2013 Philadelphia Soul roster primer: Defense and special teams
Yesterday we took a look at the Soul's offense heading into training camp, now let's take a look at what the Soul bring to the table on defense.
The Soul's defense was among the AFL's best a season ago, finishing in the top five in scoring defense and turnover margin.
The defense was riding high going into the ArenaBowl allowing only 34 points in the American Conference Championship game. All of the momentum the defense built up from that game came crashing down at the hands of Nick Davila and the Arizona Rattlers in the ArenaBowl as the defense gave up 72 points in a disappointing loss.
The defense was under the control of former head coach Doug Plank a season ago, but that is not the case for 2013. Plank retired after the ArenaBowl and then took the Orlando Predators coaching position.
Helping run the defense this season will be former Eagle Hollis Thomas. Let's see what Thomas and the rest of the coaching staff will have to work with as the first practice of training camp is March 2.
Returners: DL Dustin Barno, JLB Joe Goosby, DB Rayshaun Kizer, MLB Brandon Perkins, DB LaRico Stevenson, DL Bryan Robinson
Additions: LB/DL Morkeith Brown, LB/DL Calvin Fance, DB Jeff Hodges, OL/DL Brandon Johnson, K Carlos Martinez, LB/DL Andre Mathis, DB Darius Pettigrew, DB David Richardson, DL Michael Robinson, DB James Romain, DL Lawon Scott, OL/DL Jason Townson
Losses: DL Justin Warren, LB Dusty Bear, DL T.J. Langley, FB/DL Melik Brown, LB Jerome Hayes, DB Kent Richardson (Placed on other league exempt – Cleveland Browns)
DL (6): Bryan Robinson, Wesley (AFL Exp.: 3 seasons) – Bryan Robinson is coming off a franchise-record 10 sacks in 2012. The Camden, N.J. native also broke the league record for blocked kicks in a single season with seven. His efforts earned him All-Arena honors for the first time.
Dustin Barno, East Stroudsburg (AFL Exp.: 8 seasons) – The cagey veteran returns for his third season with the Soul. Barno spent last season switching between nose tackle and defensive end because of injuries to other players, so he still has some versatility left. The Easton, Pa. native recorded 16.5 tackles and five sacks in 16 games last season.
Brandon Johnson, Nebraska (AFL rookie) – Brandon Johnson has zero AFL experience, but does have indoor experience with the AIFL, UIF and the IFL. In only seven games with the AIFL's Ontario Warriors, Johnson recorded 13 sacks.
Michael Robinson, Nassau C.C. (AFL Exp.: 1 season) – Michael Robinson was on the Kansas City Command's roster in 2012, but it was only for the final four games of the season. Of those four games he only played in three, recording 5.5 tackles and a sack.
Lawon Scott, Ole Miss (AFL rookie) – Lawon Scott is another player that has no AFL experience, but does have indoor football experience, playing for the Columbus Lions of the PIFL. He was named All-SEC during his sophomore season at Ole Miss.
Jason Townson, Tennessee State (AFL rookie) – Jason Townson rounds out a trio of defensive lineman for the Soul heading into camp that has no AFL experience. All three, however, do have indoor experience in other leagues. For Townson, his experience comes from playing for two teams in the IFL.
Outlook: The defensive front lost two young players with potential in T.J. Langley and Justin Warren to free agency, so keeping Bryan Robinson and Dustin Barno was crucial in keeping some continuity from last season. They will be given the task of bringing along three guys who have never played in the AFL and one who has played in only three games. The entire unit will benefit from Hollis Thomas' knowledge of the position. As of today, Bryan Robinson and Dustin Barno are starters based off their experience and past production. That third spot will be a dogfight between four relatively inexperienced guys.
LBs (5): Joe Goosby, Tulane (AFL Exp. 2 seasons) – Joe Goosby is quietly one of the best Jack linebackers in the AFL today. He started every game for the Soul last season and led the team with 96 total tackles. He also caught four interceptions and forced two fumbles. Goosby always seems to be in the right place at right time and that is definitely a reason why he so steady for the Soul.
Brandon Perkins, Kansas (AFL Exp.: 5 seasons) – Brandon Perkins is returning for his third season with the Soul. He was in and out of the lineup in 2012 due to injuries and only suited up for 11 games. In those 11 games, he recorded 18 tackles, eight of which were for loss and four sacks. Perkins' strength is stuffing the run and with a slew of inexperienced defensive lineman in front of him, he may have to take on more responsibility in the middle of the defense as the Mack linebacker.
Morkeith Brown, Temple (AFL rookie) – Morkeith Brown doesn't have any indoor experience to speak of, but spent 2012 working out for the Eagles twice and in the camps of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Cleveland Browns. The Harrisburg native is also listed as a defensive lineman so he could give the Soul an added dimension.
Calvin Fance, Angelo State (AFL rookie) – Calvin Fance is another player on the Soul that has bounced around a number of different leagues during his professional career. Among his stops are the CFL, IFL and the LSLF. One of the teams he played for in the IFL was the San Angelo Stampede Express in 2010, which were then coached by current Soul head coach Clint Dolezel.
Andre Mathis, Tennessee (AFL Exp. 1 season) – Andre Mathis played in only five games last season for the New Orleans VooDoo a season ago. In those five games, Mathis recorded 3.5 tackles. He spent 2011 with the Erie Explosion of the CIFL. Like Morkeith Brown, Mathis is listed as a defensive lineman, which gives the Soul two guys who can play standing up or in a three-point stance.
Outlook: Joe Goosby and a healthy Brandon Perkins seem to be the favorites to start at the Jack and Mack linebackers. But keep an eye on Morkeith Brown and Andre Mathis, both of whom can play defensive line as well. If they show off their versatility during camp, it could earn them both roster spots on the final 24-man roster.
DBs (7): Rayshaun Kizer, Walsh (AFL Exp.: 3 seasons) – In each of Rayshaun Kizer's three seasons in the AFL he has recorded double-digit interceptions, ranking him among the elite defensive backs in the game today. His 11 in 2012, his first season as a member of the Soul, was actually a step back for him considering he set a league single-season mark in 2011 with 16 for the Orlando Predators. Expect more of the same from Kizer in 2013.
LaRico Stevenson, West Georgia (AFL Exp.: 3 seasons) – LaRico Stevenson was a welcome addition to the Soul secondary midway during the 2012 season. He spent the first half of the season with the Pittsburgh Power before being released. During his time with the Soul he recording 20 tackles, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Jeff Hodges, Sacred Heart (AFL rookie) – Jeff Hodges doesn't have any AFL experience, but he is another player that played for the Clint Dolezel-led San Angelo Stampede Express of the IFL in 2010. Hodges last played professional football in 2011 for the IFL's Odessa Roughnecks, but was on injured reserve. His last season active was under Dolezel in 2010 where he recorded 37 and three interceptions in 13 games for the Stampede Express.
Darius Pettigrew, West Georgia (AFL rookie) – Darius Pettigrew has very little professional experience with it only coming from the UIFL's Huntingdon Hammer in 2011. He was a college teammate of fellow defensive back LaRico Stevenson at West Georgia.
David Richardson, Cal Poly SLO (AFL Exp.: 2 seasons) – Dave Richardson's AFL experience dates back to 2008, but it is very limited. Between his stints with the now-defunct Los Angeles Avengers in 2008 and the Jacksonville Sharks in 2011, Richardson has recorded a mere eight career tackles.
James Romain, Delaware State (AFL rookie) – James Romain played only two seasons in the IFL, but had a pretty decorated career in his short time. He was named league Rookie of the Year in 2011 and was named first team All-IFL. His success at the indoor level should help, but we will see how the jump in talent affects him.
Outlook: The Soul secondary returns two very capable players in Rayshaun Kizer and LaRico Stevenson, but took a big hit when Kent Richardson, last year's interception leader, had to be placed on other league exempt after he signed a deal with the Cleveland Browns. With an inexperienced defensive line in front of them, they will have to probably shoulder a little bit of the defensive load early in the season until the defensive line get their feet under them as a unit. If Kent Richardson decides to make a return to the AFL, the Soul hold the exclusive rights to him.
K (1): Carlos Martinez, Buena Vista (AFL Exp.: 8 seasons) – Along with Dustin Barno, Carlos Martinez has the most AFL experience with eight seasons of service under his belt. Martinez made 13-of-23 field goals last season with the now-defunct Georgia Force and 90 percent of his extra point attempts. In his eight seasons, attempted 133 field goals, making 61.
Outlook: Martinez may or may not get many chances to kick field goals this season. The Soul are very aggressive and efficient on offense under Clint Dolezel and kicked only one field goal all of last season. That one field goal occurred in the final game of the regular season and was missed. Martinez may want to put points up on the board, but he may not get many chances with Dolezel calling the plays.
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Soul roster by the numbers:
35: The number of players the Soul invited to training camp
28: The number of players the team must cut down to by March 8.
24: The number of players the team are required to cut down to for final cuts by March 16.
12: The number of players the Soul invited to camp that has never played in the AFL.
4: The number of former All-Arena selections the Soul have returning to the team (Anthony "Tiger" Jones, Derrick Ross, Bryan Robinson and Rayshaun Kizer).
5: The number of players the Soul have acquired from the Kansas City Command, who moved to another league during the offseason. The reason why this is noteworthy Kansas City finished with the worst record in the league last season at 3-15. The Command offense was one of the worst in recent memory scoring 50-plus points — a standard in the AFL — only once. And it took them 13 games to do it. The Command scored less than 40 points nine times — half of their games.
12: The number of players the Soul invited to camp that has never played in the AFL.
9: The number of players that have played in the Indoor Football League, another arena football league. Of those nine, four players (Joe Goosby, Derrick Ross, Calvin Fance and Jeff Hodges) played for the San Angelo Stampede Express in 2010, which were coached by current Soul head coach Clint Dolezel.