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San Jose SaberCats Weekly Notes

April 8, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: San Jose SaberCats (1-0) at Georgia Force (1-0)
Date: Friday, April 12, 2002
Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. (PDT)
Site: Philips Arena (16,710)
Officials: Referee: Gene Hartleb; Umpire: Rick Lowe; Head Linesman: Rod Pearson; Line Judge: Bob McElwee; Back Judge: Scott Helverson.
Television: No Television.
Radio: San Jose's flagship station The Ticket (KTCT) 1050-AM will broadcast the game live from Philips Arena at 4:30 pm (PDT). Bob Fitzgerald, the television voice of the NBA's Golden State Warriors will call the play-by-play with former Oakland Raider George Atkinson supplying the color commentary.
Series Record: Teams have not played.
Last Meeting: Teams have not played
Streaks: Tied 0-0.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (30-16 overall, 4th season). Georgia, Robert Lyles (5-6 overall, 2nd season).

OVERVIEW: The SaberCats conclude their preseason schedule with a game against the Georgia Force in Atlanta on Friday, April 12. Kickoff from Philips Arena is slated for 4:30 p.m. (PDT). It will be the first of two meetings between the teams this season. Georgia visits San Jose in a regular season game on May 4. The SaberCats opened the exhibition season by defeating Carolina 66-64 on March 29th; it was San Jose's fifth straight preseason victory. The Force enters its first season in the AFL after the franchise was sold and re-located from Nashville (Kats). San Jose has won back-to-back Western Division championships and advanced to the semifinals of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons only to lose to Nashville on both trips. The SaberCats have posted a league-best 22 regular season victories the last two seasons thanks to the most prolific offense in the AFL. San Jose has averaged 60.8 points per game over the last two seasons and became just the second team in league history with consecutive 800-point scoring seasons (871 in '00, 831 in '01). San Jose has an all-time record of 9-6 (.600) in pre-season competition.

THE SERIES: This game marks the first-ever meeting for San Jose with Georgia. The SaberCats do have a history with the former Nashville Kats, however. The Kats won four of six meetings with San Jose, including the playoff victories in 2000 and 2001. The Kats and SaberCats also played a pair of preseason games with each team winning in the others building. Nashville beat San Jose, 47-21, in the franchise's first-ever regular season home game on May 2, 1997 and the SaberCats will be Georgia's opponent in its first-ever home game Friday.

WHAT'S AHEAD: The SaberCats open defense of their Western Division title on Saturday, April 20 when they host division rival Arizona. San Jose and Arizona are the only teams to win the Western Division since the league adopted the divisional format in 1995. San Jose has claimed three division crowns (95, 00-01) and Arizona has four (96-99)...Teams must trim their rosters to the regular season limit of 24 on Monday, April 15. The 24-man roster limit will be in effect the remainder of the season.

LAST SERIES MEETING: A recap of the last meeting between San Jose and Nashville. Nashville 71, San Jose 47 (AFL SEMIFINAL PLAYOFF August 11, 2001) – The Nashville Kats returned a kickoff and a missed field goal for scores and defeated the SaberCats, 71-47, in an Arena Football League semifinal contest denying San Jose its first trip to the championship game for a second consecutive season. San Jose's James Hundon caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Mark Grieb to give the SaberCats a 16-14 lead early in the second quarter, but Ron Carpenter returned the ensuing kickoff 57-yards to put the Kats back on top 20-16 with 12:12 remaining in the half. Grieb connected with James Roe on scoring tosses of 12 and 33 yards sandwiched around an Andy Kelly to Tyronne Jones 14-yard touchdown strike as the SaberCats built a 30-27 lead late in the half. San Jose's defense made the first stop of the game forcing a 37-yard Steve McLaughlin field goal attempt, which was no good. Barry Wagner returned the miss to the SaberCats 18-yard line with four seconds remaining and San Jose lined up for a field goal attempt. Daron Alcorn's kick sailed wide left as time expired and Tyronne Jones returned the miss 52 yards to give Nashville a 34-30 lead at intermission. The teams combined for nine touchdowns and a field goal in the first half and the lead changed 10 times. Nashville took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 41-yards on seven plays with Kelly hitting Jones from 2-yards out to increase the Kats' lead to 41-30. San Jose countered with a 44-yard Alcorn field goal to cut the lead to 41-33 after three quarters. Following a Kelly to Cory Fleming TD pass, Hundon hauled in his second TD of the game to make the score 48-40 Nashville with 10:30 left. Kelly hit Daryl Hammond on a 12-yard TD pass, his sixth of the game, on Nashville's next possession to up the Kats' advantage to 55-40. Any chance San Jose had at its first ArenaBowl appearance disappeared on the ensuing possession. On fourth-and-10 from the San Jose 12-yard line, Grieb was sacked by Fleming and fumbled the ball into his own endzone. James Baron pounced on the loose football for a Nashville TD to increase the lead to 62-40 with just under two minutes left. The Kats scored 16 of their 30 fourth quarter points in the final 1:53 to make the score more lopsided than it appeared. Grieb threw for a San Jose playoff record 291 yards on 21-of-34 passing with 6 TDs and no interceptions. Nashville recorded three sacks on the day, two of which directly led to points, and applied constant pressure to the San Jose signal-caller

THE COACHES:

SAN JOSE: Darren Arbet, 4th season 28-14 (.667) regular season; 30-16 (.652) overall
Arbet became the SaberCats winningest head coach when San Jose beat Arizona in the quarterfinals of the AFL playoffs last year. The win gave Arbet 30 victories in 46 career games. He surpassed former head coach Todd Shell, who posted 29 wins in 57 career games. Arbet owns a 30-16 (.652) overall record and is 28-14 (.667) in regular season games. The SaberCats are 5-2 (.714) in pre-season games under Arbet. Named the AFL's Coach of the Year in 2000 following a league record tying 12 regular season wins, Arbet has also guided the SaberCats to an AFL record 15 consecutive regular season victories. Arbet is the only head coach in team history to post a postseason victory.

GEORGIA: Robert Lyles, 2nd season. 5-6 (.455) overall
The first head coach of the Georgia franchise, Lyles comes to Atlanta via Los Angeles where he was the interim head coach of the Avengers following the dismissal of Stan Brock last season. The Avengers won three straight games and five of six under Lyles at one point last year, including the team's first-ever win over San Jose. A 47-44 win on June 2, 2001.

PRE-SEASON HISTORY: The SaberCats are riding a five-game pre-season win streak and are 9-6 (.600) in exhibition games all-time. San Jose won both pre-season games in 2000 and went on to post a league-best 12 regular season wins that season. San Jose also posted its first-ever playoff win in 2000 defeating Oklahoma in the quarterfinals. San Jose again went undefeated in pre-season play in 2001 and notched a 10-win season and another playoff appearance. The SaberCats notched their second playoff win beating Arizona last season.

RECENT RESULTS: Rookie defensive specialist Clevan Thomas returned two interceptions for touchdowns and Jerry Reese added a third to propel the San Jose SaberCats to a 66-64 victory over the Carolina Cobras in the preseason opener for both teams on March 29. Reese was responsible for San Jose's first two scores following a Carolina touchdown on the games first offensive play. Reese hauled in a 7-yard TD pass from Mark Grieb to knot the game at 7-7, then gave the SaberCats the lead when he intercepted a Lance Funderburk pass that was deflected at the line of scrimmage by Darrin Kenney 5-yards for a score. Thomas returned his first interception 37-yards after Carolina botched the snap on a field goal attempt Cobras kicker Brian Schmitz threw the ball into traffic right into the waiting arms of Thomas who weaved his way down field for the touchdown. James Roe sandwiched a pair of touchdown catches around Thomas' return, the second covering 33-yards on QB John Dutton's first throw of the night, staking the SaberCats to a 31-20 lead. Schmitz added a 24-yard field goal at the end of the half to bring the Cobras within 31-23 at the break. Dutton connected with Barry Wagner on a 32-yard scoring toss early in the third quarter and rookie fullback Keala Keanaaina ran for the two-point conversion to extend San Jose's lead to 39-23. Following a 3-yard Connell Maynor touchdown run and a turnover by San Jose, Thomas again excited the Compaq Center crowd of 8,344 by stepping in front of Maynor's offering at his own 1-yard line and racing the length of the field for a 46-30 SaberCats advantage. Carolina's Carl Bond scored on a 1-yard run reducing the Cobras deficit to 10 at 46-36 to close out the third quarter. The teams then combined for 48 points in the fourth quarter with the SaberCats answering every Carolina blow. Following Bond's TD run, San Jose rookie Travis Seaton returned the ensuing kickoff 54-yards for a touchdown increasing the lead to 17. Bond again and Jamaal Garman scored consecutive touchdowns to bring Carolina within three points with 3:46 remaining, but Omarr Smith caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Dutton with just over a minute left for a 60-50 SaberCats lead. Bond scored his third TD of the game hauling in a 1-yard pass from Aaron Sparrow with :35 left to bring Carolina back within three points, but Wagner recovered the ensuing onsides kick and returned it to the Cobras 2. Keanaaina scored on the next play for a 66-57 SaberCats bulge with :26 left. The game wasn't over though. Garman hauled in a 9-yard strike from Sparrow leaving the gap at 2 with :03 remaining. Garman had game-highs of 9 catches and 123 yards. Carolina's kickoff following the score sailed out-of-bounds and the SaberCats ran out the clock for their fifth consecutive preseason victory. Carolina moved the ball on offense outgaining San Jose in total yards 337 to 249, but all four of Carolina's turnovers resulted in touchdowns for San Jose. Thomas earned game MVP honors for his two touchdowns and game-high tying 5.5 tackles. Reese had his interception return and 3 solo tackles on defense and added three receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown on offense for game Ironman honors.

A LOOK BACK- The 2001 season ended much like that of 2000. No matter how many wins or records broken it ended all too familiar for San Jose. The SaberCats could not get by the Nashville Kats for the second straight year. They lost in a semifinal playoff game at Nashville, 71-47. The season began with the SaberCats winning their third straight season opener and extending their regular season win streak to 12. The SaberCats won their first four games of the season breaking the Tampa Bay Storm's record of 14 consecutive regular season wins with a 73-17 thumping of Oklahoma on May 5. The 56-point margin of victory was also a San Jose record. The streak came to an end the following week at the hands of the New York Dragons in a 62-58 loss. San Jose proceeded to lose two of the next three games and headed into the bye week with a 5-3 record. San Jose's first game following the off-week was a re-match of the 2000 semifinal contest against the Nashville Kats on June 16. The SaberCats overcame a 17-point fourth quarter deficit and posted an exciting 58-57 overtime victory in QB Mark Grieb's first start of the season. Grieb threw for a team record 430 yards and seven touchdowns in the win. More remarkable was his performance in the fourth quarter and overtime. Grieb completed 16 consecutive passes and totaled a team record 30 completions for the game, giving San Jose the revenge it was looking for. In a nationally televised game, San Jose defeated Oklahoma, 60-41, and returned home to face Florida. In another dramatic overtime game, the SaberCats beat the Bobcats 56-55 on June 30 behind Grieb's 418 passing yards. With that performance Grieb became just the third player in league history to have multiple 400-yard passing games in a career, and he did it in three weeks! San Jose traveled to Arizona on July 6 for a showdown with division rival the Rattlers. San Jose notched its first-ever season sweep of the Rattlers and clinched its second straight Western Division title with a 73-63 win. Grieb entered the SaberCats' record book again as he tossed a team record nine TD passes. San Jose ended the season with an 80-27 win over Houston and became the first team in league history with two 50-plus point wins in a season. For the second straight year the SaberCats earned a first-round playoff bye becoming the only team to do so in the two seasons after the league changed its playoff format. The SaberCats quarterfinal round opponent turned out to be a familiar foe as the playoffs brought the Arizona Rattlers in for a third meeting between the bitter Western Division rivals. It's almost unheard of for a team to play three times in one season and for the same team to be victorious in all three. San Jose pulled it off with a 68-49 win for its second playoff victory in franchise history.

CONNECTIONS: Georgia offensive coordinator Tony Kimbrough played two seasons with San Jose (95-96) and is the SaberCats' career leader in pass attempts and completions. Kimbrough also holds San Jose's single-game record for pass attempts with 50 at Arizona on May 4, 1996 and he holds the SaberCats opponent record for attempts when he launched 51 passes as a member of the Buffalo Destroyers on July 9, 1999...Force DS Cliff Green played with San Jose during the 1999 season and finished 2nd on the SaberCats in tackles with 47 and interceptions with two.

PRE-SEASON NOTES:

CLEVAN THE MAN: Rookie DS Clevan Thomas became the first San Jose player to return two interceptions for scores in the same game (reg. season, preseason or post season) when he turned the trick against Carolina in his first AFL game on March 29. Thomas returned his first pick 37-yards after Carolina botched the snap on a field goal attempt and K Brian Schmitz threw the wildly into a crowd. His second pick was more conventional. Thomas stepped in front of a Connell Maynor offering at his own 1-yard line and streaked up the sideline 49-yards. He also added a game-high tying 5.5 tackles. "He might be the best guy (DS) we've ever had," commented defensive coordinator Michael Church.

NFL EXPERIENCE: With OL/DL George Williams activated off the Refused to Report list, the SaberCats now have eight players with 22 years of experience in regular season NFL games. Williams played 31 games over three seasons on the defensive line with the New York Giants. OL/DL Frank Beede heads the list with five seasons as a Seattle Seahawk. Other former NFL players include James Hundon (4 yrs w/Cincinnati), James Roe (4 yrs w/Baltimore), Wendell Davis (3 yrs w/Dallas), Matt Keneley (1 yr w/San Francisco), Jerry Reese (1 yr w/Buffalo) and Mike Ulufale (1 yr w/Dallas).

FULLBACKS or LINEBACKERS: FB/LB Bob McMillen will see limited action against the Force on April 12 in order to give Keala Keanaaina, Josh White and Matt Kinsinger a closer look in game action. Keanaaina, White and Kinsinger are battling for what appears to be two available roster spots. A question mark entering camp, the FB/LB position was in capable hands in the first preseason game with all four candidates seeing playing time and performing well.

QUARTERBACKS: During training camp most teams will carry three or even four quarterbacks. The SaberCats have two. Veterans Mark Grieb and John Dutton are the only QBs on the team's camp roster. A problem? Not according to Grieb. "I feel good about it (having only two QBs) because I get a lot of reps," said Grieb. "We are as solid a one and two as any team in the league so if we can use that roster spot to bring in some other guys and solidify ourselves in other positions it makes sense from a team standpoint."

CARRYING THE LOAD: Four players had at least one kick return in San Jose's preseason opener and look for much of the same against Georgia. The plan is to find two or three players who can return kicks once the regular season starts instead of having just one player, like the SaberCats have had in the past. Rookie Travis Seaton opened some eyes with his 54-yard return for a touchdown against Carolina. Omarr Smith, Barry Wagner and Clevan Thomas also had returns. Rashied Davis, who did not play against Carolina, is expected to get a shot at returning kicks against Georgia.

OLD SCHOOL: Aging like a fine wine is the SaberCats roster. Six players have at least six years of Arena League experience and, of those six, four have won an ArenaBowl championship. The elder statesman of the group is WR/DB Barry Wagner. The six-time Ironman of the Year enters his 11th season in the AFL and captured a title with the 1998 Orlando Predators. OL/DL Darrin Kenney enters his 9th AFL season and owns rings from the 1993 Tampa Bay Storm and the 1997 Arizona Rattlers. FB/LB Bob McMillen was a teammate of Kenney at Arizona in '97 and enters his 8th season. Sam Hernandez, the league's career leader in sacks, starts his 10th year in the AFL and 5th with San Jose. Free agent OL/DL Chuck Reed is in his 7th year and first with the SaberCats, while OL/DL Joe Jacobs (RTR) has six years of service under his belt. Jacobs won a title with Albany in 1999 leaving Hernandez and Reed as the only veterans without a championship.

OLD FRIENDS REUNITE: Quarterback Mark Grieb, OL/DL Chuck Reed and OL/DL Sam Hernandez were all teammates with the Anaheim Piranhas in 1997. DS Wendell Davis and OL/DL Mike Ulufale were both drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1996 NFL Draft. Ulufale was a 3rd-round pick (95th overall) and Davis was selected in the 6th-round (207th overall). The two played together on the '96 Cowboys squad that finished the season 10-6, won the NFC East title and advanced to the Divisional Playoffs.

FRIEND OR FOE: Chuck Reed has been a familiar opponent to the SaberCats over the last six seasons. During his AFL career, Reed has always been a member of a Western Division foe of San Jose and has gone head-to-head with SaberCats linemen in at least two games every season. Reed played two years with the Anaheim Piranhas (1996-97), two with the Portland Forest Dragons (98-99) and two with the Oklahoma Wranglers (00-01). During his 13-game career against the SaberCats (1 playoff game with Oklahoma in '00), Reed has posted 22.0 tackles (17ua – 10at), 2.0 quarterback sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 2 pass breakups.

QUOTABLE:

"We (coaching staff) are going to let a lot of people play, and see who can play. We have some tough decisions to make as far as who is going to make the team." – Coach Darren Arbet on the game against Georgia.

"It's a real experience, especially playing cornerback. You can't help but better your skills." – Rookie DS Clevan Thomas after his first AFL game in which he returned two INTs for touchdowns.

"I thought I had a pretty good group two years ago. This group is better." – defensive coordinator Michael Church referring to the defensive backs on the 2002 squad. Church was San Jose's defensive coordinator in 2000 when the team led the AFL in turnover margin (+19) and quarterback sacks (31) and placed in the top six in all other defensive categories.

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