Smooth Philly Soul tops charts
VOORHEES, N.J. – Without plucking a guitar or writing infectious lyrics for a generation of fans to memorize, Jon Bon Jovi has scored himself another No. 1 hit.
The rocker and his band already have a Grammy, video music awards and a slew of top 40 smashes. Now the Jersey native and Philadelphia Soul co-owner has something new to put on his lengthy list of career accomplishments: the best regular-season team in the Arena Football League.
The Soul (13-3) start their bid for an ArenaBowl championship tonight in the playoffs against the New York Dragons. The Soul believe they have the team to beat and can end Philadelphia’s 25-year title drought.
“There’s absolutely no question that myself and that people that have lived in this town for the past 25 years want a championship,” said Soul president Ron Jaworski, the former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback. “They don’t care what sport it is. It would be a feel-good story. Philadelphia’s a city that’s been beaten down the last 25 years.”
Not this season, at least not in the wild and wacky AFL, where nightly score recaps sound more like temperatures in a five-day forecast.
The Soul won their first nine games and the Eastern Division title, earning a bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Matt D’Orazio threw for 3,331 yards and 72 touchdowns (with only four interceptions), and lineman Gabe Nyenhuis set a team record with 9.5 sacks. Wide receiver Chris “Money” Jackson, who played collegiately at Washington State, was second in the league in receptions (140) and yards (1,719) and had 49 touchdowns.
“I think Chris has been the MVP of the league,” said Soul coach Bret Munsey.
Jackson has posted big numbers even with the Soul forced to use two quarterbacks.
Tony Graziani wasn’t ready to go after injuries cost him most of the season, so D’Orazio – the offensive player of the game for Chicago in ArenaBowl XX – gets the nod against the Dragons. For the rest of the playoffs, the quarterback will be decided on a “game-by-game” basis, Munsey said.
“Tony’s played well, he’s done a lot of great things and I’ve always brought him back as our starter,” Munsey said. “The difference this time is Tony’s had no practice time and hasn’t played in games or practices in four of five weeks and I can’t afford to do that.”
The Soul beat the Dragons 62-42 in the third game of the season and 59-30 in the last game of the year.
So good that if the Soul can lay their hands on the ArenaBowl trophy July 27, they believe it will count toward snapping Philadelphia’s torturous 25-year drought.
“We’re going to celebrate like it does,” Munsey said. “There might only be 40 people here in Philadelphia cheering us on when it comes time to bring the trophy home, but those 40 people are going to have a good time.”
While the fifth-year Soul hardly have the history of the 76ers, Eagles, Phillies and Flyers, they’re more than a blip in a crowded sports market. The Soul drew 131,817 fans this season for an average of 16,477 and sold out four of their eight home games.
The Soul weren’t expecting a packed crowd for their playoff game on a holiday weekend in a city where people flock to the beach, so they offered free tickets to everyone in Jackson’s hometown of Morrisville, Pa. Jackson grew up a huge 76ers fan and knows how much any kind of championship would mean to Philadelphia.
“I don’t think they care which major sport wins it,” Jackson said. “This is a team that Philadelphia can be proud of, especially if we can bring home the championship for the city.”
Bon Jovi, who declined comment this week, said earlier this season he had consulted with the New England Patriots and New York Giants on the design of their championship rings.
“They will be the best rings you’ve seen, trust me,” Bon Jovi said. “If we win a ring, my guys will have the best rings in all of football.”