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OPINION
Doug Lesmerises
Soul beats Nashville, and they're very angry
By DOUG LESMERISES
02/14/2005

PHILADELPHIA -- How do you boil a rock star's blood? Take what he considers to be cheap shots at his franchise quarterback. He also probably doesn't like his coach getting spit on by an opposing player.

Arena Football League, Philadelphia Soul co-owner Jon Bon Jovi is livid.

Stalking through a hallway at the Wachovia Center on Sunday evening, Bon Jovi said he planned to call the commissioner's office over the tactics of the Nashville Kats in their 59-48 loss to the Soul.

"That's the dirtiest team I've ever seen," Bon Jovi said as I attempted to keep pace with his angry strides. "They're a bunch of punks and they deserved to be beat. When you can't play well, you play cheap, and that's what the Nashville Kats are."

Bon Jovi hadn't even been asked a specific question about Nashville's James Baron spitting in the face of Soul coach Mike Trigg after the game, which forced the two to be separated to prevent a physical confrontation.

Yes, the Soul's win over the Kats in their home opener moved them to 2-1 this season and provided some postgame happy time. But primarily, the game left them fuming, the angriest we've seen these Souls, now in their second AFL season.

"They're a dirty football team," Trigg said. "It's a reflection on the whole organization. If we were playing them again, we'd be ready for it next time."

For the record, that organization includes owner Bud Adams, who also owns the NFL's Tennessee Titans, minority owner and country music superstar Tim McGraw and coach Pat Sperduto.

Trigg said teams hitting late and repeatedly employing illegal blitzes to the get to the quarterback has been a problem that has been discussed within the league. AFL rules allow only one linebacker to blitz, and he can only come straight up the middle to do it. Trigg said the Kats often broke that rule Sunday.

It's natural that taking possibly illegal aim at Graziani would set off Bon Jovi, the owner who gave the quarterback the richest contract in the league - nearly $1 million over three years - to come to Philly this season.

"They're pretty dirty, as you can see," said Graziani, who threw six touchdowns and was intercepted once. "There was a lot of extracurricular stuff after plays. Everybody does that."

But the Soul contends the Kats do it more. The Kats didn't agree.

"He can think whatever he wants," Sperduto, the Kats' coach, said when told of Bon Jovi's comments. "That's ridiculous. That's not even fair."

Sperduto said his team was just trying to pressure the quarterback and that his QB, Leon Murray, was hit after the play a few times as well.

"There were no flags for late hits," Sperduto said. "It's the refs' job to control that. That's their job."

There were also no flags for the postgame encounter between Trigg and Baron. Trigg said Baron spit in his face while trash-talking him after the game. Baron left before he could be asked for his version of the story. But Trigg said Baron, a nine-year AFL veteran, was classless and that the Soul had problems with him last year when he played for Chicago.

"Football the last 20 years has degraded into a street fight," Trigg said. "More athletes are given to talking instead of just playing football. It makes it tough to coach."

Trigg said he felt comfortable talking about Baron and about the Kats' illegal defensive tactics, because the Soul does not do those things. He said the only way to stop teams is to fine them for the violations.

"Look at the film," Trigg said. "We're not teaching illegal blitzes. I feel an obligation to not run illegal defenses and to not play dirty."

Trigg also shook his head at the Kats' four onside kicks. Nashville recovered the final attempt to give themselves a chance at a game-winning drive, down four points with less than a minute to play. A fumble on a pitch ruined that chance.

All those plays the Soul considered dirty? It helped an inferior team stay in a game it could have been blown out of. Trigg said the Kats, an expansion team reformed this season after the first Nashville franchise moved to Atlanta after the 2001 season, knew that was their only chance.

It almost worked. Imagine how mad Bon Jovi would have been if the Soul had lost?

Contact Doug Lesmerises at dlesmerises@delawareonline.com

PHILADELPHIA SOUL 59, NASHVILLE KATS 48

RECORDS: Soul (2-1), Kats (1-2)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Soul quarterback Tony Graziani completed 18 of 27 passes for 270 yards, six touchdowns and one interception.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Graziani threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith while sitting down and falling backward after tripping over his lineman's foot. On the ground, Graziani threw the ball 30 yards in the air, and Smith ran under it and took off. "You're not going to believe me, but I did see him get free," Graziani said. "I threw it as far as I could."

EJECTION OF THE GAME: The Soul's Keita Crespina was ejected after getting tossed into the stands by Nashville's Wes Stephens. Crespina tried to reach back to grab Stephens and accidentally hit an official in the face.

ATTENDANCE: 16,632, about 1,000 shy of a sellout. Last season, six of their eight home games were sellouts.


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