Coach Plank

Let's focus on the newest edition that'll have the most say in whether or not the Soul can ultimately contend in 2012, coach Doug Plank. As you may already know, Plank played safety for the Chicago Bears from 1975-1982 where his hard-hitting style won over the respect of his defensive coordinator and former Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan. Ryan's innovative and famous "46 defense" (which was instrumental in the Bears' '85 Super Bowl victory and for the great Eagles defenses in the late 80s early 90s) was named after Plank's jersey number.

Plank started coaching in 2002 and his resume is pretty impressive:
- '02-'04 (AFL) Arizona Rattlers Defensive Coordinator -> Rattlers reached Arena Bowl each season (Lost all 3)
- '05-'08 (AFL) Georgia Force Head Coach -> Coach of the Year in '05 & '07 / Arena Bowl appearance in '05 (Lost) / Made Playoffs every season / 43-21 Regular Season record / 4-4 Playoff record
- '08 (NFL) Seasonal assistant for Atlanta Falcons (Team made playoffs that season)
- '09 (NFL) Assistant Defensive Backfield Coach for New York Jets -> Jets led the league in fewest total yards, points and TD passes allowed.
- '10 (NCAAF) Football Program Assistant at Ohio State -> Ohio State won the Sugar Bowl that season

For the most part, Plank has found success everywhere he's been. He not only has 4 seasons worth of Arena Bowl experience, but he's never experienced a losing record as a coach anywhere. He's also the winningest four-year head coach in AFL history. His worse season came in 2006 while being head coach of the Georgia Force when they finished 8-8. He only left the AFL coaching scene after the league suspended operations in '09. Now that he's back, expect the same level of success under his leadership. It doesn't hurt having a defensive minded coach man the helm especially with the amount of success that his teams have had in the past. In a league where the defense takes a backseat to the offense in every regards, it's a real advantage to have a coach with Plank's pedigree.

Expectations though can backfire as we've seen with the man Plank's replacing, Mike Hohensee. Hohensee also had an impressive resume after he coached the Chicago Rush from '01-'08 and in '10 leading them to the playoffs every season. He won Arena Bowl XX and had notched over 100 career victories in 10 years as an AFL head coach. But after a very disappointing '11 campaign, Hohensee resigned and the Soul were back to square one in their search for a head coach.

We'll have to wait and see how coach Plank fairs in his first season as an AFL head coach since 2008, but I'm expecting the Soul to become far more competitive than last season. Plank seems like a coach who has everything together on a football standpoint. Read his blog on the Soul's website to become a little more familiar with the man. He's wrote some very encouraging posts.