Soul looking to benefit from AFL's downsizing
FROM THE OUTSIDE peering in, it would seem as if the Arena Football League is taking on water. Four more teams were subtracted this offseason, the 18-game schedule was reduced to 16 and everybody gets to make the playoffs. It's been a chaotic seven months since last year's championship, which San Jose won to cap an historic 20-win season.
FROM THE OUTSIDE peering in, it would seem as if the Arena Football League is taking on water.
Four more teams were subtracted this offseason, the 18-game schedule was reduced to 16 and everybody gets to make the playoffs. It's been a chaotic seven months since last year's championship, which San Jose won to cap an historic 20-win season.
Even the Sabercats had to cease operations because of money problems.
"It was a tumultuous offseason in revamping our league," Soul majority owner Ron Jaworski said at the team's media day in Voorhees on Tuesday. "We had to get rid of some owners who weren't committed to growing the league. We now have eight solid franchises."
In addition to San Jose, there no longer are franchises in New Orleans and Spokane, Wash. When Motley Crue front-man Vince Neil brought a team to Las Vegas in 2014, nobody would have thought they'd be extinct by 2016. Call them the Notley Crew.
But growth is on the way as soon as 2017 when Capitals/Wizards/Mystic owner Ted Leonsis opens his AFL franchise in Washington. Games will be televised this year throughout Mexico in advance of a team popping up soon in Mexico City.
So call it AFL 2.0, if you will. The Soul will play in the American Conference with Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa Bay. In the National, it's Arizona, Cleveland, Los Angeles and Portland. The Soul open its season on Friday, April 1 at Cleveland.
Jaworski is an eternal optimist. Where the rest of us see the Titanic, he sees a man-made reef for fish. Contracting four teams? Part of the growth process.
"When you take away teams, that means there's more talent to choose from," Jaworski said. "Our veteran players realize that there are going to be guys coming in to compete (for their jobs). The game on the field will be a lot better."
Another pothole in the way of the Soul is the lack of home games in the second-half of the season. After the Week 8 game against Orlando (May 21), the Soul won't play in the Wells Fargo Center because of the Democratic National Convention, which is July 25-28. Philadelphia's two remaining home games will be June 11 against Los Angeles in Trenton and July 9 against Cleveland in Allentown.
Soul coach Clint Dolezel said that 15 players are returning from last year's team which went 15-3 and made it to the conference finals. Most valuable among this group is quarterback Dan Raudabaugh, last year's league MVP. Wide receiver Darius Reynolds, a newcomer, also appears to be a promising playmaker.
"Every team is going to be competitive," said general manager Phil Bogle, an offensive lineman on the Soul's 2008 title team. "If you look around the league, everybody's stacked with a good pass rush. Every team's going to have a solid quarterback, which has always been an issue. What it all comes down to now is that the coaches get to coach. There's no excuses. You can't just say. 'This team is good because they have the best quarterback in the league.' "
What will diminish the regular season and invite derision is the league's decision to allow all eight teams to make the playoffs.
"I would not have preferred to go that way, but I'm only one vote," said Jaworski who would have limited postseason to four teams. "When you go through the changes we made, though I don't agree with it (everyone making the playoffs), I will support it."
@EdBarkowitz