Time to Win Is Now
Jason Moyer
Sunday January 22, 2006
The Soul enter their third year of existence needing to establish an identity on the field in order to maintain their accomplishments at the ticket gate. Since entering the league in 2004, Philadelphia has led the league in attendance averaging over 16,000 fans per game.
However, the attraction of rock and roll owner, Bon Jovi, can only last for so long, the first year honeymoon period is over, there are no coattails from a run to the Super Bowl by the NFL Philadelphia Eagles to ride, and the NHL has settled their childish squabbles allowing the Flyers to reclaim their arena time. These are just some of the reasons it is more important than ever for the team to achieve success on the field.
Then there are the notorious Philadelphia fans. Skeptical? Yes. Pessimistic? Of Course. Optimistic? Never! Some Soul fans are "hoping" for a record of 8-8, but expecting worse. They point to the facts that signing a top quarterback only led to a one game improvement last season and the reality of having their third head coach in as many years makes it difficult to develop team chemistry.
Am I suggesting that the Soul will look to relocate or fold up their tents if they don’t produce a winner on the field? Of course not, but they could see their attendance figures begin to diminish.
Now here is the good news for Soul fans. The owners and management of the team have shown a dedication to putting a winning team on the field.
After the inaugural season, the team landed the most sought after free-agent in the league by signing standout quarterback Tony Graziani.
Michael Trigg was fired last season after an embarrassing 72-43 loss to the Dallas Desperados, putting everyone on notice that those results are not acceptable.
Entering this season they again made a splash in the free-agent market to address their sieve of a defense. Lineman E.J. Burt and Ernest Allen were signed to supply a pass rush, while defensive specialists Kevin Gaines and Reggie Doster will upgrade the teams secondary. Burt and Gaines both earned All-Arena Second team honors last season.
"It would absolutely be disappointing if we didn’t get to the postseason," said Soul President Ron Jaworski in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer. "The goal is to win the Arena League championship. We think we have playoff personnel."
In case anyone has forgotten how last year concluded, a third year team with a high profile owner walked off the field as ArenaBowl Champions. Perhaps history can repeat.
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.
