Philadelphia Soul Off-Season News

SOUL FREE AGENCY NEWS

The Philadelphia Soul have been very active in the early stages of free agency, building up the core of their roster for the 2016 campaign. Below are all of the team’s transactions with quotes from players and coaches.

1. Tracy Belton, Warren Smith, and Kevin Myers assigned during the Off-season Assignment Process

The Soul and the rest of the AFL had the opportunity to be assigned any player, who was under contract to play the 2016 season with the Spokane Shock, Las Vegas Outlaws, or New Orleans Voodoo. The Soul were assigned a player from each team, and could have new impact players on their hand.

Tracy Belton joins the Soul after spending 2015 with the New Orleans Voodoo. Belton, a veteran defensive back has played in the AFL since 2010, and has played on five different teams before joining the Soul. Soul defensive back Larico Stevenson had nothing but positive things to say about Belton joining the Soul secondary, “Tracy Belton is a great add to the team” Stevenson said. “I’ve known him for years and he is a great guy and a great player, so getting him was a big plus for the Soul.” Belton is one of five defensive backs on the Soul as of right now.

Kevin Myers joins the Soul after spending 2015 with the Las Vegas Outlaws. Myers, a fourth year AFL center started 15 games with the Outlaws. One of his former teammates, and current defensive back for the Cleveland Gladiators Ray Little had this to say about Myers: “Myers was a beast on the offensive line. He was always working hard and trying to be great at his position. As a teammate he was cool, great person that got along with everybody.”

Warren Smith is likely to be playing indoor football in Philadelphia in 2016, but it’s not likely it will be with the Soul. Smith was signed by the Philadelphia Yellow Jackets of the AIF, a new team to Philadelphia coached by three former Soul players in Mike Brown, Ryan Vena, and Dustin Barno. Brown said that Smith will be playing for the Yellow Jackets as it fits his teaching and coaching schedule better.

2. Larico Stevenson and Harvey Binford re-join the Soul

Defensive back Larico Stevenson is back for his fifth season with the Soul, and will be a huge piece to the defense again. Stevenson played in every game for the Soul last year, and was a starter in most of them at corner. “My decision to come back was because I love the organization and how things are in Philly, we have great coaches and players” Stevenson said.

Stevenson will be entering his second year in defensive coordinator Derek Stingley’s scheme and could have one of his best seasons ever. “I see myself fitting in defense like I always have, and be an enforcer and make plays for my team when we need them, and show the younger guys what we are about and help them along the way to help team be better and better.”

“I wasn’t really interested in other teams because everything in Philly, I feel, is so much better, whether it be practice fields or games, to just how smooth we get in and out of things, it’s one of best organizations to be in.”

Harvey Binford returns for his second season with the Soul, but lost his rookie option after last offseason. Binford was signed at an open tryout in July of 2014, but was not active for any games that season. Binford became a key role player in the Soul’s offense last season, and has breakaway speed like no one else in the AFL.

“The biggest factor in my decision to sign back with the Soul wasn’t just one thing in particular. How well the team got along is one reason, and the coaching staff all played a role in my decision to sign back with the Soul” Binford said. “Not to mention we have the best owners in the Arena Football League, a good locker room, and a well-organized organization is important to me. I get all of that from playing with the Soul.”

Binford joins a stacked Soul receiving core that already has four members returning. Ryan McDaniel, Xavier Boyce, and Lonnie Outlaw will all return, while Chris Duvalt will be joining the 2016 roster.

“I love the fact that me, Outlaw, Boyce, and Ryan are all returning to the Soul. We are young, hungry and more experienced than we were last season. We all possess qualities that gel well together, that make us if not the best, one of not the best receiving corps in the league. We have a great group of guys and we’re gonna cause a lot of teams a lot of trouble this upcoming season” Binford said.

“I believe that I’m apart of the Philly Soul for a reason, a great reason at that. I didn’t feel the need to poke around and see who has what because I’m in a pretty good place with the Philly Soul. We have the best Coach in the AFL, and one of the most elite quarterbacks. What more can I ask for?  So no, I didn’t find any interest in going elsewhere this season” Binford said.

Binford had 24 receptions for 412 yards and seven touchdowns in seven games in the 2015 season. With Marco Thomas and Shaun Kauleinamoku as free agents right now, Binford could be in for a much more prominent role in 2016.

“Last season was a good season for me considering I only played seven games and was used as a role player. I enjoyed it but knowing that there’s a great chance that I will play more of a permanent role excites me. I expect myself to give it my all every down on every single play. I expect myself to play hard, practice hard and represent the Philly Soul well. I’m going to make sure my coaches say that they made the right decision in making me the guy. I want that pressure, and my teammates being able to depend on me at all times to show up and show out” Binford said.

3. Neal Tivis re-signs to anchor the Soul’s offensive line in 2016

Neal Tivis returns for his third year with the Soul after being assigned in the Offseason Assignment Process after the 2013 season. Tivis played for the Utah Blaze before being assigned to the Soul. “Signing back with the Soul was one of the easiest decisions I’ve had to make in a while” Tivis said.

“I trust my coaches and grew pretty close to my teammates. They took a huge risk in 2013 by taking over my contract knowing that I had back surgery. I came to Philly halfway through the 2014 season and wasn’t mentally prepared to play football again. But they didn’t give up on me.”

“By the end of the season, I understood that it was genuinely important to Coaches Dolezel and Bogle that I got the will to play again, and they activated me for a game and that was all I needed. Those guys brought me back to life. A trust like that between player and coach is a powerful thing, I never find myself doubting their decisions, I believe in them, and they believe in me” said Tivis.

Despite having been around the Arena game since 2012, Neal had never played more than 10 games in his career. Last year, he played in 20 games including the postseason.

“I feel I was extremely fortunate in 2015 staying as healthy as I did. I was pretty beat up half way through the season but I was lucky enough that the pain I had I could practice and play through and still remain effective on the field.”

“I’ve played on teams that rotates starters and it’s much more difficult to prepare for each game not knowing if you’ll be told an hour before game time that you’re sitting. When you know it’s going to be you every week, you not only have a lot more confidence, but you form a stronger bond with the guys that start around you,” Tivis said.

“In 2016, I expect to come to training camp and have to compete for a spot on the roster just like I did in 2015, especially now that some more teams have folded and more veterans are out to compete and find a new team. Something I’ll never let myself do is become comfortable and complacent. That’s what I expect from my entire team in 2016,” Tivis said.

4. Justin Lawrence back to bring constant pressure at Nose Guard

Justin Lawrence is back for his second season with the Soul, and fifth season in the AFL. “My decision to sign back with Philly came down to finishing what I started” Lawrence said. “I want to win a ring here, and I felt like we had the team to do it last year. Hopefully we can come back strong and finish what we started. Also, my chemistry with mac linebacker Beau Bell is great. I feel like we can build on that and be one of the best combos in the AFL!” Lawrence said.

“This will be my third year under Coach Stingley, so I know the defense pretty well. The job for the nose and mac is to create pressure, to bust the pocket so the ends can come right off the edge and get a sack. I’m not really a stat guy, I get excited when I see my ends eating! But I will tell you this, Beau and I plan on wreaking havoc in the middle, we will be aiming for the top as a duo!” Lawrence said.

Lawrence spent most of 2015 at nose guard, but also saw some reps at mac linebacker when Bell was injured. Lawrence also has the versatility to play fullback, and has 36 rushes in his career. He had 10 tackles and two sacks in 2015 but had a huge role in the success of defensive ends Bryan Robinson and Teddy Jennings.

“Justin Lawrence has a low center of gravity, which allows him to play with a lot of power,” said Former Pittsburgh Power teammate Jason Jones.

“His arms are long and stout which allow him to keep lineman off of him to get good momentum on his pass rush, and that allows him to handle a center or fullback” said Jones.

5. Chris Duvalt brings a vertical threat to Philadelphia

With receivers Marco Thomas and Shaun Kauleinamoku currently free agents, the Philadelphia Soul added wide receiver Chris Duvalt to the team. Duvalt had been with the New Orleans Voodoo since 2012, and broke out last season with 109 receptions for 1,812 yards and 23 touchdowns. Duvalt’s most receptions before this season was 19, so it is hard to predict how his season will be in 2016. Most receivers have a good transition to Coach Clint Dolezel’s offense, so Duvalt could be a player to watch in 2016.

6. Padric Scott and Kent Richardson return home, sign with the Orlando Predators

After winning the southern division in 2015, the Orlando Predators have made multiple moves to help get a third division championship in a row. With the addition of offensive lineman CJ Cobb, wide receiver LaVon Brazill, and defensive lineman Darryl Cato-Bishop, the Predators have added in a solid group of new players. But no move may be as big as the additions of defensive back Kent Richardson and defensive lineman Padric Scott.

Richardson has spent five seasons with the Soul organization, signing with the team in 2011 in the team’s second year back, after re-joining the AFL in 2010. Richardson only played with the Soul for four years, spending the 2013 season on other league exempt as he attended training camp with the Cleveland Browns. Last season, Richardson tallied 61 total tackles and five interceptions for the Soul in 16 games. Richardson was a healthy scratch in weeks three and four of this past season.

“It was definitely difficult to cut ties with Philly being that that’s where I started” Richardson said. “I’ve made a name for myself in Philly, and I appreciate everything as far as the city and the fans. That’s a classy organization, but when your time is up, you just have to move forward with new opportunities which is Orlando in this case,” Richardson said.

“Orlando is a great organization with a great winning history, all the things I was looking for in my decision. I’m very excited to return to my home state and play, it will bring a lot more of my family to the games and it’s always a plus to not have to drive 18 hours to training camp.” Richardson said.

Scott also had this to say about Richardson, “In Arena you need ball-hawking DBs to slow the passing game down, and I don’t think there’s a defensive back better in the league than KRich.”

“He’s from my home city, so the work we’ve been putting in this offseason so far, I’m excited to see it play out in 2016” Scott said.

“Kent is a dynamic player in the secondary with big game experience and has the ability to make game-changing plays,” said Head Coach Rob Keefe in the team’s press release. “He’s proven his ability in the AFL and has aspirations of playing at the highest level. We strive to build our roster around like-minded players with that kind of ambition.”

“Coach Keefe is a great defensive mind and he takes pride in playing man coverage on wide receivers, and I like playing man so we have a lot in common.” Richardson said.

Scott spent his first two seasons in the AFL with the Soul and gained experience at nose guard and defensive end. He played in 14 games in 2015, starting nine of them, while having ten total tackles and three sacks.

“The time splitting reps and learning new positions was a valuable experience for me. I learned so much from Beau Bell, J Law (Justin Lawrence), BRob (Bryan Robinson), and coach Bogle along the defensive line giving me versatility in any scheme. I’m ready to step into this role and play the game I love for the city of Orlando.”

“At the end of the day Florida is home for me” Scott said. “My entire family is able to make all of the games in Florida with ease so to be in a location that would allow me to play in front of my loved ones consistently was crucial!”

“Padric has a great motor and plays with a lot of energy,” said Head Coach Rob Keefe in the team’s press release. “He has aspirations of playing at an elite level and is the kind of self-motivated player we desire. We’re excited to add a player with Padric’s work ethic to our roster.”

“I think I’ll fit in well with coach Keefe’s defense! He’s a great coach and lets his guys get after it. He’s a defensive minded guy and knows how to put players in position to win. I’m ready to get down there and learn from him.” Scott said.

“Padric is a beast and will be a nightmare for centers around the league. Quarterbacks will have a long day dealing with him” Richardson said. “Padric is a hard worker,” former teammate Justin Lawrence said.

“I hate to see him go but I wish him much success down in Orlando. I think he will do great. He is closer to his family and friends, so that alone is enough motivation right there!”

7. Soul add quarterback Luke Collis

With Warren Smith expected to play with the Philadelphia Yellow Jackets of the AIF, the Soul added former Tampa Bay Storm backup quarterback Luke Collis. Collis was the backup to Jason Boltus in Tampa and spent his first full season in the AFL last year.

“Luke was one of those backup quarterbacks who was hilarious, he was a good guy to hang out with, he was comical,” said former Tampa Bay Storm teammate Emery Sammons. “That’s off the field, on the field he was a good quarterback, he worked hard after practice and got the extra work to get better” Sammons said.

Speaking with Collis recently, he’s very excited to get into camp and begin working with Coach Clint Dolezel and quarterback Dan Raudabaugh. Collis obviously will have to adjust to the three-step timing offense that the Soul run, but is very confident he can be very successful in the offense.

Other Moves

The Soul added former Spokane Shock defensive end Will hunt. Hunt’s rookie season was in 2015 and he had two and a half tackles in two games. Hunt went to Charleston Southern University.

The Soul brought back offensive lineman Keith Newell after he spent the 2015 season on injured reserve. Newell started ten games for the Pittsburgh Power in 2014, and was around the Soul practices all last season. Newell has an understanding for the offense and the arena game and could be a key contributor in 2016.

The Soul promoted offensive line coach Phil Bogle to General Manager and Head of Football Operations after former GM Tom Goodhines accepted a position in the league office in Las Vegas. Bogle has been coaching with the team since 2013, and played for the team for two years, including the 2008 Arena Bowl Championship team.

After spending 2015 in Jacksonville, offensive lineman Wayne Tribue is back in his home state of Pennsylvania after signing with the Soul. Tribue was a member of the 2014 team, and signed with the Dallas Cowboys near the end of the regular season. Tribue was a second team All-Arena offensive lineman in 2014. Tribue struggled with injuries in 2015, and will look to stay healthy and move back to the NFL this year.

Also added to the team were rookies defensive back Peter Ashton, center Andrew Edouard, defensive lineman Skyler Skersick, nose guard Brandon Sparrow, and defensive back Torez Jones.