Breaking it down – 2008 Week Four
Andy Lopusnak
Tuesday March 25, 2008
Four weeks down, thirteen left until the playoffs. Here are some interesting notes, stats and breakdowns from this past weekend’s AFL games.
|
WEEK FOUR RESULTS
|
|
Philadelphia 71, LOS ANGELES 34
|
|
NEW ORLEANS 63, Cleveland 24
|
|
COLUMBUS 52, Utah 49
|
|
Arizona 62, NEW YORK 33
|
|
ORLANDO 50, Georgia 45
|
|
CHICAGO 70, Colorado 35
|
|
Dallas 59, SAN JOSE 56
|
|
Grand Rapids 92, KANSAS CITY 52
|
WEEK FOUR’S EIGHT GAMES FEATURED:
- Nine touchdowns scored on returns: fumble (4), interception (1), kickoff (1), missed field goal (1) and net recovery (2).
- Three safeties.
- The road teams winning half of the eight games.
- Five blowouts of 29 or more points.
- Two players had 200 or more all-purpose yards.
- Two players with 30 or more yards rushing.
- Four quarterbacks had 300 or more yards passing.
- 16 players had 100 or more yards receiving.
THREE-POINT PLAYS
With March Madness in full swing, the AFL chipped in with two games decided by a “three pointer” or less. Columbus beat Utah 52-49 on a buzzer-beating 35-yard field goal by Mark Lewis. Dallas topped San Jose 59-56 thanks to a 45-yard boot by Remy Hamilton in the final minute. Lewis (2007) and Hamilton (2005, 2006) have been named the AFL Kicker of the Year the past three seasons.
DALLAS WINS ARENABOWL 21.5
Saturday night’s battle between AFL powers Dallas and San Jose lived up to its billing as a preview of a potential ArenaBowl XXII matchup. The Desperados were near flawless on offense, scoring on all ten possessions, including field goals at the end of each half that consisted of the game-deciding points (Remy Hamilton’s long-distance 45-yard field goal). In this score-for-score, back-and-forth game, it was defense that won it for Dallas. First, Jermaine Jones broke up a fourth-and-goal pass in the end zone on the SaberCats’ first drive. Then with a minute left in the game with Dallas up 56-49, Desperados DB Johnnie Harris stripped Cleannord Saintil at the Dallas seven-yard line that resulted in the game-deciding points – Hamilton’s 45-yard field goal. It was the only turnover that mattered. The game did have two turnovers on the same play when Mark Grieb mishandled a snap that was recovered by Dallas linebacker Duke Pettijohn, however, Pettijohn fumbled the ball and Grieb recovered it to give the ball back to San Jose. The SaberCats did not score on the possession – Jones had the break up on fourth down.
"That's Arena Football at its finest right there," Dallas Coach Will McClay told the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. "We knew it was going to be this kind of game. But we made one more right play than they did at that right time."
SOMEONE HAD TO WIN
There were four winless teams heading into this past weekend. Those four teams played each other with Columbus beating Utah on a 35-yard field goal as time expired and Grand Rapids’ 40-point win (92-52) over Kansas City. So Utah and Kansas City, the two AFL 2006 expansion teams, are the last winless teams in the league. Up next in Week Five, Utah plays struggling Georgia in what might be a very high-scoring game (since neither team has been very defensive this season), while Kansas City hosts San Jose – both Georgia and San Jose lost this week.
SCOREBOARD!!!
The Rampage’s 92 points are the second most ever in AFL history and the most by a road team. Grand Rapids joins the 2001 New York Dragons (99) and the 1997 New Jersey Red Dogs (91) as the only AFL teams to surpass the 90-point plateau. In a game all about scoring, of the previous ten teams to score at least 85 or more points in a regular season game, none of them went on to win or even appear in the ArenaBowl.
THAT BLOWS
Five of the eight games played this week were blowouts of at least 29 points or more. That’s the most games decided by 29 or more points in any single week of games in league history.
SCORELESS QUARTERS
With all the blowouts this weekend, there were five combined quarters of scoreless football by New Orleans (21-0 in the 1st, 7-0 in the 3rd), Philadelphia (23-0 in the 4th), Chicago (21-0 in the 4th) and Columbus (14-0 in the 3rd)– all four teams won. The combined score of these five quarters was 83-0.
THE JACKSON 6
Philadelphia WR Chris Jackson was a one-man show in Hollywood this week. He single-handedly outscored his former team, the Los Angeles Avengers, 36-34 thanks to six receiving touchdowns in the Soul’s 70-34 win to stay undefeated on the season. Jackson finished the game with ten grabs for 167 yards with the six scores.
“CLEAN”ING UP
San Jose WR Cleannord Saintil recorded the 55th 200-yard receiving game in league history. Last season, there were ten 200-yard receiving games recorded. From 2004-06, there were just nine total 200-yard games. Additionally, there were just 19 total such games in the league’s first 13 years.
TO QB OR NOT TO QB
Eight of the 17 AFL teams have not had the same quarterback start every game this season after just four weeks. Three teams featured new starting field generals this week – they went 2-1. Most of the QB switches came as a result of injury. Ineffective play resulted in two QBs being benched (Grand Rapids and Kansas City), while Chicago’s Sherdrick Bonner missed a game to witness the birth of his first child. The replacements have posted a record of 11-3 while the starters are a combined 8-8.
|
TEAM
|
OPENING-DAY STARTER
|
BACKUP TO START
|
DIFFERENCE
|
|
Arizona
|
Lang Campbell (1-1)
|
Jeff Smoker (1-1)
|
SAME
|
|
Chicago
|
Sherdrick Bonner (3-0)
|
Russ Michna (1-0)
|
1-0
|
|
Dallas
|
Clint Dolezel (1-0)
|
Chris Sanders (3-0)
|
3-0
|
|
Grand Rapids
|
Adrian McPherson (0-2)
|
James MacPherson (1-0)
|
1-0
|
|
Kansas City
|
John Fitzgerald (0-2)
|
Matt Kohn (0-1)
|
0-1
|
|
New Orleans
|
Steve Bellisari (0-1)
|
Danny Wimprine (3-0)
|
3-0
|
|
New York
|
Aaron Garcia (0-2)
|
Rohan Davey (1-1)
|
1-1
|
|
Philadelphia
|
Tony Graziani (3-0)
|
Matt D’Orazio (1-0)
|
1-0
|
RE-BIRTH OF A NATION
Four weeks into the 2008 season and the National Conference continues to dominate its brethren in the American Conference with a 10-3 record in 13 inter-conference matchups this season. In Week Four, the National Conference went 3-1. The lone loss was New York losing to Arizona.
DAMIAN IS DA MAN
With two receiving scores in the Rush’s dominating 70-35 win over Colorado, Damian Harrell became the league’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns passing former Albany/Indiana Firebirds offensive specialist Eddie Brown for the most TD catches in professional sports history.
MOST RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS – AFL HISTORY
|
PLAYER
|
RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
|
|
DAMIAN HARRELL, Chicago
|
304
|
|
Eddie Brown (retired)
|
303
|
|
Chris Jackson, Philadelphia
|
285
|
|
Barry Wagner (retired)
|
265
|
THE LONGEST YARD
The cliché is that “this is a game of inches” and in Orlando Friday night it certainly was. Reminiscent of Super Bowl XXXIV when an outstretch Kevin Dyson was mere inches of a possible win for the Tennessee Titans, Georgia WR Charles Pauley was inches from the end zone and a Force win, but Predators DB Nick Allison knocked him out of bounds at the goal line preserve the Orlando victory. Many thought that Pauley reached the end zone, but after the officials huddled for a few minutes they decided that he did not.
MINUTE MAN
For third straight games, Orlando QB Shane Stafford has led the Predators to game-winning situations in the final minute of play. He’s come out victorious the past two times, including this week when hit connected with Chas Gessner on a 23-yard score with 22 seconds left to beat Georgia 50-45.
For third straight games, Orlando QB Shane Stafford has led the Predators to game-winning situations in the final minute of play. He’s come out victorious the past two times, including this week when hit connected with Chas Gessner on a 23-yard score with 22 seconds left to beat Georgia 50-45.
|
GAME
|
STAFFORD ON FINAL DRIVE
|
RESULT
|
|
Week 2 at NO
|
3-of-5 for 48 yards with TD
|
26yd TD to Toliver with 0:00
|
|
Week 3 vs. UTAH
|
2-of-4 for 9 yards with TD
|
5yd TD to Toliver with 0:27 left
|
|
Week 4 vs. GEO
|
4-of-4 for 43 yards with TD
|
23yd TD to Gessner with 0:22 left
|
MR. T
What more can be said about Orlando’s T.T. Toliver? He is the only player in the league to record a 100-yard receiving game and 200-yard all-purpose game in every game this season. Toliver leads the AFL in receiving yards and all-purpose yards so far this season.
DOUBLE TAKE
In back-to-back games, New Orleans WR/KR Wendall Williams has returned a missed field goal for a touchdown on the final play of the first half. Last week, he was the first play to take a MFG to the house against Tampa Bay and this week he duplicated the feat on a 53-yard jaunt against Cleveland.
TURN THE “PAGE”
Grand Rapids Rampage head coach Steve Thonn wasted little time (two games) to switch quarterbacks from an ineffective Adrian McPherson for James MacPherson. After MacPherson’s dominating performance against Kansas City, it seems the Rampage have a new QB for the rest of the season. He completed his first eleven passes en route to a 24-of-27 performance for 307 yards with nine scores and no interceptions. This marks the fifth-straight season that Grand Rapids has made a QB change of some sort within the first three games of the season. In 2004 and 2007, the team made changes because of injuries to the starting QB. While in 2005, 2006 and now 2008, Grand Rapids made the change because of ineffective play by the opening-game starter.
|
YEAR
|
QB TO START THE SEASON
|
QB CHANGE
|
|
2008
|
Adrian McPherson (0-2)
|
Game Three – James McPherson (Win)
|
|
2007
|
Chad Salisbury (1-0)
|
Game Two – Matt Sauk (Loss)
|
|
2006
|
Jose Davis (0-2)
|
Game Three – Chad Salisbury (Win)
|
|
2005
|
Nick Browder (0-1)
|
Game Two – Michael Bishop (Loss)
|
|
2004
|
Jeff Loots (0-1)
|
Game Two - Robert Hall (Loss)
|
WEEK FOUR’S TOP STATISTICAL PREFORMANCES
|
100-YARD RECEIVERS
|
|||
|
PLAYER, TEAM
|
RECEIVING YARDS
|
RECEPTIONS
|
TOUCHDOWNS
|
|
Cleannord Saintil, SJS
|
218
|
18
|
3
|
|
Kevin Swayne, NY
|
187
|
9
|
1
|
|
Charles Pauley, GEO
|
170
|
14
|
3
|
|
Chris Jackson, PHI
|
167
|
10
|
6
|
|
T.T. Toliver, ORL
|
154
|
8
|
3
|
|
Anthony Armstrong, DAL
|
133
|
6
|
3
|
|
Huey Whittaker, UTAH
|
131
|
12
|
3
|
|
Robert Redd, CLE
|
131
|
13
|
0
|
|
Anthony Hines, GR
|
117
|
8
|
4
|
|
Willie Quinnie, COL
|
116
|
6
|
2
|
|
Jerel Myers, KC
|
114
|
8
|
2
|
|
James Jordan, NO
|
113
|
11
|
2
|
|
Kevin Ingram, LA
|
113
|
12
|
2
|
|
Trandon Harvey, ARZ
|
110
|
8
|
3
|
|
T. LaTendressee, CHI
|
108
|
10
|
1
|
|
Tyronne, Jones, NO
|
104
|
6
|
2
|
|
Kenny Higgins, GR
|
104
|
6
|
1
|
|
300-YARD PASSERS
|
|||
|
PLAYER, TEAM
|
PASSING YARDS
|
PASS TDs
|
INTERCEPTIONS
|
|
Mark Grieb, SJS
|
356
|
6
|
0
|
|
Matt D’Orazio, PHI
|
338
|
8
|
0
|
|
Rohan Davey, NY
|
334
|
3
|
1
|
|
James MacPherson, GR
|
307
|
9
|
0
|
|
30 YARDS OR MORE RUSHING
|
||
|
PLAYER, TEAM
|
RUSHING YARDS
|
RUSHING TDs
|
|
Matt Kohn, KC
|
58
|
2
|
|
Josh White, DAL
|
36
|
1
|
|
200 YARDS OR MORE ALL-PURPOSE
|
||
|
PLAYER, TEAM
|
ALL-PURPOSE
|
TOTAL TDs
|
|
Jerel Myers, KC
|
252
|
2
|
|
T.T. Toliver, ORL
|
250
|
3
|
|
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
|
|||||||
|
PLAYER, TEAM
|
TACKLES
|
INT
|
SACKS
|
FF
|
FR
|
PBU
|
DEF TD
|
|
Brian Save, PHI
|
3.0
|
0
|
2.0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
|
Mike Brown, PHI
|
3.0
|
1
|
0.0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
|
Jason Perry, ORL
|
9.5
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
Jeremy Unertl, CHI
|
5.5
|
1
|
0.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Eddie Moten, PHI
|
5.5
|
1
|
0.0
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
0
|
|
Lin-J Shell, NO
|
8.5
|
1
|
0.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Calvin Spears, NO
|
5.5
|
3
|
0.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Jermaine Jones, DAL
|
9.0
|
0
|
0.0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
|
Johnnie Harris, DAL
|
6.5
|
0
|
0.0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Chris Martin, GR
|
6.0
|
1
|
0.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Grand Rapids QB James MacPherson misfired on just three passes in the Rampage’s first win of the season, 92-52 over winless Kansas City. MacPherson completed 24-of-27 for 307 yards with nine touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating was 153.63 – the highest possible is 158.33, which he would have gotten if he passed for 31 more yards. He completed his first eleven passes in his first career AFL start.
HONORABLE MENTION: Philadelphia WR Chris Jackson caught ten passes for 167 yards with six touchdowns in his second return visit to Los Angeles during the Soul’s 71-34 win. The first time he came back to LA after leaving in free agency in 2005 was last season with Georgia. He had eight grabs for 80 and two TDs in the Force’s 57-54 loss to the Avengers.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
New Orleans DB Calvin Spears snagged a league-high three interceptions in the VooDoo’s 63-24 win over previously undefeated Cleveland Gladiators. Spears also had 5.5 tackles in the win. All three of his interceptions occurred in the red zone (and in the third quarter) preventing potential Gladiators touchdowns.
HONORABLE MENTION: Philadelphia DL Bryan Save recorded two sacks, including one for a safety in the Soul’s 71-34 win over Los Angeles. On the other sack, he forced a fumble a fumble, recovered it and returned it five yards for a touchdown.
IRONMAN OF THE WEEK
Orlando WR/KR T.T. Toliver posted his fourth straight 200-yard all-purpose yardage game of the season after catching eight balls for 154 yards with three scores. He additionally returned four kickoffs for 96 yards. In all, Toliver had 250 all-purpose yards.
HONORABLE MENTION: Chicago WR/DB DeJuan Alfonzo tallied two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) and 6.0 tackles in the Rush’s 70-35 win over Colorado. He ran the ball twice for four yards with a score and caught two passes for 12 yards and another touchdown.
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.
