Tramain Jones took a chance - two, actually - and the Storm won in an unexpected way Sunday.
Conventional thinking was Tampa Bay could not survive a shootout with quick-scoring Los Angeles. Better to control the clock and keep the Avengers' offense off the field.
But the Storm beat the Avengers at their game, largely because Jones caught two Tony Graziani passes intended for receivers he wasn't supposed to be covering.
The fifth-year defensive specialist twice left his receiver to help Jonathan Ordway on deeper routes, and the result was a pair of momentum-changing interceptions that keyed Tampa Bay's 63-55 victory.
"That's something we practice every day, me playing fieldside corner, helping out my middle guy because he's left on an island half the time," Jones said. "If I can help him out any way possible, get in the quarterback's eyes or maybe (make him) throw a high ball or a shorter ball, I'm all for it."
Both of Jones' interceptions offset big plays for Los Angeles.
After the Avengers made a recovery off the net in the third quarter, Jones intercepted a pass for Chris Jackson in the corner of the end zone to preserve the Storm's 42-41 lead. Then, after L.A. recovered an onside kick, Jones intercepted Graziani with 59 seconds left to keep Tampa Bay ahead 56-55.
"Tramain had great instincts," Storm coach Tim Marcum said. "We were in man coverage both of those. He just broke on the ball off of his man and got the football."
Graziani, intercepted twice in 387 attempts entering the game, said Jones faked toward the slot, then came back for the ball on the second interception.
"I just had two bad reads, and No.5 (Jones) made two good plays," Graziani said. "You've got to give him credit. He made the plays and I didn't."
RIDING HIGH: After its fourth consecutive win, Tampa Bay (7-7) enters its bye week tied with Indiana (7-7) for 10th place in the league, a half game behind Orlando (7-6) and L.A. (7-6) for the final playoff berth.
The Storm holds the tiebreaker over the Predators and Avengers in the event of a two- or three-team tie and has a head-to-head advantage over the Firebirds.
Furthermore, Tampa Bay's final two opponents are struggling. New Orleans (9-4) has lost two in a row and three of five, while Dallas (6-7) has dropped four straight.
"We believe that we can make the playoffs," Marcum said. "Right now, we're a team that hopefully will be reckoned with."
ALL-TIME HIGH: The league set a regular-season record with a total attendance of 1,510,768 through 14 weeks. It broke the mark of 1,458,830 set last season. With three weeks remaining, the league is on pace to draw 1,837,090 fans, a projected increase of 26 percent.
The Storm reported total attendance of 97,542 for seven home games, an average of 13,935. It is on pace to break its St. Pete Times Forum record of 111,659 in 2001. The team's all-time mark of 122,814 was set at the Thunderdome in 1993.
AREA OF CONCERN: Tampa Bay was susceptible to kickoff returns up the middle, allowing 260 yards on nine returns, including Henry Douglas' 58-yarder for a touchdown.
"Nobody's there to cover," Marcum said. "We've got to correct that. It's not necessarily effort. I think it's X's and O's. We're just not executing the lanes and doing what we're supposed to do."
SURGING FORWARD: The Storm Surge Fan Appreciation Awards Banquet will be at 7:30 p.m. May 21 at the Tampa Cruis-A-Cade Club at 700 W. Ross Ave. in Tampa. Cost is $30 per person, $35 for non-members and $40 at the door. Dinner is included. For details, call Will Hudson at 813 631-0410, e-mail willhud@tampabay.rr.com or visit www.stormfanclub.com
