Philadelphia Soul game notes

Published on March 2, 2004 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Philadelphia Soul (1-3)
Vs. Chicago Rush (4-0)
Site: Wachovia Center (17,484)
Officials: Referee: Dennis Lipski, Umpire: Matt Jordan, Head Linesman: Neil Brunner
Line Judge: Bob McElwee, Back Judge: Joe Duncan

TUNE IN:
TV: NBC Sports (WCAU)
Play-by-Play: Bob Papa
Color: Ray Bentley
Sideline: Vai Sikahema
RADIO: WNJC (1360-AM)
www.1360wnjc.com
Play-by-Play: Ari Wolfe
Color: Darrin Kenney

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Phi: Tim Farrell: (215) 636-0421 x178
Cell: (267) 303-8285
Chi: Mike Alzamora (317) 472-8089
Cell: (773) 456-0030

COACHES:
Soul: Michael Trigg, 71-69 regular season, 3-7 postseason (74-76 overall)
Rush: Mike Hohensee, 72-64 regular season, 5-7 postseason (77-71 overall)

THE MATCHUP:
The Soul take on the undefeated Chicago Rush after coming off a heartbreaking loss to the reigning ArenaBowl Champion Tampa Bay Storm. Chicago came back to win in the final minute last week against the Indiana Firebirds when Etu Molden returned a kickoff 14-yards to lift the Rush to a 49-46 final. The Soul rallied late and came within three points but a costly turnover gave Tampa Bay the 46-43 victory.

PHILADELPHIA SOUL SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

Date Opponent Time (ET) Result/Streak
2/8 NEW ORLEANS 3:00 L-34-42/L1
2/15 at Dallas 4:00 L-47-51/L2
2/21 COLUMBUS 7:30 W-56-34/W1
2/29 at Tampa Bay 3:00 L-37-40/L1
3/7 CHICAGO 12:00
3/13 at Columbus 7:00
3/21 COLORADO 12:00
3/28 at Austin 3:00
4/4 DALLAS 12:00
4/17 at Carolina 7:30
4/24 NEW YORK 7:30
5/2 at Colorado 3:00
5/8 LAS VEGAS 7:30
5/15 CAROLINA 7:30
5/22 at San Jose 10:30
5/30 at New York 4:00

CHICAGO RUSH SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

Date Opponent Time (ET) Result/Streak
2/8 GRAND RAPIDS 3 p.m. W-50-30-W1
2/14 @ New York 3 p.m. W-56-54-W2
2/22 COLORADO 3 p.m. W-65-35-W3
2/29 @ Indiana 3 p.m. W49-46-W4
3/7 @ Philadelphia 12 p.m.
3/21 ORLANDO 12 p.m.
3/28 DETROIT 3 p.m.
4/4 @ Las Vegas 6 p.m.
4/11 TAMPA BAY 3 p.m.
4/16 @ San Jose 10:30 p.m.
4/25 LOS ANGELES 3 p.m.
5/2 @ Detroit 3 p.m.
5/8 @ Grand Rapids 7:30 p.m.
5/16 DALLAS 3 p.m.
5/23 INDIANA 3 p.m.
5/30 @ Colorado 4 p.m.

What If...

If Philadelphia defeats Chicago, it would...

· Give Philadelphia their first win over the Rush
· Give Philadelphia their first victory against an AFL Central Division opponent
· Give Philadelphia their first victory on NBC Sports
· Give Philadelphia their first victory at the Wachovia Center

The Coaches Corner

MICHAEL TRIGG: Hired to guide the expansion Philadelphia Soul, Trigg (71-69 reg. season, 3-7 post season) spent the last six seasons with the Grand Rapids Rampage. Trigg has led his teams to eight playoff appearances and an ArenaBowl in 2001, when he was also named AFL Coach of the Year. A veteran of expansion endeavors, Trigg spent 1994 as the head coach and general manager for the expansion Fort Worth Calvary (1994) and as head coach of the Milwaukee Mustangs (1995-97) he turned a 0-12 team into a two-time playoff participant and set the AFL record for single-season turnaround as he guided the Mustang's from 4-8 in 1995 to 10-4 in 1996.

MIKE HOHENSEE: Hohensee is in his fourth season as head coach of the Chicago Rush. An 18-year veteran of the Arena Football League, Hohensee has been a head coach for 11 years. During his ten seasons as a head coach Hohensee's teams have reached the playoffs seven times. Hohensee has led the Rush to playoff appearances in each of its first three seasons. Prior to joining the Rush, Hohensee served as head coach for the New England Sea Wolves (1999-2000), the Anaheim Piranhas (97), Albany Firebirds (94-96), and Washington Commandos (1990). Hohensee began his coaching career as an assistant for the Chicago Bruisers in 1989, becoming the first former AFL player to join the league as a coach. Hohensee became the youngest head coach in league history when he took over the Washington Commandos in 1990. One of 14 finalists for the 2002 AFL Hall of Fame, Hohensee spent two years playing for the Pittsburgh Gladiators (1987-88). Hohensee threw the first ever touchdown pass in AFL history and participated in the first ever ArenaBowl.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches

COACH TEAM WINS THIS WEEK
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 160 at New Orleans
Danny White Arizona 125 vs. Columbus
Perry Moss 86
Mike Hohensee Chicago 77 at Philadelphia
Michael Trigg Philadelphia 74 vs. Chicago
(Includes post season)

Tale of the Tape

Philadelphia Category (Rank) Chicago
174 (13) Scoring Offense 220 (3)
167 (4) Scoring Defense 165 (3)
1002 (12t) Total Offense 970 (14)
1072 (15) Total Defense 808 (1)
14-21-66.7% (14) Red Zone Offense 21-23-91.3% (2)
7-16-43.8% (1) Red Zone Defense 13-18-72.2% (9t)
908 (13) Pass Offense 796 (16)
960 (12t) Pass Defense 739 (1)
94 (6) Rushing Offense 174 (2)
112 (16) Rushing Defense 69 (5)
174 (13) Scoring 220 (3)
18/22 Scoring (Kicking) 23/27
19/368 Kickoff Returns 23/461
19.4 (8) Kick Return Average 20 (6)
27/480 Combined Returns 24/461
16.1 Combined Return Average 22.7
-2 (12t) Turnover Margin +6 (1t)
2/10 (15t) Field Goals 3/4 (1)
0 (18t) Sacks By 6 (4)
5 (15) Sacks Against 0 (1t)
13/28 (13) Third Down Conversion 13/23 (1t)
2/5 (12) Fourth Down Conversion 3/4 (6)
31-205 Penalties (#-Yards) 31-210
30/188 Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 23/128

Red Zone Enforcers

The Soul defense is ranked first in the league in red zone defense. Soul opponents have had 16 possessions inside the 20-yard line and have only given up seven TDs and 53 points.
Rank Team Poss Pts TD FG TD%
1 Phi. 16 53 7 2 43.8
2 Aus. 16 64 8 3 50.0
3 LV 19 88 11 4 57.9
4 Ind. 17 80 11 2 64.7
5 Detroit 15 71 10 1 66.7

Direct Connections

· Soul OL/DL Dwayne Missouri and Lance Clelland played at northwestern with Rush OL/DL Salem Simon and FB/LB Levelle Brown
· Soul WR/LB Brian Leigeb and Rush OS Reggie Allen played together at Central Michigan University
· Rush OL/DL John Sikora played for Slippery Rock University, a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, Sikora was a cross-divisional rival of Soul WR/LB Sean Scott who attended Millersville University
· Philadelphia Soul radio color commentator Darrin Kenney and Rush FB/LB Bob McMillen played together with the Arizona Rattlers and San Jose SaberCats. Kenney and McMillen won an ArenaBowl Championship with both teams and played together from 1997-2002.

Movin On Up

Here's a look at where the Soul ranks among the league leaders:
Nick Browder:
· 3rd Down Passing – 4th (11-24-165 4TDs)

DeAuntae Brown:
· Interception Leaders – 2t (2 INTs, 17 yds)

Ken Hinsley:
· Touchbacks on Kickoffs – 4t (8 TB)

Tyronne Jones:
· Leading Scorers, Nonkickers – 5t (9 TDs, 54 pts)
· Kickoff Returns – 5th (9-208 yds, 1TD)

Chris "Soul Train" Ryan:
· Leading Rushers – 6th (13-46-3TDs)
· 3rd and 1 Rushing – 1t (3-3)

Joe Todd:
· Interception Leaders – 2t (2 INTs)

Soul Defense:
· #1 defense inside the 20 – (16 possessions, 53 points, 7 TDs, 2 FGs)

Makin' Plays

Nick Browder entered the Soul's inaugural season without much history. Through his four years in the AFL, Browder completed 51 of 91 attempts for 651 yards. In his first season with the Soul, Browder has completed 78 of 131 pass attempts for 941 yards and 17 TDs.

Browder Comp Att. Yds TDs
2000-2003 51 91 651 9
2004 78 131 941 17

Return to the Sidelines

Former Philadelphia Eagle Vai Sikahema will return to the sidelines this week, except this time, with a microphone.

Sikahema, although he did participate in the Soul's open tryout at Temple University, will not be returning kickoffs and missed field goals for the Soul. Instead, he will be conducting sideline interviews for NBC Sports. Thankfully there are no goal posts to punch in the Arena Football League.

That's a First...

First coin toss (2/8/04) – Soul won, elect to receive
First kickoff return (2/8/04) – Ricky Ross, 28-yard return
First play (2/8/04) – Derin Graham, 8-yard rush
First pass (2/8/04) – Complete to Derin Graham for 9-yards
First TD (2/8/04) – Nick Browder to Tyronne Jones for a 7-yard TD with 11:29 left in the first quarter
First rushing TD (2/8/04) – Browder 1-yard run with 13:11 remaining in the 4th quarter
First tackle (2/8/04) – Mike Harrison and Travis Seaton stop VooDoo kick returner Aaron Bailey after a 19-yard return
First FG Attempt (2/8/04) – Ken Hinsley's 25-yard attempt blocked by Gaylon Hyder
First TD against the Soul (2/8/04) – Four-yard rush by Dan Curran with 13:45 left in the second quarter. Brian Schmitz point after attempt failed.
First turnover (2/8/04) – Browder's pass intercepted by Monte Montgomery at the New Orleans 2 yard-line
First Interception (2/15/04) – Joe Todd intercepts Dallas QB Glen Gauntt in the Soul endzone with 1:21 remaining in the 1st quarter.
First Kickoff Return for a TD (2/15/04) – Tyronne Jones 54-yard return against Dallas
First successful field goal (2/21/04) – Ken Hinsley kicked a 24-yard field goal for the first of the season, and his career with 9:34 left in the first quarter.

2004 Record When...

Wachovia Center 0-1
Wachovia Spectrum 1-0
On the Road 0-2
Saturday 1-0
Sunday 0-3
On NBC 0-2
On UPN-57 1-1
Vs. East 1-1
Vs. Central 0-0
Vs. West 0-0
Vs. South 0-2
February 1-3
March 0-0
April 0-0
May 0-0
Score first 1-1
Opp Score first 0-2
Plus turnover ratio 1-1
Even turnover ratio 0-0
Minus turnover ratio 0-2

Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive
Player of the Game

2/8 NEW ORLEANS Aaron Bailey (NO OS)
2/15 @ Dallas Jason Shelly (Dal WR/LB)
2/21 COLUMBUS Nick Browder (Phi QB)
2/29 @ Tampa Bay Lawrence Samuels (TB WR/LB)

ADT Defensive Player of the Game

2/8 NEW ORLEANS Monte Montgomery (NO DS)
2/15 @ Dallas Kevin Aldridge (Dal FB/LB)
2/21 COLUMBUS Joe Todd (Phi DS)
2/29 @ Tampa Bay Nyle Wiren (TB OL/DL)

US ARMY Ironman of the Game

2/8 NEW ORLEANS Keita Crespina (Phi WR/DB)
2/15 @ Dallas Will Pettis (Dal WR/DB)
2/21 COLUMBUS Ricky Ross (Phi WR/LB)
2/29 @ Tampa Bay Lawrence Samuels (TB WR/LB)

Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive
Player of the Week

Week 1 Matt Nagy (Car QB)
Week 2 Markeith Cooper (Geo OS)
Week 3 Nick Browder (Phi QB)
Week 4 Clint Dolezel (LV QB)

ADT Defensive Player of the Week

Week 1 Omarr Smith (SJ DS)
Week 2 Kevin Ingram (LA WR/DB)
Week 3 John Moyer (Chi OL/DL)
Week 4 Lawrence Samuels (TB WR/LB)

US ARMY Ironman of the Week

Week 1 Will Holder (NYD WR/DB)
Week 2 Kevin McKenzie (Col WR/DB)
Week 3 Rashied Davis (SJ WR/DB)
Week 4 Hunky Cooper (Ari. WR/LB)

Players to Watch...

Philadelphia

QB Nick Browder:
In his first year as a full time starter, the four year veteran of the Arena Football League has completed 61 of 99 pass attempts for 709 yards and 13 TDs.

FB/LB Chris "Soul Train" Ryan:
The "Soul Train" has rushed 12 times for 47 yards and three TDs and leads the AFL in 3rd down rushing.

OS Tyronne Jones:
A six year AFL veteran, Jones is tied for 4th among league leaders in scoring with seven TDs for 42 points. Jones currently leads the team with 18 receptions for 171 yards and 6 TDs.

WR/LB Ricky Ross:
Ross, the team's second leading receiver has hauled in 16 passes for 204 yards and four TDs.

DS Joe Todd:
Todd has recorded an interception in consecutive games. Against Columbus, Todd picked off John Rayborn in the Soul endzone which led to a Tyronne Jones touchdown.

Chicago

QB Raymond Philyaw:
After spending the previous four seasons with the Indiana/Albany Firebirds, Philyaw signed with the Rush as a free agent on October 29, 2003 and has completed 67 of 102 passes for 796 yards and 14 TDs.

FB/LB Bob McMillen:
The ten-year Arena Football veteran currently leads the Rush in rushing and is also ranked second in the league with 22 carries for 94 yards and three TDs.

DS Kareem Larrimore:
In addition to serving as a defensive specialist, Larrimore has proved explosive by returning 10 kickoffs for 234 yards and one TD.

WR/LB Lindsay Fleshman:
The leading receiver on the Rush, Fleshman, a three-year Arena Football veteran has recorded 19 receptions for 253 yards and four TDs in his first four games of 2004.

WR/LB Etu Molden:
In his first season in the AFL Molden has recorded 17 receptions for 168 yards and a team high six receiving TDs.

Born To Be A Philly QB

Nick Browder grew up idolizing former Eagles QB Randall Cunningham, he wore the same number and emulated his play on the field, but that's not the only Eagles QB Browder would become familiar with. When Browder was signed by the Soul there's no doubt he recognized Soul president Ron Jaworski, a former Eagles QB, and growing up in Waukegan, Il he was close in proximity to another Eagles QB, Donovan McNabb, who attended Mount Carmel High School outside of Chicago while Browder attended Waukegan High School.

Tricky Ricky

One of the first players acquired by head coach Michael Trigg was one of his most familiar faces... and hairdos. WR/LB Ricky Ross was picked up by Trigg on November 7, 2003, less than two months after the launch of the Philadelphia Soul and in the first game of the Soul's inaugural season, Ross proved to be a sound investment.

"Trigg has been my man from day one," said Ross. "I've been with him for four years. He's been loyal to me, so I'm going to be loyal to him. It's just a great place for us to have an opportunity to come and show our skills."

Ross was inactive against Tampa Bay with a case of cellulites but has pulled in 16 receptions for 204 yards and four TDs in his first three games in gunmetal grey.

Hometown Debut

In the first Arena Football game of Sean Scott's career, he certainly didn't come down with a case of stage fright.

"He's an excellent ballplayer," said fellow WR/LB Ricky Ross. "It was fun, I enjoy playing with him. He's a big target, he matches up really well around the goal line area- it was fun."

Scott pulled in a team high five receptions for 67 yards and also recorded one TD. Scott also recorded one tackle on special teams.

Scott knows a thing or two about playing in front of his hometown, as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Scott hauled in an A.J. Feeley pass to lift the Eagles over the New York Jets in the 2001 preseason finale.

7-11 Jones

Soul OS Tyronne Jones was given the nickname "7-11" by OL/DL Madison Johnson when he noticed one thing in common with the convenience store and offensive specialist, they always seem to be open.

Jones has found himself on the receiving end of seven TDs this season and leads the Soul in receiving with 22 receptions for 222 yards. Jones also ranks among the league leaders in scoring as he is currently tied for 5th place with nine TDs.

Don't Call Me Dante!

DeAuntae Brown, pronounced DEE-Ontay, recorded his second interception of the season in the Soul's loss to the reigning ArenaBowl Champion Tampa Bay Storm. Brown, the Soul's third leading tackler with 15, has also recorded six pass breakups.

A late arrival to the Soul, Brown was obtained from the Grand Rapids Rampage through a trade on January 23rd.

Trigg's Traveling Party

Soul Head Coach Michael Trigg didn't need a lot of time learning the names on the Soul roster, he's spent time with most of them in the past. The Soul have 12 players on the active roster that have spent time with Trigg, and all four members of the injured reserve are also Trigg veterans.

Here's a breakdown of Trigg's following:
#1 Ricky Ross
#4 Gary Compton (IR)
#5 Todd Hammell
#10 DeAuntae Brown
#12 Nick Browder
#13 Brian Gowins (IR)
#17 Brian Leigeb
#21 Joe Todd
#36 Chris Ryan
#44 Travis McDonald
#50 Madison Johnson (IR)
#73 Michael Harrison
#75 Eric Gohlstin
#81 Derin Graham
#90 Patrick Scott
#91 Corey Mayfield (IR)

Take Your Ball and Go Home!

One of the staples of the Arena Football League is the ability for fans to keep footballs that go into the stands. Philadelphia fans have sure taken to that rule.

In the first Arena Football game played in Philadelphia, all 28 balls the Soul equipment staff brought to the field went home as souvenirs. In the second home game, the Soul brought 16 footballs to the Wachovia Spectrum and only brought back two. Fourteen went into the stands to lucky fans.

So far the Soul has distributed 42 authentic footballs to fans, the Soul are on pace to give away 126 more balls. At their $79.99 retail price, that adds up to $10,078.74 worth of footballs.

Buzzzzzz Index is Up

The Arena Football League ranked #9 overall on the on Yahoo! Buzz Index for Tuesday, March 2nd. The AFL ranked #1 among "movers," with a 223.37% increase in just one day.

The AFL ranked higher than Allen Iverson (10), David Beckham (14), and the Los Angeles Lakers (19).

The Yahoo! Buzz Index is a measure of the percentage of users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read.

More precisely, each point is equal to 0.001% of users searching on Yahoo! on a given day. For example, a buzz score of 500 for "AFL" translates to 0.5% of all users searching on Yahoo!*
(*Yahoo.com FAQ)

Ring the Bell

On Wednesday, March 3rd, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange's bell was rung a little harder when Soul WR/DB Keita Crespina, WR/LB Sean Scott and FB/LB Travis McDonald rang the opening bell to the Philadelphia Stock Exchange.

Philadelphia Soul President Ron Jaworski rang the opening bell earlier this year and Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street kicked off trading for the New Year on the floor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange on Friday, January 2nd.

The Philadelphia Stock Exchange was founded in 1790 and trades nearly 2,100 stocks, 1,100 equity options, 15 sectors index options, and currency options and futures.

Tuned In Everywhere

When the Soul and Rush collide this weekend at the Wachovia Center there won't be many people across the nation that won't have a chance to see it.

The Soul/Rush game will be featured on over 48% of NBC affiliates. Aside from Philadelphia and Chicago, the game will be seen on markets such as Denver, CO, New Orleans, LA, and Austin, TX.

Here's a breakdown of the other games on NBC Sports this weekend:

Chicago @ Philadelphia: 48.781%
San Jose @ New York: 32.41%
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans: 13.19%
Las Vegas @ Georgia: 5.85%

Your Attendance Please...

Attendance across the Arena Football League has increased 5% from the average of the first four games of the 2003 season. Overall, attendance has increased 12% the 2003 season.

The 2004 average attendance is 12,816 fans per game, up five percent from the 12,198 average after the first four weeks of the 2003 season. The 2004 average is up 12 percent vs. the 2003 season-average attendance of 11,397.

Weeks 1-4 Season Average
2004 12,816 12,816*
2003 12,198 11,397
*Weeks 1-4

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 2, 2004


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