Vipers Game Notes

May 14, 2002 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Tennessee Valley Raptors News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Birmingham Steeldgos (5-1) at Tennessee Valley Vipers (5-0)
Date: May 18, 2002
Kickoff: 7:30 cst
Site: Von Braun Center (8,444)
National Anthem: Jennifer Franz
Officials: Marc Curles (Referee), Chris Hughes (Umpire), Dirk Bell (Head Linesman), Andy Britton (Line Judge), Rob Skelton (Back Judge)
Radio: WUMP 730 AM (Doug Franz)
TV: None
Series Record: Vipers lead 4-0
Last Meeting: Vipers won 52-48 in Huntsville on July 7, 2001
Streaks: Vipers W5, Steeldogs W5
Coaches: Kevin Guy (5-0, First Year)
Bobby Humphrey (24-14, Third Year)

THE STAKES: The Vipers are 5-0 on the season, while Birmingham has won five straight after losing the season opener. The battle for first place in the South Division in on the line.

THE SERIES: This is the fifth meeting between the two teams. The Vipers own a 4-0 record.

THE IFs:

If TENNESSEE VALLEY defeats BIRMINGHAM, it would ...
· Give the Vipers a 5-0 series record with Birmingham.
· Give the Vipers their third consecutive win on the road.
· Give Kevin Guy his sixth win.
· Give the Vipers a 6-0 record on the season.
· Keep the Vipers in first place in the South Division.

HEAD COACHES: Vipers head coach, Kevin Guy, is 4-0 in his first season as head coach. He played six years in the Arena Football League with Minnesota, New Jersey and Orlando and served as the defensive coordinator at New Jersey in 2000 and Florida in 2001. He also served as the interim head coach in New Jersey at the end of the 2000 season. Birmingham head coach, Bobby Humphrey, is 24-24 in his third season with the Steeldogs. He has a stellar career at the University of Alabama and played in the NFL.

LAST SERIES MEETING: The Vipers beat the Steeldogs 52-48 in Huntsville on July 7, 2001. Andy Fuller caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Matt Sauk with no time left on the clock for the win. Sauk finished the game with a Viper record 401 yards passing.

SERIES NOTABLES: The Vipers lead the all-time series 4-0 and 2-0 in Huntsville.

FAMILIAR FACES: Montressa Kirby and Herman Bell were teammates of Ronald Bonner at Jacksonville State. Bonner will miss his fourth consecutive game with an injured knee.

VIPER INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
FB/LB Robert Gordon Cervical Stain Out
WR/LB Ronald Bonner Left Knee Out

THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:

Kevin Guy, on facing a top ranked offense two weeks in a row: "It doesn't get any easier for us. Birmingham has a very explosive offense and Kirby to Thomas is the best combination in the league. We will have to be ready on defense." Curtis Jeter, on the Birmingham rivalry: "It is like the Iron Bowl because we are so close to one another. Birmingham is getting better and better every year and they are contending for a championship. This is a big game for Art. We can slip up against another team, but it is mandatory that we beat Birmingham."

DROPBACK: The Vipers beat the Memphis Xplorers 57-46 in Memphis. Reggie Worthy had three rushing touchdowns and three receiving.

FORWARD MOTION: The Vipers travel to Pensacola on May 25 to take on the Barracudas.

RECENT ROSTER MOVES (most recent first):
Date Action Player
5/8 Assigned Wes Stephens FB/LB

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

Arena Football Experience: Eight members of the Vipers roster are rookies in af2, however, they all have experience in the Arena Football League. Kenny Bailey, Chris Bell, Ed Howard, Todd Latourette, Derrick Shepard, Kelly Snell, Antonio Speed and David Sucura all have either played in the AFL or been in camp with a team.

Fields reaches 300: Offensive Specialist, Kelly Fields, reached the 300-career reception mark last week when he caught 10 passes at Memphis. He now has 302 receptions in his career for 2,150 yards and 59 touchdowns.

Interception Record Pace: The Vipers are on pace to record 45 interceptions this season. They have 14 through five games. The Viper record is 29 set in 2000 and the league record is 36 set by the Quad City Steamwheelers in 2001.

Offensive Line: The Vipers offensive line gave up just six sacks last season. Through five games the group has already given up nine.

"Playmaker": Over the past two seasons, Andy Fuller has lived up to his "Playmaker" nickname. He has now caught 30 passes, 17 for touchdowns. He also has an interception return for a touchdown. However, this season he has caught six passes but has yet to get into the endzone.

Count on Wes: Quarterback, Wes Counts, continues to improve with every game. The rookie quarterback has completed 94-147 passes for 1,064 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has also rushed for six touchdowns.

We're Not Worthy: Tennessee Valley wide receiver/defensive back, Reggie Worthy, rewrote the Viper record book last week at Memphis. He set a team record for yards rushing in a game (49), tied the record for rushing touchdowns in a game (3) and set the record for touchdowns scored in a game (6).

Dynamic Duo: Viper defensive specialists, Kelly Snell and Kenny Bailey are living up to their position. The two have combined for 44 tackles, 12 interceptions and 10-pass break ups. Snell has intercepted a pass in all five Viper games and leads the af2 with seven. Bailey intercepted three last week at Memphis and is tied for second in af2 with five.

Road Sweet Road: With the win over Memphis last week, the Vipers have won 11 consecutive games on the road, the longest current streak in the af2. It is also the longest road-winning streak ever in the af2.

Tough Schedule: The Vipers got off to a good start of a tough four game stretch with wins over Macon, Arkansas and Memphis. The Vipers will host Birmingham this week. It is the fourth straight opponent for the Vipers that comes into the game with one loss or less.

Leading the Turnover Battle: The Vipers first in the af2 in turnover margin at +10. The Vipers have forced 14 turnovers while only committing four. All 14 turnovers have been interceptions. The Vipers have yet to recover a fumble.

Kicking problem solved: The Vipers made three field goals last season, Todd Latourette has made six through the first five games this season, including at least one in every game, a 47-yarder at Macon and a game clinching 24-yarder at Memphis.

PLAYERS/MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Vipers DS Kelly Snell vs Steeldog OS Wayne Thomas: This will be an interesting match-up. Thomas leads the league with 18 touchdown receptions while Snell leads the league in interceptions with seven.

KEY DATES IN VIPER HISTORY:

March 31, 2000 – Vipers defeat the Birmingham Steeldogs 59-18 in the first ever af2 game.

April 7, 2000 – Vipers defeat the Norfolk Nighthawks 48-15 in their first home game

August 1, 2000 – Vipers defeat the Tulsa Talons 49-28 in their first ever playoff game

August 5, 2000- Vipers go on the road and defeat the Augusta Stallions 47-40 in the af2 semifinals.

August 10, 2000- Vipers fall 68-59 to the Quad City Steamwheelers in the inaugural ArenaCup

July 30, 2001- Vipers defeat the Tallahassee Thunder 70-52 in the first round of the af2 playoffs

August 4, 2001- Vipers fall 51-50 in overtime to the Richmond Speed the af2 semifinals.

April 6, 2002 - Kevin Guy gets his first win as Tennessee Valley head coach with a 37-28 win over Arkansas.

BUILT FORD TOUGH AWARD (selected by coaches)
The Built Ford Tough Award is a national recognition award given after every game to the player or players on each team best demonstrating determination and toughness in that game. The honored players receive a helmet sticker that recognizes the Built Ford Tough Player of the Game.

Week Opp. Player
2 Ark Reggie Worthy WR/DB
4 MOB Andy Fuller OL/DL
5 Mac Antonio Speed FB/LB
6 ARK Ed Howard, WR/LB
7 Mem Tyson Patterson, WR/DB

VIPER GAME MVP AWARD
Week Opp. Player
2 Ark Reggie Worthy WR/DB
4 MOB Wes Counts, QB
5 Mac Wes Counts, QB
6 ARK Kelly Fields, OS
7 Mem Reggie Worthy, WR/DB

VIPER GAME IRONMAN AWARD
Week Opp. Player
2 Ark Antonio Speed, FB/LB
4 MOB Reggie Worthy, WR/DB
5 Mac Pat House, WR/DB
6 ARK Ed Howard, WR/LB
7 Mem Antonio Speed, FB/LB

VIPER ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME
Week Opp. Player
2 Ark Kelly Snell, DS
4 MOB Kenny Bailey, DS
5 Mac Kelly Snell, DS
6 ARK Kelly Snell, DS
7 Mem Kenny Bailey, DS



United Indoor Football Association Stories from May 14, 2002


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