By DAN TOMASINO
Posted: 4:37 am
July 4, 2008
The New York Dragons snuck into the AFL playoffs with an 8-8 record but validated their standing among the final eight by scoring a 77-63 victory in their wild-card game at Dallas on June 27.
But it doesn't get easier in the divisional round this week. The Dragons travel to Philadelphia tomorrow to play the Soul (13-4), who defeated New York twice during the regular season.
"We feel we match up well with them," Dragons coach Weylan Harding said. "We just have to play four good quarters of football. Protection for [quarterback] Aaron [Garcia] will be important and having a good pass rush will be important."
Garcia has battled injuries for much of the season, but Harding said he is healthy. Garcia's performance last week indicated as much. The 14-year veteran tied an AFL record last week with nine touchdown passes and was named the Offensive Player of the Week. His performance will be crucial against the Soul, which boasts a high-octane offense led by quarterback Matt D'Orazio. Garcia and the Dragons likely will have to match touchdowns with them.
"They have a solid offensive line," Harding said of Philadelphia. "And they have a good offensive coordinator as far as play calling and tailoring the system to his players."
Though it seems like a mismatch on paper, Harding said his team has improved since the beginning of the season and is ready for the challenge.
"We're in the hunt," he said. "We have to continue [to be consistent] play in and play out. We can't take any plays off."
dtomasino@nypost.com
