L.A. HAS MANN ADVANTAGE AVENGERS QB SOLID IN VICTORY OVER RATTLERS AVENGERS 40, ARIZONA 31.Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer Quarterback Brian Mann Brian Mann (born May 7, 1980) is an Arena Football League quarterback for the Los Angeles Avengers. High school years Brian Mann attended Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, Massachusetts, and was a good student and a three-sport captain in football, basketball, didn't provide the heroics of a sports action figure - the theme of the Avengers' season - but he played well in the second half and didn't make any mistakes. Most important, Mann directed the Avengers to a 40-31 season-opening victory over Arizona in his first Arena Football League start Sunday in front of a crowd of 11,731 at Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. . Mann completed 10 of 27 passes for 193 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He threw two touchdowns in the second half, including a 42-yard score to Kevin Ingram Kevin Ingram (born June 19, 1977) is an Arena Football League wide receiver/defensive back for the Los Angeles Avengers. High school career At Harry S. Truman High School in Levittown, Pennsylvania, Kevin Ingram was a two-time All-League performer as both a wide receiver on the last play of the third quarter to give the Avengers a six-point lead. ``There were some good things in there, but I think I have a lot of work to do,'' Mann said. ``I showed a little bit of rust in the first half but luckily, enough of those guys made plays in the first half. There's a lot of room to grow.'' The Avengers' defense was the star of the game, as it held the Rattlers to just 183 yards of offense and 10 points in the second half. It was the Avengers' best second-half defensive outing since they held Buffalo to eight second-half points in 2003. Jason Stewart
Arizona had no timeouts, which enabled the Avengers to run out the clock. It made for an uninteresting final minute of the fourth quarter, when fans are usually treated to a flurry of scores since there's no running clock. ``The last minute is the best part of the game, I'm not going to lie,'' Stewart said. ``You look forward to seeing who's going to be the best player.'' But the Avengers will take the win. They made some mistakes, including allowing a 57-yard kickoff return for a score by Clarence Lawson. Bonner, a Cal State Northridge product, is believed to have suffered a shoulder dislocation on his left (throwing) shoulder early in the fourth quarter. His shoulder was driven into the ground on a tackle by Lonnie Field in the fourth quarter. Bonner was scheduled to have an X-ray after the game. Arizona's offense was out of sorts with and without Bonner. ``You've got to play, and the bottom line is that they kicked our (butts) up front,'' said Gene Nudo Gene Nudo is an Arena Football League coach for the Arizona Rattlers. He has a career record of 13-21, including a 1-1 mark in the postseason. External links
• , Arizona's coach and general manager. ``When you've got a good quarterback, you've got to protect him. We didn't do that. We had a chance to make plays. We dropped a touchdown pass on fourth down. Little things like that are the difference in Arena football.'' The Avengers played with a new quarterback for the third consecutive season. Last year's starter, John Kaleo John Kaleo (born February 5, 1971) is a former Arena Football League quarterback for the Albany Firebirds (1993), Cleveland Thunderbolts (1994), St. Louis Stampede (1995–96), Anaheim Piranhas (1997), San Jose SaberCats (1997), New England Sea Wolves (1999), Tampa Bay Storm , led the Avengers to a Western Division title but signed a free-agent contract with Columbus, leaving Mann and Ryan Van Dyke Van Dyke (or van/Van Dijk or Dyk etc) is a surname of Dutch origin. It refers to:
Mann won the starting nod, but Avengers coach Ed Hodgkiss Ed Hodgkiss is an Arena Football League coach for the Los Angeles Avengers. He has a career record of 52-42, including a 0-4 mark in the postseason. External links
• played Van Dyke in the second quarter, as he said he would. Van Dyke was 6 of 10 passing for 56 yards and one interception. Mann completed four of just 12 passes in the first half but settled down and played all of the second half. ``I thought (Mann) did a great job after sitting down in the second quarter and getting back in there,'' Hodgkiss said. ``He didn't turn the ball over and that's the big thing.'' With the Avengers ahead 37-31, Hodgkiss elected to go for it on fourth-and-7 from the Avengers' 13 and Mann threw an incomplete pass An incomplete pass is a term in American football which means that a legal forward pass hits the ground before a player on either team gains possession. For example, if the quarterback throws the ball to one of his wide receivers, and the receiver either does not touch it, or tries . But the Rattlers couldn't find a way to score. Mann threw touchdown passes to Greg Hopkins Greg Hopkins (November 16, 1971) is a former Arena Football League wide receiver/linebacker with the Albany Firebirds and the Los Angeles Avengers. High school career , Rob Turner and Ingram. It's unclear if it was enough to warrant the full-time job. Bonner completed 13 of 26 passes for 167 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. ``I just felt we were kind of out of sync,'' Bonner said. ``We had a big opportunity and we weren't able to convert on fourth down. We just got out of sync after that point. They did what you're supposed to. You get somebody down, you smell blood and you go for it.'' Jill Painter, (818) 713-3615 jill.painter(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The Avengers' Anthony Derricks gets past an Arizona Rattlers defender and gains yardage yard·age 1 n. 1. An amount or length measured in yards. 2. Cloth sold by the yard. Noun 1. Sunday. Edna T. Simpson/Daily News |
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