The Storm stalwart, at first just a linebacker, grasps the two-way game.
By FRANK PASTOR
Published March 21, 2004
It is one of Storm coach Tim Marcum's favorite sayings: "Be the hammer, not the nail."
But larger jobs require more powerful tools, and David White more closely resembled a sledgehammer last week against New York.
With the Storm down 20 and needing a spark in the second quarter of a 40-35 loss, the 6-foot-3, 260-pound fullback flattened defensive specialist Corey Johnson at the goal line, then lunged into the end zone on a 3-yard touchdown.
Just like that, energy returned to the St. Pete Times Forum.
"No question, it was a heck of a lift," Marcum said. " ... We needed a play, and David made one."
The defending champion Storm (2-4) hasn't made enough this season, which is why it has as many losses through six weeks as all of last year. So, as it looks to end a stretch of four losses in five games today at Carolina (2-4), it will need White to keep hammering away.
"That's eating at all of the guys, and the main thing is to keep grinding, no matter how bad or good it gets," White said. "It's Arena football. We go on a 10-0 roll, we have the same record we had last year. The optimism is there, the enthusiasm is there. The main thing is to keep grinding and just try to get better."
For White, 34, it is a never-ending quest. The Storm's leading rusher with 58 yards and four touchdowns, he approaches each game hoping to make it the best of his career. His task is complicated by playing one of the most challenging positions on the field. In a quarterback-driven league, the fullback is the bodyguard charged with protecting his team's most important player.
"If we miss a block, the quarterback gets hit, that's the bottom line," White said. "Most of the time, at least here in Tampa, it's usually the fullback/linebacker on the best pass rusher on the opposing team, so if we have a bad game, chances are we're going to lose."
The Storm has some of the league's best fullback/linebackers in White, Basil Proctor and Andre Bowden, who have 22 seasons among them. All three would prefer to play more but White said the competition makes them better.
"The good thing about it is, it's not a jealousy thing," White said. "It's still competition, don't get me wrong, but it's not a jealousy thing. With the three of us, the one thing we do have is good chemistry."
An undrafted free agent out of Nebraska, White spent three seasons with the Buffalo Bills before his NFL career was cut short by a groin injury. But he collected his share of memories, intercepting a Dan Marino pass to clinch an AFC East title and returning a fumble for a touchdown in a victory over the Bengals that ESPN Classic occasionally replays.
A linebacker by trade, White had to learn to play fullback when he signed with the Arena league's Buffalo Destroyers in 1999. He credits former Destroyers and Storm fullback/linebacker Tony Jones with teaching him the nuances of the position.
Coincidentally, White's TD against New York was his 18th with Tampa Bay, tying Jones for fourth on the team's all-time list.
Off the field, White owns and operates White's Walking Staffs, a Buffalo-based business that imports African art from Nigeria. White once received a staff as a gift from his father, a chemical engineer who lived in Nigeria, and a business evolved after White saw the interest it generated. He plans to stay involved with the business when his playing days end.
"Will it be my sole bread and butter? I don't know," White said. "I'm still trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up."
SATURDAY'S GAMES: Former Florida State quarterback Adrian McPherson threw four touchdowns and ran for three more to lead host Indiana to a 73-36 victory over Georgia. McPherson was 16-of-28 for 181 yards for the Firebirds. Markeith Cooper had six catches for 63 yards and two TDs. Aaron Garcia threw seven touchdowns in New York's 62-41 victory over Columbus. The game drew 12,289, the largest home crowd in Dragons history.
- Times wires
TODAY: STORM AT CAROLINA
WHEN/WHERE: 3; Charlotte (N.C.) Coliseum. RADIO: WHNZ-AM 1250. RECORDS: Storm 2-4, Cobras 2-4. COACHES: Storm - Tim Marcum (160-59, 16th season); Cobras - John Gregory (72-54, ninth season). THE SERIES: Tampa Bay leads 5-2.
NOTES: The Storm seeks its second win in six weeks and first on the road against a squad that has lost four in a row after a 2-0 start and 15 consecutive at home. The Cobras rank last in the league in total defense, allowing 283.8 yards a game. Tampa Bay is third (227.2). The Storm ranks 17th in the 19-team league in red zone offense, scoring at 60.6 percent efficiency. Gregory replaces Eddie Khayat, fired after last week's 77-52 loss to Dallas. Storm offensive/defensive lineman Kelvin Kinney returns after being limited to two starts by a groin injury. Wide receiver/defensive back Carlos James was activated from injured reserve. Offensive specialist Freddie Solomon (shoulder), whose 17 touchdown catches lead the league, is questionable. Lineman Nyle Wiren (shoulder) and receiver/linebacker David Saunders (ribs) are out.
