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.
