San Jose SaberCats game notes
April 10, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release
THE QUICK FACTS
Game: SaberCats (3-2) at New Orleans VooDoo (3-3).
Date: Friday, April 13, 2007.
Kickoff: 5:00 p.m. (PDT).
Site: New Orleans Arena (16,021).
Officials: Referee: Bill McCabe; Umpire: Jeff Carr; Head Linesman: Kelly Saalfeld; Line Judge: Dirk Bell; Back Judge: Jimmy Buchanan.
Television: FSN Plus 2 will air the game and it will be available in Hi Def on FSNHD in the Bay Area. Ted Robinson (play by play) and Steve Papin bring the action. FSN Plus 2 is available on Comcast Digital Cable channel 412.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station KNBR-1050 will carry the game live with Joe Castellano (play by play) and Troy Clardy (color). The two will host a 30-minute pre-game show starting at 4:30 p.m. (PT).
Internet: A live webcast is available at www.KNBR.com.
Series Record: All-time series tied 1-1.
Series Streak: New Orleans Won 1.
Last Meeting: New Orleans 62, SaberCats 61 (Feb. 13, 2005 in New Orleans Arena).
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (9th season; 86-39 regular season, 96-44 overall).
New Orleans, Mike Neu (4th season; 29-23 regular season, 30-26 overall).
OVERVIEW: The SaberCats won their second straight game and climbed above .500 for the first time since opening day with a 72-44 win over Colorado on Apr. 6. After winning the last two games, both at HP Pavilion, by a combined 48 points, the SaberCats take to the road for a Friday the 13th tilt against the VooDoo in New Orleans. The game will be televised live and in HD in the Bay Area on FSN Plus 2 and FSNHD and carried on the SaberCats flagship radio station KNBR 1050 starting at 5:00 pm (PT). QB Mark Grieb had another impressive outing for San Jose completing 33-of-40 passes (82.5%) with a season-high 352 yards and 7 TDs. Defensively the SaberCats forced four turnovers, matching their total from the first four games, and stopped the Crush twice on downs in allowing the fewest points in a game this season. WR Ben Nelson matched James Hundon's team record of 5 consecutive 100-yard receiving games by hauling in 127 on 12 catches in the win over Colorado...This week's opponent, the VooDoo, are back in the AFL after being forced to take a season-long hiatus due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. The teams will face each other for the third time and first since Feb. 13, 2005. New Orleans defeated San Jose, 62-61, in the Big Easy and owns a 14-5 all-time regular season record in games played in the New Orleans Arena.
THE SCHEDULES
2007 SAN JOSE SABERCATS (3-2)
Date Opponent Result Score
Mar. 4 @Los Angeles Won 66-58
Mar. 9 @Chicago Lost 45-48
Mar. 24 @Georgia Lost 62-64
Mar. 31 TAMPA BAY Won 69-49
Apr. 6 COLORADO Won 72-44
Date Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
Apr. 13 @New Orleans 5:00 pm 1050/FSN+2
Apr. 21 LOS ANGELES 7:30 pm 1050-680/FSN
Apr. 28 UTAH 7:30 pm 1050/FSN
May 5 @Arizona 7:00 pm 1050-680/FSN
May 12 LAS VEGAS 7:30 pm 1050
May 19 GRAND RAPIDS 7:30 pm 1050
May 25 @Nashville 5:00 pm 1050/FSN+
Jun. 1 ORLANDO 7:30 pm 1050/FSN
Jun. 9 @Utah 6:00 pm 1050/FSN
Jun. 16 ARIZONA 7:30 pm 1050/FSN
Jun. 25 @Las Vegas 1:00 pm 1050/FSN
2007 NEW ORLEANS VooDoo (3-3)
Date Opponent Result Score
Mar. 3 @Utah Lost 61-63
Mar. 9 COLUMBUS Won 52-45
Mar. 18 @Las Vegas Won 59-31
Mar. 24 LOS ANGELES Lost 36-48
Mar. 31 ORLANDO Won 48-45
Apr. 7 @Tampa Bay Lost 43-66
Date Opponent Time (PT) TV
Apr. 13 SAN JOSE 5:00 pm FSN
Apr. 21 @Austin 5:35 pm CST
Apr. 27 GEORGIA 4:00 pm CST
May 11 @Orlando 4:30 pm
May 21 @Philadelphia 4:30 pm ESPN2
May 28 NEW YORK 5:00 pm ESPN2
Jun. 2 TAMPA BAY 5:00 pm CST
Jun. 9 @Dallas 5:30 pm CST
Jun. 17 AUSTIN 3:30 pm CST
Jun. 24 @Georgia 12:30 pm CST
THE SERIES: The series is tied at 1-1 with each team winning on its home turf...This will be the first meeting between the clubs since Feb. 13, 2005 when the VooDoo posted a 62-61 win in New Orleans...San Jose has scored over 60 points in each game and is averaging 64.5 ppg against the VooDoo...San Jose's point total in its 68-34 win on May 1, 2004 is tied for the most allowed by New Orleans in its history...The VooDoo has allowed 60 or more points in a game 7 times in its history, twice to the SaberCats
WHERE TO WATCH: FSN Plus 2 is available on Comcast Digital Cable channel 412, DirecTV channel 659 and Dish Network channel 451. HD can be viewed on FSNHD, Comcast Digital Cable channel 720.
SERIES NOTABLES: San Jose tied a team record with four interceptions against New Orleans on May 1, 2004...The SaberCats' last game decided by 1-point in regulation time came at New Orleans on Feb. 13, 2005, a game won by the VooDoo 62-61. San Jose has played one 1-point game since, defeating Georgia in overtime, 56-55, on Mar. 17, 2006...Mark Grieb holds the VooDoo opponent record for most yards thrown in a game with 352 on Feb. 13, 2005. In the same game WR James Roe caught a VooDoo opponent record 5 TD passes. Roe had 13 catches for 168 yards along with his TDs...The SaberCats have scored 12 TDs in their 12 trips to the red zone against New Orleans...New Orleans defensive coordinator Jeff Russell played in one game with the SaberCats during the 1997 season...VooDoo QB Andy Kelly has played 13 games against San Jose with five different teams. He has started against the SaberCats with the Charlotte Rage, Nashville Kats, Dallas Desperados, Detroit Fury and New Orleans...San Jose DB Omarr Smith had the only multi-interception game (2) of his San Jose career against the VooDoo on May 1, 2004. Smith had a 2-INT game as a member of the Tampa Bay Storm during the 2003 season.
LAST SERIES MEETING: New Orleans 62, SABERCATS 61 - Sunday, February 13, 2005 - New Orleans Arena - New Orleans QB Andy Kelly threw a franchise record eight touchdown passes and the VooDoo survived a last second game-winning field goal attempt to defeat the defending champion SaberCats, 62-61. New Orleans grabbed the lead following a 21-yard scoring pass from Kelly to Aaron Bailey with 26 seconds left. The SaberCats then drove to the New Orleans 17-yard line but kicker Dan Frantz sent the potential game-winning kick wide right from 32-yards out as time expired. James Roe started at offensive specialist for San Jose, the third starter at that spot in as many weeks for the team, and led all receivers with a career-high tying 13 receptions, 169 yards and five touchdowns. Roe's 12th catch of the game was the 327th of his career moving him past Steve Papin (326) as the franchise's career leader. San Jose broke a 49-49 tie when Grieb connected with Shalon Baker on a 12-yard scoring pass, but a failed PAT following a holding penalty opened the door for New Orleans. With under a minute to pay Kelly found Jacques Rumph on a 13-yard scoring play and the successful PAT gave the VooDoo a 56-55 lead. Grieb found Roe in the corner of the end zone with 42 seconds left and San Jose failed to convert on a two-point PAT attempt leaving the advantage at 61-56. The game was tied seven times and no team had more than a 7-point advantage. Kelly completed 33-of-47 attempts for 340 yards while Grieb threw for 352 yards and seven touchdowns on 30-of-39 passing. The teams combined for 676 yards of offense and the SaberCats dropped to 39-5 all-time when scoring 60 or more points in a game.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
SaberCats............................ 14 21 7 19 - 61
VooDoo............................... 14 21 7 20 - 62
SCORING SUMMARY
SAN Roe 13 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
NOV Davis 7 pass from Kelly (Schmitz kick)
SAN Baker 1 run (Frantz kick)
NOV Bailey 20 pass from Kelly (Schmitz kick)
NOV Bailey 16 pass from Kelly (Schmitz kick)
SAN Roe 7 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
NOV Moore 12 pass from Kelly (Schmitz kick)
SAN Kinsinger 2 run (Frantz kick)
SAN Roe 27 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
NOV Bailey 16 pass from Kelly (Schmitz kick)
NOV Bailey 1 run (Schmitz kick)
SAN Davis 4 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Roe 12 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
NOV Davis 12 pass from Kelly (Schmitz kick)
SAN Baker 12 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick failed)
NOV Rumph 13 pass from Kelly (Schmitz kick)
SAN Roe 4 pass from Grieb (Grieb pass failed)
NOV Bailey 21 pass from Kelly (Kelly pass failed)
TEAM STATISTICS SAN NOV
First Downs 26 24
Total Net Yards 353 323
Rush Atts-Net Yards 3-7 1-1
Net Yards Passing 346 322
Comp-Att-Int 30-39-0 33-47-0
KO Returns-Yards 6-78 8-129
MFG Returns-Yards 0-0 1-5
INT for-Yards 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 11-71 7-42
Fumbles-Lost 2-0 1-0
Sacks By-Yards 1-18 1-6
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: SJ - Grieb 30-39-0-352. NO - Kelly 33-47-0-340.
Rushing: SJ - Kinsinger 2-6; Baker 1-1. NO - Bailey 1-1.
Receiving: SJ - Roe 13-168; Davis 6-62; Baker 4-45; Wagner 3-22; Kinsinger 2-22; Jacobs 1-19; Williams 1-14. NO - Bailey 12-166; Davis 10-86; Rumph 7-55; Moore 2-19; Spears 2-14.
Kick Returns: SJ - Wagner 3-46; Baker 3-32. NO - Rumph 6-93; Bailey 2-36; Smalls 1-5.
ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
Feb. 13, 2005 @New Orleans 62, San Jose 61
May 1, 2004 @San Jose 68, New Orleans 34
THE COACHES
San Jose - Darren Arbet, 9th season
86-39 (.688) reg. season; 96-44 (.686) overall
1-1 (.500) career vs. New Orleans
2-1 (.667) career vs. Mike Neu
Two-time Arena Football League Coach of the Year and ArenaBowl champion Darren Arbet enters his ninth season as head coach of the San Jose SaberCats and his second as the club's general manager. Last season Arbet guided the SaberCats to their seventh straight winning season and playoff appearance by going 10-6, the sixth time in his eight seasons the team has posted a double-digit regular season win total. The team also captured its fifth Western Division title under Arbet (sixth overall) and advanced to the semifinal round of the playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Arbet enters the 2007 campaign with 93 career wins, the fifth-most in AFL history, and his .689 overall winning percentage is the third-highest among coaches who have been involved in at least 25 games. Arbet has also compiled the third-best postseason winning percentage (.667) and is one of just six head coaches in league history to amass 10 playoff victories. Under the direction of Arbet San Jose has enjoyed unmatched success vaulting the franchise to elite status in the AFL. Since the start of the 2000 season, Arbet's second as head coach, the SaberCats have claimed two ArenaBowl championships (2002, 2004), compiled the most regular season wins (77), the second-most playoff wins (10) and have averaged nearly 12 victories a season. In addition, the club has set league records for regular season wins in a season (13 in 2002), overall wins in a season (16 in 2002), consecutive regular season wins in a season (12 in 2002), regular season wins to end a season (11 in 2000) and the longest regular season win streak (15 in 2000-01). Arbet's ties to the AFL date back to the late 1980s when he played two seasons as a fullback/linebacker with the Los Angeles Cobras (1988) and Maryland Commandos (1989) before a wrist injury that required three surgeries ended his career. During his playing days, Arbet lined up against former Philadelphia head coach Michael Trigg, who was a quarterback with the Detroit Drive, and Georgia Force offensive coordinator Steve Thonn, who played WR/DB with the Chicago Bruisers.
New Orleans - Mike Neu, 4th season (3rd with NO)
29-23 (.558) reg. season; 30-26 (.536) overall
1-2 (.333) career vs. San Jose
1-2 (.333) career vs. Darren Arbet
Mike Neu returns to the sidelines in 2007 for his third season in New Orleans after the team was forced to suspend operations for 2006 due to Hurricane Katrina. Neu spent the past season helping the Saints scouting staff, while mapping out the VooDoo's return. In 2006, he attended AFL games, keeping abreast of teams and players. Neu has a 23-15 regular season record as coach of the VooDoo, leading his team to back-to-back winning campaigns. In his career, he has posted a 29-23 regular season record as an AFL head coach with two teams and a 30-26 overall mark including the playoffs. In 2004, the VooDoo began 7-1, one of the fastest starts for a first-year AFL club. He led them to an 11-5 mark, making them the only team in AFL history to win 11 games in their first year. He spurred them to a 7-1 home mark. The club's Southern Division title marked only the fourth time in AFL history that an expansion team won the division. He was named the AFL Coach of the Year. The VooDoo's winning ways continued in 2005, as Neu commandeered the VooDoo to their second straight winning season with a 9-7 mark. The team's offensive play-caller, he oversaw an offense led by QB Andy Kelly that improved from being ranked 17th in the AFL in passing offense in 2004 to third in 2005. During this time, the team's red zone efficiency moved up from last in the league to second. Neu came to New Orleans in 2003 after serving as head coach of the Carolina Cobras from 2001-02. In 2002, he guided Carolina to a 5-2 road record and their second straight playoff berth. Carolina posted the first playoff win in club history in 2002 as the club featured the AFL's fourth ranked defense. As offensive coordinator with the Cobras in 2001, before being promoted to head coach prior to the playoffs, the Cobras averaged over 56 points a game, the fifth-highest total in the AFL and finished 7-7, as they improved from a 3-13 record the year before he arrived. Before coming to Carolina, Neu served as head coach and director of football operations for the af2 Augusta Stallions in 2000. Neu led the Stallions to a 14-4 record, the Conference title and was named the league Coach of the Year. Augusta finished in the top four in every major statistical category. Neu started his AFL coaching career with Nashville in 1998, when he served as quarterbacks coach and handled play calling for the Kats. In 1999, he was named offensive coordinator and the Kats achieved their third straight playoff berth.
CHASING 100 - San Jose head coach Darren Arbet earned his 96th career victory with the SaberCats 72-44 win over Colorado on Apr. 6, leaving him just four shy of becoming the 5th head coach to amass 100 career wins. Arbet is 2-1 in games against coaches ahead of him on the list with last week's win over Mike Dailey's Crush. One week prior Arbet defeated Tim Marcum and the Tampa Bay Storm, 69-49, in San Jose's home opener. Mike Hohensee and the Chicago Rush defeated San Jose 48-45 on Mar. 9. Arbet and Utah's Danny White will face each other twice (Apr. 28, Jun. 9) before the season ends. Marcum earned his 100th career victory in just 124 games while Utah's White got his 100th in 143 games. It took Dailey 165 games to get his 100th win and Chicago's Mike Hohensee won his 100th in game 193. Arbet has coached in 140 games to date.
CAREER COACHING RECORDS
Rk. Coach (Year) Team Record
1. Tim Marcum (19th) Tampa Bay 182-82
2. Danny White (15th) Utah 152-77
3. Mike Hohensee (14th) Chicago 111-95
4. Mike Dailey (11th) Colorado 102-67
5. Darren Arbet (9th) San Jose 96-44
2007 TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISON
Category (Rank) SaberCats VooDoo
Scoring Offense 62.8 (3) 49.8 (13)
Scoring Defense 52.6 (8) 49.7 (6)
Total Offense 316.2 (5) 291.0 (12)
Total Defense 271.8 (4) 272.2 (5)
Pass Offense 302.0 (3) 275.8 (10)
Pass Defense 254.8 (5) 261.2 (7)
Rushing Offense 14.2 (16) 15.2 (14)
Rushing Defense 17.0 (7) 11.0 (3)
Pass Rating 121.7 (4) 102.9 (13)
Pass Defense Rating 112.3 (10) 103.9 (6)
Interceptions 4 (t-12) 5 (t-9)
Kickoff Return Avg. 22.0 (2) 15.9 (13)
Field Goal Return Avg. 1.0 (18) 19.8 (6)
Turnover Margin +1 (t-8) -3 (t-14)
3rd Down Conversions 55.2% (5) 46.5% (10)
4th Down Conversions 71.4% (5) 61.5% (10)
Sacks By 5 (t-11) 6 (t-6)
Sacks Against 3 (t-7) 8 (14)
2007 SABERCATS AMONG AFL LEADERS
Player Category No. Rank
Mark Grieb Pass Avg/Game 304.6 3rd
Mark Grieb Completion Pct. 73.1 3rd
Mark Grieb Passing TDs 33 5th
Mark Grieb Pass Attempts 201 6th
Mark Grieb Pass Yards 1,523 8th
Mark Grieb Pass Completions 147 2nd
Mark Grieb Passer Rating 121.7 4th
Mark Grieb Total Offense 1,541 8th
A.J. Haglund Kick Scoring 56 3rd
A.J. Haglund FG Pct. 85.7% 1st
A.J. Haglund PAT Pct. 95.0% 2nd
A.J. Haglund FGs Made 6 t-2nd
A.J. Haglund FG Attempts 7 t-9th
A.J. Haglund PATs Made 38 6th
A.J. Haglund PAT Attempts 40 8th
Rodney Wright All-Purpose Yards 977 3rd
Rodney Wright Receptions 49 t-5th
Rodney Wright KOR Average 23.6 4th
Rodney Wright KOR Yards 472 4th
Rodney Wright KO Returns 20 10th
Rodney Wright KOR TDs 1 t-5th
Ben Nelson Receptions 55 1st
Ben Nelson Receiving Yards 651 6th
Ben Nelson Receiving Yards/Gm 130.2 4th
Ben Nelson Receiving TDs 13 t-8th
Ron Jones Sacks 3.0 t-6th
Ron Jones Tackles For Loss 3.5 t-7th
Marquis Floyd INT Return TDs 1 t-2nd
Marquis Floyd INT Return Yards 46 8th
George Williams Tackles For Loss 3.5 t-7th
THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat New Orleans it would...
*Give them a 4-2 season record.
*Be their 3rd straight win.
*Break a 2-game road losing streak.
*Be their 1st win in New Orleans.
*Give them a 2-1 series advantage.
*Give them a 30-15 all-time record vs the Southern Div.
*Give them a 12-9 all-time road record vs the Southern.
*Give them a 51-40 all-time regular season road record.
*Give them a 116-64 all-time regular season record.
*Give them a 126-72 overall record.
RECENT RESULTS:
SaberCats Crush Colorado, 72-44
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Apr. 6, 2007) - Quarterback Mark Grieb threw for 352 yards and seven touchdowns and the SaberCats posted their highest point total in nearly two seasons to defeat the Colorado Crush 72-44. Grieb completed 21-of-23 first half passes with five scores as the SaberCats (3-2) built a 38-10 lead at intermission. He finished the contest with 33 completions, the second-highest game total in team history. Colorado (3-3) took an early 3-0 lead on a 20-yard Jason Ball field goal just 2:12 into the game. The Crush failed to score a touchdown after starting the drive from the San Jose 6-yard line after a failed onside kick. Ben Nelson and James Roe each had a pair of receiving scores following the opening score to give San Jose a 28-10 lead midway through the second quarter. Nelson finished with a game-high 12 receptions for 127 yards and three scores while Roe added 8 catches for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns. Colorado's Damian Harrell extended his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown catch to 71 after snaring a 6-yard pass from John Dutton early in the third quarter. Dutton, the former SaberCat, completed 16-of-31 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns before being replaced by Brandon Kirsh at the start of the fourth quarter. Harrell had just five catches for 26 yards. Brad Pyatt had 188 receiving yards and three scores on seven catches. The SaberCats posted their highest point total since April 22, 2005 when they scored 89 in a win at Colorado. San Jose also improved to 23-1 all-time when scoring 70 or more points in a game. Clevan Thomas and Omarr Smith each had an interception and the SaberCats forced four turnovers and stopped the Crush twice on downs as San Jose allowed the fewest points in a game this season.
MILESTONE WATCH
Name Milestone Needs
Darren Arbet 100 career wins 4
Ben Nelson 150 career receptions 1
Ben Nelson 40 career TD receptions 1
Rodney Wright 15 career TD receptions 1
Rodney Wright 2,500 career all-purpose yds 137
Clevan Thomas 35 career INTs 1
Clevan Thomas 300.0 career total tackles 21.0
Clevan Thomas 250 career solo tackles 6
Omarr Smith 30 career INTs 2
Omarr Smith 325 career solo tackles 3
Omarr Smith 60 career PBUs 4
Matt Kinsinger 35 career rush TDs 1
Matt Kinsinger SJ career rush leader 43
Mark Grieb 2,300 career completions 11
Mark Grieb 550 career TD passes 2
Phil Glover 25 career rush TDs 2
Phil Glover 60 career solo tackles 2
Brian Johnson 200 career rush yards 16
Brian Johnson 20 career rush TDs 2
Craig Whelihan 110 career pass TDs 1
Craig Whelihan 6,000 career pass yds 124
James Roe 600 career receptions 29
James Roe 175 career TD receptions 3
Marquis Floyd 5 career INTs 1
TRENDS:
ON THE ROAD AGAIN - Following two lopsided home wins, the SaberCats hit the road once again. After opening the year with three straight road contests, San Jose has only five single-game trips on the docket for the remainder of the season starting Friday night. The SaberCats posted their 50th regular season road win on opening night at Los Angeles and currently own a 50-40 (.556) road record.
WHAT'S THE POINT - The SaberCats posted a season-high point total in their 72-44 win over Colorado on Apr. 6 and have topped the 60-point mark in four of five games, including three straight. Against New Orleans the SaberCats have not scored fewer than 61 points in a game and are averaging 64.5 in two games. For the season San Jose ranks 3rd in the AFL with an average of 62.8 ppg.
AT THE HALF - The SaberCats held a 38-10 halftime lead in their win over Colorado on Apr. 6 and improved to 3-0 on the year when leading at the intermission. San Jose doesn't relinquish the lead too often when leading at the halfway point increasing their all-time record to 85-17 (.833) when leading at the half.
TURNING THINGS AROUND - After committing five turnovers with only one takeaway in the first two games of the year, the SaberCats have turned things around. Over the past three games the team is +5 in turnover margin with seven takeaways and just two turnovers. Against Colorado on Apr. 6, the SaberCats forced four turnovers, matching their total from the first four games of the year combined. San Jose now ranks 8th with a +1 margin.
SEEING RED - The SaberCats scored 6 TDs and a FG once inside the red zone for a perfect 7-for-7 night against Colorado on Apr. 6. Dating back to their game at Chicago on Mar. 9, the SaberCats have converted 22 of their last 23 red zone opportunities scoring 17 TDs and 5 FGs. San Jose's only failed red zone attempt in the last 23 tries came against Tampa Bay on Mar. 31 when the SaberCats ran out the clock inside the Storm 10-yard line in a 20-point win. The SaberCats are a perfect 12-for-12 in red zone chances in two games against New Orleans and currently rank in a 3rd place tie with Arizona converting 90.6 percent (29-of-32) of their red zone opportunities.
GETTING THE STOPS - Over the last two games, both San Jose victories, the defense has stepped up totaling 10 stops. The SaberCats recovered a pair of fumbles and had 2 INTs while stopping the Crush on downs twice in a 72-44 win over Colorado on Apr. 6. A week earlier San Jose forced three turnovers and had a stop on downs in a 69-49 win over Tampa Bay on Mar. 31.
MARCH INTO APRIL - San Jose's win over Colorado in the first game of April gave the team an all-time record of 21-9 (.700) in games played during the month. The SaberCats take to the road Friday with an all-time record of 9-5 (.643) in April road games.
NOTES:
FRIDAY THE 13th - The SaberCats will invade the Big Easy in hopes of hoaxing the VooDoo on Friday the 13th in their sixth regular season game of 2007. The date holds significance in the realm of black art and witchcraft so the SaberCats must avoid coming down with a case of paraskavedekatriaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th). San Jose has never played a game on Friday the 13th, but the last time they played the VooDoo was on Feb. 13, 2005 (Sunday) where they lost 62-61 in New Orleans. Hopefully, there won't be any Mark Grieb dolls with pins stuck into it at the New Orleans Arena on Friday night.
ON THE MARK - Over the past two games QB Mark Grieb has proven why he is the most accurate passer in the AFL. In a pair of San Jose wins by a combined 48 points, Grieb has completed 84.8 percent of his passes (56-of-66) for 636 yards and 15 TDs. Grieb completed his first 9 tosses and finished 33-of-40 (82.5%) for 352 yards in a 72-44 win over Colorado on Apr. 6. His 33 completions rank as the 2nd-highest game total in team history. Against Tampa Bay on Mar. 31, the 10-year AFL vet completed 23-of-26 (88.5%) offerings for 284 yards and 8 TDs. Over the 2-game span Grieb has seen his completion percentage rise from 67.4 percent to the 3rd-best in the AFL at 73.1 percent and his passer rating go from 106.62 to 121.75.
MOST COMPLETIONS, TEAM, GAME
Rank Player, Opponent Cmps
1. Mark Grieb, at Chicago (3/9/07) 37
2. Mark Grieb, vs Colorado (4/6/07) 33
3. Mark Grieb, at Los Angeles (2/20/05) 31
Mark Grieb, at New York (3/7/04) 31
5. Four times 30
WHEELS IN MOTION - SaberCats' backup quarterback and kick holder Craig Whelihan took his first two snaps of the season in the fourth quarter of San Jose's 72-44 win over Colorado on Apr. 6. On both plays, the former San Diego Charger handed the ball off to FB Brian Johnson and time expired to end the game on the second carry. Since 2003, Mark Grieb has thrown 98.5% (2,087) of the SaberCats' 2,118 pass attempts. Nick Rolovich (2004-05) threw the most passes of any backup QB during that period with 30 attempts.
RUNNING MAN - Making his 1st start at FB this season, Brian Johnson tied a team record with 9 rush attempts totaling 13 yards and 2 TDs in San Jose's win over Colorado on Apr. 6. Johnson tied the record held by Phil Glover (2006), Tom Petithomme (1995) and Ivy Calvin (1995) and leaped into a 5th place tie with Joey Dozier with 18 career rush TDs. Johnson is moving up the team's career rushing lists surpassing Keala Keanaaina (76) for 8th place with 77 rush attempts and needs just 16 yards to become the 11th player in team history with 200.
RUSH ATTEMPTS, TEAM, GAME
Rank Player, Opponent Atts
1. Brian Johnson, vs Colorado (4/6/07) 9
Phil Glover, at Tampa Bay (4/7/06) 9
Tom Petithomme, at Charlotte (7/7/95) 9
Ivy Calvin, at Las Vegas (6/9/95) 9
5. Five Times 8
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS, TEAM, CAREER
Rank Player Rush TDs
1. Barry Wagner (2000-06) 58
2. Steve Papin (1997-01) 43
3. Derrick Chachere (1995-00) 34
4. Matt Kinsinger (2002-05, 07) 32
5. Brian Johnson (2003-04, 06-07) 18
Joey Dozier (2000-01, 05) 18
MOVIN ON UP - With his 34th career interception, SaberCats' DB Clevan Thomas moved past Darryl Hammond into sole possession of 12th place on the AFL's all-time list. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year also had a pair of pass breakups giving him 76 PBUs in his 67-game AFL career. Thomas needs just 2 INTs to crack the top 10 and is 6 away from becoming the 7th player in league history with 40 career INTs. Thomas snared an offering from rookie Brandon Kirsch in the 4th quarter to stymie a Crush drive, it was Clevan's 2nd of the season and Kirsch became the 22nd QB to be victimized by Thomas.
MOST INTERCEPTIONS, AFL, CAREER
Rank Name, 2007 Team INTs
1. Kenny McEntyre, Kansas City 67
2. Durwood Roquemore, none 50
3. Barry Wagner, none 48
4. Mark Ricks, none 44
5. Corey Johnson, none 41
6. Kevin Gaines, Grand Rapids 40
7. Damon Mason, Austin 37
Tracey Perkins, none 37
9. Randy Gatewood, Arizona 36
Carlos James, none 36
11. Chris Barber, none 35
12. Clevan Thomas, San Jose 34
GETTING HIS KICKS - A.J. Haglund has been one of the most productive rookies in the Arena Football League in 2007. In the SaberCats win over Colorado on Apr. 6, Haglund hit an 18-yard FG as time expired in the second quarter to extend his consecutive made FG streak to five. Haglund tied Carlos Huerta for the second-longest streak of consecutive FGs made in club history. Billy Stoyanovich made six straight FGs over a 2-game stretch during the 1997 season. Haglund has also made 14 straight PATs and is 2nd in the league in PAT percentage, hitting true on 38-of-40 (95%) PATs. The kid from the OK state leads the league in FG percentage converting on 6-of-7 (85.7%) attempts. Haglund ranks 3rd in the league in kick scoring with 56 points, trailing league-leader Austin's Mark Lewis by 8 points and having played one fewer game than the two kickers in front of him.
BIG MEN WITH SOFT HANDS - San Jose rookie lineman Garrett McIntyre started at DE in his first ever Arena Football League game on Apr. 6 against the Colorado Crush. McIntyre recorded a QB hurry and is the only lineman to catch a TD pass in his first game as a SaberCat. Veteran George Williams has caught two TD passes in 2007, which brings his career TD total to 3, tying him with Sam Hernandez and Al Noga for most TD receptions by a San Jose TE. In the SaberCats 13-year history, nine linemen have caught a total of 16 TD passes.
CENTER OF ATTENTION - Now that he's not playing defense, the name Dan Loney will be absent from the stat sheet. But Loney, now in his 6th season with the SaberCats, has started 36 of the last 40 regular and post season games, including the last 21 in a row, at center. Loney anchored an offensive line last season that allowed the SaberCats to set an AFL record with 4,762 yards of total offense. This season, along with rookies Todd Williams and Patrick Afif, the SaberCats are once again among the league leaders in offense scoring 62.8 ppg (3rd), averaging 316.2 yards (5th) and 302.0 passing yards (3rd).
FULL NELSON - Last season's Rookie of the Year is vying for this year's sophomore of the year. WR Ben Nelson matched James Hundon's 2002 team record with his 5th straight 100-yard receiving game by totaling 127 on 12 receptions with 3 TDs in the SaberCats' win over Colorado on Apr. 6. Nelson also eclipsed the 2,000 mark in career yards in just his 16th game as a starting receiver and currently sits in 9th place on the team's list, just 27 yards behind Rashied Davis for the 8th spot. Nelson also has 10-or-more receptions in four of five games this year and tallied his 7th career 10+ catch game last week. With 55 catches on the year Nelson leads Georgia's Chris Jackson by one for the league lead. No SaberCat has ever led the AFL in receptions.
MOST RECEIVING YARDS, TEAM, CAREER
Rank Player Rcv Yards
1. James Roe (2000-07) 7,149
2. James Hundon (2001-04) 4,648
3. Steve Papin (1997-01) 4,282
4. Barry Wagner (2000-06) 3,873
5. Shalon Baker (1998-05) 3,575
6. Jerry Reese (1995-96, 99-04) 3,485
7. Titus Dixon (1995-97) 2,423
8. Rashied Davis (2003-05) 2,083
9. Ben Nelson (2006-07) 2,056
TWO TIMES THE EXCITEMENT - Two of the top DBs in AFL history each had an interception in the same game for the 3rd time in their careers and the first time in over three years. Omarr Smith and Clevan Thomas, with a combined 62 picks between them, each tallied an INT in the SaberCats' 72-44 win over Colorado on Apr. 6, the first time since Feb. 28, 2004 both had a pick in the same game. Since 2002 when Thomas entered the AFL, the pair has been on the field at the same time in just 34 out of 67 games. The two were together for all 14 games during the 2002 campaign when they each had a pick in the same game for the first time, against Chicago on June 15. All three games took place in San Jose with the SaberCats being victorious in each. Smith left for Tampa Bay for the 2003 season but returned the following year. In 2004 Thomas sustained a knee injury just four games in and in 2005 Smith suffered the same fate in the 3rd game of the season. The two played 11 games together last season trading INTs in each of the team's last 6 games. Smith's 20th career pick as a member of the SaberCats broke a tie with Barry Wagner for 3rd place on the team's list.
MOST INTERCEPTIONS, TEAM, CAREER
Rank Player INTs
1. Clevan Thomas (2002-07) 34
2. Pat McGuirk (1995-98) 24
3. Omarr Smith (2000-02, 04-07) 20
4. Barry Wagner (2000-06) 19
5. Tommy Jones (1998-01) 17
THE WRIGHT STUFF - With 194 all-purpose yards against Colorado on Apr. 6, WR/KR Rodney Wright is on pace to become just the 3rd SaberCat player to reach the 3,000-yard plateau in a season. Wright had his 4th straight 100-yard receiving game and 3rd with 10 or more catches by securing 10 balls for 116 yards and a TD against the Crush. Wright also added 78 yards on 4 KORs for his 4th consecutive game with 190 or more all-purpose yards. Wright currently ranks 3rd in the AFL with 977 all-purpose yards and is on pace for 3,126.
MOST ALL-PURPOSE YARDS, TEAM, SEASON
Rank Player Year AP Yards
1. Steve Papin 1998 3,190
2. Steve Papin 1999 3,135
3. Rodney Wright 2007 3,126*
4. Steve Papin 2000 2,957
5. Rashied Davis 2005 2,589
*-projected total
AGAINST COLORADO: On his birthday DB Clevan Thomas intercepted his 34th career pass moving into sole possession of 12th place on the AFL's career list and tallied his 75th career pass breakup...DB Omarr Smith played in his 70th regular season game as a member of the SaberCats and collected his 28th career INT and 20th as a SaberCat, moving past Barry Wagner into sole possession of 3rd place...WR Ben Nelson tied a team record with his 5th straight 100-yard receiving game and surpassed the 2,000 mark for his career...Mark Grieb had his 32nd career 300-yard passing game and eclipsed the 29,000 mark in career yards...FB Brian Johnson, also celebrating a birthday, tied a team record with 9 rush attempts and scored 3 TDs, one on his 2nd career kickoff return...Rookie Garrett McIntyre made his AFL debut starting on the defensive line and caught a TD pass off a deflection from Tim Martin. McIntyre sustained a leg injury in the second half and didn't return...A.J. Haglund tied a team record (Carlos Huerta) for the second-most consecutive field goals made at five hitting an 18-yarder at the end of the first half. Billy Stoyanovich holds the record with six in 1997...The SaberCats forced 4 turnovers, matching their season total from the previous four games...Backup QB Craig Whelihan took his first snaps of the season on San Jose's final possession handing the ball off twice to Brian Johnson...LB Phil Glover registered an assisted tackle giving him 75.0 total stops for his career.
WHAT'S AHEAD: Following their trip to New Orleans, the SaberCats will begin a stretch of four straight games against Western Division rivals by hosting the Los Angeles Avengers on Apr. 21 and the Utah Blaze on Apr. 28. Both those games are slated to be televised by FSN as part of the AFL's regional television package. They can be seen on FSN Bay Area at midnight following the game. San Jose will take a quick road trip to Arizona to face the Rattlers before returning home on May 12 for a contest with the Las Vegas Gladiators.
NEW ORLEANS PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB ANDY KELLY - In his 14th year in the AFL, Kelly has established himself as one of the all-time great quarterbacks in the history of the league. He returns to the New Orleans VooDoo after spending 2006 with the Kansas City Brigade and the expansion Utah Blaze. Entering the 2007 season, Kelly held the AFL record for pass completions (3,621), attempts (5,828) and yardage (39,948). Kelly and Dallas QB Clint Dolezel are in a race to become the first QB in AFL history to throw for 800 TDs. Through Week 6, Kelly has 793 TD passes and Dolezel has 797, but the VooDoo plays the SaberCats on Friday while the Desperados don't suit up until Monday night against the Soul. The former Tennessee Volunteer has played in 13 career games against San Jose with five different teams. In those 13 games, he has completed 294-of-500 passes for 3,107 yards, 65 TDs and 16 INTs. Kelly led the Nashville Kats to consecutive semifinal playoff victories against the SaberCats in 2000 and 2001, but an ArenaBowl ring has eluded him his entire career. The veteran sustained a shoulder injury and threw just five passes last week in the VooDoo's loss at Tampa Bay and is questionable for this week's game.
DB KELVIN HUNTER - Enters his 7th season in the AFL as a respected member of the VooDoo secondary. Hunter began his career with Chicago in 2001 and has spent time with Arizona, Austin and Utah. In seven career games against the SaberCats, Hunter has accumulated 24 total tackles, 2 FF, 2 PBUs, 1 FR and 1 INT. His finest game against San Jose came in the first game of last season (1/28) when he was a member of the Utah Blaze. He collected 5 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 interception to earn Defensive Player of the Game honors in a 48-35 victory. Through six games in 2007, Hunter has 25.5 tackles, 5 PBUs and 1 INT that was returned for a 48-yard TD.
K ERIC HOULE - Begins his 2nd season in the Arena Football League after playing with the Las Vegas Gladiators in 2006. With the Gladiators, Houle hit 6-of-15 FG attempts and converted 87-of-100 PATs for a total of 105 points. He also recorded 31 touchbacks on kickoffs, which tied the record for most by an AFL rookie. In his two games versus the SaberCats, Houle has hit two (18, 26) of his FG attempts and has only missed one of his 15 PAT attempts. So far this season, Houle ranks third on the team in points scored (47) while hitting 4-of-8 FG tries and 35-of-41 PATs.
WEEKLY PLAYERS OF THE GAME
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
@LAA (3/4) WR Lenzie Jackson, Los Angeles
@CHI (3/9) WR Bobby Sippio, CHI; Rodney Wright SJS
@GEO (3/24) WR Chris Jackson, Georgia
v TBY (3/31) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
v COL (4/6) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
@NWO (4/13)
v LAA (4/21)
v UTH (4/28)
@ARZ (5/5)
v LVG (5/12)
v GRR (5/19)
@NAS (5/25)
v ORL (6/1)
@UTH (6/9)
v ARZ (6/16)
@LVG (6/25)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
@LAA (3/4) DB Omarr Smith, San Jose
@CHI (3/9) DB Jeremy Unertl, Chicago
@GEO (3/24) DB Willie Gary, Georgia
v TBY (3/31) DB Marquis Floyd, San Jose
v COL (4/6) DB Clevan Thomas, San Jose
@NWO (4/13)
v LAA (4/21)
v UTH (4/28)
@ARZ (5/5)
v LVG (5/12)
v GRR (5/19)
@NAS (5/25)
v ORL (6/1)
@UTH (6/9)
v ARZ (6/16)
@LVG (6/25)
IRONMAN PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opp. (Date) Player
@LAA (3/4) WR Ben Nelson, San Jose
@CHI (3/9) None selected
@GEO (3/24) FB/LB Matt Heubner, Georgia
v TBY (3/31) K A.J. Haglund, San Jose
v COL (4/6) WR Rodney Wright, San Jose
@NWO (4/13)
v LAA (4/21)
v UTH (4/28)
@ARZ (5/5)
v LVG (5/12)
v GRR (5/19)
@NAS (5/25)
v ORL (6/1)
@UTH (6/9)
v ARZ (6/16)
@LVG (6/25)
THE SABERCATS RECORD WHEN...:
Scoring Allowing
'07 All-Time '07 All-Time
0 - 9 points 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
10-19 points 0-0 0-1 0-0 3-0
20-29 points 0-0 0-7 0-0 17-1
30-39 points 0-0 8-16 0-0 27-5
40-49 points 0-1 18-19 2-1 32-15
50-59 points 0-0 37-13 1-0 27-24
60-69 points 2-1 29-7 0-1 4-14
70-79 points 1-0 16-1 0-0 5-5
80+ points 0-0 7-0 0-0 0-0
2007 All-time
Games decided
by 7 or fewer points 0-0 36-32
by 3 or fewer points 0-2 15-22
Leading after the 1st 3-0 71-19
Trailing after the 1st 0-1 24-31
Tied after the 1st 0-1 20-14
Leading at Half 3-0 85-17
Trailing at Half 0-1 26-41
Tied at Half 0-1 4-6
Leading after the 3rd 3-0 92-12
Trailing after the 3rd 0-2 19-48
Tied after the 3rd 0-0 4-4
Scoring First 2-0 67-31
Opp. Score First 1-2 48-33
More Total Offense 2-1 81-35
Less Total Offense 1-1 34-29
More Pass Yards 2-1 71-36
Less Pass Yards 1-1 44-27
Equal Pass Yards 0-0 0-1
More Rushing Yards 3-0 98-28
Less Rushing Yards 0-2 16-33
Equal Rushing Yards 0-0 1-3
Thursday games 0-0 4-1
Friday games 1-1 33-19
Saturday games 1-1 58-25
Sunday games 1-0 18-17
Monday games 0-0 2-2
vs. Western Division 1-0 42-26
vs. Central Division 1-1 29-17
vs. Southern Division 1-1 25-11
vs. Eastern Division 0-0 19-10
Winning coin toss 1-1
Losing coin toss 2-1
Outscoring Opponent 3-0 115-0
Being Outscored 0-2 0-64
Records are for regular season games.
2007 AFL STANDINGS
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Western Division
Team W L Pct PF PA
Utah 4 2 .666 397 355
San Jose 3 2 .600 314 263
Los Angeles 3 2 .600 245 250
Arizona 1 5 .166 364 367
Las Vegas 1 5 .166 265 375
Central Division
Team W L Pct PF PA
Chicago 5 1 .833 337 271
Kansas City 3 2 .600 275 243
Colorado 3 3 .500 288 329
Grand Rapids 2 3 .400 261 326
Nashville 2 4 .333 327 360
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Eastern Division
Team W L Pct PF PA
Dallas 6 0 1.000 376 265
Philadelphia 4 1 .800 317 234
Columbus 2 3 .400 263 277
New York 1 4 .200 219 304
Southern Division
Team W L Pct PF PA
Georgia 5 1 .833 372 336
New Orleans 3 3 .500 299 298
Orlando 2 3 .400 228 219
Austin 2 4 .333 330 343
Tampa Bay 1 5 .166 281 343
WEEK SIX RESULTS
Thursday, April 5
at Dallas 53, Columbus 51
Friday, April 6
at Austin 65, Utah 64
at Los Angeles 64, Arizona 45
at San Jose 72, Colorado 44
Saturday, April 7
at Grand Rapids 66, New York 53
at Tampa Bay 66, New Orleans 43
Chicago 66, at Nashville 54
Sunday, April 8
Kansas City 65, at Las Vegas 31
Monday, April 9
Georgia 57, at Philadelphia 49
WEEK SEVEN SCHEDULE
Friday, April 13
San Jose at New Orleans, 5:00 pm
Los Angeles at Utah, 6:00 pm
Saturday, April 14
Austin at Columbus, 4:00 pm
Tampa Bay at Orlando, 4:30 pm
Grand Rapids at Kansas City, 5:00 pm
Nashville at Arizona, 7:00 pm
Sunday, April 15
Colorado at New York, 10:00 am
Las Vegas at Georgia, 12:30 pm
Monday, April 16
Philadelphia at Dallas, 4:30 pm
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 10, 2007
- The OSC Interview: Georgia Force QB Chris Greisen - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
- Tampa Bay Storm game notes - Tampa Bay Storm
- San Jose SaberCats game notes - San Jose SaberCats
- Georgia Force QB Chris Greisen Named Offensive Player of the Week - Georgia Force
- Georgia's Greisen, Kansas City's Trufant, and Dallas' Pettis earn Week 6 Players Of The Week honors - AFL I
- New York Dragons game notes - New York Dragons
- Kats Contest With KC Brigade Moved - Nashville Kats
- Gladiators Make Roster Changes - Las Vegas Gladiators
- Rookie Trufant makes early impact, named ADT Defensive Player of the Week - Kansas City Brigade
- Blaze Prepare To Take On Division Rival Los Angeles - Utah Blaze
- Colorado Crush game notes - Colorado Crush
- Rush Signs Moyer To Two-year Contract Extension - Chicago Rush
- Rampage Waive WR Troy Edwards - Grand Rapids Rampage
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