
WR/LB LAWRENCE SAMUELS – Samuels put up Ironman of the Year type numbers in 2004 with 81 receptions for 951 yards and 9 TDs while also posting 27.5 tackles, 2 interceptions and 5 fumble recoveries. During his AFL 10-year career, Samuels has played in all 10 games against San Jose and has totaled 56 catches for 635 yards and 11 TDs with 18.0 tackles, 6 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 – The three-year AFL vet out of Connecticut put up decent numbers in 15 games with the Storm in 2004 completing 278-of-441 attempts for 3,418 yards with 67 TDs and 13 INTs. Stafford has faced the SaberCats four times in his career passing for 1,165 yards and 19 TDs on 88-of-165 passing. However, he hasn't beaten San Jose and has tossed an INT in each of the four games. Stafford was Tampa Bay's starting QB in 2002 and 2004, losing to San Jose twice each season as the SaberCats went on to win the ArenaBowl title.

WR/DB ANTHONY DERRICKS – Enters his first season with Tampa Bay. The former Indiana / Chicago / Colorado / Toronto / New England player had one of the most spectacular games in AFL history against San Jose on June 9, 2000. Playing with the New England Sea*Wolves, Derricks set AFL records with four kickoff return TDs and 336 yards on 11 returns. San Jose won the game, 85-76, in the AFL's second-highest scoring game ever.




2005 STANDINGS
This season playoffs will be separated into conferences with division winners hosting first-round games and the next two teams with the best records within each conference qualify for postseason.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Western Division
Team W L Pct PF PA
San Jose 0 0 .000 0 0
Arizona 0 0 .000 0 0
Las Vegas 0 0 .000 0 0
Los Angeles 0 0 .000 0 0
Central Division
Team W L Pct PF PA
Chicago 0 0 .000 0 0
Colorado 0 0 .000 0 0
Grand Rapids 0 0 .000 0 0
Nashville 0 0 .000 0 0

NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Eastern Division
Team W L Pct PF PA
Columbus 0 0 .000 0 0
Dallas 0 0 .000 0 0
New York 0 0 .000 0 0
Philadelphia 0 0 .000 0 0
Southern Division
Team W L Pct PF PA
Austin 0 0 .000 0 0
Georgia 0 0 .000 0 0
New Orleans 0 0 .000 0 0
Orlando 0 0 .000 0 0
Tampa Bay 0 0 .000 0 0

WEEK ONE SCHEDULE

Friday, January 28
Nashville at Columbus, 4:00 pm
Arizona at Grand Rapids, 4:30 pm

Saturday, January 29
New Orleans at Georgia, 4:00 pm

Sunday, January 30
Colorado at Orlando, 9:00 am
Philadelphia at Austin, 9:00 am
Chicago at Dallas, 12:00 pm
San Jose at Tampa Bay, 12:00 pm
Los Angeles at Las Vegas, 12:00 pm



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from January 25, 2005


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