Orlando Predators

The Soul lost their first Arena Football League game of the season Saturday night. The Orlando Predators defeated the visitors, 47-33, at TD Waterhouse Centre. The Predators (2-1) were helped by eight Soul fumbles, including six mishandled snaps between the center and backup quarterback Matt Sauk. Orlando recovered four of the fumbles and converted a fifth into a safety. Orlando quarterback Joe Hamilton was just 1 for 6 on the Predators' first three possessions, with two interceptions.

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.

Soul quarterback Tony Graziani yesterday was named Arena Football League offensive player of the week. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 257 yards and a franchise-record nine touchdowns with no interceptions in the Soul's 77-56 victory Saturday over the Orlando Predators. Graziani led the Soul's offense on scoring drives on 10 of its 11 possessions, and his passer rating of 147.2 ranked highest among all quarterbacks during Week 1.

THINK YOUR boss is bad? Well he, or she, has nothing on Matt Shaner, owner of the AFL's Pittsburgh Power. On Saturday, Shaner got the team together for a pregame meal at an Olive Garden near Orlando. And then he fired everybody. Now let's be clear: Shaner had reason to drop the ax. The players were being asked by their union to strike before that night's season-opener against the Orlando Predators. The players association wanted the owners to give the players - most of whom are paid $400 a game - a $300 per game raise.

The Soul acquired wide receiver Chris Horn from the Arizona Rattlers yesterday in a trade for defensive lineman Jonathon Engram. Horn, 30, played in the preseason for the NFL's Carolina Panthers but was released before the start of the season. The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder also played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2003 and '04. A former star at Rocky Mountain College, Horn played two seasons with the Rattlers starting in 2001. In 28 games, he caught 134 passes for 1,675 yards and 37 touchdowns.

The Soul yesterday announced the signing of defensive specialist Kevin Gaines, an eight-year veteran of the Arena Football League. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. A 6-foot-2 210-pounder from Louisville, Ky., Gaines spent the last three seasons with the Georgia Force. He has been named to the all-Arena League's second team twice in his career. "He has proven to be one of the best cover guys in the league, and we are expecting a lot out of him this year," Soul coach Bret Munsey said.

Tony Graziani threw seven touchdown passes, four to Marcus Knight, leading the Soul to a 64-60 victory over the Orlando Predators in an Arena Football League game at the Wachovia Center on Saturday night. Graziani was 27-for-38 for 337 yards, and Knight finished with 10 receptions for 108 yards. Steve Smith added 10 catches for 142 yards and two TDs for the Soul (6-8). With New York's win over Dallas on Saturday, the Soul was officially eliminated from the postseason. Chris Sanders threw five touchdown passes for Orlando (9-5)

The Soul of the Arena Football League signed their first two free agents, kicker Brian Gowins and offensive/defensive lineman C.J. McClain, the club announced yesterday. The players signed two-year deals with Philadelphia. Terms were not disclosed. Gowins spent the last four seasons with the league's Grand Rapids Rampage, where he played for Michael Trigg, now the head coach of the Soul. He was the league's kicker of the year in 2001, and holds the Rampage franchise record for longest field goal (56 yards)

The Soul got a bit of bad news before playing the Nashville Kats. Starting quarterback Tony Graziani was placed on injured reserve after tearing his right hamstring last Sunday against the Chicago Rush. He'll be out at least 2 weeks. But the Soul had a backup plan - and it worked. Matt Sauk threw six touchdown passes to lead the Soul to a 49-33 victory over host Nashville last night in an Arena Football League matchup. Sauk was 20-for-29 for 198 yards, and Sean Scott led the Soul (7-5)

If they haven't done so already, fans of the Soul should check out the 2007 16-game schedule on the team's Web site. This year, the Arena Football League is starting six weeks later, in early March. The Soul, who are coming off the best season in their three-year history, drew a bye the first week of the season. Jon Bon Jovi's boys will kick off their season in Week 2, away against the Nashville Kats, on March 9; the final regular season game will be June 21 at the Wachovia Center against the Orlando Predators.

THINK YOUR boss is bad? Well he, or she, has nothing on Matt Shaner, owner of the AFL's Pittsburgh Power. On Saturday, Shaner got the team together for a pregame meal at an Olive Garden near Orlando. And then he fired everybody. Now let's be clear: Shaner had reason to drop the ax. The players were being asked by their union to strike before that night's season-opener against the Orlando Predators. The players association wanted the owners to give the players - most of whom are paid $400 a game - a $300 per game raise.

Just three games into its Arena Football League season, the Soul have experienced the extremes that come with winning and losing. First, the visiting Soul earned a 58-52 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Power on March 11 to open the season. In the squad's second outing, it visited the Chicago Rush and took a 62-28 thrashing in a game that was not even competitive. On Monday, the Soul were in Milwaukee to face the winless Mustangs, and the hosts finished off a 51-49 win on the last play of the game after being down by 23 points.

Tony Graziani tossed a franchise-record nine touchdowns March 1, sustaining the preseason hype surrounding the Soul. Now comes the first true test to that excitement. The Soul take on the Chicago Rush today at All-State Arena in their first road contest of the season. Like the Soul, the Rush expect to contend for the AFL championship. The Rush took a huge step Monday, easily beating the defending champion San Jose SaberCats, 70-47, at home. The Rush, the 2006 AFL champions, won the Central Division with a 12-4 record last year while owning the league's stingiest defense, allowing 44.9 points per game.

Soul quarterback Tony Graziani yesterday was named Arena Football League offensive player of the week. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 257 yards and a franchise-record nine touchdowns with no interceptions in the Soul's 77-56 victory Saturday over the Orlando Predators. Graziani led the Soul's offense on scoring drives on 10 of its 11 possessions, and his passer rating of 147.2 ranked highest among all quarterbacks during Week 1.

All preseason, the hype out of the Soul camp was about the reunion of quarterback Tony Graziani and Chris Jackson, his favorite receiver during their time together on the Los Angeles Avengers. Last night showed why. In the Soul's season-opening 77-56 blowout of the Orlando Predators, Graziani and Jackson danced around the Wachovia Center as if they were Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Graziani hit Jackson with four touchdown passes, each one electrifying, each one a little different, each one ripe with promise for the season.

If they made the point once yesterday during a kickoff luncheon for the Soul's fifth season, they made it 20 times: Anything less than a trip to ArenaBowl XXII will make for a very disappointing year. "In this city, you have to win," Ron Jaworski, the Soul's president, said during the luncheon at the Wachovia Spectrum. "We understand that. " Not that the fans are losing patience with the expansion franchise, which begins its fifth season March 1 at home against the Orlando Predators.

The Soul acquired wide receiver Chris Horn from the Arizona Rattlers yesterday in a trade for defensive lineman Jonathon Engram. Horn, 30, played in the preseason for the NFL's Carolina Panthers but was released before the start of the season. The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder also played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2003 and '04. A former star at Rocky Mountain College, Horn played two seasons with the Rattlers starting in 2001. In 28 games, he caught 134 passes for 1,675 yards and 37 touchdowns.

The Arena Football League playoff game last night at the Wachovia Center was full of the things the high-octane offensive league never advertises: Field goals, low scoring and defense. And it was just what the Soul needed to earn their first home playoff victory in team history, a 41-26 romp over the Orlando Predators. With the victory, the Soul advanced to play against either Dallas next Saturday or Georgia next Sunday if Columbus beats Tampa Bay today. The Soul's huge defensive stops kept the game exciting for the fans, who usually expect touchdown highlights and nonstop scoring.

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.

On fan appreciation night at the Wachovia Center, the Soul gave fans something to appreciate: the possibility of a home playoff game. The Soul beat the Orlando Predators, 63-49, last night in the regular-season finale in front of an announced crowd of 17,643. The Soul improved to 8-8 and dropped the Predators to 8-8. The Soul's postseason plans depend on tomorrow's game between Tampa Bay and Austin. If Tampa Bay wins, the Soul will host the Predators again in the playoffs, most likely next Friday.