Leave it to the veteran to set the record straight.

With the Storm mired in a slump of six losses in their last seven games, it would be easy to think the team is ready to hit the panic button. It also would be easy to think Tampa Bay would declare Friday’s home game with New Orleans a must-win.

Not so, says Lawrence Samuels.

“The guys are still laid back,” Samuels said following Thursday’s workout, “but we know we have to come out and play well. The mood [in the locker room] is a sense of urgency right now. We have to do what we have to do to get a victory.”

The things the Storm need to do, according to Samuels, is find a way to make those one or two plays that always seem to go against them go in their favor. Of course, those plays usually center around turnovers, which has become the team’s Achilles’ heel this season.

During the team’s five-game losing streak, the Storm failed to force a turnover. In Monday’s loss to Chicago, it was the lack of execution after forcing a turnover that ultimately doomed the team.

Samuels made a tremendous interception in the Storm’s end zone early in the fourth quarter to keep Tampa Bay within seven points. However, Tampa Bay couldn’t answer with a touchdown and instead settled for a Seth Marler field goal. The Storm never made up the deficit.

Nevertheless, even with the team three games below .500 (3-6) nine games into the season, Samuels said he doesn’t feel that the season is slipping away.

“Not really, because you look at it, we were 0-5 last year and these guys still kept the faith. We didn’t point any fingers, and we’re not pointing any fingers now. We’re just going to keep the faith and just come out at a high pace and come out and try to get a victory,” Samuels said. “Right now it’s not [time to panic]. You don’t want to push the panic button too early. I think if we push the panic button this week, guys will be playing on edge and feel like that.

“We’ve been playing well. We’ve done some things well. We’ve just been coming up short. That’s why we’ve got to execute; that’s the biggest thing. We’ve got to execute, don’t turn the ball over and do the little things. If we do that, then we’ll come out victorious.”