Time for Midterms for the Soul
Craig T. Mackey
Wednesday March 31, 2004
The Soul has lost five games by a combined total of just 27 points. To put that in perspective, the defending champions, Tampa Bay Storm, just lost three in a row by a total of 29. The Orlando Predators, who have been one of the better teams in the past years, lost to Chicago by 45 points last week. You get the point. The Soul is playing a lot better than we thought. But should we be happy with just that?
Head coach Michael Trigg did promise us that the Soul would not be as bad as the Colorado Crush of a year ago. Last year’s expansion team finished with just two wins. On the other hand, the two teams that came into the league this year with the Soul, the New Orleans Voo Doo and the Austin Wranglers, are 7-1 and 5-2 respectively. Both teams also have wins against the Soul.
So is the glass half full? We still do have a chance at the playoffs and the city of Philadelphia seems to be falling in love with Arena Football, evidenced by the sellouts at all four home games this year. The Soul could just as easily be 5-3, 6-2 or even 7-1 if they would have made a couple more plays.
Or is the glass half empty? They are just 3-5 and on a two-game losing streak that has dropped them three games behind division leader Dallas. Plus two of the three wins have been against the Columbus Destroyers, who have lost six straight games.
It’s all a matter of opinion. The bottom line is that there are still eight games left in the season and they should only get better. This team shouldn’t be judged by whether or not they make the playoffs, but rather if they are a better team in week 16 than they were in week one.
For now, let’s just take a look at some of the key players and how I have graded them through the first half of the season.
Quarterback Nick Browder began the season as a starter for the first time in his career. His lack of experience has shown as he has been up and down all year. He was great in the week three victory against the Destroyers, being named the Baby Ruth Real Deal Player of the Week. He has also been really bad. He has thrown six interceptions and his quarterback rating is in the bottom half of the league. His problem just seems to be the way that he begins games. He has consistently started off slow this year and then rebounds with great second halves. If Nick comes back healthy and can get off to quicker starts, the Soul can make some noise in the second half of the season. Grade C+
RB Chris “Soul Train” Ryan has become an early fan favorite because of his toughness and his nickname. (Ryan tried to pull off an XFL-type move by having only “Soul Train” on the back of his jersey. The league quickly stepped in and put an end to that.) On the field, Ryan has been all that’s been advertised. On defense, he has consistently put pressure on the opposing quarterbacks and kickers. On offense, Ryan ranks fourth and sixth in the league in rushing touchdowns and yards respectively. Grade B
WR/LBs Ricky Ross and Sean Scott have both been solid all year. Ross has been the leader of the team on and off the field and is always in the face of his teammates. Ross is also routinely the last player off the field during the post-game autograph sessions. Ricky had to miss a game earlier this year because of an infection in his leg and fans got to see his importance to this team. The Soul lost to the Storm, but things would have definitely been different had he been out there. He’s also dazzled the fans with some Terrell Owens-type end zone celebrations. His numbers are pretty impressive as well, 35 receptions for 480 yards and nine touchdowns in just seven games. He also has three rushing touchdowns. Grade B+
Philadelphia native Sean Scott was inactive the first three games of the season. Now he has become one of Browder’s favorite targets. Scott has made a nice transition into the indoor game after spending time on the Eagles practice squad and overseas in NFL Europe the last couple years. Scott has 25 receptions for 347 yards and eight touchdowns in just five games. Project those numbers for an entire 16 game season and he might be one of the top receivers in the league. Grade B
OS Tyronne Jones leads the team with 44 catches and 10 touchdowns and is second with 438 yards. Jones has also been a difference maker on special teams. He is currently fifth in the league in kick returning and has come up with big returns when the Soul has needed them the most. Jones was one of the positives coming into the season and he has continued that throughout the first half of the season. Grade B
The offensive line has been an inconsistent group all season. Part of Browder’s early struggles can be directly related to failed protection. Browder has been hit early and often, and you can tell that he is still not that comfortable in the pocket. This unit is the wildcard to this team’s success. If they can get it together and be more consistent, then Browder should be able get more comfortable back there. Grade C
The Defensive Unit has been a strong point all season. Defensive coordinator James Fuller has gotten theses guys to buy into his system, and it’s paying off. They rank in the top five in the league in both scoring defense and red-zone defense. As the field gets shorter, this unit gets more stingy and aggressive. Defensive back Joseph Todd, who leads the team in tackles and pass break-ups and is also tied for the top spot in interceptions, leads them. Their one Achilles’ heel is getting pressure on the quarterback. They only have two sacks as a team this year and lineman Eric Gohlstein is the only one who can say that he has a full sack. Grade B+.
K Ken Hinsley is just a rookie and we can tell. Hinsley was added to the team right before their opener when Brian Gowins was put on the injured list. Gowins has since been traded and Hinley has not taken advantage. He has constantly put this team in difficult situations with bad kick-offs. He has also been notorious for deflating the team’s momentum, missing key extra points and field goals. Hinsley is hitting just 74% of his extra points and 33% of field goals. However, Trigg has confidence in his kicker and has continued to tell everyone that he is not making a change. Not all has been bad; Hinsley did kick a 42-yard field goal against Tampa Bay earlier this year. If he is going to be the kicker for the year, he just needs to be more consistent. Grade C-.
Head coach Michael Trigg and defensive coordinator James Fuller have done a good job molding this group together. Like any expansion team, this team has made their mistakes. In week one, they were flagged 11 times for 88 yards, but last week they were flagged just three times. Trigg knows what he has and he sets his game plans accordingly. They do run more than the league average, but it keeps the games close. The defense has also helped keep them in games. Fuller gets this defense motivated, especially in the second half. The Soul has held opponents scoreless in the third quarter on three different occasions. That is a key statistic, especially since the offense has struggled in the first half so much. It should just be a matter of time when this combination has the Soul as one of the league’s elite, unless Fuller has his own team. Grade B+
Next Game
The Soul will be home this Sunday to take on the Dallas Desperados. The game will at noon and will be televised on NBC-10. Dallas sits on top of the Eastern Division with a 5-2 record. Dallas beat the Soul in week two 51-47. A win by the Soul can bring the Soul within two games of Dallas.
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.
