Why Philadelphia Soul Will Win ArenaBowl XXXI

The Philadelphia Soul have won the last two ArenaBowl games against the two most storied franchises in Arena Football League history in the Arizona Rattlers and Tampa Bay Storm.

They will be looking to become the third team in league history to win three consecutive ArenaBowl titles (Detroit Drive 1988-1990, Arizona Rattlers 2012-2014). With the roster that they have, they can certainly reach that milestone.

Just about all of their star players on offense, including quarterback Dan Raudabaugh, wide receivers Darius “Money” Reynolds and Shaun “SK” Kauleinamoku and fullback Jeramie Richardson, will be returning. They will also be bringing back kicker Adrian Trevino, who’s won Kicker of the Year the last few seasons.

Veteran defensive back Dwayne Hollis will also be back with the Soul. He has been a key factor for their championship-winning defense. James Romain and Torez Jones, who were teammates with the Beijing Lions of the China Arena Football League under coach Clint Dolziel, will be joining him in Philadelphia in 2018.

Their road to a three-peat begins on April 14 when they travel to Albany, NY to take on the expansion Albany Empire. With all four teams being loaded with talent in the AFL, their quest for a third straight title won’t be an easy one, but anything is possible.

Albany AFL Names Team Albany Empire

The Albany have announced their new name. They will be known as the Albany Empire. Fans were asked to vote for the team’s new name over the team’s social media last year.

The team is the sixth active in the Arena Football League and were introduced on Oct. 24. They will play home games at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. This is the first arena football team in Albany since the Firebirds left town in 2000.

2018 will be the league’s 31st of play. This is the second season in a row that the league will have an expansion team playing their first season. Last season, two expansion teams in the Washington Valor and Baltimore Brigade played their inaugural seasons together. Both teams were owned by Ted Leonsis.

In their Facebook live video conference, the team announced that they will play their first ever home game on April 14 against the two-time defending champion Philadelphia Soul.

In addition, all Albany games will be broadcasted on 104.5 ESPN. There will also be pregame and postgame shows for the team, the Empire announced in their Facebook video.

Georgia Doom Sign Wide Receiver Larry Beavers

The Georgia Doom have signed former NFL wide receiver Larry Beavers. He spent time with the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints.

Beavers holds the NCAA record for kickoff returns (10) and is also second all-time in receiving yards (2,366) according to the Doom press release. His arena football career began in 2011 when he signed with the Iowa Barnstormers.

Over the last six seasons, he’s also played with the Pittsburgh Power (2012), New Orleans Voodoo (2013-15), Las Vegas Outlaws (2015), Cleveland Gladiators (2016, 2017) and Philadelphia Soul (2017). He also had a stint with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2011.

Beavers was very limited during his time in 2017. He recorded 4.5 tackles on defense and returned seven kicks for 117 yards on special teams.

He will be joining talented wide receiver Christian Wise on the Georgia Doom expansion franchise. Expect Beavers to see more playing time on offense, as well as defense and special teams.

One reason he may have been limited, especially on offense, was because Philadelphia already had wide receivers such as Ryan McDaniel, Darius Reynolds and Shaun Kauleinamoku.

Georgia will begin their first season in tis American Arena League on Saturday, March 24 when they host their in-state rival and possibly the most dangerous team in the league in the Atlanta Havoc. Their season ends on June 9, also against the Havoc.

Atlanta Havoc Sign Wide Receiver Ryan McDaniel

The Atlanta Havoc just announced their huge signing on wide receiver Ryan McDaniel, who recently just won the ArenaBowl XXX with the Philadelphia Soul. McDaniel brings true veteran leadership to the new Atlanta franchise.

He has many years in experience in the Arena/ Indoor football game. He started his career in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) with the Knoxville Nighthawks where he was their top wide receiver back than in 2012. In 2013, he was called up to play in the AFL with the Philadelphia Soul. He’s been there ever since.

McDaniel is a dynamic wide receiver, who can really cause havoc in the arena football game. For Atlanta, they just hit the jackpot with this signing. McDaniel is the type of wide receiver any team would want on the field when it comes to those tight games. Hee gives the quarterback a reliable target to get the job done with just seconds left in the fourth.

This is also a great move for McDaniel has he returns to play football in his hometown. He is from Buford, GA, home of the Havoc. He was a standout player at Samford University. He will now have a chance to play the game that he loves in front of his friends and family.

The Atlanta Havoc are members of the American Arena League. Their season kicks off March 17 against the Arena Pro Football runner-up Florida Tarpons.