Soul Weekly
March 24, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
SOUL DOWN AVENGERS ON SHORT REST
With just one day of practice and three days of rest, the Soul went to Los Angeles on Thursday and handily defeated the Avengers, 71-34, at the Staples Center to remain undefeated (4-0) this season. Just four days earlier the Soul downed the New York Dragons, 63-42, at the Wachovia Center. Matt D'Orazio, starting in place of the injured Tony Graziani, threw a career-high tying eight touchdown passes to lead Philadelphia to the win in its first trip to Los Angeles. Chris Jackson torched his former club for 167 yards and six touchdowns on 10 receptions.
NEXT UP...
The Soul return to the friendly confines of the Wachovia Center for Saturday's 2 p.m. kickoff against the Tampa Bay Storm. Philly is 2-0 at home so far this season and in four all-time meetings against the Storm the Soul has a 2-2 mark, posting a 2-0 record at home in those contests. The first 5,000 fans to the game will receive inflatable flags courtesy of Aarons sales and lease. A win against the storm would give the Soul its best record to start a season in franchise history; last year's 4-0 start and this year's start are currently the best in team history.
D'ORAZIO SHINES
One of the weak spots for the Soul last season was the backup quarterback position. Without starter Tony Graziani in the lineup, Philadelphia was winless. That changed this year, however, thanks to the addition of Matt D'Orazio.
D'Orazio, an ArenaBowl winning QB when with Chicago two seasons ago, stepped in for the injured Graziani (out 2-3 more weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee) and completed 28-of-42 passes for 338 yards and a career-high tying eight TDs without an interception. The Soul's offense didn't miss a beat with D'Orazio, as Chris Jackson had his best game at the wide receiver position since joining the team as a free agent in the offseason. Jackson hauled in 10 passes for 168 yards and six touchdowns - one TD shy of tying his career high.
WHAT THE WIN MEANT FOR THE SOUL
-The Soul now has a 4-0 record for the second straight season.
-The Soul remain tied with the Dallas Desperados for first place in the Eastern Division.
-The team now has a 2-0 away record this season.
MARCH MADNESS
With high expectations this year, March has been an exciting month for the Soul. The month started off strong with the season opener at home against the Orlando Predators and then with wins against the Chicago Rush and New York Dragons, and continued with the win in Los Angeles. The team has one more game before the month is over. Last season, the Soul got off to a blazing start, posting a 3-0 record in March. The Soul have a 10-3 record in the opening month of play since joining the league.
GAME NOTES
The Soul's weekly game notes can be attained early through aflmedia.com. Call the Soul's communications department for username and password.
INJURY REPORT
QB Tony Graziani (knee) is out. WR Darius Watts (ankle), DL George Gause (ankle) and FB John Peaua (back) are on the IR. WR Kenny Henderson (collarbone) is on the IR and expected to be out until early April.
LAST MAN STANDING
The Soul are currently being featured on ESPN.com and ESPN360.com with webisodes of "Last Man Standing." Each weekly webisode gives an in-depth look at the Soul's training camp and includes one-on-one interviews with players trying to make the starting lineup and others who are just trying to make the team.
AIR WAVES
All 16 regular-season Soul games and any playoff games will be broadcast on Sports Radio 950, which will also air all the games live on the web at www.sr950.com. Also, the Soul's game this week against Tampa Bay can be seen live on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD.
FAMILY FOUR PACKS
The Soul offers Family Four Packs starting as low as $68. Price includes four tickets to the game of choice, four hot dogs, four popcorns and four sodas. Call 1-(888) PHIL-AFL for more information.
SOUL.COM
Keep up with all the daily news on the Soul at www.philadelphiasoul.com.
• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 24, 2008
- 'Sedriffic the Terrific' something special - Tampa Bay Storm
- OurSports Central announces AFL Players of the Week - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
- Soul Weekly - Philadelphia Soul
- Crush The Vote For Kristy - AFL I
- Destroyers Weekly - Columbus Destroyers
- af2 Players Making Adjustments In AFL - AFL I
- Tampa Bay Storm Golf Tournament - Tampa Bay Storm
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
