New Preds Win, Old Preds Go Home
Jason Lucas
Monday May 29, 2006
The Orlando Predators defense was the story of this game. Leading by seven late in the third quarter the Soul offense was stopped on four straight plays from the Predators one-yard line. In all, the Preds defense would record three sacks and a total of 24 hits on Graziani. The 27 points given up is the fewest by a Preds defense in a playoff game since a 32-27 victory over the Buffalo Destroyers in the 2002 playoffs.
"Today was a Herculean defensive game" Preds Head Coach Jay Gruden said of his defense’s stellar performance.
NBC’s shortened broadcast would end with a close-up of Graziani lying on the turf in a bloody jersey. He took one heck of a beating but he just kept coming all day long.
On a day when Philadelphia’s defense seemed they could do no wrong the Predators got a gigantic break with 3:07 remaining in the fourth quarter when Soul DS Eddie Moten fell down in his coverage of Preds OS Jimmy Fryzel. Fryzel would come wide open and QB Joe Hamilton released the ball as he was being hit by Soul OL/DL Mike Mabry, Fryzel would make the catch and finish off the play with a dive into the endzone. The Preds took their first lead of the game at 31-27 on the play and that would prove to be the game winning score.
Old Preds Play Well
The Philadelphia Soul has been well aided by some ex Predators all season long and Sunday was no different. The leading receiver for the Soul on Sunday was Michael Brown who spent all of last season with the Predators who were just a few bad breaks from reaching the Arenabowl. Brown had six receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown; He also returned five kickoffs for 84 yards in the game. Former Pred E.J. Burt had one tackle and one big sack of Hamilton in the third quarter. Burt, Brown and Reggie Doster were three major free agent signings for the Soul in the off-season who paid big dividends all year long.
Soul Head Coach Bret Munsey was Jay Gruden’s assistant from 2003-05 as well as the player personnel director for the Predators. In those three seasons the Preds reached the Semi-finals/Conference finals twice. Munsey led the Soul to a 9-7 regular season record and a first round playoff upset of the Austin Wranglers. How ironic that Munsey’s first season at the helm should end with a loss to Jay Gruden’s Orlando Predators in the Jungle?
"You have to execute and take advantage of opportunities, and we let too many slip away, and in the end that is what got us beat", Munsey said after the loss.
One thing is for certain, the Soul can thank the Orlando Predators organization for a lot of their success in 2006. Unfortunately for the Soul, the Predators giveth and they taketh away.
Fleming’s Return Helps Preds
Speaking of former Preds, Sunday marked the return of WR/LB Cory Fleming to the Predators line-up. While Fleming did not start for the Preds, he did pay immediate dividends catching a 10 yard (bread and butter) slant route from Hamilton to tie the game in the first quarter. He would finish the game with four receptions for 51 yards and the one score, but perhaps Fleming’s biggest contribution was on the defensive side of the ball at Jack linebacker. Fleming made one of the biggest tackles of the game in that third quarter goal-line stand and he is always an asset getting his wide body into passing lanes.
"I didn’t use him this week as much as I will next week, we’ll get him acclimated to that black jersey again and he will play more next week" Gruden said of his newest addition.
I am sure you can count on seeing Cory Fleming a lot more next week against the Dallas Desperados who have one of the toughest defenses in the AFL. Hamilton will sure be glad to have his "security blanket" receiver back playing more next week to maybe take a little more pressure off of him.
Conference Finals
On Sunday the Orlando Predators will travel to Dallas, Texas to face the number one seeded Dallas Desperados who are coming off a game in which they destroyed defending conference champion Georgia 62-27. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that this is the Desperados game to lose. They have the better team on paper, there is no denying that. They have the best quarterback in the league in Clint Dolezel who made first team all-arena. They have the deadliest receiving corps in the league with Will Pettis, Terrill Shaw, Dialleo Burks, and Jason Shelley. FB/LB’s Duke Pettijohn and Josh White also must be accounted for when facing the potent Desperados offense.
Dallas also has the better defense led by AFL Lineman of the Year Colston Weatherington. The Dallas defense has only allowed opponents to score 44.4 points per game while their offense scores 58.1 points per game, including an 87 point performance in Orlando in week eight.
The Predators will need a monster game from their defense once again. Since the week eight match-up dubbed "The Dallas Debacle", the Predator defense has held seven of their last nine opponents under 45 points. That includes a game in which the Predators only gave up 13 points to the potent offense of the Tampa Bay Storm.
The offense is an even bigger concern for the Predators. They played a pretty good defense with Philadelphia on Sunday and only managed 31 points. Dallas defense is considered to be much better and the Predators did hang 62 on them in regular season match-up in which they were without Fryzel and starting Javarus Dudley at the OS position.
It should be very interesting to see how these two teams match-up on Sunday afternoon in Dallas. If nothing else, it should be a physical battle between the lines and as most of us know by now, this is where games are won and lost.
Jason Lucas is a part-time freelance writer based in the Orlando, Florida area. A former director of media relations with the Orlando Predators, Jason is making his return to Arenafan.com after a short stint as a public relations assistant with the UFL‘s Florida Tuskers in 2010. Lucas has followed the AFL since 1992 and began covering the Predators for Arenafan during the 2004 season. He held that position until being picked up by the Preds front office after the 2007 season. Jason‘s knowledge of arena football and love of the game is what drives him to continue covering the sport.
