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Philadelphia Soul game notes

April 21, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Philadelphia Soul (4-6)
Vs New York Dragons (6-4)
Site: Wachovia Center (17,597)

Officials: Referee: Steve Pamon
Umpire: Jeff Carr
Head Linesman: Brent Durbin
Line Judge: Tom Symonette
Back Judge: Tony Lombardo

TUNED IN:
RADIO: UPN-57
Play-by-Play: Ari Wolfe
Color: Darrin Kenney
Sideline: Rhea Hughes

WNJC (1360-AM)
www.wnjc1360.com
Play-by-Play: Jacob VanRyn
Color: Jon Runyan

COACHES:
Soul: Michael Trigg, 74-72 regular season, 3-7 postseason (77-79 overall)
Dragons: Todd Shell, 42-33 overall (2nd year as Dragons head coach)

THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP:
The Soul are coming off a 63-59 loss to the hands of the Carolina Cobras, while the New York Dragons enter the game coming off a win against the Colorado Crush

The Dragons are holding on to the final playoff spot available, while the Soul are looking to move up from two games out.

Next week the Soul will travel to face the Colorado Crush while the Dragons will be facing another eastern division foe in the Dallas Desperados.

PHILADELPHIA SOUL SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

Date Opponent Time (ET) Result/Streak
2/8 NEW ORLEANS L-34-42/L1
2/15 at Dallas L-47-51/L2
2/21 COLUMBUS W-56-34/W1
2/29 at Tampa Bay L-37-40/L1
3/7 CHICAGO W-53-47/W1
3/13 at Columbus W-43-41/W2
3/21 COLORADO L-33-40/L1
3/28 at Austin L-60-65/L2
4/4 DALLAS W-47-31/W1
4/17 at Carolina L-63-59/L1
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

NEW YORK DRAGONS SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

Date Opponent Time (ET) Result/Streak
2/8 @ Georgia W-54-28/W1
2/14 CHICAGO L-56-54/L1
2/22 DALLAS L-56-44/L2
2/29 @ Arizona L-53-41/L3
3/7 SAN JOSE W-64-50/W1
3/14 @ Tampa Bay W-40-35/W2
3/20 COLUMBUS W-62-41/W3
4/4 @ Carolina W-57-41/W4
4/10 @ Columbus L-65-55/L1
4/18 COLORADO W-52-49/W1
4/24 @ Philadelphia 7:30
5/2 @ Dallas 3:00
5/8 CAROLINA 7:00
5/16 LOS ANGELES 3:00
5/23 @ Orlando 3:00
5/30 PHILADELPHIA 4:00

What If...

If Philadelphia defeats New York, it would...
· Give Philadelphia their first win against New York
· Place Soul Head Coach Michael Trigg at a 78-79 career record
· Give Philadelphia a 3-1 record on Saturdays
· Give Philadelphia a 3-2 record against Eastern division opponents

The Coaches Corner

MICHAEL TRIGG: Hired to guide the expansion Philadelphia Soul, Trigg (74-72 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.

TODD SHELL: Shell was named 2003 Coach of the Year after he became the second coach in the history of the New York Dragons following week 5 of the 2003 season. Under his direction last season, the Dragons went 8-4 and earned the Eastern Division Championship. Serving as the first head coach in Sabercats history, Shell led his 1995 squad to a record of 8-4 and a Western Division Championship. His team became the first expansion franchise in AFL history to win a division title. After four seasons at the helm in San Jose, Shell compiled a record of 29-25 earning a playoff berth in three of four seasons.

All-Time Winningest AFL Coaches

COACH TEAM WINS THIS WEEK
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 162 @ Columbus
Danny White Arizona 129 @ Indiana
Perry Moss 86
Mike Hohensee Chicago 80 vs. Los Ang.
Michael Trigg Philadelphia 77 vs. New York
(Includes post season)

Red Zone Enforcers

The Soul defense is ranked second in the league in red zone defense. This is the first week of the season that the Soul have not been at the top of the red zone defense. Soul opponents have had 42 possessions inside the 10-yard line and have only given up 29 TDs and 206 points.
Rank Team Poss Pts TD FG TD%
1 GR 45 232 31 8 68.9
2 Phi. 42 206 29 3 69.0
3 SJ 46 240 32 5 69.6
4 Orl. 43 219 30 4 69.8
5 Geo. 57 296 40 7 70.2

Tale of the Tape

Philadelphia Category (Rank) New York
46.9 (13) Scoring Offense 52.3 (7t)
45.4 (5) Scoring Defense 47.4 (6)
247.5 (16) Total Offense 231.9 (17)
269.1 (15) Total Defense 266.3 (13)
75.0% (10) Red Zone Offense 81.3% (7)
69.0% (2) Red Zone Defense 75.0% (8t)
225.4 (12) Pass Offense 218.1 (17)
249.5 (15t) Pass Defense 248.8 (13)
22.1 (8) Rushing Offense 13.8 (17)
19.6 (10) Rushing Defense 17.5 (7)
55/1005 Kickoff Returns 58/1163
18.3 (10) Kick Return Average 20.1 (3)
69/1199 Combined Returns 65/1328
17.4 Combined Return Average 20.4
-8 (17) Turnover Margin -3 (12t)
7/18 (12) Field Goals 6/9 (2)
6 (17) Sacks By 8 (14)
6 (7) Sacks Against 9 (11)
44/61 (6) Third Down Conversion 59/69 (11)
0/6 (12) Fourth Down Conversion 1/5 (5t)
68/426 Penalties (#-Yards) 75/441
102/627 (2) Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 85/589 (3)

Direct Connections

· Soul OL/DL Eric Gohlstin played in a career high 14 games with the New York Dragons in 2002. Gohlstin recorded 27 tackles, two sacks, six pass breakups and one forced fumble.
· Dragons WR/DB Sean Riley played under Soul head coach Michael Trigg during the 2003 season with the Grand Rapids Rampage. Riley finished the season with eight receptions for 72 yards and one TD. Riley finished 2003 with the Las Vegas where he played with Soul QB Todd Hammel. Riley finished his stint in Vegas with 48 receptions for 565 yards and nine TDs.
· Dragons backup QB Chris Boden attended Villanova University where he set 24 school records and seven Atlantic-10 Conference records.
· Dragons WR/DB Chuck Wesley is a native of Willingboro, NJ, 21 miles from Philadelphia.
· Dragons head coach Todd Shell and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid attended Brigham Young University. Reid was a graduate assistant at BYU in 1982 while Shell a linebacker.

Fly Your Flag

After starting the season with 12 penalties in their inaugural game, the Soul have become one of the least penalized teams in the Arena Football League. The last three teams are all in the Eastern Division.

Team No Yds Avg./G
Top Four
Los Angeles Avengers 67 344 34.4
Detroit Fury 67 374 37.4
Indiana Firebirds 67 381 34.6
Philadelphia Soul 69 442 44.2
Bottom Three
Dallas Desperados 95 565 56.5
Carolina Cobras 97 640 58.2
Columbus Destroyers 97 655 65.5

Last But Not Least

The Soul have had the opportunity to win or tie on final drive of the game in five of their six losses.

Game Final Diff Ball
2/8 NEW ORLEANS 42-34 8 Yes
2/15 @ Dallas 51-47 4 Yes
2/29 @ Tampa Bay 40-37 3 Yes
3/21 COLORADO 40-33 7 Yes
3/28 @ Austin 65-60 5 No
4/17 @ Carolina 63-59 4 Yes

Magic Number? 40

The Soul are 4-3 when scoring more than 40 points in a game. Erase the 4 when the Soul score less than 40, the record drops to 0-3.

The Soul are 3-5 when giving up more than 40 points and 2-0 when giving up less than 40.

Playoff Pictures

Here's the Playoff Picture for the AFL:

The top eight teams make the playoffs. Listed are the teams in order of their record, with the overall record of their remaining opponents and the opponents winning percentage.

Although Arizona is only one game out of the playoffs, their remaining schedule is the hardest of any team in the AFL with an opponents winning percentage of .627 and a 32-19 record.

Team (Record) Overall Pct.
New Orleans (8-2) 33-29 .532
San Jose (8-2) 31-32 .492
Chicago (7-3) 30-32 .484
Colorado (7-4) 22-29 .431
Austin (6-4) 31-29 .512
Dallas (6-4) 31-30 .508
Los Angeles (6-4) 31-31 .500
New York (6-4) 29-32 .475
Arizona (6-5) 32-19 .627
Indiana (6-5) 27-25 .519
Orlando (5-5) 36-25 .590
Detroit (4-6) 30-33 .476
Philadelphia (4-6) 34-28 .548
Carolina (4-7) 18-33 .353
Georgia (4-7) 29-22 .569
Tampa Bay (4-7) 28-22 .560
Columbus (3-7) 22-41 .349
Las Vegas (3-7) 31-30 .508
Grand Rapids (1-9) 31-31 .500

Kickin' It

Soul opponents average drive start begins on the 11.7 yard-line, the best start for a defense in the league.

Rank Team Opp. Avg. Start
1 Philadelphia 11.4
2 New Orleans 11.7
3 San Jose 11.7
4 Dallas 12.6
5 New York 12.9

Sack Alert

In the first six weeks of the season the Soul allowed six sacks and only had one. Since week seven, the Soul have recorded five sacks and have yet to allow one.

Sacks Allowed SacksBy
6 1
0 5

Block-Heads

There's no such thing as an easy field goal against the Soul. This season the Soul have blocked a kick in all but three games this season (2/8, 2/21, 4/17).

FB/LB Chris Ryan leads the team in blocks with four, three field goals and one extra point attempt.

For the second week in a row Donovan Arp blocked a field goal. This time it turned into a safety and put the Soul on the board first at 2-0.

Patrick Scott and C.J. McLain blocked extra points in weeks three and four, respectively.

Making the Soul

The Soul's inaugural team has gone through some shuffling and trades to create the current 24 man active roster. Of the 24 players, 18 of them were originally signed with the Soul prior to the start of the season and only 15 were on the active roster.

# Player Pos. Previous Team
1 Ricky Ross* WR/LB Grand Rapids (AFL)
2 Keita Crespina* WR/DB Tampa Bay (AFL)
4 Gary Compton WR/LB Tampa Bay (AFL)
5 Todd Hammel* QB Las Vegas (AFL)
6 Tyronne Jones* OS Georgia (AFL)
8 Ken Hinsley K Western Carolina
10 DeAuntae Brown WR/DB Grand Rapids (AFL)
11 Travis Seaton* DS San Jose (AFL)
12 Nick Browder* QB Grand Rapids (AFL)
18 Tim Levcik* QB Pittsburg (NFL)
21 Joseph Todd* WR/DB Tennessee (af2)
36 Chris Ryan* FB/LB Grand Rapids (AFL)
42 C.J. McLain* FB/LB Orlando (AFL)
44 Travis McDonald* FB/LB Grand Rapids (AFL)
55 Lance Clelland* OL/DL Northwestern
69 Joe Jackson* OL/DL Frankfurt (NFLE)
75 Eric Gohlstin* OL/DL Grand Rapids (AFL)
77 Cyron Brown OL/DL Colorado (AFL)
81 Derin Graham* WR/DB Grand Rapids (AFL)
88 Sean Scott* WR/LB Philadelphia (NFL)
90 Patrick Scott OL/DL Dallas (AFL)
91 Corey Mayfield* OL/DL Grand Rapids (AFL)
95 Dwayne Missouri* OL/DL Colorado (AFL)
97 Winfield Garnett OL/DL Colorado (AFL)

* Obtained by the Soul prior to the start of the regular season
· Italics indicates signed as a free agent following the start of the regular season

Rush Hour

Winfield Garnett was acquired by the Soul after being activated and waived from the Colorado Crush's refused-to-report list. Garnett spent the 2001 season with the Minnesota Vikings and recorded 12 tackles along with two sacks.

Garnett starred in NFL Europe, recording 34 solo tackles and eight sacks in 2001 with the Amsterdam Admirals.

Garnett wasted no time leaving his impression on the Soul. In only his second game in gunmetal grey, Garnett teamed with Dwayne Missouri for their first sack of the year.

The Soul have not given up a sack since Garnett was joined by Corey Mayfield, who spent the beginning of the year on injured reserve. Prior to Mayfield and Garnett the Soul gave up six sacks.

Third Quarter Gladiators

The Soul have given up only 66 points in the third quarter this season and have held their opponents to zero in the third quarter in three of the last seven games.

The Soul have only given up an average of 7.3 points in the 3rd quarter per game. However, the Soul have scored only 70 points in the 1st quarter, an average of only 7.7 points per game.

The Soul have been outscored in the first half 200-188 but have outscored their opponents 222-191 in the second half.

Score by Quarters:
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total
Soul 84 138 88 159 469
Opponents 104 132 80 138 454
1st Half 2nd Half
Soul 222 247
Opponents 236 218

Congratulations

When Todd Hammel connected with Tyronne Jones for a 40-yard TD, Hammel broke 25,000 career passing yards and at the same time reached the 400 TD mark. A 13-year veteran of the AFL, Hammel is ranked second in years of service behind Darryl Hammond.

Name Team Career Yds
Andy Kelly Detroit 30,610
Sherdrick Bonner Arizona 29,416
Aaron Garcia New York 28,977
Clint Dolezel Las Vegas 27,305
Todd Hammel Philadelphia 25,235
John Kaleo Austin 24.839

Soul Train on Track

Chris Ryan, the Soul's leading rusher with 34 attempts for 99 yards and 11 TDs has been a force in short yardage situations for the Soul.

"Soul Train" as he is known around town has had team game highs in rushing attempts (8), yards (27), and TDs (2, four times). Ryan is ranked 5th in the AFL in rushing and is tied for 1st in Third-and-One rushing, converting three attempts for three first downs.

Not only can Ryan rush, he is also a force on defense. Ranked fifth on the Soul with 13.5 tackles, Ryan leads the team with 2.0 sacks and four blocked kicks and has also recorded two fumble recoveries and three pass breakups.

"FULL" Of Defense

His job is arguably one of the hardest in professional sports. Stop the offense in a league geared towards scoring. Coordinate the defense in a league where wide receivers get a head start on defensive backs. Good luck.

Soul defensive coordinator James Fuller has turned the Philadelphia defense into one of the most dominating groups in the Arena Football League.

One of the stingiest defenses in the AFL the Soul defenders are ranked 2nd in the Red Zone, 5th in scoring defense, allowing opponents a meager 45.4 points per game.

The Soul defense also have the second best opponent passer rating, holding passers to 100.7 and with Joseph Todd ranked tied for 4th in the league in passes defended with two INTs and 14 pass breakups, and fourth in tackles with 57, Fuller's job has begun to look somewhat reasonable.

Bye Now

The League office must think teams need a break after Philadelphia, or extra time to prepare.

The Soul faced Chicago in week 5 as the Rush went into a week 6 bye.

Then the Soul faced Dallas in week 9 after their bye in week 8 and heading into the Soul bye in week 10.

Last week the Carolina Cobras and Soul faced off as the Cobras headed into their bye in week 12.

Next week the Soul will travel to Colorado to face the Crush who will be coming off a week 12 bye.

Ken the Kicker

Ken Hinsley has made one of the hardest transitions in all of sports. Go from an outdoor punter to an indoor kicker.

Hinsley who played at Western Carolina University from 1995-98, owns the school record for career punting average (42.8) and ranks fifth on the school's all-time scoring list with 189 points.

Hinsley ranked among the NCAA I-AA top five and paced the SoCon in punting average in 1997 (44.2) and '98 (44.5). He additionally ranks among the NCAA I-AA top 10 in career punting average and his 44.5 season punting average in 1998 ranks 8th on the NCAA single-season list.

Field Goals 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+
HINSLEY 0/0 3/6 1/1 2/3 1/8
Opponents 1/1 3/10 1/3 1/6 0/5

7-11 Jones

Madison Johnson noticed a similarity between Tyronne Jones and the convenience store 7-11 and it wasn't the Slurpee's. The two always seemed to be open.

Jones is the leading receiver for the Soul with 51 receptions for 614 yards and 13 TDs.

Jones is also the Soul's second leading return man with 27 returns for 583 yards and three TDs.

Jones is currently ranked 6th in the AFL with a 21.6 yard kickoff return average and has returned 21 kickoffs for 454 yards and two TDs this season.

Slick Rick

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 Ross has proved to be a sound investment in the Soul's inaugural season.

Ross, the team's second leading receiver with 44 receptions for 592 yards and 11 TDs, was named US Army Ironman of the Game in the Soul's loss at Carolina last week after he recorded three TDs and two tackles.

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.
First 100-yard Receiver (3/7/04) – Ricky Ross pulled in eight receptions for 102 yards and two TDs
First Sack (3/13/04) – Eric Gohlstin sacked Columbus Destroyers QB Ryan Vena in the 2nd quarter of the Soul's 43-41 win at Columbus

Milestones

Todd Hammel:
· Needs 158 passing yards to reach 1,000 this season

Tyronne Jones:
· Need 8 receptions to reach 50 for the season
· Needs two rushing yards to reach 100 for his career

Ricky Ross:
· Needs 194 receiving yards to hit 2,000 for his career

Joe Todd
· Needs three tackles to reach 60 for the season

Movin On Up

Here's a look at where the Soul ranks among the league leaders:
Nick Browder:
· 4th Quarter Passing – 8th (57-32-423 10 TDs)

DeAuntae Brown:
· Interception Leaders – 11t (2 INTs, 17 yds)

Ken Hinsley:
· Touchbacks on Kickoffs – 14t (14 TB)
· Leading Scorers, Kickers – 14t (44/61 PAT, 7/18 FG, 65 pts)

Tyronne Jones:
· Kickoff Returns – 6th (21-454 yards, 2 TD)
· 3rd Down Receiving – 11t (10-109 yards, 4 TDs)

Travis McDonald:
· Leading Rushers – 24 (21-56-3TDs)

Chris "Soul Train" Ryan:
· 3rd and 1 Rushing – 1t (3-3)
· Leading Rushers – 10th (34-99-11TDs)

Joe Todd:
· Passes Defended – 4t (14 PBU, 2 INTs)
· Interception Leaders – 11t (2 INTs)
· Tackles – 4t (57 total tackles)

Soul Defense:
· #2 defense inside the 10 – (42 possessions, 206 points, 29 TDs, 3 FGs)

2004 Record When...

Wachovia Center 1-2
Wachovia Spectrum 1-0
On the Road 2-4
Saturday 2-1
Sunday 2-5
On NBC 2-3
On UPN-57 2-1
Vs. East 2-2
Vs. Central 2-1
Vs. West 0-0
Vs. South 0-3
February 1-3
March 2-2
April 1-1
May 0-0
Score first 2-3
Opp Score first 2-3
Plus turnover ratio 2-1
Even turnover ratio 0-1
Minus turnover ratio 2-4

Players to Watch...

Philadelphia

OS Tyronne Jones:
Jones, a seven-year veteran of the AFL, is currently the Soul's leading receiver with 51 receptions for 614 yards and 13 TDs. Jones brought back his second kickoff for a touchdown last week against Carolina and has returned 27 kicks for 582 yards and three TDs.

WR/LB Sean Scott:
Scott has continued his dominance at the WR/LB position throughout his AFL rookie campaign. After being deactivated for the first two games of the season, Scott, the team's third leading receiver, has since recorded 34 receptions for 439 yards and 10 TDs.

WR/LB Ricky Ross:
The Soul's second leading receiver Ross has 44 receptions for 592 yards and 11 TDs. Ross is now the team's leading kickoff return-man has brought back 22 kickoffs for 442 yards.

New York

QB Aaron Garcia:
One of the best quarterbacks in the league, Garcia has completed 175 of 281 pass attempts this year for 2,197 yards and 58 TDs. Garcia ranks first all-time in TD passes with 602 and third in passing yards with 28,977.

WR/DB Will Holder:
Garcia's favorite target, holder has hauled in 43 receptions for 637 yards and 18 TDs this season. Holder is tied for 10th in the league in scoring among non kickers with 120 points.

WR/DB Lincoln DuPree
The Arena Football League rookie sensation DuPree is the Dragons second leading receiver with 32 receptions for 424 yards and 12 TDs. DuPree has also returned 24 kickoffs for 516 yards and two TDs.

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