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FRANK PASTORDefending ArenaBowl champ has talent but needs to find chemistry to pull out the big wins.
TAMPA - Basil Proctor wants to know about the new guys.
When he was in the huddle last season, the Storm fullback/linebacker looked into wide receiver Lawrence Samuels' eyes and sensed Samuels would dive into the third row of the stands if he needed to catch a pass.
When a game was on the line, Proctor knew if he held a block for three or four seconds, offensive specialist Freddie Solomon would get open and quarterback John Kaleo would get him the ball.
When he looks into the huddle this season, which he says will be his last, Proctor will be surrounded by former NFL players Shawn King and Antonio Langham and Arena veterans Carlos James and Del Lee, players with proficiency and pedigree.
But can he trust them with a championship at stake?
"Sometimes I catch myself looking at them and going, "Is he going to be able to carry that torch that was left by Corey Sawyer or Omarr Smith and those guys that raised it to here, and that's the ArenaBowl? Can you perform to that level?"' Proctor said. "The biggest stage of them all other than the Super Bowl is the ArenaBowl. It's hard to come in under that."
The Storm begins defense of its fifth championship Sunday against Orlando at the St. Pete Times Forum (3 p.m., Ch.8) with 11 players gone from last season's ArenaBowl roster.
Their replacements look good on paper. But Tampa Bay's chances of repeating depend largely on how well they produce when games are on the line.
"I think it's a different team, but I think we have a lot of talent," said Samuels, MVP and Ironman of ArenaBowl XVII. "I think we've probably upgraded in a lot of spots. You'll probably see some of the same big plays from our team but different names."
Free agency hit the Storm hard.
Smith, a defensive player of the year finalist last season, returned to San Jose. All-Arena second team lineman B.J. Cohen signed with New Orleans, All-Rookie lineman Al Lucas with Los Angeles. Kaleo and lineman Eric Thomas left for Austin. Sawyer, a defensive specialist, found more money in Chicago.
Linemen Sai Poulivaati and Troy Wilson retired. Receiver/linebacker Gary Compton and receiver/defensive back Keita Crespina were dealt to Philadelphia. Kicker Kenny Stucker was not re-signed.
Cohen, Kaleo and Lucas each signed for more than $100,000, numbers the Storm could not match.
"I just don't choose to do my business that way," Storm coach Tim Marcum said. "We want everybody to make a good living, so we've got it scattered from $30,000-$56,000."
The Storm handed the offensive reins to 2002 starter Shane Stafford, who played in NFL Europe last season. The receiving corps of Samuels, Solomon, T.T. Toliver, David Saunders and Clif Dell returns intact, as does the fullback/linebacker platoon of David White, Proctor and Andre Bowden.
Among the newcomers, defensive backs Langham, James, Lee and Shea Showers and linemen King and Emil Ekiyor are expected to have the biggest effect, though King, James and Langham will start the season on injured reserve.
All in all, Marcum said he was pleased with the Storm's ability to fill its needs.
"I like it as best as I can tell without being Nostradamus," Marcum said. "I like the way they're working and pitching and catching the ball, and I think we're going to have a tremendous pass rush. I think that equates to a pretty tremendous football team. But anything can happen."
Just ask the Bucs, who went from Super Bowl champions to also-rans in the span of a year.
So many new faces could be the Storm's best defense against complacency. Stafford watched last season's ArenaBowl from the seats, and players such as Langham, who played on Alabama's 1992 national championship squad, are hungry for their first professional title.
"Every athlete wants to win whatever championship on whatever level he's associated with," said Langham, the Browns' first-round pick in the 1994 NFL draft. "I'm like, "Hey, they're used to winning championships here, I want to win a championship in the Arena League, so what better place to be at than here?"'
Winning it all will be more difficult than last season. The league added three teams, swelling its ranks to 19, and reduced the number of playoff spots from 12 to eight.
"It's really going to be crucial for a team to get off to a good start this year," Samuels said. "Because when it comes down to the end, you really don't want to go through the tiebreakers and different things it takes to get into the playoffs."
With so little margin for error, it is incumbent on the new players to contribute immediately, Proctor said.
"I don't care if you've been in the Arena League, NFL Europe or the NFL," Proctor said. "We don't care where you come from. It's about right here, right now. Can you do it on this stage?"