Soul sign K Connor Hughes

The Soul's placekicker, Phi Marfuggi, suffered a slight injury to his left hamstring and the team decided not to risk further injury and to have Marfuggi sit out the Soul's home opener. This prompted to Soul to sign K Connor Hughes as an emergency replacement.

Hughes last surfaced in the AFL during the 2008 championship season for the Philadelphia Soul. He proved to be very reliable connecting on 123 of 136 PAT's (90.4%) and 5 of 14 FG's (35.7%) earning him a total of 138 points that season.

In ArenaBowl XXII, Hughes hit 6 of 8 PAT's along with a 20-yard FG to end the first half helping the Soul to an eventual 59-56 victory over the San Jose SaberCats.

Marfuggi had connected on 19 of his 21 PAT's this season helping the Soul to their 2-0 start. He was especially crucial in the Soul's season opener as his 9 of 9 PAT's were the difference in the Soul's slim 63-62 victory over the New Orleans VooDoo. He followed that up by hitting 10 of 12 PAT's against the Pittsburgh Power in Week 3. Marfuggi hasn't attempted a FG as of yet, but with this offense his chances of doing so may become pretty minute.

Hopefully Hughes hasn't lost much of his 2008 proficiency, but after three years who knows what kind of shape he'll be in come tomorrow. If it's a close game, look to his PAT success to determine whether the Soul will give the home crowd a victory in the Wells-Fargo Center's 2012 opener.

Players to Watch - Week 4 Edition

Cleveland Gladiators:

• DB Joe Phinisee
• Phinisee has accounted for half of the team's 6 turnovers thus far this season having intercepted 2 against the Georgia Force and 1 against the Kansas City Command. He's spent his entire 3-year AFL career with the Gladiators and has shown time and again his usefulness at the DB position. If Soul QB Dan Raudabaugh wants to improve upon his 2-interception performance last week, then he should take care to notice where Phinisee lines up on each and every play.
• DB Levy Brown
• Brown is leading the Gladiators in tackles (12.5) and pass break-ups (3) along with registering 1 interception. Brown was named to the AFL's All-Rookie team back in 2008 with the defunct New York Dragons and has spent the past 3 seasons with the Gladiators. He had his best season last year as a professional registering 135.5 total tackles, 5 INT's, 14 pass break-ups and 2 forced fumbles. Brown has all the ability to be that shut-down DB for the Gladiators and the Soul definitely should take notice of this defensive duo.
• Receiving Corps
• The Gladiators offense, though limited, distributes the ball very well between three receivers. WR's Thyron Lewis, Dominic Goodman, and Robert Redd have 18, 16 and 14 receptions respectively for 211, 141 and 122 yards. The bigger plays result from Lewis as he leads his fellow receivers with 5 TD's, but Goodman and Redd both have 2 TD's apiece. For a defensive backfield that's been struggling a bit, it may be more difficult for them to cover three guys that all have the potential of being on the recipient end of passes than having to defend a "go to" receiver.

Philadelphia Soul:

• WR Donovan Morgan
• Probably the Soul's most important weapon come Sunday, Morgan does it all. He leads the team in receptions (20), receiving yards (198), and TD receptions (6) along with rushing yards (47) on just 6 carries. The Gladiators are great at preventing big-play scores from happening having allowed 13 of of their opponents 80 points out of the red zone; that's only 16% of their points given up. To compare, the Soul allowed 73 of their opponent's 121 points outside of the red zone; that's 60% of their points given up. Which brings me to the next player...
• FB Derrick Ross
• This game will come to down progressing the offense through a possession minded mindset. The Soul won't be able to execute as many "big plays" and will need to adjust to a more down-to-down style if they want to neutralize the Gladiators top-ranked defense. The Soul rank last in the AFL in time-of-possession at 26:20 per game whereas the Gladiators rank 4th at 32:14. Not only can they stop the opponent's offense, but they can keep the ball away from them as well. One thing they don't do well is defend the run, which is where Ross and Morgan comes in. They need to be productive running the ball in order to open up some passing lanes for the receivers to capitalize off of. Ross came alive a bit last week rushing the ball 9 times for 35 yards and 3 TD's along with a 16-yard TD reception, but he needs to continue that success. The Soul rank 15th and last in red zone offense and red zone defense respectively whereas the Gladiators rank 6th and 9th in the same categories. If the Soul can't punch the ball in the red zone then look for them to have a hard time finding some separation from the Gladiators all game. 

Gladiators at Soul Preview

With the Milwaukee Mustangs (2-1) defeating the Pittsburgh Power (1-2) yesterday the Soul will need to defeat the Gladiators this Sunday to maintain their lead of the Eastern Division. The Soul (2-0) and the Gladiators (1-1) will face off in one of the division's more marquee match-ups.

The Soul currently are the league's number one scoring offense at 73.5 points per game while the Gladiators are the AFL's top scoring defense holding opponents to just 40.0 points per game. The two teams are polar opposites in regards to how each team wins games. The Gladiators are ranked 15th in scoring offense at 44.0 points per game (29.5 points lower than the Soul) and the Soul are ranked 13th in scoring defense allowing 60.5 points per game (20.5 more points than the Gladiators allow).

This game's deciding factor will come down to what side will break first. The Soul can score in bunches, but the Gladiators can keep the yards and points from happening as frequently. What each team does well is exactly what the other doesn't.

The Soul have the top rushing offense (44.5 yards per game) while the Gladiators have the league's worst rushing attack (4.0 yards per game). The Soul can rush the ball, but they can't stop it as they allow 33.0 yards per game (3rd worst) and the Gladiators can't rush nor can they stop the rush giving up 32.5 yards per game (4th worst).

The Soul only average 21 more yards in the passing game, but Soul QB Dan Raudabaugh is much more proficient than Gladiator QB John Dutton. The Soul are ranked 3rd in passing efficiency (121.3) whereas the Gladiators are ranked 16th (77.6). Raudabaugh's completion percentage (69.5) is almost ten points higher than Dutton's (59.8) despite throwing 23 less passes than Dutton. Raudabaugh is 41 of 59 passing for 508 yards and 14 TD's with 2 INT's and Dutton is 49 of 82 passing for 466 yards and 9 TD's with 5 INT's.

The Soul's biggest weakness, their turnovers, are somewhat less concerning as they face a Gladiators squad having similar troubles with holding onto the football. The Gladiators lost 7 turnovers (5 INT's and 2 FL) while forcing 7 turnovers (6 INT's and 1 FR) for a turnover margin of 0. The Soul have lost 7 turnovers (2 INT's and 5 FL) while forcing 6 turnovers (3 INT's and 3 FR) for a turnover margin of -1. The Soul still need to sure things up in that department and facing a team that intercepts the ball more than they recover fumbles is better for a Soul team that commits way too many fumbles. I don't see Raudabaugh having another uncharacteristic turnover happy game in back-to-back weeks, but the Gladiators defense won't make it easy for him.

The Gladiators defense also ranks 1st in pass defense efficiency and total defense. Overall the Gladiators defense is better in every category than the Soul and that's to be expected. The Soul's defense have not as of yet lived up to the hype, but I do expect them to improve as the season progresses.

I feel that the Soul will have the upper-hand in this game because of their offense and kick return game. They rank 2nd in the AFL with a 23.8 kickoff return average whereas the Gladiators rank 16th with a 13.2 kickoff return average. When you have two aspects of the game heavily within your control, it'll be difficult to not expect victory to result. Especially being that this is the Soul's home opener, the Wells-Fargo Center will be electric and a huge advantage for the Soul to say the least.

Soul tops Week 3 Coaches' Poll

The Philadelphia Soul moved up to top the Coaches' Poll in Week 3 after the San Jose SaberCats (last week's number 1 team) lost a last second 60-59 contest to the Utah Blaze on the road. The Soul leads the AFL in scoring (73.5 points per game) and rushing offense (44.5 yards per game) after three weeks of play. The only other undefeated team left in the AFL, The Chicago Rush, landed on the number 2 spot. Here's the full list below:

WEEK 3 COACHES’ POLL

RK	Team (1st place votes)	W-L	Pts	Last Week
1	Philadelphia Soul (11)	2-0	146	5
2	Chicago Rush (2)	2-0	127	3
3	San Jose SaberCats (1)	1-1	120	1
4	Arizona Rattlers (3)	1-1	116	2
5	Utah Blaze	2-1	104	8
6	Georgia Force	2-1	74	7
7	Milwaukee Mustangs	1-1	45	-
8	Spokane Shock	1-1	45	-
9	San Antonio Talons	1-1	37	4
10	Jacksonville Sharks	1-1	32	6

The Milwaukee Mustangs are the only other Eastern Division team to make the list. Also if you notice neither the VooDoo (0-2) or the Power (1-1) made the list and those are the two teams the Soul have faced thus far.

The Soul made the list so high based off the fact that they along with the Rush are the only two teams left that are undefeated. The Soul are a very good team, but their mistakes have me thinking that they're not really the league's number 1 team as of yet.

The Soul has the second worst average penalty yards per game (70.5) in the league. To compare the Chicago Rush (the category's leader) only average 16.0 penalty yards per game.

Also the Soul has a turnover margin of -1 having committed 7 turnovers and only creating 6 themselves. The Georgia Force lead the league with a +8 turnover margin having committed 6 turnovers, but their defense forced a league high 14 so far.

They've still been able to win their games though, but I'm thinking that when tougher teams come along the Soul might not get so lucky all of the time.

I'm basically waiting for the Soul to play the Force and the SaberCats in Week's 5 and 6 respectively to better gauge this team. The Mustangs will be a tough challenge as well, but I'm looking for opponents outside the division since I believe that's where the tougher challenges lie.

Regardless of where they're ranked, the Soul are off to a good start at 2-0, but with 16 games remaining in the regular season, the Soul are still a ways off from clinching this thing.

American East Division Rundown - Week 3

> Cleveland Gladiators: Friday, March 23rd vs Kansas City Command

• Won 49-39 -> Gladiators (1-1) Command (0-2)
• QB John Dutton -> 22 of 40 for 170 yards - 5 TD's 1 INT
• WR Dominick Goodman -> 8 receptions for 56 yards and 2 TD's
• DB Levy Brown -> 6 UT / 1 AT and 1 PD and 1 INT

Both teams entered their Week 3 match-up winless, but the Command couldn't put up a single point in the 3rd quarter for the second straight week after leading the Gladiators 26-23 at halftime. The Gladiators were able to counter by putting up 20 points in the 3rd and never looked back. The defending Eastern Division champion Gladiators gave their home crowd something to cheer about with the win. Recently sold to Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team has a great amount of potential to grow under the new ownership. The defense lead the way in this game as they were able to force 3 Kansas City Command turnovers, all INT's by QB Nate Davis. The defense allowed 26 points in the first half only to reduce that by half in the game's second half as they walked away with the game after the 3rd quarter. Not sure if the Gladiators 2nd half turnaround had more to due with the Command's 3rd quarter problems than anything else, but the Gladiators do currently have the 3rd ranked defense in the AFL, so they have the ability to shut down offenses.Though not entirely explosive, the Gladiator's offense was balanced as their receivers all finished with nearly the same stat line. WR Dominick Goodman, WR Robert Redd and WR Thyron Lewis had 8, 7 and 7 receptions respectively and 56, 55, and 59 yards respectively along with 2, 1, and 2 receiving TD's respectively. At this point I don't see the Gladiators as posing too much of a threat to the Soul this week because of their lack of offensive output, but you never quite know in these divisional games. If the Soul doesn't clean up their turnover issues, then the Gladiators won't need a whole lot of offense to claim victory.

Next Week: Sunday, March 1st at Philadelphia Soul (2-0)

> Milwaukee Mustangs: Friday, March 23rd at New Orleans VooDoo

• Won 65-42 -> Mustangs (1-1) VooDoo (0-2)
• QB Gino Guidugli -> 15 of 27 for 239 yards - 5 TD's 1 INT
• WR Jonathan Wilson -> 6 receptions for 118 yards and 2 TD's
• LB Ryan McFoy 8 UT / 2 AT and 1 INT

The VooDoo are 0-2 this season and are probably wishing that they didn't have to start out the 2012 season  against Eastern Division teams. The VooDoo took the early 13-7 lead over the Mustangs after the 1st quarter only to never lead again. Mustang QB Gino Guidugli hooked up with WR Jared Jenkins for an 11-yard TD to take a 14-13 lead just seconds into the 2nd quarter. A 19-yard WR Marcus Everett rushing TD increased the VooDoo's deficit to 8 points before they were able to counter with a 20-yard TD pass of their own. The Mustangs led 21-20 at the half and added an additional 44 points (6 TD's and 1 FG) in the 3rd and 4th quarters to counter the VooDoo's 21 point second half output. The Mustangs led 35-28 after the 3rd quarter and exploded in the 4th quarter for 31 points, including 2 TD's and 1 FG in the game's final minute. The VooDoo pulled with 7 points with 6:14 left in the game putting the game at 49-42, but after 5 non-scoring minutes from both clubs, the Mustangs tacked on 16 points to end the game. The Mustangs returned 2 VooDoo QB Kurt Rocco's passes for TD's for the game's final 13 points. LB Ryan McFoy had a 19-yard INT return for a TD with 32 seconds left and DB Marcus Everett returned a 27-yard INT for a TD with only 5 ticks on the clock. 

Next Week: Thursday, March 29th vs Pittsburgh Power (1-1)

> Pittsburgh Power: Friday, March 23rd vs Philadelphia Soul

• Lost 84-59 -> Power (1-1) Soul (2-0)
• QB Bill Stull -> 26 of 42 for 299 yards - 6 TD's 3 INT's
• WR Randy Hymes -> 7 receptions for 112 yards and 2 TD's
• FB Tyre Young -> 5 rushes for 23 yards and 1 TD
• DB LaRico Stevenson -> 3 UT / 5 AT and 1 PD and 1 INT

Look to my game recap for a recap of how the Power performed against the Soul.

Next Week: Thursday, March 29th at Milwaukee Mustangs (1-1)

WR Donovan Morgan earns Week 3 honor

WR Donovan Morgan was named Week 3's AFL Playmaker of the Week after his performance against inner-state rivals the Pittsburgh Power. Morgan recorded 12 catches for 112 yards and 4 TD's along with 23 yards on 3 rushes.

Morgan's 112-receiving yards doubled the output of fellow teammate WR Tiger Jones, the Soul's second leading receiver of the game. On the Soul's first two drives of the game, Morgan caught the ball 5 times out of the 6 plays that advanced the ball for the Soul for 45 yards and 2 TD's. FB Derrick Ross was the only other contributor on those drives with 1 rush for 1 yard. Morgan accounted for 98% of the yards for the Soul on those first two crucial drives of the game.

Morgan has already displayed the ability to set the tone early for the Soul after two games into the season having done so in Week 2 against the New Orleans VooDoo as well.

His 3 rushes (all in the 3rd quarter) also helped extend drives as he rushed for 9, 6, and 8 yards respectively. Despite signing 2011 All-Arena First Team FB Derrick Ross, Morgan leads the Soul in total yards rushing (47) and yards-per-attempt (7.8) on just 6 total carries. To compare, Ross has 46 yards on 14 carries for an average of 2.8 yards, but he does have the team's only 4 rushing TD's on the year.

So after two games, Morgan leads the Soul in yards rushing (47), yards-per-rush (7.8), catches (20), receiving yards (198) and receiving TD's (6). From the looks of it he certainly can do it all and deserves the recognition of being one of the league's premier playmakers. 

Quick Thoughts on the Soul's win over the Power

The Soul were able to produce the most points ever in a game despite turning the ball over 6 times. Luckily for the Soul, the Power also gave the ball away 6 times. It's not how the Soul drew it up, but in a league where chaos usually remains supreme, the away team was lucky to leave town with the victory. Here's some other quick notes on the game:

• Dan Raudabaugh was unusually characteristic as he turned the ball over 4 times throughout the game. He threw 3 INT's and fumbled the ball away once, but luckily for him the Power were only able to get 6 points out of those turnovers. Besides the 40-yard fumble return for a TD, the Soul's defense was able to produce turnovers to stop the Power from capitalizing off of Raudabaugh's mistakes. The Power really only created a net point total of 4 since that PAT after the fumble return TD was returned by DB Kent Richardson for two points. It probably was just "one of those games" that things went wrong, but the Soul can't count on the other team to make the same amount of mistakes to negate their mishaps. Raudabaugh didn't commit a turnover in the 4th quarter which was the Soul's best quarter of play, but the Soul's offense only ran 5 plays from scrimmage during that time. 
• The defense as a whole played much better. Forcing 6 turnovers (3 INT's and 3 FF's) and actively pursuing every play really benefited the defense as they were able to get pressure on QB Bill Stull along with negating passing plays and returns by knocking the ball out of the opposition's grasps. It seemed as if an increased awareness in effort was drilled through the player's heads all week as the defense looked completely reformed. DL's Dustin Barno and Bryan Robinson were able to register 1 sack a piece and the DB's got their fair share of picks and big plays. 
• The DB's still had their fair share of problems despite all the positives. Too many times I noticed DB's losing positioning to the Power's WR's causing them to have little to no play on the ball. A couple times receivers were left wide-open again in what seemed to result from miss-communication within the secondary. The secondary still needs to be tightened up a bit, but they have improved since last week.
• The Offensive Line did a much better job giving high profile FB Derrick Ross more running room. Ross rushed for 35 yards on 9 carries and scored 3 TD's in the process while also adding a 16-yard TD reception to his stat line. Ross also forced the fumble on DB John Green who picked off Raudabaugh and was inches away from scoring a TD late in the 1st quarter. A great all-around performance for Ross who displayed his worth at the FB position giving the offense another dimension.
• WR Tiger Jones had a down game after leading the Soul's receiving corps in Week 2. He recorded 3 catches for 56 yards and a TD, but had opportunities to accomplish more. Jones dropped a sure TD pass as he ran into the side-endzone wall and allowed DB Chris LeFlore to take another TD away from him in a jump ball situation as LeFlore came down with the INT. Both weren't routine plays, but the reigning Cutters WR of the Year should have came up with at least one of those if not both. 
• WR Donovan Morgan had his best game of the early 2012 season as he caught 12 passes for 112 yards and 4 TD's and again got the Soul going early in the game. He had the team's first 5 receptions of the game and continued to produce throughout the game. 
• It was good to see the Soul's All-Time leading receiver Larry Brackins get his first catch and TD of the season on the same play. It was a great slant route that Brackins used his stature to propel himself into the endzone from 12 yards out. You won't see much of Brackins unless an injury occurs, but he can still produce when called upon.
• WR/KR Jeff Hughley didn't break any records this week, but his 5 kickoff return for 127 yards (25.4 Avg.) allowed the Soul to work with short fields all night. 
• I did noticed some redzone troubles for the Soul when on back-to-back drives they were forced into a 4th down situation. The first drive resulted in a Morgan 3-yard TD reception, but Raudabaugh threw a pick in the second drive. This is where developing and using Ross more in the offense would probably benefit the Soul in the future. He's too much of a weapon in the run game along with being able to execute the screen pass very well to not use him in short field situations.
• I'm not really seeing much from DL Darrell Campbell and LB Dusty Bear in the Soul's first 2 games. Campbell can't get any pressure as the nose tackle and Bear hasn't produced the sort of havoc that I expected he would early on. I'll have to keep my eyes on these two to see if their play improves as the weeks pass.

Soul defeat the Power 84-59

On a night where it seemed that at any moment either team could take control of the game, the Soul eventually used big plays to thump the Power by 25 points and took sole possession of the American Eastern Division lead.

Both teams combined for 11 turnovers on a wild night that ended with the Soul dominating the 4th quarter to take control of the game. Soul QB Dan Raudabaugh went 19 of 29 for 207 yards 7 TD's and 3 INT's along with a lost fumble in a very uncharacteristic performance. It was only his third time throwing that many picks in his young career, but despite his miscues the Soul were still able to set a team record for most points in a game.

Power QB Bill Stull had an impressive first half, but as turnovers and missed opportunities began to mount Stull began throwing interceptions having three go against him late in the game.  He finished throwing 26 of 42 for 299 yards 6 TD's and 3 INT's, but failed to deliver late in the game.

The game began with the Soul and Power trading two touchdowns as the Soul led 7-6 at the 9:24 mark of the game. Then Power K Collen Wagner kicked the ensuing kickoff and it took a bad Soul bounce off the net and into the arms of Power DB Bryan Williams who recovered it for the touchdown.

After another missed PAT the Soul took the ball and drove 34 yards for their second score of the game when Raudabaugh connected with WR Donovan Morgan for his second touchdown reception in as many tries. Morgan would finish the game leading all Soul receivers with 12 receptions for 112 yards and 4 TD's.

The Power quickly made it a 19-14 advantage for the home squad as they utilized their FB Tyre Young who  finished the drive off with an athletic 5-yard rushing touchdown. The 310 pound FB had another 6-yard run earlier in the drive which showed off his impressive man-moving power as he forced his way to a first down.

Right before the 1st quarter was to end, Raudabaugh's pass was intercepted by a leaping DB John Green who undercut the pass and was inches away from returning the INT for a touchdown when FB Derrick Ross punched the ball out of his hands resulting in a Soul fumble recovery for a touch-back in the back of the endzone.

Ross recorded 3 of his 4 touchdowns on the night in the 2nd quarter, recording his first touchdown with a 16-yard screen pass. A 3-yard TD recption by OL Moqut Ruffins for the Power came next followed by a Ross 3-yard touchdown run for the Soul.

DB Micheaux Robinson forced Power WR PJ Perry to fumble as DB Keon Perry recovered it at the Power 5-yard line which led to another Morgan touchdown reception four plays later.

Another Power touchdown followed by a Raudabaugh INT didn't hurt the Soul as the were able to force the Power to turn the ball over on downs. This gave Soul the ball with 34 seconds left in the half and after a 9-yard run by Ross, he punched it into the endzone as time expired giving the Soul a 41-33 halftime lead.

The Power started the 2nd Half off by scoring a TD after two straight passes to WR Randy Hymes. A 19-yard reception set up the 14-yard TD reception for Hymes.

A 30-yard strike to WR Tiger Jones brought the game back to an 8-point advantage for the Soul to which they would add onto after K Phil Marfuggi recovered his own kickoff. The ball took a Soul bounce off the net and traveled to the Power 12-yard line where Marfuggi dove into the pile to come up with the football giving the Soul great field advantage. The Soul would add a TD on the very next play as WR Larry Brackins caught his first pass of the season and only of the game on a slant to give the Soul a 15-point lead at 55-40.

Stull connected with Hymes for a 39-yard passing play after Hymes broke a tackle and was eventually taken down at the Soul 5-yard line. Washington would end the drive for the Power with a 3-yard TD reception to cut the lead back to 8 points.

Power K Warren then attempted the onside kick where it bounced off of Soul DL Bryan Robinson an the Power recovered it on their own 11-yard line. On the very next play, Stull completed a 14-yard pass to Ruffins to the 25-yard line where DB Kent Richardson forced and recovered the fumble for the Soul at the Power 22-yard line.

Another turnover ended the Soul's drive after Raudabaugh attempted a deep pass to Jones, but DB Chris LeFlore jumped up and took it away from Jones for the INT in the endzone and the touch-back. Three straight plays resulted in a change of possession further cementing the back-and-forth action that took place last night.

Two plays took the Power to the Soul's 7-yard line setting up a 1st-and-goal situation in which the Power could not capitalize again as DB Rayshaun Kizer undercut a Stull pass for the INT and returned it 23 yards to the Power 22-yard line.

The Power would seemingly end the 3rd quarter with a score of their own on a 2nd-and-goal play at the Power 2-yard line. Raudabaugh's grip of the football slipped as he went into his throwing motion resulting in a fumble that Power LB Justin Parrish would return for the 40-yard TD.

With the score at 55-53 the Power would attempt the PAT, but DL Robinson came through in the clutch as he broke through the line to block the attempt. The ball ricocheted off Robinson's hand and landed in the arms of Richardson who returned the missed PAT for 2 points. Soul now led 57-53 at the end of three.

The Soul would dominate the 4th as the Power would only add 6 points in the quarter while the Soul tacked on an additional 27 points to give the Soul a franchise best 84 points for the game.

Morgan caught a 30-yard TD pass to give him his fourth TD of the game as the Power struck back when Stull completed a 9-yard pass to WR Lonnell DeWalt for the Power TD at the 9:27 mark. The Power would not score again.

DB Robinson would return the ensuing onside kick attempt for the 12-yard TD. On the Powers last three drives they would end via turnover-on-downs, a LB Joe Goosby INT and a Richardson INT.

A Ross 12-yard TD run along with the 37-yard INT return off of Stull's last INT ended the game for the Soul.

FINAL: Soul 84 Power 59

Soul at Power HALFTIME REPORT

Soul lead 41-33

Soul Offensive Stats:

QB Dan Raudabaugh - 13/20 for 104 yards 4 TD's and 2 INT's

FB Derrick Ross - 5 rushes for 19 yards and 2 TD's & 1 Forced Fumble

WR Donovan Morgan - 9 receptions for 67 yards and 3 TD's

KR Jeff Hughley - 4 returns for 99 yards (24.8 AVG)

Power Offensive Stats:

QB Bill Stull - 14/18 for 143 yards and 3 TD's

FB Tyre Young - 3 rushes for 18 yards and 1 TD

WR Mike Washignton - 5 receptions for 44 yards and 1 TD

WR Randy Hymes - 4 receptions for 40 yards and 1 TD

WR/KR PJ Berry - 3 receptions for 39 yards / 3 returns for 49 yards (16.3 AVG)

Soul Defensive Stats:

DL Bryan Robinson - 1 UT / 1 AT and 1 sack

DB Ken Richardson - 3 UT / 2 AT

DB Keon Perry - 3 AT & 1 Fumble Recovery

DB Micheaux Robinson - 1 UT / 1 AT & 1 Forced Fumble

Power Defensive Stats:

DB John Green - 2 UT / 1 AT & 1 INT & 1 Fumble Lost

DB LaRico Stevenson - 2 UT / 3 AT & 1 INT

DB Bryan Williams - 1 UT & 1 Fumble Recovery for a TD

at Power Pre-Game Watch

Today the Philadelphia Soul play their second game of the 2012 season against their Keystone rivals the Pittsburgh Power in an early battle for sole possession of first in the American East Division. The Soul will be basically facing a team that hasn't shown itself in 2012 despite winning their first game against the Orlando Predators 40-26 in the "strike game" to start the season. It should make out to be a good one with some great match-ups to look out for which will be further explained below.

• PJ Berry vs Jeff Hughley: The marquee match-up in tonight's game will feature two players that will not be on the field at the same time for the game's vast majority. WR/KR PJ Berry is coming off a dominant 2011 campaign with the New Orleans VooDoo being named the JLS Ironman of the Year and  First Team All-Arena KR. Berry racked up 2043 kick return yards (AFL best) on 101 returns (AFL best) for an average of 20.2 yards per return (6th best in the AFL) and 5 TD's (tied for AFL best). He led the league in All-Purpose yards with 3,708 yards (47 rush, 1,593 receiving, 25 missed FG returns and 2,043 kickoff return yards) instantly cementing his status in the AFL as one of the best at what he does. WR/KR Jeff Hughley is no slouch either as his kick return average (21.3) was better than Berry's last season despite having 34 fewer returns than Berry and after his record setting performance last Sunday, Berry is the one who needs to step things up after playing sparingly in the "strike game" two weeks ago.
• WR Mike Washington: The Power's leading receiver in 2011 picked up where he left off in the Power's season opener against the Predators. Against some regulars and scrubs Washington recorded 9 receptions for 166 yards and 4 TD's for the Power two weeks ago. Last season Washington collected 114 receptions for 1,367 yards and 30 TD's leading all Power receivers in those categories. With how easily the VooDoo receivers were racing down the field on the Soul's DB's, major adjustments must be made in order to keep Washington and now Berry contained. Kizer and Robinson need to show some of their 2011 All-Arena First Team DB status in order to keep the Power off the scoreboard. 
• QB Bill Stull: Just recently assigned to the Power this season, Stull played in the Power's season finale against the Soul in a 61-48 thumping. Stull completed 24 of 40 passing for 257 yards and 6 TD's to bring the Power to a 9-9 record. Stull doesn't have nearly enough experience playing in the AFL as his opponent Dan Raudabaugh, but the former Pitt Panther played under Dave Wannstedt's pro-style offense and could potentially break-out in this league. I obviously like Raudabaugh in this match-up, but Stull can offer some surprises especially with the receiving corps.

So keep an eye out for these match-ups during the game and hopefully the Soul will be able to overcome last week's difficulties with a victory over the Power tonight in the Steel City!

KR/WR Jeff Hughley Named Week 2 National Guard MVP

The awards just keep coming for one of the Philadelphia Soul's newly acquired play-makers after a stellar Week 2 performance. Jeff Hughley, as voted by the fans, was named the AFL's Week 2 National Guard MVP after receiving 39% of the combined votes on Facebook and the AFL's official website.

Just to remind you all one more time, the Soul defeated the New Orleans VooDoo last Sunday at The Graveyard 63-62 thanks in large part to the fantastic play-making ability of Hughley. Hughley recorded 265 kickoff return yards (a Soul record), 92 receiving yards and 3 rushing yards to set the team's single game all-purpose yards record with 360 total yards. Thankfully his only blemish, a lost fumble to end the 3rd quarter, didn't backfire as the touchdown scored in response to that turnover didn't affect the outcome of the game.

Other candidates:

Tampa Bay Storm - WR Prechae Rodriguez

• In a 50-47 victory over the Georgia Force.
• 11 receptions for 164 yards and 1 TD

Jacksonville Sharks - WR/DB Terrance Smith

• In a 52-28 victory over the Kansas City Command
• 4 receptions for 63 yards and 1 TD
• 3 kickoff returns for 73 yards -> 24.3 average
• 1 missed field goal return for 18 yards
• 1 rush for 1 yard and a TD

American East Division Rundown - Week 2

> Cleveland Gladiators: BYE Week

• Gladiators (0-1)

Next Week: Friday, Match 23rd vs the Kansas City Command (0-1)

> Milwaukee Mustangs: Saturday, Match 17th at Arizona Rattlers

• Lost 71-65 -> Mustangs (0-1) Rattlers (1-1)
• QB Gino Guidugli -> 28 of 38 for 364 yards - 5 TD's 1 INT
• WR Jared Jenkins -> 13 receptions for 211 yards and 2 TD's
• LB Ryan McFoy -> 5 UT / 1 AT and 1 Pass Defense

The Milwaukee Mustangs opened up their 2012 regular season on the road against the ArenaBowl  runners-up Arizona Rattlers in a game that played eerily similar to the Soul's game this past Sunday. After a 4-9 start last season, QB Gino Guidugli signed on and took over for head signal caller QB RJ Archer for the Mustangs remaining five games. Guidugli went 3-2 in that span and is now the Mustangs full-time starter while Archer is heading the Georgia Force this season. As for Friday night's game, the Mustangs were up against a Rattlers team that just came off a devastating 71-70 last-second loss to the San Jose SaberCats and were determined to turn things around back in the desert. Both teams traded touchdowns for the first 30 minutes of play, but it was the Mustangs poor kicking game that kept the game closer than it should have been. K Lindsey Wolfe was 1 of 5 in PAT's forcing the Mustangs to attempt 2-point conversions in which they successfully converted 2 of 5 attempts. The Rattlers started the 2nd half with two consecutive touchdowns building on the game's largest lead of the night, a 48-39 contest with 6:01 remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Mustangs then answered back with two consecutive touchdown drives of their own giving them back the lead at 51-48 with 14:56 to play. Both teams traded touchdowns as the Mustangs took a slim 65-63 lead with just 27 ticks on the clock. Last year's MVP Nick Davila led the Rattlers down the field cultivating with a 1-yard touchdown pass to the AFL's 2011 Rookie of the Year (with the Georgia Force) Maurice Purify with 4 seconds remaining sealing the Mustangs fate. Rookie WR Jared Jenkins broke onto the scene in his debut game with 211 receiving yards on 13 receptions and 2 TD's earning him AFL's Offensive Player of the Week recognition. He's a player that the Soul will have to watch out for in their two contests versus the Mustangs later this season.

Next Week: Friday, March 23rd at New Orleans VooDoo (0-1)

> Pittsburgh Power: BYE Week

• Power (1-0)

Next Week: Friday, March 23rd vs the Philadelphia Soul (1-0)

WR/KR Jeff Hughley named JLS Ironman of the Week

Coming to no surprise to anyone who watched Sunday's game, Jeff Hughley was named the JLS Ironman of the Week for his record setting performance against the New Orleans VooDoo.

Hughley set the Soul's single-game record for for all-purpose yards (360) and and kickoff return yards (265) along with tying the record for most kickoff returns in a game (10). Included in all those all-purpose yards is 92 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 2 touchdowns. Hughley also returned one of his 10 kickoffs for 54 yards and the touchdown. He's one of the most explosive players in the league and the Soul are very fortunate to have signed him away from the Jacksonville Sharks.

Hughley looks to take his talents against the Pittsburgh Power this Friday on the NFL Network. We'll see how brightly he shines under the national spotlight for the Soul's first of only two NFL Network match-ups this season.

Positives and Negatives - at VooDoo edition

This is a segment where I look back on the Soul's most recent game and give players that had positive performances and players that did not. Let's just jump right into it:

POSITIVES


QB Dan Raudabaugh:

• Raudabaugh came as advertised. After a very successful 2011 campaign, he started the 2012 season with his sixth highest completion percentage (73.3), sixth highest passing yard total (310), and 3rd highest QB rating (145.83) of his young career. Raudabaugh's the main reason why the Soul were able to escape The Graveyard with the victory. In only a couple instances he overthrew his intended target, but credit the VooDoo defense for pressuring him pretty well in certain instances. 

WR/KR Jeff Hughley:

• Hughley set the Soul team record with 357 all-purpose yards and 265 kick return yards against the VooDoo and even though Raudabaugh was spectacular, Hughley (despite his fumble) gave the Soul much needed sparks every time he touched the football. He was baffled early on in the game by the VooDoo's kick return coverage, but broke out in a huge way in the second half. Most noticeably with his 54-yard touchdown return with 5:18 left in the 3rd quarter. At this pace, Hughley may become the league's All-Ironman Player of the Year and that's an honor Soul fans should keep their eye on as the season progresses.

WR Tiger Jones:

• 2011's Cutters Wide Receiver of the Year lead all Soul receivers with 10 catches for 132 yards and 3 touchdowns and most importantly didn't cough the ball up. Morgan started things off early, but the Jones/Raudabaugh connection was in full force as the season progressed. He had a nifty catch near the wall at the right endzone marker midway through the second quarter along with the game's first touchdown which were both huge. I expect him to continue to head the stat sheets for the season's entirety for the Soul's passing attack.

K Phil Marfuggi:

• Yes folks, I'm giving props to the kicking game. I know he wasn't tested kicking field goals at all on Sunday, but he did connect on all 9 PAT opportunities which was clutch. The VooDoo's kicker missed on 3 of his 9 PAT's which was the deciding factor in a game where both teams scored 9 touchdowns apiece. Finding a permanent solution at the K position was also a need for the Soul after shuffling three different kickers last season. All three combined were 104 for 128 on PAT's and the Soul are looking for an improvement on the 81% success rate for 2012.

NEGATIVES


The Defensive Line:

• Not only didn't the defensive line produce nearly enough pressure on opposing QB Kurt Rocco, but they also were responsible for a big chunk of that 12 penalties for 90 yards called against the soul. DL Dustin Barno was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and DL Bryan Robinson roughed the passer including other minor penalties that didn't help the Soul's cause. This unit needs to create pressure and to produce sacks for the Soul to keep that dominant edge that the front office produced for the 2012 squad.

DB Rayshaun Kizer:

• The consecutive two-time First Team All-Arena DB did not play like it against the VooDoo. Even though Rocca's completion percentage was at 64% and Kizer did lead the team with 3 pass defenses, but his name was called a little too often during Sunday's game on long touchdowns in my opinion. Granted passes are going to be completed more often than not in this league, but Kizer playing alongside DB Micheaux Robinson shouldn't allow a young VooDoo team to score 9 touchdowns.

Quick Thoughts on the Soul's Win over the VooDoo

It wasn't the start that Soul fans were expecting, but it worked since the Soul were able to squeak out the 1 point victory thanks to the not so spectacular kicking of the VooDoo's Josh Shene. Shene was 6 of 8 on PAT attempts, not counting his other miss when Soul LB Dusty Bear ran into him drawing the penalty, which proved to be the deciding factor in Sunday's contest. He also couldn't launch the VooDoo's last second field goal attempt because of Soul DL Bryan Robinson's excellent penetration of the VooDoo's line which led to the game sealing block. Here's some other quick notes on other important aspects of Sunday's win:

• The Soul offense was just as advertised scoring on every drive that the Soul held onto the football. It was Morgan's and Hughley's fumbles that led to the VooDoo's only stops of the heralded Soul offense.
• WR/KR Jeff Hughley set the Soul's team record for all-purpose yards (357) and kickoff return yards (265) in today's game. His 92-receiving yards led to 2 touchdowns along with his kickoff return touchdown. This signing should pay off huge dividends as the season progresses and teams are even more competitively matched.
• The Soul's defense on the other hand didn't perform so well. After stopping the VooDoo's first drive, the defense gave up touchdowns on basically every other drive in the game. The VooDoo ran out of clock in the 1st half that led to the defense's second stop and with just 15 seconds left the VooDoo were forced to kick a field goal that was blocked. In drives that didn't end each half, the VooDoo scored on 9 of those 10 drives.
• If you think of the Soul's defensive performance in a different light, they did show up when it mattered most, but it seemed more like luck than anything else in my opinion. Too many times VooDoo receivers were left wide open deep. I'm not sure if they were caught cheating on under routes or that they got burned by the VooDoo receivers, but regardless the DB's have to improve.
• The Soul's defensive line also didn't get nearly enough pressure on VooDoo QB Kurt Rocco being that he was barely put under direst all day. It's the one area of the team that the Soul didn't add to this season, but if the three 2011 holdovers don't produce soon look for the Soul to find players that will.
•  Penalties. I understand it was the first game of the season, but 12 penalties for 90 yards is way too much for a title contending team. The VooDoo only had 2 penalties for 11 yards and didn't commit any turnovers which were main reasons why they only lost by 1 point.
• As I warned before the game, just because the Soul have big names it doesn't mean that it'll translate on the field. The offense/kick return game was sharp, besides the two fumbles, but the defense did not look as advertised. They performed like the slower and less experienced team out their even though we all know that's not the case. 

In all I'm glad the Soul escaped with the victory and hope that they pick things up for next week's away contest versus fellow division leader the Pittsburgh Power who might as well be playing their first game of the season after the "strike game" debacle. 

Soul Win! 63-62 SECOND HALF Report

The VooDoo took the opening drive of the second half and scored on their very first play from scrimmage with a 33-yard touchdown strike to WR Josh Bush. Bush took the opening kickoff to the VooDoo's 17-yard line which set up his own touchdown score on the very next play. The Soul were left only leading by 1 after the VooDoo made it a 28-27 ball game.

Penalties continued to hurt the Soul as they were called for a block in the back on the ensuing kickoff putting them at their own 3-yard line. Two consecutive strikes to Hughley and Jones respectively put the Soul at the VooDoo 18-yard line, but a loss of 5 yards on a Ross rushing attempt pushed the Soul back further. Raudabaugh was able to connect with a wide-open Hughley on a crossing pattern to give the Soul another 8-point lead with 10:09 left in the 3rd quarter after the 23-yard strike.

Again the VooDoo struck right back with Alajajian's third touchdown run of the game with a 3-yard score putting the game's margin back to 1 at 35-34 in favor of the Soul. Rocca marched the VooDoo down the field as he utilized the short passing game to set up the deep pass keeping the Soul off-balanced in their coverage.

KR Jeff Hughley took the ensuing kickoff high off the left net 4-yards deep into the end zone and broke it wide open for the 54-yard score putting the Soul back up 42-34. Hughley, a consecutive 2-time All-Ironman Team selection, notched his first kick return touchdown of the season with that effort.

Rocco connected with another wide-open VooDoo receiver for the 26-yard score, this time it was Bush for his second of the game, but again K Shene wasn't able to convert the PAT putting the score at 42-40.

The Soul committed their second turnover of the game when Hughley, after taking the previous kickoff to the cleaners, fumbled the ball away to the VooDoo who recovered it at the Soul 16. VooDoo DL Brian Coulter forced the fumble which ended the 3rd quarter after that play.

The VooDoo this time turned a Soul turnover into points when Rocca hit the outstretched hands of WR L.J. Castile for the touchdown in the back left corner of the end zone. The VooDoo were forced to attempt the 2-point conversion of Soul LB Dusty Bear was penalized for running into the kicker. The converted the 2-point conversion after another Soul penalty by handing the ball off to Alajajian. The VooDoo took their first lead of the game with the 48-42 advantage.

After a 15-yard connection with Morgan, Raudabaugh hit Hughley for 26 yards resulting in his second receiving touchdown of the game. The Soul took back the lead at 49-48.

The VooDoo converted on their 7 play 38 yard drive for their second lead of the game after Payne caught the 9-yard Rocco pass for the touchdown. 55-48 VooDoo.

Hughley ran the ensuing kickoff 46 yards all the way to the VooDoo's 9-yard line to give the Soul excellent field position. After two straight incompletions to Jones, Raudabaugh finally connected with Jones for an 8-yard gain just out of the end zone. The Soul challenged the position of the play, but lost the challenge and a timeout in the process. Ross then took the 4th-and-1 play and ran it into the end zone giving the Soul back the lead for the second consecutive drive.

The VooDoo retook the lead after Payne collected his third touchdown reception of the game with the 16-yard grab giving the VooDoo the 62-56 advantage with 2:41 left to play. Payne caught a 10-yard pass from Rocco to set up his touchdown on the previous play.

A pass interference call on Payne's touchdown placed the Soul at their own 1 and a half-yard line after Hughley failed to take the kickoff out of the end zone resulting in a touch back. On 1st-and-10 Raudabaugh was sacked for a 3-yard loss by VooDoo LB Andre Mathis for the game's first sack. Two consecutive incompletions forced the Soul into a 4th-and-13 situation, but Raudabuagh came through in the clutch by connecting with Jones for the 14-yard reception and the 1st down. The Soul ran the clock down to just 17 seconds left to play when they scored their final touchdown of the game. Morgan caught the 2-yard pass for the Soul score and K Phi Marfuggi converted his 9th straight PAT's to give the Soul a 1-point lead at 63-62.

The VooDoo started their last drive with just 15 seconds to play and at their own 6-yard line. Rocca connected with WR Jeremy Kellem for 20 yards putting the VooDoo at the Soul 24. Then Rocca connected with Payne in the back of the end zone for the apparent go-ahead score, but Payne hit the back wall hard and wasn't able to hold onto the football. Then with 3 seconds left the VooDoo were forced to try a game winning field goal attempt, but the 40-yard attempt didn't have a chance as Soul DL Dustin Barno busted through the line and blocked the attempt which sealed the Soul's hard fought 63-62 season opening victory.

FINAL: Soul 63 VooDoo 62


GAME STATS:


OFFENSE:
Soul -> QB Raudabaugh 22/30 310 yards 7 TD's
VooDoo -> QB Rocco 25/39 314 yards 6 TD's


Soul -> WR Morgan 3 rushes for 24 yards
             FB Ross 5 rushes for 6 yards and 1 TD
VooDoo -> FB Alajajian 5 rushes for 3 yards and 3 TD's


Soul -> WR Jones 10 receptions for 132 yards and 3 TD's
             WR Morgan 8 receptions for 86 yards and 2 TD's
             WR Hughley 4 receptions for 92 yards and 2 TD's
VooDoo -> WR Payne 10 receptions for 130 yards and 3 TD's
                   WR Bush 7 receptions for 95 yards and 2 TD's
                   WR Castile 4 receptions for 45 yards and 1 TD


DEFENSE:
Soul -> LB Goosby 5 UT / 1 AT
VooDoo -> DB Calvin 9 UT / 1 AT
                   LB Mathis 1 UT and 1 sack





 

Soul at VooDoo HALFTIME Report

On the Soul's opening drive of 2012 their offensive unit did not disappoint after weeks of build up. WR Tiger Jones capped an eight-play drive with a 7-yard touchdown reception connecting with fellow former Dallas Vigilantes QB Dan Raudabaugh for the first time this season. WR Donovan Morgan had the game's first three catches for 14, 10 and 15 yards to help get the Soul to the VooDoo's 7-yard line to set up Jones' touchdown reception.

After the defense completed their first defensive stop of the season by breaking up a  QB Kurt Rocco's pass on fourth-and-eight at the Soul's 24-yard line, the Soul struck right back with another score making it an early 14-0 lead for the visitors. Morgan collected his first touchdown reception of the season with a 13-yard reception on the Soul's third play of the drive.

With just one second left to play in the 1st quarter, the VooDoo were able to punch the ball into the endzone for their first score of the season. FB Joe Alajajian stretched the football across the goal line for the VooDoo on a second effort play from just 3 yards out. A roughing the passer penalty on Soul DL Bryan Robinson put the VooDoo at the Soul's 9-yard line which set up the score two lays later. VooDoo K Josh Shene failed the point-after-attempt giving the Soul 14-6 lead at the end of the 1st.

The 2nd quarter started just like the 1st with the Soul scoring a touchdown with ease further displaying their newly acquired offensive weapons. Raudabaugh connected with a wide open WR Jeff Hughley for the 24-yard touchdown strike as he walked into the end zone for the 21-6 advantage.

The heralded Soul defense allowed another VooDoo touchdown at the 9:03 mark in the 2nd quarter. On a 3rd-and-seven yard play, Rocco threw a  37-yard bomb to WR Quorey Payne who stepped out-of-bounds at the Soul's 5-yard line. Soul DB Rayshaun Kizer lost sight of Payne who was able to convert the long 1st down. Alajajian ran in another score from 2 yards out make the margin 21-13 after a successful Shene PAT.

The Soul then converted on their fourth straight drive by scoring another touchdown on a 1-play drive. On the Soul's 15-yard line, Raudabaugh threw a 35-yard bomb to Jones for his second touchdown reception off the game. Jones caught that ball at the right end zone marker near the sideline wall to make the terrific grab.

The Soul's 28-13 advantage wasn't safe for long as Rocco converted a 4th-and-one with a QB sneak to the Soul's 22-yard line for a 2-yard gain and the 1st down. He then threw his first touchdown pass of the season to Payne for the 22-yard score putting the game at 28-20 with 4:30 left to play in the half.

During the Soul's next drive on what looked to be an 11-yard Morgan touchdown run off a pitch from Raudabaugh, the officials ruled Morgan stepped out on the 1-yard line. A Morgan holding penalty on former Philadelphia Eagles KR Jorrick Calvin on the next play put the ball at the VooDoo's 11-yard line negating FB Derrick Ross' touchdown run. On 3rd-and-goal Calvin punched the ball out of Morgan's hands after a 5-yard reception resulting in a VooDoo fumble recovery and their first stop of the game.

With 1:07 left to play in the half, the Soul were able to stop the VooDoo from converting the fumble recovery into points. The VooDoo took the ball from their 8-yard line to the Soul's 3-yard line and called a timeout with 9 seconds left on the clock. Rocco then handed the ball of to Alajajian who refused to go down on what proved to be the half's final play resulting in a 5-yard loss just as time expired.

End of 1st Half - Soul 28 VooDoo 20


Stat Leaders:


OFFENSE
Soul -> QB Raudabaugh 12/15 167 yards 4 TD
VooDoo -> QB Rocco 9/17 123 yards 1 TD


Soul -> WR Tiger Jones 5 for 74 yards 2 TD
             WR Donovan Morgan 6 for 69 yards 1 TD
VooDoo -> WR Quorey Payne 4 for 77 yards 1 TD


DEFENSE
Soul -> DB Rayshaun Kizer 2 UT / 2 AT
VooDoo -> DB Jorrick Calvin 6 UT / 1 AT & 1 FF


Second Half to come...

at VooDoo Pre-Game Watch

Tomorrow the Philadelphia Soul are set to start off their 2012 season in New Orleans against the VooDoo at 4 p.m. eastern time. The game can be viewed online at Ustream, watched locally on Comcast SportsNet or listened to on WPEN 950 AM radio. Off course you die-hard fans can also travel to the Big Easy to watch the Soul up close, but it's understandable that this probably won't be the case. Make sure you all tune in to watch the Soul's season opener to see if all this "We Got This" nonsense is worth all the repetition.

• It seems as if we won't know who the VooDoo will start at QB until tomorrow. With Kurt Rocca and Brian Zbydniewski on the roster, the VooDoo has two viable options since each had 16 and 10 games worth of starting experience last season respectively. I'm putting my money on Rocca to earn the starting nod, but good luck to whoever starts having to go up against this Soul defense in game number one.
• The VooDoo has an extremely young roster in regards to AFL experience with 13 rookies currently on the roster. Of the team's 24 players, six of them were around last year in wake of their 3-15 season. Besides the QB's the only other players with notable AFL success are WR/DB Josh Bush and WR Skyler Green. Bush has seven years of WR, DB, and KR experience and has been a valuable contributor to every team he's played for; he played for head coach Pat O' Hara in Orlando the past two seasons. Green is coming off his rookie campaign with the VooDoo where he caught 50 passes for 622 yards and 14 touchdowns. Beyond that everyone else has much to prove in this league, but just because the VooDoo has many rookies it doesn't mean that some of them won't excel. This is a league where rookies can flourish instantly with the amount of untapped talent that comes into the league every season.
• A familiar face on the roster is DB Jorrick Calvin, a Baton Rouge, LA native. He's a rookie in the AFL, but Eagles fans may remember him as the team's return man back in 2010. After CB Ellis Hobbs went down with a neck injury, the rookie Calvin jumped in a performed pretty decently for the Birds. You might also remember the pre-season controversy when the Eagles traded draft pick RB Charles Scott to the Arizona Cardinals for Calvin right before cuts were due. Scott never suited up for the Cardinals, but the Eagles got almost a season's worth of use out of Calvin. It'll be fun to see how he transitions to the arena game after not seeing action since the 2010 season.

Tomorrow I'll have a half-time report posted along with a game summary posted within an hour after the game ends. The Soul landed in New Orleans today and hopefully will leave tomorrow with their first victory of many more to come in 2012!

Quick Facts: Week 1 Preview at New Orleans

Here's some facts that you should keep in mind before the Soul begin their season on Sunday, March 18th at The Graveyard:

VooDoo head coach Pat O'Hara:

• Played primarily as a back-up QB in the AFL from 1995-2006
• Played in 5 ArenaBowls winning 3 
• Tampa Bay Storm Offensive Coordinator in 2005, 2007-08
• AF2's Tri-Cities Fever Head Coach in 2009 -> 3-8 record after taking over for a 0-5 team.
• Orlando Predators Head Coach in 2010-11 -> 19-15 regular season record / 1-2 postseason mark
• 8-8 in 2010 -> lost to the Tampa Bay Storm 63-62 in the American Conference Championship.
• 11-7 in 2011 -> lost to the Jacksonville Sharks in the first round.
• Set a team record for points-per-game (55.6).
• Hired by the New Orleans VooDoo just a week after getting fired by the Orlando Predators.
• An offensive minded coach that will put his team in positions to score many points every week.

VooDoo's 2011 season:

• Ended the season with a league worst 3-15 record.
• Ranked 17th of 18 in scoring offense & 14th of 18 in scoring defense.

VooDoo's 2012 roster:

• Added QB Kurt Rocca and QB Brian Zbydniewski to the roster.
• A starting QB has not yet been named for the season opener.
• Rocca 2011 stats (with Gladiators):
• 319 of 495 (64.4%) for 3834 yards and 72 TD's with 14 INT's.
• Filled in for the injured Dutton - Started 16 games
• Zbydniewski 2011 stats (with Storm):
• 221 of 3357 (61.9 %) for 2825 yards and 56 TD's with 15 INT's.
• Started 10 of the 11 games he played last season
• 13 AFL rookies made final cuts -> the Soul have 1 rookie currently on their roster.
• Only 1 player has more than 3 years of AFL experience (WR/DB Josh Bush with 7).
• Lost Ironman of the Year P.J. Berry to the Pittsburgh Power in the off-season.

The VooDoo are a young team that should be offensively charged by the addition of new head coach Pat O'Hara. New Orleans is a team looking to change their fortunes after an abysmal 3-15 campaign last season. One of the Soul's six victories came against the VooDoo with a 70-49 Week 12 victory in front of the Philadelphia faithful. With both teams flaunting new uniforms, The Graveyard will be electric and the Soul will have their hands full despite their championship expectations. 

DB Tanner Varner Traded

DB Tanner Varner never reached expectations during his short stint with the Philadelphia Soul. The Soul traded Varner to the Kansas City Command for a Claim Order and Future Considerations yesterday. The additions of DB Micheaux Robinson and DB Rayshaun Kizer this off-season made Varner expendable after missing the Soul's final 11 games due to injury in 2011.

Varner came to Philadelphia in 2011 as a very high profile signing in an attempt to bring the Soul back to prominence after their two year hiatus. He performed well during his seven games with the Soul though racking up 45.0 total tackles, 4 pass break-ups and 5 interceptions. The injury kept Varner from racking up league leading numbers, but that goal was to resume in 2012.

Look back to my January 20th post on Varner to get a better glimpse into his background.

The Command instantly receives one of the best DB's in the AFL who should be well rested and healed up by now. Hopefully he stays healthy enough to display his dominating ability yet again while instantly updating a Kansas City pass defense that ranked 10th in the league last season.

Wish we could have saw more from Varner, but the Soul have two very good options just waiting to win the fans of Philadelphia over with excellent play.

American East Rundown

This is going to be a weekly segment where I focus on how the Soul's division rivals performed in their weekend/Monday night match-ups. Two of the three teams played in Week 1 (well one team actually) and I'll list below:

> Cleveland Gladiators: Monday, March 12th at Georgia Force

• Lost 41-39 -> Gladiators (0-1) Force (1-0)
• QB John Dutton -> 27 of 43 for 308 yards - 4 TD's 4 INT's
• WR Thyron Lewis -> 11 receptions for 152 yards and 3 TD's
• DB Joe Phinisee -> 4.0 tackles and 2 INT's

The Gladiators opened up their 2012 season on the road as the American Eastern Division's reigning champions, but sloppy play eliminated any chance of a victory. QB John Dutton resumed his role as the Gladiator's starting signal caller for the first time since 2011's season opener where he injured his Achilles' tendon. The 12-year AFL veteran tore his left Achilles' tendon on the road in a 61-55 victory over the Spokane Shock during the team's season opener. Dutton's 4 interceptions along with a lost fumble accounted for 5 of the game's 9 turnovers. Though not penalized much at all, both teams' defenses came to play in the Week 1 contest keeping the score at a low 22-13 margin at half in favor of the Force. The Gladiators took their only lead of the game 2:02 minutes into the fourth quarter on a 20-yard touchdown strike from Dutton to WR Thyron Lewis making it 32-28 Gladiators. That capped three consecutive scoring drives for Cleveland, taking them out of a 28-13 deficit. The Force responded with two straight scoring drives to make it 41-32 with just 3:20 left to play. The Gladiators tacked on another touchdown with 57 seconds left, but proved to be too little too late as the Force was able to close out their home opener. The Force were able to turn a fumble recovery and a Dutton interception into touchdowns in the second and fourth quarters respectively which doomed the Gladiators' chance at victory.

Next Week: BYE

> Milwaukee Mustangs: BYE Week

• Mustangs (0-0)

Next Week: Saturday, March 17th at Arizona Rattlers (0-1)

> Pittsburgh Power: Friday, March 9th at Orlando Predators

• Won 40-26 -> Power (1-0) Predators (0-1)

I refuse to comment further on this game due to the strike nonsense that took place.

Next Week: BYE

Radio Partner set for the Soul

The Philadelphia Soul announced today that all of the Soul's 2012 games will be aired exclusively on WPEN 950AM, ESPN Radio.  ESPN Radio is part of Greater Media Radio Stations.  Matt Martucci of 97.5 The Fanatic and anchor and three-year announcer for Saint Josephs Sports Network, will be the new voice of the Soul. 


Martucci graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism and Spanish Language/Culture as a double major in 2006. He's currently the voice of Saint Joseph University Men's Basketball on the Saint Joseph's Sports Network, a position he's held since 2009.


Along with all the game broadcasts, the Coaches Show will also broadcast live from Totaro's Restaurant in Conshohoken, PA every Wednesday night from 8-9 p.m.  Joe Krause, Vinnie “The Crumb”, Jason Ashworth, and Soul Head Coach Doug Plank will host the show.


Very exciting news for all you out-of-town Soul fans clamoring for some good old fashioned radio broadcasting rather than internet streaming. It just provides another outlet for fans to fall in love with the Soul and the game of arena football.

The Comcast Network and Comcast SportsNet will be airing a weekly half-hour TV show entitled "Walk the Plank" every Wednesday night. Lou Tilley and head coach Doug Plank host the program highlighted with player interviews from some of your favorite Soul players. 

It airs on the Comcast Network at 7 p.m. and at 11 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet every Wednesday. Today's show, if you caught it, featured QB Dan Raudabaugh and LB Dusty Bear and you could really sense how amped up each were for the upcoming season. 

So now you have no excuse not to be caught up with the Soul's daily activities with all these outlets readily available.

Philadelphia Soul's New Uniforms

The Soul also showed off their new uniforms for the 2012 season today showing off two very distinct color patterns. In the picture below you'll see LB Dusty Bear and QB Dan Raudabaugh showing off updated versions of the team's black helmet uniforms. DB Rayshaun Kizer is sporting the newest look that centers around its carolina blue helmet.

 

Fresh new looks after a 2011 campaign that is better left forgotten. Can't say that I love them yet, but put some black pants on the away jerseys and I'll be happier. I do like the home jerseys with the black helmets because I'm a bit of a traditionalist. Regardless of what they're wearing, I just want to see a lot more victories than last season and that should come to fruition soon.

The Philadelphia Soul team up with Comcast

The Philadelphia Soul have announced a broadcasting partnership with the Comcast Network and Comcast SportsNet to locally televise 9 games for the upcoming 2012 season. Along with the two games to be televised on the NFL Network, fans can now watch 11 of the Soul's 18 games from the comfort of their television sets instead of relying on Ustream every week.

Courtesy of the Philadelphia Soul's main website, here's the rundown of all the games that will be televised:

 PHILADELPHIA SOUL 2012 TV BROADCAST SCHEDULE

WEEK	OPPONENT	DATE	NETWORK	TIME*
2	New Orleans VooDoo	Sunday, March 18	CSN	4 p.m.
3	Pittsburgh Power	Friday, March 23	NFLN	8 p.m.
7	TAMPA BAY STORM	Friday, April 20	NFLN	8 p.m.
8	Orlando Predators	Saturday, April 28	CSN	7:30 p.m.
10	JACKSONVILLE SHARKS	Saturday, May 12	TCN PHILLY	7:05 p.m.
11	Spokane Shock	Friday, May 18	TCN PHILLY	11 p.m.
13	ORLANDO PREDATORS	Saturday, June 2	TCN PHILLY	7:05 p.m.
15	Jacksonville Sharks	Saturday, June 16	TCN PHILLY	7 p.m.
16	PITTSBURGH POWER	Sunday, June 24	TCN PHILLY	6:05 p.m.
17	Tampa Bay Storm	Saturday, June 30	TCN PHILLY	7:30 p.m.
18	SPOKANE SHOCK	Sunday, July 8	TCN PHILLY	6:05 p.m.

CAPS are home games; *All times listed are Eastern Time

That's a total of 5 home games and 6 away games and within these 11 are some very good football games to be played. You'll have to shell some money or use Ustream to see the Soul's home opener on April 1st against the Cleveland Gladiators, but the Soul's season opener will be TV ready for all. 

Five of the Soul's six match-ups with Florida based teams are on the TV viewing list and with the amount of history that the state of Florida has with the AFL, it instantly makes those games "Must See TV." 

The only division rival to make the list, the Pittsburgh Power, is probably the main rivalry Philadelphia cares about promoting at the time. The battle for arena football bragging rights in the Keystone State will provide some very electric atmospheres. Finally, a sport that Philadelphia has more championships in than Pittsburgh (don't start with the NBA nonsense either).

Obviously this is fantastic news and I for one can't wait to see the Soul take care of business on the boob tube. 

"An Open Letter to AFL Fans" is issued

Today the AFL issued this statement to their loyal fans, here it is straight from the AFL's website:

Arena Football League fans,

There have been a number of stories and statements regarding what Arena Football League players receive in return for their hard work and exciting play on the field. While we always strive to better ourselves as a League, we do feel that our players receive a high level of care in return for what they deliver to our fans. This includes game salary, housing, meals, and workmen’s compensation insurance coverage for a package that totals an average of well over $3,000 per player per month.

While discussions continue with the union, the AFL feels it is important to let the record show that this is where things currently stand. We will continue to demonstrate appreciation and respect for our fans and we thank you for your dedication over the past 25 seasons!

Sincerely,

The Arena Football League

Now, this comes off as a big joke in my opinion. It's good that the AFL issued anything at all to the fans, but to do so almost a week after all this strike business came about isn't good enough. Fans were left desperately waiting for any sort of resolution after being sprung with the news that the AFLPU was looking to strike in order to insure better contracts for all the players. More information came from the pompous Brett Bouchy, managing partner of the Orlando Predators, than the AFL at a time when some sort of effort should have been made in order to inform their fanbase just days before the regular season was set to begin. 

I'm not saying either side did the right thing, but this 132 word message does little to ease my worries regarding the future of the AFL. If something substantially doesn't get done before next season, I can see this type of situation occurring on a yearly basis which would kill the league. Forget about growth, the AFL must fine tune what's already here before even thinking about how to promote the league to a larger audience. Let's just hope this happens so that 25 years of great arena football isn't thrown down the drain due to incompetence.