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Week 14: Quick Hitters

June 26, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


TALONS PERCHED BACK ATOP COACHES POLL: The defending ArenaCup Champion Tulsa Talons have moved back into the No. 1 spot in the Week 14 Coaches Poll, the arenafootball2 (af2) league office announced today. The Talons (11-1) collected 430 of a possible 448 points and 14-of-29 first place votes in securing the top position. Tulsa clinched a playoff spot this past week with a 58-52 road win against Rio Grande Valley. It was the Talons' ninth straight postseason appearance, the most of any active team. Tulsa, one of three original af2 member teams, has qualified for the playoffs every season of the team's existence. The Spokane Shock (11-1, 427 points, 11 first place votes) slipped back one spot to the No. 2 position this week after suffering their first loss of 2008, 57-55, at home to the No. 6-ranked South Georgia Wildcats. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (10-2, 391 points, 4 first place votes) held firm at No. 3 as the team scored an impressive, 69-40, Week 13 home victory against Manchester. With the win the Pioneers clinched their second straight East Division title and secured their fifth straight trip to the postseason. Green Bay also qualified for the playoffs in Week 13 and maintained its place in the poll at No. 4 on the strength of 69-27 home win against Mahoning Valley. The Blizzard (9-3, 342 points) have won four consecutive contests. The Florida Firecats (8-3, 315 points), who enjoyed a bye in Week 13, held onto the No. 5 spot in the poll. The team returns to action in Week 14 when they host No. 3 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

THREE MORE TEAMS CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOTS IN WEEK 13: The Green Bay Blizzard, Tulsa Talons and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers all clinched playoff berths with wins in Week 13. There are currently four teams that have secured a spot in the postseason after Spokane qualified officially in Week 12. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's 69-40 Week 13 home victory against Manchester also earned the Pioneers their second straight East Division title.

GILLIAM "PICKS" UP ARENA GAME QUICKLY: Spokane rookie DB SERGIO GILLIAM (6-2, 195, Clemson), who broke the Shock team record for most interceptions in a season in Week 10 with his 11th of the year, snatched another in the team's Week 12 road win at Tri-Cities. The rookie from Clemson now has a league-leading 14 interceptions on the season. Former Tennessee Valley Viper standout KELLY SNELL set the current league standard for most interceptions in a season with 15 in 2003. Snell is the current defensive coordinator for the Arkansas Twisters.

DOWN TO NONE: Entering Week 13 of the season, there was only one team that remained undefeated - the Spokane Shock (11-0). The Shock, however, lost at home to the South Georgia Wildcats, 57-55, last Saturday night at Spokane Arena. Spokane's run of 11 consecutive wins is the fourth best season start in af2 history. Below is a chart detailing the best starts in af2 history.

TEAM START SEASON

Quad City 16-0 2000

Tennessee Valley 14-0 2003

W-B/Scranton 13-0 2007

Spokane 11-0 2008

Of the top three starts in af2 history, however, only one team finished strong as well. The Quad City Steamwheelers ran the table in the league's inaugural 2000 season and won all 16 regular season games and three playoff games, culminating with an ArenaCup Championship. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton came close a year ago, losing in the title game to Tulsa, 73-66.

RANSOM, ROBINSON, FORBES AND WILLIAMS EARN WEEK 13 HONORS: Tulsa fullback/linebacker JAMAR RANSOM, Lubbock wide receiver ALVANCE ROBINSON and Louisville defensive back MATT FORBES have been named the JLS Ironman, Schutt Offensive Player and ADT Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 13 of the 2008 season. In addition to these three awards, the Cutters Catch of the Week Award for Week 13 goes to Bossier-Shreveport wide receiver KENNETH R. WILLIAMS.

Ransom (6-0, 230, Oklahoma State) had a strong all-around effort for Tulsa in the team's 58-52 road win at Rio Grande Valley. The third-year veteran from Oklahoma State was an impact player on defense to help the Talons clinch their ninth straight postseason appearance, the most of any active team. Tulsa, one of three original af2 member teams, has qualified for the playoffs every season of the team's existence. Ransom registered 7.5 tackles (6 solo, 3 asst), including a half a tackle for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. He also recorded his fifth rushing touchdown of the season (2-yard TD run) early in the second quarter. This is the first weekly af2 award of Ransom's career. He currently leads the team in tackles (71 - 4th in af2) and fumble recoveries (4). He also ranks second in rushing touchdowns (5) and third in tackles for loss (5). Robinson (5-9, 170, Alabama State), in his second af2 season, had an impressive individual showing for Lubbock during the team's 60-49 Week 13 home win against Amarillo. The Alabama State alum had 12 catches for 211 yards and five touchdowns. Robinson's receiving yards and receiving touchdown totals were both Week 13 highs. This is the second time in 2008 that Robinson has recorded over 200 yards receiving in a single game and the third time in his af2 career. He also contributed 35 yards in kick returns to finish with 246 all-purpose yards. He currently leads the league in yards per catch (18.1) and also leads the Renegades in receptions (65), receiving yards (1,175 - 6th in af2), receiving touchdowns (23), total touchdowns (24) and scoring (144 points). This is the second weekly league honor of Robinson's career. He also received a Cutters Catch of the Week Award in 2007 (Week 3). Forbes (5-10, 185, William Penn), in his sixth af2 season, was an impact player on defense in Louisville's 54-50 come-from-behind home victory against the Lexington Horsemen. The former William Penn standout helped the Fire complete the three-game season series sweep of their I-64 rivals. Forbes made quite an impression with 2.5 tackles, a game-high three pass breakups and the game-clinching interception on the final play. He also had a 53-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown as time expired in the first half to give Louisville a 26-21 halftime lead. This is the fourth league defensive player of the week award of Forbes' career. He received the honor twice in 2005 (Weeks 3 & 4) and once in 2004 (Week 5). He currently leads the Fire with a career-high 12 interceptions, a total which ranks him tied for second in the league. Forbes also leads the team in pass breakups (15) and is second on the squad in tackles with 40. He is also the league's all-time leader in career interceptions with 45. Williams (6-4, 225, Oklahoma State) is the Week 13 recipient of the Cutters Catch of the Week Award, a weekly honor that emerged in 2006 to highlight the player who makes the best catch of the week. Williams' catch was a 37-yard touchdown stab with 2:39 left to play in the fourth quarter of Bossier-Shreveport's 67-50 road win at Oklahoma City. The rookie from Oklahoma State jumped over an Oklahoma City defender to pull down the deep pass from QB Gary Cooper. The connection gave the BattleWings a 10-point lead late in the game, 54-44. Williams also caught the final touchdown of the game with :33 seconds left and finished with five catches for 68 yards and three scores. This is the first af2 weekly honor of his career. In eight games played this season, Williams is currently third on the team in receptions (28) and receiving touchdowns (10).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE: This season the af2 continues to maintain its strong international development program, which began in 2003. Currently the league has international athletes from 15 countries on team rosters. This past week (Week 13), 17 international players saw action around the league and six players started for their respective teams (excluding kickers). Two players who stood out from the af2's international talent pool from Week 13 included Green Bay DB EDWARD KWAKU (Nigeria) and Spokane FB/LB LEE FOLIAKI (Tonga). Kwaku recorded 3.5 total tackles (2 solo, 3 asst), three pass breakups and one interception in the team's home win against Mahoning Valley. Foliaki contributed 1.5 total tackles (1 solo, 1 asst) and caught a 3-yard touchdown pass in the Shock's 57-55 home win to South Georgia.

INGOLD & BILETNIKOFF, JR. REACH COACHING MILESTONES: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Head Coach RICH INGOLD and Central Valley Head Coach FRED BILETNIKOFF, JR. both reached milestones in Week 13. Ingold, already the league's all-time leader in career coaching wins, earned his 70th victory in less than 100 games (70-29 overall; .707) as the Pioneers defeated Manchester, 69-40, last Saturday. Ingold and the Pioneers also clinched their second straight East Division title and the team's fifth straight playoff berth. Biletnikoff, Jr. became the 14th coach in league history to reach 40 career coaching victories with the Coyotes' 61-48 home win against Austin on Saturday. His career record currently stands at 40-29 overall (.580), including playoffs. KEVIN BOUIS, in his fourth season as head coach of the Florida Firecats, is currently two wins shy of becoming the eighth coach in af2 history to reach 50 career coaching victories. He currently ranks eighth on the league's all-time win list with 48 career victories. Arkansas' CHRIS SIEGFRIED earned his 65th career victory this past week when the Twisters earned a 51-28 road win at Tri-Cities. Austin's BEN BENNETT (62) became the third coach in league history to reach 60 wins with the Wranglers' 66-56 home victory against Amarillo in Week 10. Below is a breakdown of the leaders in career af2 coaching wins.

TOP ALL-TIME COACHING VICTORIES

NAME WINS

1. Rich Ingold* 70

2. Chris Siegfried* 65

3. Ben Bennett* 62

4. Danton Barto* 54

Tommy Johnson* 54

6. Kevin Guy 52

7. Bobby Humphrey 51

8. Kevin Bouis* 48

* denotes active coaches

2007 af2 SPALDING ROOKIE OF THE YEAR JOINS HORSEMEN: DB CHRIS ROYAL, the 2007 Spalding Rookie of the Year, returned to the af2 last week after being assigned to the Lexington Horsemen. The 5-10, 205-pound product from Marshall had a tremendous rookie campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2007. Royal tied for the league lead in interceptions with 14, finished second in pass breakups with 43 and came in third in the af2 in tackles with 117 (111 UA, 12 A). Royal also led the league in interception return yards (185) and tied for the top spot in interception return TDs (3). The playmaking defender also recorded three tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 16 games played. Royal continued his strong play in the 2007 ArenaCup playoffs, finishing with a team-high 34.5 tackles, two interceptions and five pass breakups in four contests. Royal recorded 3.5 total tackles (2 solo, 3 asst) and one pass breakup in his first action for the Horsemen on Monday night at Louisville.

af2's ALL-TIME INTERCEPTION LEADER SETS NEW RECORD: Veteran DB MATT FORBES, in his second year with the Louisville Fire and his sixth af2 campaign overall, set a new career high for interceptions in a season in the team's Week 10 road win at rival Lexington. Forbes had two picks against the Horsemen to up his season total to 10 overall. His previous season best for interceptions was nine which he set in back-to-back seasons (2004-05) as a member of the Quad City Steamwheelers. The former William Penn standout recorded his 12th interception in another win against Lexington in Week 13 and now has an all-time league high total of 45 for his career.

TALONS, PIONEERS CONTINUE IMPRESSIVE HOME STREAKS: The Tulsa Talons saw their team record for consecutive wins (16) come to an end in Week 10 with a 52-45 road loss at Bossier-Shreveport. The Talons run of 16 consecutive victories is the third longest in af2 history. Despite Tulsa's overall win steak coming to a close, the Talons have an impressive home win streak still in tact. With a 70-40 win against Lubbock in Week 11, Tulsa set a new team record for most consecutive home victories with 12. The Talons won again in Week 12 to run their streak to 13 wins in a row at the Tulsa Convention Center. The streak includes the first seven games of 2008 and the last six in 2007.

As impressive as Tulsa's current home streak is, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has been even better at Wachovia Arena, winning 18 straight games dating back to 2006. The Pioneers current home win streak is the second longest in league history. The last time Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lost a home game was on July 8, 2006 when the Florida Firecats edged the Pioneers, 56-51. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's next opportunity to extend its current home win streak is in Week 16 when the Pioneers host Peoria on Saturday, July 12. Below is a chart detailing the most impressive win streaks in league history.

Most Consecutive Games Won, Regular Season & Playoffs

24 Quad City, 19 games in 2000; 5 games in 2001

17 Quad City, 13 games in 2001; 4 games in 2002

16 Tulsa, 8 games in 2007, 8 games in 2008

14 Rio Grande Valley, 14 games in 2007

14 Quad City, 14 games in 2003

14 Tennessee Valley, 14 games in 2003

13 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 13 games in 2007

Most Consecutive Home Games Won, Regular Season & Playoffs

25 Quad City, 11 games in 2000; 11 games in 2001; 3 games in 2002

18 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 1 game in 2006, 11 games in 2007, 6 games in 2008*

16 Richmond, 3 games in 2000; 9 games in 2001; 4 games in 2002

13 Tulsa, 6 games in 2007, 7 games in 2008*

11 Tulsa, 11 games in 2003

11 Birmingham, 6 games in 2001; 5 games in 2002

11 Albany, 3 games in 20002, 8 games in 2003

11 Green Bay, 2 games in 2006, 9 games in 2007

* Still active

FIRE SWEEP I-64 SEASON SERIES OVER LEXINGTON: The Louisville Fire topped the Lexington Horsemen, 54-50, Monday night at Freedom Hall to complete the three-game season series sweep of their I-64 rivals. The outcome places both squads at 7-5 overall and Louisville and Lexington are tied for second place in the Midwest Division. Louisville led the contest by 11 points (32-21) in the third quarter before three straight Lexington scores put the Horsemen in front by 11 (43-32) early in the fourth quarter. With the Fire still trailing by 10 points (50-40) late in the game, backup QB MATT BASSUENER put up a 18-yard pass to WR LONNELL DEWALT for his third score of the game, once again bringing Louisville within three points. A last minute fumble recovery by LB JEROME JONES gave the Fire a chance to take the lead. With 16 seconds to play Bassuener connected with WR TYMERE ZIMMERMAN for the game-winning score. DB MATT FORBES ended Lexington's last chance for a touchdown with an interception at the front of the end zone as time expired. Bassuener finished the game 9-of-12 with four TDs and 116 yards passing. Forbes contributed 2.5 tackles, a game-high three pass breakups and also had a 53-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown as time expired in the first half that gave Louisville a 26-21 halftime advantage. Lexington QB EDDIE EVISTON finished 22-of-36 passing for 285 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. WR CHAD SPENCER was Eviston's top target with 10 catches for 132 yards and three TDs. QB DANNY SOUTHWICK started the game for the Fire and completed 13-of-21 passes for 151 yards with three TDs. Dewalt caught three touchdowns to lead Louisville's receiving corps (5-99).

HUNT CLOSING IN ON 1,000-POINT PLATEAU: Oklahoma City WR/DB AL HUNT had three touchdowns (2 - receiving, 1 - rushing) in Week 13 to move to within 14 points of becoming just the third player in af2 history to reach 1,000 points for his career. Hunt currently ranks third on the league's all-time scoring list with 986 points. WR GEORGE WILLIAMS, who earlier this season played with the Boise Burn, is the af2's all-time scoring leader with 1,084 career points. Former Florida WR MAGIC BENTON ranks second overall with 1,020 points. Iowa WR/LB KEVIN WILLIAMS (958 points) and JARRAIL JACKSON (914 points) round out the Top-5 on the all-time scoring chart. J.R. THOMAS reached the 800-point mark in a Week 8 road loss at Spokane. Below is a breakdown of the leading scorers in af2 history:

MOST POINTS SCORED, NON-KICKING, CAREER

PTS PLAYER YEARS PLAYED

1,084 George Williams 2001, 2003-present

1,020 Magic Benton 2001-2007

986 Al Hunt* 2003-present

958 Kevin Williams 2001-present

914 Jarrail Jackson* 2000-01, 2005-present

882 Jack Walker, Jr.* 2002-03, 2005-present

858 J.R. Thomas* 2004-present

* Active in 2008

WILLIAMS BREAKS ALL-TIME TD RECORD: In addition to breaking the league's all-time scoring record in Week 6, WR GEORGE WILLIAMS also set a new all-time league touchdown mark with 171 career scores. His current total is 179 total touchdowns. Former Florida WR MAGIC BENTON was the former af2 leader with 167 career touchdowns. Benton is also the career leader in receiving touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards. Magic still holds the career records for receiving touchdowns, receiving yards and receptions.

Most Touchdowns, Career

179 George Williams

167 Magic Benton

163 Al Hunt*

157 Kevin Williams

151 Jarrail Jackson*

* Active in 2008

Most Receiving Touchdowns, Career

165 Magic Benton

144 George Williams

142 Al Hunt*

137 Jack Walker Jr.*

136 J.R. Thomas*

* Active in 2008

Most Receiving Yards, Career

7789 Magic Benton

6588 George Williams

6302 Al Hunt*

6276 J.R. Thomas*

6210 Tim Dodge*

6013 Jarrail Jackson*

* Active in 2008

Most Pass Receptions, Career

584 Magic Benton

500 Jack Walker, Jr.*

476 George Williams

475 Jarrail Jackson*

465 J.R. Thomas*

454 Al Hunt*

452 Tim Dodge*

* Active in 2008

VETERAN PASSERS TAKE AIM AT ALL-TIME MARKS: When Craig Strickland retired after the 2006 season, many of his league passing records seemed unattainable. This season, however, Florida's CHRIS WALLACE has the potential to move into the top spot of three all-time passing categories: yards, touchdowns and completions. With 218 yards passing in a Week 8 loss at Tennessee Valley, Wallace became just the second player in af2 history to reach 20,000 career passing yards. His current total now stands at 20,960. Below is a breakdown of the leaders in each category.

Most Touchdown Passes, Career

481 Craig Strickland

464 Chris Wallace*

370 Ryan Vena*

360 Matt Sauk

334 Chad Elliott

299 Josh Kellett

* Active in 2008

Most Passes Completed, Career

1736 Craig Strickland

1689 Chris Wallace*

1625 Chad Elliott

1523 Ryan Vena*

1494 Matt Sauk

1262 Josh Kellett

* Active in 2008

Most Passing Yards, Career

22688 Craig Strickland

20960 Chris Wallace*

18415 Chad Elliott

18408 Ryan Vena*

15262 Josh Kellett

* Active in 2008

MOTEN NAMED AFL ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: This week Philadelphia Soul DB EDDIE MOTEN, a former af2 standout, was named ADT Defensive Player of the Week for Week 17 of the 2008 AFL season. Before becoming a household name in the AFL, Moten began his Arena Football career in 2004 with the af2's Rio Grande Valley Dorados. That season he finished with 47.5 tackles and 18 pass break ups and was named First Team All-af2 and the Dorados' Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Last week Moten (5-10, 185, Texas A&M - Kingsville) registered two tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble as the Philadelphia Soul (13-3) defeated the New York Dragons (8-8), 59-30. On a second-and-goal play in the third quarter, Moten intercepted Wood in the end zone and returned it 52 yards for the Soul's second defensive touchdown of the game. Moten forced three of New York's five turnovers as Philadelphia held New York to a season-low 30 points.

MACPHERSON AND MORGAN EARN AFL PLAYER OF THE MONTH HONORS: Grand Rapids Rampage QB JAMES MACPHERSON (af2 Green Bay - 2006) and Chicago Rush WR DONOVAN MORGAN (af2 Tulsa - 2005, 2007) have been named AFL Offensive Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month, respectively, for the month of June. Both players are former af2 standouts who had a string of strong performances during the final month of the 2008 AFL regular season. MacPherson (6-2, 200, Wake Forest) led all AFL quarterbacks in passing yards (930), completion percentage (73.8) and total touchdowns (26) to lead Grand Rapids (6-10) to a 2-1 record in June. MacPherson's best performance came in Week 15 when he completed 35-of-43 passes for a Week 15-high 385 yards and accounted for a League-best 11 touchdowns (10 - passing, 1 - rushing) as Grand Rapids defeated the Colorado Crush 84-65. The Rampage travel to US Airways Center to face the Arizona Rattlers (8-8) on Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Monday, June 30 at 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2 HD, ESPN360.com, SIRIUS Radio - Channel 127). Morgan (6-2, 195, LA-Lafayette) led all rookies in receptions (32), receiving yards (353), touchdowns (8) and scoring (48) over the course of three games during the month of June. Morgan's best performance came in Week 16 as he recorded 12 receptions for 127 yards with three receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in a 50-47 loss to Georgia. The Rush (11-5) will host a Divisional Round matchup on Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Sunday, July 6 at 3 p.m. ET (ESPN, SIRIUS Radio - Channel 127).

EIGHT FORMER af2 PLAYERS NAMED ALL-ARENA: Eight (8) former af2 players who have moved up to the Arena Football League have been recognized for their stellar individual efforts this season by being named to the 2008 All-Arena First and Second Teams. Six former players earned First Team recognition and two earned a spot on the Second Team. Leading the group of six af2 alumni named to the 2008 All-Arena First Team is Philadelphia Soul QB MATT D'ORAZIO. The veteran signal caller, now in his sixth AFL season (first with Philadelphia), earned his first All-Arena selection after leading the AFL in passer rating (131.3) and guiding the Soul to the top seed in the National Conference and best record in the AFL (13-3). Before becoming a household name in the AFL, D'Orazio got his Arena Football start in the af2 with the Rochester Brigade in 2002. In 16 games (all starts) with the Brigade that season, D'Orazio completed 324-of-522 passes for 3,372 yards, 51 touchdowns (13 interceptions) and an additional 20 rushing scores. Former Rio Grande Valley standout DB EDDIE MOTEN highlights the pair of former af2 athletes who earned All-Arena Second Team honors in 2008. This year he led Philadelphia in tackles with 93.5 (83 solo, 21 asst) and in interceptions with six. Moten began his Arena Football career in 2004 with the Dorados of the af2. That season he finished with 47.5 tackles and 18 pass break ups and was named First Team All-af2 and the Dorados' Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. He signed with the Soul in 2005 and is currently in his fourth year with the team.

The following is the eight (8) members of the 2008 AFL All-Arena First and Second Teams that boast af2 experience.

2008 ALL-ARENA FIRST TEAM

POS PLAYER AFL TEAM FORMER af2 TEAM(S)

QB Matt D'Orazio Philadelphia Rochester 2002, Mohegan 2003

C Will Rabatin Columbus Louisville 2006

ML Steve Watson San Jose Arkansas 2005-06

DB Dennison Robinson Chicago Quad City 2001

DB Marquis Floyd San Jose Tenn. Valley 2004, Rio Gra. Valley 2005

K A.J. Haglund San Jose Oklahoma City 2005-06

2008 ALL-ARENA SECOND TEAM

POS PLAYER AFL TEAM FORMER af2 TEAM(S)

WR Kenny Higgins Grand Rapids Memphis 2006

DB Eddie Moten Philadelphia Rio Grande Valley 2004

NINE af2 ALUMS NAMED TO AFL ALL-ROOKIE TEAM: Nine (9) former af2 players who have moved up to the Arena Football League have been recognized for their stellar individual efforts in their first AFL season. The group of af2 alumni named to the 2008 AFL All-Rookie Team is highlighted by Chicago Rush WR DONOVAN MORGAN, who played two seasons (2005, 2007) in Tulsa and earned af2 Rookie of the Year honors in 2005. Morgan led all AFL rookies this season in receptions (113), receiving yards (1,300) and first downs (78). He also led the Rush in those categories in addition to sharing the team lead in total touchdowns (25; 24 - receiving, 1 - rushing) with long-time League standout DAMIAN HARRELL. Morgan's play helped pace Chicago to an 11-5 regular season record, a Central Division title and a bye in the first round of the 2008 AFL playoffs. Last year in just six games with the Talons, Morgan caught 48 passes for 512 yards and 13 TDs before leaving to play with the Buffalo Bills. In 2005, the New Orleans, La. native caught 121 passes for 1,687 yards and 54 touchdowns with Tulsa before signing with the Houston Texans and seeing action in three games. Other former af2 players who have been especially impressive in their first AFL seasons include Georgia Force WR TIGER JONES (led all rookies in scoring - 30 TDs, 180 points), New York Dragons DB LEVY BROWN (led all rookies in tackles - 93.5 and passes defensed - 13) and Grand Rapids WR/DB CHRIS MARTIN. Martin recorded 85.0 tackles, five passes defensed, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions on defense while setting the single-season rookie kickoff return record in returns (82) and yards (1,663). Jones (Louisville 2007 - All-af2 Second Team) and Brown (Florida 2006-07 - 2007 af2 Defensive Player of the Year) both played in the af2 last season while Martin spent the past three years in the Canadian Football League (Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 2004-06) after playing two seasons in the af2 (Peoria 2003, Green Bay 2004).

The following is the nine (9) members of the 2008 AFL All-Rookie Team that boast af2 experience.

POS PLAYER AFL TEAM FORMER af2 TEAM(S)

QB D. Bryant Kansas City Albany 2004-05, Manchester 2006, S. Georgia 2007

FB Odie Armstrong Orlando Tulsa 2007

C Beau Elliott Chicago Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2006-07

WR Tiger Jones Georgia Louisville 2007

WR Donovan Morgan Chicago Tulsa 2005, 2007

DL Farouk Adelekan New York Tennessee Valley 2006-07

DL Maurice Fountain Utah Manchester 2007

DB Levy Brown New York Florida 2006-07

DB Chris Martin Grand Rapids Peoria 2003, Green Bay 2004

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS FOR WEEK 14

American Conference

Florida can clinch a playoff spot with a win and a Manchester loss

National Conference

Spokane can clinch the West Division with a win over Central Valley

Tulsa can clinch the Central Division with a win and a loss by Arkansas

IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY - af2 PLAYOFF PICTURE: Sixteen teams qualify for the playoffs, eight from each conference (American and National). The eight qualifying teams in each conference consist of the three division champions and five Wild Cards, determined by best overall record. Seeding in each conference is based on overall record, with the top three seeds in each conference reserved for the division champions, regardless of record. In the First Round (August 1-3), the first three seeds in each conference are the three division winners. The next five teams are seeded by next best five overall records. Teams ranked 1-4 earn home playoff games with 1 hosting 8, 2 hosting 7, 3 hosting 6 and 4 hosting 5. In the Second Round (August 8-10), the winner of the 1-8 game plays the winner of the 4-5 game. The winner of the 2-7 game plays the winner of the 3-6 game. The home team is decided by the team with the higher seed. The winners of the Second Round will meet for the Conference Championships on the weekend of August 15-17. The team with the better overall record hosts the Conference Championship game. The winners of the Conference Championships face off in the 2008 ArenaCup on the weekend of August 22-24 at the venue of the participating team with the best overall record.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

1. W-B/Scranton (10-2) - xy - Current East Division Leader

2. Green Bay (9-3) - y - Current Midwest Division Leader

3. Florida (8-3) - Current South Division Leader

4. Tennessee Valley (8-4) - Owns point differential advantage in HTH games with SGW (120-110)

5. South Georgia (8-4)

6. Louisville (7-5) - Owns HTH advantage over LEX

7. Lexington (7-5)

8. Quad City (6-6)

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9. Manchester (5-7)

10. Peoria (4-8) - Owns better win % in common games over ALB and IAB (LEX)

11. Albany (4-8) - Owns better win % in common games over IAB (LEX, PEP)

12. Iowa (4-8)

13. Daytona Beach (2-10) - Owns better win % in common games over MVT (ALB, LEX, MAN, WBS)

14. Mahoning Valley (2-10)

NATIONAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS

1. Tulsa (11-1) - y - Current Central Division Leader - Owns SOS advantage over SPK (.465/.462)

2. Spokane (11-1) - y - Current West Division Leader

3. Austin (6-6) - Current Southwest Division Leader - Owns better win % in HTH meetings with BSB and CCS

4. Arkansas (8-4) - Owns point differential advantage in HTH games with LUB (118-89)

5. Lubbock (8-4)

6. Central Valley (7-4)

7. Bossier-Shreveport (6-6) - Owns HTH advantage over CCS; BSB and CCS own better win % in common games over BOI (OKC, TEX)

8. Corpus Christi (6-6) - Owns better win % in common games over BOI (DBT, OKC, TEX)

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9. Boise (6-6)

10. Amarillo (5-7)

11. Tri-Cities (4-8) - Owns better win % in common games over RGV (BSB, CVC)

12. Rio Grande Valley (4-8)

13. Oklahoma City (3-9)

14. Stockton (2-10) - Owns SOS advantage over TEX

15. Texas (2-10)

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