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The Storm coach says the QB has taken too many hits. Kaleo's teammates agree.
By JOHN C. COTEY
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 25, 2001
TAMPA -- A caller to Tim Marcum's radio show last week wanted to know: What's wrong with John Kaleo?
The caller is not alone. In the past two games, both Storm losses, Kaleo has thrown five interceptions, made bad decisions, looked flustered, lost his cool and been tackled on fourth-and-2 in overtime, leading to a loss to Arizona.
There have been overthrows, underthrows and forced throws. A taped-up thumb has led some to wonder if Kaleo's problems are physical. Marcum's answer, though, suggests that people aren't seeing the whole picture.
He asked the caller: If you went to work each day and were jumped by two guys and beaten up on the way in and out, would you do your job the same way?
And that, Marcum said, is what's wrong with John Kaleo.
Kaleo refused to be interviewed for this story, but his teammates reiterated what Marcum said: A lack of protection essentially has forced Kaleo into subpar performances.
"That's what's happening to Kaleo: He's getting beat up," offensive specialist James Bowden said. "He's taking a lot more hits than he did in the beginning of the season. He's not feeling comfortable in the pocket, and he's rushing some throws."
The Storm leads the league in fewest sacks allowed. Still, the offensive line has accepted most of the blame for Kaleo's struggles.
"There's a number of contributing factors, but the bottom line is we have to protect him," lineman Rod Williams said. "If we protect a little longer, it'll give John a little more time to make better decisions."
Some of Kaleo's bad decisions: an interception made by an Arizona defender without a receiver in sight; a pair of ill-timed deep balls picked off by Carolina, and repeated forced throws to Bowden, particularly in a loss to Orlando.
Kaleo ripped officials after the Orlando game June 10, saying they allowed defensive backs to hold Bowden, thus resulting in three interceptions. But at least two of Kaleo's throws were into double coverage.
Coach and quarterback denied Kaleo was forcing the ball to his favorite receiver. Bowden said there was a concerted effort against Arizona on June 15 to find other players early in the game. After Bowden was injured in that game, Kaleo had no choice.
"I subconsciously thought he could spread the ball around a little bit more," said receiver Bernard Edwards, whose statistics had steadily decreased until Bowden's injury. "It can get boring at times. But that happens. We're all human, and we don't do everything that's expected of us all the time. He's doing a good job."
Kaleo was near-perfect as the Storm opened with seven straight wins. But in the five games before his DUI arrest on May 22, the Storm was unbeaten and Kaleo had no interceptions; in the four games since, the Storm has lost twice and Kaleo has thrown eight interceptions. He also has a 74.0 and 77.8 passer rating his past two games, his lowest of the season.
The numbers suggest a different quarterback, though teammates deny that is the case.
"Most people are going to blame the quarterback if you're not winning, but while the quarterback is a big part, he's not the only part," lineman Willie Wyatt said. "It's a collective thing."
"It's unfair (to compare pre and post-DUI numbers)," Williams said. "I'm sure he's thinking about it a little bit, but him being a professional and in the league that long, he knows he has to take the criticism. He's still positive, still the same quarterback; just some bad things happened."
Marcum says he hasn't noticed a change. Bowden agrees.
"He still walks that same cocky walk and still talks the same junk he normally talks," he said.
Marcum still thinks Kaleo, who has been with seven teams in eight years, is the quarterback to lead the Storm to the ArenaBowl.
"When things were all going good and we were 7-0, I said what we were doing is protecting him, running the right routes, and he was getting the ball to the guys," Marcum said. "Now we're not protecting him. When we protect him and we run good routes, he will get the ball to the receiver.
"He's only going to be as good as us, and were only going to be as good as he is."
WHEN/WHERE: 7:30; National Car Rental Center, Sunrise.
TV/RADIO: Sunshine; WDAE-AM 620.
RECORDS: Storm 7-2; Florida 4-5.
COACHES: Tampa Bay -- Tim Marcum (133-39, 13th season). Florida -- Dave Ewart (19-27, fourth season).
SERIES: Storm leads 15-1.
OUTLOOK: Tonight's opponent, as the Bobcats or before that the Miami Hooters, has been a favorite whipping boy of the Storm since 1994 and perhaps the perfect antidote for Tampa Bay's two-game losing streak. In the 11 meetings since the team became the Bobcats, the Storm has won 10 and Florida has scored more than 35 points just twice. Florida beat Tampa Bay for the first time last year, but the Storm has scored 140 points the past two meetings and is favored by eight. Tonight's game was scheduled for Saturday but was moved when the arena agreed to host the NHL draft. The Storm is 5-0 on Monday nights, including 1996's ArenaBowl win. The Storm will be without injured lineman Pig Goff and defensive specialist Jamie Coleman (who was going to be suspended before Marcum had a change of heart). Offensive specialist James Bowden, who has a bruised sternum, will be a game-time decision. The Storm needs to win to keep pace with Grand Rapids (8-2) for the league's best record. -- Compiled by John C. Cotey.