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San Jose SaberCats game notes

January 24, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Utah Blaze (0-0) at SaberCats (0-0).
Date: Saturday, January 28, 2006.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (PST).
Site: HP Pavilion at San Jose (14,041).
Officials: Referee: David Cutaia. Umpire: Doug Wilson. Head Linesman: Greg Shields. Line Judge: Dave Chesney. Back Judge: James Cole
Television: FSN Bay Area will air the game on tape delay with Barry Tompkins (play-by-play), Mike Pawlawski (color) and Amy Gutierrez (sideline) calling the action. The game will air on Tuesday, January 31 at 7:00 p.m. (PT).
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Ted Robinson handling play-by-play duties and Keena Turner supplying the color commentary. The station will air an extended pre-game show live from HP Pavilion beginning at 5:00 pm with hosts Ray Woodson and Damon Bruce.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of Saturday's game.
Series Record: Team's have not played.
Last Meeting: This will be the first meeting.
Series Streaks: Team's have not played.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (8th season; 73-31 regular season, 82-35 overall). Utah, Danny White (14th season; 121-55 regular season, 141-65 overall).

OVERVIEW: The Arena Football League celebrates its 20th season in 2006 and the SaberCats open their 12th campaign by hosting the expansion Utah Blaze on Saturday, January 28. This game marks the return of Danny White to the AFL. White, the Blaze head coach and GM, was the head coach of the Arizona Rattlers from the club's inception in 1992 through the 2004 season. He returns as the second-winningest coach in AFL history with 141 career victories. The SaberCats look to rebound from a season that saw them win nine games, snapping their league record-tying streak of five straight seasons with double-digit regular season victories. San Jose will open the season at home for the first time since 2002 when they defeated White's Arizona Rattlers, 52-51, and posted a league record 13 regular season wins and claimed their first ArenaBowl title. Under head coach Darren Arbet, the SaberCats have not lost a home opener going 7-0 and outscoring the opposition 443 to 250. Overall the SaberCats are 8-3 in home openers and 6-5 in regular season opening games. The SaberCats have not played a true expansion team in its first year of existence since facing the New Orleans VooDoo and Philadelphia Soul in the 2004 season.
THE SCHEDULES:

2006 San Jose SaberCats (0-0)
Game Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
Jan. 28 UTAH 7:30 pm 1050/FSN
Feb. 6 @Las Vegas 7:30 pm 1050/WB20
Feb. 12 @Arizona 6:00 pm 1050-680/WB20
Feb. 19 @Grand Rapids 11:00 am 1050/WB20
Feb. 26 @Chicago 10:00 am 1050-680/NBC
Mar. 4 @Utah 6:00 pm 1050-680/WB20
Mar. 12 LOS ANGELES 3:00 pm 1050/NBC
Mar. 17 GEORGIA 7:30 pm 1050/FSN
Mar. 25 @Nashville 5:00 pm 1050/NBC11
Apr. 2 ARIZONA 3:00 pm 1050/NBC
Apr. 7 @Tampa Bay 4:30 pm 1050/WB
Apr. 14 LAS VEGAS 7:30 pm 1050/FSN
Apr. 22 AUSTIN 7:30 pm 1050
Apr. 29 @Los Angeles 7:30 pm 1050/WB20
May 6 COLORADO 7:30 pm 1050
May 13 COLUMBUS 7:30 pm 1050

2006 Utah Blaze (0-0)
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
Jan. 28 @San Jose 7:30 pm FSNBA
Feb. 4 DALLAS 6:00 pm
Feb. 11 NEW YORK 6:00 pm
Feb. 18 @Arizona 6:00 pm
Feb. 25 @Los Angeles 7:30 pm FSNW
Mar. 4 SAN JOSE 6:00 pm
Mar. 10 NASHVILLE 6:00 pm
Mar. 16 @Grand Rapids 4:00 pm FSND
Mar. 24 LAS VEGAS 6:00 pm
Apr. 1 @Tampa Bay 4:30 pm SUN
Apr. 7 ARIZONA 6:00 pm
Apr. 15 LOS ANGELES 6:00 pm
Apr. 21 @Colorado 6:00 pm
Apr. 28 @Las Vegas 7:30 pm
May 6 @Chicago 5:00 pm
May 12 KANSAS CITY 6:00 pm KCTV

THE SERIES: This will be the first-ever meeting between the new Western Division rivals. San Jose is 11-13 overall against Danny White coached teams and has posted a 3-1 record in playoff games. White coached the Arizona Rattlers from 1992 to 2004.

WHAT'S AHEAD - Following tonight's game San Jose will venture off on a team record five-game road trip. The SaberCats will not play a home game until Sunday, March 12, when they host the Los Angeles Avengers in a scheduled NBC game at 3:00 p.m. (PT). San Jose will play its version of Monday Night Football next week when it travels to Las Vegas to face the Gladiators at 7:00 pm.
THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Utah it would...
*Be San Jose's 8th straight home opening win.
*Give San Jose a 9-3 all-time record in home openers.
*Give San Jose a 7-5 all-time record in season openers.
*Give San Jose a 103-56 all-time reg. season record.
*Give San Jose a 58-22 all-time reg. season home record.
*Give San Jose a 41-24 record against Western Division opponents.
*Give San Jose a 26-10 home record against Western Division opponents.

THE COACHES:
San Jose - Darren Arbet, 8th season
73-31 (.702) reg. season; 82-35 (.701) overall
0-0 career vs. Utah
Now in his eighth season at the helm of the SaberCats, two-time Coach of the Year Darren Arbet enters the 2006 season ranked 6th in the AFL with 82 career victories and needs just four more wins to tie Perry Moss for 5th place. Last season Arbet led the SaberCats to their 6th consecutive winning season and playoff appearance. Since the start of the 2000 season his teams have compiled a 67-23 (.744) 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). Last season Arbet became the second fastest head coach to reach 80 career wins, doing it in 111 games. Only Tampa Bay's Tim Marcum, who reached the 80-win mark in 96 games, got to that milestone quicker.

Utah - Danny White, 14th season
121-55 (.688) reg. season; 141-65 (.684) overall
13-11 (.542) career vs. San Jose
Entering his 14th season as an AFL head coach and first with the Blaze, White has compiled a record of 141-65 and advanced to the AFL Playoffs in 12 of the previous 13 years (hasn't missed the postseason since 1992). Prior to joining the Blaze, White was the head coach of the Arizona Rattlers for 13 seasons (1992-2004). The AFL Hall of Fame coach has two titles (1994 and 1997) to his credit and has made five ArenaBowl appearances (1994, 97, 2002-04). During his last season in Arizona in 2004, White compiled a 13-6 record and made his third straight ArenaBowl appearance. White won the AFL Coach of the Year award in 1993. He officially became the head coach of the Blaze on April 21, 2005.

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats reached their season opening roster limit by releasing five players, making a pair of trades and placing 10 players on injured reserve. The club dealt WR/LBs Yardon Brantley to Philadelphia and Kenny Solomon to Grand Rapids, each for future considerations.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
Jan. 21 Traded WR/LB Yardon Brantley to Philadelphia for future considerations.
Jan. 22Jan. 22 Traded WR/LB Kenny Solomon to Grand Rapids for future considerations. Activated DS Omarr Smith from RTR.Placed OL/DL Albrey Battle, OL/DL Dan Loney, OL/DL Fitu Tu'ua, WR/LB Ben Nelson and DS Omarr Smith on IR.
Jan. 23 Placed DS Rufus Brown, OL/DL Julius Gant, OS Jason Geathers, OS Atnaf Harris and QB Chris Lewis on IR

INJURY REPORT: Ten players were placed on IR to start the 2006 campaign. League rules stipulate that players on IR must be inactive for two weeks. All players are eligible to be activated to the active roster in time for San Jose's Feb. 12 game at Arizona.

INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
Albrey Battle R ankle tendonitis IR
Atnaf Harris L foot stress IR
Chris Lewis Back strain IR
Rufus Brown L wrist sprain IR
Julius Gant L groin strain IR
Jason Geathers R Hip flexor IR
Omarr Smith R patellar tendon IR
Dan Loney L knee IR
Fitu Tu'ua L 3rd finger IR
Ben Nelson L ankle sprain IR

MILESTONES:
*WR/DB Barry Wagner needs 165 all-purpose yards to become the AFL's career leader, 3 INTs for 50 career and 2 INTs for 20 in SJ career.
*WR/LB Fred Coleman needs 1 TD catch for 30 career.
*FB/LB Phil Glover needs 2 rush TDs for 10 career and 4 rush yards for 150 career.
*QB Mark Grieb needs 217 pass yards for 23,000 career and 8 TD passes for 420 in SJ career.
*OL/DL Joe Jacobs needs 4.5 sacks for 40.0 career.
*DS Terrance Joseph needs 1 INT for 10 career.
*K Brian Schmitz needs 1 made FG for 55 career.
*WR/DB Rodney Wright needs 1 catch for 60 career.

2005 SABERCATS FINAL LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category No./Avg. Rank
Scoring Offense 59.1 1st
Scoring Defense 51.3 11th
Total Offense 312.4 2nd
Total Defense 281.2 8th
Pass Offense 296.4 1st
Pass Defense 265.4 10th
Rushing Offense 15.9 10th
Rushing Defense 15.8 3rd
Touchdowns 137 1st
Pass Rating 120.7 T-1st
Pass Defense Rating 110.2 11th
Interceptions 16 7th
Kickoff Return Avg. 21.8 1st
Field Goal Return Avg. 27.8 1st
Turnover Margin -1 T-8th
3rd Down Conversions 43.7% 13th
4th Down Conversions 53.8 T-6th
Sacks By 12 13th
Sacks Against 19 12th


RETURNING SABERCATS AMONG ‘05 AFL LEADERS
Player Category No. Rank
Mark Grieb Total Offense 4,816 1
Mark Grieb Completion Pct. 68.5 1
Mark Grieb Pass TDs 84 5
Mark Grieb Passer Rating 122.0 1
Mark Grieb Passing Yards 4,796 1
Mark Grieb Pass Completions 374 3
Mark Grieb Pass Avg/Game 299.8 1
Mark Grieb Pass Attempts 546 5
Mark Grieb Pass Yards/Att 8.8 1
James Roe Receptions 116 T-6
James Roe Receiving Yards 1,440 6
James Roe TD Receptions 30 T-9
James Roe Rcv Yards/Game 90.0 6
Joe Jacobs Forced Fumbles 3 T-6
Clevan Thomas Interceptions 6 T-5
Rodney Wright MFG Return Avg. 47.0 1
Rodney Wright MFG Return TDs 1 T-1
Rodney Wright MFG Return Yards 94 7

2005 SEASON REVIEW:
It wasn't easy, but the SaberCats earned a playoff berth for the 6th consecutive year. The title-defense season got off to a rough start for the SaberCats as they dropped three of their first four games. Entering the season, the SaberCats knew they would have a large target on their backs and their first game of the season at Tampa Bay confirmed this. The Storm, thanks to 28-7 second quarter, put a 63-33 hurting on San Jose as they lost the season opener for the first time since 1998. The SaberCats bounced back the following game winning their seventh straight home opener, 66-31, over Las Vegas. The SaberCats defense put forth an impressive effort, holding the Gladiators scoreless in the second half. But the road woes continued and the SaberCats lost their next two games. In Week 3 at New Orleans Dan Frantz missed a potential game-winning 32-yard field goal as time expired to seal the 62-61 victory for the VooDoo. Starting DS Omarr Smith sustained a season-ending knee injury adding to the misery. The following week, turnovers put San Jose in a 37-21 halftime hole against the Avengers. Though they mounted a furious fourth quarter comeback, the SaberCats couldn't get over the hump and lost a close contest 69-71, bringing their record to 1-3. In the game, Barry Wagner became the AFL's all-time leader in receptions with 950. QB Mark Grieb completed a team-record tying 31 passes for 399 yards, the third-highest total in franchise history. Needing to regroup after stumbling out of the gates, San Jose's bye-week couldn't have come at a better time. In an important game against the 4-1 Orlando Predators, the SaberCats entered a hostile environment and came away with a much-needed 57-38 win. Barry Wagner returned to the place where he spent the first eight years of his career and scored three times, including the 400th of his illustrious career, helping San Jose improve to 2-3. The win over Orlando was the start of the SaberCats five-game winning streak and concluded their stretch of four of the first five games on the road. San Jose returned to HP Pavilion looking to even their season record. FB/LB's Steve Warren and Matt Kinsinger each rushed for a pair of TDs to help defeat the Philadelphia Soul in convincing fashion, 52-26. With the 1-5 Grand Rapids Rampage coming into town, the SaberCats saw this as the perfect opportunity to move over .500 for the first time in 2005. OS Rashied Davis scored five touchdowns, including two 50+ yard kickoff return TDs and amassed 341 all-purpose yards, the third-highest single game total in team-history to help San Jose defeat the Rampage 72-48. The SaberCats defense held the AFL's leading rusher, QB Michael Bishop, to just 5 yards on 3 carries. The SaberCats hit the road again for their rematch with the Gladiators. What started as a blowout (San Jose led 55-27 midway through the third quarter) turned into a barn-burner. Las Vegas QB Clint Dolezel tied an AFL record with 11 touchdown passes, six of those to OS Marcus Nash who had 229 receiving yards, as the Gladiators came back late in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 68 apiece. But Rashied Davis' 40-yard TD reception-his team-record tying seventh score of the night-with 0:48 second left put the game away for good. With the 81-75 shootout win, the SaberCats improved to 5-3. The SaberCats hosted their arch-rival the Arizona Rattlers to start the second half of the season and, thanks to three rushing TDs by Steve Warren and an outstanding defensive effort, came away with a 48-27 victory. It was San Jose's fifth straight win and gave them sole possession for first place in the Western Division. The SaberCats finally saw their streak come to an end in Chicago. The Rush defeated the SaberCats for the first time in five tries behind a six-touchdown performance by QB Raymond Philyaw. San Jose wouldn't be down for too long, however. In the next two weeks, the SaberCats would topple division-leading teams the Dallas Desperados (Eastern) and the Colorado Crush (Central). Grieb threw a season-high eight TD passes, including the 400th of his AFL career, and the SaberCats posted the second highest point total in team history with an 83-71 win over Dallas. The SaberCats followed up an impressive performance with a near flawless showing against the Colorado Crush on Apr. 22. Operating like a well-oiled machine, San Jose scored a touchdown on all 13 of its possessions to post 89 points, the highest point total in franchise history, the highest point total for a road team in AFL history, and the third-highest point total in league history. Mark Grieb set an AFL record by completing all 15 of his passes for 331 yards and eight TDs. Grieb and backup QB Nick Rolovich combined to complete 17-of-17 passes, the first time in league history a team did not have an incomplete pass. Rashied Davis tied the team record for most TDs in a game for the second time this season, recording seven scores. After their most dominating performance of the year, the SaberCats fell on hard times, losing their next three games in disappointing fashion. San Jose's seemingly unstoppable offense averaged only 47 points in those three losses. Owning a 5-0 record at home, Nashville and Los Angeles both went into HP Pavilion and came away with victories. San Jose's loss to the Avengers severely crippled its chances of winning the Western Division title and dropped the record to 8-6. Going into their final road game of the year against the Rattlers, the SaberCats could have secured a playoff berth with a win and Las Vegas loss. Instead, the SaberCats offense continued to struggle and SaberCats fell to Arizona 44-54. The lone bright spot was Rashied Davis, who set a new team record for points (234) and touchdowns (39) in a season. Thanks to a Las Vegas loss, though, the SaberCats still controlled their own playoff destiny. Desperately needing a win in their season finale to ensure their sixth consecutive trip to the playoffs, the SaberCats got it against the league-leading Georgia Force. San Jose jumped out to a 40-13 halftime lead and held on for a 54-48 victory. Mark Grieb threw for 228 yards, breaking the AFL record for most passing yards in a season with 4,796 and extended his season total to 84 TD passes, the highest in team history. James Roe grabbed 12 passes for 121 yards and three TDs while Rashied Davis added three scores of his own, including his sixth kickoff return TD of the season. The SaberCats finished the regular season at 9-7, their sixth consecutive year with a winning record. The 2005 season also saw a number of records go down. Mark Grieb set team records in passing yards (4,796), passing attempts (546), pass completions (374) and touchdowns (84). Rashied Davis set team records in touchdowns (44) and scoring (264) and posted the fourth highest receiving total in team history (1,420). James Roe set a team record in receptions (116) and tied a career-high with 1,440 receiving yards. For the first time in team history, two receivers (Roe and Davis) each had 100+ receptions in a season and the duo combined for most receiving yards in a season by a twosome (2,860).

PLAYOFFS - Coming into the playoffs as defending ArenaBowl champions, the SaberCats had to play an opening round game on the road for the first time since 1998. San Jose had defeated the eventual ArenaBowl champion Crush during the regular season, but this was not the same Colorado group. Kevin McKenzie returned the opening kickoff for a TD and San Jose never seemed to recover, dropping the contest 56-48. San Jose did take its first lead of the game late in the 3rd quarter but couldn't hold on. QB Mark Grieb threw for 392 yards, the fourth-highest total in a league playoff game, completing 34-of-55 attempts. Barry Wagner led all receivers with 10 catches in the game.

2005 SEASON RESULTS
Date Opponent Result Score Record
Jan. 30 @Tampa Bay Lost 33-63 0-1
Feb. 5 LAS VEGAS Won 66-31 1-1
Feb. 13 @New Orleans Lost 61-62 1-2
Feb. 20 @Los Angeles Lost 69-71 1-3
Mar. 6 @Orlando Won 57-38 2-3
Mar. 11 PHILADELPHIA Won 52-26 3-3
Mar. 18 GRAND RAPIDS Won 72-48 4-3
Mar. 28 @Las Vegas Won 81-75 5-3
Apr. 3 ARIZONA Won 48-27 6-3
Apr. 10 @Chicago Lost 39-55 6-4
Apr. 15 DALLAS Won 83-71 7-4
Apr. 22 @Colorado Won 89-41 8-4
Apr. 29 NASHVILLE Lost 55-57 8-5
May 7 LOS ANGELES Lost 42-54 8-6
May 14 @Arizona Lost 44-54 8-7
May 21 GEORGIA Won 54-48 9-7
Playoffs
May 29 @Colorado Lost 48-56 9-8

TRENDS:
OPENERS - The SaberCats are 6-1 under head coach Darren Arbet in season opening games and had their streak of six straight opening night wins snapped last year at Tampa Bay. Overall San Jose is 6-5 in season openers. San Jose will open the 2006 season at home for the first time since 2002 when they defeated Arizona.
HOME OPENERS - San Jose has won its last seven home openers outscoring the opposition 443 to 250 in those games. Overall the SaberCats are 8-3 when opening the season at HP Pavilion. San Jose last opened a campaign at home in 2002, defeating the Danny White-led Arizona Rattlers, 52-51. The SaberCats went on to set an AFL record with 13 regular season wins and defeated Arizona to capture their first of two ArenaBowl titles.

HOME SWEET HOME - The SaberCats have held a distinct home field advantage since Darren Arbet took over as head coach in 1999. San Jose is 43-9 (.827) in regular season games played in HP Pavilion since the '99 season and 51-11 (.823) overall.

TWO AND TWO - In each of their two ArenaBowl championship seasons (2002 & 2004), the SaberCats have posted two wins against first-year expansion teams. San Jose twice defeated Dallas during the 2002 season and posted wins over New Orleans and Philadelphia during the 2004 campaign. San Jose and Utah meet again on Mar. 4 in Salt Lake City.

GRIEB AGAIN - For the fourth consecutive season Mark Grieb will be the SaberCats starting QB. Grieb has started every game for San Jose since the start of the 2003 season, a total of 48 regular season games and 54 games overall. During that time Grieb has thrown over 98 percent of the team's passes.

EVEN AS YOU GO - For anyone interested in numerology, the SaberCats might be a good bet to win the ArenaBowl title in 2006. San Jose has dominated even numbered years winning league titles in 2002 and 2004. San Jose went 12-2 in 2000 but fell one game short of reaching the ArenaBowl that year. Over those three seasons the SaberCats have gone 43-9 (.827).

FOR STARTERS - In 81 career regular season starts as a member of the SaberCats, quarterback Mark Grieb owns a 61-20 (.753) record and is 37-5 (.881) as a starter in home games. Grieb and the SaberCats are 0-1 in regular season games played in the month of January, losing at Tampa Bay, 63-33, last year on January 30.

HOME PRODUCTION - The SaberCats have scored more than 60 points in each of their last three home openers and are averaging nearly 70 points a game in that stretch. San Jose defeated Colorado, 80-40, in the 2003 home opener, beat Grand Rapids, 62-31, in the 2004 opener and posted a 66-31 win over Las Vegas in '05. San Jose has outscored its opponent 208 to 102.

EXPANSION OPENERS - Saturday's game against Utah will mark the second time in San Jose history that the team has opened a season against a true expansion team. In 1997 the SaberCats traveled to Nashville to take on the Kats in their inaugural season opener and were defeated 47-21.

NOTES:
ROSTER MAKE UP - Over half the players (12 of 23) on the 2006 opening day roster were not with the club last season. The SaberCats have three AFL rookies, five first-year SaberCats and four players who are returning to the team after spending past season elsewhere. The 11 returning players possess 63 seasons of AFL experience with Barry Wagner leading the way with 14 years followed by Chuck Reed and Joe Jacobs with 10 AFL seasons under their belts.

EXPANSION RIGHTS - Since 1999 the SaberCats have not lost a game to a true expansion team when facing that team in its first year. San Jose is 9-0 beating Buffalo (1999), Los Angeles twice (2000), Dallas twice (2002), Colorado twice (2003), New Orleans (2004) and Philadelphia (2004). Overall the SaberCats are 29-10 against the league's most recent expansion teams.

WELCOME TO THE WEST - When San Jose defeated Los Angeles twice (2000), Dallas twice (2002) and Colorado twice (2003), all three were expansion teams that played in the Western Division in their inaugural campaign. The SaberCats outscored those teams 433 to 281 in the six victories.

DO YOU KNOW THE WAY... - Four former SaberCats have found their way back to San Jose for the 2006 season. Charles Pauley, Fred Coleman and Brian Johnson, all members of the team's 2004 ArenaBowl championship squad, return as does DS Terrance Joseph, who started his AFL career with the SaberCats in 2000.

HEY ROOK - The SaberCats have three AFL rookies on the 2006 roster, but they all have impressive football backgrounds. WR/DB Marquis Floyd was the af2 Ironman of the Year last season helping the Rio Grande Valley Dorados to the conference championship game. Floyd played in all 16 regular season games posting 11 receptions for 1,452 yards and 29 TDs. He also placed 4th in af2 with nine interceptions. OL/DL Alan Harper was a 4th round pick of the New York Jets in the 2002 NFL draft and played in 11 games during his NFL career. Also a star at Fresno State, Harper was the Western Athletic Conference defensive player of the year in 2001. FB/LB JaJuan Huddleston also made the roster after an impressive camp. He starred for two seasons at Central Valley of af2 and had 40 catches during the 2004 year.

FRESNO STATE CONNECTION - The pipeline of football talent from Fresno to San Jose keeps getting stronger. The SaberCats have three former Bulldogs, WR/DB Rodney Wright, FB/LB JaJuan Huddleston and OL/DL Alan Harper, on their active roster while two more former Bulldogs, OS Atnaf Harris and OL/DL Fitu Tu'ua are on the team's injured reserve list.

ON THE MARK - QB Mark Grieb is 5-0 in home openers throwing for 1,247 yards and 24 TDs in those games. Grieb has completed 95-of-145 passes (65.5%) with just 2 INTs and has a pass efficiency rating of 126.4. Grieb is AFL's career leader in pass completion percentage at 66.3 and passer rating at 124.2.

CENTER OF ATTENTION - It appears the SaberCats will have their fourth opening day starter at center in the last four years. Last year's starter Dan Loney is on IR after having his knee scoped two weeks ago. That leaves the job to Rex Richards, a highly decorated lineman during his college days at Texas Tech, who played in three games last season as a rookie.

THE SPECIALIST - With Rashied Davis beginning a career in the NFL, the job of OS falls in the capable hands of second-year player Rodney Wright. Wright started at OS in last year's opener but missed the next four contests. When he returned to the lineup it was as a two-way player due to Davis' ability as the OS. Wright was named the club's Ironman and Rookie of the Year by his teammates after placing 3rd on the team with 59 catches, 678 receiving yards and eight TD catches.

RECORD HOLDER - Entering his 15th season in a league that's just 20 years old, Barry Wagner is the AFL's career leader in scoring (2,466), touchdowns scored (406), rushing TDs (125), receptions (962) and receiving yards (13,090). Wagner is also on the verge of becoming the AFL's all-time leader in all-purpose yards. Wagner became just the 3rd player in league history to eclipse the 20,000 all-purpose yard mark and needs just 165 yards to supplant Utah assistant coach Hunkie Cooper for the all-time lead. Wagner must first pass former Tampa Bay Storm standout George LaFrance on the list, needing just 58 yards to do that.

CAREER ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGE LEADERS
Rk Player A-P Yards
1. Hunkie Cooper 20,587
2. George LaFrance 20,480
3. Barry Wagner 20,423

WINNING TRADITION - The SaberCats posted their sixth straight winning campaign in 2005 and since the start of the 2000 season San Jose has been the most successful AFL team posting 67 regular season wins in that time. No other team has reached the 60-win mark and only Arizona (59), Orlando (58) and Tampa Bay (55) have cracked the 50-win plateau. Below is a look at the records of teams over the past five years.

Team Record Pct.
San Jose SaberCats 67-23 .744
Arizona Rattlers 59-31 .656
Orlando Predators 58-32 .644
Tampa Bay Storm 55-35 .611
Iowa/New York Dragons 47-43 .522
Los Angeles Avengers 46-44 .511
New Jersey/Las Vegas Gladiators 39-51 .433
Grand Rapids Rampage 38-52 .422
Buffalo/Columbus Destroyers 30-60 .333

FB/LB MAKEOVER - No it's not another reality type TV show, but the SaberCats fullback and ‘Mac' linebacker saga. The three FB/LBs on the 2006 roster are all new to the squad in 2006 as is FB/LB coach Derrick Chachere. Brian Johnson spent the 2003 and 2004 season in Green and Gold before signing with the 49ers and playing in Europe last season. Phil Glover was Arizona's leading rusher in '06 and JaJuan Huddleston was playing in af2. The SaberCats are looking to improve upon a ground game that managed a team record-low of 255 yards and failed to have a 100-yard rusher for the second consecutive season. Last year's leading rusher Matt Kinsinger posted the lowest total by a team leader with just 74 yards.

GETTING HIS KICKS - Brian Schmitz, a free agent signee in the offseason, will take over the kicking duties in 2006. When Schmitz tees it up on Saturday, he'll be the third different kicker in the last four games for the SaberCats. After Dan Frantz injured his knee at Arizona in the next to last regular season game in 05, Derek Schorejs took over the chores against Georgia in the 05 finale and the first round playoff game. Schmitz spent the last two seasons with New Orleans and was the only kicker in the team's two-year history.

UTAH PLAYERS TO WATCH:
OS SIAHA BURLEY - Enters his first season with Utah after playing for the Orlando Predators, Los Angeles Avengers and the Arizona Rattlers. Burley, entering his sixth season in the AFL, has 420 receptions for 5,279 yards for 121 TDs during his career. Named the Offensive Player of the Year by the Arena Football League Writers Association (AFLWA) last season, Burley finished the campaign with 117 catches for 1,542 yards and an Arizona franchise record 45 TDs. He led the league in scoring, TDs and TD catches while placing 3rd in receiving yards. In eight career games with three different teams against the SaberCats Burley has had an up-and-down history. Last year the SaberCats held Burley in check limiting him to just 11 catches for 132 yards and a TD while splitting the season series with the Rattlers. Burley had three impressive outings against San Jose where he had 28 catches for 421 yards and 12 TDs leading his team to a pair of wins. On May 26, 2001, Burley set a then SaberCats opponent record with 6 TD receptions in Orlando's 59-35 victory. In the other three contests against San Jose, Burley managed just 8 catches for 100 yards and no TDs, but he did have a 57-yard KOR while with the Avengers. Burley showed his offensive skills in ArenaBowl XVIII with 11 catches for 166 yards and 4 TDs, but San Jose defested the Rattlers, 69-62.

QB JOE GERMAINE - Expected to be the starting QB for the Blaze after spending the 2004 and 2005 seasons as Sherdrick Bonner's back-up in Arizona. Germaine played in 10 games during his Rattlers career completing 173-of-275 attempts for 2,184 yards with 45 TDs and 8 INTs. Against San Jose Germaine has only seen action in one game. He was Arizona's starting QB on April 3, 2005 completing 17 of 34 for 210 yards with 3 TDs and an interception. The SaberCats sacked him twice in that game on their way to a 48-27 win.

WR/LB TOM PACE - Pace joins the Blaze after playing for the Arizona Rattlers from 2003 to 2005. He played in 40 games over the past 3 seasons totaling 140 receptions for 1,688 yards and 32 TDs while rushing for 9 yards and 4 TDs on 20 attempts. June 8, 2003 Pace caught 3 passes for 54 yards and 2 TDs against San Jose leading the Rattlers to a 66-49 win. In 2004, Pace saw action in both regular season games against the SaberCats as well as ArenaBowl XVIII. He led the Rattlers to two victories totaling 8 catches for 83 yards and 2 TDs during the regular season, but was disappointed when the Rattlers lost to the SaberCats in the ArenaBowl 62-69 where Pace had only 2 receptions for 13 yards. An accomplished kick return man, Pace had 3 KOR touchdowns against the SaberCats last season with two of them coming in the Rattlers 54-44 win over the SaberCats on May 14, 2005.

2006 STANDINGS
This season playoffs will be separated into conferences with division winners receiving first round playoff byes and the next four 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
Utah 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
Kansas City 0 0 .000 0 0
Orlando 0 0 .000 0 0
Tampa Bay 0 0 .000 0 0

WEEK ONE SCHEDULE

Friday, January 27
Las Vegas at Austin, 5:30 pm

Saturday, January 28
Orlando at Georgia, 4:00 pm
Nashville at New York, 4:00 pm
Utah at San Jose, 7:30 pm

Sunday, January 29
Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, 12:00 pm
Arizona at Los Angeles, 12:00 pm
Chicago at Colorado, 12:00 pm
Kansas City at Dallas, 12:00 pm
Grand Rapids at Columbus, 12:00 pm

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