Gladiators' Marrio Norman goes pro, won't play Soul in playoffs

           

Marrio Norman as a Georgia Force covering Soul receiver Emery Sammons in 2012

 When the Soul and the Cleveland Gladiators meet up Saturday night for the opening round of the Arena Football playoffs on CBS Sports Network, the Gladiators will be missing the biggest part of their defense that has helped them reach a league record 17 wins this season in defensive back Marrio Norman.

Norman has been picked away from the Gladiators to try out for the Baltimore Ravens training camp. This season, Norman’s brought in 12 interceptions for 115 yards and has put up 78 tackles.

To put things into perspective, the rest of the Cleveland defense combined for just one more interceptions than Norman had (13). Defensive back LaRoche Jackson leads the Gladiators in tackles, with nine more than Norman (87). 

The loss of Norman is devastating to this Cleveland team that has so much potential heading into the playoffs , but it also gives Philadelphia an even better chance at beating the team they match up well with and probably feel they should have owned this regular season.

Norman’s skill and talent on the field was always a danger for opposing quarterbacks against the Gladiators in the 2014 regular season campaign, and his presence displayed leadership on the Cleveland defense all throughout the improbable miracle season they’ve been riding.

Nobody in this league can blame the 27 year old for leaving the Gladiators no matter what time of the AFL season it may be and going to the next level, where his salary in Baltimore training camp will certainly be a pretty hefty raise. Whether or not Norman will be able to keep a spot with the Ravens organization after training camp is another question, but this is no doubt a chance of a lifetime for Norman that he may never see again, and the Gladiators will probably wish him nothing but the best.

The Soul went through a very similar situation two seasons ago when Tiger Jones left right before the playoffs started and joined the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Soul were still able to reach the Arena Bowl.

Philadelphia now has an even better opportunity in front of them to go out and upset the Gladiators in their own arena this weekend while their defense is out of line with gaping holes. The Gladiators are still a very good football team in this league, and Norman didn’t play on their explosive offense that’s carried their team all season. Still , it’s hard to believe that Cleveland would have won 17 games this year if Norman wasn’t in the lineup, and there’s no debating that life has just gotten a lot easier for Dan Raudabaugh and the rest of the Soul offense. 

Soul reach the playoffs for third straight season off Gladiators win

It wasn’t prettiest route, but the Philadelphia Soul have qualified for the 2014 Arena Football playoffs after the Cleveland Gladiators defeated the Tampa Bay Storm 56-49 on Saturday, July 26 in Tampa.

The Gladiators win was the only way the Soul could advance to the postseason, after the Soul fell to the Pittsburgh Power 64-34 earlier Saturday night.

The Soul won’t be thanking the Gladiators too long, however, as Philadelphia will be traveling to Cleveland to face them in the opening round of the playoffs next weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, August 2 and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.

Although the celebration appears a bit dampened from the loss at Pittsburgh, Soul fans should remember that Philadelphia has been in a similar situation before. Last season, the Soul traveled to a much lesser San Antonio Talons team in the last week of the season with the chance secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs, only to be handled by the Talons in similar fashion. Even with the loss, this club was able to rebound and end up in the Arena Bowl.

This season hasn’t been pretty for the Soul by any means. The team got off to the worst start in franchise history, opening up 0-3 with three road losses, along with losing all five games against division rivals Pittsburgh and Cleveland. They didn’t end the season ideally in Pittsburgh, but at the end of the day, they’ve earned themselves a spot in the playoffs and you can’t ask for much more than that.

So burn the game tape from Saturday. Philadelphia’s not as bad as they played in Pittsburgh, but they’re certainly going to have to make some adjustments before flying out to Cleveland later this week if they’re going to pull off the upset. They have the potential to make some noise and get to their third straight Arena Bowl, now it’s up to this team to take advantage of this opportunity and do it.

Everything’s behind them now, and for the Soul and seven other teams, they’re now 0-0 and the real season begins. 

Soul shocked by Power, lose season finale and control of destiny

         In a game where the Soul controlled their own destiny, Philadelphia was embarrassed by their cross-state rival Pittsburgh Power 64-34 in the regular season finale Saturday, July 26 in Pittsburgh.

The Soul will now look on to the Tampa Bay Storm-Cleveland Gladiators game, where a Storm loss will clinch the final playoff spot for Philly. A Tampa Bay win will give the Storm the playoff seed and eliminate the Soul from the postseason.

The story line for Philadelphia’s loss in Pittsburgh was Dan Raudabaugh, who was 11 for 35 in the game, throwing for 102 yards for one touchdown and three interceptions. Raudabaugh was pulled after his third interception early in the third quarter when the score was 41-7, and quarterback Bryan Randall was 9 for 15, throwing 127 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in his replacement.

For Pittsburgh, quarterback Tommy Grady was 15 for 23, throwing for 136 yards and seven touchdowns. Receiver Prechae Rodriguez had 54 yards with four touchdowns, while Shaun Kauleinamoku brought in 49 yards and two touchdowns for the Power. 

Philadelphia was off of their game throughout the entire match Saturday evening, committing penalties on the first two plays of the game which would set the tone for the rest of the night. Raudabaugh had one of the worst performances in his time in a Soul uniform, and when he found his receivers they could not catch the ball to save their playoff lives.

Pittsburgh didn’t play a whole lot better than Philadelphia in the first half, and they certainly benefited from some non-calls on their defense in the end zone. They did however capitalize on their chances, and make no mistake about it; Pittsburgh looked like the team that hasn’t lost in three months, and Philadelphia looked like the team on the outside of the playoffs looking in.

The Power did everything they could to win, from defensive plays, to miraculous offensive touchdowns to converting two point conversions on ridiculous Soul special team breakdowns. Pittsburgh punched Philly in the mouth, literally kicking backup players when they were down after the play, hitting Soul receivers well-after going over the boards and trash-talking Ross before the game even started.

Philadelphia still has a realistic shot at making the postseason, if the (16-1) Gladiators can get a win at the (8-9) Tampa Bay Storm which is going on as this article is being published.

The good news is that the Soul aren’t as bad as this game would lead one to believe. The loss dropped the Soul to 9-9 to end the regular season, but the potential on this team is much greater than .500. The Power are not 30 points better than the Soul, but the sobering truth for the Soul is that if they are to make the playoffs and make any kind of run, they will probably have to return to Pittsburgh in two weeks to play the Power once again, a team that Philadelphia hasn’t been able to beat yet this season. Now, it's up to Cleveland to help us make the postseason, or none of this will matter tomorrow. 

The Soul travel to Pittsburgh with a chance to clinch playoff berth

"Pittsburgh is going to do what they can to keep Philly out of the postseason, because if there is one team nobody wants to face in the American Conference playoffs in August, it’s this Soul team..."                      
   
        

The Philadelphia Soul will hit the road to take on their cross-state rival Pittsburgh Power in the regular season finale, where a win will clinch the final wildcard seed for Philly in the American Conference playoffs.

A loss will not eliminate the 9-8 Soul from playoff contention, as a Tampa Bay Storm loss to the Cleveland Gladiators on Saturday will also clinch a spot for the Soul no matter what Philadelphia does in Pittsburgh.

Kickoff between the Soul and the Power will be at 5 p.m. Saturday, July 26 at the Console Energy Center, where the Power have won seven straight home games, only losing the home opener to the Cleveland Gladiators in the first week of the season. In fact, the Power have won their last eleven games,with their last loss at Cleveland in late April.

The Power have already clinched the first wildcard seed in the playoffs at 14-3, and they know they’ll be traveling to Orlando to face the Predators next weekend, so they essentially have nothing to play for standing wise.

But Pittsburgh is going to do what they can to keep Philly out of the postseason, because if there is one team nobody wants to face in the American Conference playoffs in August, it’s this Soul team that’s catching fire 

at the right time and has won the conference the last two years.

These two teams have met twice season, with Pittsburgh taking the first two matches. However, neither of the two games had both teams at full strength or weren’t surrounded by controversy.

On Saturday, May 3 the Power defeated the Soul by a single-score 65-57 at the Console Energy Center. The Power were missing key receivers in the game, while the Soul receiver Ryan McDaniel was ejected midway through the game for pushing a man off his ankle. The Soul had also just lost center Brennen Carvalho for the season the week before.

The teams rematched Saturday, June 14 in Philadelphia, where the Power won 57-56. The Soul led the game by one score coming out of halftime when a Raudabaugh pass clearly hit the chest of a Power defender and fell on the ground, which was ruled an interception by the officiating crew. The Power scored a touchdown on the next drive, than the Pittsburgh special teams recovered a kickoff in the end zone to make the horrendous call by the officials a two touchdown swing. The Soul responded and were able to take a late lead in the game, but the Power were able to kick a last-second field goal to win the game as time expired.

The Soul are 3-1 all time at the Console Energy Center, with their only loss coming in their last matchup in Pittsburgh.

The Power have been lead all season by quarterback Tommy Grady, the 2012 AFL MVP who has been 414 for 687 on the season with 4,581 yards, 108 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Despite injury, Prechae Rodriguez has been Grady’s number one target this year, putting up 1,084 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns on 79 receptions. Shaun Kauleinamoku has been right behind Rodriguez with 1,310 yards and 17 touchdowns on 118 receptions.

Pittsburgh’s defense has played a major role in the Power’s eleven-game win streak. Defensive back Virgil Gray has nine interceptions for 243 yards and two touchdowns this year and 35 tackles. Defensive back Al Phillips has also recorded 5 interceptions for 36 yards, while defensive back Sergio Gilliam has 50 tackles.

It would be easy for a team that has nothing to play for to cash in the final game of the regular season against a team that has their entire season on the line, with the possibility of injuries to their best players and look ahead to their opponent next week in the postseason. However, this team is too talented and competitive to do such, and Pittsburgh’s going to want to keep their winning streak and momentum alive when they head into the postseason. On top of that, they don’t want to give anything easy to their biggest rival, who the Power have been little-brother to since they entered the league in 2011.

As mentioned above, they’re not going to want to face the two-time-defending American Conference champions again down the line, especially if they already lost to the Soul two weeks before, so this will not be an easy game for Philadelphia.

Despite all of what Pittsburgh has to play for, we’re still talking about this Philadelphia Soul team. They’ve faced a lot of adversity throughout the year, opening up with the worst start in franchise history. The team rebuilt a lot of their roster this past offseason, but the main core of the team that has strolled through the playoffs and ended up in the Arena Bowl the last two seasons is still in place.

Somehow, they’ve found a way to give themselves a chance at the playoffs with a win this weekend, and if they get a win in Pittsburgh against the team with league’s longest current win-streak on the road, they will feel they can beat anyone they face in the postseason in August.

The playoffs are on the line Saturday night, and when this roster has everything in the world to play for, it’s hard to bet against them. Hopefully they’ll be walking out of the Console Energy Center with a solid win Saturday night, and with plans to be walking back through those doors to do the same in two weeks.

Philadelphia Soul's Derrick Ross - Bowling Ball Touchdown

In case you missed the game last night, here's the highlight of the evening when Derrick Ross continued to show us why he is the Greatest Of All Time.

Soul get revange on San Jose, move closer to wildcard seed

The Philadelphia Soul defeated the San Jose SaberCats 42-20 on Sunday, July 19 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia to extend their win streak to three games and help increase their playoff chances.

Philadelphia’s defense was the story of the game, as Rayshaun Kizer put up a stellar performance with nine tackles, two interceptions and three broken up passes. San Jose quarterback Nathan Stanley was 17-40 in the game, throwing for one touchdown and three interceptions.

The Soul defense held the SaberCats to just one touchdown in the second half.

Dan Raudabaugh went 21-36 in the game, throwing for 240 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Derrick Ross had 109 all-purpose yards on the evening with three rushing touchdowns. Markee White brought in two touchdowns and 71 yards on seven receptions, while Emery Sammons had 82 yards on eight receptions.

The highlight of the game came with four minutes remaining in the first half when Raudabaugh found Ross at the Soul 18 yard line, where he had a number of SaberCats on him as he reached midfield but was somehow able to pull the pile of players 32 yards for a Soul touchdown.

The win brought the Soul above .500 at 9-8, and more importantly puts them in the final wildcard spot for the time being, pending the outcome of the Tampa Bay Storm-Spokane Shock game tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. in Spokane.

As the Soul will prepare to travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Power at 5 p.m. Saturday, July 26 at the Console Energy Center, Soul fans will be keeping both eyes on the Tampa Bay Storm throughout the next week. After Monday night’s game in Spokane, the Storm will return home to take on the 16-1 Cleveland Gladiators at 7:30 p.m. Here’s how the playoff picture is looking as of 7/20:

If the Storm lose to Spokane, the Soul will be able to clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Power.

If the Storm miraculously find a way to beat the reigning MVP in Erik Meyer in Spokane, than Philadelphia will need to defeat the Power AND need the Gladiators to beat the Storm on Saturday to make the playoffs.

If the Storm somehow beat the Shock on the road than come home to beat the Gladiators in the season finale, they will be the final wildcard in the playoffs.

If the Storm lose both of their final two games, than the Soul will move on to the American Conference playoffs.

Whichever team receives the final wildcard seed in the American Conference will go on the road to play the Gladiators in Cleveland in the opening round of the playoffs at 7 p.m. Saturday, August 2 on CBS Sports Network.

Here are some things to think about with both teams while looking ahead:

Philadelphia beat a quality San Jose team that was riding a five game win streak that included blowing out the than undefeated Arizona Rattlers, and this matchup was as one sided as the blowout the ’Cats handed the Soul back in March. Redemption is sweet, and although the SaberCats had essentially nothing to play for, they still had their starters on the field competing hard. San Jose might not have thrown their entire playbook at the Soul Sunday, but Philadelphia should have their heads up high after this win.

The Soul will run into a team with a similar situation next week in Pittsburgh, where the Power have locked up their playoff seed and already know their playoff opponent. I would assume the Power will have their starters going in the season finale as well, but like the SaberCats they will not throw every play at us they can. Still, the Power are a talented team that cannot be overlooked no matter what the situation is, and they don’t want to give their cross-state rival anything easy.

Tampa Bay will be running into two similar situations as the Soul this week, as both Spokane and Cleveland have clinched their playoff seed and are just waiting for the rest of the playoff picture to work itself out. It’s going to be tough traveling across the country for the Storm and playing one of the greatest quarterbacks in the game in Meyer. Their finale at home against the Gladiators might be an easier situation for them, but a 16-1 team should never be considered an easy opponent either.

There are still three more games left that will decide the fate of the Soul’s playoff chances. The Storm may control their destiny, but after Philadelphia’s huge victory Sunday night, the Soul should be the ones feeling better right now.  

Philly rematches against the SaberCats, continues late playoff push

In the final home game of the 2014 campaign, the Philadelphia Soul will take on the San Jose SaberCats while hoping to take a strangle on the last wildcard spot in the American Conference playoff picture.

Kickoff between the two will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 20 at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia.

The Soul (8-8) will face the SaberCats (12-4) for the second time this season. The two teams met back in week two on Sunday, March 23 when there SaberCats handed the Soul a 70-33 beat down in San Jose. The ball clubs have changed over the last four months, but San Jose has maintained their level of play throughout the entire season.

The SaberCats are the hottest team in the AFL right now, riding a five game win streak which included beating the than undefeated Arizona Rattlers 62-33 on Friday, June 27 in San Jose, along with dismantling the LA Kiss on the road and handling the Storm last weekend.

Quarterback Nathan Stanley has a 106.9 quarterback rating on the season, going 161-265 with 1,930 yards, 43 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Stanley was sidelined with injury when these two clubs faced each other in week two, when Russ Michna had a career performance against the Soul.

Rodd Harper is leading the receiving core in yards with 1,004 and 18 touchdowns on 97 receptions, while Reggie Gray is leading the ’Cats in touchdowns with 26 and 930 yards on 77 receptions. Jason Willis has caught 11 touchdowns with 854 yards, and Dominique Curry has 22 touchdowns and 522 yards.

On the other side of the ball, defensive back Clevan Thomas has brought in eight interceptions on the season, while Ken Fontenette and David Hyland have brought in three each. Defensive lineman Jason Stewart and Francis Maka have put up double-digit sacks.

This will definitely be one of the tougher teams the Soul will have played all year, but although the Soul have had some heartbreaking losses and rough stretches, they have been pretty consistent with playing up to the level of their tougher opponents…with the exception of these San Jose SaberCats.

Sunday will have to be seen more as a golden opportunity to put themselves in a wildcard spot than it will as a redemption for what happened months ago in California. The Predators appear to be running away with the South Division, and if the Soul happen to lose this game Sunday and the Tampa Bay Storm go on to win one of their final two games, the Soul will be eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in three years. However, the Storm will kick off in Spokane against the Shock Monday, July 21, and will return home to take on the 16-1 Cleveland Gladiators on Sunday, July 27. This means a win in either of Philadelphia’s last two games will probably give them a good shot at making the playoffs. Two wins will all but lockup a ticket to compete in the playoffs.

If the Soul are going to make noise in the playoffs if they happen to reach the postseason, they will have to face quality teams such as the SaberCats if they plan on advancing anywhere. This is an opportunity to give yourself a good chance at making the playoffs while at the same time showing what your truly are capable of.

At the same time, you do not want to have to rely on other teams any more than you already are, and if you’re going to get at least one win in your final two games, it would be better to do so on your home field than traveling to Pittsburgh with the uncertainty of your team’s future surrounding your must-win situation. 

We know the 'Cats will show up ready to play Sunday, but hopefully the Soul will prove that Philly really has the eye of the tiger. 

The Soul sweep Orlando, keep playoff hopes alive

                                                                                                                              Photo from Philly.com

      

 The Soul put on a show for ESPN2’s Monday Night Arena Football with a 42-35 win over the Orlando Predators Monday, July 7 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

The win gets the Soul back to .500 (8-8) and keeps Philly in the hunt for the final wildcard seed in the American Conference playoff race, now sitting a half game and a tiebreaker behind the (8-7) Tampa bay Storm.

Dan Raudabaugh continued to lead the Soul to victory with another stellar performance, going 14-25 with 193 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception for a 103.8 quarterback rating in the game.

Tiger Jones put up 108 yards in the game with one touchdown on seven receptions. Markee White had five receptions for 64 yards and three touchdowns. Derrick Ross had six rushing attempts, earning 18 yards and one touchdown. Ross also had two receiving receptions for 13 yards.

The Soul defense got to Orlando quarterback Jason Boltus early and often Monday night, sacking him a total of four times in the game for 24 yards. Boltus went 22-42 on the night with 308 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Rayshaun Kizer led by example for the Soul defense Monday, breaking up six passes at crucial moments and recording 10.5 tackles.  

LaRico Stevens opened the scoring in the game, bringing the opening kickoff to the house for a Soul touchdown. The Soul defense stood strong on the next drive, sacking Boltus twice and forcing a turnover on downs at midfield. Raudabaugh found Markee White on his first drive of the game for a 19 yard touchdown to extend Philly’s lead to 14-0.

In the second quarter, with the Soul leading 21-14, a Raudabaugh pass was intercepted by former Soul cornerback Eddie Moten, a member of the Arena Bowl XXII team, the Soul’s first turnover of the night. However, the Predators were unable to capitalize on the turnover and the Soul took over deep in their own territory.

    

        With a little over a minute remaining in the half, Jason Boltus once again cut the Soul lead to one score, this time rushing for a touchdown himself. Momentum seemed to change after the touchdown when Orlando attempted and recovered an onside kick, the demon that has haunted this Soul team all season long. The Predators ran down the clock, burning up the Soul’s timeouts and scoring a one yard Gregg Carr touchdown in the final seconds of the half to tie the game at 28 apiece.

       

     Whatever momentum Orlando had heading into the second half was stolen away by a Brandon Perkins interception off Boltus at the Philadelphia two yard line on the first drive of the half. Both teams played sloppy football throughout the third quarter and neither team was able to put anything up on the board until Philadelphia broke the scoreless drought with a 20 yard Tiger Jones touchdown with 11 seconds remaining in the quarter.

      

      Philadelphia was able to continue to hold Orlando scoreless for the majority of the second half, and Orlando’s only score was a Greg Carr touchdown with 1:22 remaining in the game, cutting the Soul lead to 42-35. Fans were on the edge of their seats during the highly-anticipated onside kick, but the Soul special teams finally caught a break as Orlando’s kicker Mark Lewis kicked the ball past both teams and out of bounds at the 21 yard line. Philly was finally able to run the clock down and secure a win to get them one step closer to the American Conference playoffs.

   

         There were deals of concern for this team’s offense throughout the entire third quarter and times in the fourth, and the special teams went another game without showing us they can recover an onside kick. We can all breathe a sigh of relief the next couple of days that Orlando kicked the ball out of bounds the last time they touched it Monday, but coach Dolezel will have a lot to work on with his team during their bye week over the next couple of days.

We will take a closer look at the playoff picture later in the week, but the short rundown is Monday’s win puts the Soul at 8-8, right behind the Tampa Bay Storm who sit at 8-7 and will play three tough opponents the rest of the month. Philadelphia does not have an easy path by any means, but the Soul’s schedule has a slight advantage over Tampa’s. Philadelphia would still need to win one more game than Tampa due to tie breaking procedures if they were going to pass the Storm for the final playoff spot. There’s still a chance both Philadelphia and Tampa Bay can make the playoffs, if the Storm beat out the Orlando Predators (8-7) for the East Division title and the Soul have the same or better record as Orlando’s.

    

        First things first, the Soul will need to take care of their own business healing up and correcting their mistakes throughout the bye week and returning in two weeks to take on the San Jose SaberCats at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 20 for the regular season home finale. After the last time these two teams met up in week two on Sunday, March 23 (a 70-33 San Jose win), I think the Soul will be feeling like they owe the ’Cats one.