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San Jose SaberCats game notes

February 14, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: SaberCats (1-2) at Grand Rapids Rampage (1-2).
Date: Sunday, February 19, 2006.
Kickoff: 11:00 p.m. (PST).
Site: Van Andel Arena (10,594).
Officials: Referee: Bill LeMonnier; Umpire: Mike Delaney; Head Linesman: Allen Baynes; Line Judge: Dana McKenzie; Back Judge: Billy Beckett.
Television: The Bay Area's TV20 (cable channel 13) will air the game live with Bob Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and former SaberCat Steve Papin (color) calling the action.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will broadcast the game live with Joe Castellano handling play-by-play duties and former SaberCat James Hundon supplying the color commentary. The station will air a 30-minute pre-game show starting at 10:30 a.m.
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of Sunday's game.
Series Record: SaberCats lead 7-0.
Last Meeting: SaberCats 72, Rampage 48 on March 18, 2005 in San Jose.
Series Streaks: SaberCats Won 7.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (8th season; 74-33 regular season, 83-37 overall). Grand Rapids, Sparky McEwen (2nd season; 5-14 regular season and overall).
OVERVIEW: Coming off their first win of the season Sunday in Arizona, the SaberCats continue their franchise record five-game road trip by traveling to Grand Rapids to take on the Rampage on Sunday, February 19 at 11:00 a.m. (PT). The game will be televised live in the Bay Area on TV20. San Jose rolled into a four-way tie for first place in the Western Division with its 58-50 win over the Rattlers. Leading the SaberCats to victory was QB Mark Grieb, who completed 18-of-31 passes for 283 yards with three TDs. FB/LBs Phil Glover and Brian Johnson each rushed for a pair of scores and offensive specialist Calvin Schexnayder, who was the Offensive Player of the Game, caught 9 passes for 147 yards with two scores. Defensively the SaberCats forced a pair of turnovers, a missed field goal and stopped the Rattlers on downs twice. San Jose's point total in the win was its largest since putting up a team record 89 at Colorado on April 22, 2005...The SaberCats and Rampage will be meeting for the 8th time with San Jose leading the series 7-0 having outscored Grand Rapids 413 to 284...The teams have met just twice in Michigan, the last time being on June 29, 2000, a 52-32 San Jose win. The SaberCats also posted a 54-53 win at Grand Rapids on April 24, 1999 in Darren Arbet's first game as San Jose's head coach. San Jose won the last meeting, 72-48, on March 18, 2005 in HP Pavilion.
THE SCHEDULES:

2006 SAN JOSE SABERCATS (1-2)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 28 UTAH Lost 35-48
Feb. 6 @Las Vegas Lost 48-51
Feb. 12 @Arizona Won 58-50
Date Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
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 GRAND RAPIDS RAMPAGE (1-2)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 29 @Columbus Lost 30-53
Feb. 3 TAMPA BAY Lost 43-51
Feb. 12 LOS ANGELES Won 66-41
Date Opponent Time (PT) TV
Feb. 19 SAN JOSE 11:00 am WB
Feb. 25 @Nashville 5:00 pm
Mar. 5 @Colorado 12:00 pm
Mar. 10 @Las Vegas 7:30 pm
Mar. 16 UTAH 4:00 pm FSN
Mar. 26 @Chicago 12:00 pm FSN
Apr. 1 @New York 4:00 pm FSN
Apr. 8 COLORADO 4:30 pm FSN
Apr. 15 @Dallas 6:00 pm FSN
Apr. 23 ARIZONA 11:00 am
Apr. 29 NASHVILLE 5:00 pm
May 7 @Austin 12:00 pm
May 13 CHICAGO 4:30 pm

THE SERIES: The SaberCats have never lost to the Rampage going 7-0 all-time with a 2-0 mark in games played in Grand Rapids...Each of the last three series games were played in San Jose with the last meeting between the clubs in Grand Rapids taking place on June 29, 2000...San Jose head coach Darren Arbet recorded his first AFL win against the Rampage on April 24, 1999.

WHAT'S AHEAD - San Jose's franchise record road trip continues next Sunday when it travels to Chicago to face the Rush. The game will be regionally televised on NBC starting at 10:00 a.m. (PT) and can also be heard on San Jose's flagship radio station KNBR 1050.

SABERCATS SIDELINE REPORT: After a one week absence due to Winter Olympics coverage on NBC, the SaberCats Sideline Report will return to NBC11 on Sunday, Feb. 19 with a special 30 minute show beginning at 3:00 p.m. Host Bob Fitzgerald will be joined by guests Darren Arbet, Mark Grieb and Barry Wagner to analyze the season to date.

SERIES NOTABLES: The SaberCats have won all seven series games against the Rampage outscoring them 413 to 284...Two of San Jose's series wins have come in the final seconds of the game. The SaberCats squeaked out a 54-53 win in Grand Rapids on April 24, 1999 with a last second Carlos Huerta field goal and a Mark Grieb TD pass and 2-point conversion run gave the SaberCats a 56-55 win on May 3, 2003...Grand Rapids set a San Jose opponent record by attempting 5 two-point conversions on June 17, 2000 (the record has since been tied by Orlando on 5/17/02)...Grieb has started each of the last five series games against Grand Rapids while the Rampage has used a different starting QB in the last four games (Michael Bishop '05, Anthony Buich ‘04, Clint Dolezel ‘03, and Craig Kusick ‘02)...The SaberCats shutout the Rampage in the second half of their first ever meeting on May 23, 1998 marking the second time in team history, and third overall, that San Jose has blanked an opponent in a half...The SaberCats defeated Grand Rapids twice in a 12-day span during their AFL record 11-game win streak to close out the 2000 season...The teams have played just twice previously in Grand Rapids, with the last meeting taking place on June 29, 2000...San Jose head coach Darren Arbet earned his first career AFL victory when the SaberCats beat the Rampage, 54-53, on April 24, 1999.

LAST SERIES MEETING: SaberCats 72, Grand Rapids 48 - Friday, March 18 - HP Pavilion - San Jose offensive specialist Rashied Davis scored five touchdowns to propel the SaberCats to their third straight win, 72-48 over the Grand Rapids Rampage. Davis amassed 341 all-purpose yards in the game, the third highest single-game total in team history, and scored San Jose's first touchdown on a 53-yard kickoff return to tie the score at 7-7. The team's combined for 56 second quarter points with the SaberCats scoring five times, the last score coming on a 54-yard kickoff return by Davis with no time left on the clock to give San Jose a 49-41 lead at the break. Davis tied a franchise game record with his two kickoff return scores and added a pair of receiving touchdowns and a 1-yard scoring run in the second half as San Jose broke open a close game by outscoring the Rampage 23-7. Rampage QB Michael Bishop, the league's leading rusher, was held to just five yards on three carries. He did complete 20-of-33 passes for 222 yards with five touchdowns. Former Los Angeles Avenger Chris Jackson totaled a career-high 259 all-purpose yards and ended San Jose's string of 26 consecutive games without allowing a kickoff return touchdown by going 55-yards with a second quarter return. It was the second career kickoff return score for Jackson with both coming against San Jose. Rampage defensive back Chuck Wesley intercepted Mark Grieb's second pass of the game leading to a 10-yard Bishop to Josh Bush touchdown pass and a quick 7-0 lead just over three minutes into the contest. Grieb recovered to complete 17-of-26 on the night for 277 yards and six scores. Davis had his second straight 100-yard receiving game totaling a game-high 105 on six receptions.
Score By Quarters
Rampage................................ 20 21 7 0 - 48
SaberCats............................... 14 35 14 9 - 72

SCORING SUMMARY
GRR Bush 10 pass from Bishop (Martinez kick)
SAN Davis 53 kickoff return (Frantz kick)
GRR Avery 3 run (kick failed)
SAN Fernandez 30 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
GRR Jackson 12 pass from Bishop (Martinez kick)
SAN Roe 7 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Wright 11 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
GRR Jackson 55 kickoff return (Martinez kick)
SAN Baker 1 run (Frantz kick)
GRR Jackson 5 pass from Bishop (Martinez)
SAN Fernandez 27 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
GRR Robinson 13 pass from Bishop (Martinez kick)
SAN Davis 55 kickoff return (Frantz kick)
SAN Davis 1 run (Frantz kick)
GRR Hodge 21 pass from Bishop (Martinez kick)
SAN Davis 17 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Davis 43 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Warren safety

INDIVIDUAL STASTICS
Passing: GR - Bishop 20-33-0-222. SJ - Grieb 17-26-1-277.
Rushing: GR - Avery 4-16; Bishop 3-5; Jackson 1-2; Reese 1-0. SJ - Baker 3-3; Warren 1-2; Davis 1-1; Kinsinger 1-(-3).
Receiving: GR - Jackson 6-51; Bush 5-63; Robinson 4-37; Hodge 2-38; Avery 2-24; Marshall 1-9. SJ - Davis 6-105; Wright 4-39; Fernandez 3-60; Roe 2-41; Baker 2-32.

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
Mar. 18, 2005 @San Jose 72, Grand Rapids 48
Feb. 28, 2004 @San Jose 62, Grand Rapids 31
May 3, 2003 @San Jose 56, Grand Rapids 55
June 29, 2000 San Jose 52, @Grand Rapids 32
June 17, 2000 @San Jose 68, Grand Rapids 45
Apr. 24, 1999 San Jose 54, @Grand Rapids 53
May 23, 1998 @San Jose 49, Grand Rapids 20

2006 TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON
Category SaberCats Rampage
Scoring Offense 47.0 ppg 46.3 ppg
Scoring Defense 49.7 ppg 48.3 ppg
Total Offense 290.7 ypg 220.0 ypg
Total Defense 254.0 ypg 296.3 ypg
Pass Offense 278.3 ypg 211.7 ypg
Pass Defense 231.3 ypg 276.7 ypg
Rushing Offense 12.3 ypg 12.0 ypg
Rushing Defense 22.7 ypg 24.3 ypg
Pass Rating 104.9 98.9
Pass Defense Rating 111.0 95.9
Interceptions 3 4
Kickoff Return Avg. 16.2 19.5
Field Goal Return Avg. No Returns No Returns
Turnover Margin Even -1
3rd Down Conversions 34.8% 30.0%
4th Down Conversions 42.9% 66.7%
Sacks For 4 3
Sacks Against 4 3

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Grand Rapids it would...
*Even their record at 2-2.
*Be their 2nd straight win.
*Be their 8th straight win over the Rampage.
*Give them an 8-0 series advantage over the Rampage.
*Keep them tied for 1st place in the Western Division.
*Give them a 104-58 all-time regular season record.
*Give them a 47-35 all-time reg. season road record.
*Break a 2-game losing streak to Central Division foes.
*Give them a 29-15 all-time record against Central Division opponents.
*Give them a 15-9 all-time road record against Central Division opponents.

THE COACHES:
San Jose - Darren Arbet, 8th season
74-33 (.692) reg. season; 83-37 (.692) overall
6-0 (1.000) career vs. Grand Rapids
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 83 career victories and needs just three 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 68-25 (.731) 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.

Grand Rapids - Sparky McEwen, 2nd season
5-14 (.263) regular season and overall
0-1 (.000) career vs. San Jose
Enters his 2nd season as head coach and director of football operations with the Rampage in 2006 and currently owns a 5-14 (.263) record. McEwen's ties to the Rampage go back to the club's inaugural season of 1998 when he played quarterback under head coach Michael Trigg. Following a 1-11 start to the 2005 campaign, the Rampage won three of its last four games, including victories over the top three American Conference seeded playoff teams (Colorado, Los Angeles, Chicago). McEwen joined the Rampage staff as a pro scout in 2000 and was promoted to offensive coordinator a season later where he helped guide the Rampage to an ArenaBowl title in 2001. In 2004 McEwen took the post of assistant head coach/offensive coordinator of the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of af2 prior to returning to Grand Rapids.

ROSTER MOVES: The SaberCats made numerous adjustments to their roster prior to their game at Arizona. The team released veteran OL/DL Frank Beede and placed linemen George Williams (ankle) and Jeff Ruffin (upper back) and newly acquired WR/LB Kevin McKenzie (groin) on injured reserve. Taking their place on the roster were OL/DLs Julius Gant, Alan Harper and Dan Loney along with WR/LB Ben Nelson. The club also activated DS Omarr Smith and put FB/LB JaJuan Huddleston on IR. Smith took the place of Terrance Joseph in the starting lineup at Arizona on Feb. 12 due to an injury sustained by TJ the day before the contest with the Ratters.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
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.
Feb 1 Signed Niccolo Cancellieri to international PS.
Feb 3 Signed WR/LB Kevin McKenzie, WR/LB Calvin Schexnayder and OL/DL Wes Stephens. Placed WR/LB James Roe and WR/DB Rodney Wright on IR.
Feb 8 Released OL/DL Frank Beede.
Feb 10 Activated OL/DL Julius Gant, OL/DL Dan Loney, OL/DL Alan Harper and WR/LB Ben Nelson from IR. Placed OL/DL Jeff Ruffin, OL/DL George Williams and WR/LB Kevin McKenzie on IR.
Feb 11 Activated DS Omarr Smith from IR. Placed FB/LB JaJuan Huddleston on IR.

INJURY REPORT: At press time the SaberCats had 13 players on injured reserve. League rules stipulate that players on IR must be inactive for two weeks. The players listed below with an asterisk by their name are eligible to be activated to the 24-man roster for this weeks game.

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
Jason Geathers* R Hip flexor IR
Fitu Tu'ua* L 3rd finger IR
Barry Wagner* L Hamstring IR
James Roe* Concussion IR
Rodney Wright* Turf toe IR
Kevin McKenzie Groin strain IR
Jeff Ruffin Upper back IR
George Williams Ankle IR
JaJuan Huddleston Finger IR

MILESTONES:
Player Milestone Needed
Mark Grieb 25,000 career pass yards 1,366
450 career pass TDs 7
100 GP in SJ career 2
Barry Wagner AFL career all-purpose yardage leader 165
50 career INTs 3
Clevan Thomas 30 career INTs 3
career lead in PDs 2
Joe Jacobs 40 career sacks 3.0
Karl Bates 10 career sacks 1.0
Charles Pauley 600 career rec. yards 13
Terrance Joseph 10 career INTs 1
Omarr Smith 25 career INTs 1
Rodney Wright 60 career receptions 1
Phil Glover 150 career rush yards 1
Chuck Reed 25 career sacks 2.5
Nikia Adderson 10 career sacks 3.0
Darren Arbet Tie for 6th in career regular season coaching wins 1

RECENT RESULTS: SABERCATS 58, Arizona 50 - San Jose fullbacks Phil Glover and Brian Johnson each scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and the SaberCats scored five times on the ground in posting their first win of the 2006 season, 58-50, over the Arizona Rattlers. The Rattlers fell to 0-3 for the first time in franchise history while the SaberCats gained a share of first place in the Western Division following losses by Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Utah. Johnson scored on two short runs, Fred Coleman added a 3-yard scoring run and quarterback Mark Grieb connected with Calvin Schexnayder from 4-yards out and hit Charles Pauley on a 45-yard scoring play to stake the SaberCats to a 34-28 halftime lead. Grieb threw for 283 yards and three scores on 18-of-31 passing and didn't turn the ball over. Schexnayder was the favorite target for a second straight week catching nine passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. San Jose's point total was its largest since putting up a team record 89 at Colorado on April 22, 2005. Arizona quarterback Sherdrick Bonner returned to the lineup after missing last week's game and completed 24-of-36 attempts for 339 yards and five scores with an interception. San Jose's defense stepped up again forcing a pair of turnovers, a missed field and stopping the Rattlers twice on downs. Glover scored both his touchdowns on consecutive possessions at the start of the second half, his second giving San Jose a 48-28 lead midway through the third quarter. Schexnayder hauled in a 24-yard scoring pass from Grieb at the start of the fourth to give the SaberCats their biggest lead at 58-35. Arizona closed out the scoring with a 1-yard Bo Kelly run and a 7-yard Bonner to Cosmo DeMatteo pass with 20 seconds left in the game. NOTES: Rookies Ben Nelson, Julius Gant and Alan Harper made their AFL debuts for San Jose...San Jose posted its 13th win all-time against Arizona in 27 meetings...Glover and Johnson tied their career-high with 2 rush TDs...DS Omarr Smith returned to the lineup almost one year after sustaining a knee injury (Feb. 13, 2005 at New Orleans)...Smith was activated from inured reserve the day before the game taking the place of Terrance Joseph, who sustained an injury Friday...K Brian Schmitz made all seven of this one-point PAT tries, extending his streak to 18 on the year. He failed on a drop-kick PAT attempt following a bad center snap on San Jose's second touchdown.

TRENDS:
STARTING THE SEASON - Five times in their history the SaberCats have started a season with a 1-2 record and four times they qualified for the playoffs. The only time San Jose didn't qualify for postseason play after starting 1-2 was in 1996 when the team finished with a 6-8 record. The team got out of the gate with a 1-2 mark in 2000 and proceeded to reel off a league record 11 straight wins to end the season. Most recently the SaberCats were 1-2 last season and ended the campaign with a 9-7 record before falling to Colorado in the divisional playoff round.

HIGH FIVE - The SaberCats reach the midway point in their franchise record five-game road trip Sunday in Grand Rapids. The longest road trip in team history before this was three games, which the team did on four different occasions. San Jose's win at Arizona on Feb. 12 snapped a four-game road losing streak (including playoffs) and upped its all-time regular season road record to 46-35 (.568).

OUT OF THE WEST - Sunday's game at Grand Rapids is the first non-division contest of the year for San Jose and the first of consecutive games against teams from the Central Division. The SaberCats will play at Chicago on Feb. 26. San Jose is 28-15 (.651) all-time against Central Division foes and 14-9 (.609) on the road.

HEADS OR TAILS - San Jose has won the opening coin flip in all three games this season, but that obviously doesn't translate into wins as the team is just 1-2 on the year.

JUST WIN - San Jose's win at Arizona on Feb. 12 gave Mark Grieb a 62-22 (.738) all-time regular season record as the SaberCats starting quarterback. Grieb has started every game (regular and postseason) since the 2003 season, a streak of 57 straight contests.

PROTECT THE BALL - The SaberCats did not turn the ball over at Arizona on Feb. 12 and the result was a convincing 58-50 win that was not as close as the score would indicate. In their first two games, San Jose turned the ball over three times and lost two possessions on opponent net recoveries, both games resulted in SaberCats losses.

PAYDIRT - The SaberCats scored five rushing TDs in a game for the 7th time in team history in their 58-50 win at Arizona on Feb. 12. It's the second-highest single-game total in team and league history. San Jose also shares the league record by scoring six rush TDs in a game five different times. The SaberCats are undefeated in the 12 games they have scored 5 or more times on the ground.

TO THE NINES - Rookie Marquis Floyd has 9 receptions on the year with three of those catches going for a season-long 9 yards. The 2005 af2 Ironman of the Year has totaled 61 receiving yards in his 9 catches for an average of 6.8 yards per catch.

NOTES:
CLIMBING THE CHART - SaberCats head coach Darren Arbet collected his 74th regular season win when his team defeated Arizona on Feb. 12. With one more win, Arbet will tie Perry Moss for sixth place on the AFL's regular season wins list. Arbet is also just three wins behind former Grand Rapids coach Michael Trigg for the fifth spot.

AFL CAREER REGULAR SEASON COACHING WINS
Rk Head Coach reg. season wins
1. Tim Marcum, Tampa Bay 151
2. Danny White, Utah 122
3. Mike Hohensee, Chicago 89
4. Mike Dailey, Colorado 82
5. Michael Trigg 77
6. Perry Moss 75
7. Darren Arbet, San Jose 74

THE WILD, WILD, WEST - It was expected to be a competitive division, and it is with four of the five teams tied for first place after three weeks. But, the record of the four first place teams is not quite what some AFL experts were expecting. With the SaberCats win at Arizona on Feb. 12, they moved into a tie with Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Utah atop the standings at 1-2. Arizona, even with its 0-3 record, is just one game out of the top spot. A change in the 2006 playoff format has the four division winners receiving a bye in the first round of the postseason and hosting a game in the second round. Games within the division take on more importance this year with head-to-head competition factoring as the main tie-breaker. Since the AFL went to a four-division format in 1995, no team with a sub-.500 record has won a division title and just two teams, Orlando in 2002 and New York in 2003, have claimed division titles with a break-even record.

2006 WESTERN DIVISION STANDINGS
Team W L Pct Div Conf
San Jose 1 2 .333 1-2 1-2
Las Vegas 1 2 .333 1-0 1-1
Los Angeles 1 2 .333 1-0 1-1
Utah 1 2 .333 1-0 1-0
Arizona 0 3 .000 0-2 0-2

SHAKE RATTLE AND ROLL - Calvin Schexnayder is showing flashes of brilliance that made him the 1998 Offensive Player of the Year in the AFL. Shakes earned Offensive Player of the Game honors in San Jose's win at Arizona on Feb. 12 by catching nine passes for 147 yards and two TDs against his former team. In his two games with San Jose after signing on Feb. 3, he has a team-high 314 receiving yards on 20 receptions with 4 TDs. This year Schexnayder became the 10th player in AFL history with 600 career receptions (616) and moved ahead of Darryl Hammond and Hunkie Cooper in career receiving yards. One of the league's all-time great offensive players, Shakes set an AFL record that still stands with 1,982 receiving yards in 1998.

AFL CAREER RECEPTIONS LEADERS
Rk Player Receptions
1. Barry Wagner 962
2. Eddie Brown 951
3. Cory Fleming 810
4. Darryl Hammond 797
5. Hunkie Cooper 776
6. Greg Hopkins 770
7. Gary Compton 743
8. George LaFrance 629
9. Alvin Ashley 628
10. Calvin Schexnayder 616

AFL CAREER RECEIVING YARDS LEADERS
Rk Player Rcv Yards
1. Barry Wagner 13,090
2. Eddie Brown 12,730
3. Gary Compton 10,247
4. Greg Hopkins 9,598
5. George LaFrance 9,004
6. Calvin Schexnayder 8,691
7. Hunkie Cooper 8,600
8. Darryl Hammond 8,521

CONSISTENCY - Mark Grieb has been San Jose's starting QB in each of the last five meetings with Grand Rapids and has completed 90-of-126 attempts for 1,200 yards and 29 TDs with just 2 INTs. Grieb has been extremely efficient completing 71.4 percent of his passes with a rating of 134.3. Meanwhile, in those same five games, the Rampage have used four different starting QBs with them combining to complete 97-of-170 attempts (57.1%) for 1,103 yards and 21 TDs with four INTs. Michael Bishop (2005), Anthony Buich (2004), Clint Dolezel (2003) and Craig Kusick (2002 twice) combined for a pass efficiency rating of 97.7. Either Chad Salisbury or Jose Davis will start at QB for Grand Rapids on Sunday, giving the Rampage a different starter in each of the last five games against the SaberCats.

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 fifth 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. Nashville's James Baron registered a pair of sacks last week at Chicago to become the fourth player in AFL history with 40 career sacks.

AFL CAREER SACKS LEADERS
Rk Player, '06 Team Sacks
1. Sam Hernandez, none 59.0
2. Sylvester Bembery, none 43.0
3. James Baron, Nashville 41.5
4. Tom Briggs, Austin 40.0
5. Robert Stewart, none 39.5
6. Joe Jacobs, San Jose 37.0

BACK ON THE OFFENSIVE - Assistant head coach Terry Malley returned to the field to call the plays and the points returned to the scoreboard for San Jose. The SaberCats point total in their 58-50 win at Arizona was the highest since the team scored a franchise record 89 at Colorado on April 22, 2005. San Jose scored just 83 points total in its first two games of the year (41.5 ppg), but scored a TD on its first seven possessions at Arizona and reached its average early in the third quarter.

CLEVAN THE MAN - Good news for the SaberCats and bad news for opposing quarterbacks is that two-time Defensive Player of the Year Clevan Thomas appears to back in top form. Thomas was sidelined early in the 2004 season with a major knee injury. He rejoined the team last season but didn't appear to be the same player that won Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and set a league record with 13 interceptions in 2003. Thomas earned Defensive Player of the Game honors at Arizona on Feb. 12 with a career-high 9.0 total tackles, a forced fumble that was recovered by Dan Loney and resulted in a San Jose TD and a PBU. With five passes defended on the year (2 INTs, 3 PBUs), Thomas needs just one to tie Pat McGuirk for the club's career lead.

CAREER PASSES DEFENDED
Rk Player PBU/INT PDs
1. Pat McGuirk 64/24 88
2. Clevan Thomas 60/27 87
3. Tommy Jones 45/17 62
4. Barry Wagner 41/18 59
5. Omarr Smith 37/16 53

WHAT A RUSH - One of the most feared rushing offenses in the AFL, the SaberCats managed just 2 net yards on 16 attempts with a pair of scores in their first two games of the season. With an emphasis to bring the swagger back to the running the game, San Jose busted loose for 32 yards and five TDs on 15 attempts in its 58-50 win at Arizona on Feb. 12. Only one of the 15 running plays went for negative yardage in the game, and that was a fumbled center exchange by QB Mark Grieb that resulted in a 3-yard loss.

OMARR RETURNS - DS Omarr Smith returned to the SaberCats lineup nearly one year to the day after he was shelved with a serious knee injury. Smith sustained a ruptured patellar tendon in a game at New Orleans on Feb. 13, 2005. He returned to the field at Arizona on Feb. 12, starting alongside Clevan Thomas at DS. "Everything was going really fast at the beginning," Smith said about his return to the field. The 2004 first-team All-AFL defensive specialist held his own playing the entire game with a pair of solo tackles and pass breakups.

WHO'S ON FIRST? - A position that goes largely unnoticed in the game is that of short-snapper. Unnoticed until something goes, wrong that is. Lineman Wes Stephens handled the chores in San Jose's game at Las Vegas on Feb. 6 and the kicking game was perfect. Brian Schmitz hit all six of his PATs and converted a pair of FGs. But Stephens was deactivated for the game at Arizona on Feb. 12 and Rex Richards was handed the job. After a poor snap on San Jose's second PAT attempt that resulted in Schmitz trying a drop-kick, Phil Glover took over the job and handled it flawlessly.

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. He became just the 3rd player in league history to eclipse the 20,000 yard mark and needs just 165 yards to supplant Hunkie Cooper for the all-time lead. Wags has missed the first three games of the season due to a hamstring injury, but is eligible to be activated from IR.

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

IN THE ARIZONA GAME:
San Jose rookies Ben Nelson, Julius Gant and Alan Harper made their AFL debuts...San Jose posted its 13th win all-time against Arizona in 27 meetings...FB Brian Johnson had career-highs of 8 rush attempts, also the 2nd highest total in team history, and 17 yards...Johnson and FB/LB Phil Glover tied their career-high with 2 rush TDs...DS Omarr Smith returned to the lineup almost one year after sustaining a knee injury (Feb. 13, 2005 at New Orleans)...Smith was activated from inured reserve the day before the game taking the place of Terrance Joseph, who sustained an injury Friday...K Brian Schmitz made all seven of this one-point PAT tries, extending his streak to 18 on the year. He failed on a drop-kick PAT attempt following a bad center snap on San Jose's second touchdown...WR/LB Fred Coleman eclipsed the 1,700 yard mark (1,709) in career receiving yards with 28...WR/DB Charles Pauley snared his 4th career INT and 3rd as a SaberCat...Smith played in his 55th game as a member of the SaberCats...DS Clevan Thomas had a career-high 8 solo tackles and 9.0 total tackles.

RAMPAGE PLAYERS TO WATCH:
FB/LB CHRIS AVERY - A member of the 2003 and 2005 All-Ironman teams, Avery had one of the best overall seasons by a FB/LB in AFL history in 2005 rushing for 251 yards and is the Rampage's career leader in every rushing category. Avery has played in just two games against the SaberCats in his 6-year career rushing for 26 yards and a pair of TDs in nine attempts. The last time the teams played, Avery carried the ball 4 times for 16 yards with 1 TD and had 2 catches for 24 yards in a 72-48 loss to the SaberCats.

OS AARON BAILEY - A former SaberCat and 6-year AFL veteran, Bailey amassed the second-highest single-season reception total in league history with 144 playing for New Orleans in 2005. Now with his fourth AFL team, Bailey has totaled 418 catches for 5,482 yards and 112 TDs. In three career games against San Jose, Bailey has 24 receptions for 332 yards and seven scores. He had one of his finest performances against the SaberCats on Feb. 13, 2005 with 12 catches for 166 yards and 4 TDs in a 62-61 New Orleans win. A member of the SaberCats in 2003, Bailey set a team record that still stands by rushing for four TDs in a win at Chicago on Mar. 9.

QB CHAD SALISBURY - Took over the starting job last week and led the Rampage to their first win of the season throwing for six TDs and 177 yards on 16-of-27 passing in a 66-41 win over Los Angeles. The 7-year AFL veteran had his finest season in 2002 with the Toronto Phantoms throwing for 2,186 yards and 30 TDs. Salisbury has faced San Jose twice during his career as a reserve while with the Chicago Rush. He took over for Brian Ah Yat on Mar. 9, 2003 and completed 12-of-17 for 150 yards and four TDs in a losing effort. On June 12, 2004 in a semifinal playoff game, Salisbury had to replace the injured Raymond Philyaw and completed 9-of-16 for 122 yards and 2 TDs, but was intercepted late in the game by Charles Pauley. San Jose went on to win the game and capture the ArenaBowl title that season.

WEEKLY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
v UTAH (1/28) QB Joe Germaine, UTAH
@LVG (2/6) OS Marcus Nash, LVG
@ARZ (2/12) OS Calvin Schexnayder, SJS
@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) DL Wilky Bazile, LVG
@ARZ (2/12) DS Clevan Thomas, SJS
@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) WR/DB Coco Blalock, LVG
@ARZ (2/12) WR/DB Charles Pauley, SJS
@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 0-1 0-1
50-59 points 1-0 1-1
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 0-1

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

Leading at Half 1-0
Trailing at Half 0-2
Tied at Half 0-0

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

Scoring First 0-2
Opp. Score First 1-0

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

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

More Rushing Yards 1-0
Less Rushing Yards 0-2

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

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

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

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

Outscoring Opponent 1-0
Being Outscored 0-2

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 14, 2006


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