The Deuce Scoop

April 25, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release

WEEK 4 BY THE NUMBERS:
1,357 - Total points scored in Week 4 (season high)
357 - Passing yards by Mohegan's CABLE DAVIS (season high)
195 - Receiving yards by CORNELL CRAIG (Peoria) against Fresno
18 - Number of games it took Columbus to get first win in team history
13 - Teams that scored more than 50 points in Week 4
5.4 - Average margin of victory in American Conference games in Week 4 (excluding New Haven at Richmond)
4 - Rushing TDs scored by WES COUNTS (Tennessee Valley) against Mobile (season high)

AND THE AWARDS GO TO: Weekly af2 award winners include: Richmond DS RICHARD HOLLAND (ADT Defensive Player of the Week), WR/DB LENNIE JOHNSON of Arkansas (Ironman), Roanoke QB CHRIS SANDERS (Offensive Player of the Week) and Charleston kicker CHRIS SEGAAR (Built Ford Toughman of the week).

A PERFECT 10: After four weeks of play, 10 teams remain undefeated: Albany, Augusta, Bakersfield, Charleston, Florida, Macon, Memphis, Quad City, Richmond and Tennessee Valley. Week 5 features two matchups of unbeatens. Tennessee Valley heads to Macon and Florida battles Memphis on Saturday.

AND A NOT SO PERFECT TEN: Along with the 10 perfect teams, there are 10 teams who have yet to find the win column. They are: Carolina, Fresno, Jacksonville, Louisville, Mobile, New Haven, Norfolk, Pensacola, Wichita and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Only two of those teams will meet this weekend, as Mobile and Pensacola inaugurate their rivalry on Saturday.

HOW 'BOUT THE NEWEST 10: The 10 expansion teams have had mixed success over the first four weeks of the season. Albany and Bakersfield lead the expansion class with 3-0 records. Cape Fear and Mohegan sit at 2-1. Hawaii and San Diego are 1-2 while Fresno, Mobile, New Haven and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton all are 0-3. The expansion teams' 12-18 combined record includes a 5-12 mark against "veteran" clubs.

FINALLY, A WIN: After 17 unsuccessful tries, the Columbus Wardogs recorded their first victory Saturday night as they got past Jacksonville 19-14. As monumental as it was for Columbus, it won't look so spectacular in the record books. The 33-point combined total between the two teams goes down as the second-lowest scoring game in af2 history. Birmingham (18) and Greensboro (7) own the No. 1 spot on that dubious list. They "exploded" for 25 points on April 7, 2000.

CROWD PROUD: Average attendance is up from last season, with the league averaging 5,832 fans per game so far this year. League attendance has eclipsed 90,000 total fans in two of the first three full weekends, with af2 veterans Louisville and Memphis setting team single-game attendance records. The league's 10 expansion teams are averaging 6,258 per game.

HOME TEAMS REGAIN ADVANTAGE: The first few weeks of the season had folks wondering, "What homefield advantage?" Home teams went a combined 12-19 over the first few weekends, including a 4-10 mark in Week 3. Well, in Week 4 the home teams got closer to even, going 10-6 and pushing the season mark to 22-25.

ROAD SWEET ROAD: Tennessee Valley hopes to have a historic weekend when the 2-0 Vipers travel to 3-0 Macon. The Vipers have won nine consecutive games on the road dating back to last year, the longest current streak in the af2. With a win over the Knights, Tennessee Valley will tie the league record of 10, set by Quad City with eight straight road wins in 2000 and two more to start 2001.

MISSING HOME BLUES: The long and winding road finally ends for 0-3 Mobile this week and, win or lose, this week's trip to Pensacola (only 60 miles from Mobile) will seem like a joy ride. The Wizards play the last of their first four games on the road against the Barracudas in the "Battle of the Bays." The Wizards' initial trip was an 11-hour bus ride to Fort Myers, Fla., followed by a four-hour trip to Birmingham and a six-hour trip to Huntsville to play Tennessee Valley. So what do the Wizards get next week as a homecoming gift? A visit from the high-octane, unbeaten Memphis Xplorers.

FREQUENT FLYER MILES: Following a 9,100-mile round trip to Quad City, the Hawaiian Islanders travel 3,747 miles to face the Wichita Stealth on Saturday in their second consecutive long-distance road game.

WHAT GIVES?: The Tulsa Talons are going for their 12th consecutive home victory when they host the 3-0 Bakersfield Blitz on Saturday. In all-time regular season games, Tulsa is 24-11 at home and 9-8 on the road. The expansion Blitz, meanwhile, could leave Tulsa with a 3-0 road record if Bakersfield is able to snap the home team's streak.

BACK IN THE HEARTLAND: Bakersfield Head Coach JAMES FULLER, 3-0 in his first season as a head coach, takes his Blitz team to Tulsa this week to face the Talons. Fuller is no stranger to the Sooner State, having been the associate head coach and defensive coordinator of the AFL's Oklahoma Wranglers the past two seasons. Under Fuller's leadership in 2000, the Wranglers led the AFL in total defense and pass defense.

THEY CALL HIM BRUCE: St. Louis Rams All-Pro wide receiver ISAAC BRUCE ventured over to Desoto, Miss., to take in Memphis' home opener against Bossier City on Saturday. Of course, the former Memphis State University standout is intimately familiar with the star-making potential of Arena Football - Bruce's quarterback, KURT WARNER, parlayed his Arena Football League experience into an incredible career with the Rams, winning a Super Bowl and two league MVP awards.

LEAGUE OF OPPORTUNITY, PART 1: Birmingham Steeldogs' kicker BRIAN HOLMES signed a one-year contract this week with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first Steeldogs player to sign a contract with a team from a higher level. Holmes appeared in 17 games with the Steeldogs last season. He was 88-of-116 on PATs and 7-of-29 on field goal attempts with a long of 41. The Samford University product will compete in Atlanta's training camp with current Falcons kicker JAY FEELY.

LEAGUE OF OPPORTUNITY, PART 2: Former af2 players continue to make a big impact in the Arena Football League. Among the highlights from Week 1 of AFL action: BILLY DICKEN (Quad City '00) - 314 yards, 6 TD passes in Chicago's 47-42 win at Indiana; JAY MCDONAGH (Quad City '01) - 299 yards, 6 TD passes for New Jersey in its 53-51 loss at Buffalo; CARL BOND (Tallahassee '00) - 3 TDs for Carolina in the Cobras' 57-44 loss to Dallas; CORNELIUS COE (Quad City '00) - forced fumble, 10 tackles for Indiana against the visiting Rush.

A TALE OF TWO CONFERENCES: There was quite a disparity in games between the American and National Conferences in Week 4. In eight American Conference games, the average margin of victory was 10 points (5.4 if you discount Richmond's 62-20 win over New Haven), while the eight National Conference winners won by an average of 28.6 points. There were no interconference games in Week 4.

INTERCONFERENCE CLASH: For the first time this season, the ArenaCup is designed to pit the champions of the American Conference and National Conference. In the league's first two years, teams were seeded in the playoffs by record, regardless of conference affiliation. With conference pride getting a boost under the new format, this week's season-high of four interconference games carries added intrigue, especially with two of the games matching undefeated teams. At American Conference sites, Tennessee Valley (2-0) plays at Macon (3-0) and Louisville (0-3) plays at Roanoke (1-2). At National Conference sites, Columbus (1-1) plays at Birmingham (2-1) and Florida (2-0) plays at Memphis (3-0).

HIGH SCORIN': Week 4 was the highest scoring week of the season in af2. The 32 teams in action combined for 1,357 points - an average of 84.8 points per game. The league average through 47 contests is 81.3 points per game.

THE BIG '5-0': In the high-scoring sport of Arena Football, reaching the 50-point mark typically serves as a good indicator of team success. League-wide this season, teams are 24-3 (89 percent) when they score 50 or more points in a game. When teams score less than 50, they are 23-44 (34 percent). Here's a win-loss breakdown of the league by points scored:

Points W-L Pct.
10-19 1-9 .100
20-29 3-13 .190
30-39 8-10 .444
40-49 11-12 .478
50-59 11-3 .786
60-69 10-0 1.000
70-79 3-0 1.000

CRASH LANDING: The Wichita Stealth, which began last season averaging 45.8 points per game in winning five of its first eight, has struggled out of gate this year, totaling just 47 points in going 0-3. Through Week 4, 31 teams have scored more than 47 points in a single game - Richmond, Memphis and Charleston have scored at least 49 every time they've taken the field.

M-C-L TEAR: The Memphis trio of CARLOS MCNEARY, RUSSELL COPELAND and TIM LESTER is a big reason why the Xplorers are 3-0 after finishing 3-13 in their 2001 inaugural season. Lester leads the league with 897 passing yards. His 18 passing TDs are second in af2 behind Richmond's BOB BEES. Copeland, who spent six seasons with the Buffalo Bills, leads the league with 56 points and is also the overall leader in receptions (32) and receiving yards (428). He set Xplorers' records with his five TDs, 15 catches and 169 receiving yards at Peoria two weeks ago. Copeland and Lester shared the af2 Offensive Player of the Week award for Week 3. McNeary was a star on opening night at Louisville, gaining the league's Ironman award for the week with five touchdowns and an interception. And the Xplorers added WR/DB KEITH SPANN to the mix in last week's win against Bossier City. Spann caught five passes for 94 yards and three touchdowns to earn game Ironman honors.

ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER MVP PERFORMANCE FROM A BACKUP QB: A week after Albany QB RYAN VENA led a second-half comeback off the bench, Roanoke followed suit. In the game against Greensboro, QB CHRIS SANDERS came off the bench for the Steam to complete 16-of-34 passes for 211 yards and five TDs, including the game-tying score on the last play of regulation. The Steam went on to win in overtime, and Sanders was named the game MVP. He also was recognized as the af2 Offensive Player of the Week.

A THRILL TO SEE HILL: The Albany Conquest is 3-0 and a big part of that success has been the play of OS COREY HILL. Last week against the Pioneers, Hill grabbed six balls for 118 yards and three scores. Two of those were for more than 40 yards. For the season, "The Thrill" has caught 29 passes (2nd in af2) for 299 yards and six touchdowns.

A LENNIE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS: Arkansas WR/DB LENNIE JOHNSON is one of the most dangerous two-way players in af2. He tied a league record with three interceptions in last week's win over Wichita, also catching two touchdown passes and adding 93 yards in total returns against the Stealth. For his efforts, he won the league's Ironman award for Week 4, the fifth time he's earned that honor (three times in 2000, once in 2001). The 2000 af2 first-team selection holds the Arkansas record for interceptions with eight, set last year.

GOLDEN GRAHAM: A hamstring injury limited San Diego OS/KR MARTY GRAHAM in last week's loss to Tulsa. The all-purpose threat managed just 43 return yards, but was able to total 98 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver. He continues to lead the league with 802 all-purpose yards, including an af2-record 400 yards in Week 2 against Bakersfield.

WEBB MASTER: Fresno OS LAMONT WEBB continues to be the Frenzy's most dangerous weapon. For the second straight week, Webb returned a kickoff for a TD and ranks ninth in the af2 for all-purpose yards, averaging 148 yards per game.

AYE, AYE MATEY: Peoria OS CORNELL CRAIG won his second straight game MVP award after the Pirates' 55-12 win over Fresno. Craig had 13 receptions for 195 yards and five TDs in the victory. Craig ranks second in af2 with 26 receptions for 342 yards and six touchdowns. Additionally, Craig ranks fifth with 515 in all-purpose yards, an average of 171.7 yards per game.

DO THE TWIST: Last week's edition of "The Deuce Scoop" said Arkansas would be hard-pressed to duplicate in Week 4 its defensive performance from Week 3. In that 34-13 win at Wichita, Arkansas had five sacks for minus-31 yards, forced six fumbles (recovering three) and held the Stealth to 13 points, equaling the fewest points ever allowed by the Twisters. Well, for all practical purposes, consider it duplicated. In beating Wichita 60-13 in the back end of their home-and-home matchups, the Twisters again tied their points allowed record and totaled five sacks, intercepted three passes and forced a fumble. Led by league sack leader GREG TAYLOR (6.0) and the team leader in tackles, ED SQUARE (13.5), Arkansas' defense is among the stingiest in the league. The Twisters rank in af2's top 6 in six defensive categories.

Rank Category Stat
1 Scoring Defense 21.0
5 Total Defense 187.7
6 Pass Defense 163.7
3 Pass Defense Rating 57.3
1 Sacks By/Yards 15/86
3 Red Zone Defense 45.5%

RICO SUAVE: San Diego WR/LB RICO CURTIS leads the af2 in tackles with 25.5 and his 12.5 against Bakersfield (4/6) tops the af2 in a single game this year. Curtis' defensive efforts last week against Tulsa earned him ADT Defensive Player of the Game honors. He had a game-high six stops and a pass breakup, also returning a fumble 12 yards to set up San Diego touchdown. He has led the Riptide in tackles all three games.

THE 'DOGS GOT SOME D: The Columbus Wardogs have one of the stingiest defenses in af2. They have allowed only 54 points in two games and have held opponents scoreless in four of the eight quarters they've played.

THRILLER IN CAPE FEAR: In one of the most exciting finishes of the season, Augusta kicker KEITH GISPERT nailed a 43-yard field goal with no time left to lift his Stallions over the Wildcats 45-44. What's more impressive than the game-winning field goal were the events that led up to the dramatic finsih. Cape Fear seemingly had the game won when NORMAN MASON rushed in from a yard out for a score with 12 seconds remaining, putting the Wildcats up by two. Augusta had other ideas though, as the Stallions blocked the extra point, completed an 11-yard pass and then lined up for the game-winning field goal.

KICKING TOUCHDOWNS: Well, not exactly, but Charleston kicker CHRIS SEGAAR knows how to score touchdowns. In the Swamp Foxes' first two games, Segaar has seen action on offense and defense in addition to his normal kicking duties. In the game against Greensboro, he had an 18-yard reception and, last week against Tallahassee, the "Ultimate Ironman" picked off a pass and ran it back 14 yards for the score. And yes, he made the extra point. The 6-foot-2 K/WR/DB earned Ironman honors in the Tallahassee game and was named af2's Built Ford Toughman for Week 4.

WALKING THE WALK, TALKING THE TALK: They say what goes around, comes around, but Week 4 was good to those who weren't afraid to ruffle some feathers with some potentially-inflammatory statements. Memphis and Birmingham both won after Xplorers Head Coach DANTON BARTO and Steeldogs' FB/LB DEJUAN WASHINGTON, respectively, guaranteed victories. Richmond Head Coach RICHARD DAVIS, never one to shy away from the eye-catching quote, has thrown down the gauntlet for Week 5, saying: "Our season does not rest on a win or a loss against Norfolk. Theirs obviously rests immensely on beating Richmond. Well, good luck to them."

LET THE TRASH TALKING BEGIN: Richmond and Norfolk renew their bitter rivalry on Saturday night in Richmond. While it's no secret how much these two teams dislike each other, Richmond has gone a step further with the mudslinging. This week the following message pops up when you visit the Speed Web site:

POWER OUTAGE: Two of af2's top teams from 2001 suffered significant injuries over the weekend. The promising start of Tulsa OS WES CASWELL came to a halt when left the game at San Diego in the third quarter with a serious injury to his right knee that is expected to sideline him for the rest of the season. Caswell has been the Talons' most consistent offensive threat this season, leading the team with 19 catches for 208 yards and four touchdowns. Tennessee Valley's big win over Mobile was a costly one for the Vipers as WR/LB RONALD BONNER, OL/DL CHRIS BELL and OL/DL CURTIS JETER all left the game with knee injuries. All three were to be examined this week to determine the extent of the injuries. Jeter is expected to play at Macon Saturday, but Bell is out for one game and Bonner, one of the Vipers' all-time receiving leaders, is expected to miss three to four weeks.

CHECK US OUT: The Carolina Rhinos re-launched their Web site last week. The new site (www.rhinosfootball.com) contains up-to-date team and league statistics, player information, game schedules and results, ticket information, links to other sites and a link to live webcasts of all road and playoff games.

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 25, 2002

• Phantoms Make Good on Guarantee - Toronto Phantoms
• Fury Fall to Phantoms - Detroit Fury
• The Deuce Scoop - AFL I
• AFL Week Two - AFL I
• Arena Football League Transactions - AFL I

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