Soul Defenless Against Desperados
Jason Moyer
Monday February 28, 2005
The Desperados scored on all of their possessions, totaling 10 touchdowns and one field goal. Their only blemish was a missed extra point. Quarterback Clint Stoerner tossed eight touchdowns, Duke Pettijohn and Ja’mar Toombs each rambled for scores, and kicker Carlos Martinez nailed a 48 yard field goal just before halftime.
"Dallas gave us a problem with their size matchup. Their receivers are a lot bigger than our DBs. We only have one guy with size. We’ll probably just learn our lesson and not go with smaller, quicker guys, but maybe promote some guys with size," commented Coach Trigg about his team’s defensive effort.
The Soul’s offense was able to keep pace through the first half, QB Tony Graziani tossed three touchdowns and FB/LB Chris Ryan rumbled for two tallies. However, the momentum of the game changed when OS Steve Smith fumbled a kickoff, forcing the Soul to play from behind instead of with the lead.
"We were battling in there on offense, but we can’t continue to put that pressure on and expect to score every series to be able to win games," remarked Coach Trigg.
Dallas continued their offensive dominance in the second half, outscoring Philadelphia 34-8 to put the game away. Offensive Player of the Game, Clint Stoerner completed 15 of 23 passes for 242 yards and eight touchdowns.
Asked about playing in Philadelphia, Stoerner replied, "The fans here are really overwhelming. They’ve got great spirit, so it was a rush to come here and win."
Philadelphia’s lack of a pass rush also contributed to the team’s poor defensive performance. Stoerner was able to stand in the pocket and search for favorable matchups downfield.
"I’ll give Dallas a lot of credit today. They’re the first team we’ve really run into that dropped all the way back, took five step drops, scanned the field and threw the ball around. Most of the teams we’ve played up until this point have used three step drops and gotten rid of the ball quickly. I’d hate to be overly critical of my team until I’ve had a chance to watch film. Long story short is we certainly have to get better production and get some of those [defensive] statistics going," observed Trigg about the lack of pressure.
Philadelphia will need to put this effort behind them as they look forward to another division opponent next week. QB Aaron Garcia brings his New York Dragons into town to face off against the Soul.
Inside the game:
Graziani threw three touchdown passes, giving him 299 for his career.
Tyronne Jones caught three passes, giving him 499 receptions for his career.
The Soul has fumbled five times this season, losing all five.
Next week’s game kickoffs at 12:00 (pm).
Schedule change:
Philadelphia’s game against the Grand Rapids Rampage has been rescheduled to Saturday, March 26th at 7:00 (pm). The game was originally to be played on Sunday, March 27th.
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.
