SaberCats rumble with new-look Rampage
Andy Lopusnak
Monday March 10, 2008
SABERCATS LAST WEEK
Against the Rush, the SaberCats turned the ball over five times; the most by San Jose since 1999. Four of the giveaways were in the second half and turned a relatively close game into a rout. Quarterback Mark Grieb tossed three interceptions, was sacked three times and fumbled three times (although only one was lost). He did pass for 353 yards, the most of any passer in the league for Week One. The last time Grieb threw three picks, at New Orleans last year, the SaberCats turned around their 3-3 record on the season by winning their next 13 games. Defensively, the SaberCats had two takeaways and forced a 33-yard missed field goal. Three defensive stops usually translate into a win with the SaberCats, but not after five giveaways.
SABERCATS-RAMPAGE SERIES HISTORY
This marks the tenth time these two teams will play each other and just the fourth game played in Grand Rapids. San Jose leads the series 8-1 with Grand Rapids’ lone win coming in 2006. The home team has won the last five games.
|
YEAR |
FINAL SCORE |
|
2007 |
SAN JOSE 59, Grand Rapids 44 |
|
2006 |
GRAND RAPIDS 66, San Jose 52 |
|
2005 |
SAN JOSE 72, Grand Rapids 48 |
|
2004 |
SAN JOSE 62, Grand Rapids 31 |
|
2003 |
SAN JOSE 56, Grand Rapids 55 |
|
2000 |
San Jose 53, GRAND RAPIDS 32 |
|
2000 |
SAN JOSE 68, Grand Rapids 45 |
|
1999 |
San Jose 54, GRAND RAPIDS 53 |
|
1998 |
SAN JOSE 49, Grand Rapids 20 |
SABERCATS-RAMPAGE SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
- WR/DB Cleannord Saintil scored four touchdowns in the last matchup (2007) on seven catches for 116 yards. He saw little field time in 2007 but was forced into action due to an injury to Ben Nelson.
- In the Rampage’s lone win (2006), Grand Rapids WR/DB Timon Marshall had 262 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, including a 58-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
- DS Marquis Floyd had a 51-yard interception return for touchdown in the 2006 loss.
- OS Rashied Davis posted 341 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns in 2005, including two kickoff returns for touchdowns.
- In 2003, Mark Grieb hit WR/LB James Roe on a nine-yard TD with four seconds left and then Grieb ran in the two-point conversion to beat Grand Rapids 56-55. Rampage kicker Brian Gowins missed a 53-yard attempt as time expired.
- Grieb has thrown at least five TDs in all seven contests he’s played against Grand Rapids, including nine TDs in 2005. Overall, he has 1,825 yards, 43 TDs and just four interceptions.
- Kicker Carlos Huerta hit a game-winning 36-yard field goal at the buzzer in the 54-53 win in 1999. Grand Rapids led 13-0 and 26-14 at halftime. It was the first career win for Darren Arbet.
- San Jose held Grand Rapids scoreless in the second half and forced six field goal attempts in the first matchup in 1998.
SABERCATS-RAMPAGE GAME PREVIEW
Like last week, the SaberCats face a team infused with new faces. This week it’s a bigger challenge because the Rampage boasts brand new players and coaches, while the Rush only had new players. The SaberCats coaches will be watching hours and hours of video from many AFL and af2 teams to prepare for the Rampage. Grand Rapids Week One bye won’t be benefiting the SaberCats either.
With that in mind, this article will be a bit longer and more intense than standard game previews this season. Here’s an outlook on the Rampage’s upcoming season and what, according to the past performance of coaches and players, you might see against the SaberCats.
RAMPAGE COACHING
Thonn is arguably one of top offensive-play callers in the game today. He’s mentored the game’s all-time touchdown leader (Dolezel) and the league’s single-season touchdown leader (Georgia QB Chris Greisen). His offenses have been among the league’s leaders in total offense, passing yards and total points since he began running offenses in 1995 with the Connecticut Coyotes.
When he became a head coach, in 1998 with Houston, Thonn immediately led the ThunderBears to the playoffs but his teams were a combined 10-32 over his last three years because of poor defenses – the team gave up more points over those three seasons than any team in the league (by the way, the Rampage gave up the most points in the league last season). The question is not if the Rampage’s offense will improve from last season, it’s how good the defense will be – that’s the ultimate gauge on this game and the season for Grand Rapids, which has posted the worst record in the AFL over the past four seasons.
This will be the 13th time that a Steve Thonn offensive unit will play San Jose. In the previous twelve matchups, the SaberCats are 7-5, including 5-1 when Thonn was a head coach. Thonn’s last game as a head coach in the AFL resulted in an 80-27 thumping by San Jose in 2001 in a game where the ThunderBears turned the ball over six times. His five wins over the SaberCats have come by a combined 18 points. Overall, ten of those twelve games have been decided by five or fewer points, including the last five dating back to 2003 (Thonn is 3-2 in those five games).
Thonn is the fourth Rampage head coach to start a season; the previous three all lost their first game. Michael Trigg won his second game, beating the Iowa Barnstormers in 1998; Bob Cortese lost his first eight games before beating the Detroit Fury in 2004; and Sparky McEwen won his fourth game of the 2005 season, beating the Columbus Destroyers. McEwen was the Rampage’s coach in 2006 when Grand Rapids obtained its lone victory against San Jose.
QUARTERBACKS IN FIRST YEAR WITH THONN
Here’s a look at what quarterbacks have done in their first season as a starter under Thonn’s tutelage compared to their previous seasons. McPherson will be the tenth quarterback to start a season under Thonn. The previous nine all saw dramatic increases in completion percentage, passing yards and passing touchdowns with Thonn’s guidance.
|
PLAYER, TEAM |
WITH THONN |
PREVIOUS YEAR |
||||||
|
|
% |
YDS |
TD |
INT |
% |
YDS |
TD |
INT |
|
Adrian McPherson, GR (2008)* |
? |
? |
? |
? |
60.2 |
3,193 |
51 |
14 |
|
Chris Greisen, GEO (2007) |
74.0 |
4,851 |
117 |
12 |
73.3 |
142 |
3 |
0 |
|
Matt Nagy, GEO (2005) |
68.8 |
3,003 |
66 |
10 |
68.1 |
2,371 |
47 |
6 |
|
Glenn Gauntt, DAL (2004) |
60.3 |
2,009 |
58 |
11 |
46.7 |
182 |
4 |
3 |
|
Jim Kubiak, DAL (2003) |
69.7 |
4,762 |
97 |
17 |
62.4 |
264 |
5 |
1 |
|
Todd Hammel, HOU (2001)* |
55.8 |
2,221 |
34 |
14 |
47.6 |
181 |
2 |
1 |
|
Robert Hall, HOU (2000)* |
65.5 |
4,053 |
64 |
11 |
43.9 |
219 |
5 |
1 |
|
Clint Dolezel, HOU (1997) |
66.8 |
3,377 |
69 |
14 |
56.3 |
103 |
2 |
1 |
|
Todd Hammel, MIL (1996) |
62.3 |
3,116 |
41 |
14 |
56.7 |
2,322 |
31 |
10 |
|
Mike Hold, CONN (1995) |
49.8 |
1,488 |
20 |
12 |
51.9 |
237 |
4 |
1 |
Ron Selesky is the Rampage’s defensive coordinator this year after two seasons as the head coach of the af2’s Alabama Steeldogs. The Steeldogs defense finished twelfth out of thirty in the af2 in points allowed and second-to-last in total takeaways in 2007. With three af2 teams, his combined record was 33-31, including a 13-3 year with the Albany Conquest that earned him 2002 af2 Coach of the Year honors. Selesky also has some AFL head coaching experience. He was the head coach of the Buffalo (now Columbus) Destroyers in 2003, then the interim head coach of the Carolina Cobras for the final six games of 2004. Overall, he was a defensive coordinator against the SaberCats just once – in 2003 in San Jose’s 58-41 win over Buffalo.
Thonn’s last two offensive coordinator gigs (Dallas and Georgia) have featured two of the top defensive minds in the game calling the defense. Consequently, those two coaches have been named the AFL Coach of the Year the past three seasons – Georgia’s Doug Plank (2005, 2007) and Dallas’ Will McClay (2006). If Selesky can take the Rampage‘s defense even close to the status of Georgia or Dallas on the defensive side, then Thonn (assuming his offense is as good as promised) will be in line for the Coach of the Year trophy and the Rampage will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2003.
RAMPAGE PLAYERS TO WATCH
|
PLAYER |
2007 TEAM |
2007 NOTES |
|
DL Rahim Abdullah |
2008 AFL Rookie |
Played six years in CFL, 2 years in NFL |
|
Kicker Brian Gowins |
GR |
Led AFL in field goal attempts (30) |
|
DB William Haith |
NO |
Led VooDoo in tackles (66.5) and interceptions (four) |
|
DB Ahmad Hawkins |
NAS |
Led AFL in interceptions (13) |
|
WR Kenny Higgins |
NAS |
2007 All-Rookie Team |
|
WR Anthony Hines |
AUS, KC |
Played just ten games due to injury |
|
OL Marcus Keys |
GEO |
2007 Second Team All-Arena |
|
QB Adrian McPherson |
AUS, GR |
Led all QBs in rushing yards (360) |
|
FB Chris Ryan |
GR |
Had team-record 20 rushing TDs |
McPherson will be the Grand Rapids’ sixth different quarterback to start a season in the last six years when he goes under center against San Jose. The SaberCats got their first taste of what the 2004 AFL Rookie of the Year could do in his Rampage debut – a 69-44 San Jose win last May. McPherson led the Rampage on a touchdown drive in his only playing time. He completed both pass attempts for 13 yards and added a rush for no gain.
Hines returns to Grand Rapids after a turbulent year splitting time with Austin and Kansas City last season. McPherson and Hines were together with the Indiana Firebirds in 2004 when the duo were rookies and in Austin for two games last season. Joining Hines as targets for McPherson are Kenny Higgins and Jermaine Lewis. Higgins was selected in the dispersal draft from Nashville. The 2007 All-Rookie Team performer had 95 catches for 1,440 yards and 25 scores in 14 games with the Kats. The six-foot-four Lewis is the tallest receiver on the Rampage and in limited action last season with the Rampage he posted 23 grabs for 234 yards with two scores.
Ryan ran for a club record 20 touchdowns last season and will again be used heavily in the ground attack. He ranks seventh in league history in rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns.
Keys earned First Team All-Arena honors on the offensive line with the Georgia Force. He will be protecting McPherson’s blind spot at the left guard position. The Force offensive allowed only six sacks last season, which was third best in the league. Grand Rapids gave up 17, which was tied with San Jose for tenth. Joining Keys on the line is another former Nashville Kats player, Fitu Tu’ua, and former three-year NFL vet (but AFL rookie) Larry Turner. Tu’ua was briefly with the SaberCats in 2006 but did not play in any games.
There are no returning defensive starters for the Rampage this season, though the team did pick up last year’s leader in interceptions, defensive back Ahmad Hawkins, in the dispersal draft. The First Team All-Arena selection will bring leadership and experience to a defense that has AFL rookies starting at all three line positions and the Mack linebacker. Hawkins had 13 picks in 2007. He posted just eleven in his previous three seasons combined when he was with the Colorado Crush. Last season, he posted 6.0 stops and an interception in the Kats’ 48-34 loss to San Jose.
Aside from Hawkins, the Rampage defense has defensive back William Haith, who was the leading tackler for the expansion VooDoo last season. Haith had his best game of the season last year in the shocking 67-54 win over the eventual champs when he recorded 12.0 tackles and an interception.
KEY MATCHUPS
SaberCats receivers vs. Rampage secondary – Last week in Chicago, the SaberCats receiving trio of James Roe, Rodney Wright and Cleannord Saintil each posted at least ten grabs for at least 100 yards with a minimum of one touchdown while picking apart the Rush’s top-notch secondary. Expect Rampage DB Chris Martin to get picked on more than Haith and Hawkins, who both had solid games last season against San Jose. Martin will be making his AFL debut against the SaberCats. He was on Los Angeles’ practice squad in 2004 and played two years in the af2.
Marquis Floyd vs. the Rampage receivers –In last Monday’s loss, Floyd covered the motion man for a majority of the night thus resulting in more passes thrown his way. Eight balls went towards Floyd – five of the six completions were for at least 17 yards, including three touchdowns. The two incompletions were passes of over 20 yards. With Georgia last season, Thonn picked on Floyd more than any other defender. His quarterback, Chris Greisen, tossed for 313 yards and seven scores in the 64-62 win over San Jose.
Ron Jones vs. Marcus Keys – Jones had a sack and batted down a ball at the line in the loss last week while constantly pressuring Sherdrick Bonner. Last year when Jones faced Marcus Keys and the Georgia Force, he did not record any stats in the SaberCats’ 64-62 loss.
KEYS TO THE GAME
Avoid stupid penalties – The SaberCats were penalized five times for 36 yards. Three of the five penalties were inside the Chicago five-yard line. Dan Loney’s holding call nullified a James Roe touchdown when the score was 42-34. During the next play, DeJuan Alfonzo picked off Grieb and the rout began. Tied at 21 early in the game, the SaberCats were again inside the Rush five when Julius Gant was called for his second false start penalty inside the red zone. The team settled for a field goal. These small mistakes were just as devastating as the five turnovers. San Jose did force Chicago into nine penalties that resulted in four SaberCats first downs. Hang onto the ball – The Rush scored half of its 70 points off of the SaberCats’ five turnovers. During San Jose’s 13-game win streak, the SaberCats turned the ball over just 14 times. The SaberCats were -3 in turnover differential against Chicago and have lost their last five games with a differential of -3 or worse.
Remember you’re the Champs - On paper, the SaberCats have the advantage offensively, defensively, on special teams and coaching in this matchup. If the SaberCats hang onto the ball and limit silly penalties, San Jose should cruise to its first victory of the season.
Tonight’s SaberCats-Rampage game will be televised live in the San Francisco Bay Area on Fox Sports Bay Area (channel 40 on Comcast).
Andy Lopusnak is an 11-year AFL front office veteran, spending time with the Tampa Bay Storm, San Diego Riptide and Grand Rapids Rampage. He works as a statistician for NFL and college sports for CBS Sports and is a freelance photographer. Lopusnak received two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of South Florida and has been a fan of ArenaBall since its inception.
