(Yeah, I know I've beaten the Soul Searching pun into the ground. What do you want me to do, think of a new pun? No way Jose, that's way too much work for a Tuesday night).
Amongst all of the Eagles draft chatter over the last month or so, the Soul have quietly gone about their season. After a rough 0-3 start to the season at the hands of the Rattlers, the Sabercats, and the Storm, the Soul have turned things around and are sitting at a respectable 4-4.
Amongst all of the Eagles draft chatter over the last month or so, the Soul have quietly gone about their season. After a rough 0-3 start to the season at the hands of the Rattlers, the Sabercats, and the Storm, the Soul have turned things around and are sitting at a respectable 4-4.
The Soul started their season with a four game road trip, and they only managed to win one of their first four games. However, once the Soul got back to Philly, they started to rattle off some wins. They took care of the Sharks, the Barnstormers, and the VooDoo in the City of Brotherly Love. Now, at 4-4, the Soul are in third place in the division, just one game back of Pittsburgh for 2nd. The Cleveland Gladiators are blocking first place with a respectable 7-0 start, but there's still plenty of games to be played. If they're the Cleveland I know, the team will certainly blow their lead, and probably in a devastating fashion too.
The offense struggled to get going at the beginning of the season, relying heavily on Derrick Ross to provide much of the offense. This was especially so against the Rattlers in the season opener, where Ross rushed for 6 touchdowns in the 62-55 loss. However, Raudabaugh has rounded into shape and has provided a nice spark for the offense as of late. Even at the current 4-4 record, the Soul have a great chance of finishing at least in second place in the division if they keep up the current pace. The Soul offense has only averaged about 46 points per game in their first three stints. However, during their latest 4-1 stretch, the Soul have upped their scoring to just under 64 points per game. That's nearly a 50% increase in scoring in their last five games.
Their defense has improved as well. Last season, the Soul owned one of the better defensive units in the league. That wasn't the case early this season, as opponents averaged 65 points per game in their first three losses. The Soul have let up an average of 55.4 points per game since their 0-3 slide. Giving your offense 10 extra points per game to work with can be the difference between 0-3 and 4-1.
Where do the Soul go from here? That depends on which Soul shows up. If the 0-3 Soul come back, don't expect much from this group. If they continue to play like they have in their last 5 games, then a third straight Arena Bowl game can't be counted out.
By: Dan Goggin
Follow us on twitter @BroadStBeat
The offense struggled to get going at the beginning of the season, relying heavily on Derrick Ross to provide much of the offense. This was especially so against the Rattlers in the season opener, where Ross rushed for 6 touchdowns in the 62-55 loss. However, Raudabaugh has rounded into shape and has provided a nice spark for the offense as of late. Even at the current 4-4 record, the Soul have a great chance of finishing at least in second place in the division if they keep up the current pace. The Soul offense has only averaged about 46 points per game in their first three stints. However, during their latest 4-1 stretch, the Soul have upped their scoring to just under 64 points per game. That's nearly a 50% increase in scoring in their last five games.
Their defense has improved as well. Last season, the Soul owned one of the better defensive units in the league. That wasn't the case early this season, as opponents averaged 65 points per game in their first three losses. The Soul have let up an average of 55.4 points per game since their 0-3 slide. Giving your offense 10 extra points per game to work with can be the difference between 0-3 and 4-1.
Where do the Soul go from here? That depends on which Soul shows up. If the 0-3 Soul come back, don't expect much from this group. If they continue to play like they have in their last 5 games, then a third straight Arena Bowl game can't be counted out.
By: Dan Goggin
Follow us on twitter @BroadStBeat
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