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San Jose SaberCats game notes

January 31, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: SaberCats (0-1) at Las Vegas Gladiators (0-1).
Date: Monday, February 6, 2006.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (PST).
Site: Thomas & Mack Center (16,606).
Officials: Referee: Perry Havener; Umpire: Tom Laverty; Head Linesman: Rusty Baynes; Line Judge: David Meslow; Back Judge: Barry Anderson.
Television: The Bay Area's Warner Brother's affiliate, KBWB (WB20), will air the game live with Grant Napear (play-by-play) and four-time Super Bowl champion Keena Turner (color) calling the action.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Barry Tompkins handling play-by-play duties and former SaberCat Steve Papin supplying the color commentary. The station will air a 30-minute pregame show starting at 7:00 p.m. (PT).
SaberCats Sideline Report: Each Sunday, except during the Olympics, NBC11 will air the SaberCats Sideline Report at 11:50 p.m. This action-packed 8-minute segment includes highlights and interviews with your host Bob Fitzgerald.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of Sunday's game.
Series Record: SaberCats lead 4-1.
Last Meeting: SaberCats 81, Gladiators 75 on March 28, 2005 in Las Vegas.
Series Streaks: SaberCats Won 2.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (8th season; 73-32 regular season, 82-36 overall). Las Vegas, Ron James (2nd season; 8-9 regular season and overall).

OVERVIEW: After dropping their home opener to the expansion Utah Blaze, the SaberCats embark on a franchise record 5-game road trip beginning Monday, February 6 in Las Vegas. San Jose will be without the services of perennial Ironman James Roe indefinitely after the team's career receptions leader suffered a concussion in the loss to Utah. Roe was injured on the SaberCats first offensive play of the game and was taken on a stretcher to a local hospital...For the second consecutive season the SaberCats will play the Gladiators after losing their opener. Last year San Jose defeated Las Vegas, 66-31, after losing in Tampa Bay a week earlier. San Jose hopes for similar results, this time in Las Vegas, after losing to the Blaze...San Jose has not lost consecutive games to start a season since 1998 when the SaberCats began 0-3 under Todd Shell. San Jose ended that season with a 7-7 record and qualified for the playoffs...San Jose leads the all-time series 4-1 and has outscored Las Vegas 333 to 249.
THE SCHEDULES:

2006 San Jose SaberCats (0-1)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 28 UTAH Lost 35-48
Date Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
Feb. 6 @Las Vegas 7:30 pm 1050/WB
Feb. 12 @Arizona 6:00 pm 1050-680/WB
Feb. 19 @Grand Rapids 11:00 am 1050/WB
Feb. 26 @Chicago 10:00 am 1050-680/NBC
Mar. 4 @Utah 6:00 pm 1050-680/WB
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/WB
May 6 COLORADO 7:30 pm 1050
May 13 COLUMBUS 7:30 pm 1050

2006 Las Vegas Gladiators (0-1)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 27 @Austin Lost 46-64
Date Opponent Time (PT) TV
Feb. 6 SAN JOSE 7:30 pm
Feb. 12 @Colorado 12:00 pm
Feb. 17 GEORGIA 7:30 pm
Feb. 25 @Dallas 7:30 pm
Mar. 5 @Philadelphia 3:00 pm FSN
Mar. 10 GRAND RAPIDS 7:30 pm
Mar. 17 ARIZONA 7:30 pm FSN
Mar. 24 @Utah 6:00 pm
Apr. 2 LOS ANGELES 3:00 pm FSN
Apr. 8 NASHVILLE 7:30 pm FSN
Apr. 14 @San Jose 7:30 pm FSN
Apr. 23 @Chicago 1:00 pm
Apr. 29 UTAH 7:30 pm
May 6 @Arizona 7:00 pm
May 13 @Los Angeles 7:30 pm

THE SERIES: San Jose leads the all-time series 4-1 and holds a 2-1 record in games played in Las Vegas...In their four wins the SaberCats are averaging 74.5 points per game while they scored just 35 points in their only loss to the Gladiators...San Jose swept the season series last year and has won two straight over the Gladiators.

WHAT'S AHEAD - San Jose's franchise record road trip continues next week when the ‘Cats travel to the desert to take on division rival the Arizona Rattlers on Sunday, February 12. Game time is set for 6:00 pm (PT) and fans can watch the action live on WB20 or listen on the SaberCats flagship radio station KNBR 1050.

SERIES NOTABLES: The SaberCats have scored at least 66 points in each of their four series wins and scored just 35 points in their lone series loss...The combined point total (156) in San Jose's 81-75 win at Las Vegas on Mar. 28, 2005 represents the sixth-highest scoring game in AFL history and the second-highest in San Jose history...In that same game the team's combined for a SaberCats record 60 fourth quarter points...Las Vegas has twice amassed over 400 yards of total offense in the series, including a SaberCats opponent record 456 on Mar. 20, 2004, and has outgained San Jose in all five meetings...The SaberCats are still in search of their first sack of a Las Vegas quarterback in the series...San Jose has totaled 12 interceptions in the series and four different SaberCats (Clevan Thomas, Omarr Smith, Barry Wagner and Tremain Mack) have returned an INT for a TD against the Gladiators...Former SaberCats FB/LB Matt Kinsinger and OL/DL Rob Gatrell are on the Gladiators roster in 2006. Kinsinger led San Jose in rushing last season and is the third leading rusher in SaberCats history with 393 yards. He played four seasons in the Green and Gold and won two titles. Gatrell played in 2 games as a reserve lineman with San Jose in 2004.

LAST SERIES MEETING: SaberCats 81, Las Vegas 75 - Monday, March 28, 2005 - Thomas & Mack Center - Rashied Davis scored a San Jose record tying 7 TDs and the SaberCats withstood a second half barrage by the Gladiators to claim a share of first place in the Western Division with a wild 81-75 win. For the second straight game Davis scored a receiving, rushing and kickoff return touchdown and surpassed 300 all-purpose yards as the SaberCats posted their third highest point total in franchise history. Las Vegas quarterback Clint Dolezel tied an AFL record with 11 touchdown passes and led the Gladiators back from a 28-point deficit in the second half. He completed 30-of-55 for 395 yards on the game, surpassed the 30,000 mark in career passing yards, and threw the 600th TD of his career, but was intercepted three times. Davis scored his fifth touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter on an 8-yard pass from Mark Grieb to put the SaberCats ahead 55-27. Dolezel then threw four consecutive scoring passes, the last a 9-yard strike to Marcus Nash to knot the game at 55-55. Davis scored his sixth TD of the game on the ensuing kickoff going 53-yards to give San Jose a seven-point lead. With under a minute to play and the game tied at 68-68, San Jose's Shalon Baker scored on a 3-yard run to give the SaberCats a lead they would not relinquish. Davis recovered an on-side kick on the ensuing kickoff, then hauled in a 40-yard bomb from Grieb on the next play for his seventh TD of the game giving San Jose an 81-68 advantage. Davis tied a career-high with 10 receptions and set a new career-best with 163 receiving yards while matching James Roe's 2004 team record of seven touchdowns in a game. The SaberCats appeared to have a comfortable lead following an 18-yard interception return for a score by Defensive Player of the Game Tremain Mack and a 1-yard Davis run to close out the first half putting San Jose up 41-20 at halftime. Following a Clevan Thomas interception on the Gladiators first possession of the second half, Davis scored on another 1-yard run to give San Jose a 48-20 lead.

Score By Quarters
SaberCats................................ 13 28 14 26 - 81
Gladiators................................ 6 14 21 34 - 75

SCORING SUMMARY
SAN Kinsinger 3 run (kick failed)
SAN Davis 9 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
LVG Blalock 15 pass from Dolezel (kick failed)
SAN Davis 1 run (Frantz kick)
LVG Nash 15 pass from Dolezel (Lewis kick)
SAN Grieb 6 run (Frantz kick)
LVG Nash 12 pass from Dolezel (Lewis kick)
SAN Mack 18 interception return (Frantz kick)
SAN Davis 1 run (Frantz kick)
SAN Davis 1 run (Frantz kick)
LVG Douglass 11 pass from Dolezel (Lewis kick)
SAN Davis 8 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
LVG Blalock 15 pass from Dolezel (Lewis kick)
LVG Nash 9 pass from Dolezel (Lewis kick)
LVG Douglass 32 pass from Dolezel (Lewis kick)
LVG Nash 9 pass from Dolezel (Lewis kick)
SAN Davis 53 kickoff return (Frantz kick)
LVG Nash 39 pass from Dolezel (Lewis kick)
SAN Roe 5 pass from Grieb (kick failed)
LVG Douglass 5 pass from Dolezel (kick failed)
SAN Baker 3 run (Frantz kick)
SAN Davis 40 pass from Grieb (kick failed)
LVG Nash 11 pass from Dolezel (Lewis kick)

INDIVIDUAL STASTICS
Passing: SAN - Grieb 17-24-1-245. LVG - Dolezel 30-55-3-394.
Rushing: SAN - Davis 5-10; Grieb 1-6; Kinsinger 3-5; Baker 1-3. LVG - Filer 1-7; Carter 2-4.
Receiving: SAN - Davis 10-163; Roe 5-59; Fernandez 1-13; Baker 1-10. LVG - Nash 15-229; Douglass 7-83; Blalock 4-55; Payton 4-27.
Kick Returns: SAN - Davis 4-129. LVG - Blalock 5-111; Douglass 3-61; Nash 1-4TBY - Toliver 6-94; Solomon 2-31. SAN - Wagner 2-35; Baker 1-19; Smith 1-8.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
Mar. 28, 2005 San Jose 81, @Las Vegas 75
Feb. 5, 2005 @San Jose 66, Las Vegas 31
May 16, 2004 @Las Vegas 44, San Jose 35
Mar. 20, 2004 @San Jose 79, Las Vegas 62
Mar. 2, 2003 San Jose 72, @Las Vegas 37

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Las Vegas it would...
*Even their season record at 1-1.
*Be their 3rd straight win over the Gladiators.
*Give them a 5-1 all-time series lead.
*Give them a 6-6 record in road openers.
*Snap their 1-game road opening losing streak.
*Give them a 103-57 all-time regular season record.
*Give San Jose a 46-34 all-time reg. season road record.

THE COACHES:
San Jose - Darren Arbet, 8th season
73-32 (.695) reg. season; 82-36 (.695) overall
4-1 (.800) career vs. Las Vegas
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 67-24 (.736) 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.

Las Vegas - Ron James, 2nd season
8-9 (.471) regular season and overall
0-2 (.000) career vs. San Jose
James is entering his second season as Head Coach of the Las Vegas. Las Vegas led the AFL in total offense and total defense last year while posting an 8-8 record. Prior to becoming the head coach, James served as assistant head coach/line coach and special team's coordinator for the Gladiator organization from 2001-2004. Coach James has nine years of AFL experience having served as the line coach and player personnel director with the Houston Thunderbears from 2000-2001 and as an assistant with the Albany Firebirds in 1990 and 1991. In addition to coaching in the AFL, James has coached a combined total of 14 years on the collegiate level. James was a four-year starter at Siena College where he achieved First-Team All N.C.F.A. All - America honors in 1985 and was named a first-team all conference selection twice. Upon completion of his college football career, James had brief NFL stops with the NY Giants, New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals.

ROSTER MOVES: Veteran OL/DL Frank Beede signed with the team just days before the opener and will serve as a backup center on offense until Dan Loney is healthy. The SaberCats also placed WR/DB Barry Wagner on IR with a hamstring injury.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
Jan. 21 Traded WR/LB Yardon Brantley to Philadelphia for future considerations.
Jan. 22

Jan. 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.
Jan 26 Signed OL/DL Frank Beede. Placed OL/DL Alan Harper on IR
Jan 28 Placed WR/DB Barry Wagner 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
Alan Harper R ankle IR
Barry Wagner L Hamstring 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 1 rush TD for 10 career and 8 rush yards for 150 career.
*OL/DL Joe Jacobs needs 3.0 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.
*DS Clevan Thomas needs 5 passes defended to tie Pat McGuirk for the team's career lead.
*QB Mark Grieb will reach 100 regular season games played in his San Jose career with 4 more.

RECENT RESULTS: Utah 48, San Jose 35 - After winning their previous seven home openers, the SaberCats dropped their first game of the 2006 season at home 48-35 to the expansion Utah Blaze on Jan. 28. Utah QB and Offensive Player of the Game Joe Germaine ignited the Blaze, completing 17-of-27 attempts for 199 yards and 5 touchdowns, 3 to OS Siaha Burley. After spending last season with the Chicago Rush, WR/DB Charles Pauley was one of the bright spots for San Jose, making a successful return to the SaberCats by hauling in 11 passes for 96 yards and 3 touchdowns. The night started off strong for the SaberCats. Utah won the coin toss and marched down the field to the San Jose 10-yard-line, but lineman Joe Jacobs forced a fumble that was recovered by the SaberCats and returned to the Utah 11. QB Mark Grieb hooked up with WR/LB James Roe in the corner of the end zone on his first pass of the season for an 11-yard touchdown. On the play, however, Roe was injured and would not return to the game. Utah responded by scoring the first touchdown in Blaze history when Germaine found Burley in the end zone to knot the score at 7-7. San Jose and Utah exchanged touchdowns on their next possessions and closed out the first quarter tied at 14-14. Utah opened the second quarter with a field goal to break the tie and increased their lead after Germaine found WR/DB Orshawante Bryant in the end zone. Utah recovered the ensuing kickoff in the end zone to take a 31-14 lead that held up into halftime. After being tied after the first quarter, San Jose was outscored 17-0 in the second quarter. The SaberCats looked to get back into the game after a tough second quarter and did just that when FB/LB Phil Glover rumbled into the end zone on fourth and goal from the one yard line to cut the deficit to 21-31. The Blaze responded with a field goal to extend their lead to 34-21. The SaberCats looked like they were headed for another score after driving the ball to the Utah 14, but Grieb was picked off in the end zone by DS Kelvin Hunter for a touchback. However, the SaberCats defense held firm and didn't allow Utah to score off of the turnover. San Jose had a chance to close the gap, but K Brian Schmitz missed from 29 yards out. On Utah's next possession, Germaine connected with Burley again to give the Blaze a commanding 41-21 lead with 6:27 to go. San Jose responded with a 15-yard TD reception from Grieb to Pauley to cut the Utah lead to 41-28. The onside kick attempt by the SaberCats was unsuccessful and Utah took over at the San Jose 10 yard line. Once again, Germaine found Burley in the end zone for the score to extend their lead 48-28. Backup QB Stoney Case, making his SaberCats debut, threw a 6-yard pass to Pauley with 11 seconds to go to complete the scoring.

2006 TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON
Category (Rank) SaberCats Gladiators
Scoring Offense 35.0 (13) 46.0 (10)
Scoring Defense 48.0 (T-10) 64.0 (17)
Total Offense 228.0 (14) 345.0 (1)
Total Defense 198.0 (2) 224.0 (T-3)
Pass Offense 232.0 (13) 330.0 (1)
Pass Defense 187.0 (3) 177.0 (1)
Rushing Offense -4.0 (18) 15.0 (9)
Rushing Defense 11.0 (8) 47.0 (16)
Interceptions 0 (T-16) 1 (T-7)
Kickoff Return Avg. 20.8 (4) 11.5 (17)
Field Goal Return Avg.
Turnover Margin -2 (T-15) -2 (T-15)
3rd Down Conversions 12.5% (T-17) 40.0% (T-10)
4th Down Conversions 50.0% (T-7) 0.0 (T-13)
Sacks By 2 (T-2) 0 (T-9)
Sacks Against 1 (T-11) 0 (T-1)

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:
ROAD OPENERS - The SaberCats are 6-5 in season opening road games and 5-2 under head coach Darren Arbet. During the SaberCats inaugural season of 1995, the team opened with a loss at home to the Arizona Rattlers, who were coached by Danny White, but responded by winning the next game on the road, 32-27, over the old Las Vegas Sting. The SaberCats posted an 8-4 record that season and won the Western Division.

HIGH FIVE - Monday's game is the first of five straight on the road for the SaberCats, the longest road trip in team history. The longest trip previously was just three games, which the team did on four different occasions. The Austin Wranglers will also endure a 5-game road trip during the 2006 season.

SLOW START - The SaberCats have not lost consecutive games at the start of a season since dropping the first three games of the 1998 campaign, the season before Darren Arbet became head coach.

DÉJÀ VU - It's déjà vu all over again for the SaberCats. Last season San Jose lost its opener at Tampa Bay only to rebound with a big victory over the Gladiators. This season the tables are turned a bit. San Jose lost its opener at home to Utah and must travel to Sin City to try and even its record. San Jose's top receiver entering the 2005 season was OS James Hundon. He was diagnosed with a spine injury just days before the opener and ended up missing the entire year. The team's top receiver entering this season was WR/LB James Roe. He slammed into the boards while scoring the first TD of the game just two and a half minutes in. Diagnosed with a mild concussion, Roe is out indefinitely.

WINNING BIG - In their four series wins over the Gladiators, the SaberCats have put points on the board. San Jose has scored 298 points in their wins, an average of 74.5 a game, and has scored 66 or more points in every contest. San Jose posted the fifth highest point total in team history with its 81-75 win in Las Vegas on Mar. 28, 2005.

LOSING SMALL - San Jose's only loss to the Gladiators came on May 16, 2004 when the ‘Cats put up a season low point total in a 44-35 defeat. The SaberCats, however, went on to win the ArenaBowl title that year.

TURN THE PAGE - Flipping the page on the calendar is something the SaberCats will enjoy. With their 35-48 loss to the Blaze on Jan. 28, the SaberCats saw their record drop to 0-2 all-time in games played during the first month of the year while scoring just 68 points (34 ppg). In contrast, San Jose is 6-4 in games played during February while averaging 62.7 points a game.

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).

PICKIN' IT - The SaberCats have intercepted Las Vegas passers 12 times in the five series games with four of the picks being returned for TDs. San Jose has two 3-INT games and three 2-INT games against the Gladiators. The four interception return TDs are tied for the most against any AFL team (Los Angeles).

NOTES:
ROE-LESS - The SaberCats will be without James Roe for an indefinite period time after the club's career receptions leader sustained a concussion in the season opener against Utah on Jan. 28. After hauling in an 11-yard scoring pass from Mark Grieb on the team's first offensive play, Roe slammed his head against the metal railing that separates the stands from the playing field in the back corner of the endzone. Roe held the ball but fell to the turf and had to be stabilized and stretchered off the field. He was diagnosed with a concussion and released from the hospital Sunday morning.

GOING THE DISTANCE - Not only did the SaberCats lose James Roe in their opener, OS Rodney Wright also left the game early in the first quarter with turf toe. That meant Charles Pauley, Fred Coleman and rookie Marquis Floyd had to play nearly the entire game. The three combined for 25 receptions and 203 yards with Pauley catching three TD passes. Wright's status for this week's game against Las Vegas is uncertain.

HISTORY MADE - The Arena Football League witnessed history in the first weekend of the 2006 season. The four longest operating teams in the league (Tampa Bay, Orlando, Arizona and San Jose) all lost their first game of a season for the first time ever. San Jose was the last of the four teams to join the AFL, doing so in 1995. Since then the four franchises have combined to go 419-213 (.663) in regular season games and 54-33 (.621) in postseason play while combining to win eight ArenaBowl titles since 1995.

PAPER OR PLASTIC - Joe Jacobs registered 1.5 quarterback sacks against Utah on opening night lifting his career total to 37.0. Jacobs needs 3.0 sacks to become just the fourth player in AFL history to record 40.0 sacks in a career. Jacobs also leapfrogged former Tampa Bay FB/LB Andre Bowden into 6th place on the all-time list. Now in his sixth season with the SaberCats, Jacobs has totaled 14 sacks in the Green and Gold.

AFL CAREER SACKS LEADERS
Rk Player, '06 Team Sacks
1. Sam Hernandez, none 59.0
2. Sylvester Bembery, none 43.0
3. Tom Briggs, Austin 40.0
4. Robert Stewart, none 39.5
5. James Baron, Nashville 39.5
6. Joe Jacobs, San Jose 37.0

PAULEY WANTS A TD - WR/DB Charles Pauley was forced into extensive duty with the injuries to James Roe and Rodney Wright in the opener, and the former San Jose State standout didn't disappoint. Pauley had just two career TD catches entering the opener and had not caught more than five passes in a game during his 2-year, 15-game career. But against Utah, Pauley had 11 catches, the fourth-highest single game total in team history, for 94 yards and surpassed his career total with three TD catches.

THE DEFENSE DOESN'T REST - Overshadowed by injuries and inconsistent offensive play was the performance of the SaberCats defense under new assistant coach Kevin Guy. San Jose allowed Utah to accumulate just 198 yards of total offense in the game, the first sub-200 yard effort by San Jose defenders since allowing 180 yards to Philadelphia on May 22, 2004. Ten of Utah's points came directly off two net recoveries that San Jose return men failed to corral and counting a pair of Blaze field goals, San Jose managed to post five stops in the game.

PASSING FANCY - QB Mark Grieb, who set a league record with 4,796 passing yards last season, threw for 236 in San Jose's opening night loss to Utah. With his performance the 8-year AFL vet eclipsed the 23,000 mark in career passing yards (23,019) and surpassed the 22,000 plateau in his San Jose career (22,016). Grieb has started all five games for San Jose against the Gladiators and has thrown for 1,190 yards and 18 TDs. In San Jose's four victories, Grieb has completed 73 percent of his passes (73-of-100) for 998 yards (249.5 ypg) with 17 TD and just 2 INTs. In the SaberCats loss, Grieb threw for just 192 yards and was intercepted three times.

RETURN MAN - With designated return man Rodney Wright leaving the game against Utah on Jan. 28 early in the first quarter with turf toe and Fred Coleman unable to handle the ball off the net, the SaberCats turned to Clevan Thomas to return kickoffs. Thomas was San Jose's return man when he entered the league in 2002 until he sustained a knee injury returning a kickoff at New York on Mar. 7, 2004. Thomas amassed 72 yards on 3 returns against the Blaze and ranks 2nd on the team in career kickoff returns (129), return yards (2,833) and return TDs (11).

MAKING HIS CASE - Backup QB Stoney Case entered the game late in the fourth quarter and promptly threw a 6-yard TD pass on his first, and only, attempt of the game. Case also connected on the two-point conversion try but the play was nullified by a San Jose penalty. It was the eighth pass attempt of Case's AFL career and the 3rd TD pass. He completed 4-of-7 attempts with a pair of scores in limited action with Tampa Bay last season.

CENTER OF ATTENTION - With 2005 starting center Dan Loney on IR and Rex Richards the only other player on the roster with AFL experience at that position, the SaberCats reached into their bag of players and plucked Frank Beede as a backup. Beede has spent his entire four-year AFL career with San Jose and was the team's starting center during the 2004 title season. He was also a member of San Jose's 2002 championship team as a backup center to Darrin Kenney.

IN THE UTAH GAME...:
Seven players made their San Jose debut on Jan. 28 while two players, Marquis Floyd and JaJuan Huddleston, made their AFL debuts...Huddleston tallied 3.5 tackles and half a sack in his 1st career game...Mark Grieb started his 55th straight game at quarterback, including postseason, and eclipsed the 23,000 mark in career passing yards (23,019)...WR/DB Charles Pauley had career-highs of 11 receptions, 94 yards and 3 TDs...OL/DL Nikia Adderson recovered the first fumble of his 5-year AFL career...DS Terrance Joseph tallied the 150th unassisted tackle of his career...OL/DL Rex Richards made his 1st career AFL start at center...WR/LB James Roe played in his 70th career game...FB/LB Brian Johnson caught the first two passes of his career.

LAS VEGAS PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB CRAIG WHELIHAN - A former Predator, Firebird and now a Gladiator, Whelihan will be taking the job of starting quarterback due to the loss of Clint Dolezel to the Desperados. Whelihan started for the Gladiators in their opener and threw for 330 yards and six TDs in a loss to Austin. It was the first starting assignment for the former NFLer since the 2003 season when he was in Indiana. During his AFL career he has thrown for 4,529 yards and 85 TDs completing 352-of-598 attempts with 19 picks. Whelihan has faced the SaberCats once in his career leading Orlando to a 59-35 win in HP Pavilion on May 26, 2001. In that game he completed 23-of-37 attempts for 292 yards with 7 TDs.

OS MARCUS NASH - The 2004 Offensive Player of the Year has been a pass catching machine in his career against San Jose. Nash set a Las Vegas and SaberCats opponent record with 229 receiving yards and tied a record with 6 TD catches among his 15 total in San Jose's wild 81-75 win on Mar. 28, 2005. Nash was well on his way to a big game on Feb. 5, 2005 before a knee injury sidelined him for the second half. He totaled 4 catches for 128 yards and a pair of TDs before watching his team go scoreless in the final two quarters of a 66-31 loss. In five career games against San Jose, Nash has caught 47 passes for 727 yards and 18 TDs. As a member of the Detroit Fury during the 2003 season, he caught two TD passes lifting his club to a 45-42 win that snapped San Jose's 18-game home winning streak. Over the last two seasons Nash has caught more passes, gained more receiving yards, scored more touchdowns and more points than anyone else in the AFL.


WEEKLY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
v UTAH (1/28) QB Joe Germaine, UTAH
@LVG (2/6)
@ARZ (2/12)
@GRR (2/19)
@CHI (2/26)
@UTAH (3/4)
v LAA (3/12)
v GEO (3/17)
@NAS (3/25)
v ARZ (4/2)
@TBY (4/7)
v LVG (4/14)
v AUS (4/22)
@LAA (4/29)
v COL (5/6)
v CLB (5/13)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
v UTAH (1/28) DS Kelvin Hunter, UTAH
@LVG (2/6)
@ARZ (2/12)
@GRR (2/19)
@CHI (2/26)
@UTAH (3/4)
v LAA (3/12)
v GEO (3/17)
@NAS (3/25)
v ARZ (4/2)
@TBY (4/7)
v LVG (4/14)
v AUS (4/22)
@LAA (4/29)
v COL (5/6)
v CLB (5/13)

IRONMAN PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
v UTAH (1/28) WR/DB Orshawante Bryant, UTAH
@LVG (2/6)
@ARZ (2/12)
@GRR (2/19)
@CHI (2/26)
@UTAH (3/4)
v LAA (3/12)
v GEO (3/17)
@NAS (3/25)
v ARZ (4/2)
@TBY (4/7)
v LVG (4/14)
v AUS (4/22)
@LAA (4/29)
v COL (5/6)
v CLB (5/13)

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 0-0
40-49 points 0-0 0-1
50-59 points 0-0 0-0
60-69 points 0-0 0-0
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 0-0

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Outscoring Opponent 0-0
Being Outscored 0-1

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from January 31, 2006


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