Forum: Talk Storm

The Schutt Sports Top 12 Poll has been released and Dallas remains supplanted at the top of the pile, while the Georgia Force (5-1) remain the lone Southern Division team in the top 5. When the Storm (1-5) faced Orlando in the season-opener, the Predators were ranked fifth in the poll. This time around, Orlando (2-3) has dropped to No. 12. And by virtue of its 66-43 loss to the Storm Saturday, New Orleans was dropped from the seventh spot to ninth. The Schutt Sports Top 12 Poll was voted on by members of the Arena Football League Writers Association.

1.      Dallas Desperados 6-0 (20) 251
2.      Georgia Force 5-1 220
3.      Chicago Rush 5-1 (1) 215
4.      Philadelphia Soul 4-1 185
5.      San Jose SaberCats 3-2 159
6.      Utah Blaze 4-2 152
7.      Los Angeles Avengers 3-2 105
8.      Kansas City Brigade 3-2 101
9.      New Orleans VooDoo 3-3 81
10.    Colorado Crush 3-3 78
11.    Columbus Destroyers 2-3 40
12.    Orlando Predators 2-3 37

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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).

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From the signs inside the Tampa Bay Storm locker room, Saturday night was the night. The night when a team close to victory time and again would finally wrap its hands around it and refuse to let go.

Throughout the Storm locker room were reminders, mental notes prodding the team to lurch forward for a win.

“Know You Can.”

“Live Strong.”

And finally, pasted to the inside of the locker room door, “Beat ‘Em.”

The Storm (1-5) snatched up a 66-43 victory against the New Orleans VooDoo (3-3). At one point Tampa Bay held a 30-point advantage. There was even a span between the first and second quarters in which the Storm outscored New Orleans 35-7.

It snaps an overall seven game losing streak, which dated back to May 6, 2006. The last victory came April 29, 2006 – a 58-42 victory against the Kansas City Brigade.

“This team, we fight, we practice hard. It’s just the ball didn’t bounce our way at times,” Storm FB/LB Torrance Marshall said. “We didn’t get the right calls, but these guys, we’re all a bunch of fighters.
“So we all believed in each other and we all stuck with the plan. We ain’t out of the dance yet. So we’re still fighting. That’s what I love about this team. We believe in ourselves and we just go out and work.”

The Storm, still dwellers on the bottom rung in the Southern Division with a 1-2 record, avoids an 0-3 start in division play.

As bright as the Storm offense shined – producing the most points it has all season, QB Stoney Case completing his first six attempts and converting on seven of eight red zone attempts – the team’s defense hassled New Orleans the entire contest.

Starting VooDoo QB Andy Kelly was knocked form the game with an injured right shoulder on the sixth play of the team’s opening drive. New Orleans backup Steve Bellisari was sacked once and hurried eight times. The unit also collected two fumbles and four interceptions, one of which was returned for a score by Jeroid Johnson and a pair were snatched by Nyle Wiren

“Everybody’s been playing well, we just haven’t gotten the breaks,” Wiren said. “That’s really what it was. We turn the ball over or whatever. We just haven’t gotten the breaks. Tonight, we got the breaks.”

Two of Tampa Bay’s offensive possessions were halted by fumbles, but each time Tampa Bay’s defense got the ball back on interceptions.

In victory – and as the Tampa Bay Storm’s 2007 season has gone – there was an interesting development. While contesting an illegal formation call that wiped away a Case TD pass to lineman Marcus Owen, Case dislocated his right shoulder - his throwing shoulder – and had to leave the game.

The shoulder was put back in place, but Case was replaced by John Kaleo for the final 6:19 of the contest.

If it isn’t one thing, it’s another.

But for now, the team is finally in the win column, making everyone’s Easter just that much better.

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TONIGHT’S STORM GAME
WHO: New Orleans VooDoo (3-2, 1-0 Southern Division) at Tampa Bay Storm (0-5, 0-2)
WHEN: 7:30
TV/RADIO: Catch 47 (Bright House Networks)/WFLA, 970 AM; WQBN, 1300 AM
NEED TO KNOW: Tampa Bay and New Orleans haven’t faced each other since 2005. The Storm won that meeting 47-36. That offseason, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and floodwaters forced the team to cease play for the 2006 season. The series is tied 2-2. … Seventeen receptions will move Lawrence Samuels into fourth place on the AFL’s list for career receptions. He leads the league in third-down conversions (eight) and is tied for 12th in receptions (38). … T.T. Toliver is fourth in all-purpose yards (866) and ninth in receptions (39). … QB Stoney Case makes his second career start and first home start. … Former Raiders offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy will play in his first AFL game. … Tonight will be Building Industry Night and the Storm will donate 25 percent of its proceeds to the New Orleans and Tampa Bay chapters of Habitat for Humanity. … The teams will honor the memory of former Grambling football coach Eddie Robinson, who died Tuesday night due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 88.
Eddie Daniels

By EDDIE DANIELS
The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - On the streets of southeast San Diego, it wasn’t about gorgeous sandy beaches and beautiful ocean vistas.

On that side of town, the focus was on survival.

Lincoln Kennedy saw the drug deals and watched the gangs roam about claiming their territory. And as that nonsense went on, he turned to sports, shunning the negativity.

Life in that environment, merged with the everyday hindrances faced my many minorities, shaped a person in Kennedy with a high level of determination.

“Being black, sometimes you come across people who will tell you you can’t do things, or you won’t be able to do that and I was faced with a lot of adversity when I was young,” said Kennedy, who was acquired by the Tampa Bay Storm on March 30. “By no means were things easy for me. I had to overcome a lot.
“It came to a point in time that I didn’t know how I was going to get to college and if it wasn’t for sports, I’d still be in San Diego reeling, trying to figure out if I was going to go to college.”

When he entered Morse High School, he promised himself he would play three sports. He went on to compete in football, basketball and track and field. As a freshman, he even wrestled.

That was the infancy of an attitude he carries with him today – the refusal to quit.

Before leaving San Diego to play football at the University of Washington, he promised his mother he wouldn’t leave school until he earned his degree. And he did just that.

It’s also the same will that drove him back into football after he retired following the 2003 just one season removed from the Raiders’ Super Bowl XXXVII appearance in his hometown.

“Taking that challenge in everything you do, trying to be the best you can be, overcoming all the adversity that you can, basically puts you in the mindset where you don’t quit and when you do quit, like it did for three years when I was out of the game, I had this nasty taste in my mouth,” said Kennedy, who will play in his first Arena Football League game tonight when the Storm host the New Orleans VooDoo.

Kennedy’s comeback attempts included workouts with the Bucs, Redskins, Cardinals and Cowboys. A failed physical with the Cowboys prompted him to turn his focus to the AFL after signing with the Dallas Desperados in January.

“My wife was like, ‘Stop talking about it and go do something about it.’ Fortunate enough for me is that I didn’t have a ton of injuries in my career,” said Kennedy, dubbed The Oval Office due to the presidential ties in his name. “I didn’t have a lot of surgeries and stuff like that and so once I was able to get myself back into pretty good shape, I was able to turn it around and come out and do it. A lot of guys and people I know in the NFL and coaches told me that I retired too soon.
“And I retired at 33, so coming back at 36 is not impossible for my position.”

Coming back and having the field size and number of players on the field at once dramatically reduced has taken some getting used to.

“There’s not too many places to hide, that’s for sure,” Kennedy said. “The truth is that you take a wide-open field game and you’ve condensed it down to the size of a broom closet, everything happens right now. It’s hot and heavy. Eight-man football, you don’t have the space like I’m used to at that level out there, it’s tough. But it’s also a lot of fun.”

It seems in the movies that when the little guy is being beat up, there’s always that larger than life character that comes to the rescue. Could Kennedy, all 6-foot-7, 350-pounds of him, be the answer Tampa Bay (0-5) needs to snap out of the worst start in franchise history?

“This guy made a lot of money. He made a ton of money and he’s still got it and he just wants to play,” Storm coach Tim Marcum said. “He’s a just a kid at heart. He just wants to play, stay competitive. Same thing with Karl Williams. Karl doesn’t need this money, what we’re playing. They just want to play.”
“… You know good and well he’s going to have a smile on his face and he’s not going to have a scowl. He’s going to be happy and he’s going to contribute.”

If he bring just half of the accolades he earned throughout college and NFL careers – three consecutive Pro Bowls (2000-02), Morris Trophy winner as the best Pac-10 lineman, finalist for the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award, first-team All-American, All-Pac 10 first team selection and a 1991 National Championship – he’ll do just fine.

“You bring the experience of how to play the game and you bring the experience of how to play the game against a number of versatile athletes,” said Kennedy in response to what he believes he can pull from his NFL experience into the AFL. “That helps at any position you play.
“Once you gain that experience… No matter if they lose that athleticism as they go along, having that experience pays dividends in the end because they know how to defeat their opponent. That’s one thing I know how to do. I know how to block people.”

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

 

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The Tampa Bay Storm activated former Oakland Raiders tackle Lincoln Kennedy from injured reserve and sent linemen Rod Williams and Geir Gudmundsen to IR. The squad also signed former USF running back Clenton Crossley to the practice squad.

The 6-foot-7, 350-pound Kennedy was acquired from the Dallas Desperados Friday via a trade for future considerations. After spending the first four weeks of the season on IR in Dallas due to a broke finger on his right hand, today’s move will allow him to make his first AFL start Saturday against the New Orleans VooDoo.

Williams, in his ninth season with Tampa Bay, hurt his ankle Saturday in the 69-49 loss at San Jose. Gudmundsen, who injured his left ankle against New York March 23, re-aggravating the injury this week in practice. Anyone placed on IR must miss a minimum of four weeks.

Crossley played one season with Af2’s Florida Firecats and was a first-team Af2 all-conference player. During his college career at USF, he ended as the program’s third all-time rushing leader with 1,644 yards. He also collected 17 TDs in his four seasons (2001-04) with the Bulls.

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This entry has nothing to do with Arena Football. Nothing to do with the Tampa Bay Storm. It has everything to do with a man who molded many in America and left the lives he touched better than when he found them.

It’s not often a man of the ilk of former Grambling State University football coach Eddie G. Robinson crosses the national radar.

A man who coached more the 200 players into the NFL and who touched thousands more, not just athletics, but in everyday life as well.

Robinson, who passed away late Tuesday night due to complications from Alzheimer’s Disease at 88, never saw himself as that larger than life personality everyone else viewed him to be.

That comes from personal experience. As a 1999 graduate of Grambling, I have had a handful of conversations with the man, who led many to success. His accolades were never the topic. He marveled at the fact that an America president – Bill Clinton – remarked how he wanted to come to Grambling to meet Coach Rob.

He shed tears in his final Bayou Classic (XXIV in 1997) when Clinton made a phone call to congratulate Robinson on his career.

Even when he was given a new car to celebrate his career, he gave it to his wife Doris and continue to drive his old Oldsmobile.

While walking to class or anywhere on the campus and he made eye contact with you, you were bound to a share a word with the legend as he held on to that old briefcase.

Modesty was as much a part of his demeanor as breath was to his life. It all intertwined.

He was the first football coach to ever reach the 400-win mark and at one point had the most wins of any coach in any division. Quite simply, he was the man whose height others were attempting to ascend.

It may take some time for anyone to reach his stature. Sure, his win total (408-165-15) has been surpassed by John Gagliardi of St. John’s of Minnesota (443-120-11), but the level of humanity Robinson nestled into so comfortably has a long way to go before it is touched.

Nearly three weeks ago, former Grambling baseball coach Wilbert Ellis sat with Robinson inside of a hospital room.

He told Coach Rob about his trip in January to Orlando to be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association’s hall of fame and then he showed Robinson the hall of fame ring.

“He was at one of his greatest moments and I’ll always remember that moment,” Ellis said. “He grabbed my hand and he held on to it and held on. Each time I would try to move it, he would squeeze a little harder… He pulled my ring off and put it on.”

Doris Robinson then chimed in and gently reminded her husband to return the ring.

Ellis had no qualms about Robinson holding on to the hardware, divulging: “I said he’s responsible in many ways for me having that.”

He was right.

When Ellis came to Grambling in 1960, Robinson was the athletic director. Ellis served for 17 years as a baseball assistant under Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones – Grambling’s president - and in 1977, with Jones’ recommendation, Robinson named Ellis head baseball coach.

“When you say Eddie Robinson, you’re talking about a true American, who really waved the flag,” Ellis said. “Not only waved the flag, but represented what he was all about by teaching the basic fundamentals of the football game as well as the basic fundamentals of life.”
There’s a common utterance from those whose lives Robinson touched - father figure.

During Glen Hall’s recruiting process, Robinson came to his house, ate red beans and rice and chicken and promised his mother her son would be in church every Sunday. At that point, Hall knew then he would play for Robinson.

Hall played form 1979 to 1983 and then coached defensive backs on Robinson’s staff from 1994 to 1998.

“I think the true American, and this is the one thing that he always talked about, the true American will understand a person who made an impact on a kids’ life,” said Hall, now a defensive coordinator at Fort Worth Eastern Hills High School. “His thing was not to talk about football. The X’s and O’s of life were much more important than the X’s and O’s of football even though they are intertwined with each other.”

As with any small school, Robinson had his hands in many things. From making lunches for his player to lining his football field before games. He also donated some of his time to the Grambling men’s basketball team.

Rex Tippitt, who played for the Tigers from 1958 to 1961, recalls the times he would show up.

“He was a great, great, great worker and never did believe in quitting.” said Tippitt, the assistant director of Grambling’s intramural and recreation center. “When he was out there with us working and anytime you do something and it was not at [100 percent], ‘Son, you got to run it over. You must be efficient.’

“As a coach, he never quit. Especially when he was out there with us.”

Tippitt, who played on Grambling’s NAIA championship basketball team in 1961, was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals that same year.

Vernon Cheek, the Indianapolis Colts’ assistant director of public relations had no idea what he was getting himself into when he became Grambling’s sports information director in 1995.

That season, Robinson won his 400th contest and later received an Image Award from the NAACP.

“Initially it was overwhelming because even though I went to Grambling and knew Coach Robinson, I even played tennis there, I never knew the magnitude of how many people he touched,” said Cheek, who held the position until 1998. “But more importantly, how many people wanted to be involved with what he was involved in, in and out of the office, from football related stuff to all of his community-type endeavors he was involved in.”

Eugene “Doc” Harvey served as the program’s athletic trainer for 32 years under Robinson and in that time he heard all the speeches and say the major impact he had over each of his players.

Those memories have made the news of Robinson’s death that much harder.

“I heard it last night and it really shocked me. We knew that he had been very, very ill, but you never get ready for it when ever it happens,” Harvey said. “It is always a shock to you. This has been a real somber day for me today because I knew the man so very well. I worked so close with him. He will be missed. A great person, a great American and a great coach.”

FINAL FAREWELL

STATE CAPITAL: Robinson’s body will lay in repose the State Capital Rotunda 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday in Baton Rouge.

VISITATION: Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. will be the family hour at New Rocky Valley Baptist Church, 2155 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Grambling.

FUNERAL SERVICE: The funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Assembly Center on Grambling’s campus behind Robinson Stadium.

FINAL REST: Burial will be at Memorial Gardens in Grambling.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking donations be made to the Friends of Eddie G. Robinson Museum. Donations can be sent to: P.O. Box 550, Grambling, La. 71245 or call (866) WINS 408 or visit http://www.robinsonmuseum.com.

 

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By EDDIE DANIELS
The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - The relationship between Tampa Bay Storm owner Peter “Woody” Kern and head coach Tim Marcum isn’t a typical employer-employee connection. Marcum considers Kern a friend.
That was evident last September when on a Monday, Marcum got word from Kern’s wife, Sherri, her husband was taken to a Denton, TX hospital last Labor Day. The following day, Marcum was on a flight to see his “friend.”
“When he had that spell out there, I was at his ICU bedside the next morning,” Marcum said. “His system just shut down. He had knee surgery on Friday, went to the emergency room in the hospital because he couldn’t breath. They had him on a respirator. His wife called me on Monday morning and I was there Tuesday.”
Now that the Tampa Bay Storm is 0-5, Kern is giving his support to Marcum, who has guided the team since 1995. Sunday afternoon, while Marcum was at an airport waiting to board a flight back to Tampa, Kern called Marcum and they spoke for 30 minutes.
He asked Marcum what he needed to make the team better and the coach gave him a detailed list.
“He said, ‘Go fix it.’ That’s what he’s done for, this is now the 13th season,” said Marcum, who admitted to losing 12 pounds during the worst losing streak in his career and in Storm history. “‘I’m behind you.’ This is a low point in our relationship as far as the team is concerned, but I call him a friend.”
Added Marcum: “I’m going to make this team a winner. That’s my job. I’ve got no choice. Then I got to figure out what the hell it is that I can do to make this team better and then go do it.”
What ever that “it” is, it better be found quick. Three teams (Chicago, 2003; Orlando, 2001 and San Jose, 1998) have gone 0-3 and made the playoffs, while Colorado went 0-4 in 2003 and did not make it.
The most stunning feats are the 2000 Columbus Destroyers and 2003 New York Dragons.
The Dragons lost six straight to reach the post season, but Columbus took the cake, losing eight consecutive, then bounced back to go 5-1 in the final half dozen games. The team reached the opening round only to lose 41-34 to Arizona.
Maybe all is not lost in Tampa Bay.

STONEY’S START: Stoney Case’s performance left no doubt in Marcum’s mind that he will be a starter and that he has potential to do good things in this league.
In his first AFL start in his fourth season, Case, who completed 22 of 36 passes for 271 yards, three TDs, one interceptions and also had a rushing score, showed he had a deep ball and mobility.
“Stoney played well,” Marcum said. “I was not nervous. That’s the first game he started in Arena Football, but he’s played and he’s just played so much football. On the film, he’s got no happy feet, he’s back there, standing in; a couple times got the crap knocked out of him, scrambled for a touchdown on fourth down done there. Stoney, he’s going to do a good for us.”

OH-LINE: Walking into one of the Storm offices Monday afternoon, newly acquired Lincoln Kennedy had little choice but to lean down a tad to make it into the room. Shaking hands of those in the office, his hefty right hand swallowed all of them up.
A physical specimen he is, but Marcum still wants to see him in practice to see how the 11-year NFL veteran has adapted to the game. Kennedy signed with the Dallas Desperados in January, but broke his finger in training camp and started the season on the injured reserved list.
“I haven’t seen him practice,” said Marcum, who was a defensive assistant with the Atlanta Falcons in 1994. “He may come in and just be a compete washout, but I was in Atlanta his second year in Atlanta. He was with us. He’s a [two-time] Pro Bowl player and it hadn’t been that long ago (2001-02).
“He stayed relative free of any major injuries, so we’ll see.”
The services of the former Falcons and Raiders lineman’s became desirable after Saturday’s game in which Rod Williams, Ernest Certain, A.J. Ricker and Marcus Owen made up the Storm’s offensive line. Problem is, those are linemen Marcum intended on using mostly on defense.
The players tagged as offensive guys are injured. Tom Kaleita’s left wrist had to be manipulated by a machine to set the bones in place after he was injured March 17. That landed him a spot on IR. His replacement, Geir Gudmundsen, suffered a partial meniscus tear, forcing him to the inactive list last week. Dan Morgan was placed on IR due to a left knee injury.
Marcum also brought in former Louisville offensive tackle Jeremy Darveau (6-foot-6, 320 pounds) to compete for a roster spot.

MANY YEARS IN ONE CONDO: Now that Kennedy is town, he and Storm receiver Karl Williams will be roommates at Bay Isle Key, the team’s housing for the season. In that one residence, 20 years of NFL experience (11 for Kennedy and nine for Williams) will be housed.

FIRST ONE TO 60 WINS: With the advent of free substitution in the AFL, teams seem to need a lot more points to get a win these days.
“In this day and time, it looks like to me, you’re going to have to score over 60 every time,” Marcum said. “Just look at all the numbers out there.”
This week alone, San Jose beat Tampa Bay, 69-49; Chicago beat Los Angeles, 66-31; Philadelphia beat New York, 65-60; Dallas beat Austin, 68-64; Kansas City beat Arizona, 62-61; Columbus beat Georgia, 62-61.
“We’re going where you have to play an absolute perfect football game on offense and not lose one off the net,” Marcum continued. “You gotta protect the football and if you do that, people aren’t going to stop you.”
So how often does that perfect game come along?
“Evidently we haven’t got it this year,” Marcum said.

PRESSURE & A SIDE OF COVERAGE: Although the Storm made an effort to improve the quality of its defensive line by bringing in the likes of Tom Briggs, Mark Word and Tim McGill, the jury is still out on this one. On top of that, they’re now rushing against pure offensive linemen instead of converted defensive linemen.
Furthermore, the pressure from the defensive line affects the pass coverage and you have a defense that is primed to be scored upon.
“We got to find a way to get a better pass rush and better coverage. We got to do it,” Marcum said.
The coach plans on tweaking the secondary. Against San Jose, Jeroid Johnson, in his eighth season, was the senior-most DB on the field for Tampa Bay. Khalid Naziruddin, a rookie, was starting his second game in the AFL, while Byron Jones, who was signed last week from the Dallas practice squad, also a rookie, started his first.
“That’s a tough thing to put a new kid back there and you got one guy who has played one game, so he’s played his second game now,” Marcum said. “So that group’s gotta mature and they got to do it in a hurry.”

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

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In an attempt to help with the continued clean up efforts in the New Orleans area following the devastation brought on by flooding from Hurricane Katrina, the Storm (0-5) will host Building Industry Night.

The event will coincide with Saturday’s home game against the New Orleans VooDoo (3-2). A minimum of 25 percent of the proceeds will go to the New Orleans and Tampa chapters of Habitat for Humanity.

The New Orleans chapter of Habitat for Humanity is undertaking the task of building hundreds of homes in Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes.

For information on Building Industry Night, contact Mark Babiarz at (813) 301-6780.

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The devil must be wearing a parka right now.

The five-time world champion Tampa Bay Storm have started the season with as many loses as the franchise has championships. In the team’s history – dating back to 1987 when the franchise was the Pittsburgh Gladiators prior to being sold and relocated to Tampa bay – this 0-5 start takes the cake.

The losing streak, dating back to the 2006 season, is seven games.

Heading to San Jose early Friday morning, you have to think everyone on the coaching staff on down thought the
SaberCats were a vulnerable and beatable team. They entered the contest 1-2 and on a two-game losing streak. Even still, San Jose got a piece of the Storm in its 69-49 home opening victory.

I’m from northern California and that flight is a long one just after seeing family and friends. I can’t imagine being stuck on a plane for nearly eight hours after being worked over.

Talking to folks on the staff and in the front office, the frustration is apparent. How can you assemble a team with the level of experience this one has and can’t buy a victory?

Sure, the quarterback situation was so-so, but this is a league where the offense has a 30-yard start in a 100-yard foot race against the defense. Practically anyone with a healthy arm and a pension for avoiding mistakes could carry a squad to victory.

Take a look at the Georgia Force. The team is 4-1 and didn’t suffer its first loss until this weekend. Quarterback Chris Greisen, out of Northwest Missouri State, is in his third year in the league, yet he has been named offensive player of the month for March and has the Force at the top of the Southern Division.

The Chicago Rush are 4-1 and sit atop the Central Division with Matt D’Orazio at QB. He officially is in his fifth AFL season.

Here in Tampa Bay, John Kaleo is in his 14th season and Stoney Case, who got his first start in the AFL in Saturday’s loss to San Jose, is in his fourth season.

Then there’s the kicking situation, but it may be a bit polarized here seeing how head coach Tim Marcum goes through kickers like a fat kid through a box of cookies.

Seth Marler is the third – and best – kicker the team has had this season with his deep kicks off in the net and his consistency on extra points. He connected on all six attempts Saturday.

After a conversation with Storm PR guy Jim Robinson Thursday, we figured what the problem was. Most successful teams may have a game or two during the season when a call could go either way. It has nothing to do with a bias from the refs, it’s just something that happens. That break. Tampa Bay has gotten zero breaks this season. If there was a call to be made against them, it has happened.

Add to that the turnovers and you have a fine goulash for trouble. Tampa Bay’s offense has lost six fumbles and thrown seven interceptions, while the Storm defense has collected five interceptions and two fumble recoveries. That’s a minus-six rating, tying the team for 16th worse in the league with Grand Rapids (1-3) and Las Vegas (1-4).

The most telling stat is Tampa Bay is 18th in the league in points scored (43.0). The team behind them – New York (41.5) – is responsible for loss No. 4.

Stoney Case may have put it best Thursday after practice.

“Every week it’s almost always something different,” he said. “We may play a good half, but we’ve got to put it together and play well in all three phases and get it done and put two halves together and that’s really true for us. We haven’t done that yet. We’re a good football team. We’ve got a lot of talent and it will come around ...”

With all of this losing, there is one thing some folks have to look forward to. Lineman Thaddeus Bullard won a National Championship with the Gators in 1996. Clint Mitchell played for the Gators from 1999 to 2002 and Robinson is also a UF alum. It’s highly likely the trio will watch their alma mater attempt its second consecutive basketball championship and possibly make history as the lone school to win a football championship and basketball title in the same academic year.

Add Marcum to that list. He coached linebackers for the Gators in 1990.

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Tampa Bay added some girth to its offensive line after the Storm traded for former Oakland Raider Lincoln Kennedy Friday for future considerations.
Kennedy (6-foot-7, 350 pounds, Washington), who began the season on injured reserve with the Dallas Desperados after breaking a bone in his right hand, signed with Dallas in January after retiring from the NFL in 2003 after 11 seasons.

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TONIGHT’S GAME

WHO: Tampa Bay Storm (0-4) at San Jose SaberCats (1-2)

WHEN: 10:30 p.m.

RADIO: WDAE, 620 AM

NEED TO KNOW: Storm QB Stoney Case will get his first AFL start in his fourth season in the league. Last season he was a backup for the SaberCats. … Tampa Bay is the lone winless team in the AFL. … Since 2002, the Storm have faced the SaberCats seven times and have beaten them once. … After losing FB Rodney Filer to a broken leg and dislocated ankle, Tampa Bay elevated FB/LB Nyle Wiren from IR to share in the rushing duties with Torrance Marshall and Jarrod Penright. … Lawrence Samuels and T.T. Toliver are ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the AFL in receptions.

Eddie Daniels

 

By EDDIE DANIELS

The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - It doesn’t take long to figure out what Tampa Bay Storm quarterback Stoney Case is all about.

Once you get past his first name – he was named after Stoney Burke, a character in a 1962-63 western flick - you realize the former NFL passer is all about the competition.

“I feel like it’s about time,” he said laughing. “I feel like it’s been a long time coming, honestly. I’ve been waiting for it for 3 1/2 years now and finally I’ve got that opportunity. I’ve just been waiting for it and I’m ready for it.”

Tonight in San Jose against the SaberCats (1-2) Case will get his first start in the Arena Football League, after spending his first three years in the AFL as either a third stringer or a backup.

“I don’t play football to practice. I play it to play in games,” said Case, who was a third round selection by the Cardinals and also played for the Colts, Ravens and Lions. “When you don’t get to play, it’s frustrating sometimes. It’s just a change in mentality, I’m so competitive, it’ll be nice to get on the field and let that competitiveness out.”

Although matter-of-fact with his words, nothing is intended as negative or sulking. It’s really a byproduct of his upbringing in the sport. And if you know anything about the book, movie and now NBC television series Friday Night Lights, then you understand the foundation of that passion.

That book, penned by H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger, and ensuing movie, was based on the 1988 Odessa Permian football team during Case’s junior year, in which he was the backup to Mike Winchell.

Funny thing about that book, he isn’t shy about his feelings on it.

 

“I didn’t like the book at all. The book was very one sided,” Case said. “There’s two sides to every story and Buzz Bissinger basically misled Odessa, my high school, everybody. His original thing was it was going to be a positive book on how a football team could bring a community together and when he writes the book, it doesn’t come out like that and it was very one-sided in the negative sense because positive doesn’t sell. He had to create controversy to sell as many copies as he did. So therefore he left out the players’ side.”

The following season, Case took the Panthers to the Texas 5A championship and a 16-0 record. Subsequently, the team was given the No. 1 ranking in the nation.

Competition on the high school level was so heavy, Case admitted he likely played more important games in high school than he did during his college days at the University of New Mexico.

Case has a strong team oriented mentality, which he said was shaped from his Permian days. The best example of that came when he fell 2-yards and two touchdowns shy of the school’s then single season record in 1989. He didn’t find that out until a week after the season concluded.

“I didn’t keep track of stats, I could care less,” said Case, a six-year NFL veteran. “All I cared about was winning. My personal stats mattered not in the least.”

Case’s previous role in this league has given him the chance to soak up the game and its nuances without the physical beating a staring quarterback takes.

That sounds good, but he would rather touch his feet to the fire than study from a safe distance.

“There’s only so much you can learn without actually getting game time reps,” said Case, who started his AFL career in 2004 after a 2000 shoulder injury while playing for the Detroit Lions required surgery in 2001. “I’ve kind of done it from a coach’s perspective, where I can break down what they’re trying to do [in certain coverages] and I wasn’t having to learn on the fly and learn by mistakes. I’ve seen it all in practice for 3 ½ years in the Arena League, running the scout team, getting my backup reps and seeing so much Arena Football and so many plays. I’ve really gotten good at understanding what defenses are trying to do. At least I think I have.”

John Kaleo, the quarterback he supplanted as the starter, has faith in his abilities.

“I think Stoney will do a great job,” he said.

He’ll have to if Tampa Bay (0-4) wants to shake its dubious distinction as the only squad in the 19-team league to go winless thus far.

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

 

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Here is the Week 4 version of the Schutt Sports Top 12 Poll, voting on by members of the Arena Football Writers Association.

1.      Dallas Desperados 4-0 (23) 276
2.      Georgia Force 4-0 250
3.      Philadelphia Soul 3-0 230
4.      Chicago Rush 3-1 197
5.      Utah Blaze 3-1 189
6.      Los Angeles Avengers 2-1 137
T7.    Colorado Crush 2-2 112
T7.    Orlando Predators 2-2 112
9.      Nashville Kats 2-2 101
10.    New Orleans VooDoo 2-2 71
11.    San Jose SaberCats 1-2 67
12.    Columbus Destroyers 1-2 18
Others receiving votes: Kansas City Brigade 16, Arizona Rattlers 8, New York Dragons 6, Austin Wranglers 4.
Dropped out: Austin Wranglers (11).

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If you haven’t been able to get your fill of Arena Football, Sirius Satellite Radio will broadcast Friday’s Georgia Force/Columbus Destroyers matchup at 7 p.m. on channel 119 and on Sunday will air the Philadelphia Soul at New York Dragons contest at 1 p.m. on channel 143.
Sirius will also broadcast AFL playoff games and ArenaBowl XXI in New Orleans.

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By EDDIE DANIELS
The Tampa tribune

TAMPA – Entering this season, Tampa Bay Storm quarterback John Kaleo knew this would be it.
Once the 2007 Arena Football League season concluded, he would officially be an ex-footballer. No longer required to attend mini-camps, training camps, meetings or trudge out to a football field in pads under a blazing Florida sun.
That’s why Monday’s conversation with Storm coach and general manager Tim Marcum went as smoothly as it did.
Kaleo agreed that he should take a backup role with the team and no longer be the starter if that’s what it will take to move the team in a winning direction.
The fact that he has come to terms with this being his last season as a player made the decision easier.
“This is for sure my last season. I have a real bad, severe case of tendonitis in my throwing arm in my elbow and I’ve had it for a year and a half and it has hindered my performance,” Kaleo said. “I just physically can’t be consistent any more like I need to be at this level. I can do it once in a while still, just not on a consistent level. It happens to every professional athlete.”
The next stage comes in him giving his support to Stoney Case who will take over as the starter. Case is in his fourth season in the league and his second stint with the Storm (2004 and ’05). He spent last season with San Jose.
“I’m not going to be a fighter or another professional athlete that’s in denial,” Kaleo said. “I’m going to be a man of principal and let you know that it is what it is now. there’s nothing I can do to change Father Time.”

NOTHING NEW: The quarterback swap is not a new occurrence for Marcum. In 2004, he sat Shane Stafford for Pat O’Hara. In 2002 he sat Stafford for Scott Milanovich. Prior to that, Thad Busby was in favor of Kaleo in 2000 and in 1988, as coach of the Detroit Drive, Marcum sat Ron Adams down for Gilbert Renfro.

STAND AND FIGHT: Marcum made it clear where he stands and exactly where he expects his team to stand on the matter of its winless start.
“We got our choices,” he said. “We can put our head down and creep on through a miserable season and maybe not win a game; maybe win three or four games or we can stand and fight.”

KILLER QUARTER: The first seven times Tampa Bay touched the ball against the New York Dragons, they scored. Six times they got into the end zone and once was a field goal. But in the fourth quarter, in which the Dragons went on 21-0 run, Tampa Bay had four turnovers.
The Storm’s four possessions ended with a fumble, interception, turn over on downs and another interception. The best fourth quarter drive came on a possession that began in the third quarter. It ended when Kaleo sprinted 7-yards for the score.

AND AT FULLBACK…: If you think you saw it, you did. Lineman Rod Williams spent a good deal of the third quarter in the Storm backfield as a fullback. After Rodney Filer suffered a broken left ankle at the end of the second quarter, Williams was used as a backfield blocker, never carrying the ball. Those duties went to Jarrod Penright, who had three touches for minus 3 yards.
Filer had surgery Friday night to repair the break in his lower tibia and the following day was operated on again to ensure no infection set in. The injury definitely ends his season. As for his career, that is unknown.

STEEL GOING: Undoubtedly the heart and soul of the franchise, Lawrence Samuels caught 11 passes for 123 yards and one receiving score. He also returned an interception for a score. His performance catapulted him ahead of Darryl Hammond (804 receptions) for fifth place in the AFL. Samuels, the first player to earn ArenaBowl MVP and Ironman honors in the same championship game (XVII, 2003) now has 811 career receptions.
He also made his mark on defense, gathering in a Rohan Davey pass he tipped and returning it 7-yards for a score. On Tampa Bay’s second to last drive of the game – a nine-play ordeal, Samuels caught four passes for 37 yards, converting a fourth-and-10 on one of the receptions.

ROOKIE START: In Khalid Naziruddin’s inaugural start for the Storm, the rookie collected seven tackles and two pass breakups. Marcum was impressed with his play.
“I thought he played physical, had passes defended, tackled,” Marcum said. “He did most everything we asked him.”
That said, the coach went to detail two blown coverages by the defense and how the unit needed to make it harder on the opposing offense if they are to win.

LOST IN THE WASH: As Tampa Bay dropped to a new franchise low, lost in the historic collapse may have been the milestone reached by defensive lineman Tom Briggs. His final numbers included one tackle, a forced fumble, a pass breakup and most importantly a sack – his 44th career sack. That number elevates him as the sole owner of the No. 2 spot in career AFL sacks. He surpasses former Storm lineman Sylvester Bembery (43.0). Sam Hernandez is the sack leader with 59.

PREDS STRIKE AGAIN: A day after defensive back Lynarise Elpheage was released by the Storm, the Orlando Predators pick the DB up off waivers. Elpheage, in his third season, was the second on the team in tackles with 22.5.
Elpheage joins Stafford and Floyd Young as players who donned Tampa Bay Storm uniforms last season and are now on the Predators roster this season.

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And the saga continues. In this edition of the Storm soap opera, Tampa Bay’s starting QB John Kaleo gets cut.

Tampa Bay released Kaleo Monday and will start backup Stoney Case in his place against San Jose at San Jose Saturday night. Although a drastic move, the switch in passers is strictly a demotion for Kaleo. He is officially a free agent now due to his veteran status and isn’t required to sit on waivers for a certain amount of time before the Storm get another crack at him. Instead, Storm coach Tim Marcum expects to sign the 14-year vet with a re-structured contract, making him the backup.

Also cut were DB Lynarise Elpheage and receivers Huey Whittaker and Hank Edwards, moves all predicated upon the 0-4 start, the worst in franchise history.

In other moves, after Rodney Filer suffered a broken ankle, which he had surgery on Friday night and again on Saturday, he will be placed on injured reserve, which likely ends his season. Linebacker Nyle Wiren will come off IR. The team also claimed DB Byron Jones off of the Dallas Desperados practice squad.

Kaleo, who was traded from the Columbus Destroyers to the Storm for future considerations on Oct. 2, is in his second stint with Tampa Bay. The QB’s services became a must after former starter Shane Stafford accepted a deal with the Orlando Predators via free agency.

In Kaleo’s four starts, he has completed 101 of 154 passes for 1,121 yards, 13 touchdowns, six interceptions and a quarterback rating of 91.9. He is the AFL’s 17th ranked passer. He has also been sacked seven times, including a big sack late in Friday night’s 59-52 loss to the New York Dragons. Two plays later, the game’s final play, he was intercepted.

Case will get the next crack at steering the ship. Case is in his fourth season in the AFL. He spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons with the Storm and 2006 in San Jose. IN that time, Case has completed 5 of 8 passes for 41 yards and three touchdowns.

At New Mexico State (1991-94), Case was the first college QB to pass for more than 8,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a career. He finished his collegiate days with 9,460 passing yards and 1,191 yards and was a third round selection of the Arizona Cardinals in 1995. In all, Case played with the NFL’s Cardinals, Colts, Ravens and Lions.

Elpheage was in his third season with Tampa Bay. In those two seasons he collected 95 tackles four interceptions, broke up 19 passes, forced one fumble and recovered one fumble.

For more information on this development, pick up Tuesday’s Tampa Tribune and its award winning sports section.

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