The Long Way to San Jose

By Andy Lopusnak, ArenaFan.com

March 15, 2008

 

The San Jose SaberCats finally get to unveil their ArenaBowl XXI championship banner.

 

After two road games to start the 2008 AFL season, the SaberCats will play their first game at home tonight at HP Pavilion when they host their archrivals – the Arizona Rattlers. San Jose beat Arizona for the other two banners hanging in the rafters and has won its last five contests against the Rattlers.

 

It’s been a long two weeks for San Jose after flying more air miles (about 9,000) in its first two games than the Chicago Rush will fly the entire season (about 6,500).

 

“I kind of felt like I was a Midwesterner,” said San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb after cross-country treks to Chicago and Grand Rapids. “But it feels great to be home. I think (the home opener against Arizona) is going to be a great night for the fans. Home openers are always fun. There’s an extra excitement in the air, especially after winning a championship.”

 

The SaberCats have won 14 straight regular season home games, which is tied for the second-best home-win streak in league history. Orlando won 19 straight from 1992-95 (Arizona ended the streak) and the SaberCats reached 14 straight from 2001-03 (the now defunct Detroit Fury ended San Jose’s streak).

 

LAST WEEK

The SaberCats overcame a 13-0 early deficit to beat the Grand Rapids Rampage last Monday 66-58 to give the defending ArenaBowl champions their first victory of the season. Grieb tossed six touchdowns while completing 61% of his passes for 228 yards. He did not have any interceptions and wasn’t sacked.

 

“We’ve both had tough games this first two weeks,” said San Jose head coach Darren Arbet.

 

Arizona also played Monday night, but wasn’t as fortunate as the Rattlers lost 65-33 to Los Angeles. Starting QB Lang Campbell suffered a high-ankle sprain on a six-yard rushing touchdown that put Jeff Smoker into the game. Smoker was sacked four times and completed less than 50% of his passes.

 

“Playing in San Jose, it’ll be good to see some of the guys I used to coach,” said Arizona rookie head coach Kevin Guy, who as the defensive coordinator of the SaberCats the previous to seasons.

 

ISN’T THAT SPECIAL?

Against the Rampage, San Jose limited the league’s best team in 2007 in kickoff return yardage to just 12.4 yards per return even with a 52-yard kickoff return for a score. Without the TD, the SaberCats limited the Rampage to just 7.5 yards per return. Also, the coverage team pinned the Rampage’s returners in the end zone twice resulting a touchback to the Grand Rapids’ two. Last season, the Rampage averaged 19.3 yards per kickoff return. On another kickoff, Clevan Thomas forced a fumble and recovered the loose ball which set up a touchdown to give San Jose a 49-37 advantage.

 

2008 SEASON COMPARISON

RATTLERS	CATEGORY	SABERCATS
1-1	Record	1-1
48.0 (13T)	Points Scored	56.5 (8)
286.5 (10)	Total Offense	298.0 (7)
277.5 (6T)	Pass Offense	287.5 (5)
9.0 (11)	Rush Offense	10.5 (10)
69% (FIRST)	3rd Down Efficiency	27% (16)
35% (15)	4th Down Efficiency	33% (14)
63.5 (13)	Points Allowed	64.0 (14)
6 (LAST)	Sacked	1 (8T)
5 (5T)	Giveaways	6 (2T)
245.5 (4)	Total Defense	286.0 (10)
240.5 (6)	Pass Defense	243.0 (7)
5.0 (2)	Rush Defense	43.0 (LAST)
27% (5)	Opp. 3rd Down Efficiency	50% (10)
80%(14T)	Opp. 4th Down Efficiency	100% (16T)
4 (1)	Sacks By	2 (9)
2 (12T)	Takeaways	5 (6T)

NOTE: the AFL has 17 teams this season

 

SERIES HISTORY

San Jose has played the Rattlers more than any other team and hold a 17-14 series edge in 31 previous contests. The regular season series is tied at 13 a piece, however, San Jose leads the playoff series set 4-1, including two wins in the ArenaBowl. San Jose hasn’t lost a home game in the series since 2004.

 

YEAR	FINAL SCORE
2007	SAN JOSE 66, Arizona 26
2007	San Jose 56, ARIZONA 49
2006	SAN JOSE 62, Arizona 48 – Playoff
2006	SAN JOSE 61, Arizona 49
2006	San Jose 58, ARIZONA 50
2005	ARIZONA 54, San Jose 44
2005	SAN JOSE 48, Arizona 27
2004	San Jose 69, ARIZONA 62 – ArenaBowl XVIII)
2004	Arizona 50, SAN JOSE 43
2004	ARIZONA 58, San Jose 41
2003	Arizona 66, SAN JOSE 49 – Playoff
2003	SAN JOSE 59, Arizona 58
2003	San Jose 49, ARIZONA 28
2002	SAN JOSE 52, Arizona 14 – ArenaBowl XVI
2002	ARIZONA 59, San Jose 52
2002	SAN JOSE 52, Arizona 51
2001	SAN JOSE 68, Arizona 49 – Playoff
2001	San Jose 73, ARIZONA 63
2001	SAN JOSE 48, Arizona 37
2000	San Jose 55, ARIZONA 34
2000	Arizona 51, SAN JOSE 42
1999	ARIZONA 75, San Jose 37
1999	SAN JOSE 54, Arizona 50
1998	ARIZONA 48, San Jose 26
1998	Arizona 62, SAN JOSE 43
1997	Arizona 59, SAN JOSE 22
1997	ARIZONA 59, San Jose 50
1996	SAN JOSE 30, Arizona 29
1996	ARIZONA 61, San Jose 59
1995	Arizona 41, SAN JOSE 40
1995	Arizona 43, SAN JOSE 37 – Overtime

ALL CAPS = home team

 

SERIES NOTES

• The first ever meeting, in 1995, was the SaberCats franchise first game and went into overtime with Arizona winning 43-37.
• Despite losing both 1995 matchups (by seven points combined), the SaberCats still won the Western Division as an expansion team.
• The first four matchups were decided by a combined ten points – San Jose won just one of those contests.
• These teams have met each other in the ArenaBowl twice (2002 & 2004) with the SaberCats winning both games.
• This series is the second longest in the AFL to the “War on I-4” between the Tampa Bay Storm and Orlando Predators – those teams have played nine more times than the SaberCats-Rattlers.
• San Jose’s two worst defeats have come at the hands of Arizona – a 38-point loss in 1999 and a 37-point loss in 1997.
• Mark Grieb has played in twenty of these contests and the SaberCats are 14-6 (San Jose is 3-11 with Grieb). He has tossed 110 touchdowns to just five interceptions with a passer rating of 124.2.

 

ROE LOOKS TO SURPASS TWO FORMER GREAT RATTLERS

In tonight’s game against Arizona, James Roe could pass Hunkie Cooper for 14th in league history in receiving yards with a nine-yard catch. He can also pass Randy Gatewood with seven receptions for 13th all-time.

 

WHAT A CATCH

James Roe is tied for the AFL lead in receptions (21) with Georgia’s Troy Bergeron. San Jose has two players in the top five in catches (Rodney Wright is tied for fifth with 19 grabs).

 

DEFENDING CHAMP IN FIRST HOME GAME FOLLOWING SEASON

The defending ArenaBowl champion has won its first home game of a title-defense season 19 of the league’s previous 21 seasons. The only two losses were by the Tampa Bay Storm (1994 – a 44-39 loss to the Charlotte Rage) and the Orlando Predators (2001 – a 38-25 loss against the Florida Bobcats). The first ArenaBowl champion, the Denver Dynamite, did not play in 1988 but won its first game when the team came back into the league in 1989. Arizona head coach Kevin Guy was the defensive coordinator for the Florida Bobcats in 2001 when they beat the defending champion Predators.  

 

RATTLERS WANT TO LOSE?

If recent history repeats itself, then every Rattlers fan, player and coach wouldn’t mind losing tonight. Why? Because the winner of the past two ArenaBowls has lost in the first home game of the defending ArenaBowl champion. Last season, the SaberCats lost to Chicago when the Rush unveiled its 2006 championship banner. The year before, the Rush lost to the Crush when they did the same after the 2005 ArenaBowl.

 

DEFENDING YEAR	TEAM	1st HOME GAME	THAT SEASON’S CHAMPION
2008	San Jose	Tonight vs. Arizona	?????
2007	Chicago	WON – 48-45 vs. San Jose	San Jose
2006	Colorado	WON – 65-55 vs. Chicago	Chicago

 

$2.2 MILLION GUARANTEE

The Rattlers have guaranteed their season ticket holders that they will make the playoffs this season or each season ticket holder will receive a full refund of the price of the season tickets. It was reported on ESPN2 that the team would lose approximately $2.2 million, which is more than any team’s salary cap this season. This is not the first time a team made a guarantee like this. The 1993 Tampa Bay Storm guaranteed that the team would win ten games or it would give all season ticket holders a 20% refund. That was when the AFL had just 12 regular season games. The Storm went 9-3 in the regular season then finished 12-3 by winning ArenaBowl VII.

 

SEEING RED

The Rattlers are the only team in the AFL to score a touchdown in every possession that has reached their opponents’ ten-yard line. They are nine-for-nine and have scored 60 points. San Jose ranks tenth out of 17 teams with ten TDs in 14 times inside the ten (the team also has two field goals).

 

SEEING YELLOW

While the SaberCats are the third-least penalized team in the league (8-for-62); the Rattlers are the second-most penalized team (22-for-125).

 

HE’S GOT LEG – HE KNOWS HOW TO USE IT

San Jose kicker A.J. Haglund is a perfect three-of-three on field goal and 14-of-14 in PATs. Utah’s Steve Azar is the only other kicker in the league to that hasn’t missed a kick, but has played in just one game.

 

DEFENSIVE GUY

Last season, the Rattlers were third to last in the league in passing yards allowed (307 per game) and recorded 12 sacks. So far this season under new head coach Kevin Guy, Arizona is allowing 245.5 passing yards and has recorded four sacks – that’s nearly a 32-yard per game decrease and an increase in sacks by nearly 200%.

 

“Our defensive pressure was a lot better…our secondary coverage was a lot tighter and our kickoff coverage was a lot better,” added Guy.

 

ARIZONA COACHES & KEY PLAYERS

                                        

KEVIN GUY, HEAD COACH

Guy is no stranger to the SaberCats. The first-year Rattlers head coach spent the previous two seasons with San Jose as the team’s defensive coordinator. In his time with the SaberCats, San Jose’s defense became one of the best in the league. Last season, the SaberCats’ defense led the league in many categories including red-zone defense and fumbles recovered. Prior to his time in Silicon Valley, Guy amassed the most wins in af2 history (52) in four seasons with the Tennessee Valley Vipers (2002-04) and the Rio Grande Valley Dorados (2005). He had 31 players move up from af2 to the AFL and had five sign with NFL teams. In fact, Guy said that he helped scout and recruit 14 players to the SaberCats from 2006-07 as well as current defensive coordinator Jeff Jarnigan.

 

SKIP FOSTER, ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Over the last two seasons, Skip Foster’s offenses have led his previous two teams to franchise best seasons. In 2006, as head coach of the Austin Wranglers, he took the Wranglers to the playoffs for the only time in franchise history. He was fired that offseason and the Wranglers finished 4-12 the next season and now is an af2 team. Last year, Foster was Columbus’ offensive coordinator and led the Destroyers to the ArenaBowl (against San Jose). He was not brought back in Columbus. The Destroyers are 0-2 this season. His offenses in four AFL seasons have averaged almost 4,000 yards each season with his starting QB having no less than 3,500 passing yards in any year. Foster also won an ArenaCup title in 2003 with the Tulsa Talons.

 

JEFF SMOKER, QB

Smoker will make his first start with the Rattlers tonight and his 14th overall in the AFL because of the high-ankle sprain that will sideline season-opening start Lang Campbell for at least three games. Last year with the Nashville Kats, Smoker completed 60.5% of his passes for 3,446 yards with 57 touchdowns and a passer rating of 103.8, but tossed 17 interceptions – the third most ever by a rookie QB. Smoker and Campbell competed for the starting position with Campbell having just “a little bit better training camp” according to Guy. Last week in his Arizona debut, Smoker completed less than 50% of his passes for 220 yards with two scores, an interception and was sacked four times.

 

KEVIN NICKERSON, WR/DB/KR

Nickerson is the Rattlers’ second go-to- receiver behind Burley. He spent his first three AFL seasons with the Austin Wranglers and finished as that club’s all-time leader in all receiving and return categories. On the season, Nickerson has 15 catches for 217 yards and three touchdowns. He is second in the league in all-purpose yards with 467.

 

SIAHA BURLEY, WR/KR

Burley returned from a two-year stint in Utah where he was named the 2007 Offensive Player of the Year after setting an AFL-record of 166 receptions for 2,129 yards. He also had 49 receiving scores, which were second most in the league. Burley missed the first game of the season, but posted six grabs for 101 yards and three TDs last Monday against Los Angeles. 

 

WENDELL GAINES, DL

The nine-year vet tallied three sacks last week against Los Angeles and has 3.0 sacks against San Jose in 14 career games. He is Arizona’s all-time leader in sacks, forced fumbles and blocked kicks.

 

SABERCATS KEYS TO VICTORY

CONVERT THIRD DOWNS: San Jose topped the AFL in third down conversions in 2007. In last week’s 66-58 win over the Rampage, the SaberCats converted just one-of-five third-down attempts. Arizona is allowing just three-of-11 first downs. The Rattlers offense is the best in the league on third downs. On third down, Mark Grieb has completed just three-of-ten passes for 14 yards with three downs and two interceptions for a passer rating of 39.6.

 

PRESSURE SMOKER: When Lang Campbell got hurt last week against the Avengers, the score was 14-13. With Smoker, the Rattlers were outscored 51-20 and he completed just 46% of his passes while being sacked four times. On the season, Arizona is tied with Los Angeles for the league’s worst in completion percentage (56.5%) while the SaberCats are the best (69.5%).  

 

PROTECT GRIEB: Last week, Mark Grieb was pressured but untouched in Grand Rapids and responded with an Offensive Player of the Game performance in San Joe’s first win of the season. Arizona sacked Los Angeles QB Sonny Cumbie four times and broke up eight passes with Wendall Gaines getting three of those sacks.

 

*** ArenaFan.com ***