Philadelphia looks to win against former coach

Thursday April 4, 2013

 Soul Faces Former Coach Doug Plank and the Orlando Predators

PHILADELPHIA (April 4, 2013) - The Philadelphia Soul are flying to Florida for their Week 3 matchup against the winless Orlando Predators. The Soul are looking to earn their first win of the 2013 season against their former head coach, Doug Plank.

Dolezel (11-8 regular season, 11-9 overall) is in his second season as head coach and enters his second game as head coach of the Soul. In this matchup, he will face off against the coach he was the assistant to last season, Doug Plank. Plank (58-26 regular season, 64-31 overall) in his sixth season as head coach and first season with the Predators. Philadelphia leads the series between the two teams 5-2 in the regular season (6-3 overall), although Plank has a 3-1 record against Philadelphia.

“We have to win the turnover battle,” explains Soul head coach Clint Dolezel. “We didn’t do that against Arizona and the result shows this. We also need to put pressure on their quarterback and protect ours. Those are some of the ingredients to winning. It’ll be good to go into this matchup against Doug (Plank). We’re both familiar with one another and it’ll be interesting to see who blinks first.”

The Soul enter the game after a bye week and Orlando is coming off a Week 2 loss to San Jose. Although the Soul led the league in passing offensive after Week 1 (323.0) and currently leads the league in total offense (347.0), Orlando has taken the reigns as the best passing offense in the league (337.5) and are right behind Philadelphia in total offense (340.0). The ground game between the two teams has the No. 4 rushing offense (24.0) of Philadelphia against the No. 4 rushing defense (5.5) of Orlando.

The Soul’s advantage lies within their ability to provide time for QB Dan Raudabaugh. Last season, the Soul allowed five sacks the entire season; and have allowed no sacks in 2013. If the line can keep the pressure off Raudabaugh, he will be able to make the plays necessary to connect with the league-leading yards per game receiver, Tiger Jones (169.0), and the other receivers in the Philadelphia receiving core. Entering Week 3, Raudabaugh is averaging 323 yards per game.

However, Orlando’s QB Kyle Rowley leads the league in passing yards a game (346.0). Facing the No. 12 pass defense (302.0) of Philadelphia, Orlando might have an advantage against Philadelphia. Orlando has the opportunity to use a strong pass game against a pass defense that struggled in Week 1. If Philadelphia can adjust and improve their pass defense, they should be able to imitate the same secondary that led the league in pass defense efficiency (94.8) in 2012.

This match-up comes down to which offense will be more effective. Orlando has the stronger defense, with the No. 4 total defense (257.0) as opposed to Philadelphia’s No. 11 (303.0), but it depends on which offense can execute the plays necessary to win the game. Both head coaches Dolezel and Plank are looking to earn their first wins of the 2013 season with their new teams. The question is which team wants it more?

ABOUT PHILADELPHIA SOUL

The Philadelphia Soul are presented by Parx Casino. They capped their seventh Arena Football League season by capturing the 2012 American Conference championship. The Soul will play their next game on Saturday, April 6 against former Soul coach Doug Plank and the Orlando Predators. For 2013 season tickets, contact the Soul sales department at (215) 253-4900 ext. 3, or request contact from a representative by filling out the form on www.philadelphiasoul.com. Follow the Soul on Facebook at facebook.com/soul and Twitter at twitter.com/soulfootball.