Philly Soul Fanhttp://blog.phillysoulfan.comQuick BlogThe Soul are 12-3http://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/06/16/the-soul-are-123.aspxFor those of you Soul fans headed up there, give 'em hell).
As far as the team is concerned, they seem great at times. They seem lackadaisical at others. I don't know what to make of this. It could be because of the schedule, or it could be all the injuries, or it could be a lack of focus. If it's the latter, the coaching staff needs to step it up. Especially Maynor, I don't know about you guys, but I am glad we have two All-Arena QBs on our roster. I really don't think Maynor can coach up a kid.
Anyway, here's hoping we kill NY, or better yet, the Desperados lose and the Soul can rest some key guys (Chris Jackson). Whatever the case, it's going to be a fun couple of weeks.
Go Soul!!!!!
]]>dagodfather2008-06-16T17:31:52ZSoul Are 10-2http://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/05/17/soul-are-102.aspx On a sad note, my sources within the organization have told be that Tony Graziani's knee injury is a career ender. Tony's knee was injured in the game against the New York Dragons when John Nix took a cheap shot at his knee. It was later re-injured in the Columbus game. Assuming that this is true, Tony will be sadly missed. ]]>dagodfather2008-05-17T22:40:54ZIt's Been a While Since I Last Postedhttp://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/05/03/its-been-a-while-since-i-last-posted.aspxthat bad.
Now some news...Jon Bon Jovi was on Mike Missanelli's show on 950AM. Mike Miss asked JBJ about rumors of him trying to sell the team. Not only did he not deny it, but he actually said that he did not like the direction the league is headed. First, what direction is that? All the rule changes or the single entity ownership? I'm guessing the latter. Could this also mean we will have a new ownership group soon? Only time will tell.
Please let me know your thoughts by either using the comments section on this screen or by posting something on the message board. ]]>dagodfather2008-05-03T13:07:34ZSoul - Destroyers Previewhttp://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/04/19/soul--destroyers-preview.aspx The Soul, meanwhile, are supposed to have starting QB Tony Graziani. WR Chris Jackson will be going for another recieving record, I think it's 900 TD receptions. The defensive line should give the DBs help in that the Destroyers O'Line is supposed to be Swiss Cheese (according to Destroyer fans).
My prediction, the Soul will remain undefeated.
GO SOUL!!!!! ]]>dagodfather2008-04-19T15:24:41ZSoul Are Still Unbeaten at 7-0http://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/04/13/soul-are-still-unbeaten-at-70.aspxtoo fuego is you ask me. It was almost as if they knew what was coming before we did, but this is another conversation for another day.) The SaberCats defense was so good that they kept the Soul from scoring any points in the first quarter and held them to just 14 at the half. The QB Matt D'Orazio and DB/KR Mike Brown took over. These two simply will the Soul to victory. Down 33-14 to start the second half, the Soul recieved first crack on offense. Mike Brown returned the kickoff 40+ yards to bring the ball to the SaberCats 17. On the subsequent play D'Orazio threw a touchdown pass to WR Larry Brackins. The Soul go on to score 44 more points from there, while holding the SaberCats to 24.
Some thoughts about this game
- Tony Graziani was supposed to start this game but was a late scratch
- On the 2 point conversion, where the Soul finally took the lead, there was no QB. Mabry had to snap the ball to Clifton Smith, who rumbled for the conversion. They had lined up like that, then the SaberCats called time out and then the Soul just ran the play anyway. I like this mentality. Show the opposing team what you are going to to and basically say "Hey, you can't stop it." Kudos to Munsey/Maynor for the play design.
- The SaberCats cheerleaders are smoking hot
- WR Chris Jackson got away with one when he slapped the boards with his right hand before he scored on a 41yard TD with about a minute to play. SaberCats fans have every right to be pissed on that one.
- Do the refs know what holding his when they see it? Part of the reason the Soul's defense looked so bad in the first half is because Save, Strong, Nyenhuis, and Dunn were getting mugged. It was pretty obvious too.
- DE Derrick Strong could be the other end Munsey has been looking for to compliment Save and Nyenhuis
- Can we please stop having to go to San Jose every year? How about every once and a while they come here? Or maybe we can go to Arizona?
That's about all I have to say about this game. Next up, the team that everyone seems to be overlooking, the Columbus Destroyers.
Oh and Dallas won again. They head into a bye week next week, so they will remain undefeated when they come here. ]]>dagodfather2008-04-13T11:28:27ZSoul - San Jose Previewhttp://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/04/10/soul--san-jose-preview.aspx The Soul have made headlines by making roster moves this week. They signed DE Derrick Strong after releasing DL George Gause and QB Mitch Tanney. By releasing Tanney, this tells me that Graziani will be starting this week against the SaberCats. The only thing we know for sure is that an Italian will be under center for the Soul Saturday night.
Meanwhile, the SaberCats have been messing with everyone by moving the start time of this game. Originally it was supposed to start at 10:30 PM EST, then it was moved to 11:45 PM EST because SJ was worried about there being an NHL Playoff game that night. Turns out the Sharks play on Friday night not Saturday so the SaberCats moved the starting time back to 10:30 PM EST. This game will be shown live on ComcastSportsNet.
It just occured to me, I have not talked about the game at all. The SaberCats are led by QB Mark Grieb, one of the best the Arena League has to offer, and his go to guy is WR James Roe, again, one of the best the Arena League has to offer. These two are a very formidable duo. The defensive line will have to be at their best to hurry passes, so the DBs will have a chance to defend against their WR corps. This game will be close, to close to call in fact. BUT!!!!! I have said since before the season started that the Soul will go undefeated on their way to winning the Arena Bowl this year. That means, they will have to win this week.
GO SOUL!!!!!!
]]>dagodfather2008-04-10T17:47:03ZSoul Beat Blazehttp://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/04/06/soul-beat-blaze.aspx As for the Blaze, all I can say is that this team seems to be snake bitten. They have the worst luck in the league and it doesn't seem to help that veteran players like Dwayne Missouri are constantly taking stupid penalties for late hits. You have got to be better than that if you want to win in this league.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the San Jose game, this Saturday at 10:00 PM Est. I have no idea if this game is being televised or not. I will let you know when I give you a preview of the game.
Later all
P.S. Dallas won again too, so they are now 6-0 as well.
]]>dagodfather2008-04-06T11:51:42ZSoul - Blaze Previewhttp://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/04/04/soul--blaze-preview.aspx The Blaze will be bringing with them 5 former Soul players;
WR Aaron Boone DL EJ Burt DB Reggie Doster WR JJ McKelvey DL Dwayne Missouri
I am sure you remember most, if not all of these names. Personally, I can not wait for Doster to take the field. It will not matter who he covers, they will be open for six. However, it will be awfully wierd to see D-Mo in another team's colors.
Go Soul!!!!! ]]>dagodfather2008-04-04T17:28:57ZSoul Beat Stormhttp://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/04/04/soul-beat-storm.aspx The highlight of the game came from the second to the last play of the game when a nun (her name escapes my memory right now, although Sister Delores comes to mind) caught a pass from Storm QB Brett Dietz. The fans at the Wachovia Center gave her a standing ovation.
]]>dagodfather2008-04-04T17:14:18ZSoul - Storm Previewhttp://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/03/26/soul--storm-preview.aspx Anyway, the Soul, while having an unbelievable offense is quietly having a stand out defensive year. Consider this, they have the league leader in sacks, Gabe
Nyenhuis with 5, Mike Brown is third best in interceptions with 3, and Brian Mance is 4th best in the league with 29.5 tackles with 28 of them being solo. The Soul's team defense, as a whole, are doing very well.
Tampa Bay will be without star WR Terrill Shaw, who was placed on IR on 3/17. They still have Lawerence Samuels and Brett Dietz is an up and coming QB for the Storm.
This game is not as easy as it would seem. This team will always be dangerous as long as Tim Marcum continues to coach them. With that said, I have to continue taking the Soul as I do believe that they will go 19-0.
Go Soul!!!!!!!
Oh this game will be nationally broadcasted on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD. ]]>dagodfather2008-03-26T18:09:07ZSoul Win!!! Soul Win!!!http://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/03/22/soul-win-soul-win.aspx The Dragons game.
The big news coming out of the New York Dragons game was that Tony Graziani was hurt and is out 3-4 weeks. The injury occurred after John Nix, a defensive lineman for the Dragons, decided that he was going to dive into Tony's knee. This injury could have been a career ender had Tony not been wearing a knee brace. Nix's behavior after the hit was somehow far more reprehensible then him taking aim at Graziani. After he hits Tony, he spit on OL Justin Cleveland, who then went after Nix. The Dragon coaches then removed Nix from the game only to put him back in after a couple of series. Nix was also overheard saying to his teammates, while on the bench, "I don't care. That's not my team." Upon returning to the game, Nix then spit on QB Matt D'orazio and was finally ejected from the game. As he was being escorted to the locker room, he flashed a gang symbol and cursed out the fans. The league's reaction to this... a 1 game suspension and a $1,000 fine.
The two things that this league prides itself on, players safety and fan friendliness, John Nix chose to wipe his ass on. To which, I decided to express my frustration and emailed Jerry Trice of the league's front office. Normally, I would not post private communication between myself and someone from the league but his response was so ambivalent to what I had said that I need to show you this...
Mr. Trice,
I just read that John Nix was suspended for one game and received
a $1,000 fine. I have to ask, is this joke? Before you answer, let’s
review what happened that day. First Nix propels himself into an
opposing player’s knee (a franchise QB, mind you) and causes an injury
where the player is out for 3-4 weeks. Keep in mind that this was well
after the ball was thrown and there was no turnover, so there was no
reason to hit the QB. Then after the play was over, he hits another
opposing player and spits on him. The situation becomes so heated that
his own coaches felt the need to remove him from the game. After a
little while, when things seemed to have calmed down, the New York
coaches allowed him back in (if you wanted to suspend them for one game
for this, I would be fine with that), he proceeds to act in pretty much
the same manner. Hitting players after the whistle and spitting on
them. At this point, the referees throw him out. On his way out of the
game, he is flashing gang symbols (make no mistake. That was a gang
symbol he was flashing), that and cursing and spitting on fans (I do
believe your league’s Fan’s Bill of Rights do not allow such behavior
but I maybe wrong on that).
After the game is over things start to leak out that this is not
the first time the Soul has had these issues with Nix. If you are not
aware please watch this http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3300241
. It’s ESPN’s Last Man Standing. Several Soul players and coaches point
out that he has acted like this before in the scrimmages. But I am sure
this was uncovered in the league’s investigation into Nix’s behavior.
Why else did it take so long to come up with a punishment?
The main thing that attracted me, and many others, to this league
is the fact that you seem to get it, that the fans and player’s safety
are 1 and 1a on the league’s priority list. Now after I have explained
the situation, does a 1 game suspension seem fair to you? I hope it
does not because if something more is not done, I may not re-new my
season tickets next year.
His response....
Sorry you are dissapointed
Thank you for your opinion
Jerry Trice
With a league dying for attention, for him to be ambivalent about my not renewing my season tickets is just plain wrong. How about explaining to me that the fine and suspension that Nix received is the highest that the league can impose based on the collective bargain agreement? Is that too much to ask? Even the NFL, where there are fans lining up to get season tickets to their games, is not that arrogant to blow me off like that.
And how can the league allow this man to have email when he has no idea how spell check works?
This is all I am going to post about this incident because it's over and done with. I am moving on now.
The Avengers Game
With Matt D'Orazio leading the charge, the Philadelpia Soul flew out west to play the LA Avengers for a Thursday night game. I don't know how, because I did not think the Soul looked particularly crisp under D'Orazio, but somehow they won 71-34. WR Chris Jackson had 6 touchdowns in his homecoming and caught his 900th pass in his AFL career, so congratulations to Chris. This game was the wierdest game I ever saw. Through the first 2 and a half quarters there were no defensive stops. The two teams exchanged touchdowns for 37 minutes. Then all of a sudden the Soul's defensive line took over scoring 30 unanswered points, en route to the blow out. It was amazing. ]]>dagodfather2008-03-22T17:16:58ZPreview Soul vs. Dragonshttp://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/03/15/preview-soul-vs-dragons.aspx Now about the game. I fully admit, I have not seen any Dragons games other the when they came here last year in about 2 years. As you might have guessed, being that this is phillysoulfan.com, that I am a huge Soul fan. I also predicted before the season started that the Soul will go 19-0. With all that said, I don't see how the Dragons will have any chance at beating the Soul. Who is going to cover Jackson? Who is going to cover Brackins? Who is going to step up and hit Graziani? I can't honestly tell you. Normally, I would say that this is going to be a blow out and come the fourth quarter we will be wondering if we will break the Soul record in points scored in a game (78 I think is the new record). But this is a division rivalry. The Soul and Dragons have a lot of bad blood between them. I think this is going to be a very physical game but in the end the Soul will prevail.
]]>dagodfather2008-03-15T16:47:05ZSoul 60 Chicago 42http://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/03/09/soul-60-chicago-42.aspx
The Soul had their chances to blow this game wide open early on several occasions but the veteran trio, Bonner, Herrill, and Alexander would not allow this to happen.
Bring on New York.
]]>dagodfather2008-03-09T14:59:37ZPreview of Soul - Rush Gamehttp://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/03/08/preview-of-soul--rush-game.aspx The Philadelphia Soul put on an offensive show last week against the Predators. The Soul would have scored a touchdown every time they had the ball, had they not been trying to kill the clock on their last drive. The Soul's defense is nothing to laugh at either. Their pass rush is fierce as they hurried Stafford in to countless bad throws last week, while putting him into the ground just about every time he dropped back to pass.
The Soul have played the Chicago Rush every year in their young existence. They have played them twice in Philly and twice in Chicago. The home team has won every time. The Soul have also beaten them each of the last two seasons. Both teams are also owned by former NFL icons, Ron Jaworski in Philadelphia and Mike Ditka in Chicago.
This is going to be a tough game to predict, as both teams are so evenly matched (They both have left handed QBs, for crying out loud). I am going to predict that the Soul will win (I have to, I said they are going 19-0) and I also think that this will be a preview of the Arena Bowl.
Here's a link to the official AFL preview. ]]>dagodfather2008-03-08T11:49:46ZSoul vs. Predatorshttp://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/03/01/soul-vs-predators.aspx]]>Week 1dagodfather2008-03-02T10:42:15ZPreview of Tonight's Gamehttp://blog.phillysoulfan.com/2008/03/01/preview-of-tonights-game.aspx For more information on tonight's game click here.
The Soul was very active in the off season, shedding moved loved veterans like Sean Scott and Dewayne Missouri. They added Tony Graziani's favorite target in L.A., Chris Jackson, hoping that the two can team up again for another 100 TD 5 interception season. They also added veteran QB Matt D'Orazio, who won an Arena Bowl with Chicago in 2006, and WR Chris Horn, who was cut by the Carolina Panthers in September and is hoping to make a comeback in the AFL, having last played with the Arizona Rattlers in 2002. These additions, along with the offensive line returning should make the Soul more potent on offense this year.
As far as the defense is concerned, I just don't know. As mentioned before, they released Dewayne Missouri after signing Chris Jackson. They have done nothing to replace his pass rush. They have, however, signed some promising young DB in Dee Webb and a promising two way player named Larry Kendrick. With veterans Mike Brown and Eddie Moten returning we should have one hell of a defensive backfield.
There was a rule change this past off season allowing the Jack Linebacker to roam freely from sideline to sideline. This change should all but stop the run and allow for more zone coverage. But the negative to this move would be more naked bootlegs, if you have a QB that can run. It will be interesting to see how this rule affects the game.