2005 Philadelphia Soul Preview
by Fran Stuchbury
Published on January 25, 2005 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul
The Arena Football League's Philadelphia Soul made its debut last February, and the fans packed the Wachovia Center and Spectrum helping them lead the AFL in attendance with an average of 16,581 fans per game. The Soul finished the season with a 5-11 record so they made some major changes during the off-season.
We'll break down each position below.
QUARTERBACK
The key to having a winning team is definitely having a great QB. Last season Nick Browder and Todd Hammel combined for 69 TD passes and a whopping 19 interceptions.
The Soul decided to open up its wallet and land one of the best QB's in the AFL, Tony Graziani, to a three-year contract. Last year Graziani played with the Los Angeles Avengers, passing for 99 TD's and only five interceptions.
Soul coach Michael Trigg was interested in signing Graziani for several reasons. "I liked his quick release. I liked his decision making," he stated. "He is very comfortable in the pocket. When he drops back you can see his head moving around, doesn't fixate on the rush. He's looking on what's going on and gets rid of the ball very quickly. He is rarely sacked and his accuracy is one of the tops in the game."
The key is Graziani rarely makes mistakes, which is very important in AFL games. Plus he provides leadership to the team that was lacking it last season.
Tim Levcik will serve as Graziani's backup. Levcik played briefly with the Soul last season.
OFFENSIVE SPECIALIST/WR-DB/WR-LB
The Soul is loaded at this position. Three guys battled it out for the OS position: Steve Smith, Terrill Shaw and Tyronne Jones.
Smith, a free agent pickup from Grand Rapids, caught 59 passes for 658 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He is also a very dangerous kick returner, having over 1683 yards and five touchdowns.
Jones led the Soul last season in touchdown receptions with 18 and had 1032 return yards with four more scores.
Shaw was a late season pickup after being cut by Las Vegas. He was injury plagued most of the 2004 season but had an outstanding 2003 campaign with Grand Rapids, catching 113 passes for 1658 yards and 41 TD's. The main reason he chose to play for the Soul was so he could be reunited with coach Trigg whom he played under in Grand Rapids.
Smith was named the offensive specialist. Jones will start the season on the disabled list, and Shaw will play at the WR/LB position.
It's questionable whether Jones or Shaw is able to make a transition to play both offense and defense. The most tackles Jones had was eight during the 2000 season with Nashville, and the most Shaw had was four in 2003.
Keita Crespina, who played college football locally at Temple, returns to the Soul as a WR/DB. They made a smart move picking up five-year AFL vet Maurice Bryant who played with the Arizona Rattlers and Las Vegas Gladiators.
Rob Milanese who played his college ball at Penn made enough of an impression at a local tryout and performed well in the scrimmage against the Dragons to make a roster spot, and Arkee Thompson, who played briefly with the Predators, rounds out the WR/DB's.
As for WR/LB, the starter will be Sean Scott who caught 16 TD passes and had 14 tackles last season. Shaw will be one of his backups and Marcus Knight will be another weapon Graziani has to throw to.
FULBACK/LINEBACKER
Chris "Soul Train" Ryan led the Soul with 15 rushing TD's last season and will start the season on the disabled list so that means Marlion Jackson who showed flashes in the four games he played at the end of the season will be the starter. Ryan is more of a "smash mouth" power back, while Jackson is more of finesse back.
OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE LINE
Dwayne Missouri, who led the Soul in sacks with 2.5, anchors the OL/DL. Eric Gohlstin a seven-year AFL veteran and another returning Soul player provides leadership at the position. A guy to keep an eye on is Cory Stone who played with the Carolina Cobras and New York Dragons. Once he is healthy he will help the team immediately.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
At the DS position Joseph Todd, who was second in the teams in tackles with 75, returns. A guy who could be an AFL Rookie of the Year candidate is Eddie Moten, who in only 11 games with the af2 Rio Grande Dorados, recorded 10 interceptions. If he is able to make the transition from af2 to AFL, watch out!
KICKER
Soul fans will never forget Ken Hinsley's game-winning 52-yard field goal which propelled Philadelphia over the Dragons and kept New York home for the playoffs. But Hinsley was inconsistent so coach Trigg felt a change was necessary. They signed Derek Schorejs who last played in the AFL with the New Jersey Red Dogs the 2000 season and last season played in NFL Europe for the Cologne Centurions, connecting on six of seven field goal attempts.
One reason coach Trigg likes him is due to his leg strength. He is able to kick the ball consistently off the nets.
OUTLOOK
Danny White predicted the Soul in the AFL preview magazine to win the ArenaBowl. I don't agree with coach White's prediction.
I think with the addition of Tony Graziani they can certainly compete for a playoff spot. The offense is going be very productive and put a lot of points on the scoreboard.
Look for the Soul to compete with the Dragons for the East Division title and possibly a playoff spot.
The only problems I see are on the defensive end. The Soul lack the pass rusher who will regularly get at opposing QB's such as Rush OL/DL John Moyer, and a shut-down DS like Predators Kenny McEntyre.
If the defense can step up and create a couple of stops per game, this team will be a force to reckon with. If not, the Soul could be very similar to last season's Los Angeles Avengers who had an unstoppable offense but a defense that couldn't get the job done.
One sure thing is I expect the Soul to lead the league in attendance again. If Philadelphia can split its two road games to open the season (at Austin and Chicago). The Soul will be in good shape its first home game against the Nashville Kats Feb. 13th.
If you have any questions or comments about this article feel free to drop me an email; at arenazone@yahoo.com.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from January 25, 2005
- 2005 Philadelphia Soul Preview - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
