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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

Top guns battle in the Snakepit on NBC this Sunday

February 25, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


NEW YORK – Two of greatest AFL quarterbacks of all-time and former teammates – Arizona's SHERDRICK BONNER and New York's AARON GARCIA – face off in the "SnakePit" this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC when the Rattlers host the Dragons at America West Arena.

NBC's Week 4 coverage will include NFL Hall of Fame QB and Colorado Crush CEO and part-owner JOHN ELWAY in-studio with AL TRAUTWIG and GLENN PARKER. Kickoff on NBC for this Sunday's slate of games will be at 3 p.m. ET.

Bonner and Garcia both rank among the top five in all career-passing categories. They are two of only three pro football passers to surpass 500 career TDs (Detroit's ANDY KELLY has passed for 560 scores). Now in his 10th AFL season, Garcia has passed for the most TDs by any player in pro football history – 561. He is the only QB in pro football to pass for 100-or-more TDs in a single season, accomplishing the feat twice, in 2001 (104) and in 2003 (100). Bonner, in his 11th season, ranks third on the all-time list with 543.

Elsewhere, a Central Division rivalry heats up and red-hot QB RAYMOND PHILYAW (15 total TDs) returns to Conseco Fieldhouse after leaving the Firebirds via free agency this past offseason. Chicago head coach MIKE HOHENSEE, who was the head coach of the Firebirds from 1994-96, looks to keep his perfect start and division lead over Rookie head coach STEVE DEBERG and rookie QB ADRIAN MCPHERSON.

Philadelphia head coach MICHAEL TRIGG was a member of the two-time ArenaBowl champion Detroit Drive under the direction of head coach TIM MARCUM in 1989-90. Now the two face off as student vs. teacher when Philadelphia (1-2) travels to play Tampa Bay (1-2) at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. Marcum's defending champion Storm is coming off a loss to the expansion Austin Wranglers, while the Soul are sky-high after notching their first AFL victory over Columbus.

At the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, an Eastern Division battle with a little NFL flavor will be on tap when the Jerry Jones owned Desperados (2-1) take on Dallas Cowboys WR JOEY GALLOWAY'S part-owned Destroyers (1-2). Dallas WR/LB JASON SHELLEY is a rising star looking to keep the division-leading Desperados in front, while Columbus WR/DBs CORNELIUS WHITE and SEDRICK ROBINSON, who is tied for the League lead with two KO returns for TDs, hope to spark an upset.

In Las Vegas, a battle of dynamic duos will be the storyline. New Orleans QB JOHN FITZGERALD (12 TDs and 0 INTs) and OS AARON BAILEY (22 receptions and 7 TDs) against Las Vegas QB CLINT DOLEZEL (740 passing yards and 17 TDs) and OS TERRILL SHAW (22 receptions and 4 TDs). New Orleans becomes the first expansion team since the KURT WARNER-led Iowa Barnstormers (3-0) and the St. Louis Stampede (5-0) in 1995 to begin 3-0.

The slate of games for Week 4 include: Austin at Colorado on Friday; Orlando at Carolina and Grand Rapids at San Jose on Saturday; New York at Arizona (NBC), Chicago at Indiana (NBC), Philadelphia at Tampa Bay (NBC), Dallas at Columbus (NBC) and New Orleans at Las Vegas (NBC) on Sunday; and Georgia at Los Angeles on Monday. Detroit has a bye week.

AUSTIN WRANGLERS (2-0) AT COLORADO CRUSH (2-1)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, AT 9 P.M. ET

Austin Wranglers QB JOHN KALEO leads the AFL in third-down passing, completing 9-of-13, 5 TDs and 138.1 passer rating... Including his time in Tampa Bay in 2003, Kaleo is 13-2 in his last 15 starts... The Wranglers are 2-0 in games where the opponent scores first... Of 17 kickoffs, Austin K TONY DODSON has 5 touchbacks and the kick coverage has held the opponent within their own 10-yard line 10 times... Colorado OS DAMIAN HARRELL has amassed 5,441 receiving yards on 389 catches, an average of 13.99 yards/catch, along with 111 career touchdowns (1 on return) in his six-year career... Harrell is tied for No. 10 in the AFL in scoring with 36 points after he caught three TDs at Chicago last week... Colorado QB JOHN DUTTON has thrown at least 4 TDs in 8 of his last 9 games... Austin's trio of OS SHANNON CULVER, WR/DB CHARLIE DAVIDSON and WR/LB DARRYL HAMMOND combined for 15 receptions, 219 yards and 5 TDs.

ORLANDO PREDATORS (0-2) AT CAROLINA COBRAS (2-1)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, AT 7:30 P.M. ET

Carolina Cobras WR/DB DAMIEN GROCE, who has already notched 15 receptions for 157 yards and a team-high seven TDs this season, needs 132 receiving yards to reach the 1,000 plateau... Groce also leads the team with 22.6 yards per kickoff return, including a 56-yard return for a touchdown against Arizona... OS TODD DOXZON has accounted for six TD receptions this season and leads the team with 24 receptions for 314 yards... Doxzon needs three more receiving TDs to reach 50... Second-year QB MATT NAGY has made an impact in his first season with the Cobras with 17 TDs through three weeks of play.... Overall, Nagy has completed 66-of-101 passes for 731 yards and 15 scores... The Predators have won all six of the previous games played between the two franchises...The series between the Predators has been marked by three blowouts (Predators average margin of victory 25 points) and three extremely tight games (average margin three points)... Predators DS KENNY MCENTYRE continues to inch forward in his efforts to become the Arena Football League's all-time leader in INTs... McEntyre now has 47 INTs and trails former Orlando Predators DS DURWOOD ROQUEMORE by just three for the most in Arena Football League history... A former Cobra, current Orlando WR/LB CORY FLEMING is off to the best receiving start (total receiving yards) in Predators history... Through two games, has more receiving yards (298) than any player in Predators history; while his 21 receptions and seven receiving TDs rank second to San Jose WR/LB BARRY WAGNER for most receptions and receiving TDs after two games... QB JOE HAMILTON had a solid first game against defending ArenaBowl champion Tampa Bay and followed it with a 23 of 33 performance (69.7%) against Austin where he threw for 307 yards, five TDs and no INTs.

GRAND RAPIDS RAMPAGE (0-3) AT SAN JOSE SABERCATS (2-0)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, AT 10:30 P.M. ET

With his 153-yard, U.S. Army Ironman of the Week performance, San Jose WR/DB RASHIED DAVIS now leads the AFL in kickoff return yardage (280) and tied in return TDs (2)... QB MARK GRIEB leads the AFL QB Rating (143.2) while remaining INT-free (8 TDs, 0 INTs) through his first two games... WR/DB JAMES ROE has caught at least 2 TDs in eight of his last nine games... WR/DB BARRY WAGNER ... Grand Rapids OS STEVE SMITH is averaging 5 receptions for 62 yards and 1 TD in his last 10 games... The Rampage are No. 2 in kickoff returns (20.8)... Smith averages 25.8 per return and is tied for the AFL lead with 2 kickoff-return TDs... In the first three games of 2004, Smith has posted the top three career games in terms of all-purpose and kickoff return yardage – 168, 168 and 155 respectively... Rampage QB ANTHONY BUICH made his first AFL appearance and rushed for a TD and passed for one in last week's loss to Las Vegas... With the release of ROBERT HALL, Buich looks to make his first AFL start this week.

NEW YORK DRAGONS (1-2) AT ARIZONA RATTLERS (1-2)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 29, AT 3 P.M. ET
(TV: NBC – TOM HAMMOND, PAT HADEN and LEWIS JOHNSON)

Dragons WR/DB WILL HOLDER was named the US Army Ironman of the Week following the team's 54-28 victory over the Georgia Force... Holder caught six passes for 81 yards along with two TDs... Holder had an "Only in the Arena League" stretch of the fourth quarter where he caught a TD pass, recorded a special teams tackle and intercepted a pass in three consecutive plays... He was named the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Game Week 3 vs. Dallas catching nine passes for 105 yards with four touchdowns. Holder ranks tied for second in the League with seven TD receptions, fourth for points (42), ninth in receiving yards (265) and 10th in receptions (20). Dragons QB AARON GARCIA, who threw his first TD pass as QB for the Arizona Rattlers, ranks No. 1 all-time with 561 touchdowns, No. 3 with 27,510 passing yards and 2,127 completions... Arizona is 5-4 all-time against New York, including a 3-3 mark at home... This season, the Rattlers have been outscored 24-9 in the first quarter in their three games this season... They have scored the least amount of opening quarter points in the League... Rattlers QB SHERDRICK BONNER is No. 3 all-time in Arena Football history with 543 TD passes... Last week, the Rattlers earned their first win of 2004 with a 45-38 victory over the Carolina Cobras, where Bonner threw for three scores and ran two others in... Defending Ironman of the Year RANDY GATEWOOD has caught at least one TD in 16 of his last 17 games. Bonner's go-to guy this season has been OS SIAHA BURLEY, the leading scorer for the Rattlers with 6 TDs for 36 points... Including his time with Los Angeles in 2003, Burley has caught at least one TD in 6 of his last 7 games.

CHICAGO RUSH (3-0) AT INDIANA FIREBIRDS (0-3)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 29, AT 3 P.M. ET
(TV: NBC – ELI GOLD, CHARLES DAVIS and DAVE CALABRO)

The 0-3 Firebirds have looked impressive at times, losing games by a combined total of 16 points... Offensively, three different QBs have taken snaps for the Firebirds, most recently rookie ADRIAN MCPHERSON, who ranks No. 3 in the AFL with 55 rushing yards... Passing, he has completed 13-of-20 for 172 yards and two TDs...OS MIKE HORACEK joined the Firebirds after being one of the top receivers in the league over the past few seasons, leading the AFL in receptions (135) in 2003... So far, he has caught 21 passes for 268 yards and four TDs... Horacek exploded in week three, catching 10 passes for 144 yards (4th highest in AFL this season) and one TD... The performance moved Horacek into the top ten in all league receiving categories... Firebirds WR/DB EVAN HLAVACEK is 10th in kickoffs with 20.5 yards/return. Hlavacek added a return touchdown at New Orleans. Hlavacek now has 10 career kickoff returns for TDs... Thus far through three games, Hlavacek has scored via a reception, kickoff return and a fumble recovery... The Chicago Rush Defensive unit ranks first in the league in yards allowed, at just over 176 a game, while Chicago QB RAYMOND PHILYAW, a former four-year member of the Firebirds, leads the offensive attack. Philyaw is currently the 6th rated passer in the AFL (121.0 QB rating)... He has thrown 10 TD passes and is one of just five starters in the league yet to be intercepted... He has also ran the ball 16 times for 21 yards and five TDs... WR/LB LINDSEY FLESHMAN leads the Rush with 15 receptions for 219 yards and four TDs.

PHILADELPHIA SOUL (1-2) AT TAMPA BAY STORM (1-2)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 29, AT 3 P.M. ET
(TV: NBC – BOB PAPA, RAY BENTLEY and J.P. PETERSON)

A six-year AFL veteran, Soul OS TYRONE JONES is tied for 4th among league leaders in scoring with seven TDs for 42 points... Jones currently leads the team with 18 receptions for 171 yards and 6 TDs... While with the Georgia Force, Jones recorded five receptions against the Storm for 91 yards and three TDs the first time the two teams met (6/29/02). The next time they met, (7/20/02) Jones recorded seven receptions for 99 yards and three more TDs... In his four years in the AFL, Soul QB NICK BROWDER completed 51 of 91 attempts for 651 yards. In his first two games with the Soul, Browder has completed 61 of 99 pass attempts for 709 yards and 13 TDs... In the Storm's camp, OS FREDDIE SOLOMAN, a former Philadelphia Eagle, leads the team with 19 receptions for 228 yards and 10 TDs. Last season, Soloman broke Storm single season records for receptions (106) and receiving yards (1,553). Last week against the Austin Wranglers, Soloman had four receptions for 43 yards and two TDs... He also still owns the AFL season-high with 30 points scored in a game (February 13 vs. Georgia)... Tampa Bay QB SHANE STAFFORD threw for a season-high 306 yards against Austin last week, marking the second straight week he threw for over 300 yards in a game... Stafford, who completed 25-of-40 passes and tossed five TD passes, is also the only quarterback in the League this season who has thrown for over 300 yards more than once, and one of only three quarterbacks who has topped the 300-yard passing mark this year.

DALLAS DESPERADOS (2-1) AT COLUMBUS DESTROYERS (1-2)
SUNDDAY, FEBRUARY 29, AT 3 P.M. ET
(TV:NBC – ALLEN BESTWICK, MIKE PAWLAWSKI and DAVE MAETZOLD)

Dallas WR/LB JASON SHELLEY has already set career-highs this season for receptions (10), receiving yards (122) against Carolina and for receiving TDs (3) and total TDs (4) against Philadelphia... Shelley is tied for the AFL led in first downs (19), tied for No. 2 in scoring (48) and leads the AFL in third-down receptions (8)... In last week's loss to Philadelphia, Columbus WR/DB CORNELIUS WHITE led the team in receiving for the second week in a row recording eight catches for 141 yards and one touchdown... His 141 yards receiving were a career-high... Entering Week 4, White has recorded 22 catches (t-No. 3 in AFL) for 295 yards (No. 6 in AFL) and four touchdowns... Columbus DS JOJO POLK has at least 4.5 tackles in all three games this season... Dallas' early Rookie of the Year candidate OS BOBBY SIPPIO is averaging 4 receptions for 76 yards and nearly 2 TDs per game in 2004.

NEW ORLEANS VOO DOO (3-0) AT LAS VEGAS GLADIATORS (1-2)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 29, AT 3 P.M. ET
(TV: NBC – BILL WEBER, PAT SPERDUTO and MITCH ROBERTS)

Last week, Las Vegas QB CLINT DOLEZEL bypassed the 25,000 yards passing mark, with 222 yards passing in only three quarters of action to become just the fourth player in AFL-history to reach the milestone (New York Dragons QB AARON GARCIA, Arizona Rattlers QB SHERDRICK BONNER and Detroit Fury QB ANDY KELLY have all surpassed 25,000 yards)... Dolezel also threw five TD passes to bring his career total one shy of 500... Following his second seven reception game for the season, OS TERRILL SHAW finds himself two shy of reaching the 300 reception plateau... On the season, he has caught 22 passes for 298 yards and four TDs... The Gladiators had the most outstanding defensive performance in the team's history last Sunday, holding the Grand Rapids Rampage to only 14 points... The previous mark was 20 on May 11, 2001 against the Detroit Fury (57-20)... The undefeated New Orleans VooDoo hit the road to Vegas with offensive weapons FB/LB DAN CURRAN, OS AARON BAILEY and QB JOHN FITZGERALD. Curran had seven carries for 21 yards and two TDs last week, as Bailey caught five passes for 52 yards with three TDs. Fitzgerald enjoyed his most effective performance in a VooDoo uniform, as he was 15-of-26 passing for 237 yards with five TDs.

GEORGIA FORCE (1-2) AT LOS ANGELES AVENGERS (2-1)
MONDAY, MARCH 1, AT 10:30 P.M. ET
(TV: FOX SPORTS WEST2 – BILL MACDONALD and ED CUNNINGHAM)

Averaging 31.7 yards a game rushing, the Force currently rank third in the league in rushing offense... Force QB LEON MURRAY leads all QBs with 45 yards rushing on 11 carries scoring four TDs on the ground. Murray stands fourth overall in the AFL in rushing... OS MARKEITH COOPER set a new Force team record for most single game all-purpose yards with 270 at Tampa Bay (2/13)... Cooper is currently tied for second in the AFL for leading scorer with 42 points through two games... He is also tied for the AFL lead for most points scored in a game with 30... Avengers QB TONY GRAZIANI, who threw 96 TDs last year, leads the AFL with 20 scoring tosses this season and has yet to be intercepted... In his last eight games away from STAPLES Center, WR/DB KEVIN INGRAM has caught 30 passes for 376 yards and 10 TDs. He has won the U.S. Army "Ironman of the Game" award in five road games over the course of the last two seasons, including both games so far this season. OS CHRIS JACKSON, who earned last season's AFL "Offensive Player of the Year" award, has been on the receiving end of seven TDs and the passing end once... In last year's loss to the Force, Jackson finished with seven receptions for 96 yards and two scores... This time around, Jackson will face a Georgia team that has allowed a league high 57 points per game... Jackson has scored a TD in every game he has played in for the Avengers except for one (5/10/03 vs. Colorado). His stunning numbers now stand at 126 TDs accounted for in 52 games.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 25, 2004


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