By EDDIE DANIELS
The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA – As Tampa Bay Storm coach Tim Marcum exited the players’ locker room Saturday night following the team’s 66-43 victory against the New Orleans VooDoo, he couldn’t help but shout.

He even told one person collected inside the corridor near the locker room that he’d soon be back on the Storm bandwagon. Considering an 0-5 start, it was a vessel with a very light load.

Tampa Bay (1-5) gave New Orleans (3-3) a dose of the blues it suffered in many of the games it lost this season.

In Week 2 against Dallas, Tampa Bay gave up a kickoff return and an interception in the second half against the Desperados. In Week 3, the Storm gave up a fumble and a net recovery score in a crucial stretch against Georgia. The following week, the squad committed three turnovers and couldn’t convert a fourth down in the fourth quarter against New York.

Saturday night the Storm gathered four interceptions, one of which Storm DB Jeroid Johsnon returned for a score, recovered two fumbles and the offense exploded for 28 points in the second quarter.

“The players that I brought in here to make plays are making plays,” Marcum said. “That’s the difference.”

NO WORRIES: Storm QB Stoney Case will be ready to go by game time Saturday in Orlando. Against New Orleans, with just more than six minutes remaining in the game and ahead 59-36, Case dislocated his right shoulder as he argued an illegal formation call.

The flag, against TE Ernest Certain for not declaring himself eligible by raising his hand and designating himself the TE in the formation, which Marcum disagrees with, wiped out a 9-yard TD pass to lineman Marcus Owen.

As Case emphatically gestured with his arms, the shoulder dislocated and was later re-set by team trainer Matt Benson. No MRI was needed.

Case, replaced by John Kaleo, who threw a touchdown pass on his first play, was 19 of 23 for 197 yard sand three touchdowns. He rehabbed the shoulder Sunday and Monday and had his strength back in the shoulder, although it was tight.

Marcum has been pleasantly surprised by the performance of Case, although the coach was confident in the passer, who spent six seasons in the NFL. In two games, Case is 41 of 59 passing for 468 yards, six TDs and one interception.

“He’s only played two games, but he’s played really well. He played about as good as any quarterback we’ve had,” Marcum said. “He was 19 of 23. He manages the game

HOT AND HEAVY: Stats alone couldn’t describe the pressure the Storm defensive line and linebackers put on New Orleans VooDoo QBs Andy Kelly and Steve Bellisari. Tampa Bay recorded 23 pressures on the pair – mostly on Bellisari since Kelly was knocked out of the game in the midst of the first series with an injured right shoulder.

Tim McGill, who was moved from the defensive line to Mack linebacker, had the highest pressure count with six. Also joining in on harassing the passer were Torrance Marshall (5) and Tom Briggs, Certain, Marcus Owen and Mark Word, who each had three pressures.

BIG MAN ON A SMALL FIELD: Even the blue, metal locker in the back of the Storm locker room seemed dwarfed by the presence of lineman Lincoln Kennedy. The 6-foot-7, 350-pound NFL veteran sat down, gray T-shirt soaked with sweat and tugging at his gloves, his first Arena Football League game in his rearview.

Prior to the contest, Kennedy after exhausting a search for a pair of size 18 shoes locally, had to get a pair of Size 18s from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

According to Marcum, Kennedy gave up just one pressure on a “solid” night of work.

“It was a good time,” Kennedy said, grinning. “I had a good time out there. The game felt like it was going forever. I don’t think I’ve ever put up that many points in a football game…

“The thing is, now I’m happy I got it out of the way, I got it under my belt. It feels great for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it’s this team’s first win of the season. As a player, you can’t really describe the feeling when you come someplace and you be a part of something that’s bigger and it’s only one win, but it’s the first one to get you out of that hole. I’m so ecstatic for that.

“Second of all, I had fun and the way I sit right now and I’ll be able to soak it in over he next couple days after I watch my performance on film, they way I feel now, I’m glad I came back.”

Marcum and line coach Dave Ewart are probably a little giddy about his return as well.

“I thought he played pretty well for his first game in. Looks like he had his legs up under himself,” Ewart said. “Condition-wise was a concerned, but this guy played 11 [season in the NFL], [three] years all-pro. Throw his [butt] in there.”

MUSICAL CHAIRS: Suffice to say, Ewart has earned every penny he has collected on his paycheck. In six games, the Storm has had six combinations of players on the offensive line. Don’t be surprised if Combo No. 7 is the order of the night in Orlando. Here’s a breakdown of each week’s starters:

Week 1- G Dwayne Morgan, C Rod Williams and TE Tom Kaleita; Week 2- G Morgan, C Owen, TE Kaleita; Week 3- G Williams, C Owen, TE Kaleita; Week 4- G Geir Gudmendsen, C Owen, TE Certain; Week 5- G Williams, C Owen, TE Certain; Week 6- G Kennedy, C Owen, TE Certain.

To the groups’ credit, in four games Rodney Filer had 96 rushing yards on 27 carries and nine TDs. In back-to-back games, Filer had three and four rushing touchdowns.

Marshall, who has taken over the bulk of the carries since Filer’s, broken leg March 23 against New York. Marshall has carried the ball 23 times for 56 yards and six scores.

Tampa Bay is tied for first in rushing touchdowns (18) and rushing TDs per game (3.0) as well as No. 4 in the league in rushing yards per game (30.5).

The blocking by the offensive line has sparked a heavier use of the running game than Marcum expected at the start of the season.

“A lot more,” Marcum said Monday. “Once you get something and get confidence in it, we start doing some things, you saw the pass off of it.”

WHO’S NEXT: Tampa Bay will travel to Orlando for the second of the two-game regular season series against the Predators (2-3). Orlando mashed the Storm in the season-opener, 52-27, and leads the series 21-19.

Orlando, on a two-game slide and losing three of their last four games, may be without receiver Jimmy Fryzel (hamstring), who was slated to come off IR this week. The return of defensive lineman Greg White (elbow) is also in the air.

LOCAL GUY CUT: The Las Vegas Gladiators released quarterback Shaun King. King, a Gibbs High product, after the Gladiators’ 65-31 loss to Kansas City Sunday.

King, who was signed in November, completed 132 of 228 passes for 1,627 yards, 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).