Sports

Storm

Its streak ended, Storm is in unfamiliar territory

Tampa Bay will miss the AFL playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons.

By FRANK PASTOR
Published May 13, 2006

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Every game was a must-win.

As the Storm prepared for the final six weeks of the season, the team knew it couldn't afford a misstep and keep its playoff streak intact.

"There was no question," veteran lineman Nyle Wiren said. "We practiced and we played knowing we were going to win. There was no other option for us. You didn't even mention losing at that point. It seemed ludicrous, like a joke."

No one's laughing now.

Unlike that 2004 season, when it won its final six games to make the playoffs, the Storm (7-8) has dropped four of five entering tonight's season finale at Nashville. For the first time in its 16 seasons, Tampa Bay and coach Tim Marcum (whose personal streak of 17 playoff seasons included stints in Denver and Detroit) will be on the outside looking in.

Marcum, whose only goal at the start of each season is to win a championship, doesn't look back at the streak with any trace of nostalgia.

"Right now, it's hard to appreciate anything when it comes to football," he said. "If appreciation means do I have a good feeling about what happened in the past, certainly. But does it make a bit of difference right now the way I feel? Absolutely not."

In the Arena Football League's 20-year history, only the Orlando Predators, who clinched their 15th straight playoff berth this season, have matched the Storm's record run.

Tampa Bay made the playoffs every season from the time Bob Gries moved the Pittsburgh Gladiators to St. Petersburg in 1991.

It reached the ArenaBowl six times, winning in '91, '93, '95, '96 and 2003.

"The tradition that has gone on around here is incredible," 13th-year receiver/linebacker Lawrence Samuels said. "There were a lot of great players (who came) through this organization, and the mood of the team is like we kind of let everybody else down."

The Storm made the playoffs with winning and losing records, as the top and lowest seed, under various qualifying formats. It advanced under two different owners (Gries and Peter C. "Woody" Kern), three coaches (Fran Curci, Lary Kuharich and Marcum) and numerous league changes, including free agency, the salary cap and expansion.

"There's not one thing you can really point to and say, "This is why we were so great,' " said Orlando coach and former Storm quarterback Jay Gruden. "We were great because we had quality ownership, a great fan base and players who wanted to play."

The playoffs became such a habit for the Storm, it was easy to take the streak for granted. Even when the odds seemed stacked against the team, like when it started 4-5 in 1997 or 3-7 in '04, it found a way.

But that doesn't mean it has always been easy.

"Every year, it was hard," said former offensive specialist George LaFrance, who played with the Storm from 1994-99. "That was the thing. Every single year, it was hard."

What made this year different from the others?

A lack of experience, which put the team behind during camp and made it difficult to overcome injuries, veteran players say. When the Storm won the ArenaBowl in 2003, it had the oldest roster in the league. But the team lost six starters to free agency after the season and more in subsequent years.

Experience brought camaraderie, consistency and trust, which were crucial in late-game situations.

"That helps in those fourth-and-2s when the game's on the line, and also just maturity," said Wiren, who is in his ninth season. "Guys being older, they're more mature and handle things a certain way and there's less distractions."

No doubt, distractions played a role in the streak's demise.

Marcum was suspended the first two games of the season for salary-cap violations and an additional game for violating the terms of the suspension by attending practices. Receiver/linebacker Bobby Sippio, the team's biggest offseason acquisition, was waived after publicly criticizing the team's play-calling. Offensive specialist Demetris Bendross was told he was fired after a heated locker-room exchange with Marcum, then brought back a day later.

To reassert its dominance, the Storm will need more experienced players, Samuels said.

"Usually, we had teams around here where our practice squad could match up against any team in the league," Samuels said. "I've been on the practice squad before, and when I first started we all came in and we learned the system and we never missed a beat if somebody got injured.

"But (this season), you found yourself teaching guys throughout the whole week just to get ready for a ballgame, and when they've never experienced a live ballgame, it's tough."

Before it can move forward, the Storm might have to take a step back. Only about a half-dozen players are under contract for next season, and Samuels, quarterback Shane Stafford, defensive specialist Jonathan Ordway and receiver/defensive back Lynaris Elpheage are among those eligible for free agency.

Wiren, 33, who has battled shoulder, neck and ankle injuries, said he is considering retirement.

Even when it offered smaller base salaries, the Storm could attract free agents in past seasons with the lure of playoff checks. Players on winning teams typically receive $1,800 for the first round (losing teams receive $1,700) and more for subsequent rounds.

"That's part of Marcum's negotiating," Wiren said. "When he negotiates with guys, (he says), "Look, we go to the playoffs every year, that's extra money.' "

Not this year.

[Last modified May 13, 2006, 02:30:25]

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