Shaun Kauleinamoku had four receptions for 98 yards against the Voo Doo. Photo by Todd Bauders / contrastphotography.com

The regular season for all pro sports teams is long, some say too long.
Regardless of the talent level on a team, there are highs and lows with every squad, in every sport, every year, with the possible exception of the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

So the same should be expected of Philadelphia’s entry in the Arena Football League, the Soul.

Head coach Clint Dolezel’s team shot out of the gate winning its first seven games before dropping a 55-47 decision to the Jacksonville Sharks, a team with a losing record.

The Soul responded with a convincing 71-27 win over the Tampa Bay Storm.
The following week though, in a game against the Las Vegas Outlaws in Atlantic City, the Soul found themselves in a first half funk again scoring just 17 points and trailing at intermission by four to a another team with a losing record.

Last week back at the Wells Fargo Center, the Soul needed another big second half comeback gave the Philadelphia Soul a 62-41 victory over the New Orleans VooDoo (2-9) in front of 8,197 in Philadelphia at the Rothman Field at Wells Fargo Center Saturday night.

“We didn’t keep Dan (QB Raudabaugh) as clean as we should have in the first half,” said offensive lineman Adam Smith after his team rallied to win 51-43 against the Outlaws. “I don’t know what goes on out there with the little guy’s positions, but maybe we didn’t have great releases or a few dropped balls here and there. It’ll kill ya. But more than anything we just couldn’t get in a rhythm in the first half. At halftime we just came in (the locker room) and said ‘Hey this isn’t us, we need to straighten up. We came out and played better in the third quarter and ended up with a victory.”

Center Shannon Breen echoed Smith’s thoughts after the comeback win.

“We came out flat, took them for granted a little bit, but we came back in the second half and handled business like we needed to,” said Breen, who is in his first year with the Soul, third in the AFL. “They are a good team and we’ve got to play those teams hard.”

One of the big reasons the Soul have navigated through a slow stretch to improve to 10-1, is the play of linebacker Joe Goosby and middle safety James Romain.

Goosby is a veteran and has been a standout for a number of years. Romain is now emerging a top AFL defender and a leader on defense.

Against Tampa Bay Goosby led the defense with 3.0 total tackles, a six-yard interception for a touchdown, a blocked extra point returned for two-points and two forced fumbles.

On offense, taking over the full back spot for injured Tommy Taggart, Goosby added three rushing touchdowns for the Soul. In a rare feat, Goosby’s epic performance earned him every individual award handed out after the game.

“Goosby is Goosby,” Dolezel said. “That man, I love him. I’ve been with him for six years now. He can do it. Any position…he’s done it all for us. I can’t say enough.”

Romain’s third-quarter interception helped the Soul pull away from an upset-minded Outlaws team.

Romain recorded anither interception against the Voo Doo.

“We tell James all the time, he the best middle man in the league,” Goosby said. “He played up on the corner at first, got some tutelage, and now he’s the guy. He’s one of our leaders back there in the secondary.”
The head coach agreed.
“Romain is coming into his own” Dolezel said. “That’s what we hoped James would be when we signed him back as our safety. He’s been playing that way for us for the last two years. He deserved the opportunity to play in the middle.”
Breen, watching from the sideline, like his teammates, gets inspired when the defense comes up with a turnover or a stop.
“James made a heck of a play on the interception,” Breen said. “We had a bunch of defensive stops…our offense came with the thunder in the second half and finished the game.”
Romain said he is gaining confidence every week. Playing middle safety is a new position for him. It is a crucial spot on every AFL team since the rules restrict what the “jack” linebacker can do at the line of scrimmage. Confidence was a state-of-being he admits he did not have at the start of the season.
“I’m just believing in myself,” Romain said. “I didn’t have a lot of confidence at the beginning of the season. I was giving up plays. I started to get down on myself. My coach pulled me to the side and told me, ‘you’re one of the best in the league! So believe it!’ So I’ve been just sticking to the film room and learning team’s tendencies…they come out on the field and they do exactly what I see on film. I’m just believing what I’m seeing. Keep it simple.”
Romain now says he welcomes the biggest challenges winning games presents to him.
“In any crucial situation, you want to be the man to make the play,” Romain said. “But for me to say that, I have to thank my D-line. My D-line’s been playing outstanding…I’ve got to thank the coaches for making great calls. I’m just being put in situations to make plays. I have to give credit to the D-line for putting pressure and making the quarterback make some bad reads and I’m just all over it.”
Smith talked about how players, like Goosby and Romain have stepped up all season. It is a season that is becoming special.
“Let me tell you about this team, we’ve got a lot of play makers,” Smith said. “When one phase of the team isn’t doing as great, usually there’s somebody else who’ll step up and make a play. That’s what we thrive on here. We try and keep the momentum going and keep making plays.”