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San Jose SabreCats game notes

May 10, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: SaberCats (8-6) at Arizona Rattlers (5-9).
Date: Saturday, May 14, 2005.
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. (PDT).
Site: America West Arena (16,321).
Officials: Bill Athan (Referee); Tom Laverty (Umpire); Tim Podraza (Head Linesman); Tom Symonette (Line Judge); Greg Wilson (Back Judge).
Line: TBD.
Television: The game will be televised live in the Bay Area on KBWB (WB20) at 7:00 p.m. (PT). Barry Tompkins (play-by-play) and Keena Turner (color) call the action.
Radio: San Jose's flagship radio station KNBR-1050 will air the game live in the Bay Area with Joe Castellano (play-by-play) and George Atkinson (color).
Internet: Log on to www.KNBR.com to hear a live webcast of Sunday's game.
Series Record: Rattlers lead 13-12.
Last Meeting: SaberCats 48, Arizona 27 on April 3, 2005 in San Jose.
Series Streaks: SaberCats Won 2.
Coaches: San Jose, Darren Arbet (7th season; 72-30 regular season, 81-33 overall). Arizona, Todd Shell (7th season; 51-45 regular season, 52-49 overall).

OVERVIEW: The SaberCats fell out of first place and into a 3-way tie with Las Vegas and Chicago for the American Conference's two Wild Card playoff spots with their 54-42 loss to the Los Angeles Avengers on May 7. San Jose had the ball and an opportunity to win the game with less than a minute remaining, but LA's Kevin Ingram intercepted his 3rd Mark Grieb pass of the game and returned it for a TD to seal the win. The SaberCats could not overcome eight failed offensive possessions and lost consecutive home games for the first time since the 1999 campaign. San Jose closes out the road portion of its regular season schedule with a visit to the Arizona Rattlers on Saturday, May 14. The game is set to start at 7:00 p.m. (PT) and will be televised live in the Bay Area on KBWB (WB20). San Jose can clinch a playoff berth for the 6th straight season with a win over the Rattlers and a Las Vegas loss to Los Angeles...Already out of the playoff picture, Arizona would like nothing more than to put a dent in the playoff chances of their arch-rival. San Jose posted a 48-27 win in the first meeting this season and, coupled with a victory in ArenaBowl XVIII, has won two straight over the Rattlers with a chance to even the all-time series at 13-13 with a victory...The San Jose/Arizona rivalry is the second-longest running in the AFL to only Orlando/Tampa Bay, who have met 37 times.
THE SCHEDULES:
2005 San Jose SaberCats (8-6)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 30 @Tampa Bay Lost 33-63 (0-1)
Feb. 5 LAS VEGAS Won 66-31 (1-1)
Feb. 13 @New Orleans Lost 61-62 (1-2)
Feb. 20 @Los Angeles Lost 69-71 (1-3)
Mar. 6 @Orlando Won 57-38 (2-3)
Mar. 11 PHILADELPHIA Won 52-26 (3-3)
Mar. 18 GRAND RAPIDS Won 72-48 (4-3)
Mar. 28 @Las Vegas Won 81-75 (5-3)
Apr. 3 ARIZONA Won 48-27 (6-3)
Apr. 10 @Chicago Lost 39-55 (6-4)
Apr. 15 DALLAS Won 83-71 (7-4)
Apr. 22 @Colorado Won 89-41 (8-4)
Apr. 29 NASHVILLE Lost 55-57 (8-5)
May 7 LOS ANGELES Lost 42-54 (8-6)
Date Opponent Time (PT) Radio/TV
May 14 @Arizona 7:00 pm 1050/WB
May 21 GEORGIA 7:30 pm 1050/FSN

2005 Arizona Rattlers (5-9)
Game Opponent Result Score
Jan. 28 @Grand Rapids Won 58-38 (1-0)
Feb. 3 ORLANDO Lost 40-51 (1-1)
Feb. 12 @Georgia Lost 47-61 (1-2)
Feb. 19 COLORADO Lost 69-74 (1-3)
Feb. 27 @New York Lost 37-61 (1-4)
Mar. 6 LOS ANGELES Lost 29-33 (1-5)
Mar. 13 @Tampa Bay Lost 56-59 (1-6)
Mar. 19 LAS VEGAS Lost 63-66 (1-7)
Mar. 26 @Nashville Won 48-35 (2-7)
Apr. 3 @San Jose Lost 27-48 (2-8)
Apr. 8 COLUMBUS Won 70-53 (3-8)
Apr. 22 AUSTIN Won 52-26 (4-8)
Apr. 30 @Los Angeles Lost 56-59 (4-9)
May 7 CHICAGO Won 61-43 (5-9)
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
May 14 SAN JOSE 7:00 pm
May 22 @Las Vegas 12:00 pm

THE SERIES: Arizona leads the all-time series 13-12 and holds a 12-9 advantage in regular season games...San Jose has won the last two meetings, beating Arizona, 48-27, earlier this year in San Jose and posting a 69-62 win in Arizona in ArenaBowl XVIII...Arizona has won 6 of the 10 series games played in Phoenix, but the SaberCats have won two of the last three and four of the last six played in the desert...Ten of the series games have been decided by 7 points or less and 14 games have been won by 11 or fewer points...Each team has won three games in the series by 21 or more points...This will be the 26th series game, the second longest running rivalry in the AFL to only Tampa Bay/Orlando, who have played 37 times (including playoffs).
SERIES NOTABLES: The SaberCats and Rattlers, each with five, are the only teams to win Western Division titles in the 10 seasons since the AFL went to a four-division format in 1995. San Jose won its fourth straight division title in 2003 and also won the title in 1995. Arizona won four straight division titles from 1996 to 1999 and captured the 2004 crown...The Rattlers have dealt the SaberCats their worst two defeats in franchise history: 75-37 (38 pts) on June 5, 1999 in Arizona and 59-22 (37 pts) on June 9, 1997 in San Jose...San Jose's 38-point win on August 18, 2002 in ArenaBowl XVI (52-14) was Arizona's worst defeat since a 71-21 loss at Orlando on July 17, 1992...San Jose has played the most games (25) and has the most wins (12) against Arizona than any other opponent...San Jose played its first-ever regular season game against Arizona on May 12, 1995 losing to the Rattlers, 43-37, in overtime...14 of the 25 series games have been decided by 11 or fewer points...Arizona and San Jose returned back-to-back kickoffs for TDs, the only time in SaberCats history that has happened, on Aug. 6, 1995. Arizona's Hunkie Cooper and San Jose's Titus Dixon did the honors in a 41-40 Rattlers win...With three TDs against Arizona on Apr. 3, James Roe surpassed Steve Papin to become the most prolific scorer in SaberCats history. In addition, Roe broke the deadlock with Papin and moved into sole possession of first in touchdowns scored...On Apr. 3, rookie Steve Warren had the first 3-TD game of his career, and set career-highs in rushing attempts (7) and yards (16)...Rookies Jeff Ruffin and Erin Damond played in their first career AFL-games against the Rattlers earlier this season...Albrey Battle's 30-yard reception against Arizona on Apr. 3 was the longest of his career and the 2nd longest by a San Jose TE...Kevin Buck recorded his first career sack for three yards in the 3rd quarter of the game on Apr. 3.

LAST SERIES MEETING: SABERCATS 48, Arizona 27 • Sunday, April 3, 2005 • HP Pavilion – Mark Grieb threw for four touchdowns and Steve Warren ran for three more as the San Jose SaberCats won their fifth straight game to move into sole possession of first place in the Western Division with a 48-27 win over Arizona. Grieb had another standout game completing 26-of-34 passes for 289 yards without an interception. He staked San Jose to a 7-0 lead with a 29-yard strike to Rodney Wright two-and-a-half minutes into the second quarter and San Jose would never trail in the game. Warren ran for a game-high 16 yards on seven carries and his three scores surpassed his season total of two entering the game. His 1-yard run late in the fourth quarter supplied the final margin of victory for San Jose. A week after allowing 75 points and over 400 yards of offense at Las Vegas, the SaberCats defense had a stellar performance holding Arizona to 210 total yards and allowing just three offensive touchdowns. The Rattlers scored for the first time with 2:28 left in the first half. Arizona quarterback Joe Germaine was sacked twice and tossed an interception while completing just 17 of 34 for 210 yards and three scores. Lineman Joe Jacobs, named the Defensive Player of the Game, tallied his third career interception, which led to a SaberCats touchdown, and posted his second sack of the season to lead the defensive effort. Kevin Buck, playing for the first time in nearly a year, posted the other sack. The game was a rematch of ArenaBowls XVI and XVIII, both San Jose wins, and also marked the return of former SaberCats coach Todd Shell to San Jose.

SCORE BY QUARTERS
Rattlers............... 0 7 14 6 – 27
SaberCats............ 0 21 13 14 – 48

SCORING SUMMARY
SAN Wright 29 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Warren 2 run (Frantz kick)
ARZ Hlavacek 15 pass from Germaine (Brenner kick)
SAN Roe 14 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
SAN Roe 20 pass from Grieb (kick failed)
ARZ Gatewood 23 pass from Germaine (Brenner kick)
SAN Warren 11 run (Frantz kick)
ARZ Pace 55 kickoff return (Brenner kick)
SAN Roe 6 pass from Grieb (Frantz kick)
ARZ Bryant 7 pass from Germaine (kick failed)
SAN Warren 1 run (Frantz kick)

INDIVIDUAL STASTICS
Passing: ARZ – Germaine 17-34-1-210. SAN – Grieb 26-34-0-289.
Rushing: ARZ – Glover 3-12. SAN – Warren 7-16; Kinsinger 3-5; Davis 3-0; Baker 1-0; Grieb 1-(-1).
Receiving: ARZ – Burley 7-88; Gatewood 4-55; Bryant 4-46; Hlavacek 2-21. SAN – Roe 10-115; Davis 7-52; Wright 4-45; Baker 2-20; Battle 1-30; Fernandez 1-15; Kinsinger 1-12.
Kick Returns: ARZ – Burley 5-74; Pace 3-101. SAN – Wright 1-21; Davis 1-8; Roe 1-(-3).

ALL-TIME SERIES SCORES
Date Score
April 3, 2005 @San Jose 48, Arizona 27
June 27, 2004 San Jose 69, @Arizona 62 (ABXVIII)
May 30, 2004 Arizona 50, @San Jose 43
May 9, 2004 @Arizona 58, San Jose 41
June 8, 2003 Arizona 66, @San Jose 49 (Playoff)
March 23, 2003 @San Jose 59, Arizona 58
Feb. 2, 2003 San Jose 49, @Arizona 28
Aug. 18, 2002 @San Jose 52, Arizona 14 (ABXVI)
July 12, 2002 @Arizona 59, San Jose 52
April 20, 2002 @San Jose 52, Arizona 51
Aug. 4, 2001 @San Jose 68, Arizona 49 (Playoff)
July 6, 2001 San Jose 73, @Arizona 63
April 21, 2001 @San Jose 48, Arizona 37
June 1, 2000 San Jose 55, @Arizona 34
April 29, 2000 Arizona 51, @San Jose 42
June 12, 1999 @Arizona 75, San Jose 37
May 15, 1999 @San Jose 54, Arizona 50
June 6, 1998 @Arizona 48, San Jose 26
May 9, 1998 Arizona 62, @San Jose 43
June 9, 1997 Arizona 59, @San Jose 22
May 24, 1997 @Arizona 59, San Jose 50
Aug. 2, 1996 @San Jose 30, Arizona 29
May 4, 1996 @Arizona 61, San Jose 59
Aug. 6, 1995 Arizona 41, @San Jose 40
May 12, 1995 Arizona 43, @San Jose 37 (OT)

THE IFS...:
If the SaberCats defeat Arizona it would...
*Give San Jose a 9-6 season record.
*Break their 2-game losing streak.
*Even the all-time series at 13-13.
*Be their 2nd straight win at AWA.
*Be San Jose's 3rd straight win over the Rattlers.
*Give San Jose a 46-33 all-time regular season road record.
*Give San Jose a 111-61 all-time record.
*Give San Jose a 41-23 all-time record against Western Division opponents.
*Give San Jose a 16-13 all-time road record against Western Division opponents.

THE COACHES:
San Jose – Darren Arbet, 7th season
72-30 (.706) reg. season; 81-33 (.711) overall
11-6 (.647) career vs. Arizona
Now in his seventh season at the helm of the SaberCats, two-time Coach of the Year Darren Arbet became the 7th head coach in AFL history with 80 career victories when San Jose defeated Dallas on Apr. 15, 2005 and surpassed Michael Trigg for 6th place with San Jose's win at Colorado on Apr. 22. His overall winning percentage of .711 (81-33) ranks as one of the best in AFL history. Last season Arbet led his club to its second league title in three years and the SaberCats tied a league record by winning 10 or more regular season games for the fifth consecutive season. Since the start of the 2000 season his teams have compiled a 66-22 (.750) 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).

Arizona – Todd Shell, 7th season
51-45 (.531) reg. season; 52-49 (.515) overall
1-1 (.500) career vs. San Jose
Former SaberCats head coach Todd Shell is in his first season as Head Coach of the Rattlers. The 2003 AFL Coach of the Year has a regular season record of 51-45 (.531) and an overall ledger of 52-49 (.515) in stints with San Jose and New York. Shell has won three division titles in his coaching tenure guiding San Jose to a Western Division crown in its inaugural season of 1995 and back-to-back Eastern Division titles with New York in 2003 and 2004. Shell was Arizona's original Defensive Coordinator, helping lead the team to the 1994 ArenaBowl Title prior to becoming San Jose's first coach.

RECENT RESULTS: Los Angeles 54, SABERCATS 42 – QB John Kaleo threw seven touchdown passes, five to Offensive Player of the Game Tony Locke, as the Los Angeles Avengers won for the first time ever in San Jose, 54-42, over the SaberCats in front of 14,203 fans at HP Pavilion at San Jose. Los Angeles (9-5) now has a one game lead over San Jose (8-6) and sole possession of first place in the Western Division with two games remaining in the season. Since San Jose posted a team-record 89 points against the Colorado Crush on Apr. 22, their offense has seemed to struggle. The Avengers forced four turnovers and stopped San Jose a total of eight times. Los Angeles held the SaberCats scoreless in the second quarter and limited the league's top offense to just seven first half points. Joey Dozier scored on a 7-yard run with 8:48 left in the first quarter to give the SaberCats a 7-0 lead, but Los Angeles scored 28 unanswered points to take a 28-7 lead early in the third. San Jose would score 14 unanswered points in the third quarter to trim Los Angeles' lead to 28-21. The two teams traded scores three times before a missed Remy Hamilton field goal with 35 seconds left gave San Jose a chance to win the game. But on the first play of San Jose's drive, game Ironman Kevin Ingram intercepted his third pass of the game and returned it 7-yards for a score to put the game out of reach and end San Jose's hopes of a fourth quarter comeback. San Jose's offense never seemed to find a rhythm during the game as the Avengers defensive line produced four sacks and pressure that contributed to Grieb's three interceptions. Defensive Player of the Game Michale Spicer finished the night with two sacks and 4.0 tackles. SaberCats OS Rashied Davis scored twice with his second of the game, a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, giving him 38 on the year tying Steve Papin's 2000 single season record. NOTES: Grieb threw his 75th touchdown of the season on a 11-yard pass to Shalon Baker to tie his franchise record set in 2004...San Jose's seven points in the first half was its lowest total of the season...In his first game back since the 2004 ArenaBowl, OL/DL Sam Hernandez forced a fumble and recorded a sack...Before tonight, San Jose was undefeated at home (5-0) against Los Angeles...Inactives for the game for the SaberCats were Barry Wagner, Erin Damond, Jeff Ruffin and Joe Jacobs.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES
Date Action
Mar. 15 Signed WR/LB Kenneth Solomon to practice squad.
Mar. 26 Activated OL/DL Rex Richards and OL/DL Jeff Ruffin from IR. Placed OL/DL Sebastian Barrie and WR/LB Yardon Brantley on IR.
Mar. 29 Waived WR/LB George Williams from practice squad.
Apr. 2 Activated FB/LB Kevin Buck and WR/DB Erin Damond from IR. Placed OL/DL Tony Plantin and OL/DL Chuck Reed on IR.
Apr. 7 Signed WR/DB DeVon Banks to the practice squad.
Apr. 9 Activated OL/DL Sebastian Barrie from IR. Placed WR/DB Ryan Fernandez on IR.
Apr. 13 Signed DS Niccolo Concellieri to international PS.
Apr. 14 Signed DS Wendell Davis from PS. Activated WR/LB Yardon Brantley and OL/DL Chuck Reed from IR. Placed DS Tremain Mack, OL/DL Rex Richards and FB/LB Steve Warren on IR.
Apr. 16 Signed FB/LB Joey Dozier.
Apr. 21 Placed OL/DL Sebastian Barrie on IR.
Apr. 28 Activated FB/LB Steve Warren from IR. Placed FB/LB Kevin Buck on IR.
May 5 Activated OL/DL Sam Hernandez from RTR.
May 6 Activated WR/DB Ryan Fernandez and DS Tremain Mack from IR. Placed WR/LB Yardon Brantley and DS Wendell Davis on IR.

MILESTONES:
*Rashied Davis needs one 100-yard receiving game to break the team season record of 7...needs 70 receiving yards for 2,000 and 3 receptions for 150 in his career...needs 197 receiving yards to tie James Hundon's 2002 record of 1,464.
*Mark Grieb needs 5 pass attempts to match his own 2003 team record of 476...needs 10 completions to tie a team record of 335 set last season...needs 483 yards to tie the AFL record set by Jim Kubiak in 2003.
*Rodney Wright (1) needs one more MFG return for a TD to establish a new team record in a season.
*Calvin Schexnayder needs 4 receptions for 600 career.
*James Roe needs 204 receiving yards to match his career-high of 1,440 set in 2003.
*Barry Wagner needs 172 all-purpose yards to become AFL's all-time leader...needs 3 rushing yards for 250 in his San Jose career...needs 2 rushing TDs for 125 in his AFL career.
*Matt Kinsinger needs 7 rush yards to give him 400 in his SaberCats career, which would also tie him with Tom Petithomme for 2nd place on the team's all-time list.
*Shalon Baker (61) needs 4 receiving TDs to tie Steve Papin (65) for 4th place on the team's all-time list.
*San Jose needs one more 80-point performance to set the league record for most 80-point games in a season. They are currently tied with the now defunct Albany Firebirds with three.

2005 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category SaberCats Rattlers
Scoring Offense (Rank) 60.5 (1) 50.9 (8)
Scoring Defense 51.4 (12) 50.5 (10)
Total Offense 319.8 (1) 286.9 (7)
Total Defense 283.6 (10) 254.9 (3)
Pass Offense 302.9 (1) 271.4 (7)
Pass Defense 266.3 (11) 242.9 (4)
Rushing Offense 16.9 (11) 15.5 (12)
Rushing Defense 17.4 (4) 12.0 (1)
Touchdowns 123 (1) 102 (T-6)
Pass Rating 123.3 (1) 109.6 (10)
Pass Defense Rating 107.9 (10) 112.1 (12)
Interceptions 16 (7) 9 (15)
Kickoff Return Avg. 21.1 (2) 18.9 (5)
Field Goal Return Avg. 27.8 (2) 15.1 (11)
Turnover Margin +2 (T-8) -7 (T-14)
3rd Down Conversions 45.0% (12) 54.3% (3)
4th Down Conversions 54.5% (4) 47.8% (10)
Sacks By 10 (T-12) 15 (T-8)
Sacks Against 16 (T-11) 15 (10)

2005 SABERCATS AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS
Player Category No. Rank
Mark Grieb Total Offense 301.1 1
Mark Grieb Completion Pct. 69.0 4
Mark Grieb Pass TDs 75 5
Mark Grieb Passer Rating 124.6 1
Mark Grieb Passing Yards 4,279 1
Mark Grieb Pass Completions 325 4
Mark Grieb Pass Avg/Game 305.6 1
James Roe Receptions 97 T-8
James Roe Receiving Yards 1,236 7
James Roe TD Receptions 26 T-8
Rashied Davis Touchdowns 38 2
Rashied Davis All-purpose Yards 2,191 6
Rashied Davis KO Return Avg. 24.0 3
Rashied Davis TD Receptions 26 T-8
Rashied Davis KO Return TDs 4 T-1
Rashied Davis Receving Yards 1,267 5
Rashied Davis Scoring 228 2
Dan Frantz Kick Scoring 105 9
Dan Frantz PAT Attempts 118 1
Dan Frantz PATs Made 99 1
Joe Jacobs Forced Fumbles 3 6
Matt Kinsinger Rush TDs 9 T-6
Clevan Thomas Interceptions 6 T-5
Rodney Wright MFG Yards 94 6
Rodney Wright MFG Return TDs 1 T-1

TRENDS:
ON THE ROAD AGAIN – San Jose plays its final regular season road game at Arizona on May 14 and needs a victory to avoid its first losing road record since the 1999 season. The SaberCats are currently 3-4 in road games this season and have not had a losing record on the road since going 2-5 in 1999. San Jose posted a 4-4 road record last season en route to its second league title in three years.

HALF STRUGGLES – The SaberCats' seven points in the first half of play against the Avengers on May 7 was their lowest total in a half this season and the fewest points scored in a half in the regular season since May 2, 1997, when they also scored seven points in the first half against the Nashville Kats. San Jose's franchise record for fewest points in a half (regular season) is 2, set on June 22, 1996 against the Connecticut Coyotes. The SaberCats have never been shutout in a half.

STOPPED – After scoring a TD all 13 times they touched the ball against Colorado on Apr. 22, the SaberCats' offense has sputtered. In their last two games, the SaberCats' once unstoppable offense has failed to score on 11 of 24 possessions. San Jose's offense was stopped 8 times (4 on downs, 3 INTs and a fumble) in 14 possessions against Los Angeles on May 7, and on Apr. 29, Nashville's defense stopped San Jose 3 times (2 INTs and a MFG) in 11 possessions.

THREES COMPANY – The SaberCats and Rattlers have played each other three times in each of the last four years and Saturday marks the 26th all-time meeting between the clubs. As division rivals the teams play each other twice during the regular season and have met in the postseason the last four years. The teams will not meet in the postseason this year as Arizona has already been eliminated from playoff contention. The series is the second-longest running in the AFL behind only the Orlando/Tampa Bay ‘War On I-4' series.

PENALTY PARADE – The yellow flags have been flying against San Jose as of late. The SaberCats were flagged 10 times against Los Angeles on May 7 and have committed double-digit penalties in each of their last five games. In those games, the SaberCats have committed a total of 58 penalties for 368 yards, giving their opponents a new set of downs 21 times. Meanwhile, San Jose's opponents have committed only 37 penalties for 203 yards giving the SaberCats just 12 first downs. That's 21 more penalties and 165 extra yards for the other team.

HEADS OR TAILS – The SaberCats have lost the coin toss in each of their last five games and the team is 2-3 in that stretch. The last time San Jose won the opening coin toss was on Apr. 3 when it hosted Arizona in a game won by the SaberCats 48-27. For the season San Jose is 6-5 when losing the coin toss and 2-1 when winning the toss.

SCORING FIRST – The SaberCats scored on the game's opening possession in their loss to Nashville on Apr. 29 and have scored the first points in each of their last six games. The loss to the Kats broke a 2-game winning streak when San Jose scores first and the team is 7-3 on the year when putting up the first points in a game.

NOTES:
PLAYOFF SHUFFLE – The Georgia Force became the first team to clinch a postseason spot in the Drive to ArenaBowl XIX Las Vegas with their victory over the
Tampa Bay Storm on May 8 and can clinch the top seed in the National Conference this weekend. The SaberCats, along with Chicago, Colorado, Los Angeles, New York and Tampa Bay can join Georgia in the postseason by qualifying this weekend. With a win over Arizona and a Las Vegas loss at Los Angeles, the SaberCats will clinch their sixth consecutive trip to the playoffs.

SHELL GAME – San Jose head coach Darren Arbet was an assistant under Arizona's Todd Shell for four years (1995-98) when Shell was guiding the SaberCats. Arbet evened his career ledger against his former boss at 1-1 with San Jose's 48-27 win earlier in the season. In his career against the Rattlers, Shell's current team, Arbet has won 11 of 17 games. While with the SaberCats, Shell posted a career mark of 1-7 against Arizona.

ON THE MARK – Mark Grieb didn't have his best game of the season in San Jose's 54-42 loss to Los Angeles on May 7, but he still managed to tie a team record with his 75th touchdown toss of the year on an 11-yard strike to Shalon Baker in the fourth quarter. Grieb, who set the record last season in 16 games, has two more games to set a new franchise high. However, with five interceptions in his last two contests, Grieb is nearing another record — most INTs thrown in a season. Thus far, Grieb has 14 picks, two shy of the team record of 16 he set in 2003. Though he struggled against Los Angeles, Grieb remains the league leader in passer rating (124.6), total offense (307.1), passing average per game (305.6) and passing yards (4,297). With his 282-yard performance against the Avengers, Grieb needs to average just 232.5 yards over his last two games to tie the AFL single-season passing yard record of 4,762 set by Jim Kubiak of Dallas in 2003.

MOST PASSING YARDS, AFL SEASON
Rk Player Team Yards
1. Jim Kubiak, Dallas 2003 4,762
2. Aaron Garcia, New York 2001 4,515
3. Clint Dolezel, Las Vegas 2004 4,450
4. Clint Dolezel, Grand Rapids 2003 4,430
5. Clint Dolezel, Houston 1999 4,336

400 (and counting) CLUB – For the second straight week two members of the 400 career TD pass club will get together. Mark Grieb moved ahead of Todd Hammel into sole possession of 6th place by tossing 3 scores against LA on May 7, upping his career total to 423. Arizona's Sherdrick Bonner stands in 3rd place on the career chart with 651 after throwing 8 TD strikes in Arizona's win over Chicago on May 6. During his career with the Rattlers, Bonner has faced the SaberCats 21 times and has thrown 96 TD passes. With four scoring strikes against San Jose, Bonner will become the first QB in AFL history to throw 100 scoring passes against a single opponent. Grieb has competed in 14 games against the Rattlers in his San Jose career and has tossed 73 TD passes.

AFL CAREER PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
Rk. Player Team Pass TDs
1. Aaron Garcia New York 711
2. Andy Kelly New Orleans 704
3. Sherdrick Bonner Arizona 651
4. Clint Dolezel Las Vegas 641
5. John Kaleo Los Angeles 494
6. Mark Grieb San Jose 423
7. Todd Hammel Chicago 422
8. Jay Gruden -- 400

RAH-RAH-SHIED – With his second TD against Los Angeles on May 7, a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, OS Rashied Davis tied Steve Papin's 2000 team single season record for TDs scored with 38. His next TD will give him sole possession of first place. Davis, who collected 98 receiving yards against the Avengers, also fell just two yards shy of becoming the first player in San Jose history to record eight 100-plus yard games in a season. A strong candidate for Offensive Player of the Year, Davis currently ranks second in the league in scoring (228 points), second in kick return average (24.0), tied for first in kick return touchdowns (4), fifth in receiving yards (1,267) and sixth in all-purpose yards (2,191).

TEAM SINGLE SEASON TOUCHDOWNS
Rk. Player Year TDs
1. Steve Papin 2000 38
Rashied Davis 2005 38
3. James Hundon 2002 35
4. James Roe 2003 33
5. Steve Papin 1999 32
Steve Papin 1998 32

BULL DOZIER – In only his second game of the season, FB/LB Joey Dozier found the end zone twice, on runs of 7 and 5 yards, in his only two attempts. Dozier's first run of the game opened the scoring and gave him 17 rush TDs in his San Jose career, moving him past Tom Petithomme (16) into sole possession of 5th place on the team's career list.

TEAM CAREER RUSHING TDs
Rank Player TDs
1. Barry Wagner 54
2. Steve Papin 43
3. Derrick Chachere 34
4. Matt Kinsinger 30
5. Joey Dozier 18

RETURN TRIP – San Jose's last visit to Phoenix resulted in the SaberCats second league title in three years. The SaberCats posted a 69-62 win over the Rattlers in ArenaBowl XVIII on June 27, 2004 in the highest scoring league championship game in AFL history. After losing their first four games in Arizona, the SaberCats have bounced back and own a 4-2 record in the last six games played in America West Arena. Of the 20 SaberCats that were in uniform for last year's title game, 16 are currently on the roster and expected to see action, including Offensive MVP Mark Grieb and Ironman James Roe.

PAPER OR PLASTIC – OL/DL Sam Hernandez was back in uniform for the first time since the 2004 ArenaBowl. Hernandez made an immediate impact in his return to the turf, sacking Avengers QB John Kaleo in the first quarter and forcing a fumble, which led to the SaberCats first score of the game. The sack increased his AFL record career total to 59.0 and upped his total in a SaberCats uniform to 38.5, a team record. With Hernandez and Joe Jacobs, the SaberCats boast two of the top seven sack masters in AFL history.

AFL CAREER SACK LEADERS
Rk. Player 2005 Career
1. Sam Hernandez 1.0 59.0
2. Sylvester Bembery -- 43.0
3. Tom Briggs 1.0 40.0
4. Robert Stewart -- 39.5
James Baron 3.0 39.5
6. Andre Bowden -- 36.0
7. Joe Jacobs 4.0 35.5

MOVING ON UP – WR/LB Shalon Baker now rests in 4th place on the team's career receiving yards list following his 11-yard touchdown catch against the Avengers on May 7. Baker, who has 3,569 receiving yards in his career, has passed Jerry Reese (3,485) and dropped Barry Wagner (3,563) to 5th place on the team's all-time chart. Baker is 4th on the team with 317 receiving yards and 5th with 22 catches on the year.

TEAM CAREER RECEIVING YARDAGE LEADERS
Rank Player Rcv Yards
1. James Roe 5,302
2. James Hundon 4,648
3. Steve Papin 4,282
4. Shalon Baker 3,569
5. Barry Wagner 3,563

GETTING THE POINTS ACROSS – Despite scoring just 97 points in their last two games combined, the SaberCats are just 53 points away from becoming the 7th team in AFL history to score 900 or more in a season. San Jose continues to lead the league with a 60.5 points per game average and have topped the 60-point mark in a game seven times this year. In their 12 wins over Arizona the SaberCats averaged 54.8 points/game while scoring just an average of 41.6 points/game in their 13 losses.

MOST POINTS, AFL SEASON
Rank Team (Year) Points
1. San Jose SaberCats (2003) 966
2. Grand Rapids Rampage (2003) 925
3. Los Angeles Avengers (2003) 924
4. Arizona Rattlers (2003) 917
5. Dallas Desperados (2003) 910
6. Los Angeles Avengers (2004) 904

ROE-LIFIC – With most of the offensive accolades going to QB Mark Greib and OS Rashied Davis, Ironman of the Year candidate James Roe just continues to do his thing. Roe grabbed his 400th career reception, the 1st SaberCat player to do so, among his game-high tying 8 against Los Angeles on May 7, and leads the team with 97 on the year. In his sixth season with the SaberCats, Roe is the club's all-time in receptions, receiving yards (5,302) and TD catches (126).

DYNAMIC DUOS – Saturday night's game will boast two of the finest receiving duos in the AFL. San Jose's Rashied Davis (1,267) and James Roe (1,236) have the most receiving yards of any twosome in the league this year with 2,503 while Arizona's Siaha Burley (1,489) and Randy Gatewood (994) rank 2nd with a combined total of 2,483. Burley (41) and Gatewood (16) have the most TD receptions of any duo with 57 while Davis and Roe rank 3rd with 52. Georgia's Troy Bergeron and Derek Lee are 2nd with 56 combined TD catches.

RUNNING MEN – Dozier and Matt Kinsinger each reached the 400-mark in career rush yards in the game against Los Angeles on May 7. Kinsinger led the squad with 14 yards on 3 carries, upping his career total to 406, while Dozier ran for 12 yards on 2 attempts to increase his career output to 407. Dozier also became the 7th SaberCat reach the 300-mark in career rush yards improving his total in a San Jose uniform to 308. Kinsinger, meanwhile, is just 7 rush yards shy of becoming the 3rd SaberCat player to reach the 400-mark in a career and tying Tom Petithomme for 2nd place on the team's all-time list. Current Arizona assistant coach Derrick Chachere is San Jose's all-time leader with 442 rushing yards in his 5-year career.

TEAM CAREER RUSH YARDAGE LEADERS
Rank Player Rush Yards
1. Derrick Chachere 442
2. Tom Petithomme 400
3. Matt Kinsinger 393
4. Mike Jones 328
5. Steve Papin 326
6. Keala Keanaaina 315
7. Joey Dozier 308

MILESTONES REACHED AGAINST LOS ANGELES:
*With 3 TD passes, QB Mark Grieb tied the team single season record he set last season (75). By throwing for 282 yards, Grieb also set a new team season record for most passing yards (4,279).
*OS Rashied Davis tied Steve Papin's team single season record of 38 TDs and also tied Papin's record for most points (non-kick) in a season with 228.
*WR/LB James Roe's seventh catch of the game against the Avengers gave him 400 in his AFL career.
*FB/LB Matt Kinsinger (406) surpassed the 400-yard rushing mark for his career.
*FB/LB Joey Dozier moved into sole possession of 4th place on the team's all-time rush TD list with 18. Dozier also gained his 400th career rushing yard and his 300th as a SaberCat.
*OL/DL Sam Hernandez' sack in the first quarter gave him 59.0 in his career, increasing his AFL career-leading total, and 38.5 for his San Jose career, a team-record.
*K Dan Frantz (105) went over the 100-point mark for the second consecutive season.
*WR/LB Shalon Baker (3,569) passed Barry Wagner (3,563) for 4th place on the team's career receiving yards list.
*San Jose's 7 first half points was its lowest total this season.
*The SaberCats loss to Los Angeles, coupled with their loss to Nashville on Apr. 29, marked the first time since 1999 that they have lost consecutive home games.

ARIZONA PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB SHERDRICK BONNER – After injuries kept him in-and-out of the lineup for most of the season, Bonner has played in the Rattlers last three games—two wins—putting up some big numbers. In those games, Bonner has completed 71-of-100 passes for 828 yards with 19 TDs, one INT and a rating of 131.2. In the Rattlers 61-43 upset over Chicago on May 6, Bonner completed 88% of his passes (22-of-25) and threw for 8 TDs. Before missing the earlier meeting between the teams this season, Bonner had appeared in 14 consecutive games between the heated rivals. Bonner has appeared in all but four of the 25 all-time series meetings owning a record of 11-10. In 24 career games against San Jose, Bonner has completed 382-of-639 passes (59.8%) for 4,787 yards with 96 TDs and only 11 INTs. One of the AFL's all-time great QB's, Bonner is near the top of almost all the major passing stat categories in the league's career record books.

OS SIAHA BURLEY – In their first meeting of the season, the SaberCats defense held the AFL's leading scorer without a TD, the only time he has not scored in a game all year. This doesn't come as a surprise as Burley has had an up-and-down history against San Jose. In seven games with three different teams against the SaberCats (Orlando, Los Angeles, and Arizona), Burley has had three monster games to go along with four sub-par ones. In his three impressive outings, Burley had 28 catches for 421 yards and 12 TDs leading his team to a pair of wins. On May 26, 2001, Burley set a SaberCats opponent record with 6 TD receptions in Orlando's 59-35 victory. However, in the other four contests (1-3), including earlier this season, Burley had just 15 catches for 188 yards and no TD receptions, though he did have a 57-yard KOR score while with the Avengers. A leading candidate for Offensive Player of the Year, Arizona's speedy OS currently leads the league in scoring (254 points), touchdowns (42) and is in the top three in the AFL in receptions and receiving yards.

WR/DB RANDY GATEWOOD – The former All-AFL first-team selection and the 2003 AFL Ironman of the Year is currently the Rattlers second leading receiver (behind Burley) with 75 catches for 994 yards and 16 TDs. The 9-year veteran of the Rattlers is still a threat on the defensive side as well, with 3 INTs and a fumble recovery for a TD this season. In his career with Arizona, Gatewood has been a part of some epic battles between the SaberCats and the Rattlers, including his highlight reel performance in Arizona's 66-49 win in the semifinals of the 2003 playoffs. For the game, Gatewood grabbed 5 TDs and amassed 227 yards on 12 catches and added an 11-yard INT. In their first meeting this season, Gatewood caught 4 passes for 55 yards and a TD.


WEEKLY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Tampa Bay (Jan 30) QB Shane Stafford, Tampa Bay
LAS VEGAS (Feb 5) OS Calvin Schexnayder, San Jose
@New Orleans (Feb 13) QB Andy Kelly, New Orleans
@Los Angeles (Feb 20) WR/DB Tony Locke, Los Angeles
@Orlando (Mar 6) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
PHILADELPHIA (Mar 11) WR/LB James Roe, San Jose
GRAND RAPIDS (Mar 18) OS Rashied Davis, San Jose
@Las Vegas (Mar 28) OS Marcus Nash, Las Vegas
ARIZONA (Apr 3) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
@Chicago (Apr 10) QB Raymond Philyaw, Chicago
DALLAS (Apr 15) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
@Colorado (Apr 22) QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
NASHVILLE (Apr 29) QB Leon Murray, Nashville
LOS ANGELES (May 7) OS Tony Locke, Los Angeles
@Arizona (May 14)
GEORGIA (May 21)


ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Tampa Bay (Jan 30) DS Tramain Jones, Tampa Bay
LAS VEGAS (Feb 5) DS Omarr Smith, San Jose
@New Orleans (Feb 13) OL/DL B.J. Cohen, New Orleans
@Los Angeles (Feb 20) WR/LB Greg Hopkins, Los Angeles
@Orlando (Mar 6) DS Tremain Mack, San Jose
PHILADELPHIA (Mar 11) DS Tremain Mack, San Jose
GRAND RAPIDS (Mar 18) DS Tremain Mack, San Jose
@Las Vegas (Mar 28) DS Tremain Mack, San Jose
ARIZONA (Apr 3) OL/DL Joe Jacobs, San Jose
@Chicago (Apr 10) WR/DB Etu Molden, Chicago
DALLAS (Apr 15) WR/LB James Roe, San Jose
@Colorado (Apr 22) DS Clevan Thomas, San Jose
NASHVILLE (Apr 29) DS Khalil Carter, Nashville
LOS ANGELES (May 7) OL/DL Michale Spicer, Los Angeles
@Arizona (May 14)
GEORGIA (May 21)


ARMY IRONMAN OF THE GAME:
Opponent (Date) Player
@Tampa Bay (Jan 30) WR/LB Lawrence Samuels, Tmpa Bay
LAS VEGAS (Feb 5) FB/LB Matt Kinsinger, San Jose
@New Orleans (Feb 13) WR/LB Thabiti Davis, New Orleans
@Los Angeles (Feb 20) WR/LB Greg Hopkins, Los Angeles
@Orlando (Mar 6) WR/LB James Roe, San Jose
PHILADELPHIA (Mar 11) FB/LB Matt Kinsinger, San Jose
GRAND RAPIDS (Mar 18) WR/DB Ryan Fernandez, San Jose
@Las Vegas (Mar 28) OS Rashied Davis, San Jose
ARIZONA (Apr 3) WR/LB James Roe, San Jose
@Chicago (Apr 10) FB/LB Bob McMillen, Chicago
DALLAS (Apr 15) WR/DB Rodney Wright, San Jose
@Colorado (Apr 22) WR/DB Rodney Wright, San Jose
NASHVILLE (Apr 29) WR/DB Rodney Wright, San Jose
LOS ANGELES (May 7) WR/DB Kevin Ingram, Los Angles
@Arizona (May 14)
GEORGIA (May 21)

*Players in Bold won AFL weekly honors








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 2-0
30-39 points 0-2 2-0
40-49 points 1-1 2-0
50-59 points 2-1 0-3
60-69 points 1-2 0-2
70-79 points 1-0 2-1
80+ points 3-0 0-0

Games decided
by 7 or fewer points 1-0
by 3 or fewer points 0-3

Leading after the 1st 6-3
Trailing after the 1st 1-0
Tied after the 1st 1-3

Leading at Half 8-1
Trailing at Half 0-4
Tied at Half 0-1

Leading after the 3rd 8-0
Trailing after the 3rd 0-5
Tied after the 3rd 0-1

Scoring First 7-4
Opp. Score First 1-2

More Total Offense 5-6
Less Total Offense 3-0

More Pass Yards 5-5
Less Pass Yards 3-0

More Rushing Yards 6-2
Less Rushing Yards 2-4

Thursday games 0-0
Friday games 4-1
Saturday games 1-1
Sunday games 2-4
Monday games 1-0

On NBC 1-4
On WB20 2-0
On FSN 5-2

vs. West 3-2
vs. Central 2-2
vs. South 1-2
vs. East 2-0

Winning coin toss 2-1
Losing coin toss 6-5

Outscoring Opponent 8-0
Being Outscored 0-6



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 10, 2005


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