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The Deuce Scoop

July 16, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


AND THE AWARDS GO TO: Week 16 award winners are: Greensboro's CALEB SLOVER (Offensive Player of the Week), Greensboro's BOBBY SIPPIO (Ironman of the Week) and Quad City's ASA FRANCIS (ADT Defensive Player). Sippio won the Ironman for the fourth time this season and third time in a row. No player has ever accomplished either feat.

HOME SWEET HOME: Home teams went 10-3 in Week 16, continuing the season-long trend of home field dominance. To date, home teams are 119-71 for a .626 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** 29-3 .906 Won26*
Quad City 28-3 .903 Won 6
Albany** 12-2 .857 Won 8
Tennessee Valley** 27-5 .844 Won 8
Norfolk 25-6 .806 Won 3
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

*Tulsa's 48-47 win over Hawaii last Saturday extended their af2-record regular season home win streak to 26 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 eight games.

** Teams undefeated at home this season: Tulsa 8-0, Tennessee Valley 8-0, Albany 6-0.

THE PERFECT HISS: The Tennessee Valley Vipers used a second-half comeback to erase the Florida Firecats 41-36 last Saturday, finishing the regular season undefeated at home and improving to 14-0 overall. The Vipers, the only undefeated team in af2 this season, are 14-0 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. This week the Steamwheelers will have a chance to spoil the Vipers' bid for a perfect season, as the two teams hook-up at Moline on Saturday night.

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN': The playoffs are no longer a dream for the Bakersfield Blitz. The defending West Division champions started this season 1-6 but have gone 6-1 since, improving to .500 for the first time all season.

Currently in the final Wild Card spot in the National Conference, the Blitz (7-7) sits just two games behind Hawaii (9-5) for the Division title and has a realistic shot at making a run for the crown. Bakersfield has split two games with the Islanders thus far with one more matchup on tap during the final weekend of the regular season. Should Hawaii lose to San Diego this week along with Bakersfield beating Wichita, the Blitz can take the division title with a win (via head-to-head tiebreaker) over Hawaii in Week 18. The Blitz defense is a big reason for the second-half resurgence as the team was allowing 46.8 points in its first seven games. Since then the team has given up only 38.1 (34.2 if you discount a 62-point setback against Tulsa) and held foes to 35 or less four times during that span.

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 12-4 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 4-2 .666 Lost 1
Albany 5-3 .625 Lost 2

GETTING SOME AIR: Currently there are four QBs in af2 who have passed for over 3,300 yards and 70 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. Albany's RYAN VENA needs only 550 yards (275/per game) to break the all-time record, while Quad City's TONY ZIMMERMAN could break the touchdown record this weekend if he tosses six or more. 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 14 3,868 75 4,421 86 12 or 6.0/gm
Tony Zimmerman-QUA 14 3,839 81 4,387 93 6 or 3.0/gm
Matt Sauk-TEN 14 3,671 76 4,195 87 11 or 5.5/gm
Craig Strickland-TUL 14 3,310 73 3,783 83 14 or 7.0/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 16, seven teams broke the 50-point barrier, going 6-1 in those games. Teams under 50 points went 7-12 in Week 16. For the season, teams that score better than 50 are 114-30, while teams under 50 have gone 75-161. Below is a breakdown:

2003 W-L Pct. All-time W-L Pct.
0-19 0-8 .000 0-19 2-76 .026
20-29 1-35 .028 20-29 15-176 .078
30-39 24-67 .264 30-39 101-247 .290
40-49 50-51 .495 40-49 223-214 .510
50-59 68-27 .716 50-59 235-96 .710
60-69 42-3 .933 60-69 177-23 .885
70-79 4-0 1.000 70-79 57-2 .966
80+ 0-0 .000 80+ 23-0 1.000

WALKER LOOKING TO RUN AWAY: With five touchdown receptions last week, Peoria's JACK WALKER has put some distance between himself and the other top scorers in af2. IRA GOOCH (3rd) and JEFF HEWITT (5th) 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 14 232
Jacques Rumph - MAC 14 210
Ira Gooch - QUA 14 204
Travis Burns - NOR 14 188
Jeff Hewitt - QUA 14 186

SURVEY SAYS: According to the Web poll posted from Sunday, July 13 through Tuesday, July 15, 62% of respondents felt the Tennessee Valley Vipers would beat the Quad City Steamwheelers this week. According to current Web poll on www.af2.com, 68% of respondents would rather have KEVIN GUY coaching their team instead of RICH INGOLD.

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.

POTEETE CHASING 1,000: Columbus Wardogs' QB SHERARD POTEETE needs 51 more yards to become the first player in af2 history to record 1,000 rushing yards. He has averaged 27.5 per game since joining the Wardogs. Columbus has two games remaining this season.

HIGHWAY ROBBERY: The Charleston Swamp Foxes lead af2 with 29 interceptions this season. Of those picks, 21 have come on the road including at least three in a game three times. Last week at Bossier City, the Swamp Foxes recorded four interceptions.

THEY DON'T GET MUCH BIGGER THAN THIS: This week's long-anticipated showdown between Tennessee Valley and Quad City is arguably one of the biggest games in the history of af2. Aside from the league's top two squads squaring off in a possible ArenaCup preview with an undefeated season and a 12-game win streak on the line, there is the continuation of the rivalry established during af2's inaugural season. This will be the eighth meeting between the clubs.

DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME: With two weeks remaining in the regular season, three of the six division titles are up for grabs and 21 of the 27 teams are still mathematically alive for the postseason. While Quad City, Tennessee Valley and Tulsa 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 two games separate first from last in the Atlantic and four games in the West. In the Northeast Division, Mohegan sits two games behind Albany (with two to play for both teams), meaning Albany can clinch the division and a first round bye with one more win. Below is a look at the races in the Atlantic and West Divisions.

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

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

West Division
Team W L GB
Hawaii - y 9 5 -
Wichita 8 6 1
Bakersfield 7 7 2
San Diego 5 9 4
y - clinched playoff spot

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

PLAYING FOR DIVISION TITLE? The winner of this week's game between Norfolk and Cape Fear moves into sole possession of first in the Atlantic Division. If Greensboro loses to Richmond and Charleston loses to Columbus, and Cape Fear wins over Norfolk, Cape Fear becomes the division champion. If all the above occurs except Norfolk beats Cape Fear by more than seven, Norfolk becomes the division champ.

THE CINCINNATI FACTOR: The expansion Cincinnati Swarm suddenly find them selves flirting with a Wild Card spot, but won't have many fans in Wichita, Arkansas and Bakersfield. As you'll see below, those teams need Cincinnati to lose this week as they try to wrap-up playoff spots.

WHAT MOHEGAN NEEDS: The Wolves still have shot at dethroning the Northeast Division title from Albany, but to do it, they'll need some help. First off, Mohegan needs Rochester to beat Albany this week. If that happens, Mohegan can claim the division title with a win this week against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and a win next week over Albany.

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 5 -
Macon 8 6 -
Florida 8 6 -
Norfolk 8 6 -
Birmingham 7 7 1
Greensboro 7 7 1
Charleston 7 7 1
W-B/Scr. 6 8 2
Richmond 6 8 2

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

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 or Mohegan loss.
Mohegan: Can clinch playoff spot with win and a loss by one of the following teams: NOR, CPF, FLO, MAC.

National Conference:
Tulsa: Clinched playoff berth and first round bye.
Quad City: Clinched division title and first round bye.
Hawaii: Clinched playoff spot. Can clinch division with win and Wichita loss.
Wichita: Can clinch playoff spot with win or loss from Cincinnati.
Arkansas: Can clinch with win or loss from Cincinnati.
Bakersfield: Can clinch playoff with win and Cincinnati loss.

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. Wild Card 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 (14-0) - x^
2. Albany (11-3)- y (NOTE: Winner of Northeast Division has clinched second bye)
3. Cape Fear (8-6)
4. Mohegan (9-5)
5. Macon (8-6) - Currently holds better win% over common opponents with FLO and NOR
6. Florida (8-6) - Currently holds better win% over common opponents with NOR
7. Norfolk (8-6)
8. Birmingham (7-7) - Currently holds better win% over common opponents with GRE and CHA
9. Greensboro (7-7) - Holds HTH advantage over Charleston
10. Charleston (7-7)
11. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (6-8) - Holds HTH advantage over RIC
12. Richmond (6-8)
13. Columbus (4-10)
14. Rochester (2-12)

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

*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 Florida and Mohegan would host Macon. 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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