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Philadelphia Soul game notes

May 26, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Philadelphia Soul (5-10)
at New York Dragons (8-7)
Site: Nassau Coliseum (11,216)

OFFICIALS:
Referee: Riley Johnson Umpire: Paul Frerking
Head Linesman: Darrel Leftwich
Line Judge: Paul Engelberts
Back Judge: Bud McCleskey

TUNED IN:
RADIO: WNJC (1360-AM)
www.wnjc1360.com
Play-by-Play: Ari Wolfe
Color: Darrin Kenney

COACHES:
Soul: Michael Trigg, 75-76 regular season, 3-7 postseason (78-83 overall)
Dragons: Todd Shell, 44-36 regular season, (2nd year as Dragons head coach)

THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP:
The Soul travel up the New Jersey Turnpike this week to take on their Eastern Division foe, New York Dragons.

The Soul are coming off their fourth consecutive loss. Last week the Soul fell to the San Jose SaberCats 48-36. Meanwhile, the Dragons fell to the Orlando Predators 65-41.

At 8-7 the Dragons are fighting to stay alive in the playoff race. The Dragons are tied with two other teams for the final slot in the playoffs. The Dragons need a win this week plus help from around the league to make the postseason.

The last time these two teams met (4/24/04), Ken Hinsley nailed a 52-yard field goal as time expired to give the Soul a 60-58 victory.

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 W-60-58/W1
5/1 at Colorado L-58-40/L1
5/8 LAS VEGAS L-63-35/L2
5/15 CAROLINA L-46-43/L3
5/22 at San Jose L-48-36/L4
5/30 at New York 4:00

NEW YORK DRAGONS SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

Date Opponent Time (ET) Result/Streak
2/8 At Georgia W-54-28/W1
2/14 CHICAGO L-54-56/L1
2/22 DALLAS L-44-56/L2
2/29 At Arizona L-41-53/L3
3/7 SAN JOSE W-64-50/W1
3/14 At Tampa Bay W-40-35/W2
3/20 COLUMBUS W-62-41/W3
4/4 At Carolina W-57-41/W4
4/10 At Columbus L-55-65/L1
4/18 COLORADO W-52-49/W1
4/24 At Philadelphia L-58-60/L1
5/1 At Dallas W-44-20/W1
5/8 CAROLINA W-61-39/W2
5/16 LOS ANGELES L-53-58/L1
5/23 At Orlando L-41-65/L2
5/30 PHILADELPHIA 4:00

WHAT IF...
If Philadelphia defeats New York, it would...
· Give Philadelphia a 2-0 record against New York
· Give Philadelphia their second victory on the road
· Give Philadelphia a 6-10 record for their Inaugural Season

THE COACHES CORNER...
MICHAEL TRIGG: Hired to guide the expansion Philadelphia Soul, Trigg (75-76 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 head coach in the history of the Dragons following week five of the 2003 season. Under his direction last season the Dragons went 8-4 and earned the Eastern Division Championship. Prior to joining the Dragons, Shell served as the first head coach of the San Jose SaberCats in 1995 and led them to an 8-4 record and became the first expansion franchise in AFL history to win a division title. After four seasons at the helm of the SaberCats, Shell recorded a 29-25 record and earned a playoff berth in three of those four years.

AFL'S ALL TIME COACHES...
COACH TEAM WINS THIS WEEK
Tim Marcum Tampa Bay 166 @ Dallas
Danny White Arizona 133 @ San Jose
Perry Moss 86
Mike Hohensee Chicago 84 @ Colorado
Michael Trigg Philadelphia 78 @ New York
(Includes post season)

SACK-RIFICING QBs...
In the first six weeks of the season the Soul allowed six sacks and only had one. Since week seven, the Soul have recorded 11 sacks and have allowed five.

Sacks Allowed SacksBy SackMargin
Weeks 1-6 6 1 -5
Weeks 7-16 5 11 +6

TALE OF THE TAPE...

Philadelphia Category (Rank) New York
248.7 (18) Total Offense 251.3 (15)
278.9 (18) Total Defense 261.3 (8)
45.5 (17) Scoring Offense 52.0 (6)
48.4 (9) Scoring Defense 47.7 (6)
229.4 (12) Pass Offense 235.8 (11)
260.3 (17) Pass Defense 245.2 (14)
19.3 (10) Rushing Offense 15.5 (14)
18.7 (7) Rushing Defense 16.1 (4)
73.8% (11t) Red Zone Offense 79.2 (6t)
68.6% (1) Red Zone Defense 69.7 (3)
87/1535 Kickoff Returns 84/1653
17.6 Kick Return Average 19.7
103/1789 Combined Returns 93/1839
17.4 Combined Return Average 19.8
-16 (17) Turnover Margin -5 (14)
12/29 Field Goals 7/13
11 Sacks By 17
12 Sacks Against 13
42/90 46.7% Third Down Conversion 36/78 46.2%
7/15 46.7% Fourth Down Conversion 14/22 63.6%
106/641 Penalties (#-Yards) 119/719
144/914 Opp. Penalties (#-Yards) 127/826

DIRECT CONNECTIONS...
· This weekend could be called Homecoming for Philadelphia OL/DL Dwayne Sabb. Sabb grew up in Jersey City, NJ a mere six miles from New York City.

· Soul OL/DL Eric Gohlstin played in 20 games with the New York Dragons and recorded eight tackles, one sack and one interception during his two year tenure with the Dragons.

· Dragons backup QB Chris Boden attended Villanova University where he broke 24 school records and seven Atlantic-10 Conference records, one of which included passing for 422 yards against the University of Delaware.

· Dragons WR/DB Sean Riley played for Soul head coach Michael Trigg during the 2003 season with the Grand Rapids Rampage. Riley also played with Soul QB Todd Hammel in 2003 with the Las Vegas Gladiators.

· Dragons WR/DB Chuck Wesley is a native of the Willingboro, NJ, located 21 miles from Philadelphia.

IN THE RED ZONE...
The Soul are ranked second in the league in red zone defense. Soul opponents have had 70 possessions inside the 10-yard line which have led to 48 TDs and five field goals for 344 points.

Rank Team Poss Pts TD FG TD%
1 Phi. 70 344 48 5 68.6
2 SJ 64 330 44 7 68.8
3 NY 76 382 53 6 69.7
4 Orl. 62 315 44 5 71.0
5 GR 71 375 51 10 71.8

DEPARTMENT OF RUSHING DEFENSE...
The Dragons and Soul are 4th and 5th in defending the rush, respectively. The Soul have averaged 2.1 yards per rush while the Dragons have allowed a 1.9 yard average.

Team Rush Yds Avg. TDs
LA Avengers 87 181 2.1 17
SJ SaberCats 107 187 1.7 17
Colorado Crush 116 233 2.0 20
NY Dragons 125 242 1.9 34
Philadelphia Soul 124 280 2.3 31

NOW TAKE THAT FLAG OUT...
Soul opponents have been flagged 144 times for a league high 914 yards, an average of 60.9 yards in penalties per game.

No. Yards Avg/G
Philadelphia Soul 144 914 60.9
New York Dragons 127 826 55.1
Detroit Fury 148 804 53.6

RETURNS FOR CREDIT...
Tyronne Jones has a harder time returning clothes to the GAP than he does returning missed field goals. Jones leads the league in MFG return touchdowns with two after bringing back his second of the year against San Jose.

Jones also ranks 6th in MFG return average (26.1 yards), tied for 2nd in returns (7), and 2nd in return yards (183).

Thanks to Jones the Soul have more missed field goal returns for a touchdown than any other team in the league.

PLAYOFF PICTURE PAGE...
Here's the Playoff Picture for the AFL: The top eight teams make the playoffs. Five teams have clinched playoff berths with one week remaining in the regular season.

Team Record Game Remaining
p-Chicago 11-4 @ Colorado
p-San Jose 11-4 vs. Arizona
p-Arizona 10-5 @ San Jose
p-Colorado 10-5 vs. Chicago
p-New Orleans 10-5 vs. Austin
Los Angeles 9-6 vs. Orlando
Orlando 9-6 @ Los Angeles
Austin 8-7 @ New Orleans
New York 8-7 vs. Philadelphia
Tampa Bay 8-7 @ Dallas
===========================
Indiana 8-8 BYE
Las Vegas 7-8 vs. Columbus
Carolina 6-9 @ Georgia
Columbus 6-9 @ Las Vegas
Dallas 6-9 vs. Tampa Bay
Georgia 6-9 vs. Carolina
Philadelphia 5-10 @ New York
Detroit 4-11 @ Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids 1-14 vs. Detroit

p-Clinched playoff berth

KICKIN' IT...
Soul opponents average drive start begins on the 11.3 yard-line, the best start for a defense in the league.

Rank Team Opp. Avg. Start
1 Philadelphia 11.3
2 San Jose 11.4
3 New Orleans 12.0
4 Austin 12.4
5 Arizona 12.5

PUT A COVER IT...
The Soul are tied for 1st in the AFL in kickoff coverage. Not only does the Soul defense start at the league best 11.4 average yard line, the Soul have covered 82 kickoffs and allowed 1,286 yards and 0 touchdowns for a 15.7 yard return average. Only one other team in the AFL has not allowed a kickoff return TD, the San Jose SaberCats.

NO TDs FOR YOU...
Don't put your money on a kickoff return for a touchdown this week. The Soul and SaberCats are the only two teams that have yet to allow a kickoff return for a touchdown. Until last week the Dragons were included in that company.

"TINY" TIM...
Tim Levcik started in his first Arena Football game against San Jose last week and completed 13 of 30 passes for 161 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Levcik, a Pennsylvania native, completed the longest pass in Soul history when he connected with offensive specialist Tyronne Jones for a 48-yard touchdown.

The six-foot-six standout at Robert Morris University, Levcik earned league Offensive Player of the Year honors in his junior and senior year and was a three-time All-Northeast Conference selection in his four years as a Colonial.

Levcik signed with his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers in February of 2003 and prior to that spent training camp with the Miami Dolphins in 2002.

LET THE RECORD SHOW...
The Soul have played teams with a better record in all but three weeks of this season. Twice this season the opposing team has been Carolina. The other team was Columbus in week six. Below is a breakdown of the Soul and their opponent's record heading into each week.

Game Opp. Soul
2/8 NEW ORLEANS 0-0 0-0
2/15 at Dallas 0-1 0-1
2/21 COLUMBUS 1-1 0-2
2/29 at Tampa Bay 1-2 1-2
3/7 CHICAGO 4-0 1-3
3/13 at Columbus 1-4 2-3
3/21 COLORADO 4-2 3-3
3/28 at Austin 4-2 3-4
4/4 DALLAS 5-2 3-5
4/17 at Carolina 3-7 4-5
4/24 NEW YORK 6-4 4-6
5/1 at Colorado 8-4 5-6
5/8 LAS VEGAS 5-7 5-7
5/15 CAROLINA 4-9 5-8
5/22 at San Jose 10-4 5-9
5/30 at New York 8-7 5-10

LAST BUT NEVER LEAST...
The Soul have had the ball as time expired in six of their nine 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
5/1 @ Colorado 58-40 18 No
5/8 LAS VEGAS 63-35 28 No
5/15 CAROLINA 46-43 3 Yes
5/22 @ San Jose 48-36 12 No

ACTION JACKSON...
Marlion Jackson jumped on the scene against Las Vegas, scoring four touchdowns in his first game with the Soul. Jackson is the third leading rusher on the Soul with 12 rushes for 40 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Jackson has also recorded six receptions for 53 yards and three more touchdowns.

Jackson was originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears in 2000 but was released in the preseason. Jackson was then signed to the New York Jets practice squad and was elevated to the active roster for the final two regular season games but was inactive.

Jackson spent the 2001 season on the Jets practice squad and was then out of football for 2002 after being waived by the Jets following training camp.

Jackson was discovered by the Soul at the open workout at Temple University in November and spent the first 12 weeks on the Soul practice squad.

SOUL SURVIVORS...
Only five members of the Philadelphia Soul have played in every game this season. Eric Gohlstin, Dwayne Missouri, Chris Ryan, Todd Hammel and Ken Hinsley have played in every game for the Soul this season.

IN A RUSH FOR PAYDIRT...
The Soul are tied for 4th in the AFL in rushing touchdowns with 28 TDs in 115 rushing attempts. Chris Ryan leads the team in rushing TDs with 15 while Travis McDonald and Ricky Ross each have three. Marlion Jackson, Nick Browder and Derin Graham have each added two while Tyronne Jones has one.

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT...
Joseph Todd ranks 9th among league leaders in combined tackles with 70.5 after being deactivated for last week's game. Todd has 63 solo stops and 21 assists. Todd is also ranked 11th in the league in solo tackles.

GIVE ME A RING...
The Soul have seven players with AFL Championship experience as well as Head Coach Michael Trigg and assistant Head Coach Robert Smith.

PLAYER TEAM YEAR
Nick Browder Grand Rapids 2001
Keita Crespina Tampa Bay 2003
Ricky Ross Grand Rapids 2001
Chris Ryan Grand Rapids 2001
Travis Seaton San Jose 2002
Terrill Shaw Grand Rapids 2001
Robert Smith (coach) Grand Rapids 2001
Joseph Todd Grand Rapids 2001
Michael Trigg (coach) Grand Rapids 2001

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...

Tyronne Jones
o Needs 2 yards rushing for 100 yards for his career
o needs 26 missed field goal return yards to reach 200 missed field goal return yards for the season
o needs 9 receptions to hit 500 for his career
o needs 31 kickoff return yards to reach 700 for the season

Ricky Ross
o needs 3 receptions to reach 60 for the season
o needs 30 receiving yards to hit 2,000 for his career
o needs 44 receiving yards to reach 800 on the season

Chris Ryan
o needs 1 rushing touchdowns to hit 50 for his career

MOVIN' ON UP...
Here's a look at where the Soul ranks among the league leaders:

DeAuntae Brown:
· Combined Tackles – 9t (75.5, 63 solo, 25 ast)
· Solo Tackles – 12th (63 solo)
· Interception Leaders – 15t (3 INTs, 20 yds)

Ken Hinsley:
· Touchbacks on Kickoffs – 13th (23 TB)
· Leading Scorers, Kickers – 12th (63/85 PAT, 12/29 FG, 99 pts)

Tyronne Jones:
· Missed field goal returns – 1st (7-183 yards, 2 TDs)
· Kickoff Returns – 11th (32-657 yards, 2 TDs)
· Leaders in All-Purpose yards – 7th (17 rush, 952 rec., 840 kick, 1,809 total)

Ricky Ross:
· Kickoff Returns – 15th (30-587 yards)

Chris Ryan:
· Fumble Recoveries – 3t (1 off, 4 def, 5 total fr)
· Leading Rushers – 16th (48-123-15TDs)

Joe Todd:
· Passes Defended – 2nd (21 PBU, 2 INTs)
· Combined Tackles – 9t (75.5, 63 solo, 21 ast.)
· Solo Tackles – 11th (63 solo)

Soul Defense:
· Defense inside the 10 – 1st (70 possessions, 344 points, 48 TDs, 7 FGs)

OFF THE RECORD...
Wachovia Center 3-3
Wachovia Spectrum 1-1
On the Road 1-6
Saturday 3-5
Sunday 2-5
On NBC 2-3
On UPN-57 3-3
Vs. East 3-3
Vs. Central 2-2
Vs. West 0-2
Vs. South 0-3
February 1-3
March 2-2
April 2-1
May 0-4
Score first 3-5
Opp Score first 2-5
Plus turnover ratio 2-1
Even turnover ratio 1-1
Minus turnover ratio 2-8

Players to Watch...

Philadelphia

K Ken Hinsley:
Last time the Soul and Dragons squared off it was Hinsley who booted a 52-yard field goal with no time remaining to give the Soul the 60-58 victory. Hinsley also connected on 7/7 point after attempts and turned a botched snap into a two-point conversion by throwing off the nets and into the hands of Travis McDonald.

OS Tyronne Jones:
The seven-year veteran of the AFL, Jones is currently the Soul's leading receiver with 71 receptions for 952 yards and 17 TDs. Jones is also the team's leading return man with 39 combined returns for 840 yards and four TDs. Jones brought back his second missed field goal for a touchdown last week against the SaberCats and leads the league in MFG returns for a touchdown.

WR/LB Terrill Shaw:
The latest addition to the Soul roster is a familiar face to Michael Trigg. Shaw was named ArenaBowl XV MVP and in his first game with the Soul recorded four receptions for 31 yards.

New York

QB Aaron Garcia:
One of the best quarterbacks in the league, Garcia has completed 268 of 439 passes for 86 touchdowns this season.

WR/DB Will Holder:
Garcia's favorite target this year, Holder has hauled in 67 receptions for 942 yards and 26 touchdowns.

WR/DB Lincoln DuPree:
The AFL rookie sensation has recorded 54 receptions for 715 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. DuPree is also the leading return man with 39 returns for 801 yards and two touchdowns.

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