San Jose SaberCats game notes

Published on February 15, 2005 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: SaberCats (1-2) at Los Angeles Avengers (2-1).
Date: Sunday, February 20, 2005.
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. (PST).
Site: STAPLES Center (17,942).
Officials: Referee: Perry Havener; Umpire: Tom Laverty; Head Linesman: Kelly Saalfeld; Line Judge: David Meslow; Back Judge: Barry Anderson.
Television: NBC Sports will broadcast the game live with Bob Papa (play-by-play), Ray Bentley (commentator) and Fred Roggin (sideline).
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Bob Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Keena Turner (commentary).
SaberCats Sideline Report: Bob Fitzgerald hosts the SaberCats Sideline Report show every Sunday night on KNTV (NBC11) at 11:50 p.m. immediately following Sunday Sports Final.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of Sunday's game.
Series Record: SaberCats lead 8-2.
Last Meeting: SaberCats 55, Avengers 52 on March 26, 2004 in San Jose.
Series Streaks: SaberCats Won 4.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (7th season; 65-26 regular season, 74-29 overall). Los Angeles, Ed Hodgkiss (4th season; 30-19 regular season, 30-22 overall).

OVERVIEW: The SaberCats continue their three-game road trip and play their third away contest in the first four outings of the year when they travel to Los Angeles to battle the Avengers on Sunday, Feb. 20. The game will be broadcast on NBC starting at 3:00 p.m. (PT). The SaberCats lost their fourth consecutive regular season road game with their 62-61 defeat at New Orleans on Feb. 13. San Jose had a chance for the win, but kicker Dan Frantz sent a potential game-winning 32-yard field goal wide right as time expired...The SaberCats fell to 1-2 on the year with the loss, matching the 2nd worst three-game start in team history. The team also started 1-2 in 1995, 1996, 2000 and 2003 and qualified for the playoffs in every season but 1996...James Roe had a record setting game against the VooDoo upping his career receptions total to 328 with a career-high tying 13 to surpass Steve Papin (326) as the club's all-time leader. Roe also moved ahead of Papin into 2nd place in career receiving yards with 4,379...San Jose leads the all-time series with the Avengers 8-2 and has won the last three games, but the SaberCats are just 3-2 in games played in Los Angeles.

THE SCHEDULES:

2005 San Jose SaberCats (1-2)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 30 @Tampa Bay Lost 33-63
Feb. 5 LAS VEGAS Won 66-31
Feb. 13 @New Orleans Lost 61-62
Date Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
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 Los Angeles Avengers (2-1)
Game Opponent Result Score
Jan. 30 @Las Vegas Lost 37-46
Feb. 4 GEORGIA Won 46-41
Feb. 11 @Austin Won 64-51
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
Feb. 20 SAN JOSE 3:00 pm NBC
Feb. 27 @Colorado 12:00 pm NBC
Mar. 6 @Arizona 5:00 pm
Mar. 18 DALLAS 7:30 pm
Mar. 26 TAMPA BAY 7:30 pm FSN
Apr. 3 @Orlando 9:00 am NBC
Apr. 10 NEW YORK 12:00 pm FSN
Apr. 17 @Nashville 10:00 am NBC
Apr. 23 CHICAGO 7:30 pm FSN
Apr. 30 ARIZONA 7:30 pm
May 7 @San Jose 7:30 pm FSN
May 14 LAS VEGAS 7:30 pm FSN
May 21 @Grand Rapids 4:30 pm FSN

THE SERIES: San Jose has won 8 of the 10 series meetings against the Avengers with both losses coming at the STAPLES Center by a combined total of just four points...The SaberCats have won the last three series games by a combined total of 13 points and the last four games have been decided by six points or fewer...Four of the five games played in Los Angeles have been decided by six or fewer points and three games have been won by a field goal or less.

WHAT'S AHEAD: San Jose will have its bye week next week before concluding its three-game road trip at Orlando on Mar. 6.
SERIES NOTABLES: San Jose's point total in its 73-72 loss at Los Angeles on Feb. 2, 2003 is the highest ever in a defeat...San Jose has four of the five 70-point regular season games allowed by the Avengers. The SaberCats put up 78 points twice (5/27/00 and 5/11/02), 75 points (7/8/00) and 72 points (2/9/03). Arizona (82) and Austin (70) are the other teams to score 70 or more points in a regular season game against the Avengers...The 147 combined points scored between the teams on July 8, 2000 and the 145 scored on Feb. 9, 2003 represent the second and third highest scoring games in SaberCats history...Rashied Davis tied a SaberCats team record with 2 kickoff return TDs at LA on Feb. 22, 2004...San Jose scored a team record 29 first quarter points vs LA (5/27/00) and allowed a team record 35 fourth quarter points to LA (2/9/03)...James Roe has 50 catches for 617 yards and 15 TDs in 8 games against LA...San Jose's 53-point win (78-25) over the Avengers on May 27, 2000 is the worst in Los Angeles history. San Jose also handed L.A. its third-worst loss with a 78-44 win (34 pts) on May 11, 2002...San Jose OL/DL Albrey Battle had his 1st career reception go for 14 yards and a TD in San Jose's win at LA on Feb. 22, 2004...SaberCats OL/DL Tony Plantin was selected by the Avengers in the 2002 Dispersal Draft and played two seasons with L.A....K Dan Frantz had a perfect game against Los Angeles on Mar. 26, 2004 going a perfect 7-for-7 on PATs and 2-for-2 on FGs for a career-best 13 points.

LAST SERIES MEETING: SABERCATS 55, Los Angeles 52 • Friday, March 26, 2004 • HP Pavilion – San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb completed the game deciding 18-yard touchdown pass to Fred Coleman with 4:03 remaining in the game to lift the SaberCats to a 55-52 win over Los Angeles. Grieb, named the Offensive Player of the Game, went 19-of-28 for 230 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. Los Angeles struck first on a 23-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tony Graziani to Kevin Ingram. Graziani finished the game 24-of-36 for 232 yards with five touchdowns. Game Ironman James Roe came up with the big plays to help San Jose overcome a 14-point first half deficit. He caught a pair touchdown passes in the second quarter to keep San Jose close and finished the game with 10 catches for 100 yards and two scores. Roe intercepted a Graziani pass early in the third quarter and returned it 7-yards for a touchdown to give San Jose its first lead of the game, 35-31. Graziani had thrown 210 passes without an interception this season. Grieb's 10-yard scoring pass to Roe early in the second quarter brought San Jose within 21-14 and was the 300th career scoring pass of his career. Grieb joined 11 other QBs in AFL history with over 300 career scoring tosses. Los Angeles capitalized on a Grieb fumble in the first quarter to build a 21-7 lead. Silas DeMary sacked and forced the fumble in the San Jose endzone, which was recovered by Josh Jeffries for the touchdown. The two sacks and one forced fumble by DeMary earned him the defensive player of the game. With San Jose leading 52-45, Sam Hernandez sacked Graziani and forced a fumble that was recovered by George Williams with :52 seconds left in the game. The fumble recovery allowed SaberCat kicker Dan Frantz to assure the victory with a field goal and a 55-45 lead. Los Angeles scored the final touchdown on a Graziani 5-yard run with :02 left. The SaberCats swept the season series and now lead the all-time series with Los Angeles 8-2. The Cats are 5-0 against the Avengers at home.

Score By Quarters
Avengers................................. 21 10 7 14 – 52
SaberCats................................ 7 14 21 13 – 55

SCORING SUMMARY
Team Scoring Play
LAA Ingram 23 pass from Graziani (Hamilton kick)
SAN Hundon 22 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
LAA Douglas 7 pass from Graziani (Hamilton kick)
LAA Jeffries 0 fumble recovery (Hamilton kick)
SAN Roe 10 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
LAA Jackson 3 pass from Graziani (Hamilton kick)
SAN Roe 7 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
LAA FG Hamilton 20
SAN R.Davis 31 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Roe 7 interception return (Frantz kick)
LAA Ingram 1 pass from Graziani (Hamilton kick)
SAN Coleman 9 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
LAA Hopkins 15 pass from Graziani (Hamilton kick)
SAN FG Frantz 29
SAN Coleman 18 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN FG Frantz 19
LAA Graziani 5 run (Hamilton kick)

INDIVIDUAL STASTICS
Passing: LAA – Graziani 24-36-1-232. SAN - Grieb 19-28-0-230.
Rushing: LAA – Ford 3-11; Graziani 1-5; Jeffries 3-1. SAN – Kinsinger 2-6; Keanaaina 2-5; Roe 1-2; Wagner 1-0; R.Davis 1-(-1).
Receiving: LAA – Jackson 8-97; Hopkins 7-48; Ingram 4-43; Douglass 2-18; Douglas 2-14; Staat 1-12. SAN – Roe 10-100; R.Davis 3-50; Hundon 3-40; Coleman 3-40.
Kick Returns: LAA – Ingram 6-128; Douglas 1-14. SAN – R.Davis 4-83; Coleman 1-27.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
Mar. 26, 2004 @San Jose 55, Los Angeles 52
Feb. 22, 2004 San Jose 61, @Los Angeles 55
May 17, 2003 @San Jose 47, Los Angeles 43
Feb. 9, 2003 @Los Angeles 73, San Jose 72
June 8, 2002 San Jose 52, @Los Angeles 33
May 11, 2002 @San Jose 78, Los Angeles 44
June 2, 2001 @Los Angeles 47, San Jose 44
Apr. 14, 2001 @San Jose 52, Los Angeles 30
July 8, 2000 San Jose 75, @Los Angeles 72
May 27, 2000 @San Jose 78, Los Angeles 25

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Los Angeles it would...
*Snap San Jose's 4-game reg. season road losing streak.
*Be San Jose's 4th straight win over the Avengers.
*Give San Jose a 9-2 series lead over the Avengers.
*Give San Jose a 35-20 all-time record against Western Division teams.
*Give San Jose a 14-12 all-time road record against Western Division teams.
*Give San Jose a 95-51 all-time regular season record.
*Give San Jose a 43-31 all-time reg. season road record.



THE COACHES:
San Jose – Darren Arbet, 7th season
65-26 (.714) reg. season; 74-29 (.718) overall
8-2 (.800) career vs. Los Angeles
Now in his seventh season at the helm of the SaberCats, two-time Coach of the Year Darren Arbet surpassed John Gregory for sole possession of 7th place in career coaching victories when he won No. 74 on Feb. 5, 2005 and his career overall winning percentage of .718 (74-29) ranks as one of the best in AFL history. 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 59-18 (.766) 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).

Los Angeles – Ed Hodgkiss, 4th season
30-19 (.612) reg. season; 30-22 (.577) overall
1-5 (.167) career vs. San Jose
Entering his fourth season as the head coach of the Avengers, Hodgkiss has compiled a record of 30-19 and advanced to the AFL Playoffs each year. In his first two seasons at the helm, he directed the Avengers to a 19-11 record. No head coach in league history has won more games in his first two seasons than Hodgkiss. Last season, the Avengers went 9-7 and led the AFL in scoring, averaging 56.5 points per game. In 2003, the Avengers won a franchise-best 11 games and earned a first-round playoffs bye. Hodgkiss, who was the runner-up for the 2003 AFL "Coach of the Year" award, oversaw the league's most efficient offense, which scored 122 touchdowns (most in the AFL) on only 619 total plays (least in the AFL). Hodgkiss became the head coach of the Avengers on Oct. 5, 2001, and signed a five-year contract extension shortly after a 2002 season that saw him adroitly pilot the team to an 8-6 mark and into the postseason for the first time in franchise history. Prior to joining the Avengers, Hodgkiss was the Indiana Firebirds' offensive coordinator for three seasons (1999-2001).

RECENT RESULTS: New Orleans 62, SaberCats 61 - New Orleans QB Andy Kelly threw a franchise record eight touchdown passes and the VooDoo (2-1) survived a last second game winning field goal attempt to defeat the defending champion SaberCats 62-61 in an Arena Football League game. Following a 21-yard scoring pass from Kelly to Aaron Bailey with 26 seconds left, the SaberCats (1-2) drove to the New Orleans 17-yard line. Kicker Dan Frantz sent the potential game-winning kick wide right from 32-yards out as time expired. James Roe started at offensive specialist for San Jose, the third starter in as many weeks for the team, and led all receivers with a career-high tying 13 receptions, 169 yards and five touchdowns. Roe's 12th catch of the game was the 327th of his career moving him past Steve Papin (326) as the franchise's career leader. San Jose broke a 49-49 tie when Grieb connected with Shalon Baker on a 12-yard scoring pass, but a failed PAT following a holding penalty opened the door for New Orleans. With under a minute to play Kelly found Jacques Rumph on a 13-yard scoring play and the successful PAT gave the VooDoo a 56-55 lead. Grieb found Roe in the corner of the endzone with 42 seconds left and San Jose failed to convert on a two-point attempt leaving the advantage at 61-56. The game was tied seven times and no team had more than a 7-point advantage. Kelly completed 33-of-47 attempts for 340 yards while San Jose's Mark Grieb completed 30-of-39 attempts for 352 yards and seven scores. The team's combined 676 yards of offense and the SaberCats dropped to 39-5 all-time in games where they score 60 or more points.

ROSTER MOVES: Prior to their game at New Orleans the SaberCats activated two-time Defensive Player of the Year Clevan Thomas from IR. Thomas was put on IR last March after sustaining a torn ACL in a game at New York on Mar. 7. The club also signed veteran OL/DL Tony Plantin to the 24-man roster off the practice squad and placed OL/DL Cedric Pittman (patellar tendon) on IR. DS Tremain Mack was also waived.

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.
Jan. 26 Signed WR/LB Shalon Baker, WR/LB Mike Duncan and WR/LB George Williams to the practice squad.
Jan. 28 Re-signed OL/DL Cedric Pittman and OL/DL George Williams. Signed WR/LB Shalon Baker from the practice squad. Placed OS James Hundon on IR.
Feb. 4 Activated OL/DL Frank Beede from Refused to Report. Placed OL/DL Kevin Jordan on IR. Signed OL/DL Tony Plantin to practice squad.
Feb. 11 Signed OL/DL Tony Plantin from the practice squad. Activated DS Clevan Thomas from IR. Placed OL/DL Cedric Pittman on IR. Waived DS Tremain Mack.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
James Hundon Cervical Spine OUT (IR)
Kevin Jordan Knee inflammation OUT (IR)
Cedric Pittman Patellar dislocation OUT (IR)
Matt Kinsinger Ankle sprain Probable
Omarr Smith Knee injury Questionable
Devin Wyman Knee sprain Probable

MILESTONES:
*OS Calvin Schexnayder needs 10 receptions for 600 career.
*WR/DB Barry Wagner needs 4 TDs for 400 career; 1 rush TD for 120 career, 115 receiving yards for 13,000 career and 6 receptions for 300 in SJ career.
WR/LB Shalon Baker needs 2 TD receptions for 60 career.
*FB/LB Matt Kinsinger needs 2 rush attempts for 100 in SJ career; 9 rush yards for 350 in SJ career and 1 rush TD for 25 in SJ career.
*WR/DB Rashied Davis needs 2 receptions for 70 career.
*QB Mark Grieb needs 88 pass yards for 19,000 career and 6 TD passes for 350 in SJ career.
*OS James Roe needs 270 receiving yards to become team's all-time leader.

2005 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category SaberCats Avengers
Scoring Offense (Rank) 53.3 (5th) 49.0 (9th)
Scoring Defense 52.0 (14th) 46.0 (6th)
Total Offense 321.3 (1st) 237.0 (15th)
Total Defense 302.3 (12th) 322.3 (16th)
Pass Offense 310.0 (2nd) 213.0 (15th)
Pass Defense 293.3 (14th) 307.3 (17th)
Rushing Offense 11.3 (14th) 24.0 (8th)
Rushing Defense 9.0 (1st) 15.0 (8th)
Touchdowns 24 (1st) 17 (13th)
Pass Rating 110.8 (8th) 104.5 (10th)
Pass Defense Rating 125.1 (15th) 110.8 (11th)
Interceptions 2 (T-12th) 4 (T-3rd)
Kickoff Return Avg. 19.4 (6th) 17.2 (10th)
Field Goal Return Avg. 0.0 (T-11th) 8.0 (7th)
Turnover Margin +1 (T-6th) +3 (T-2nd)
Sacks By 2 (T-6th) 2 (T-6th)
Sacks Against 5 (16th) 3 (T-7th)

2005 SABERCATS AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS
Player Category No. Rank
Mark Grieb Total Offense 925 2nd
Mark Grieb Completion Pct. 65.5 5th
Mark Grieb Pass TDs 16 T-5th
Mark Grieb Passer Rating 115.7 4th
Mark Grieb Passing Yards 925 2nd
Mark Grieb Pass Completions 78 2nd
Mark Grieb Pass Yards/Game 308.3 2nd
James Roe Scoring 54 T-1st
James Roe Touchdowns 9 T-1st
James Roe Receptions 24 T-6th
James Roe Receiving Yards 313 6th
James Roe TD Receptions 9 T-1st
Matt Kinsinger Rush TDs 3 T-3rd
Barry Wagner KO Returns 13 5th
Barry Wagner KOR Yards 252 5th
Omarr Smith Tackles 20.5 5th

TRENDS:
ON THE ROAD...AGAIN – San Jose continues its stretch of three consecutive road games with its contest at Los Angeles on Feb. 20. Dating back to last season the SaberCats have lost four straight regular season road games and five out of the last six. San Jose lost its final three road games in 1996 and its first three in 1997 for a record six straight regular season road losses. San Jose's 3-game road trip matches the longest in team history.

SWEEPS – The SaberCats have swept the season series from Los Angeles three times in five years and have gone on to win the ArenaBowl championship twice (02, 04).

RECORDS – For the first time in the 11-game history of this series, the Avengers will enter a game with San Jose having a better season record. Los Angeles is currently 2-1 while San Jose stands at 1-2. In both meetings during the 2003 season, the teams had identical records when playing against each other and San Jose won both times.

THAT SIXTIES SHOW – San Jose reached the 60-point mark for the 2nd time this season and the 44th time in team history in its 62-61 loss at New Orleans on Feb. 13. The loss snapped the SaberCats 9-game winning streak when cracking the 60-point barrier and dropped their all-time record to 39-5 when scoring 60-or-more points.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS – The SaberCats have won the last three meetings with the Avengers by a combined total of just 13 points while the past four games have been decided by six or fewer points. In all six of the 10 series games have been decided by six or fewer points with four being won by a field goal or less.

FEAST OR FAMINE – Six of the games in the series have been won by six or fewer points while the other four, all San Jose wins, have been decided by 19 or more points. In fact, San Jose's average margin of victory in those games was 32 points.

HOW THE WEST IS WON – San Jose is 34-20 all time against Western Division teams, but is just 13-12 in road games against teams from the same division. The SaberCats lone win this year came against division foe Las Vegas in San Jose on Feb. 5. San Jose has lost two straight regular season road games to division opponents with its last victory coming at Los Angeles, 61-55, on Feb. 22, 2004.

HEADS OR TAILS – Dating back to last season and including playoffs, the SaberCats have lost the coin toss in 10 consecutive games. San Jose is 5-5 in those games, including three straight playoff wins to capture the ArenaBowl XVIII title. The last time the SaberCats won the toss was against New Orleans on May 1, 2004, a game they won 68-34. San Jose has won the toss in nine of the 10 meetings with Los Angeles.

IT'S HOW YOU FINISH – The SaberCats have trailed after the first quarter of play in four of the last five games against the Avengers but have come back to win three of those games. San Jose trailed 21-7 after one quarter the last time the teams played, but won the game 55-52 at San Jose on Mar. 26, 2004.

NOTES:
ON THE MARK – After starting the season with a sub-par performance at Tampa Bay on Jan. 30, a game in which he had a passer rating of 76.5, QB Mark Grieb has returned to form. Over his last two games, Grieb has compiled a 136.1 passer rating by completing 53-of-70 passes (75.7%) for 627 yards and 13 touchdowns with only one interception. Grieb is currently ranked fifth in the AFL in passer rating with a mark of 115.7. Against New Orleans on Feb. 13, Grieb threw for 352 yards, tying the 4th highest single-game total in franchise history, on 30 completions, the 2nd highest one-game output. It was also the 18th career 300-plus yard passing game for the 8-year veteran.
I LOVE L.A. – Grieb has played particularly well against Los Angeles in his career. In nine games against the Avengers, Grieb has completed 149-of-223 passes (66.8%) for 2,000 yards with 41 TDs and only 6 INTs. He owns a 7-1 record when starting against the Avengers.

‘ROE'LIFIC – James Roe etched his name in the SaberCats record book once again when he became the franchise's all-time leader in pass receptions. Roe increased his career total to 328 with a career-high tying 13 receptions at New Orleans on Feb. 13 to move ahead of Steve Papin (326) as the team's all-time leader. Roe also moved ahead of Papin (4,282) in career receiving yards upping his total to 4,379 with a game-high 168. Already the team's career leader in TD catches, Roe increased his total to 109. With 270 more receiving yards Roe will become the team's career leader in all three receiving categories.

CAREER RECEPTIONS
Rank Player Receptions
1. James Roe 328
2. Steve Papin 326
3. James Hundon 307
4. Barry Wagner 294
5. Shalon Baker 248

CAREER RECEIVING YARDS
Rank Player Recv. Yards
1. James Hundon 4,648
2. James Roe 4,379
3. Steve Papin 4,282
4. Jerry Reese 3,485
5. Barry Wagner 3,395

CAREER RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
Rank Player Recv. TDs
1. James Roe 109
2. James Hundon 99
3. Jerry Reese 76
4. Steve Papin 65
5. Shalon Baker 58

ONE AND TWO AND ??? – The SaberCats have posted a 1-2 record after their first three games of a season on four different occasions, the most recent coming in 2003 when the team went 11-2 over the remaining 13 games. San Jose also started 1-2 in 2000 before reeling off an AFL record 11 consecutive wins to end a season. The squad advanced to the semifinal round of the playoffs in each season. The SaberCats also started 1-2 in their inaugural season of 1995 and qualified for the playoffs but failed to reach the postseason in 1996 after a 1-2 start. Tampa Bay began the 2003 season with a 1-2 record after three games and won the ArenaBowl title.

THAT 70's SHOW – The SaberCats have scored 70 or more points in a game 19 times in team history and four times they have done it against the Avengers. San Jose's 78-point effort against L.A. on both May 11, 2002 and May 27, 2000 represent the 7th highest scoring games in team history. San Jose's point total in its 73-72 loss at Los Angeles on Feb. 9, 2003 is the most scored in a loss in team history and the only loss for the club when scoring 70 or more points in game.
ROAD STOPS – In their two road games this season the SaberCats defense has allowed 19 scores on 21 possessions. At Tampa Bay on Jan. 30, the Storm scored 8 TDs and two field goals on their first 10 possessions before missing a field goal attempt on their 11th. New Orleans scored 9 TDs in its 10 possessions on Feb. 13.

CLEVAN RETURNS – Two-time AFL Defensive Player of the Year Clevan Thomas made a successful return to the field after nearly 11 months recovering from knee surgery. Thomas started at his usual DS spot at New Orleans on Feb. 13 and tallied 4 solo tackles and a pass break-up. Thomas had an INT nullified by a penalty in the 3rd quarter. His PBU was the 46th of his career moving him ahead of Tommy Jones into sole possession of 2nd place on the team's career list behind only Pat McGuirk, who totaled 64 PBUs in his four-year career.

PICKIN IT – With the return of Clevan Thomas, the SaberCats now have three of the top five pass interceptors in team history in the lineup. Thomas has 19 career INTs to rank 2nd on the team's list while Barry Wagner sits at 3rd with 18. Omarr Smith, the only DB to have an INT this season, ranks 5th with 16. They all trail Pat McGuirk, who amassed 24 INTs during his four-year SaberCats career (95-98).

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 16

WARREN COMMISION – Former NFL lineman Steve Warren, who has been playing FB/LB in his rookie AFL season, notched his 1st career sack and FF and added a pair of solo tackles at New Orleans on Feb. 13. Warren saw action in the team's opener at Tampa Bay on Jan. 30 starting at the LB spot. The former Green Bay Packer missed the Feb. 5 game against Las Vegas to return home after his 2-year-old daughter was hit by a car. The family is doing fine.

COUNTDOWN – With six more regular season wins the SaberCats will become the fourth franchise in AFL history to post 100 victories in regular season play. San Jose currently has 94 wins with only Tampa Bay (133), Orlando (126) and Arizona (122) having more. 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.

ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER – If you play 13 years in an 18-year old league you are likely to hold some records. Barry Wagner holds some records. The AFL's career leader in scoring, TDs scored, rushing TDs, receiving yards and tackles is closing in on another milestone. Wagner became just the third player in AFL history to crack the 20,000 mark in all-purpose yards at Tampa Bay on Jan. 30 and needs just 281 to match George LaFrance for 2nd place all-time. Arizona's Hunkie Cooper amassed 81 all-purpose yards last week at Georgia to overtake LaFrance for the career lead.

AFL CAREER ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGE
Rank Player All-Purpose Yds
1. Hunkie Cooper 20,535
2. George LaFrance 20,480
3. Barry Wagner 20,199
4. Eddie Brown 16,437
5. Steve Papin 15,427

IRONMAN – Matt Kinsinger, the only true FB/LB on the team's roster, has been the only player from that position to run the ball this season. Kinsinger leads the team with 22 yards and 3 TDs on five attempts and has moved from 5th place to 3rd place on the team's career rushing yards chart. The only former af2 player to play in a regular season game with San Jose, the 5th year AFL veteran has been a key contributor on both of San Jose's ArenaBowl championship teams. One of the most underrated players on the squad, Kinsinger is slowly moving up the team's all-time rushing charts.

TEAM CAREER RUSH YARD LEADERS
Rk. Player Rush Yds
1. Derrick Chachere 442
2. Tom Petithomme 400
3. Matt Kinsinger 341
4. Mike Jones 328
5. Steve Papin 326

TEAM CAREER RUSH ATTEMPT LEADERS
Rk. Player Rush Atts
1. Derrick Chachere 154
2. Steve Papin 145
3. Barry Wagner 116
4. Mike Jones 104
5. Matt Kinsinger 98

TEAM CAREER RUSH TD LEADERS
Rk. Player Rush TDs
1. Barry Wagner 50
2. Steve Papin 43
3. Derrick Chachere 34
4. Matt Kinsinger 24
5. Tom Petithomme 16

THE MALLEY FACTOR – After putting up the lowest point total in offensive coordinator Terry Malley's tenure in a season opening 63-33 loss at Tampa Bay on Jan. 30, the SaberCats have responded by topping the 60-point mark in consecutive games. Since Malley took over as the team's OC 83 regular season games ago, the SaberCats have scored 60 or more points in a game 38 times. Prior to Malley taking over, the team scored 60-or-more points just six times in 62 regular season games. The team record for consecutive 60-plus point games is four, which was accomplished during the 2002 season.

WINNING TRADITION – The SaberCats posted a league-high regular season win total for the third straight season in 2004 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 have won a league-best 59 regular season games. Arizona (53) and Orlando (51) are the only other team to exceed 50 wins in the same time frame.

Team Record Pct.
San Jose SaberCats 59-18 .766
Arizona Rattlers 53-24 .688
Orlando Predators 51-26 .662
Tampa Bay Storm 47-30 .610
Nashville/Georgia Force 42-35 .545
Iowa/New York Dragons 38-38 .500
Los Angeles Avengers 38-39 .493
Grand Rapids Rampage 34-42 .447
New Jersey/Las Vegas Gladiators 33-44 .428
Buffalo/Columbus Destroyers 28-48 .368

CLIMBING THE CHARTS – Head coach Darren Arbet moved into sole possession of 7th place on the league's all-time coaches win list with the SaberCats 66-31 win over Las Vegas on Feb. 5. Arbet's 74th career win broke a tie with former Iowa/New York/Carolina coach John Gregory. Below is a list of the all-time winningest coaches in AFL history.

Coach, 2005 Team Record Pct
Tim Marcum, Tampa Bay 169-64 .725
Danny White 141-65 .684
Perry Moss 86-35 .711
Mike Hohensee, Chicago 87-78 .527
Michael Trigg, Philadelphia 80-85 .484
Mike Dailey, Colorado 76-54 .585
Darren Arbet, San Jose 74-29 .718
John Gregory 73-57 .562

LOS ANGELES PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB JOHN KALEO – Los Angeles is the 9th team in the 12-year career for the veteran QB. A member of the SaberCats in 1997, Kaleo completed 115-of-215 passes for 1,386 yards with 20 TDs and 10 INTs. However, he has not fared well against his former team. In four career games against San Jose, Kaleo has a 1-3 record, completing 80-of-146 passes (54.7%) for 875 yards and throwing almost as many interceptions (11) as touchdowns (15). Kaleo currently ranks 5th in the AFL in career pass completions (2,214), yards (26,730) and TDs (437) and he has not thrown an INT in his last 76 attempts. Kaleo was the starting QB for the 2003 ArenaBowl champion Tampa Bay Storm.

WR/LB GREG HOPKINS – The former Ironman of the Year and four-time All-Arena team selection plays particularly well against San Jose. In seven career games against the SaberCats as a member of the Indiana Firebirds and Los Angeles Avengers, Hopkins has amassed 587 yards on 41 receptions and nine touchdowns. In those seven games, Hopkins was his team's leading receiver four times and also contributed 19 total tackles on defense. He was named MVP of the game on Feb. 9, 2003 after collecting 133 receiving yards, 3 TDs and the game-winning 2-point conversion in LA's narrow 73-72 victory over San Jose.

K REMY HAMILTON – The third ranked scoring kicker in AFL history has put up big numbers against San Jose. In nine career games against the SaberCats, Hamilton has made 44-of-52 (84.6%) PATs and a whopping 16-of-22 (72.7%) FGs, including four of 40+ yards. This year he has missed just one kick, going 10-for-10 on FG attempts and 15-of-16 on PATs.

WEEKLY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Tampa Bay (Jan 30) QB Shane Stafford, Tampa Bay
LAS VEGAS (Feb 5) OS Calvin Schexnayder, San Jose
@New Orleans (Feb 13) QB Andy Kelly, New Orleans
@Los Angeles (Feb 20)
@Orlando (Mar 6)
PHILADELPHIA (Mar 11)
GRAND RAPIDS (Mar 18)
@Las Vegas (Mar 28)
ARIZONA (Apr 3)
@Chicago (Apr 10)
DALLAS (Apr 15)
@Colorado (Apr 22)
NASHVILLE (Apr 29)
LOS ANGELES (May 7)
@Arizona (May 14)
GEORGIA (May 21)

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Tampa Bay (Jan 30) DS Tramain Jones, Tampa Bay
LAS VEGAS (Feb 5) DS Omarr Smith, San Jose
@New Orleans (Feb 13) OL/DL B.J. Cohen, New Orleans
@Los Angeles (Feb 20)
@Orlando (Mar 6)
PHILADELPHIA (Mar 11)
GRAND RAPIDS (Mar 18)
@Las Vegas (Mar 28)
ARIZONA (Apr 3)
@Chicago (Apr 10)
DALLAS (Apr 15)
@Colorado (Apr 22)
NASHVILLE (Apr 29)
LOS ANGELES (May 7)
@Arizona (May 14)
GEORGIA (May 21)

ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Tampa Bay (Jan 30) WR/LB Lawrence Samuels, TBY
LAS VEGAS (Feb 5) FB/LB Matt Kinsinger, San Jose
@New Orleans (Feb 13) WR/LB Thabiti Davis, New Orleans
@Los Angeles (Feb 20)
@Orlando (Mar 6)
PHILADELPHIA (Mar 11)
GRAND RAPIDS (Mar 18)
@Las Vegas (Mar 28)
ARIZONA (Apr 3)
@Chicago (Apr 10)
DALLAS (Apr 15)
@Colorado (Apr 22)
NASHVILLE (Apr 29)
LOS ANGELES (May 7)
@Arizona (May 14)
GEORGIA (May 21)


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winning coin toss 0-0
Losing coin toss 1-2

Outscoring Opponent 1-0
Being Outscored 0-2


2005 STANDINGS

AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Western Division
Team W L Pct PF PA
Las Vegas 2 1 .667 118 140
Los Angeles 2 1 .667 147 138
San Jose 1 2 .333 160 156
Arizona 1 2 .333 145 150
Central Division
Team W L Pct PF PA
Chicago 2 1 .667 167 155
Nashville 1 2 .333 129 156
Colorado 1 2 .333 156 146
Grand Rapids 0 2 .000 94 130

NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Eastern Division
Team W L Pct PF PA
Dallas 2 1 .667 146 151
Philadelphia 2 1 .667 166 134
New York 1 1 .500 92 86
Columbus 0 2 .000 69 82
Southern Division
Team W L Pct PF PA
Orlando 3 0 1.000 151 122
Tampa Bay 2 1 .667 171 139
Georgia 2 1 .667 148 137
New Orleans 2 1 .667 165 141
Austin 0 3 .000 131 192

WEEK TWO RESULTS

Thursday, February 3
Orlando 51, ARIZONA 40
Friday, February 4
New Orleans 59, NASHVILLE 34
LOS ANGELES 46, Georgia 41
Saturday, February 5
COLORADO 72, Grand Rapids 56
SAN JOSE 66, Las Vegas 31
Sunday, February 6
CHICAGO 51, Philadelphia 41
NEW YORK 55, Dallas 45
TAMPA BAY 62, Austin 45

WEEK THREE RESULTS

Friday, February 11
ORLANDO 61, Tampa Bay 46
Los Angeles 64, AUSTIN 51
LAS VEGAS 41, New York 37
Saturday, February 12
GEORGIA 61, Arizona 47
Sunday, February 13
DALLAS 35, Columbus 31
PHILADELPHIA 59, Nashville 48
Chicago 51, COLORADO 48
NEW ORLEANS 62, San Jose 61


WEEK FOUR SCHEDULE

Thursday, February 17
Orlando at Dallas, 5:30 pm

Saturday, February 19
Nashville at New York, 4:00 pm
Chicago at Columbus, 4:00 pm
Austin at Grand Rapids, 4:30 pm
Colorado at Arizona 7:30 pm

Sunday, February 20
Philadelphia at New Orleans, 9:00 am
San Jose at Los Angeles, 3:00 pm
Georgia at Las Vegas, 3:00 pm


WEEK FIVE SCHEDULE

Friday, February 25
Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 5:00 pm
Georgia at Austin, 5:30 pm
Orlando at Chicago, 5:30 pm

Saturday, February 26
Las Vegas at Nashville, 5:30 pm

Sunday, February 27
Dallas at Philadelphia, 12:00 pm
Columbus at Grand Rapids, 12:00 pm
Arizona at New York, 12:00 pm
Los Angeles at Colorado, 12:00 pm


WEEK SIX SCHEDULE

Friday, March 4
Austin at Las Vegas, 7:00 pm

Saturday, March 5
New Orleans at Dallas, 5:30 pm

Sunday, March 6
San Jose at Orlando, 9:00 am
New York at Philadelphia, 9:00 am
Columbus at Georgia, 9:00 am
Nashville at Chicago, 12:00 pm
Grand Rapids at Tampa Bay, 10:00 am
Los Angeles at Arizona, 5:00 pm

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 15, 2005


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