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Injuries and turnovers are among the reasons why Tampa Bay is 4-8. Yet it still can make the Arena Football League playoffs.
By FRANK PASTOR
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 13, 2002
The Storm got off to its worst start and has set a franchise record for losses in a season.
It has lost five starters to season-ending injuries, including two defensive specialists during the same game.
The man it introduced as its new owner has not come up with the money to buy the team.
Even its mascot is missing his costume.
Anything that could go wrong seemingly has.
And yet, entering tonight's game at Detroit, the Storm (4-8) is in playoff contention.
"If we go 6-8, I think we have a good shot at getting in," quarterback Shane Stafford said.
But four-time ArenaBowl champion Tampa Bay isn't accustomed to losing records or sneaking into the playoffs.
"That's not our standard," coach Tim Marcum said. "The worst record we've ever had around here was 9-7. We've won four championships in the '90s, and in the 14 years I've been in this league, I played in nine championship games and won six of them."
How did the league's most successful franchise, one boasting a Hall of Fame coach, veteran staff and some of the top players in league history (Lawrence Samuels, Calvin Schexnayder, Alvin Ashley and Mike Black) fall so far so fast?
Injuries: Five starters (offensive specialist Freddie Solomon, quarterback John Kaleo, defensive specialists Corey Sawyer and Melvin Cunningham and offensive/defensive lineman Torry Epps) were lost for the season, and several others have missed a game or more. Injuries forced some to play out of position and others to bounce between spots. "With the talent that we have had here and if everybody was still here and playing, we would have a doggone good football team," Marcum said.
Turnovers: The Storm's minus-7 margin is tied for 12th among 16 teams. Fumbles near the goal line cost it at least four touchdowns. The team has forced 18 turnovers, 1.5 per game. In a game with few defensive stops, even a single turnover can cost a team a game.
Player movement: Personnel moves are common in the Arena League, but the Storm has made an uncharacteristically high amount because of injuries and poor performance. Entering the Orlando game Sunday, 38 players had played at least one game. Though most teams run similar plays, terminology can differ and players say it takes a few games to develop chemistry with new teammates, particularly in the secondary.
Weakness up front: The Storm has been manhandled on the line of scrimmage, allowing 19 sacks (only two teams have allowed more) while recording just seven (13th). Kaleo and Scott Milanovich were injured while being sacked, and Orlando coach Fran Papasedero called the pressure the Predators put on Stafford the key to Sunday's victory.
Parity: When Arena players were awarded free agency in December 2000, it made it more difficult for one or two teams (i.e., Tampa Bay and Orlando) to dominate. Like the Storm, the Predators stumbled out of the gate (1-4) before winning five of seven.
Still, things aren't as bad as they might seem.
The Storm has been outscored by an average of just five points (51-46). With the exception of a 22-point loss to New Jersey, it has not lost by more than two touchdowns this season.
It come close to spoiling San Jose's unbeaten season in a 61-54 loss. The score was tied with Tampa Bay driving when Bob McMillen returned a Stafford interception 46 yards for the winning score with 34 seconds left.
And with 12 teams making the playoffs -- the result of contraction after last season and expected expansion during the next few seasons -- the Storm has a chance to extend its record 11-season playoff streak.
"This team has too much talent," said Ashley, an offensive specialist. "We've just got to put it all together."
So how does the Storm save its season?
With victories over Detroit (1-11) and Georgia (5-7) and help from some other teams, Tampa Bay can create a tiebreaker scenario that would put it in the playoffs.
The chances are good. Detroit has lost nine consecutive games, and Tampa Bay won at Georgia earlier this season.
Of the teams ahead of it, the Storm holds the tiebreaker over Indiana and Georgia based on head-to-head competition.
Injuries to Milanovich (shoulder), Schexnayder (ankle) and defensive specialist Keita Crespina (knee) complicate matters, but they are nothing new.
"There's no looking back," Marcum said. "It's looking forward. It's about what's going to happen from now on."