Fuller Takes Over Soul
Jason Moyer
Wednesday March 2, 2005
This will be Fuller’s second stint as a head coach. He coached the Bakersfield Blitz of the af2 during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. The Blitz compiled a regular season record of 17-14-1 and a playoff record of 0-2.
Before coaching Bakersfield, Fuller gained recognition as the Defensive Coordinator for the Oklahoma Wranglers. Under Fuller’s direction, the Wranglers led the Arena Football League in total defense for the 2000 season.
In Philadelphia’s press release announcing the change, Team President Ron Jaworski stated, "We have the skill, and the team wasn’t performing up to its skill level. We needed something to give us a shot in the arm. Mike’s a class act and a good person, but this is a performance industry and you have to perform every day."
Philadelphia’s performance certainly has not met the preseason expectations placed on the team. QB Tony Graziani has thrown seven interceptions and the offense has turned the ball over 12 times posting a record of 2-3. However, probably more disappointing has been the team’s defense. In its last two games, the defense posted only one stop and is surrendering 53.4 points on the season.
After last weeks lost to Dallas, former coach Trigg speculated at some lineup changes to try to improve the team’s defensive performance. Trigg noted Dallas’s size match-up as a problem against the team’s smaller DBs.
The New York Dragons visit Philadelphia this week with receivers similar to the Desperados. Kevin Swayne and Mike Horacek both stand at 6’2", while Will Holder measures 6’0". Coach Fuller will have to look at those match-ups to decide if he wants to stay with smaller, quicker players Keita Crespina, Rob Milanese, and Eddie Moten or promote taller players, such as Maurice Bryant or Marcus Knight on the teams’ depth chart.
The Soul will also need to improve their pass rush to help out their DBs. Look for more playing time for Dwayne Missouri in the coming weeks. Missouri has the lone QB sack of the season for the Soul and seems to be able to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Things definitely need to change for the Soul if they have any chance of making a push for the playoffs. Monday’s announcement may have just been the beginning.
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.
