WR Battle

As I've stated numerous times before, there aren't enough spots available for the amount of talent the Soul have brought in this off-season. This makes for a great amount of competition during training camp and how better to kick off the "Training Camp Battle" segments than on the first day of full-pads practice for the Soul.

Today I'll be focusing on the wide-outs, a position that's just one step below the quarterback in regards of importance in the game of arena football. In a sport where offense dominates, it's essential for the wide-outs to not only rack up the catches, but to ultimately score touchdowns. Looking at the position right now the Soul has a very talented and deep group in camp. Here's a look at the wide-outs currently in camp:

2011 Stats
Jones, Anthony (Vigilantes) - 170 receptions for 2225 yards and 42 touchdowns
Morgan, Donovan (Soul) - 121 receptions for 1957 yards and 37 touchdowns
Hughley, Jeff (Sharks) - 89 receptions for 1171 yards and 22 touchdowns
Sammons, Emery (Shock) - 68 receptions for 739 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Brackins, Larry (Soul) - 41 receptions for 492 yards and 13 touchdowns
Shrader, Tom - Rookie
Hoggard, Alfonzo - Rookie

That's a combined 489 receptions for 6,584 yards and 124 touchdowns.

Not all of them can be starters and the rookies will have the hardest time making this year's squad with the amount of veteran experience currently in camp. You have to also look at the duel roles that each player can accomplish as well. Each of the experienced wide-outs can play the defensive back position, but none of them have done it successfully and consistently enough to consider it a "true" benefit.

Hughley offers the best dual-benefit because of his return skills. He ranked second in the AFL last season in total return yards with 1,429 yards. Hughley also held the second best return average at 21.3 yards-per-return. He will add extreme value to this Soul team just by his return skills alone. I can't see the Soul parting ways with Hughley based off the troubles the team had in the return game last season.

Jones and Morgan has the numbers and the experience (three years each) to show their worth, but Sammons has shown great potential after two seasons with the Shock. Brackins has four years worth of AFL experience, three of those years with the Soul (2007-08, 2011), but his production has dropped since his best season in 2008. During the Soul's ArenaBowl run, Brackins racked up 107 receptions for 1412 yards and 29 touchdowns, but his production has dropped to 734 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2010 and 492 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2011. There may not be enough playing time for the four-year veteran, but being that he's turning 30 this year, he may not be looking for an extensive amount of time on the field. Staying in a city where he's called home for three seasons may be enough for Brackins to stay and fill in where needed.

The rookies are an unknown at this point and need to show something special in order for coach Plank to consider keeping them around. Whether that be as a reserve or as something else, building that relationship between an organization and a player is very important.