Soul's Ryan McDaniel comes back strong from torn Achilles'
After getting hurt midway through last season, the wide receiver is putting up strong numbers this year.
NOBODY KNOWS better than Phillies fans how debilitating a torn Achilles' tendon can be to an athlete. Ryan Howard hasn't been the same since 2011.
Soul wide receiver Ryan McDaniel tore his right Achilles' in the middle of last season. He has rebounded to become one of the best receivers in the Arena League.
"There was never a doubt that he would come back and be full strength by training camp," coach Clint Dolezel said emphatically. "Never a doubt."
In fairness to Howard, McDaniel was 25 and in his second AFL season when he was hurt, while Howard was 31 and finishing his 10th professional baseball season. There was a lot more mileage on Howard's tires.
"I looked at Ryan Howard's situation," McDaniel said. "I looked at [Redskins cornerback] DeAngelo Hall. I looked at [Falcons linebacker] Sean Weatherspoon. I looked at the exercise and rehabilitation they were doing. I had to have confidence in my therapists."
The Soul is 4-0 heading into Sunday's game at New Orleans (4 p.m., no TV) and McDaniel is a big reason why. He is in the AFL's top five in receptions (36) and yards (449), and his 13 total touchdowns are tied with Portland's Jamar Howard for best in the league.
McDaniel played collegiately at Samford and spent time with Knoxville in something called the Professional Indoor Football League. He came to the Soul in an open tryout before the 2013 season.
He developed into a reliable enough receiver to help the Soul reach the AFL title game that season. McDaniel tied a championship game record with 13 catches, but the loss to Arizona left him in tears.
"I can't say enough about how much he means to this team," quarterback Dan Raudabaugh said yesterday.
Soul fans have come to know McDaniel for his scraggly beard, but it's his heart that has endeared him to teammates. You don't rip up your Achilles' tendon and come back for a salary of $875 per game without remarkable dedication.
"It's a very, very difficult injury," he said, allowing that he's still not 100 percent. "Even when you are not in therapy, you have to be home doing exercises. It's hard. It wears you down. You just have to keep fighting hard and know that there is light at the end of the tunnel."
This week's game
Soul (4-0) at New Orleans (1-3)
When: Sunday, 4 p.m.
Where: Smoothie King Center (18,000).
TV: None. On the web: www.Soul.ArenaFootball.com/AllAccess
About the Soul: Trying for its first 5-0 start since the 2008 championship season ... The Soul will work out at the New Orleans Saints' practice site today and tomorrow, a fine benefit to bringing wideout Marques Colston onto the team's ownership group ... Quarterback Dan Raudabaugh was named the AFL player of the week after throwing seven touchdowns and no picks in Sunday's win over Jacksonville.
About the VooDoo: Has lost three in a row, including an ugly 42-13 defeat at Tampa Bay last week in which it was shut out in the second half ... New Orleans is last in the 12-team league in points per game, with 37.0. The Soul leads the league at 62.5 ... Quarterback is Adam Kennedy, a product of Arkansas State ... Defensive back Rayshaun Kizer spent the previous three seasons with the Soul, registering 29 interceptions. He was second-team all-league last year and tied a league record with four interceptions in the Soul's playoff loss to Cleveland.
Up next: The Soul hosts Orlando on Saturday, May 2 at 6 p.m.