Preds knock off New York

Sunday June 10, 2007

LONG ISLAND, NY --  How strange was Orlando’s 75-54 win over New York on Saturday night?  Consider the following…Orlando had a touchdown taken off the board after the extra point was kicked.  A blocked field goal was followed by an interception for a touchdown.  A kickoff was then returned for a touchdown, two kickoffs were recovered off the net and a 56-yard kickoff return was headed for a touchdown until Rayshun Reed stripped the ball and recovered in the end zone for a touchback.  Oh, all that happened in the first 17 minutes of the game.
 
“It was as strange a game as I ever saw,”  Gruden said.  “Especially the touchdown coming off the board.  In all honesty it was the right call by the official but it was a mistake that was fixed after an extra point.  We had a similar situation last week that wasn’t fixed so doesn’t always seem fair.”
 
Still the Predators won an eighth game of the season, earned a spot in the playoffs and extended their consecutive string of playoff appearances to 16 – the longest consecutive active streak in American professional sports.
 
It was a record setting time for Orlando, whose 75 points scored was the most ever by a Predators team.  Shane Stafford completed 18 of 31 for 231 yards to get to 3,760 passing yards on the season – the most in club history.  Strafford’s four touchdown passes gave him 67 on the season – one shy of Jay Gruden’s club record of 68 set in 2002,   Greg White added to AFL season record for sacks, picking up his 15th of the season.
 
There was still cause for concern though with Gruden, despite the 25-point lead.  Orlando gave up 279 yards passing to Rohan Davey and were repeatedly burned on long pass plays – many coming on third and fourth down.  In addition, the Predators allowed a season-high 260 yards on kickoff returns and a season-high 575 all-purpose yards.
 
“Until the final minute, I was never comfortable in this game,”  Gruden added.  “But the bottom line is that we won, we’re now in the playoffs and we are in position to host a first round game.  I love the fight in this team, we just need to cut down on the mental mistakes.”
 
The Dragons took a 6-0 lead in one of the most bizarre series of plays in league history.   Greg White apparently sacked and forced a fumble from Dragons QB Rohan Davey.  Marlon Moye-Moore scooped it up and returned it 42-yards for a touchdown.  After the PAT by Jay Taylor, officials decided to rule the play an incomplete pass.  White then blocked a field goal attempt, only to see Shane Stafford’s first pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Will Holder.
 
Orlando regained the lead on the very next play as Carter Whaley’s kickoff was scooped by Ron Johnson and returned 40 yards for a touchdown.  On the ensuing kickoff, DaShane Dennis appeared headed for the end zone on a 58-yard kickoff return for touchdown, only to see Rayhsun Reed strip him of the ball at the 2-yard line.  Reed then recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchback.
 
Things started to return to normalcy on the next drive.  Stafford led the Predators on an 8-play, 45-yard drive capped off by a 9-yard TD pass to Johnson for a 14-6 lead at the 3:52 mark of the first.
 
The strange play continued on the next play when Taylor’s kickoff bounced off the right inside upright and bounded out to the five-yard line.  Four players converged on the ball, which bounded to the left, where LeVon Thomas recovered and ran in for a touchdown and a 21-6 lead.
 
On the Dragons next possession, Davey led the Dragons on a 27-yard touchdown drive capped off by Jason Willis sensational 15-yard diving grab in the left corner of the end zone.
 
It took the Predators and Stafford just two plays to make it a 28-12 game.  Stafford hit Johnson on a 17-yard screen on the last play of the first quarter before going deep to Javarus Dudley on a 28-yard bomb on the first play of the second quarter to give the Predators a 16-point lead at the 14:10 mark of the period.
 
Orlando would then get their second net recovery of the game on a kickoff and Kevin Nagle would cap off a short 7-yard touchdown drive with a 4-yard run as Orlando made it a 35-12 game at the 12:32 mark.
 
New York cut back in the lead at the 10:09 mark.   Davey hit Kevin Swayne on a 4-yard touchdown pass to but the lead to 35-19.   The touchdown was set up by a 30-yard kickoff return by DaShane Dennis.
 
Orlando answered with a 40-yard drive of their own.  Nagle scored on a 4-yard run to make it 42-19.  The Dragons would then run out the final six minutes of the first half, only to come up empty when Davey’s pass on fourth and goal was broken up by Moye-Moore.   On the drive, White did pick up his 15th quarterback sack of the season and a forced fumble.
 
Orlando added to their lead on the first possession of the third quarter as Taylor capped a 35=yard drive with a 21-yard field goal to make it 45-19 at the 9:48 mark of the third quarter.
 
But the Dragons needed just one play to cut the lead to 45-25 when Davey hit Swayne in stride for a 44-yard touchdown.  A lengthy Predators drive again stalled inside the 10-yard line and Taylor once again converted on a field goal attempt – this time from 20 yards to push the lead back to 23 at 48-25.
 
The Dragons cut the lead to 48-32 on the final play of the third quarter on a 1-yard run by Ja’Mar Toombs.  The play was set up by a 29-yard completion to Mike Horacek from Davey.
 
Stafford then put Orlando back to a 23 point lead, hitting Jimmy Fryzel on a 8-yard touchdown pass.  The drive, which game Orlando a 55-32 lead, was kept alive by a roughing the passer penalty on a third and 10 play.
 
New York would then cut the lead to 15 at 55-40 on Willis’ 6-yard touchdown reception and two-point conversion pass at the 6:37 mark of the third period.   Following a failed on-sides kick, Stafford went up top on the first play and hit Dudley down the right sideline for a 37-yard touchdown and a 62-40 lead.
 
Toombs scored on short two-yard run that was set up by a 46-yard bomb from Davey to Willis.