Philadelphiasoul.com
A chance for redemption lays in front of the Philadelphia Soul this weekend with their trip to Jacksonville.
And it’s for more than just last week’s tough loss to the Cleveland Gladiators.
Saturday’s game does give Philly their first rebound opportunity after dropping their first game to their rival Gladiators in two years, 63-49. The first place Soul brought the league’s top squad to Ohio, only to come out unenthused with turnovers and an inability to generate more than one turnover of their own on defense.
It was a glitch in the 16 game season, and they have the quick opportunity to put it in the past and move on with their sights on an Arena Bowl.
But this Saturday’s match with the Jacksonville Sharks will also give the Soul long awaited chance at taking down the team that stopped them from reaching the Arena Bowl last season.
And as great as the Soul have looked through the majority of the 2016 season, the Sharks have not built off their two-game playoff run last season that put them in the championship game. The Sharks are entering this weekend coming off two straight wins, but it’s only brought them to .500 at 4-4. The star-studded roster with former Soul names such as Derrick Ross and Tiger Jones are putting up their usual stats, yet don’t have much to show for it with their record.
Not to mention, Jacksonville added another interesting piece of wood to the fire this week adding former All-Arena receiver and defending world champion Reggie Gray.
Let’s take a look at what’s looking good for the Soul this weekend, and what could work against them in Jacksonville.
POSITIVES
Despite the recent trends, Philadelphia has shown to be the better team.
It’s no secret that Jacksonville has poured a lot of money into trying to build a team that resembles, well, what Philadelphia has had the past five seasons. They have the big names, but they haven’t had the chemistry. Whether it’s been due to the big egos with some of the best talent at every position, coaching or some other factor, they haven’t been nearly the powerhouse they tried to be. Sure, they went on two game win-streak last year to get to the Arena Bowl,but have they really looked dominant outside of those games?
Philly has been consistently good, despite last week’s hiccup. You don’t earn the league’s best record without doing something right.
Jacksonville is coming off two straight wins. It’s been nearly a year to the day since Jacksonville won three or more straight games.
It’s been two years since Philadelphia lost back-to-back games. Coach Dolezel will have his team hyped up this weekend.
Jacksonville has struggled at home.
1-2 in the Shark tank so far this season. Granted, their two losses were against the Arizona Rattlers and Orlando Predators, but their one win was over the winless Portland Steele. Maybe they can’t get the same rhythm at home as they do on the road? Maybe playing in front of their home crowd has intimidated them? For what it’s worth, Philly has been 2-1 on the road this season.
Gray could add fuel to a different fire..
If it ain’t broke, why fix it? The Sharks might not have been a ‘fixed’ team, but the last two weeks had given them more hope than they have seen all season. So now they go out and sign one of the higher free agents on the list?
Gray hasn’t played in ten months, and has only had a few days to get worked into the offense.
Now, between Joe Hills, one of the league’s best wide receivers, along with Tiger Jones, Roger Jackson and even London Crawford all on the roster, where will Gray get the reps? What will the star studded roster do if adversity hits once again, and players continue to feel they aren’t getting enough snaps? The 32 year old Gray has been an outstanding player in this league, and we’ll see what he has left in the tank. I do know though that this team can’t afford another ego.
CONCERNS
Jacksonville has only cared about one game the past two years.
For as out of sync as Jacksonville’s looked under the Tommy Grady era, he and his companions have almost always gotten up for this matchup. They took three of four last season, including the conference championship. They took Philly’s home opener back in April.
Playing the team with the conference’s top record the past two seasons could be giving them extra motivation. Derrick Ross hasn’t made it a secret on social media that he wants to beat the team that didn’t want him anymore, and I’m sure Tiger gets motivated playing his former team as well.
The Sharks are clearly talented,and talent can beat anyone on any given day when they actually try. But is Jacksonville that good enough of a team to win this match again over a hungry Soul squad?
Saturday’s game could pull the Sharks right behind the Soul.
Can you believe that? For as dominating as Philly has been all season, and as much as the league has laughed at the Sharks most of the year, a Jacksonville win on Saturday would drop Philadelphia to 7-3, putting them just 1.5 games ahead of the Sharks who would advance to 5-4.
It’s crazy to think about.
But that’s why Philadelphia will probably have even more confidence heading into the shark tank.
Jacksonville is on a nice run, but this a game Philly probably wants to win just as much as any other on their remaining schedule. They realize they can tame a Sharks team that’s building their confidence and arrogance once again. A loss would put Jacksonville right back where they were before they upset Orlando last weekend, and would give the Soul the same confidence they had before the Cleveland debacle.
Teams can benefit from losses and grow stronger through them. All eyes will be on the Soul to see how they rebound from their current situation, and they might be facing the best opponent they can to get back on track.
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