With its playoff hopes fading, Tampa Bay turns to its offensive specialist.
By FRANK PASTOR
Published April 4, 2004
TAMPA - Storm coach Tim Marcum likes offensive specialist Freddie Solomon's chances against any defensive back in the league.
It's a good thing, because today Solomon faces one of the best.
He will be matched against former Storm defensive specialist Omarr Smith, runnerup for defensive player of the year last season, when Tampa Bay (3-5) hosts league-leading San Jose (6-1) at the St. Pete Times Forum.
"Line Freddie up against Omarr, Freddie up against our best guy, Freddie up against anybody, it's tough," Marcum said. "If a (quarterback's) got plenty of time, it's tough to cover those guys, those great receivers."
Its playoff prospects fading fast, the Storm desperately needs a win as it tries to extend its streak of 13 consecutive appearances. And who better to turn to than Solomon, who is anxious to regain the league scoring lead after losing it for the first time this season?
Though he missed one game, Solomon leads the Storm with 20 touchdowns, including 18 scoring catches. His 40 receptions and 486 yards are second to Lawrence Samuels.
"From here on out, they're all "do' games to me," said Solomon, whose 120 points are eight fewer than league leader Marcus Nash of Las Vegas. "We've got a team coming in that is one of the best teams in the league right now, and I think it's going to be a big matchup and a big day for everybody. It's definitely a "do' game for us."
The Storm likely must go 6-2 in its final games to make the playoffs, so each is equally important. But Solomon packs an extra ounce of adrenaline for opponents such as San Jose, the 2002 ArenaBowl champion, and Smith.
"The more you guys hype the matchups, the more I get hyped," he said. "It kind of gets me in a game-type mind-frame all week long, so it definitely gets me ready to play."
After facing him regularly in practice last season, Solomon, 5 feet 11, 185 pounds, said he knows what to expect from Smith, who is 5-10. "I know I'm going to have to catch a lot of things in front of him, a lot of flat balls," Solomon said. "He plays kind of high, and in the red zone I know I'm going to have to buckle down and try to run my routes kind of precise a little more. He really squats down in the red zone, and he does this little holding and grabbing. He's real good at that."
Solomon, 31, reached the 2,000-yard mark sooner than any Storm receiver other than Stevie Thomas when he caught four passes for 65 yards during last week's 53-24 victory at Georgia, his 23rd career game.
He said he is fueled by Marcum's confidence in him and his own desire to be recognized as a top receiver in the league.
"I work hard, and that makes me feel real good coming from Coach Marcum knowing what kind of guy he is and how hard he is on certain people," Solomon said. "But just to hear that gives me more confidence, makes me want to make more plays and makes me want to go out and do the things I know how to do and, hopefully, people will recognize that I am one of the top receivers in the league."
Solomon also should benefit from a healing right shoulder. Overcompensating for a slightly separated left shoulder he suffered Feb. 8 against Orlando, he bruised the AC joint in his right shoulder the following week.
Solomon played with the injured shoulder for three weeks without telling anyone before the pain became too difficult to bear. He sat out a 54-43 loss March 21 at Carolina before returning for last week's victory at Georgia, catching one touchdown pass.
"It's getting better," Solomon said. "My play, the way I'm running my routes now, everything is coming back to normal. I'm just getting my mind-frame to, "I'm back to normal. I can play. I'm not injured.' So, that's a good thing for me right now."
