RUNNING SAME PATTERN HODGKISS HOPES AVENGERS FOLLOW PATH OF FORMER TEAM.Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer The storyline to the Avengers' 2004 season was provided by 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
• in his team's locker room only seconds after the 2003 season ended with a 70-63 quarterfinal playoff loss to the Arizona Rattlers Arizona Rattlers are an Arena Football League team, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that began play as a 1992 expansion team. History The team began play in 1992. They play their home games in the US Airways Center, which they share with the Phoenix Suns of the National 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. . Hodgkiss told his team that in his previous job as offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator typically refers to the coach on a football team in the National Football League or College football who is in charge of the offense. This position aids the head coach by designing and scripting plays, delegating work to offensive position coaches during of the Albany Firebirds, the team improved its first two years, then broke through and won the 1999 ArenaBowl title in Hodgkiss' third year. Entering his third year as Avengers coach, Hodgkiss hopes this team can follow that pattern all the way to the franchise's first championship. ``Our second year (in Albany), we thought we left the playoffs too early,'' Hodgkiss said. ``We came back and had a sense that we had a great shot to compete for a championship. I sense that here. Hopefully, we can duplicate that.'' At the very least, quarterback Tony Graziani Anthony Robert Graziani (Born:December 23, 1973, in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States) is a current Arena Football League quarterback for the Philadelphia Soul. He previously played in the NFL from 1997-2000 and NFL Europe in 2000. , who threw 96 touchdowns last season, got the message. ``I think anything less than a championship would be a disappointment,'' Graziani said. ``Not even reaching the ArenaBowl, I think we're going to have to win it for this to be a success.'' The team has set the bar equally high, selling nine-game season-ticket plans that bank on at least one playoff home game at Staples Center. The Avengers retooled their defense in the offseason, signing former Carolina Panthers lineman Al Lucas, who started for the ArenaBowl-champion Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm are a member franchise of the Arena Football League. History Along with their traditional rivals, the Orlando Predators, they share the Arena record for the longest tenure by a franchise in a single market area. last season. Lucas will play alongside Mike Ulufale, the Avengers' top free-agent acquisition for 2003. Offensive specialist Chris Jackson returns for a fifth season after brief stints with the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers. Jackson will be joined at receiver by Greg Hopkins and Kevin Ingram in one of the league's top units. ``He's the one guy that's been here since the beginning of the organization,'' Hodgkiss said of Jackson, the last holdover hold·o·ver n. One that is held over from an earlier time: a political advisor who was a holdover from the Reagan era; a family tradition that is a holdover from my grandparents' childhood. Noun 1. from the 2000 expansion Avengers. ``He's been player of the year last year. You don't replace the player of the year, you just don't do it. We really would have been in a hole without him.'' The Avengers will return defensive specialist Damen Wheeler to anchor their secondary. Wheeler received all-rookie honors after intercepting five passes. He will be joined by Cornelius Coe, who signed after the start of last season but led the Avengers in tackles. The team will open its season Sunday afternoon against Arizona, a rematch of its playoff loss. The Avengers' first home game is Feb. 22 against rival San Jose. Ross Siler, (818) 713-3610 ross.siler(at)dailynews.com AFL AFL: see American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. PRIMER Five things to know about the upcoming season: 1 The ball The AFL will debut a new ball this season designed to improve television viewing. The curious-looking beige ball, with an XFL-like stripe, is manufactured by Spalding as part of a four-year contract and will be sold nationwide. The quality is said to be the same as more conventional models. 2 The coach Jay Gruden, younger brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 The owner There was a reason Jon Bon Jovi This article or section has multiple issues: * It may need a complete rewrite to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. * It may require general cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. was schmoozing with Avengers owner Casey Wasserman on the field before games last season. Bon Jovi is new co-owner of the expansion Philadelphia Soul. He hired former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski to be team president. And the league can't get enough miles out of ``Livin' on a Prayer.'' 4 The schedule The AFL added three expansion teams for this season and had to add a bye week to accommodate scheduling a 19-team league. The AFL also will trim the playoffs from 12 teams to eight. As a result, only 42 percent of teams will qualify for the playoffs, instead of 75 percent last year. 5 The TV deal NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. will return for its second season as the league's television partner and will show up to eight games on a regional basis some weekends. The AFL averaged a lackluster 1.1 rating last year and NBC could opt out of its contract after this season. In a positive turn, Michael Irvin has moved on to ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network and the NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga from his AFL studio-host gig. AVENGERS SCHEDULE Sunday at Arizona* Noon Feb. 14 at Las Vegas* Noon Feb. 22 San Jose* Noon March 1 Georgia 7:30 p.m. March 14 at Grand Rapids* 9 a.m. March 21 at Dallas 1 p.m. March 26 at San Jose 7:30 p.m. April 3 Austin 7:30 p.m. April 10 Colorado 7:30 p.m. April 16 Detroit 7:30 p.m. April 25 at Chicago* Noon May 1 Arizona 7:30 p.m. May 9 at Tampa Bay* Noon May 16 at New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of * Noon May 22 Las Vegas 7:30 p.m. May 30 Orlando* 1 p.m. Playoffs June 5-6 Quarterfinals* Noon June 12-13 Semifinals* Noon June 27 ArenaBowl XVIII* 1 p.m. * Televised on Ch. 4 Televised on FSN (Full-Service Network) A communications network that provides shopping, movies on demand and access to databases and a variety of interactive services. 2 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1) Ed Hodgkiss won an ArenaBowl title in his third year as an assitant with his previous team, the Albany Firebirds. He's hoping for a repeat this year, which is his third season as head coach in L.A. (2) CHRIS JACKSON Box: (1) AFL PRIMER (see text) (2) AVENGERS SCHEDULE (see text) |
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