Philly, Are you Ready for Some Football in February
Craig T. Mackey
Thursday January 15, 2004
The AFL is a lot different than the NFL, but can be just as entertaining. All you may need is a little patience because this is not your father’s football. Before you go out there and watch your first arena game live or at home, let me give you a brief history of the league.
The AFL came about in 1987 with just four teams: Denver, Washington, Chicago and Pittsburgh. They are long gone. Washington folded after the inaugural season, reappeared three years later and then dropped out for good after the 1990 season. Denver traveled a similar path, but lasted until 1991. Denver is now back as the Colorado Crush. Chicago closed up after the ’89 season and did not reemerge again until 2001 as the Rush. Pittsburgh does not have a team anymore, but the franchise lives on in Tampa Bay.
This seems to be the early pattern of the league. Many teams came and went (42 to be exact) and traveled through many cities (46 cities have had at least one team). The New York/New Jersey and New England area treat this league like a fad; it is in one day and out the next. They have had four and three different franchises, respectively. Things, however, are starting to change. Tampa Bay and Orlando have been around since 1991 and Arizona came into the league in 1992.
One thing that has helped the league is the involvement of the NFL. Jerry Jones, Tom Benson, William Clay Ford and Pat Bowlen are each NFL owners that own an AFL team. A rock star, Jon Bon Jovi, owns the Soul. Two former quarterbacks in Ron Jaworski (Philadelphia) and John Elway (Colorado) are also involved.
There are now 19 teams in the league. Entering with Philadelphia this year will be Austin, New Orleans and Columbus. The average attendance in 2003 was the third largest in the league’s short seventeen-year history. They now have a national television contract with NBC and it should only get better.
The AFL only plays on a 50-yard field. There are no sidelines. All there is are high density foam pads that still hurts when you hit them.
There are no punts, 4th and 15 from your own four: field goal time.
There are eight players on the field and everyone except the quarterbacks and a specialist play it ironman style. Chuck Bednarik would be a force in this league.
The scores are like basketball scores. The New York Dragons once scored 99 in one game back in 2001.
There has been only shutout in league history. The San Antonio Force were shutout 50-0 back in 1992. San Antonio then took their footballs and went home, folding after their only season.
The players put up some pretty big numbers as well. Aaron Garcia of the New York Dragons threw a record 104 touchdowns in 2001. In comparison, Donovan McNabb has 87 in his career. Mike Horacek, now with the Indiana Firebirds, caught a record 46 touchdowns in 2000. FredEx, Pinky and James Thrash have 34 career touchdowns combined. I know that is like comparing apples to oranges, but the stats are still pretty impressive. The AFL is non-stop action that keeps the fan in the entire game. Think blitz when you think of the AFL. Every snap is quick and routes are tight.
Enough about the league, let’s talk about the Soul.
Coach Mike Trigg leads them in their first season. Trigg was formerly a coach for Grand Rapids. It was in Grand Rapids that he won coach of the year honors in 2001 leading the Rampage to their only ArenaBowl championship. Trigg also played in the league for two years as a quarterback with the Detroit Drive.
The quarterback for the Soul is Todd Hammel. This will be Hammel’s sixth team in as many years. He is a well-traveled veteran who should bring experience to the team.
The Soul roster also includes wide receiver/defensive back Sean Scott. Scott, a product of Millersville thru Archbishop Carroll, is best remembered to Eagles fans for his performance in the 2001 preseason. Scott caught the game-winning touchdown against the Jets in the final preseason game; a catch that earned player of the game honors. The catch would not only help him make the practice squad, but it helped another player make the Eagles final roster: AJ Feely. Feely was a rookie at the time battling with veteran Ron Powlus for a roster spot. That drive and throw to Scott played a huge part in Andy Reid’s final decision. A decision that would pay huge dividends last year after McNabb and Koy Detmer went down.
Speaking of McNabb, his predecessor at Syracuse is currently on the Soul’s roster. Kevin Mason was the starting quarterback for Syracuse from 1991 to 1994. He now plays wide receiver/defensive back for the Soul.
These are just three names on the roster. There are others that I am sure have interesting stories and in due time we will get to hear them. The USFL worked in Philly when they played in the spring and the AFL should, too. Just give it a chance and some patience and you will be happy. No longer is the off-season six months long. Philly fans we have the Soul, now go get some tickets and enjoy.
Craig T Mackey is a an engineer in Philadelphia. He is a huge philadelphia sports fan. He has worked for NFL Films in the past and is a 1999 graduate of Penn State University with a bachelors degree in journalism.
