Soul prepare to face a familiar opponent Once again, it's the Orlando Predators, this time in a wild-card playoff game.

June 29, 2007|By Zach Berman FOR THE INQUIRER

Tony Graziani has been to the Rose Bowl and Super Bowl and is one of the most celebrated players in the Arena Football League.

But as the Soul quarterback prepares for tonight's wild-card playoff game against the Orlando Predators at the Wachovia Center, he's doing something he has never done before.

Graziani is playing the same team in back-to-back weeks.

"This is definitely the quickest turnaround," Graziani said. "I've never even had a two- or three-week break."

The Soul beat the Predators, 63-49, on June 21 in the regular-season finale. Both teams finished 8-8, although tiebreakers in the Soul's advantage are sending the Predators on a plane back to Philadelphia for the second straight week.

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The sequence means there are few secrets between the teams.

"The advantage is we know what they're going to do, and the disadvantage is they know what we're going to do," Graziani said.

Soul head coach Bret Munsey acknowledged the challenge in facing a team in back-to-back weeks but said he was thankful that the team gets to break down the same game film as last week.

An added wrinkle is that the teams played during a short week, so neither team had time to prepare a full package.

"It was pretty vanilla what we did," Graziani said. "We didn't have everything we could throw at them. Hopefully, we have a few things left in our magic hat of tricks."

Munsey said that the Soul would tweak their game plan and that he expected the Predators to do the same. He is familiar with the Predators, having spent the 1991 season on their active roster and next four seasons on their practice squad. Munsey was a part of the Orlando coaching staff from 2003 to 2005, and he worked with Predators head coach Jay Gruden.

Gruden is the brother of Jon Gruden, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach and former Eagles offensive coordinator.

Jay Gruden's team has fallen on tough times the last few weeks. The Predators backed their way into the playoffs, losing four of their final five games.

"Say what you want, but they were trying to win the games they lost and couldn't find a way," Munsey said. "But I know Coach Gruden will have them ready. They're a proven football team in the playoffs."

Despite the familiarity of the teams, the Soul could add another weapon if receiver Larry Brackins returns to the lineup. Brackins missed last week's game against the Predators with a sore knee and has been held out of practice this week. He will be a game-time decision. Brackins caught nine passes in Weeks 15 and 16.

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