Cultures Clash in Philadelphia’s Home Opener
Jason Moyer
Thursday February 10, 2005
Rock-n-roller Jon Bon Jovi is the face of Philadelphia’s ownership, while country-singing star Tim McGraw has boosted ticket sales for Nashville. From the very beginning, McGraw realized that AFL enthusiasts as well as casual observers of the game would view this matchup closely. At the press conference to introduce his involvement with the Kats, McGraw referred to this encounter as a "must-win" game.
Also at the press conference, McGraw commented about his high profile counterpart. "If he gets out there I’ll get out there, because I know I could cream him." With his background as a high school football player, there is little doubt that he is probably correct.
However, Soul fans favor Jon over Tim. In the style of David Letterman’s "Top 10", here are the "Top 5" reasons why we prefer our rock-n-roller to Nashville’s country boy:
#5: There are no farms in Philadelphia for the country boy.
#4: Rock-n-roll songs are not written about "my dog dying".
#3: Never listen to a band called "The Dancehall Doctors".
#2: No line dances.
#1: Never fallen asleep listening to rock-n-roll music.
As for the teams themselves, they demonstrate two distinct brands of football. Philadelphia would prefer to get involved in high scoring shootouts, while Nashville likes to grind it out in a more ball-control style. (If there is a ball control offense in the AFL, this is it).
Philadelphia likes to score quickly with big plays through the air. Tony Graziani leads the League’s fourth-ranked passing offense. Graziani has thrown 14 touchdown passes this season. Although early in the season, that puts him on pace to fling 112 TD’s this year.
The Soul has three diverse receivers for Graziani to toss the ball. Steve Smith can beat defensive backs with his speed deep down field. Sean Scott is big and physical for those fades in the end zone. Terrill Shaw sets up the defense with his underneath routes, then can burn you with a double move.
Nashville, on the other hand, plays "Big Boy Football" as Coach Pat Sperduto likes to call his style. The Kats rank second in rushing offense in the AFL with 97 yards, while their passing ranks 17th. They have rushed the ball 32 times with seven touchdowns in their first two games; both statistics lead the League.
How will these two styles affect the game?
The Kats will have to control the clock with their offense, while limiting Philadelphia’s big play capabilities on defense to have any chance of winning on Sunday. The Soul, however, is the more talented team. If they are able to avoid turnovers, they should have little problems swatting the Kats.
In their first ever meeting, Philadelphia and Nashville will certainly have something for everyone.
Jason Moyer is an elementary school teacher in the western New Jersey area. He is an avid follower of the Arena Football League and has been covering the Philadelphia Soul with ArenaFan.com since 2005. Jason resides in Whitehall, PA with his wife and daughter.
