Soul-Dragons Quick Look
Jason Moyer
Friday February 17, 2006
Head Coach
New York - Waylon Hardings. Hardings led the Dragons to a 10-6 record and their third straight division title in his rookie season.
Philadelphia - Bret Munsey. Munsey hopes that his first loss was an aberration after his team suffered eight fumbles.
Advantage - Philadelphia. Both coaches are defense oriented, but Munsey is the only one with a defense.
Quarterback
New York - Aaron Garcia. Garcia tossed 10 touchdowns last week against the Blaze and completed an incredible 24 of 26 passes. He needs five touchdowns to reach 750 in his career.
Philadelphia - Tony Graziani. Graziani is listed as probable on the injury list and should return to the lineup after missing last week's game with a dislocated finger.
Advantage - New York. Garcia is hot, while Graziani is coming back from injury.
Offensive Specialist & Wide Receivers
New York - Kevin Swayne, Will Holder, Mike Horacek, and Angel Estrada. Swayne and Horacek snared four tallies apiece against Utah. Swayne is tied for the league lead with 12 total scores.
Philadelphia - Marcus Knight, Mike Brown, Sean Scott, and J.J. McKelvey. Knight had his best game of the season against Orlando with eight catches for 71 yards. Philadelphia had seven different players with a catch last week.
Advantage - New York. Swayne and Horacek are in synch with Garcia, while Knight and Brown are listed as questionable with injuries.
Fullback & Offensive/Defensive Line
New York - Bruce Blue, Jamaal Cherry, Marcus Owen, and Stacy Evans. The Dragons recorded three sacks against Utah last week, but have given up 12 thus far.
Philadelphia - Chad Dukes, Ernest Allen, Mike Mabry, and EJ Burt. Mabry broke into the sack column last week against the Predators. Philadelphia has not allowed a quarterback sack this season.
Advantage - Philadelphia. The Soul's six sacks have them tied for second in the league.
Defensive Specialists
New York - Dahnel Singfield and DaShane Dennis. Garcia tossed 10 touchdowns, while these guys were giving up 10 of their own.
Philadelphia - Kevin Gaines and Eddie Moten. Shoddy tackling last week allowed two long scores.
Advantage - Philadelphia. The Soul have five interceptions on the season tying them for the league lead.
Kickers
New York - Jesse Obert. Obert has attempted only two field goals this season. His main job is to make extra points, 20 for 22, and hit the nets on kickoffs.
Philadelphia - Todd France. France is four of eight on his attempts with longs of 49 and 51 yards.
Advantage - Philadelphia. France will have more opportunities. Coach Munsey is not afraid of attempting long kicks and relying on his defense.
X-Factor
New York - Will Holder. A big game from Holder would complement Swayne and Horacek's production.
Philadelphia - Mike Brown. Brown missed most of last week's game due to a hip injury. The Soul need his two-way play against New York's receivers.
Prediction
Although early in the season, look for a heated divisional contest as both teams try to keep Dallas within their reach. The key to the game will be tempo. New York will try to turn the game into a shootout, whereas Philadelphia looks to control the clock and play solid defense. Philadelphia is a better balanced team, while New York is one-dimensional. The changing of the guard in the Eastern Division begins this week, Philadelphia 52-45.
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.
