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March 16, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Las Vegas Gladiators News Release


SOUL @ DESTROYERS: THE FACTS

Date: Saturday, March 18, 2006
Kickoff: 7:00 PM ET
Site: Nationwide Arena (Columbus, OH)
Officials: Referee: David Cutaia, Umpire: Doug Wilson, Head Linesman: Greg Shields, Line Judge: Dave Chesney, Back Judge: James Cole

THE GAME CAN BE HEARD...

On Sportstalk 950 in Philadelphia with Ari Wolfe handling the call. Also, online at www.philadelphiasoul.com.

THE GAME CAN BE SEEN...
This week's game will be televised on Comcast Sportsnet tape delay (10:30 p.m. ET) with Jeff Piecoro doing the play-by-play and Greg Frey providing the color commentary. Mike Cairns will report from the sidelines.

THE SERIES - SOUL VS. DESTROYERS

This will be the fifth meeting between the Soul and Columbus. The Soul led the series 3-1 and split their season series last year. In Week 10 in Columbus, the Soul won their franchise record third straight game after defeating the Destroyers 62-45. Later in the season during Week 16, Columbus came away victorious for the first time against the Soul while in Philadelphia 55-52.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

If the Soul win, it would
- Give the Soul a 4-1 record vs. Columbus
- Give the Soul a 5-3 overall record
- Give the Soul a 2-2 road record

THE SOUL'S GAME vs. Kansas City
Offensive Player of the Game: Tony Graziani (PHI)
ADT Defensive Player of the Game: Eddie Moten (PHI)
Ironman of the Game: Sean Scott (PHI)

KANSAS CITY, MO - Tony Graziani threw three first-half touchdown passes -- two to Sean Scott -- to lead the Philadelphia Soul to a 54-24 victory over the expansion Kansas City Brigade on Monday night in the Arena Football League.
Graziani was 11-of-13 for 146 yards in the first half, and Raheem Orr and Eddie Moten scored on interception returns to help the Soul (4-3) take a 48-12 lead.
Graziani finished 19-of-23 for 230 yards, and Mike Brown led Philadelphia in receiving with seven catches for 71 yards.
Andy Kelly threw two TD passes for the Brigade (1-6).
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 FINAL
Philadelphia 13 35 3 3 54
Kansas City 0 12 0 12 24

THE COACHES


Brett Munsey (First Season)

Bret Munsey becomes the third head coach for the Philadelphia Soul, as the organization heads into its third season in 2006. With an extensive coaching background, this will be Munsey's first head coaching position in the League.

Munsey, 37, joins the Soul after serving on Orlando's staff for three seasons under Jay Gruden. After joining the Predators in 2003 and serving as the team's offensive coordinator and wide receivers/defensive backs coach, he was promoted to assistant head coach in August of 2003. This role also included his director of player personnel and defensive coordinator roles throughout the last two seasons.

In 2005 the Predators finished with a 10-6 regular season record and lost in the conference finals to the Georgia Force. The team ranked third in the League in scoring defense (47.2 ppg), fifth in total defense (269.2 ypg) and second in pass rating defense (98.9).

In his role as defensive coordinator, Munsey organized Orlando's defensive game plans and served as defensive backs coach. His 2004 defense ranked first in the league in scoring defense (43.1), total defense (236.8 ypg) and pass rating defense (95.7).

The Soul look to capitalize on Munsey's defensive knowledge. Philadelphia was the worst in the League against the run last season, allowing 576 yards. They also allowed the second most touchdowns in the League and made the least amount of tackles. Cutting down on stats like these are Munsey's top priority.

In his role as assistant head coach, Munsey handled several administrative duties for the Predators - including planning and conducting training camp, tryouts and player housing. He was also in charge of recruiting and handled contract compliance with the League.

In his first season with the Predators, Munsey served as offensive coordinator and coached the wide receivers and defensive backs.

Munsey came to the Predators from the Carolina Cobras, where he served as defensive coordinator. Under his guidance, the Cobras were ranked in the top five in the Arena Football League in many defensive categories and came within one play of earning a spot in the semifinals.

Prior to his stint in Carolina, Munsey served as head coach and director of football operations for the Tennessee Valley Vipers of the af2. During his first season as a head coach, Munsey led his team to a 14-2 regular season record (15-3 overall). His defense ranked in the top five in all major categories and three defensive players were named to the "All-af2" team.


Following that outstanding season, Munsey was named "af2 Coach of the Year" in a vote by his peers.

Doug Kay (First Season)

Doug Kay was named head coach of the Columbus Destroyers on July 14, 2005. Kay becomes the third coach in Columbus Destroyers history and sixth in the Buffalo/Columbus franchise history. He has more than 40 years of football experience including 12 seasons in the Arena Football League. Overall Kay's teams have made the postseason in 10 of his 12 AFL seasons.
His AFL experience began in 1993 as defensive coordinator of the ArenaBowl VII champion Tampa Bay Storm. Four years later, Kay was once again defensive coordinator of a championship team, as the Arizona Rattlers captured ArenaBowl XI in 1997.
Kay will be guiding his third club in the AFL. He was head coach of the Charlotte Rage in 1995 and returned to Charlotte as the head coach of the Carolina Cobras in 2000 and 2001. Prior to the AFL, Kay spent four seasons in the United States Football League with Boston/New Orleans Breakers and Tampa Bay Bandits.
Kay's coaching career began in 1960 at his alma mater, Western Illinois, as the quarterback's and wide receivers coach. In 1961, Kay took over at Deerfield (Ill.) High School and coached there through the 1966 season.
From 1967-1969 Kay served as the defensive coordinator at Indiana State University. Kay was then named the head coach of Olivet (Mich.) College in 1970. He spent the next six seasons with Olivet before taking over as the offensive coordinator at San Jose State in 1976.
Kay moved to UCLA in 1977 where he was an assistant coach, working mainly with the linebackers and defensive line. In 1980, he took over at the University of Hawaii as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for three seasons.
A native of Chicago, Kay served in the U.S. Army for two years between 1954 and 1956. He received a bachelor's degree in physical education from Western Illinois in 1961 where he played both football and baseball.
On the gridiron, he played under the tutelage of Lou Saban as a quarterback, defensive back, tight end and punter. Kay earned a master's degree in physical education at Indiana State in 1966. He and his wife Dawn have two children, Kimber and Bart.

SOUL'S NOTES AND TRENDS

MISCUES
The Philadelphia Soul and the Kansas City Brigade combined for 26 penalties Monday night, which is the most in AFL history. The previous high was 21 set on three different occasions.

GIVE ME SOME MO
DS Eddie Moten set a franchise record with two interceptions in one game, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Moten is now tied with DS Kevin Gaines for a team-high three interceptions on the season.

REPRESENTING PHILLY
The Soul's 54-24 win over the Brigade is the second most lopsided victory in franchise history. Philadelphia won its first game of the 2005 season against the Austin Wranglers by a margin of 31 (66-35).

TAKE IT ORR LEAVE IT
FB/LB Raheem Orr recorded his first interception of his career when he picked off Brigade QB Andy Kelly in the first quarter last week. Ironically enough, Orr returned the interception for a touchdown, the first time he crossed the goal line in his career.

GOOD KNIGHT
OS Marcus Knight, who was released by the Soul last week, was picked up by Columbus on Monday. He will play his first game in a Destroyer uniform this Saturday as the Soul and Destroyers clash in Columbus. Knight recorded 25 catches for 477 yards and four touchdowns with the Soul through the first six games of the season.

HOLDING IT DOWN
The Soul registered several franchise records against the Brigade. They held Kansas City to only 24 points, the lowest in the Soul's four-year history. They also scored 35 of their 48 first-half points in the second quarter, which is a record for most points in a quarter. The Soul also tied a franchise record of most points in a half. The only other time the team recorded 48 points in a half was last season against Tampa Bay in Week 8.

ROAD WARRIORS
After road losses at Orlando and Las Vegas, the Soul finally picked up their first away victory of the season at Kansas City. Philadelphia continues its four-week road trip with games in Columbus and Dallas in the next two weeks.

FEEL THE RUSH
Soul FB/LB Chad Dukes tallied one rushing touchdown against the Brigade on Monday, giving him a rushing touchdown in each of the last four games.

MARCH MADNESS
Several Soul players will be keeping a close eye on the NCAA Tournament this season as their alma maters will be represented this year. (Clarence Curry - Villanova; Matt Sauk - Utah St.; Aaron Boone - Kentucky; Rob Milanese - Pennsylvania; Chad Dukes - Pittsburgh; Wes Ours - West Virginia)

NUMERO UNO
The Soul are ranked No.1 in the League in rushing with an average of 35.4 yards per game. Philadelphia has accumulated 248 yards on 92 attempts this season. The team also set a franchise record with 18 rushing attempts against the Brigade.

LITTLE BY LITTLE
Philadelphia only scored six points in the second half against the Brigade. That is the lowest amount of points the Soul have scored in a half in team history. All six of the points came off Todd France field goals. The lowest point total in a half previous to Monday night's game was eight against Dallas last season in Week 5.

TAKE'EM DOWN
The Soul defense went nine quarters without getting a sack before E.J. Burt and Cyron Brown took Brigade QB Andy Kelly down on the last play of the first quarter on Monday night. Missouri got a sack against New York QB Aaron Garcia in Week 4 before the drought started.

RETURN TO SENDA
The Soul leads the AFL with 12 interceptions on the season. Eddie Moton and Kevin Gaines both have three apiece, while Mike Brown and Sean Scott each have two. Reggie Doster and Raheem Orr have one apiece.

FAB FOUR
The Soul reached the four-win mark two weeks faster than they did in each of the past two seasons. It took Philadelphia nine weeks in 2004 and 2005 to reach four wins, while this year the team reached four wins in only seven weeks.

RECORD WITHIN REACH
The Soul are only two wins away from tying the most wins in franchise history. The team registered only five wins in 2004, with only one of those coming on the road. Last season, Philadelphia tallied six wins, including two away from home.

GROUND EFFECT
Soul players Sean Scott, Chad Dukes and Mike Brown are all in the Top 10 in the AFL for rushing yards. Scott has 80 yards on the season, Dukes has 72 and Brown has registered 61 yards.

McKELVEY MANIA
J.J. McKelvey was promoted to playing offensive specialist for the first time last week after the team waived current Destroyer Marcus Knight. In his first action at the specialist position, he caught five catches for 81 yards with one score. On the season, Knight has 23 receptions for 381 yards and 10 touchdowns.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 16, 2006


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