Soul answer the bell with upset win
by Fran Stuchbury
March 21, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul
Sunday was a rainy day, and as always I try to get to the games early to tailgate with some fans. I met up with members of the Blue Brigade, Captain Soul and Moxie (a.k.a. Aaron and Paula). They had a tent up so I didn't get wet, and we had a nice time talking about the Soul and the AFL.
They have a camper decked out in the Soul colors, blue with some Soul and AFL logos on it. Aaron and Paula are very involved with the Soul. They attend practices, go to Chickie and Petes after each home game and interact with the players regularly.
They were both optimistic the Soul would snap its four game losing streak and win Sunday, and that's exactly what they did, defeating the Storm 69-63. Here are some observations.
The key to the game was Tony Graziani having a mistake free performance, passing for 320 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions.
Graziani was happy with the team,s performance, saying, " We came out with a lot of energy and passion. We played hard to the last second. Guys were getting open. It seemed like everything was clicking today."
OS Steve Smith and WR/DB Marcus Knight caught three touchdown passes each. Graziani is happy with the development of Marcus Knight: "He stepped up huge. I got a real high comfort level with him. He runs real crisp routes, and I know where exactly he is going be. He's going continue to get better. "
The defense played much better as well. They sacked Shane Stafford twice and picked off two of his passes. Defensive Specialist Calvin Coleman intercepted one of those throws. Philadelphia made a good move trading for him from the New Orleans VooDoo for future considerations.
When asked about the fans in Philadelphia compared to the fans in New Orleans, he said, "These fans are by far better than the fans in New Orleans. This is a great place to play."
The 3-5 Soul play its next two games against 1-6 Grand Rapids and 1-6 Columbus, and they have a chance to get back to 5-5 and into the playoff race.
If you have any questions or comments about this article feel free to drop me an email at arenazone@yahoo.com and I will be more than happy to get back to you.
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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 21, 2005
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