af2 arenafootball2

The Deuce Scoop

Published on July 9, 2003 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


AND THE AWARDS GO TO: Week 15 award winners are: Albany's RYAN VENA (Offensive Player of the Week), Greensboro's BOBBY SIPPIO (Ironman of the Week) and Mohegan's CHARLIE COOK (ADT Defensive Player). This season has seen players from 22 of af2's 27 teams receive weekly honors.

HOME SWEET HOME: Home teams went 5-6 in Week 15, bucking the season-long trend of home field dominance. So far this season, home teams are 109-68 for a .616 win percentage. In 2002 home teams went 157-113 throughout the regular season for a .585 win percentage. The table below shows the best regular season home winning percentages of all-time among active teams.

Regular Season at Home Record Pct. Streak
Tulsa** 28-3 .903 Won25*
Quad City 27-3 .900 Won 5
Albany** 12-2 .857 Won 8
Tennessee Valley** 26-5 .839 Won 7
Norfolk 24-6 .800 Won 2
Macon 18-5 .783 Won 1
Cape Fear 10-4 .714 Lost 2
Wichita 15-7 .714 Lost 1
Birmingham 21-9 .700 Lost 1
Hawaii 10-5 .666 Lost 1

*Tulsa's 62-49 win over Bakersfield in Week 13 extended their af2-record regular season home win streak to 25 games. The longest overall home win streak (regular season and playoffs) is 25 held by the Quad City Steamwheelers, which spanned from 2000-2002. Tulsa lost at home in the playoffs last season, meaning its current overall streak is at seven games.

** Teams undefeated at home this season: Tulsa 7-0, Tennessee Valley 7-0, Albany 6-0.

THE PERFECT HISS: The Tennessee Valley Vipers took care of Memphis 51-36 last Saturday, improving to 13-0 for the season. The Vipers, the only undefeated team in af2 this season, are 13-0 for the first time in team history and now hold the record for the second best start to a season. The Quad City Steamwheelers are the only other team to get off to a better start in af2 history, as they went 16-0 during the 2000 season. If the Vipers beat Florida this week, Quad City will have a chance to spoil the Vipers' bid for a perfect season. The 'Wheelers and Vipers hook-up on July 19 at Moline, IL.

SPEAKING OF FLORIDA: The streaking Firecats have won five straight games, including three on the road where they are 4-1 this season. The Firecats, who last year went 5-1 on the road from July 5 through the Conference Championship round of the postseason, have averaged 56.4 points per game during the five-game win streak. Florida faces the undefeated Vipers this week and is looking to avenge its nine-point loss earlier in the season. The way things are shaking out in the American Conference playoff picture, this matchup could be a preview of a things to come in the postseason.

ROAD READY: The Tennessee Valley Vipers have gone 21-1 since 2001 on the road, which is the best road record in af2 during that span. If they win their remaining two road games, they'll become the first team to record undefeated road records in more than one season. The Vipers went 8-0 on the road in 2001. The Albany Conquest has the next best road record with a 12-3 all-time mark on the road. Below is a look at af2's best road records this season.

Team 2003 Road Record Pct. Streak (regular season)
Tennessee Valley 6-0 1.000 Won 9
Quad City 6-1 .857 Won 6
Florida 4-1 .800 Won 3
Albany 5-2 .714 Lost 1

GETTING SOME AIR: Currently there are four QBs in af2 who have passed for over 3,100 yards and 65 touchdowns, which means those QBs are on pace to break the 4,000 yard passing plateau and the 80-touchdown mark. In the history of af2 only the 2000 season saw three players pass for over 4,000 yards, while two passers have reached 80 or more touchdowns in each af2 season. The all-time record for passing yards in a season is 4,417 by JON NIELSON in 2000 and the most touchdown passes in a season is 86 by MATT SAUK in 2001. Below is a look at the 2003 passing leaders with their projected pace for the season. The far right column shows how many touchdowns each passer needs to break the all-time record.

Quarterback-Team GP Yards TDs Projected Yards Projected TDs TDs needed
Ryan Vena-ALB 13 3,558 68 4,379 84 19 or 6.3/gm
Tony Zimmerman-QUA 13 3,551 73 4,370 90 14 or 4.6/gm
Matt Sauk-TEN 13 3,379 72 4,159 89 15 or 5/gm
Craig Strickland-TUL 13 3,154 68 3,882 84 19 or 6.3/gm

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. In Week 15, 13 teams broke the 50-point barrier, going 10-3 in those games. Teams under 50 points went 1-8 in Week 15. For the season, teams that score better than 50 are 108-29, while teams under 50 have gone 68-149. Below is a breakdown:

2003 W-L Pct. All-time W-L Pct.
0-19 0-7 .000 0-19 2-75 .026
20-29 1-34 .029 20-29 15-175 .079
30-39 22-62 .267 30-39 99-242 .290
40-49 45-46 .495 40-49 218-209 .511
50-59 65-27 .707 50-59 232-96 .707
60-69 39-2 .951 60-69 174-22 .888
70-79 4-0 1.000 70-79 57-2 .966
80+ 0-0 .000 80+ 23-0 1.000

SCORING LEAD UP FOR GRABS: Peoria's JACK WALKER still leads among the league's top scorers but the race has tightened up as Macon's JACQUES RUMPH is only four points behind. JEFF HEWITT (3rd) and IRA GOOCH (4th) are trying to become the first teammates to finish in the top five since SHON KING (1st) and XAVIER PATTERSON (5th) did it for the Steamwheelers in the 2000 season. Below is an update of the current af2 scoring leaders.

Name - Team GP Points
Jack Walker - PEO 13 202
Jacques Rumph - MAC 13 198
Jeff Hewitt - QUA 13 174
Ira Gooch - QUA 13 174
Tacoma Fontaine - TUL 12 172
Derek Baker - ROC 14 172

SURVEY SAYS: According to the current Web poll on www.af2.com, 69% of respondents believe that quarterback MATT SAUK will break his own record for most touchdowns passes in a single season. Sauk currently has 72 with three games left. He set the record of 86 back in the 2001 season.

COVERING IT UP: MIKE DAVIS of the Charleston Swamp Foxes and JIMMY FREEMAN of the Tennessee Valley Vipers lead the league with five fumble recoveries this season and have a shot at the league record. The all-time record for fumble recoveries is six, shared by ANTHONY GIOVINGO (Lafayette 2001), DEDRIC PARHAM (Tennessee Valley 2001) and CORNELIUS COE (Quad City 2001). Florida's ROY STABLER also is close to league record with four fumble recoveries this season.

TOTAL PROTECTION: The offensive lines of the Tennessee Valley Vipers and Greensboro Prowlers have a chance to make history by allowing the fewest sacks in a single season. The Vipers O-Line has only allowed two sacks, while the Prowlers' crew has given up four all season. The all-time mark for fewest sacks allowed in a season in six by Richmond and Tennessee valley in 2001.

TALANTED TRIO: Quad City Steamwheelers IRA GOOCH (1,216 yards), JEFF HEWITT (1,068 yards) and TIM DODGE (1,011 yards) became the first trio in the history of af2 and AFL to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in the same regular season last week when Dodge caught eight passes for 133 yards against the Blizzard.

ON A HIGH: Last week five teams scored 60 or more points, resulting in a new season high (98.0 PPG) in total point per game. Prior to Week 15's offensive explosion, Week 10 was the highest scoring week with a 95.5 PPG average.

DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME: With three weeks remaining in the regular season, four of the six division titles are up for grabs and 24 of the 27 teams are still mathematically alive for the postseason. While Quad City and Tennessee Valley have clinched division titles, the races in the league's four other divisions remain undecided. The Atlantic and West Division races remain extremely tight as three games separate first from last in the Atlantic and four games in the West. In the Northeast Division, Mohegan sits two games behind Albany, meaning (with three to play for both teams) Albany can clinch the division and a first round bye with one more win. The same holds true for Tulsa in the Central division. Below is a look at the races in the Atlantic and West Divisions.

Atlantic Division
Team W L GB
Cape Fear 8 5 -
Norfolk 7 6 1
Greensboro 6 7 2
Charleston 6 7 2
Richmond 5 8 3

Remaining games:
CPF: at Greensboro, vs. Norfolk, vs. Memphis
NOR: vs. Macon, at Cape Fear, vs. Greensboro
GRE: vs. Cape Fear, at Richmond, at Norfolk
CHA: at Bossier City, vs. Columbus, vs. Richmond

West Division
Team W L GB
Hawaii - y 9 4 -
Wichita 8 5 1
Bakersfield 6 7 3
San Diego 5 8 4
y - clinched playoff spot

Remaining games:
HAW: at Tulsa, at San Diego, vs. Bakersfield
WIC: at Bakersfield, vs. Bakersfield, vs. Cincinnati
BAK: vs. Wichita, at Wichita, at Hawaii

GOING WILD: While there are still some heated division battles going on, the Wild Card races are even more complex. Once the division winners are determined, the three next best records in each conference earn a Wild Card ticket for the postseason. Below is a look at the Wild Card race for each conference. The top three in each conference (in bold) are the current Wild Card holders:

AMERICAN CONFERENCE Team W L GB
Mohegan 9 4 -
Florida 8 5 -
Macon 8 5 -
Norfolk 7 6 1
Birmingham 7 6 1
Greensboro 6 7 2
Charleston 6 7 2
W-B/Scr. 5 8 3
Richmond 5 8 3

NATIONAL CONFERENCE Team W L GB
Wichita 8 5 -
Arkansas 7 6 -
Bakersfield 6 7 -
San Diego 5 8 1
Memphis 5 8 1
Cincinnati 5 8 1
Peoria 4 9 2
Louisville 4 10 2.5

PLAYOFF CLINCHERS: Below are some scenarios for teams that can clinch a division title and/or a playoff spot this week:

American Conference:

Tennessee Valley: Clinched division title and first round bye.

Albany: Clinched playoff spot. Can clinch division title and a first round bye with win and Mohegan loss.

Mohegan: Can clinch playoff spot with win and losses by Birmingham and Norfolk.

National Conference:

Tulsa: Clinched playoff berth. Can clinch first round bye with win. Quad City: Clinched division title. Can cinch first round bye with win or Hawaii loss.

Hawaii: Clinched playoff spot. Wichita: Can clinch playoff spot with win or losses from three of the following: Memphis, San Diego, Cincinnati and Bakersfield.

IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY: Below is the breakdown of which teams would make it if the season ended today. Division winners grab the first three spots in each conference, based on overall records. Wildcard teams seed based on overall records for the final three spots in each conference. Bold teams are teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.

American Conference
1. Tennessee Valley (13-0) - x^
2. Albany (11-2)- y
3. Cape Fear (8-5)*
4. Mohegan (9-4)
5. Florida (8-5) - Holds HTH advantage over Macon
6. Macon (8-5)
7. Norfolk (7-6) - Holds better win% over common opponents with Birmingham
8. Birmingham (7-6)
9. Greensboro (6-7) - Holds HTH advantage over CHA
10. Charleston (6-7)
11. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (5-8) - Holds HTH advantage over RIC
12. Richmond (5-8)
13. Columbus (3-10)
14. Rochester (2-12)

National Conference
1. Quad City (11-2) - x
2. Tulsa (10-3) - y
3. Hawaii (9-4) - y
4. Wichita (8-5)
5. Arkansas (7-6)
6. Bakersfield (6-7)
7. San Diego (5-8) - Currently holds SOS over MEM and CIN
8. Memphis (5-8) - Currently holds better win% over common opponents with CIN
9. Cincinnati (5-8)
10. Peoria (4-9)
11. Louisville (4-10)
12. Bossier City (3-11)
13. Green Bay (2-11)

*Denotes current division leader; x - clinched division title; y - clinched playoff berth; ^ - clinched first round bye; HTH = head-to-head; SOS = strength of schedule

In the American Conference, Tennessee Valley and Albany would have a bye in the first round. Cape Fear would host Macon and Mohegan would host Florida. In the National Conference, Quad City and Tulsa would have first round byes while Hawaii would host Bakersfield and Wichita would host Arkansas.

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