Arena League

Toliver back on track after knee injury

By FRANK PASTOR
Published March 13, 2005

TAMPA - Storm receiver/defensive back T.T. Toliver wasn't taking "No" for an answer.

If he was going to get back on the field little more than a month after a knee injury, Toliver told coach Tim Marcum before last Sunday's game against Grand Rapids, he was going to have to return kickoffs.

"I was hearing he wasn't going to let me take it off the nets," Toliver said. "I said, "Man, in order for me to get on this field, I've got to do it.' I thought maybe if I do it and just get those fears out of the way, it will be a lot better."

Six weeks after tearing the medial collateral ligament in his right knee while returning the opening kickoff during a scrimmage against Orlando, Toliver looked like his old self, catching a 5-yard touchdown pass and returning a missed field goal 53 yards for another score.

He was one of four starters who returned for a 70-50 victory that put the Storm at 3-2 entering today's game against Arizona (1-5).

"I told the guys, "Just because I'm hurt, the train doesn't stop. I might have missed the train for four or five weeks, but you best believe when that sixth week comes around, I'm going to catch it,' " Toliver said. "I was telling the guys, "Just keep the train moving.' "

With Toliver, 28, back at his spot on the wing and offensive specialist Freddie Solomon back in the middle, the Storm's season appears back on track.

After filling in at offensive specialist, Clif Dell returned to his natural wing position and David Saunders went back to the flanker spot he shares with Lawrence Samuels. Furthermore, Toliver's ability to play offense, defense and special teams allowed the Storm to substitute less frequently.

"Here's a guy who really accounts for two guys," quarterback Shane Stafford said. "He can run all day, he's young, he's energetic and he's a great playmaker. He's just an unbelieveable athlete, so to have him out there, it really takes a lot of stress off how you're going to substitute guys."

The knee injury was especially disappointing for Toliver because he worked hard in the offseason to improve upon his All-Arena performance from a year ago, when he scored 18 touchdowns and led the Storm with 2,095 all-purpose yards. He resumed weightlifting one day after a playoff loss to San Jose on June 5 and caught passes with Saunders, Solomon, Samuels and Stafford about a month later.

"What drove me was that everybody was coming back, and we have a good chance of winning the ArenaBowl," Toliver said. "Any time you've got a good group of guys, you feel that with the hard work you do you can compete with anybody, and that's something I feel we can do."

Toliver rehabilitated the knee by backpedaling and shuffling in a pool at Morton Plant Hospital until he was able to duplicate those movements outside. He tried running and cutting on the turf during the Storm's bye week, the week of Feb. 18, and steadily improved until his return to the field last Sunday.

Toliver got involved early, taking the opening kickoff 5 yards deep in the end zone and returning it 18 yards to the Storm 13.

"I was kind of hesitant, but once I cut and then ran I didn't feel any pain," Toliver said. "I was like, "Okay, it's ready to go from here.' "

Stafford found Toliver for a 6-yard gain on the opening play and threw in his direction three more times on the drive, including a 5-yard touchdown for which Toliver reached over the boards for the ball while getting a foot down inbounds.

But the highlight was Toliver's missed field-goal return. He caught the ball short of the net, walked out of the end zone, made a series of dizzying moves to get past a wave of tacklers and accelerated downfield.

"I don't understand how he does it without tearing everything up," Stafford said. "My knees would be shot. That's ridiculous how he just stops and goes. ... It's impressive. What he does, you can't coach that stuff."

[Last modified March 13, 2005, 00:23:15]