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Andy Lopušnak Photography | profile | all galleries >> Sports Photography >> Misc. Stuff >> Photos without a home >> ArenaFan writing samples >> Breaking it down – 2008 Week One | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow |
Breaking it down – 2008 Week One
By Andy Lopusnak, ArenaFan.com
March 4, 2008
Each week during the 2008 Arena Football League season, I will be breaking down that week’s AFL action based on interesting statistical and historical notes, weekly leaders and other things from each game.
WEEK ONE RESULTS |
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Dallas 51, GEORGIA 41 |
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Home team is in ALL CAPS.
WEEK ONE’S EIGHT GAMES FEATURED:
UP, UP AND AWAY
Based on one week, the rules committee has made another great rule change for those of us who actually love high-scoring AFL action (for those that like lower scores…well, there’s always soccer and watching paint dry). The 2008 AFL’s first week was the highest scoring Week One in league history. In two seasons since adopting free substitution and with the new Jack linebacker rule being implemented this year, scoring has increased by 22.2 points per game in the opening week of AFL play compared to 2006. In 2007, scoring increased 10.6 points from 2006 and this year it increased 11.6 points from last season. Here’s a look at the Week One scoring averages per game for the last five seasons.
WEEK ONE AVERAGE POINTS SCORED PER GAME (BOTH TEAMS
COMBINED)
YEAR |
AVG POINTS |
2008 |
113.4 |
2007 |
101.8 |
2006 |
91.2 |
2005 |
94.6 |
2004 |
90.0 |
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Twenty one years ago, Pittsburgh Gladiators quarterback Mike Hohensee connected on a 45-yard touchdown to Russell Hairston to usher in the AFL on the league’s first play from scrimmage. Friday night, New Orleans Wendall Williams one upped that historic play when he scored a touchdown on the very first play of the league’s 22nd season – a 54-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It is thought that this is the first time in league history that the league’s first kickoff a season has been returned for a touchdown.
Then on the very first play from scrimmage in the same game,
VooDoo defensive back Calvin Spears picked off
ROAD WARRIORS
In the league’s first five games played, the home team lost
all five contests with
OPPOSITE FORCE
Last season, the Georgia Force scored the most points in
Week One in their 69-65 win at
WHAT A DIFFERENCE
Last season,
JUST A BIT OUTSIDE
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The wind took it, I guess,” Videtich told the Salt Lake Tribune about his 36-yard
field goal attempt that hit the right upright as time expired in the Blaze’s
63-62 home loss to
WHAT A CATCH
For the first time in league history, a team had two
receivers with at least eight catches, 100 receiving yards and four receiving
touchdowns. T.T. Toliver had eight grabs for 125 yards with four TDs, while and
AFL rookie Chas Gessner chipped in 12 receptions for 110 yards with four TDs
for
WHAT A CATCH, PART II
Another league receiving record was setting in a losing
effort. This time when
DOLEZEL DOWNED
"That's what
it feels like," Dolezel told the Star-Telegram
about a possible separation. "I've had a total separation and I felt no
pain, which is bad usually. So pain is a good thing. I've got pain. It means
things are still attached. That was my biggest worry, that it's not longer than
a month.”
HEXED
New Orleans QB Steve Bellisari sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee in the third quarter of the VooDoo’s 59-42 loss to the Avengers. After getting a knee brace, he returned but tossed an interception on three consecutive drives. He will undergo tests this week to see if he will need surgery or will miss any playing time.
DRAGON SLAYED
Early in the second quarter at
YEAR |
GAMES |
YARDS |
TD |
INT |
2005 |
16 |
4,112 |
90 |
13 |
Since |
12 |
3,205 |
76 |
9 |
‘SOUL’ MATES REUNITED
It had been four years since
The last AFL team to call
Back in the Thunderbolts day, that
SABERCATS STREAK ENDS
GOOD BYE?
The Grand Rapids Rampage is the twelfth team in league
history to open a season with a bye week. In the previous eleven season-opening
byes those teams went on to the playoffs seven times, but none ever advanced to
the ArenaBowl. The Rampage’s first game of 2008 will be this Monday when the
team hosts
For the opening game that occurred in Week Two, the previous
eleven teams had a combined record of 6-5. Three of those five losses came
against either the SaberCats (twice) or the Rampage (once). In 1995, the
then-expansion SaberCats won the franchise’s first game when they stung
YEAR |
TEAM |
WEEK TWO RESULT |
FINAL RECORD |
2008 |
|
??? |
??? |
2007 |
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WON – 63-30 |
8-8* |
2006 |
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LOSS – 48-41 |
3-13 |
2005 |
|
WON – 55-45 |
10-6* |
2004 |
|
WON – 49-48 (OT) |
8-8 |
2001 |
|
LOSS – 48-27 |
8-6* |
2000 |
|
LOSS – 52-47 |
7-7* |
1999 |
|
LOSS – 59-26 |
1-13 |
1996 |
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WON – 63-32 |
10-4* |
1995 |
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LOSS – 32-27 |
6-6 |
1994 |
|
WON – 31-30 |
8-4* |
1989 |
|
WON – 28-18 |
3-1* |
* = advanced to playoffs
WEEK ONE’S TOP STATISTICAL PREFORMANCES
100-YARD
RECEIVERS |
|||
PLAYER, TEAM |
YARDS |
RECEPTIONS |
TOUCHDOWNS |
Brent Holmes, |
156 |
8 |
3 |
Mike Horacek, |
149 |
7 |
3 |
Anthony Armstrong, Dallas |
135 |
11 |
2 |
Larry Brackins, |
133 |
6 |
3 |
Troy |
130 |
9 |
1 |
Kevin Swayne, |
130 |
10 |
3 |
Cleannord Saintil, |
129 |
10 |
2 |
Damian Harrell, Chicago |
128 |
5 |
2 |
T.T. Toliver, Orlando |
125 |
8 |
4 |
Timon
|
116 |
9 |
3 |
James Roe, |
114 |
12 |
1 |
Chas Gessner, Orlando |
110 |
12 |
4 |
Kevin Nickerson, |
110 |
9 |
3 |
|
102 |
8 |
2 |
Otis Amey, Cleveland |
101 |
7 |
2 |
Rodney Wright, |
100 |
12 |
2 |
300-YARD
PASSERS |
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PLAYER, TEAM |
YARDS |
PASS TDs |
INTERCEPTIONS |
Mark Grieb, |
353 |
5 |
3 |
Chris Greisen, |
349 |
5 |
1 |
Shane Stafford, Orlando |
323 |
8 |
0 |
Lang Campbell, |
319 |
8 |
1 |
200
YARDS OR MORE ALL-PURPOSE |
||
PLAYER, TEAM |
ALL-PURPOSE |
TOTAL TDs |
Calvin Russell, |
266 |
1 |
T.T. Toliver, Orlando |
263 |
4 |
Wendall Williams |
260 |
2 |
Kevin Nickerson, |
246 |
4 |
Troy |
201 |
1 |
DEFENSIVE
LEADERS |
|||||||||||||
PLAYER, TEAM |
TACKLES |
INT |
SACKS |
FF |
FR |
PBU |
DEF TD |
||||||
DeJuan
Alfonzo, Chicago |
5.0 |
1 |
0.0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
||||||
Ernest
Allen, |
5.5 |
0 |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||||||
Chris
Angel, |
10.5 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
||||||
James
Baron, Chicago |
2.0 |
0 |
2.0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||||||
Levy
Brown, |
8.5 |
1 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||||||
E.J.
|
2.0 |
0 |
1.0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
||||||
Nate
Coggins, Columbus |
10.0 |
1 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
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David
Crocker, |
11.0 |
1 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||||||
|
6.0 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
||||||
Johnnie
Harris, Dallas |
7.5 |
0 |
0.0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
||||||
Brandon
Hefflin, Cleveland |
10.5 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
||||||
Joe
Minucci, Cleveland |
2.0 |
0 |
2.0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||||||
Dennison
Robinson, Chicago |
12.0 |
2 |
0.0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
||||||
Karon
Riley, Cleveland |
4.0 |
0 |
2.0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||||||
Calvin
Spears, |
5.5 |
1 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||||||
Damen
Wheeler, |
3.0 |
1 |
0.0 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
||||||
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE
WEEK
Philadelphia QB Tony Graziani was nearly flawless in the
Soul’s 77-56 thumping of
HONORABLE MENTION:
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE
WEEK
The entire defensive unit of the Chicago Rush dominated the
defending ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats. It seems borderline insane to
pick one player from this team as the single defensive player of the week.
HONORABLE MENTION:
In a losing effort,
IRONMAN OF THE WEEK
Tampa Bay FB/LB Marvin Brown had a fantastic two-way game.
All of his tackles (one solo, three assists) were on the goal line. He was key
on the final two plays of the third quarter and first of the final stanza.
Kansas City had the ball on the Tampa Bay three-yard line when Brown tackled WR
Charles Frederick for a yard loss on first down, then he stopped John
Fitzgerald on a QB sneak on second down. Brown finished off his impressive
goal-line effort with an interception on third and goal to open the fourth
quarter.
HONORABLE MENTION:
*** ArenaFan.com ***
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