SaberCats: home is where the wins are
Andy Lopusnak
Friday June 22, 2012
After another double-digit road loss to team with a losing record, the San Jose SaberCats (9-5) return home where they haven't lost a game over a year to face West Division rival Spokane this Saturday night.
The SaberCats have lost three of their last five games after starting the season 7-2. A win against the Shock (7-6) would keep the SaberCats in the hunt for the West Division crown and a first-round home playoff game.
San Jose is a best 4-1 against West Division opponents. If the SaberCats win, they will secure the best record against West Division teams. This is quite impressive especially since four of the top five scoring teams are from the West Division and it's the only division to have all four members with a winning record. There are just seven teams in the AFL with winning records and four are from the West.
Spokane hasn't beaten a West Division opponent this season (0-4). The SaberCats beat the Shock 69-35 in Week Four but that was before Spokane got Kyle Rowley back under center. Spokane is 6-4 with Rowley. The last time Rowley played against the SaberCats, he beat San Jose on a last-second 34-yard touchdown pass after San Jose scored with four seconds left. The loss eliminated the SaberCats from the playoffs. In three games against Spokane, SaberCats quarterback Mark Grieb has completed 73.6% of his passes with 20 touchdowns and no interceptions. Seven of those strikes were to WR James Roe in just the last two games against the Shock.
If Spokane losses this week, it would not mathematically eliminate the Shock, but it would be devastating since the team's next two games are against the two teams with the best record in the AFL (Arizona and Philadelphia). For San Jose, three of its final four regular season games are at HP Pavilion, where the SaberCats have won their last eight contests dating back to last July. Arizona (10-3) leads the West and has three of its final five games on the road. San Jose swept the Rattlers and if both teams finish with the same record, the SaberCats would win the West (San Jose has the tiebreaker over Utah that is also 9-5 and the three-way tiebreaker if all three finish with the same record).
Home and road differences have defined the season for San Jose. In six home games this season, the SaberCats have turned the ball over ten times compared to 22 times on the road. Of all the turnovers, the most detrimental have been the net recoveries. These freak plays are an Arena Football exclusive. They are game changers. They come right after an opponent touchdown or as an opening kickoff to begin a half and are huge momentum shifts.
Last week, San Jose led 25-24 at halftime, but a net recovery for a touchdown on the first play of the second half put the Command back in the lead. The SaberCats sputtered the rest of the game and lost to one of the worst teams in the AFL scoring just twice in seven second half possessions en route to a season-low 41 points scored. In San Jose's loss at Milwaukee, the Mustangs opened the game with a net recovery for a touchdown and added another one in the second quarter. Take these anomalies away against two bad teams and each game is completely different. It goes both ways as a net recovery for a touchdown at Arizona on May 5 led to the SaberCats' 77-70 win over the Rattlers, which is the last road win by San Jose. On the year, the SaberCats have been the victim of more of these freakish plays than any other team in the league. Here's a look at all five net recoveries against San Jose. The SaberCats overcame a net recovery for a touchdown in the thrilling 84-77 overtime win over Chicago, but lost the other four times the team lost the ball off the nets.
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DATE
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WHEN
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RESULT
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FINAL SCORE
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Wk 3 at Utah
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3rd qtr after Utah TD
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Utah fumble (0 pts)
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Utah 60-59
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Wk 12 vs CHI
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2nd qtr after CHI TD
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Net rec for TD (7 pts)
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SJ 84-77 (OT)
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Wk 13 at MIL
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Opening kickoff
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Net rec for TD (7 pts)
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MIL 81-68
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Wk 13 at MIL
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2nd qtr after MIL TD
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Net rec for TD (6 pts)
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MIL 81-68
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Wk 15 at KC
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Opening 3rd qtr kickoff
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Net rec for TD (7 pts)
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KC 57-41
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The return man on all of these net recoveries was DB Ruschard Dodd-Masters, who was cut by the SaberCats this week. Dodd-Masters started all 14 games at DB and returned 71 of the team's 83 kickoffs. On Thursday, the SaberCats signed WR/KR Rodney Wright, who was leading the AFL in all-purpose yards, receptions and kickoff return yards when he suddenly left the team after three games in 2011.
Speaking of special teams, the SaberCats will face the best returner in the AFL this week in Spokane DB/KR Terrance Sanders, who averages a league best 23.2 yards per return along with four returns for touchdowns. In three games against San Jose, Sanders has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. As a whole, the Shock have had a league-high six kickoff returns for touchdowns as well as the league's only missed field goal return of a score.
FORMER ARENABOWL MVP QUARTERBACKS
This marks the third time this season that former ArenaBowl MVP quarterbacks have played against each other. All three times, Grieb, a two-time ArenaBowl MVP, has been involved. The previous two games were the home and road series between the SaberCats and the San Antonio Talons, led by ArenaBowl XXIV MVP Aaron Garcia. Each home team won.
Here's a look at the last 12 games pitting former ArenaBowl MVP quarterbacks. Ten of these contests have involved Grieb and he is 5-5 in those games. The home QB is 10-2 in these games. Interestingly, the two losing home QBs were Rowley and Grieb (9-2 if you don't count ArenaBowl XXII where Philadelphia was considered the "home" team).
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DATE
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AB MVP (HOME)
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AB MVP (ROAD
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WINNER
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5/19/12
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Garcia, SA
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Grieb, SJ
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Garcia
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4/06/12
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Grieb, SJ
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Garcia, SA
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Grieb
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7/16/11
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Rowley, SPO
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Grieb, SJ
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Rowley
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|
3/19/11
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Rowley, SPO
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Dutton, CLE
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Dutton
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3/11/11
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Grieb, SJ
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Rowley, SPO
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Grieb
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|
7/27/08*
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D'Orazio, PHI
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Grieb, SJ
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D'Orazio
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|
7/05/08
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Grieb, SJ
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Dutton, CLE
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Grieb
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|
5/24/08
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Grieb, SJ
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Dutton, COL
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Grieb
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|
4/12/08
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Grieb, SJ
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D'Orazio, PHI
|
D'Orazio
|
|
3/22/08
|
Bonner, CHI
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Dutton, COL
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Bonner
|
|
3/03/08
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Bonner, CHI
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Grieb, SJ
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Bonner
|
|
7/14/07
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Grieb, SJ
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D'Orazio, CHI
|
Grieb
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* - ArenaBowl XXII (Philadelphia had the better record and was considered the home team)
NOTE: this only includes games where both starting QBs had already been named an ArenaBowl MVP. This means that every game that Aaron Garcia played before ArenaBowl XXIV doesn't count since hadn't earned the ArenaBowl MVP moniker yet.
900 CLUB
Grieb is just two passing touchdowns away from joining Aaron Garcia and Clint Dolezel. Here's a look at the top five leaders in career passing touchdowns in AFL history.
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RK
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PLAYER
|
PASSING TD
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|
1
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Aaron Garcia
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1,159
|
|
2
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Clint Dolezel
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931
|
|
3
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Mark Grieb
|
898
|
|
4
|
Sherdrick Bonner
|
855
|
|
5
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Andy Kelly
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809
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ANOTHER GRIEB MARK
With 129 passing yards this week, Grieb will have four of the top 20 all-time passing seasons in league history. Right now, he has the #1, #12 and #13 spots. If he gets his season average of 321 yards, his 2012 season would move to #13 and he'd have four of the top 15 passing marks (Utah's Tommy Grady, now at #15, should move into the top 10 before San Jose's game kicks off).
SYKES TIES RECORD
With two sacks in last week's loss to Kansas City, San Jose defensive lineman Joe Sykes tied the AFL single-season mark of 15.5 held by current SaberCats teammate Gabe Nyenhuis when he was in Tulsa in 2010. Sykes, the leading candidate for AFL Defensive Player of the Year and AFL Defensive Lineman of the Year, has posted at least two sacks in five games this season and had a four in the win at Iowa. Not bad for someone that didn't play in the team's season opener.
Kickoff for the SaberCats-Shock game is this Saturday, June 23 at 7:30 PM Pacific Time at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. For tickets, visit TheSanJoseSaberCats.com. The SaberCats have a special ticket offer that will donate 50% of the purchase price (two end zone non-club tickets and one commemorative #37 pin for $30) to the foundation set up to raise the two-year old daughter of Johnie Kirton, who passed away from natural causes two days after scoring the winning touchdown against Chicago in May. For more information, contact the SaberCats at 408.673.3400.
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.
