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Utah Blaze game notes

April 25, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Utah Blaze News Release


THE QUICK FACTS:
Game: Utah Blaze (5-8) at Las Vegas Gladiators (5-8).
Date: Saturday, April 29, 2006.
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. (MT).
Site: Thomas and Mack Center (16,606)
Officials: Referee: Dennis Lipski; Umpire: Rick Nelson;
Head Linesman: Kavin McGrath; Line Judge: Darrel Leftwich; Back Judge: Rich Wilborn.
Television: None.
Radio: Utah's flagship station 1280 The Zone will broadcast the game live with Ryan Hatch (play-by-play) and Keith Embray (commentary).
Blaze Coaches' Show: Ryan Hatch hosts the Blaze Coaches' Show every Wednesday night on 1280 The Zone at 7-8 p.m.
Internet: Log on to www.1280thezone.com to hear a live webcast of Saturday's game.
Series Record: Las Vegas leads 1-0.
Coaches: Utah, Danny White (14th season; 126-63 regular season, 146-73 overall); Las Vegas, Ron James, (2nd season: 13-16 regular season, 13-16 overall)
League Stats:
http://www.aflmedia.com/public/leaders/confstat.htm

OVERVIEW: The Blaze kept their playoff chances alive last weekend with an important road victory at the defending ArenaBowl champion Colorado Crush, 52-40. Utah still remains in the playoff hunt, and is currently tied for the sixth spot with this week's divisional foe, Las Vegas and next week's foe, Chicago. Las Vegas won the last meeting on a last-minute field goal block at the Delta Center, 49-47. The Blaze are looking for a key road win that could go a long way in playoff tiebreakers against Las Vegas and Chicago. A win will give the Blaze a winning road record (4-3) and a .500 division record (4-4). Las Vegas is trying to snap a three-game slide in its final home game after coming off a disappointing, 67-47, loss at Chicago - who is also tied with Las Vegas and Utah. The AFL's all-time leading passer QB ANDY KELLY is 2-0 as Utah's starter and has provided veteran leadership for a possible playoff berth as they make a final charge to the finish in their inaugural season.

THE SERIES: Las Vegas leads 1-0 with a 49-47 win at the Delta Center on March 24. Blaze head coach DANNY WHITE is 5-3 against the Gladiators in his head coaching career, including 1-2 on the road. White is 0-1 all-time going head-to-head against RON JAMES.

WHAT'S AHEAD: The Blaze end their three-game road trip at Chicago on May 6. Utah returns to the Delta Center on May 12 vs. expansion Kansas City to finish their inaugural season hopefully with a playoff berth on the line.

THE SCHEDULES:

2006 Utah Blaze (5-8)
Date Opponent Result Score
Jan. 28 @ San Jose Won 48-35
Feb. 4 DALLAS Lost 53-56
Feb. 11 NEW YORK Lost 81-84
Feb. 18 @ Arizona Lost 38-45
Feb. 25 @ Los Angeles Won 68-66
Mar. 4 SAN JOSE Lost 50-65
Mar. 10 NASHVILLE Won 63-34
Mar. 16 @ Grand Rapids Lost 49-59
Mar. 24 LAS VEGAS Lost 47-49
Apr. 1 @ Tampa Bay Lost 41-56
Apr. 7 ARIZONA Lost 52-64
Apr. 15 LOS ANGELES Won 63-61
Apr. 21 @ Colorado Won 52-40
Game Opponent Time (MT) TV
Apr. 29 @ Las Vegas 8:30 p.m. 1280
May 6 @ Chicago 6:00 p.m. 1280/FSN
May 12 KANSAS CITY 7:00 p.m. 1280/KJZZ

2006 Las Vegas Gladiators (5-8)
Game Opponent Result Score
Jan. 27 @ Austin Lost 46-64
Feb. 6 SAN JOSE Won 51-48
Feb. 12 @ Colorado Lost 55-65
Feb. 17 GEORGIA Lost 34-54
Feb. 25 @ Dallas Lost 48-55
Mar. 5 PHILADELPHIA Won 67-49
Mar. 10 GRAND RAPIDS Won 66-41
Mar. 17 ARIZONA Lost 33-47
Mar. 24 @ Utah Won 49-47
Apr. 2 LOS ANGELES Won 63-49
Apr. 8 NASHVILLE Lost 44-58
Apr. 14 @ San Jose Lost 59-69
Apr. 23 @ Chicago Lost 47-67
Game Opponent Time (PT) TV
Apr. 29 UTAH 7:30 p.m.
May 6 @ Arizona 7:00 p.m.
May 13 @ Los Angeles 7:30 p.m.

THE IFS...:
If Utah defeats Las Vegas, it would...
*Give Utah a 1-1 record all-time versus Las Vegas
*Give Utah a 4-4 record against the Western Division.
*Give Utah a 4-3 on the road.
*Give Utah a 6-8 record all-time.

LAST WEEK:

BLAZE KNOCK OFF DEFENDING CHAMPIONS, 52-40
Kelly Leads Utah Over Colorado, Keeps Playoff Hopes Alive

DENVER - The Utah Blaze (5-8) kept their playoff hopes alive when they defeated the defending ArenaBowl champion Colorado Crush, 53-40, in front of 15,321 fans at the Pepsi Center on Friday night.

Veteran QB ANDY KELLY, who is 2-0 since joining the team and becoming the starter, earned Offensive Player of the Game honors by connecting on 27-of-37 passes for 314 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

"They are the defending champions for a reason," said Blaze head coach/general manager DANNY WHITE. "We put together a total team effort in a hostile environment. I am very pleased with the effort we put together out there tonight."

After holding the Crush to a field goal on the opening drive of the game, Utah FB/LB KAUTAI OLEVAO scored on a one-yard touchdown run to give the Blaze a 7-3 lead.

The Blaze held a 14-10 lead after FB/LB KEVIN CLEMENS scored with 10 minutes left in the first half. Colorado then answered when FB/LB ANTHONY DUNN sacked Kelly for a safety and narrowed the lead to 14-12. Dunn then followed the next drive with a one-yard touchdown run to give the Crush the 19-14 lead with 1:57 remaining in the first half.

The game swung when DS THAL WOODS intercepted a pass with seven seconds in the first half. Kelly then found OS SIAHA BURLEY on a 17-yard score and give the Blaze a 21-19 halftime lead. A lead they would not relinquish.

The Blaze came out in the second half and put points on the board when Kelly found WR/DB ORSHAWANTE BRYANT on a 30-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 28-19. The Crush answered when QB JOHN DUTTON found OS DAMIAN HARRELL on a five-yard scoring pass to bring the score to 28-26.

Ironman of the Game, WR/LB JUSTIN SKAGGS added a receiving and a rushing touchdown in the second half as the Blaze outscored the Crush 31-21 to clinch the victory.

Skaggs had four receptions for 38 yards, two total touchdowns and a forced fumble. Woods earned ADT Defensive Player of the Game by recording 5.5 total tackles and a key interception, while helping keep Harrell in check for most of the game. Harrell finished with eight receptions for 79 yards and three touchdowns - which tied the single-season record with 46.

PREVIOUS MEETING WITH LAS VEGAS:

BLOCKED FIELD GOAL DOUSES BLAZE, 49-47
Gladiators escape with close victory in the final seconds.

SALT LAKE CITY - With ten seconds remaining in the game, K STEVE VIDITECH'S 34-yard field goal attempt was blocked to seal the victory for the Las Vegas Gladiators, 49-47, in front of 14,472 fans at the Delta Center. The defeat marked the third home loss of the season by three points or less.

Utah had a chance to seal the victory in the final minute of the game after a crucial fourth-and-goal stand by the Blaze defense. The Blaze were able to drive the length of the field, but misfired on two consecutive passes to OS SIAHA BURLEY before the blocked field goal.

"We really felt like we came with a lot of energy tonight and played hard," said Blaze head coach and general manager DANNY WHITE. "In the end, they made the plays, and we didn't."

Blaze QB JASON GESSER, who made his second consecutive start and his first at home, finished the game completing 25-of-35 passes for 309 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. It was the first 300-yard game of his career.

Burley led the team with six catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns while piling up a total of 158 all-purpose yards. WR/DB ORSHAWANTE BRYANT tallied seven receptions for 70 yards and WR/DB TOM PACE had two touchdown receptions.

Las Vegas FB/LB MARLION JACKSON was named Offensive Player of the Game with seven carries for 27 yards and two touchdowns. DS T.J. HILL was named ADT Defensive Player of the Game after recording a game-high 11.0 tackles, while WR/DB ALERIC CLARK was named Ironman of the Game with four receptions for 62 yards and one touchdown along with one fumble recovery.

THE COACHES:
Utah - Danny White, 14th season
126-63 (.667) reg. season; 146-73 (.667) overall
5-3 career vs. Las Vegas
White is currently in his 14th season as an AFL head coach and first with the Blaze. White has compiled a record of 146-73 and advanced to the AFL Playoffs in 12 of the previous 13 years (hasn't missed the postseason since 1992). Prior to joining the Blaze, White was the head coach of the Arizona Rattlers for 13 seasons (1992-2004). The AFL Hall of Fame coach has two titles (1994 and 1997) to his credit and has made five ArenaBowl appearances (1994, 97, 2002-04). During his last season in Arizona in 2004, White compiled a 13-6 record and made his third straight ArenaBowl appearance. White, won AFL "Coach of the Year" award in 1993. White officially became the head coach of the Blaze on April 21, 2005. He played quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys (1976-88) and helped lead the Cowboys to the postseason five times and won three NFC East titles during his tenure as starting QB. In his first year as a starter (1980), White set the club single-season record for touchdown passes (28) and then broke the record (29) in 1983. Those records still stand as the top two single-season marks in franchise history. He still owns eight Cowboy records and is the member of FOUR Halls of Fame (Arizona Sports, Arizona State, College Football and Arena Football).

Las Vegas - Ron James, 2nd season
13-16 (.448) reg. season; 13-16 (.448) overall
1-0 career vs. Utah
Ron James is in his second season as head coach of the Las Vegas Gladiators. In his first year as head coach the Gladiators his team ranked first in total offense and first in total defense Arena Football League and finished with an 8-8 record. Prior to becoming the head coach, James served as assistant head coach/line coach and special team's coordinator for the Gladiator organization from 2001-2004. Coach James has nine years of AFL experience having served as the line coach and player personnel director with the Houston ThunderBears from 2000-2001 and as an assistant with the Albany Firebirds in 1990 and 1991. In addition to coaching in the AFL, James has coached a combined total of 14 years on the collegiate level. From 1993 thru 1998 James coached at Kentucky Wesleyan College. While at KWC James served as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in 1993. The following season James was promoted the assistant head coach/defensive coordinator and coached the secondary. He remained in that position until 1998.
RECENT HEADLINES:
UTAH'S WOODS EARNS AFL WEEKLY HONOR
Defensive Specialist Takes Defensive Player of the Week

SALT LAKE CITY - The Arena Football League Office announced Utah Blaze DS THAL WOODS (5-9, 175, Colorado State) as the ADT Defensive Player of the Week for Week 13.

Woods, who is in his third AFL season, recorded 5.5 total tackles, one interception and one pass breakup in Utah's 52-40 win over the defending ArenaBowl champion Colorado Crush on Friday night in Denver. Woods' second-quarter interception against his former team halted a Crush drive and helped set up a touchdown that gave the Blaze a 21-19 halftime lead.

"This is a tremendous honor," Woods said. "It was a big win for us and the fact that it came against the defending champions made it that much sweeter. The bottom line was that our team won because of a total team effort."

Other weekly winners included: Kansas City Brigade QB CHRIS SANDERS (Offensive) and Grand Rapids Rampage WR/DB TIMON MARSHALL (Ironman).

QB ANDY KELLY RECEIVE ARENAFAN ONLINE WEEK 12 HONORS

For their performances during the ninth week of the Arena Football League 2006 season, ANDY KELLY (QB, Utah Blaze), Clevan Thomas (DS, San Jose SaberCats) and Sean Scott (WR/DB, Philadelphia Soul) have been named
Offensive Player of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week, and Two-Way Player of the Week, respectively, by the writers and staff of ArenaFan Online.

Offensive Player of the Week: Andy Kelly threw eight touchdown passes in his first game with the Utah Blaze, leading them to a 63-61 victory over the Los Angeles Avengers. Kelly completed 21 of 33 pass attempts in the game for 285 yards. He spent part of the season with the Kansas City Brigade before signing with Utah. Kelly is in his thirteenth AFL season.

Defensive Player of the Week: Clevan Thomas recorded one interception, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups in the San Jose SaberCats' 69-59 win over Western division foe Las Vegas Gladiators. Thomas, in his fourth AFL season, returned the interception for 11 yards and had 10 total tackles.

Two-Way Player of the Week: Sean Scott caught nine passes for 103 yards and four touchdowns on offense, one sack and 7.5 total tackles on defense to help the Philadelphia Soul defeat the Nashville Kats 49-33. Scott also ran twice for nine yards in the game. He is in his third AFL season.

2006 ArenaFan Online Award Winners

Offensive Player of the Week
Week 1 - Damian Harrell (OS, Colorado Crush)
Week 2 - Terrill Shaw (OS, Dallas Desperados)
Week 3 - Siaha Burley (OS, Utah Blaze)
Week 4 - Shane Stafford (QB, Tampa Bay Storm)
Week 5 - Shane Stafford (QB, Tampa Bay Storm) (2)
Week 6 - Damian Harrell (OS, Colorado Crush) (2)
Week 7 - Clint Dolezel (QB, Dallas)
Week 8 - Clint Dolezel (QB, Dallas) (2)
Week 9 - Chris Jackson (OS, Georgia)
Week 10 - Mark Grieb (QB, San Jose)
Week 11 - Sherdrick Bonner (QB, Arizona)
Week 12 - Andy Kelly (QB, Utah)

Two-Way Player of the Week
Week 1 - Kevin Ingram (WR/LB, Los Angeles Avengers)
Week 2 - Will Pettis (WR/DB, Dallas Desperados)
Week 3 - Lawrence Samuels (WR/LB, Tampa Bay Storm)
Week 4 - Timon Marshall (WR/DB, Grand Rapids Rampage)
Week 5 - Lawrence Samuels (WR/LB, Tampa Bay Storm)
Week 6 - Joe Douglass (WR/LB, Las Vegas Gladiators)
Week 7 - Orshawante Bryant (WR/DB, Utah Blaze)
Week 8 - Josh Bush (WR/DB, Grand Rapids)
Week 9 - Randy Gatewood (WR/DB, Arizona)
Week 10 - Dialleo Burks (WR/LB, Dallas)
Week 11 - Phil Glover (FB/LB, San Jose)
Week 12 - Sean Scott (WR/DB, Philadelphia)

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS:

COLORADO clinches division title:
-COL win
-NAS loss

COLORADO clinches best record in conference:
-COL win + SJ loss + ARI loss

ARIZONA clinches playoff spot:
-ARI win
-UTA loss
-GR loss + SJ win
-GR loss + CHI loss

NASHVILLE clinches playoff spot:
-NAS win
-CHI loss + LV loss

SAN JOSE clinches playoff spot:
-SJ win
-CHI loss + GR loss
-LV loss + GR loss

DALLAS clinches division title:
-DAL win
-NY loss

DALLAS clinches best record in conference:
-DAL win
-NY loss + ORL loss + AUS loss

ORLANDO clinches playoff spot:
-ORL win
-CLB loss
-PHI loss

AUSTIN clinches playoff spot:
-AUS win + TB loss
-AUS win + PHI loss + GEO loss

NEW YORK clinches playoff spot:
-NY win + GEO loss
-NY win by >17 points + TB loss
-NY win by <17 points + TB loss + CLB loss

SCHUTT SPORTS TOP 12 POLL:

Upsets and parity have marked this season, but the Dallas Desperados keep rolling.

They received all 19 first-place votes to remain atop the Schutt Sports Top 12 Poll, totaling 228 points in voting by members of the Arena Football League Writers Association (AFLWA).

Schutt Sports, the sports gear company with a reputation for innovation, is sponsoring this season's Top 12 Poll. Its website is www.schuttsports.com.

The AFLWA, founded at the start of the 2004 season, is a national organization made up of media members who cover the Arena Football League. Mark Anderson of the Las Vegas Review-Journal is the AFLWA's founder and executive director. The website is www.aflwa.com.

1. Dallas Desperados 11-2 (19) 228
2. Orlando Predators 9-4 205
3. Colorado Crush 9-4 183
T4. Austin Wranglers 8-5 152
T4. New York Dragons 8-5 152
6. Arizona Rattlers 7-6 116
7. San Jose SaberCats 7-6 113
8. Georgia Force 7-6 108
T9. Nashville Kats 7-6 79
T9. Philadelphia Soul 7-6 79
11. Columbus Destroyers 6-7 24
12. Tampa Bay Storm 6-7 21

Others receiving votes: Utah Blaze 14, Chicago Rush 6, Kansas City Brigade 2.
Dropped out: Las Vegas Gladiators (12).

RECENT ROSTER MOVES:

Date Action
Feb. 17 Traded FB/LB Josh White to Dallas for past considerations.
Feb. 20 Awarded OL/DL John Culp (Columbus) from waivers. Activated OL/DL Jason Andersen and placed him on recallable waivers.
Feb. 21 Released FB/LB Jermaine Younger.
Mar. 15 Placed QB Joe Germaine on the IR. Activated QB Tali Ena from the practice squad.
Mar. 22 Traded OL/DL Bryan Henderson to Kansas City for OL/DL Aaron Hamilton and OL/DL Matt Walls. Released OL/DL Bernard Holsey and DS Sullivan Beard.
Mar. 23 Signed DS DaQu'an Davis to the practice squad.
April 5 Signed QB Dennis Gile from the Arizona Rattlers' practice squad. Placed OL/DL Lewis Powell on the IR.
April 6 Signed OL/DL Doug Kaufusi from the practice squad. Placed OL/DL Matt Walls on the IR.
April 10 Waived QB Dennis Gile.
April 11 Signed QB Andy Kelly. Waived QB Tai Ena.
April 13 Activated DS Kevin Moffett and OL/DL Garrett Smith from the IR. Placed WR/LB Sale Key on the IR. Signed QB Tali Ena to the practice squad.

INJURY REPORT - League rules stipulate that players on IR must be inactive for at least two weeks. QB JOE GERMAINE and OL/DL LEWIS POWELL are eligible to come off for the Colorado game on April 21.

Player Injury Status
Joe Germaine Right middle finger OUT (IR)
Lewis Powell Calf OUT (IR)
Sale Key Hamstring OUT (IR)

MILESTONES:

AMAZING ANDY: Utah Blaze QB ANDY KELLY needs 5 passing touchdowns to surpass all-time leader New York Dragons QB AARON GARCIA (757). Kelly, the AFL career leader in passing yards, became the first WB in League history to pass for 39,000 yards last week.

CAREER PASSING TOUCHDOWNS LEADERS
PLAYER, TEAM TD PASSES
Aaron Garcia, New York* 757
Andy Kelly, Utah 753
Clint Dolezel, Dallas 745
Sherdrick Bonner, Arizona 729
*Out for the season

BLAZE OF GLORY: Utah Blaze OS SIAHA BURLEY and WR/DB ORSHAWANTE BRYANT are both nearing several career milestones. Burley only needs 124 yards to break the Robert Gordon's expansion record for yards in a season with 1,630 receiving yards. Burley also needs 14 kick return yards for 5,000 career. Bryant needs 2 more touchdowns to reach 50 career, one more reception to reach 250 catches.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS - Head coach DANNY WHITE picks up where he left off after a year absence from the AFL coaching ranks. The AFL Hall of Fame coach is currently No. 2 on the league's all-time coaches win list. Below is a list of the all-time winningest coaches:

ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES
Coach, Team
Wins This Week
Tim Marcum, Tampa Bay 182 KANSAS CITY
Danny White, Utah 146 @ Las Vegas
Mike Hohensee, Chicago 100 @ Georgia
Mike Dailey, Colorado 97 ORLANDO
Darren Arbet, San Jose 88 @ Los Angeles
Perry Moss 86 --

*WR/DB TOM PACE only needs 5 more TD receptions for 50 career total and 2 more receptions to total 200 for his career.

*DB KELVIN HUNTER needs only 1 more interception for 10 career total and a single-season career best five.

STORYLINES:
SIAHA RELIEF: OS SIAHA BURLEY leads the team with 105 catches for 1,506 yards and 35 TD receptions. Burley also has 37 kickoff returns for 651 yards and 2,212 all-purpose yards (No. 3 in AFL). The 2005 AFLWA Offensive Player of the Year is still hoping to establish some new expansion records in 2006. Burley, whoso 2005 numbers totaled 117 receptions for 1,542 yards and a league-leading 45 touchdowns, is looking to re-write the books. The expansion records Burley is currently chasing are held by former Detroit Fury OS ROBERT GORDON who tallied 125 receptions for 1,630 yards and 42 TDs in 2001.

Burley is currently 2nd in the AFL, behind Colorado's DAMIAN HARRELL, who tied the AFL single season receiving mark last week against Utah with his 46th of the season, with 1,506 yards, and 35 touchdowns for 210 points. Burley is currently attempting to break several AFL single-season receiving records and is on pace for 129 receptions (MARCUS NASH, Las Vegas, 2004 holds the record at 154), 1,853 yards (CALVIN SCHEXNAYDER, Arizona, 1998 holds the AFL record at 1,982 yards) and 43 touchdowns (six players are currently tied with 46).

Burley set the single-game expansion record for receiving yards with 259 yards, the second-highest ever in any game, and tied the expansion single-game touchdown mark with 6 in Week 3 against New York at the Delta Center. He has also scored a TD in every game this season.

BURLEY VS. HISTORY REC YARDS TDS
Burley 2006 Current 105 1,506 35
AFL Rank 3rd 2nd 2nd
Burley 2006 Pace 129 1,853 43
Needs for Exp. Record 20 124 7
Expansion Record 125 1,630 42
Harrell 2006 Current 123 1,558 46
AFL Rank 1st 1st 1st
Harrell 2006 Pace 151 1,917 57
AFL Record 154 1,982 46

THE 'O' SHOW: WR/DB ORSHAWANTE BRYANT is currently second on the Blaze with 74 receptions for 878 yards and 40.0 tackles. He has been named Ironman of the Game for the Blaze twice this season.

A LEG UP ON THE COMPETITION: K STEVE VIDETICH is the AFL's all time leading scorer and looks to move up on another milestone in his career in field goals made. He is only ten field goals away from breaking Mike Black's all-time record. Viditech moved ahead of Black on the all-time scoring lead in Week 1 at San Jose. Viditech kicked for Las Vegas in 2003 and made 14-28 field goals.

ALL-TIME FIELD GOALS MADE LEADERS
PLAYER, TEAM FIELD GOALS
Mike Black 175
* Videtich, Utah 165
*Remy Hamilton, Los Angeles 156
Kenny Stucker 118
*Clay Rush, Colorado 117
*Active

OUT OF THE WOODS: DS THAL WOODS was named ADT Defensive Player of the Week for his Defensive Player of the Game for his effort against his former team to help the Blaze defeat defending AFL Champion Colorado Crush 52-40 in Denver last weekend. Woods currently leads the Blaze with four onside kick recoveries.

IN THE HUNT: DS KELVIN HUNTER leads the Blaze with four interceptions on the season and has nine in his career. He also leads the Blaze with 47.5 tackles and has been named Defensive Player of the Game twice this season. If he records another interception this season, it will mark a personal single-season mark for Hunter.

2006 LEAGUE TEAM RANKINGS
Category Blaze (Rank) Gladiators (Rank)
Scoring Offense 54.2 (5) 50.9 (7)
Scoring Defense 54.9 (17) 54.8 (t-15)
Total Offense 302.8 (4) 276.7 (14)
Total Defense 288.8 (13) 308.6 (18)
Pass Offense 288.8 (4) 240.3 (14)
Pass Defense 276.2 (15) 287.5 (18)
Rushing Offense 14.0 (15) 36.4 (1)
Rushing Defense 12.6 (2) 21.2 (12)
Interceptions 11 (t-13) 10 (t-15)
Kickoff Return Avg. 16.4 (13) 19.7 (3)
Def. KO Return Avg. 15.1 (t-2) 15.2 (4)
Turnover Margin -3 (14) -14 (18)
3rd Down Conversions 49.4% (t-5) 47.1% (10)
4th Down Conversions 47.6% (10) 39.3% (15)
Sacks By 8 (16) 10 (14)
Sacks Against 25 (16) 14 (t-11)

BLAZE LEADERS IN 2006
Player Category No.
Germaine, Joe Total Offense 2183
Germaine Completion Pct. 67.7
Germaine Pass TDs 37
Kelly, Andy Passer Rating 128.5
Germaine Passing Yards 2180
Germaine Pass Completions 172
Germaine Pass Yards/Game 311.4
Burley, Siaha Scoring 210
Burley Touchdowns 35
Burley Receptions 105
Burley Receiving Yards 1,506
Burley TD Receptions 35
Clemens, Kevin Rush TDs 8
Burley KO Returns 37
Burley KOR Yards 651
Burley All-Purpose Yards 2,212
Hunter, Kelvin Tackles 47.5
Pospisil, Scott Tackles for Loss 3.5
Hunter, Kelvin Interceptions 4
Clemens, Olsen Sacks 2

LAS VEGAS PLAYER TO WATCH:

QB JASON FIFE - QB Jason Fife leads the Gladiators in passing and rushing. Fife has rushed for 156 yards and 11 TDs on the grounding, including a long of 35 yards. Fife has 1,810 yards in the air with 35 TDs and 9 INTs in nine appearances this season.

HOME HEATS UP: The Utah Blaze currently are No. 3 in the Arena Football League in average attendance (15,304) and have drawn 107,130 fans in just seven games. The Philadelphia Soul (15,714 average) and Kansas City (15,558) are the two teams ahead of the Blaze. The Blaze have recorded three sellouts (Dallas on Feb. 4, San Jose on March 4 and Los Angeles on April 15).

ARENA QB RATING: The debate has gone on for years in the AFL... Does the outdoor QB Rating really translate to the indoor game? In a game where possessions and completion percentage dictates whether you win or lose, we decided to come up with a different formula that puts more weight on "TD-INT ratio" and completion percentage and no emphasis on yardage. Here's how it works:

TD% = TDs divided by TDs + INT

ARENA QB FORMULA: Multiply the TD% by 2 and add the completion % and divide it all by 3.

Since the AFL is a different game, below is the current ranking of the top 10 QBs based on the rating system for AFL QBs:

QUARTERBACK COM% TDs INT TD % ARENA RATING*
Clint Dolezel, DAL 65.9% 85 6 93.4% 84.3%
Matt Nagy, GEO 71.5% 69 8 89.6% 83.6%
Matt D'Orazio, CHI 68.4% 50 5 90.9% 83.4%
Joe Germaine, UTA 67.7% 37 5 88.1% 81.3%
Mark Grieb, SJS 65.5% 68 10 87.2% 79.9%
Sonny Cumbie, LAA 58.2% 48 5 90.6% 79.8%
Shane Stafford, TBS 62.7% 70 12 85.4% 77.8%
Nick Browder, NYD 63.7% 38 7 84.4% 77.5%
John Dutton, COL 62.0% 74 13 85.1% 77.4%
Joe Hamilton, ORL 66.6% 55 12 82.1% 76.9%
*minimum of 200 attempts

WEEKLY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent Player
@ San Jose QB Joe Germaine, Utah
DALLAS OS Terrill Shaw, Dallas
NEW YORK QB Aaron Garcia, New York
@ Arizona OS Damien Groce, Arizona
@ Los Angeles QB Sonny Cumbie, Los Angeles
SAN JOSE QB Mark Grieb, San Jose
NASHVILLE FB/LB Chris Robinson, Utah
@ Grand Rapids QB Chad Salisbury, Grand Rapids
LAS VEGAS FB/LB Marlion Jackson, Las Vegas
@ Tampa Bay QB Shane Stafford, Tampa Bay
ARIZONA WR/DB Randy Gatewood, Arizona
LOS ANGELES QB Andy Kelly & OS Siaha Burley, Utah
@ Colorado QB Andy Kelly, Utah
@ Las Vegas
@ Chicago
KANSAS CITY

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Opponent Player
@ San Jose DS Kelvin Hunter, Utah
DALLAS DS Jermaine Jones, Dallas
NEW YORK DS DaShane Dennis, New York
@ Arizona DS Joe Todd, Arizona
@ Los Angeles DS Ricky Sharpe, Los Angeles
SAN JOSE DS Clevan Thomas, San Jose
NASHVILLE OL/DL Bryan Henderson, Utah
@ Grand Rapids WR/DB Josh Bush, Grand Rapids
LAS VEGAS DS T.J. Hill, Las Vegas
@ Tampa Bay DS Tramain Jones, Tampa Bay
ARIZONA DS Clarence Thomas, Arizona
LOS ANGELES DS Kelvin Hunter, Utah
@ Colorado DS Thal Woods, Utah
@ Las Vegas
@ Chicago
KANSAS CITY

IRONMAN OF THE GAME:
Opponent Player
@ San Jose WR/DB Orshawante Bryant, Utah
DALLAS WR/DB Will Pettis, Dallas
NEW YORK WR/LB Mike Horacek, New York
@ Arizona WR/DB Randy Gatewood, Arizona
@ Los Angeles WR/LB Greg Hopkins, LA
SAN JOSE WR/LB James Roe, San Jose
NASHVILLE WR/DB Orshawante Bryant, Utah
@ Grand Rapids WR/DB Josh Bush, Grand Rapids
LAS VEGAS WR/DB Aleric Clark, Las Vegas
@ Tampa Bay OL/DL Jerrod Penright, Tampa Bay
ARIZONA WR/LB Wilson Thomas, Arizona
LOS ANGELES DS/KR Kevin Moffett, Utah
@ Colorado WR/LB Justin Skaggs, Utah
@ Las Vegas
@ Chicago
KANSAS CITY

THE BLAZE RECORD WHEN...:

Scoring Allowing
0 - 9 points 0-0 0-0
10-19 points 0-0 0-0
20-29 points 0-0 0-0
30-39 points 0-1 2-0
40-49 points 1-3 1-2
50-59 points 1-3 0-3
60-69 points 3-0 2-2
70-79 points 0-0 0-0
80+ points 0-1 0-1

GAMES DECIDED BLAZE COACH WHITE
by 7 or fewer points 3-4 45-26
by 3 or fewer points 3-3 21-13

Leading/Tied after the 1st 3-3 86-24
Trailing after the 1st 1-5 39-39

Leading/Tied at Half 5-3 100-23
Trailing at Half 0-5 25-40

Leading/Tied after the 3rd 5-1 110-17
Trailing after the 3rd 0-7 15-46

Lead/Tied Turnover Ratio 3-5 95-27
Trailed Turnover Ratio 2-3 31-36

Scoring More Than 10 5-8 126-63
Scoring More Than 20 5-8 126-62
Scoring More Than 30 5-8 124-55
Scoring More Than 40 5-8 118-35
Scoring More Than 50 4-4 90-18
Scoring More Than 60 3-1 37-4
Scoring More Than 70 0-1 11-1
Scoring More Than 80 0-1 3-1
Scoring More Than 90 0-0 0-0

Monday games 0-0 3-1
Wednesday games 0-0 1-0
Thursday games 0-1 6-3
Friday games 2-2 33-15
Saturday games 3-5 65-32
Sunday games 0-0 18-12

vs. West 3-4 43-23
vs. Central 2-1 28-10
vs. South 0-1 19-10
vs. East 0-2 21-10

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 25, 2006


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