Soul try to get back on winning track

ESPN Game Preview: Philadelphia at Georgia
Courtesy: Arena Football League

Philadelphia Soul (9-1) @ Georgia Force (4-5)

The History

By Ray Bentley -- The Philadelphia Soul will attempt to rebound after suffering their first loss of the 2008 season last week as they visit the Georgia Force on Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Monday. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. EST and the game will be shown in HD and on ESPN360.com. This will be the 4th meeting ever between these two with Georgia holding a 2-1 edge. The Force beat the Soul twice last year including a 65-39 thrashing in the Divisional Playoff round. Philly’s lone win in the series came in 2006.

ESPN2 will give a unique perspective in covering this game as they will use seven microphones to bring viewers inside both the offensive and defensive huddles. Coaches and the referee will also be mic’ed up to hear play calls, strategy and penalty explanations. The will also take viewers into both locker rooms at halftime. This inside access will be exciting and intense and will give a perspective to the game that has never been seen to this extent. It should be awesome.

The Stakes

The Soul are battling Dallas for the top spot in the National Conference. The Desperados kept pace after beating Grand Rapids this week. Philly won the head-to-head matchup 2 weeks ago and play Dallas again in Week 14. They did get nine days off prior to playing this one and needed the rest to try and heal up after a recent rash of injuries.

Georgia is currently on the outside looking in at the playoff picture but they are coming off a big win over division leading New Orleans. The Force have seemingly found their stride and are geared up for a run at a Wild Card spot.

The Players

The Philadelphia QB situation has been a tricky one but by putting Tony Graziani on IR this week, they cleared up the picture a tad. That picture is of Matt D'Orazio, who is the top rated QB in the AFL. D’Orazio has a bum ankle but he is the kind of guy who will tape it up and get it done. The only question will be his mobility which is usually a strength. The Soul signed Glenn Gauntt as a back up while Graziani mends.

Georgia has the same QB situation they have had for the past year-and-a-half which is pretty dang good. Chris Griesen has had to adjust to multiple receivers this year but is still one of the best in the game. He burst on the scene last year by throwing 117 TD passes and has 54 this year. His strength is intelligence combined with athleticism. You don’t see him try to force the ball in places where it should not go. He also throws one of the best deep balls in the game.

Two of the top receivers in the AFL will be reunited in this game as Philly’s Chris Jackson and Georgia’s Troy Bergeron will try to match stats. These two played together in Georgia last year and were a big part of Griesen’s record-setting performance. Bergeron is finally back to full strength after fighting through injuries early in the year. It means a ton to the Georgia offense to have him back making big plays and stretching defenses. Jackson is the “Zen” master of all AFL receivers and makes the critical 3rd and 4th down plays look routine.

Philly has exceptional depth at receiver with Larry Brackins and Darius Watts. Brackins is a one-man gang after the catch and you seldom see the first defender tackle him. Watts may be the most athletic of the three and can do it all. This is what makes the Philly’s offense the highest scoring in the AFL.

Of course they could not do a thing without the great protection they get up front from arguably the top O-line in the game. Phil Boggle, Mike Mabry and Martin Bibla all are in line for post-season honors but they will be tested in this one by an outstanding Georgia defensive line.

Georgia has gotten a solid season from Carl Morris on the outside and Tiger Jones is coming into his own as a playmaker. Finally, Georgia has a consistent group at receiver as they have fought injuries all year. They have started six different receiver combinations in their nine games thus far.

But the real injury problems for the Force have been in the defensive secondary. They have used 11 different DBs in their nine games and will be missing their signal caller and middle defender Hamin Milligan this week. That puts the pressure on Willie Gary to make the calls and the plays. Chris Royal and Cornelius Bonner are expected to be the other starters but Bonner is dealing with a turf-toe injury and could be a game-time decision.

Philly’s secondary has also been battered by injuries as starters Mike Brown and Brian Mance have both been shelved on IR. The means Eddie Moten, the middle defender will be working with Dee Webb and Rob Keefe again this week. This is the group that started in Philly’s only loss of the year which came last week.

The game may well be a shootout due to the injuries in each secondary but don’t count out these defenses as they both feature a considerable pass rush. Philly is led by Gabe Nyenhuis (6 sacks) and Bryan Save (5.5 sacks) and Mac Linebacker Anthony Dunn (3.5 sacks). Save has a triceps injury and has practiced some this week but may not be at full strength. He uses his hands and speed as well as anyone and has blossomed into one of the best Noses in the game.

Georgia has great talent and experience in their defensive line. It is anchored by Ernest Allen (4.0 sacks) at the Nose and the ends, Jermaine Smith and R-Kal Truluck are both capable of taking over a game. The banged up secondary will be counting on theses guys to get to D’Orazio in a hurry which will help in trying to cover Jackson and Brackins. Georgia has also been getting explosive play from their Jack LBer, Cam Newton, who has four picks with three of them returned for TDs.

The Game

It will be interesting to see how the Soul responds after losing their first game of the year last week in Cleveland. They have had nine days since that game and have had a chance to heal up a bit and also get that bitter losing taste out of their mouths. They have a huge challenge in this one as Georgia is a well-coached, talented team that plays tough at home.

Georgia has lost some close ones and with a play here or there they could easily be 6-3 instead of 4-5. You get the feeling they are hitting their stride, especially after they way the handled New Orleans last week. With Bergeron back in the lineup the offense is hard to stop. He brings a confidence to the rest of the team when he is healthy. He will also be amped up to show his former mentor Jackson just how much he has learned.

These two met twice last year and both games were marred with multiple personal fouls. In fact, when they met in the playoffs a fight broke out in pre-game warm-ups. Suffice it to say they have a history of not liking each other very much. The team better able to harness this ill will and not get caught up in the trash talking and cheap shots will increase their chances for success.

This game could easily turn into a shootout due to the injuries in each secondary. Both teams have excellent QBs and receivers who are more than capable of taking advantage of the situation. However, both may decide to play a lot of zone coverage forcing the opposing offense to take the short passes and move methodically down the field. If this occurs then whoever plays better red zone and goal line offense will gain the advantage.

In fact, I expect this game to be decided at the goal line. Both teams are stout against the run and both are physical on defense. There will be a game within the game once they get down in scoring position. If D’Orazio is limited in his ability to run and scramble expect Philly to use the direct snap package to Clifton Smith in these situations.

You have very similar coaching situations in this matchup as both head coaches, Doug Plank for Georgia and Bret Munsey for Philly call the defensive coverages. Both also have former AFL QBs as offensive coordinators. Jim Kubiak calls the plays for Georgia while Connell Maynor handles the business for Philly. This should be a great matchup of the minds.

A big key will be how well Georgia tackles in the secondary. Philly is an excellent quick screen team and rely on yards after the catch from their receivers. On the flip side, Philly will have to find a way to contain Bergeron. Moten will have his hands full covering the Georgia speedster but he always seems to rise to the occasion.