SOME NOTES: The Red Dogs are coming off a good confidence building victory against the Buffalo Destroyers and are looking to make it two in a row against the hot Kats. New Jersey is looking to avenge their loss to the Kats at the end of last season that knocked them out of playoff contention. Nashville beat the Dogs in a heartbreaking loss by the count of 66-51. The Kats lead the all-time series 3-1. Nashville has been strong behind the likes of QB, Andy Kelly and WR/DB, Cory Fleming, who have combined for 14 touchdowns against the Red Dogs. If New Jersey is planning on taking this one, they need to find a way to shut those two down. Flemming is currently second in the league in receptions with 38 and he leads the league in receiving yards with 516 in four games. Cory is also third in league standing in scoring with a total of 66 points scored. New Jersey is riding high after a solid victory over the Buffalo Destroyers last week. Quarterback, Tommy Maddox, spread the ball around well and led an even offensive attack. Maddox will need to hit his big play guys in Dimitrious Stanley and George LaFrance, to make a real difference in the game. He will also be looking for his speedy rookies to help him out. OS, Michael Lewis was the recipient of two Maddox touchdowns and he was well ahead of his cover each time.

BUFFALO, NY – The New Jersey Red Dogs were entering the fourth week of the 2000 AFL season without a win or a solid offense. Apparently it has been hiding in Buffalo, New York. Quarterback, Tommy Maddox, led the Red Dogs to an impressive win over their division rival, the Buffalo Destroyers, by the count of 62-42 in front of 5,726 fans at the HSBC Arena Saturday night. Maddox, who finished the night going 17 of 25 for 261 yards and 6 touchdowns, looked to be at the top of his game as he conducted a solid offensive attack by the Dogs. New Jersey and Buffalo traded opening drive scores and then the league’s number one pass defense took over. Defensive specialist, Kevin Gaines, intercepted his first of two Browning Nagle passes on the evening with just under nine minutes to go in the first quarter and the Red Dogs offense wasted no time in converting points off the turnover. Tommy Maddox hit Bruce LaSane on a 15-yard touchdown pass to give New Jersey the early lead 14-7. The Red Dogs never looked back from there going on to score again in the first quarter as Maddox hit rookie David Saunders on a 9-yard pass to open the lead up to 21-7. After a routine second quarter of trading scores, the Red Dogs cut loose as they scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter and their lead ballooned to 55-28 after Maddox connected with David Saunders for his (Saunders) second touchdown on the night on a 10-yard pass with 3:50 remaining in the third. Maddox gave way to AFL veteran Rickey Foggie in the fourth quarter to wrap up the Red Dogs’ first win of the season. New Jersey, now 1-2, heads home to face the Nashville Kats on Friday night at the Continental Airlines Arena at 7:30 pm.

The Nashville Kats registered one of their most determined outings in franchise history, handing the previously unbeaten

Arizona Rattlers a resounding 66-46 loss on the road on Saturday night. Nashville jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead after Andy Kelly

hit Tyronne Jones for a six-yard TD toss and kicked a field goal after recovering the first of four Arizona fumbles. Although the Rattlers

countered with a Sherdrick Bonner to Randy Gatewood TD pass, the Kats answered the bell, as they would all night, scoring on all but one

of their first half possessions. Nashville was opportunistic all night, turning Rattler mistakes into points en route to a 25-point first half lead.

In fact, the only first half drive in which the Kats did not score was the one that started with only five seconds left in the half after Bonner

fumbled his fourth snap of the game and the Kats recovered. Arizona had threatened to cut into the lead late in the first half, which would

have been huge, since the Rattlers were to receive the second-half kickoff as well. Yet, Bonner’s fumbled snaps, which were due primarily

to the intense push from the Kats’ defensive line, prevented Arizona from mounting any kind of run.

Bonner got his offense clicking early in the second half, scoring on their first possessions after the intermission. Randy Gatewood

caught four TD passes for the Rattlers on the night. The Kats were not to be outdone, however, countering each Arizona score with

one of their own. Nashville’s Darryl Hammond scored three TD’s on the night, scoring on a reception, a run and a fumble recovery.

The Rattlers managed only one fourth quarter TD, and Nashville’s Robert Davis sealed the win with his third interception of the year with

12:36 left in the game. Kelly completed 16 passes for 203 yards, five TD’s and no interceptions in another stellar effort. The Kats also

rushed for a team-record 65 yards after struggling on the ground in the first half. Nashville goes to 3-1 on the year to stay within striking

distance of first-place Orlando (3-0) in the Southern Division. The Kats travel to New Jersey next Friday before returning home to face

Orlando in a battle that could decide first-place in the Southern Division.

1-2, and 1-0 in the division… The Dogs moved up a notch in the offensive rankings with their win over Buffalo, they are now in the 8^th spot in the league for total offense (averaging 272 yards per game) and they moved up to 12^th for scoring offense (averaging 41 points per contest)… The Red Dogs are looking at an average gain of just over six-yards per play and their new offensive lineman, Crafts, could help them boost that even further… The Dogs’ victory last week showed one the most even offensive outputs ever by New Jersey as a total of six receiver touched the ball and five of them caught a touchdown pass… The spreading of the ball may cause the Kats some confusion as they will not be sure who will have the hot hand in the game… The usual tandem of George LaFrance and Dimitrious Stanley are sure to be covered but that would mean that the Kats are in a man defense and the likes of speedy rookie Michael Lewis will be able to get out into open territory for the quick score or first down… QB, Tommy Maddox got a taste of his "big men" last week as his two six-plus-footers, David Saunders and Bruce LaSane, each had good games… Saunders caught three balls for 29 yards and two TD’s in his AFL debut… That match-up against the Kats’ smaller defensive backs (only one player over 6’1" [Hammond]) could be quite lucrative for the Dogs.

DIMITRIOUS STANLEY, WR/DB, OHIO STATE: In his second season in the AFL, the wide out was an offensive spark plug for the Red Dogs in the second half of the ’99 season. Coming off an MVP performance versus New England in which he recorded 9 receptions for 138 yards and three touchdowns, Stanley was named to the All-Rookie team. In his last seven games, Stanley has recorded 52 of his 61 receptions (86.6%), 671 of his 737 yards (91%), and all eight of his touchdowns (seven receiving, one rushing). Furthermore, in his last four games, Stanley has been the Red Dogs leading receiver in with 31 receptions for 415 yards and six touchdowns. He was a member of the winningest senior class in Ohio State history where, in 1997, he received "Best Receiver" honors. In the 1997 Rose Bowl, Stanley set a personal best, as well as an Ohio State record, with a 75-yard run. Dimitrious had a solid outing against the Rampage in the pre-season as he racked up three receptions for 64 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He seems to be the new "go to" guy alongside of AFL great, George LaFrance, for the Dogs. This season Stanley will be seeing more two-way action on the field as LaFrance and a cast of Red Dogs rookies will be splitting time at the offensive specialist position. Stanley will be looking to not only catch touchdowns but prevent them as well. Last week vs. Arizona he recorded 12 receptions for 151 yards, three touchdowns, one tackle and one pass breakup.

TOMMY MADDOX, QB, UCLA: In his first season with the Red Dogs, he will be looking to follow in the footsteps of AFL ambassador, Kurt Warner. Tommy is a quarterback with a love for the game and great arm to back it up. Maddox spent five years in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, NY Giants, Atlanta Falcons and the St. Louis Rams. Maddox will be looking to help out Coach Frank Mattiace in getting the Red Dogs offense back to where it once resided. Maddox will have some weapons to throw to in Dimitrious Stanley, George LaFrance and a wealth of new rookies that are all looking to get their shot in the AFL. Tommy looked good against the Grand Rapids Rampage in the Dogs’ final pre-season warm-up, as he went 8 of 15 for 145 yards and four touchdowns on the night. Maddox had a rough outing in his debut against the Orlando Predators last week as he went 22-41 for 232 yards and one touchdown. He was picked off twice and suffered a sprained shoulder on the final series of the game. Although his AFL debut was not a picture perfect one, he learned some valuable lessons and looks to work off of them. He rebounded in the Dogs’ home opening loss to the Rattlers last week with a 26-39, 295 yard, five touchdown night.

GEORGE LAFRANCE, OS, BAKER: George is "Mr. Arena Football". LaFrance is the All Time Kick return leader, Missed Field Goal leader, All Purpose Yards leader, George can do it all. He has his work cut out for him this season, as he will be entering a brand new offense that is looking for leadership. George is no stranger to leadership as he led his teams to five ArenaBowl Championships (2 with Tampa Bay, 3 with Detroit). LaFrance will be looking to make an immediate statement to the league that he has more to do and the Red Dogs are ready to help him in any way they can. LaFrance had a "usual" night in his final pre-season tune up at Grand Rapids as he tallied four receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns. LaFrance seemed to be a little dusty on the kick returns, as he was hindered by the laser accurate kickoffs of Rampage kicker, Brian Gowins. He managed to hit the metal upright three times on kickoffs, making it impossible for LaFrance to field the ball clean. George continued his great play in Orlando in week 1, as he added to his own record of Most Kickoff Returns for a Touchdown, with a 56-yard score on a kickoff. LaFrance posted usual numbers, totaling seven receptions for 56 yards, six kickoff returns for 168 yards and one touchdown, two missed field goal returns for 44 yards. LaFrance had an ok night vs. Arizona with four catches for 44 yards and five kickoff returns for 80 yards.