Who Got This? Soul & Rattlers Duke It Out For ArenaBowl XXV Title

Adam Markowitz
Friday August 10, 2012

NEW ORLEANS -- The day of ArenaBowl XXV is here. For the Arizona Rattlers and the Philadelphia Soul, this day was always one where destiny will be determined. For the Soul, anything short of a championship, and the "We Got This" slogan for the year will almost certainly become the butt of any joke for years to come. For the Rattlers, getting this close without winning a championship would be the most bitter pill to swallow of all. These two will kick it off on Friday night at New Orleans Arena at 9:30 p.m. (CT).

The Soul were the big time record breakers for the year. They averaged 68.2 points per game, demolishing the old league record, and at the end of the season, they were dropping seemingly 70+ points on everyone that they played.

That might be all fine and dandy, but history says that that isn't guaranteed to be such a great thing. Last year's Jacksonville Sharks led the AFL in scoring at 64.3 points per game, but they only became the seventh team in league history that scored the most points over the course of a season to win the ArenaBowl. Three of those seven instances came by 1993, and all of the teams from 1994-94 and 2003-07 that led the league in scoring failed to claim the Foster Trophy.

The good news for Philly, though? The last team that led the league in scoring and won a championship was none other than the Soul in 2008. The optimist could also say that the Soul are going to be in good shape, knowing that four straight teams that led the league in scoring that made it to the ArenaBowl went on to win it. The last time a team led the league in scoring and failed to win the ArenaBowl after getting there was the Tampa Bay Storm in 1998.

Year	Team	PPG	Season Result
2012	Philadelphia	68.2 PPG	???
2011	Jacksonville	64.3 PPG	Won ArenaBowl XXIV
2010	Milwaukee	65.2 PPG	Lost in Conference Championship
2008	Philadelphia	62.0 PPG	Won ArenaBowl XXII
2007	Dallas	63.5 PPG	Lost in Divisional Round
2006	Dallas	58.1 PPG	Lost in Conference Championship
2005	San Jose	59.1 PPG	Lost in Quarterfinals
2004	Los Angeles	56.5 PPG	Lost in Quarterfinals
2003	San Jose	60.4 PPG	Lost in Conference Championship
2002	San Jose	62.7 PPG	Won ArenaBowl XVI
2001	New York	64.1 PPG	Lost in First Round
2000	San Jose	62.2 PPG	Lost in Semifinals
1999	Albany	58.7 PPG	Won ArenaBowl XIII
1998	Tampa Bay	56.7 PPG	Lost ArenaBowl XII
1997	Iowa	57.4 PPG	Lost ArenaBowl XI
1996	Albany	62.4 PPG	Lost in Semifinals
1995	Albany	54.1 PPG	Lost in Semifinals
1994	Albany	53.5 PPG	Lost in Semifinals
1993	Tampa Bay	47.6 PPG	Won ArenaBowl VII
1992	Detroit	48.8 PPG	Won ArenaBowl VI
1991	Detroit	43.7 PPG	Lost ArenaBowl V
1990	Detroit	40.8 PPG	Won ArenaBowl IV
1989	Chicago	41.8 PPG	Lost in Semifinals
1988	Chicago	43.8 PPG	Lost ArenaBowl II
1987	Washington	48.0 PPG	Missed Playoffs

As Richard Obert of the Arizona Republic points out, the Rattlers bounced 2004 Avengers, 2003 SaberCats, 1997 Barnstormers, and 1994 Firebirds out of the postseason in the past, and the win over Iowa came in the ArenaBowl. Arizona was knocked out of the playoffs by other past league leaders in scoring offense though, including the 1999 Firebirds, 2002 SaberCats, and last year's Sharks.

The key for the Soul isn't going to be their offense, though. Yes, this unit is efficient, but even the team's Offensive Coordinator Clint Dolezel realizes that the credit doesn't necessarily entirely go to his unit.

"I really have to give a lot of credit to the defense," said Dolezel. "Any time you score 80 points in a game, there's usually a defensive score, maybe two in there. Or there are a bunch of stops."

What is lost in the mix though, is that Philadelphia also broke the league record this year for forced turnovers with 64. The team had a +23 turnover margin as well, easily the best in the AFL. That's bad news for an Arizona offense that already has turned the ball over eight times here in the postseason in just two games.

This is also going to be a heck of a challenge for the boys from the City of Brotherly Love. They clearly didn't play nearly as difficult of a schedule as the Rattlers did, and the argument could be made that they aren't battle tested enough for a challenge of this magnitude. All of the numbers are surely impressive, but QB Nick Davila was quick to point out that this isn't going to be a one-sided game.

"It's going to be a challenge, and we're up to it. We aren't scared," said Davila, who threw for a career-high 5,500 yards and 113 touchdowns in 2012.

Davila's offense has struggled at times here in the second season, but when push has come to shove, the team has been able to get the job done in the second half. Last week, WR Maurice Purify had all nine of his catches and all five of his touchdowns in what amounted to be a flawless first half for the Arizona 'O'. The team proved that it had some grit to it, fighting back from down two scores on a number of occasions in the second half to win at it at the death to return to the ArenaBowl for the second straight season.

Keep a close eye DB Virgil Gray. The self-proclaimed "quarterback of the defense" for the Rattlers suffered a brutal looking leg injury last week in the National Conference Championship Game, and from the point that he left the lineup, QB Tommy Grady was virtually unstoppable. At Wednesday's Media Day, Gray would not guarantee that he would be out on the field, but he did say that the he and the trainers were, "Working on it." Gray had six picks in the regular season and also was the squad's kick returner. If he is out of the fold, look for Kerry Reed to return kicks as he did last week against the Utah Blaze, and expect to see Arkeith Brown move from corner to the de facto safety position. That will put a strain on one of the top ball-hawking defensive backs in the league, as Brown had 10 INTs on the campaign.

Many expect to see this end up being a high scoring game, but that just might not be the case. Though the offensive stats on these teams are off the charts, Arizona has allowed just 47.3 PPG since May 26th, while Philadelphia has conceded 45.2 PPG in its last 10 games, all of which have been victories.

There has only been one meeting between these two in their respective histories, a 55-54 victory for the Rattlers last year in the City of Brotherly Love.