No typical day for Philadelphia Soul quarterback D'Orazio

In Week 2, that gift came wrapped with a red bow when D'Orazio became the starter following an knee injury to Tony Graziani. Since then, D'Orazio has done everything to prove his acquistion was a wise choice as he led the Soul to a 13-3 regular-season and, more importantly, a trip to ArenaBowl XXII on July 27 after Saturday's 70-35 rout of Cleveland to win the National Conference championship.

What does a quarterback heading into the biggest game of his career do over the course of the day to get game-ready? On Saturday, I shadowed the AFL Player of the Year as he prepared for the conference finale:

* 9:10-9:33 a.m: I arrive at the

team practice facility in Voorhees, N.J., for breakfast. D'Orazio's plate of waffles, eggs and bacon was cleaned in about 5 minutes. We sit at a table with guard Phil Bogle - an intimidating presence and another story entirely - and wide receiver Chris Jackson, who insists I change my visibly exhausted appearance so "I don't bring the rest of the team down with me." Cracking a nervous smile, I hastily oblige.

After watching a bit of "SportsCenter" and cracking jokes about fellow quarterback Tony Graziani's new Fu Manchu mustache that Graziani claims "works for [Yankees slugger Jason] Giambi," I follow D'Orazio as he heads to the Wachovia Center with wide receiver Brent Holmes.

* 9:56 a.m.: We arrive at the

Wachovia Center where even the starting quarterback has a bit of a problem at the gate. "I gave my player pass to my wife," D'Orazio explains to me. "Hey, it's cool. These guys are just doing their job. I understand."

As for the guy "doing his job," Wachovia Center parking attendant Ollie Hansen looks at me sheepishly and whispers: "Oh, man, my bad. I didn't know that was Matt D'Orazio. I was looking for the pass, not the player."

* 10:11-10:59 a.m.: D'Orazio

hangs out inside the team locker room, where he shares a bench with Graziani. Graziani smiles and informs me that this is the part of pregame preparation in which they do a lot of "hurrying up to wait." I take the time to find out a little more about D'Orazio. He reveals that his favorite on-field shoe is the Jordan III, his 1-year-old daughter, Maria, is already on her way to becoming a soccer star and just how blessed he feels to have a chance to play in Philly. After sharing a laugh with teammates as Jackson performs the "Riverdance" to some techno beat, team chaplain Terry Hall enters the room and informs the players that chapel is set to begin.

* 11:01-11:25 a.m.: D'Orazio and I

attend chapel in which Hall uses various Bible scriptures to convey a message that being afraid of making a mistake is foolish.

"My faith is a big part of who I am and in all that I try to accomplish," he says. "Whenever I reflect on my life, I feel blessed to be in the position I'm in. I have a lot to be thankful to God for and I make sure to give him thanks as much as possible."

* 11:25-11:55 a.m.: D'Orazio goes back to the locker room where an ESPN crew films him changing out of street clothes before he heads onto the field to run a few patterns with Jackson. He also gabs a bit with ESPN commentator and former NFL QB Shaun King and gets some advice from team president Ron Jaworski.

"Jaws has been a big help to my career on the whole and I take in anything he tells me and try to soak it in and learn from it," D'Orazio says.

* 11:55-12:10 p.m.: It appears a more focused D'Orazio returns to the locker room following the throw around. It is at this point I feel a bit weird asking him questions. Despite his affirmations that my presence isn't a nuisance, I head upstairs to the press level as he heads out for the official pregame warmups.

* 1-4:20 p.m.: A poised and

completely in control D'Orazio throws eight touchdowns to lead the Soul (15-3) past Cleveland. With the help of his wide reciever crew of Holmes (three TDs), Jackson (two TDs) and Larry Brackins (three TDs), D'Orazio finishes 17-for-25 for 184 yards and no interceptions to capture offensive player of the game honors.

Next up is San Jose (13-5), an 81-55 winner over Grand Rapids for the American Conference title.

* 4:40-4:56 p.m.: D'Orazio

returns to the locker room after a winded session of hugging fans, taking candids and thanking front-office types. He and I are instantly blasted with bottles of champagne as players dance and shout with abandon in the locker room while hip-hop music blasts in the background.

* 5 p.m.: I thank D'Orazio for the opportunity to pry into his game-day routine prior to one of the biggest games of his life.

"No problem, it was my pleasure I was glad to do it," he smiles. "Just don't make me look bad."

Attentive father, devout Christian and Arena Football League Player of the Year . . . hard to make a guy like that look bad. *