By Michael Rushton
Phanatic Magazine
Philadelphia, PA - In a battle between two of the AFL’s most elite quarterbacks, Dallas signal caller Clint Dolezel out gunned Tony Graziani and the Philadelphia Soul, 59-56.
Dolezel threw for 320 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the now 12-1 Desperados to victory, their second over the Soul this year. Dolezel’s favorite target was Will Pettis, who made nine catches for 191 yards and four scores.
Graziani, meanwhile, returned to face the club that sent him to the sidelines with a separated shoulder back in Week 7. The left-handed gunslinger went on to miss the next five games, each one a Philadelphia loss.
Graziani eventually returned two weeks ago against New Orleans, and guided the Soul to wins over the VooDoo and the Austin Wranglers the following week. However, his five touchdowns and 268 passing yards were not enough on this night as Philadelphia fell to 6-7 on the season.
Two interceptions thrown by Graziani on tipped passes didn’t help either.
Despite the injury suffered in Philadelphia’s first game to the Desperados, it was just another game to Graziani.
“It’s Dallas, that other stuff doesn’t matter,” said Graziani. “The Dolezel-Graziani stuff, that I got hurt, it doesn’t matter. It’s Dallas, it’s Philly. They got the breaks today.”
Forced to move across the parking lot to the Wachovia Spectrum, penalties hampered the Soul throughout the first half -- some of them questionable calls -- as Dallas took a 31-20 edge into the break.
It started late in the first quarter, when defensive back Eddie Moten was flagged for pass interference despite appearing to have the inside track to the ball. That set up the Desperados in good field position, and Clint Dolezel found offensive guard Devin Wyman for a short TD pass to put his club in front 21-13 early in the second.
Tony Graziani and Charles Pauley helped get that score back, as the wide out, who had already made a diving touchdown catch earlier in the first frame, out leapt Dallas’ Waine Bacon for a 10-yard score and a 21-20 deficit.
On Dallas’ next possession, Dolezel overthrew Will Pettis and was intercepted by Moten, but a roughing the passer call negated the turnover. The Desperados capitalized, as Dialleo Burks corralled a three-yard pass from Dolezel for the score and an eight-point lead with 5:54 left until the half.
Graziani was intercepted by Willis Marshall off a tipped pass on Philadelphia’s resulting possession, but the defense held and kicker Todd Sievers missed a short field goal attempt.
Graziani was picked off again, however, with 38 ticks on the clock, and a long pass play by Dolezel to Pettis, coupled with a roughing the passer call, put the Desperados at the 11. Another penalty helped extend the drive, and Sievers made good on a 21-yard field goal try as time expired to account for the half time score.
The second half then saw the Soul fail to come up with the necessary big stop to take the lead.
“It just seems like we couldn’t get that, somehow, get a break that we needed,” said Soul head coach Bret Munsey. “(Dallas) found ways, like a good 11-1 football team does, they found ways to score. We couldn’t get that one stop or one play.”
Philly came out flat to start the third, appearing to be on different pages through the first three plays. However, Graziani roped in his club and hit Larry Brackins on a long pass play that moved the Soul inside of the 10. Graziani later finished off the march with a short scoring pass to Brackins to get the Soul within 31-27.
However, each time Philadelphia found the end zone, the Desperados were sure to follow. The Soul trailed 38-34 going into the fourth, but Dallas quickly found the end zone, courtesy of a 40-yard TD pass from Dolezel to Pettis to extend its lead back to 11.
Pauley’s third touchdown of the game made it 45-41, and the Soul finally appeared to be ready for that big stop, as the ensuing kick resulted in a touchback. A blocking in the back penalty on Dallas put the ball at the one, but Dolezel was not deterred, quickly pitching the first play from scrimmage to Andrae Thurman, who broke up the right side for a 49-yard touchdown play with 12:49 remaining.
"That’s a nightmare (the flip pass), it really is,” Munsey said. “The only way you can really take that away is come up and play press motion all night, and then, press motion is not an easy defense either.”
An exchange of touchdowns made it 59-48, as Wes Ours powered in from one-yard out for the Soul before Dolezel hit Pettis for a 45-yard score with 5:53 to play.
Idris Price later punched it in with 53 seconds to go, making it 59-54, and the Soul went for two, with Price converting for a three-point deficit.
The onside kick try was no good, giving Dallas the ball at the 11 with 51 seconds on the clock, and the club ran out the clock to claim the victory.
Graziani was still confident in his club after the setback.
“If our offense keeps playing the way it is, I have every bit of confidence in Eddie Moten and those guys back there that we’re going to go a long way in the playoffs,” the QB said.
The Soul travel to Tampa Bay next Saturday for their final road game of the season.
No comments:
Post a Comment