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Georgia On My Mind

The Philadelphia Soul return to Monday Night Football tomorrow night and there will much to see and hear.

Oh yeah, you read that right. "Hear", as in receive information audibly. ESPN2 is doing the "Live Wired" telecast thing again. Quarterbacks, coaches, and defensive players from both teams will be miked. Along with one of the officials. Should be interesting.

As for the must "see" part, for the Soul, there's a bunch of it.

Let's see if the Soul can bounce back from the loss against Cleveland with a couple of extra days to heal/prepare. Let's see how the depleted Soul secondary deals with Force WR Troy Bergeron. Let's see if the Soul defense can get to a QB that's only been sacked three times this season. In his first trip back to Georgia, let's see if WR Chris Jackson can pass Eddie Brown to move into second on the all-time touchdown reception list. Let's see if AFL journeyman QB Glenn Gauntt gets on the field for Philly and how well he does. Let's see if the Soul can notch their second win against the Force (not their first like the game notes would have you believe). Let's see if the Soul clinch a playoff spot and hit the 10 win mark for the first time ever.

For the Force there isn't much to see. Other than how many thunder buckets show up.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

05 May 2008 Here's the second installment of the Wolfe's Den. And since it's Cinco de Mayo Ari gives his top cinco in a plethora of different categories.

Injuries and Errors Too Much For Soul

03 May 2008 What do you suppose would happen if you took the best rushing team in the league and had them host the team dead last in rushing yards allowed per play?

But wait! There's more! Add injuries to two thirds of the visitors starting defenisve backfield. And schedule the contest just 4 days after the visitors faced the unbeaten Dallas Desperados.

Sound like a recipe for a loss? It is but not as tasty as you'd think. Sure Gladiator FB Marlion Jackson carried the ball 11 times for 41 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. His four rushing touchdowns set a single-game career high and his 41 yards more than double the Soul's allowed average. Sure Willis Marshall returned four kicks for 125 yards, including a 52-yard return. But there was more to it than that.

What really did the Soul in was an anemic kick return game. Along with lousy special teams play. Added to the loss of their starting QB. Followed by an interception by the injured replacement QB. Ending with a lost fumble (one of seven Soul fumbles on the night) by that same QB with under a minute left down by 7.

In the end the Soul fought bravely and stayed in the game but simply could not overcome their injuries and miscues. Soul WR Chris Jackson finally got his milestone 300th touchdown but the Cleveland Gladiators got the win 55-67.

How the team adjusts and responds for next weeks road game against the Georgia Force will be a good indication of how the rest of the season will play out.

Thunderdome

28 Apr 2008 Erica taught it, and the Soul brought it. Back on the 23rd we saw the video clip of Erica teaching the Soulmates how to trash talk. The phrase they learned was "Hey Dallas! We're gonna kick yo butt!". The guys playing in the game made her look like teacher of the year.

Two undefeated AFL teams enter the Spectrum, one team leaves. The Phildadelphia Soul defeated the Dallas Desperados on Monday night. The battle of unbeatens was hyped before the Soul's last game had even ended. Sadly it didn't live up to the hype.

Dallas had won 15 straight games in the regular-season, dating back to the middle of last season when they suffered their only loss of the season, losing at Georgia. Like Monday night, that game was their eighth and left them 7-1.

While Dallas was continuing their winless at the Spectrum ways the Soul took a couple of losses too. Ironman of the Game Mike Brown will be sidelined for at least two games with a groin injury suffered on a kick return. DB Brian Mance was lost for the season when Dallas WR Anthony Armstrong stepped on and broke his ankle going for a pass in the third quarter. As a result Dee Webb, Chris Jackson, and Sean Scott took turns at defensive back for the remainder of the game.

Yet for some reason Dallas QB/OC Clint Dolezel continued to throw Eddie Moten's way. Enabling Moten to finish the game with three interceptions and Defensive Player of the Game honors.

If this game was supposed to determine the best team in the Arena Football League, Monday night proved that team is not the Desperados. The night began with Miss America Kirsten Haglund singing the National Anthem and ended with the worst loss in Dallas Desperados history. A 29 point beat down with a 28-57 final score.

The Wolfe's Den

26 Apr 2008 Arenafootball.com has a new weekly feature starring none other than the radio voice of the Philadelphia Soul, Ari Wolfe.

Each week Ari will recap AFL happenings and preview up coming events and contests. Without further adieu here is the first installment of The Wolfe's Den:

Dear Dallas...

23 Apr 2008 Some friends would like a word with you.

Mid-Season Report Card

22 Apr 2008 The Philadelphia Soul are sitting pretty at the midway point of the season. The team is 8-0 overall with four wins at home and on the road. A game ahead of Dallas overall but a game behind in division and conference wins.

Here's how they rank with the rest of league stat wise: 5th in total offense; 15th in total defense.

Time to take a completely unwarranted and biased look at the organization and hand out some letter grades.

Offense: It's hard to argue with 528 points this season. Hard to argue with being the only team to have two WRs and two QBs in the top ten. Hard but not impossible. QB Matt D'Orazio is the team's leading rusher with 42 yards (3 yards per carry average) and 5 touchdowns. FB Clifton Smith has the sames totals and nine more carries (1.8 yards per carry average).
Grade:A-.

Defense: The D-line has been pretty good so far. With Bryan Save at nose, Gabe Nyehuis and the DL of the week are getting good penetration. Despite dropping off recently Nyenhuis, Save, and linebacker Anthony Dunn have 13 sacks between them so far. Rod Davis has done well at the Jack LB spot and has a couple of interceptions returning one for a TD. Sadly the defensive backs have not been as consistent. Mike Brown leads all DBs with 4 picks. Eddie Moten has... one. The defense is 15th in yards per game and 12th in yards per play allowed. So far the defense hasn't cost the Soul any wins but they are scored on too much, especially with big plays, and aren't getting the stops.
Grade:C+.

Special Teams: Rookie kicker Connor Hughes is third among kickers in scoring so far with 76 points. And with the Soul scoring so many TDs it should come as no surprise. Hughes is 55 of 63 on extra point attemtps. Not great but not terrible. Sadly he is just 4 of 8 on field goal attempts. The Soul lead the league in touchbacks (23) and average opponent start (9.9).

Pulling the grade up is the stellar performance of Mike Brown. Mike leads the league with 953 return yards. His three touchdown returns is good for second in the AFL.
Grade:B.

Intangibles: The team is playing like a team. They've met every challenge so far and struggled through some tough patches. They have yet to mail one in or roll over. The heart and desire to make this season special is evident. They've gotten good breaks and made some plays when it really mattered. Even when losing, the fans never feel the game is out of reach and something will happen to turn things around.
Grade:A.

Coaching: New adds Mays and Odom have injected something into the team, not sure what. Connell Maynor is coming into his own as coordinator and has added some new wrinkles to the offense. Head Coach Bret Munsey deserves credit for assembling the staff and keeping the focus on the task at hand. His hybrid zone/man defense still needs tweaking and the offense can still get predictable but overall an effective, productive job by all.
Grade:A.

Dance Team: More difficult rountines than in the past. More different types of routines. And with a couple of former captains and good friends helping keep things sharp, all choreographed perfectly and exectured with precision.
Grade:A+.
C'mon. I mean really what were you expecting? The fact that they tolerate me aside have you seen some of the other "dance" teams around the league? Thank heavens for Marla and the Soulmates.

The overall mid-season grade: B+

There's more credit to go around of course. GM Rich Lisk gets points for getting (read; paying) the players the coaching staff wants. Steve Schultz makes every game an event and helps keep people coming back. And the Sales staff does a good job of getting those people in the door to begin with. All of it contributes to the on field product in some way.

D'Orazio and Dunn Deal Destroyers Defeat

22 Apr 2008 Matt D'Orazio came off the bench in the second quarter to replace Soul QB Tony Graziani and threw for 167 yards and five touchdowns. This helped lead the Philadelphia Soul to a 76-55 victory over the Columbus Destroyers Monday night.

Graziani was 11 of 13 for 125 yards and four TD passes before leaving. Graz now has over 2900 pass attempts in his career. Larry Brackins and Chris Jackson each caught three touchdown passes for Philadelphia. Jackson's performance pushed him past Steve Smith as the Soul's single season TD reception leader.

An unlikely participant in the tremendous offensive output was Soul offensive lineman Phil Bogle. Bogle had a career high two touchdowns playing tight end.

Columbus QB Matt Nagy also had a career day. Throwing three TD passes the first three times he touched the ball. Nagy finished 20 of 34 for 389 yards and seven touchdowns with one interception.

D'Orazio's 4-yard scoring toss to Jackson on the last play of the first half gave Philadelphia a 42-35 lead. D'Orazio ran 4 yards for a touchdown early in the third to make it 48-35. He then threw a 55-yard score to Darius Watts to extend the lead to 20 points after Soul LB Rod Davis intercepted a Nagy pass.

A defensive stop and Soul score would extend Philly's lead to 27 points. The teams traded scores until late in the fourth quarter when Columbus failed to recover an onside kick attempt. Several rushes by Soul FB Clifton Smith drained the clock and the Soul had their first win in Columbus in over two years.

The win preserves the Soul's undefeated season and sets up a Eastern Conference showdown with the 7-0 Dallas Desparados next Monday.

Just Another Manic Monday

20 Apr 2008 Monday marks the Philadelphia Soul's first of of two back to back Monday night games. If they can win this Monday it sets up the first ever showdown between two undefeated teams with 7 or more wins. That historic game against the Dallas Desperados will have to wait though. First the Soul must take on the hated Columbus Destroyers.

Columbus, last years conference champion, has struggled all season. They currently sit at an embarrassing 2-5. Yet despite the Destroyers doing their best Karrine Steffans impression they are still a team to be reckoned with.

This will be the ninth meeting between the divison rivals and the series stands at four wins each. The Soul edged the Destroyers the last meeting in Philadelphia but have not won in Ohio in over three years (April 03, 2005).

As in past years Columbus has one of the better special teams units and QB Matt Nagy is one of the most accurate in the game. The former U of D star QB has an excellent receiver in Derek Lee. In fact this game puts the trio of Lee, Nagy, and Soul WR Chris Jackson on the same field since they played together in Georgia two seasons ago.

Speaking of Jackson, he is just three TD catches from passing Steve Smith as the Soul's single season leader. CJ needs just five TD catches to become only the third with 300. Helping reach those milestones is Soul QB Tony Graziani. Graz can reach a few of his own along the way. He is just four pass attempts shy of 2900 and twenty completions from 1800.

Either player will tell you records mean little when the team doesn't win. And with Dallas looming on the horizon this is shaping up to be another trap game. Columbus has given up a lot of sacks this season and pressure on Nagy will be key. Derek Lee will be hard for the Soul DBs to handle if Nagy has time. Throw in a decent Destroyer run game and Soul LBs Rod Davis and Anthony Dunn will have their work cut out for them.

Columbus wants to knock off their undefeated division rivals. The Soul want to host Dallas as an undefeated team. If the refs can avoid deciding the outcome of the game this should be a win for Philadelphia.

Let's go Soul!

Soul Stumble, Survive SaberCat Slugfest

12 Apr 2008 There's more than one way to skin a cat or so the saying goes.

The Soul took what had to be one of the more unorthodox approaches Catur..errr... Saturday.

Playing like absolute crap on the way to getting shut out in the first quarter Soul LB Rod Davis whiffed on a goalline tackle attmept of San Jose FB Frank Carter. That miss gave the Sabercats a 13 nothing lead after Soul QB Matt D'Orazio tossed an interception on their first possession.

D'Orazio would come right back with another interception and Chris Jackson would add a facemask penalty on the tackle to give San Jose the ball on at the seven. One play later San Jose QB Mark Grieb found WR James Roe for the TD and a 20 point lead.

In the second quarter the Soul would get on the board thanks to touchdowns by Clifton Smith and Darius Watts. Sadly D'Orazio would lose a fumble and the Sabercats would add a few scores as well.

The score at the half, was San Jose 33 Philadelphia 14. It felt like the team was finally collapsing down to earth. Memories of the 2005 spanking by San Jose and their 19-5 record after a loss could only be dulled, not eliminated.

Halftime in the Soul locker room must have included one of Coach Munsey's more animated pep talks. A very different team took the field in the second half.

Mike Brown opened the third quarter with a 41 yard return. Larry Brackins scored on the next play. Sabercats score and Brackins scores again to make it 28-40.

Then the worm turned just a little more. Mike Brown picked off a rushed Grieb pass and three plays later the quarter ended and Chris Jackson would add a TD to start the fourth.

San Jose scored again and Mike Brown returned the ensuing kickoff 57 yards to make the score 42-47. Grieb under pressure the whole drive would bring the Sabercats to the Philly 18 before a blitzing Anthony Dunn forced an incompletion on third down. San Jose Uber kicker A.J. Haglund hit on his field goal attempt making the score 42-50.

One pass to Chris Jackson and a successful two point conversion pass to Larry Brackins would tie the game 50-50 with one minute left.

SaberCats WR Rodney Wright would score giving the lead back to San Jose with 49 seconds to play.

Mike Brown returned the kickoff to the 18 and then a false start on Martin Bibla pushed the Soul back to the 14. D'Orazio would then methodically work down the field with short out passes eating up the remaining time. D'Orazio rushed in from the 5 for the touchdown leaving ten seconds on the clock. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on San Jose would move the ball to the one for the point after attempt.

Time out Philadelphia. When the Soul lined up again D'Orazio was still on the sideline and Clifton Smith was in position for a direct snap. Time out San Jose. Whatever defensive adjustment Sabercat coach Darren Arbet made to counter the formation did not phase the Soul. Smith would plunge in from the one giving the Soul a 58-57 lead.

The Sabercat's drive stalled at their 17 and Philly stopped the clock with 2 seconds remaining. San Jose's kicker, perfect so far this season, lined up for a 48 yard attempt.

He missed by inches. Less than six of them.

The Soul dodged a bullet and remain undefeated. The Sabercats could not get the push they did the year before and Arbet was denied his 100th victory.

Next up is a trip to Ohio to face the 2-5 Columbus Destroyers.

Do You Know The Way San Jose

07 Apr 2008 Burt Bacharach wrote the lyrics to that song a long time ago (the seventies). Yes even before helping Geico customers tell their stories. The Carpenters sang it, Dionne Warwick sang it, and now the Philadelphia Soul are singing it.

The Soul travel to northern California for the first time since 2005 in hopes of extending their win streak to seven games. A win over the current AFL champs would give Philly a best ever 7-0 season start and their first victory over San Jose. And just like it seems to happen every week this season there are some subplots to the game.

San Jose SaberCats head coach Darren Arbet can become just the fifth coach in AFL history to record 100 regular-season victories Saturday. The SaberCats are sitting at 3-3 just like they were last season. Then they won the remaining 10 regualr season games and three post season games to claim their third ArenaBowl championship.

The SaberCats are 19-5 all-time at home following a road loss. And last week was a doozy. A 43-72 skinning last Saturday at the hands of the New Orleans Voodoo.

Soul QB Matt D'Orazio has three consecutive wins and is 2-0 all-time against San Jose. Matt won't be starting this one since Tony Graziani returns to the line up this week. Graz lost the last contest in San Jose 26-52. He managed just 3 touchdowns and 198 yards passing. Sean Scott led all Soul receivers with an anemic 67 yards.

Graziani is four passes from 2900 career attempts. You read that right, twenty nine hundred attempts. And while unlikely this game, Chris Jackson could become just the third player with 300 receiving TDs. That is if he can snag seven of them. More likely is Jackson becoming, at the mid way point, the Soul's single season TD recpetion leader. Steve Smith currently holds the record with 28 TD in 2005.

Oh and San Jose's got a few other team and individual milestones that could be reached Saturday. But who really cares about them. More importantly...

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Burt Bacharach!

Two Weeks of Away Games, Get Off The Couch and Vote!

07 Apr 2008 It's fast approaching week seven of the 2008 AFL season. And there's an election that needs the attention of Soul fans. The Pennsylvania Democrat Presidential Primary may not be until Tuesday the 22nd of April, but you can cast a vote now!

There is still time to make a difference in Philadelphia by voting for the Soulmate that will represent the Philadelphia Soul as part of Aaron's Dream Team during Arena Bowl XXII.

Tradition teaches us that a tenured squad captain should be the one elected to the Dream Team. History and tradition mean something in Philadelphia and prior winners Megan, Lisa, Nina, and Lindsay, all bore that distinctive title.

This year should be no different. A banner year for the team, fifth year anniversary and best ever start. A special season needs a special representative.

The clear choice is third year veteran Michele.

To make the process as painless as possible you can just click on the banner image below to be taken directly to the voting page.

insert lame campaign slogan... something like "Wouldn't it be swell to vote for Michele"

Besides, it'll be weeks before the Soul return home. What else have you got to do in the interim?

Soul Extinguish Blaze Despite Sloppy Play

07 Apr 2008 In a game a lot closer than it needed to be the Soul managed to hold on to a slim second quarter lead and defeat the Utah Blaze.

The Soul got the ball first and on the third play of the driver Soul QB Matt D'Orazio was sacked and fumbled the ball away. The recovery by Blaze (and former Soul) DL Dwayne Missouri gave Utah the ball at the Soul 15. Two plays later the Blaze was up 7-0 with over 12 minutes to go in the first.

The answered with three consecutive first down completions. The last one ending with a 13 yard Chris Jackson TD. The Blaze countered with former Soul WRs J.J. McKelvey and Aaron Boone marching down for the 14-7 lead.

The first Soul illegal block penalty pushed the start of the next drive back to the philly 3. Three passes to Chris Jackson would eat up 41 of the remaining 47 yards. The last six D'Orazio would take care of himself. Capping the run with a nice pirouette for the tie.

Okay maybe not so nice.

On the ensuing drive Blaze QB Joe Germaine would be sacked by Soul DL Brian Save. Save also recovered the fumble he forced on the sack. Those two points would be the last of the first quarter.

In style reminiscent of Soul teams past, Philly kicker Connor Hughes would miss a field goal attempt to end the first half.

The Blaze of course opened the second half with a TD cutting the Soul lead to one point 35-36. A TD by Soul OL playing tight end Martin Bibla followed by a Mike Brown recovery of a Blaze kickoff fumble out the game out of reach 35-50.

The Blaze would gamely trade TDs with Philly for the rest of the game. Only a goalline tackle by Dwayne Missouri kept the Soul from reaching 70 points for the third time this season.

The Soul played sloppy football and managed to win thanks to two unlikely turnovers. If they were looking past Utah to San Jose let's hope their focus improves.

And speaking of focus, let's shift it now to a part of the Soul that this site doesn't have enough of.

Ladies and gentlemen... Soulman

Record Setting Pace

The Philadelphia Soul have a rookie, a second year player, and a veteran currently on pace to rewrite AFL regular season record books.

The least surprising of the three is free agent receiver acquisition Chris Jackson. Jackson is on track to break the single season touchdown record. The record currently stands at 60 and Jackson has 16 after 5 games. That makes for a projected 64 touchdowns over a 16 game season. To go along with that Jackson has 545 recieving yards thus far. That projects out to 2,180 yards which would best the old record of 2,129.

If Jackson does set that TD record and the rest of the team continues to score at their current pace another record should fall. Rookie kicker Connor Hughes has made 35 extra point kicks to date. At this rate Connor would have 140 at season end. The current record stands at 128.

And a defensive record could be in jeopardy. Before the season I predicted a break-out year for Soul DL Gabe Nyenhuis. Gabe leads the AFL with 5 sacks and is on pace to break the single season record of 16. Gabe was held without a sack against Tampa Bay but he's on pace for 20 this season. If he can stay healthy and productive through the cheap shots and holding he should make it.

So by this point people should have figured out that yesterday's article was in fact an April Fool's gag. To the five people that read it and cared enough to inquire about it, much thanks.

IT'S A TRAP

30 Mar 2008 Any of these names sound at all familiar?
Aaron Boone
Reggie Doster
EJ Burt
JJ McKelvey
Dwayne Missouri

Those are the names of current Utah Blaze players that have all worn Soul grey and blue in/for the past couple of seasons.
And despite what some would have you believe these guys are all at least solid players.

Missouri and McKelvey were casualties of the clear cutting done to make room for Chris Jackson.
McKelvey and Blaze WR Huey Whittaker both have double digit touchdown numbers. In fact Whittaker is just 7 yards behind Chris Jackson and has just 4 fewer TD catches.

Reggies Doster was released for being Reggie Doster. He currently has as many interceptions as Eddie Moten and just three fewer tackles.

Aaron Boone was traded to "provide a spark". And he did just that for the Blaze the last few seasons. This year he's the number 12 WR in the AFL. That gives Utah 3 in the top 12. A quarter of the top 12. You have to get below 50 to find the next Soul WR after Brackins.

Utah also has Joe Germaine at QB. The AFL's single season passing leader (5,005 yards) and completion leader (422) has 26 TDs 111 completions so far this season. And Danny White is the head coach.

What's the point of all the Utah love being thrown out there? The Blaze have yet to win a game this season. They are oh and five. They have five guys looking to prove something extra against Philly. They are oh and five. They have a hall of fame coach. They are oh and five. They want to defeat the undefeated. They are oh and five. The Soul are on the road against the San Jose Sabercats the following week and the Blaze are oh and five.

It's a trap. One the Soul need to avoid to stay undefeated. Don't take lightly or look past the Blaze or you'll get burned.

Ridin' The Storm Out

29 Mar 2008 The Philadelphia Soul climbed to their first ever 5-0 start by defeating the winningest head coach in Arena Football history. Bret Munsey's Soul weathered Tim Marcum's Tampa Bay Storm 51-59.

In a game a lot closer than it should have been the Soul scored first and fast. Offensive Player of the Game Larry Brackins took a short sideline pass from Matt D'Orazio 37 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the opening possession..

The rest of the half was back and forth. The Soul having no answer for Storm WR/LB Lawrence Samuels and the Storm unable to contend with Brackins and Chris Jackson. The usually solid at home Connor Hughes missed a field goal and a couple of extra points to make the game interesting. Hughes did nail a 32 yarder to end the half that put the Soul up by 2 (23-25).

The Storm scored to start the third and the Soul came right back with a D'Orazio to Brackins TD pass. On the following Storm drive Soul DL George Gause forced a Storm QB Brett Dietz fumble that was recovered by Soul DB Eddie Moten. One play later a Chris Jackson TD put the Soul up 30-39.

The two teams would again trade scores for the remainder of the half. The Storm even tried an on-side kick with over seven minutes remaining after pulling within 3 points of the lead. A heads up play by Chris Jackson, knocking the ball into the stands after a bounce, ensured the Soul would gain possession. A 14 yard Darius Watts score and blocked point after attempt put the Soul up 44-52. The Storm answered with Samuels third score. A 22 yard catch in the end zone to make it 51-52 with 3:12 to play.

The Soul responded with Chris Jackson's third TD catch. A short 3 yard pass that gave CJ 76 yards for the night and put him over 12,000 career receiving yards (12,054).

On the way to victory Mike Brown added another 123 return yards on seven kick returns earning him another Ironman of the Game nod. Soul LB Anthony Dunn earned Defensive Player of the Game honors with 2 sacks and a forced fumble.

Up next is another of the AFL's best coaches when Danny White and the Utah Soul..errr Blaze visit Philadelphia.

Just Can't Hide That Philly Soul Pride

25 Mar 2008 The first quarter of the 2008 AFL season has ended and the Philadelphia Soul have the lead. They own (or share) the best record in football. They lead the league in attendance. They have defeated good teams like Chicago and Los Angeles and not so good teams like Orlando and New York. And of course they have the best dance team in the land. Exciting time to be a Philadelphia Soul fan.

The Soul sit undefeated at 4-0 and at this moment lead the league in scoring with 28 touchdowns. That lofty perch was reached with the help of the league's first (Jackson-16 TDs) and sixth (Brackins-8 TDs) leading scorers. Brackins and Jackson are also the only team duo in the top ten in receiving yards.

Quarterback's Tony Graziani and Matt D'Orazio have combined for 1138 passing yards. Graz's 122.5 QB rating is still sixth in the AFL. And D'Orazio with only 52 attempts is third with a 127.6 rating.

On special teams rookie kicker Connor Hughes is third in scoring (41 points). Mike Brown's 2 kick returns for touchdowns is tops in the league. His 499 return yards also puts him first in kickoff return yardage . Brown's 23.8 yard per return average is good for second in the AFL.

On defense Gabe Nyenhuis leads the AFL with 5 sacks. Mike Brown is third with 3 interceptions.

Sadly the Soul D has given up the fifth most touchdowns through the air and is one catch shy of allowing the highest number of completions. The rest of the defensive stats are pretty middle of the pack.

The biggest concern in prior years has been the performance, or lack thereof, of the backup QB. Matt D'Orazio seems to have put that concern to rest. The toughest stretch of the season is about to start. Upcoming games against San Jose, Tampa Bay, and a surprising Cleveland team, will test the team. And always dangerous Dallas is still on the horizon.

All in all a very promising start to the season.

East Meets West

20 Mar 08 Tonight the Soul take their first trip to the City of Angels to face the Avengers.
Sadly the Graziani/Jackson return to L.A. will be short one Graziani. But there are other stories to follow in this match up.

Tonight Chris Jackson can become the fifth player in league history to reach 900 career receptions. CJ needs just six catches against his former team to hit the milestone. Damian Harrell and Lawrence Samuels are the only other active players with 900 or more catches. Can Damon Wheeler and the Avengers D stop Jackson from joining that group?

On the other side of the field Avenger's QB Sonny Cumbie rolled into the record books against Arizona a couple of weeks ago. In just his third season Cumbie is already one of the most prolific passers the AFL has ever seen. He surpassed the 8000 yard mark in just 31 games. Cumbie's favorite target, Timon Marshall, has 407 receiving yards already this season (good for second in the league).

The 3-0 Soul without Graziani take on the 2-1 Avengers. The Soul have 2 of the top 10 scoring receivers in Brackins and Jackson and sit atop the power poll rankings.

So why does it feel like this is going to be a close game?

Irish Eyes Are Smiling

16 Mar 08 The theme for the evening was Irish Night but it could easily have been Countries Opressed By British Rule night. And speaking of opression,

...the guy on the left is a jackass.

The hated division rival New York Dragons rolled into town for a little brotherly love this afternoon. What they left with was a whoopin' and an injured starting QB.

The Soul climbed to 3-0 and picked up their first Eastern Division win by slaying the Dragqueens 42 to 63. Soul QB Tony Graziani threw for 6 TDs in the first three quarters. The dynamic duo of Graziani and Jackson hooked up for three scores before Graz was knocked out of the game by a late hit from NY DL John Nix.

With 47 seconds left in the third Graziani hit Larry Brackins from 21 yards out to make the game 42-28 Soul. On the play Dragons nose guard (and former Dallas Cowboy... I'm just sayin') John Nix drilled Graziani late. The retalitory hit from backup Soul center Justin Cleveland resulted in offsetting penalties. Early reports have Graz out for the next 3 to 4 weeks.

Matt D'Orazio entered the game at QB for the Soul and after a rusty start led Philadelphia to two more scores. One of them a trademark one yard run with under a minute left that the Dragons should have seen coming.

After Soul LB Anthony Dunn put NY QB Aaron Garcia to bed early Dragons backup QB Rohan Davey tossed a beautiful pass right into the arms of another Soul LB. Rod Davis would return the interception for a score and end any hope of a New York comeback.

So why you ask is that guy in the photo above a jackass? For five years the Soulmates have entered the lower level aisles during the first quarter. On this particular night the new guy from New York decided the lead Soulmate could not take her customary position on the second row landing. This asshat actually yelled at a Soulmate and then gave grief to the Soulmate director. Way to represent the Wachovia Center pal.

Boogie Night

02 Mar 08 Chris Jackson did not disappoint. The much hyped off season acquisition had six receptions for 78 yards and four touchdowns and was named the Offensive Player of the Game. But the reality is people expect production from Jackson.

QB Tony Graziani set a Soul single game record (and matched his career high) by tossing 9 TDs and finished 15-of-22 passes for 257 yards. Again the reality is people expect production from Graz.

The pleasant surprise of the evening was the play of Larry "Boogie" Brackins. Brackins has all the tools but has been plagued by drops and mental errors in the past. His head was certainly in the game last night. Boogie hauled in six receptions for 133 yards and three TDs.

Make no mistake, Brackins has had big games for the Soul. This was just one game and the first game of the season at that. But he was brilliant at times and dominant at others.

Kenny Henderson and Wes Ours snagged Graziani's other two TD passes and new LB/FB  Clifton Smith scored on a 5 yard run.

Special teams played well with new kicker Connor Hughes perfect in his debut. Mike Brown had a "Iron Man of the Game" performance returning one kick 56 yards for a score and rolling up 196 return yards total.

On defense Soul DL Gabe Nyenhuis provided the only sack of the night and also forced a fumble. That fumble was recovered by Defensive Player of the Game and new Soul DL Tom Johnson.

Add it all up and you have complete and total domination of your opponent. For the third straight game the Soul whupped up on the Orlando Predators in Philadelphia.

One down, fifteen to go. The Monday night game on ESPN2 will provide a glimpse at the Soul's next obstacle. A trip to the Windy City to face the Chicago Rush.

KickOff!

01 Mar 08 The Philadelphia Soul begin their wood and silverware anniversary (fifth) season today. The Soul will face the visiting Orlando Predators for the third consecutive game.
Philly ended the 07 regular season with a home win over Orlando. A week later they ended the Preds post season with a home wildcard win. Today marks the sixth time these two teams have faced each other. The Soul lead the series 3-2.

Philadelphia is six points dogs in this game but since 1991 Orlando is 11-6 on opening day. This year the Predators return to Philadelphia without WR Jimmy Fryzel. On the other bench the Soul have a new weapon in Chris Jackson and lot of new faces on defense. The defensive line has been a revolving door for prospects trying to replace the departed Dwayne Missouri. The offense is without the leading receiver Charles Pauley.

This game will also provide a look at the revamped Jack linebacker rule. The Jack is now free to roam sideline to sideline instead of being constrained in an imaginary box. If there is a team in the league that will test the new rule it is the Predators. Orlando's quick, hard hitting Jack LB Marlon Moye-Moore should benefit from the change.

The Soul will unveil a new pre-game show and debut their band and drum line. And of course the Ump will be sporting the new head gear mentioned below.

Speaking of the Ump, it'll be Mike Delaney. A figure familiar to the Soul for all the wrong reasons. Joining Mad Mike will be Ref Bill McCabe; Head Linesman Shawn Hochuli (Ed's kid?); Line Judge Dirk Bell; Back Judge Jimmy Buchanon. Call 'em like you see 'em fellas.

Are you guys ready to scr-mi-mimage?

Richie - The Benchwarmers

20 Feb 08 What a difference playing for a spot right before roster cuts can make.
Wednesday the Philadelphia Soul and New York Dragons scrimmaged for the second time in as many weeks. While the unoffical outcome was the same the level of play was better.

Players were flying around getting after the ball like their spot on the team depended on it. For nearly a dozen of the "bubble" players it did.

The second time was not a charm for af2 stand out Larry Kendrick. For the second season he failed to catch on with the Soul. Somewhat surprising was the release of WR Scottie Vines and LB Raheem Orr. DL Ryan LaCasse, DB Reggie Lewis, and WR J.J. Outlaw were also waived following the scrimmage.

But the game and cuts isn't the sole focus of this piece. A single element bringing radical change to the game was implemented. One that brings additional technology and safety to the playing field and limitless potential to the fans in the seats. Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you...

The TARD Helmet

Apparently there were scores of Umpires around the league getting concussions from either footballs, football players, or football fans. Either that or the league is admitting some officials have Hiltonesque intelligence.

Soul Start Season by Giving

16 Feb 08 On Monday Totaro's Restaurant in Conshohocken conducted a fund-raiser for three Conshohocken brothers. The Giongo boys, ages 7, 10 and 18 have faced a series of tragic events recently. They lost both parents and moved in with their grandmother. Shortly thereafter fire destroyed the grandmother's house.

Soul Director of Sales and big Totaro's fan Joe Krause brought the family's plight to the attention of the team. After meeting with the restaraunt the idea for the two hour event was formed.

From 7-9 p.m. Totaro's hosted a charity event with help from the Soul that featured:

Silent auctions for Soul memorabilia including autographed shirts, photos, and a guitar.


"Celebrity" bartenders- Tony Graziani, Mike Brown, Wes Ours, Brian Mance, Chris Jackson, and Matt Bernstein.


Nine of the Philadelphia Soulmates (7 of them rookies!)

The rest of the team and staff were on hand to mingle and help the waitstaff with the packed house. After all was said and done matching contributions from Ron Jaworski, Jon Bon Jovi, and Craig Spencer helped the event raise a substantial amount of money.

A night of great food and fun all for a worthy cause. Makes one proud to be a Soul fan.

New Faces Behind the Scenes

17 Jan 08 As this gets posted it's less than six weeks until the 2008 AFL season begins.
The Philadelphia Soul have retooled for a run at the championship with a revamped offense and overhauled defense. To help those new parts work the Soul have replaced departed coaches Pat Downey and John Kirk with AFL coaching newcomers.

New line coach Mickey Mays has been around the block. The Rhodes College grad comes from Charleston Southern University where he was the defensive line coach.

Mays brings with him high school, college and professional coaching experience. In 2001, he was the defensive line coach for the Eastern Division Champion Orlando Rage in the XFL. Previous to the Rage, Mays worked outside of the U.S. spending one year with the Berlin Thunder in the NFL Europe, and one year in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

From 1993-98, Mays spent time at the University of Texas-El Paso, where he coached the defensive line, linebackers and also running backs.

New linebackers coach Jerry Odom also migrates north to join the Soul. A former Arena League player with the Orlando Predators for six seasons from 1992-98. During part of that time, he roomed with Soul head coach Bret Munsey.

Odom starred at the University of Florida, starting every game of his junior and senior year at linebacker and being named a captain of the 1990 team, which was Steve Spurrier’s first in Gainesville. He later played in the AFL while serving as a graduate assistant at Florida and Texas Christian. He coached in the high school ranks in Florida with stops in Orlando, Apopka and New Smyrna Beach before returning to the Gators as an assistant coach in 2000. He later served as the defensive coordinator at East Carolina before coming to Coffee High School prior to the 2005 season.

Christmas Wishes

20 Dec 07 At this time of year, we are reminded it is more blessed to give than to receive. So let us make a list of some of the things we'd like to give to people in the AFL universe at holiday time.

For Soul Fans: A solid regular season from your favorite team leading to an Arena Bowl win. The Soul need to play every game like they did the first three games last season. Not to say blow teams out but play all three phases of the game well. Here's hoping the sacrifices made to bring Chris Jackson to town pay off.

For Dwayne Missouri And Sean Scott: A roster spot on the league's all AFL team. Since you guys won't be getting a ring if the above comes true here's the next best thing.

For Anthony Robert Graziani: A championship for a guy that's been beaten, bruised, battered, and badgered about not winning the big games.

For Fans Everywhere: A good enough memory to recall what you love about the game, even when your team isn't winning the big prize. It's a gift to all of us to have a game like this to distract us from real life, and to have men like the ones who coach and play it devote their lives for our enjoyment. Remember the spirit of the holiday while you're cheering for your team.

For Soulmate Captain Michelle: A trip to New Orleans representing the Soul as part of the Aaron's Dream Team Dancers. With a little luck the rest of the squad will be there wearing their own colors while the Soul vie for a championship. Of course that would mean Michelle would probably leave the squad like every other Dream Teamer (though Lisa stayed for a few season after her trip) but she deserves the recognition.

Maybe next week we can discuss New Year's Resolutions.