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Camp Notes - Day Eight

March 23, 2010 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Tampa Bay Storm News Release


TAMP BAY - There wasn't a better way to welcome the legendary Arena Football League receiver/returner, Sedrick Robinson, back to the playing field on Tuesday morning at Skyway Park in Tampa, FL.

"Today, I thought we had our best practice in the 15 practices so far. We have been grinding it pretty good. Today was our best practice of camp," Head Coach Tim Marcum said.

Robinson, 35-years-old, is entering his ninth season in the league and his second with the Storm. This will be his last.

"In my last year, I want to be known as the guy that did it all. I want to win a championship. I came back this one more year to win a championship. Hopefully we can get it done," Robinson said.

When the Arena Football League suspended play for the 2009 season, Robinson was ready to call it quits. He moved back home to Kentucky, had his first son and watched him grow. Although the game was behind him, he didn't stay away from the gym. Comfortably back at home, Robinson watched headlines surface that the Arena Football League would be back for the 2010 season.

As Robinson sat in Kentucky content with retirement, the Tampa Bay Storm began training camp on March 14. On Sunday, however, Marcum put a call into Robinson after the first week of practice.

"Coach called and said he wanted to win a championship," Robinson explained.

Still in good shape, Robinson contemplated a return. On Tuesday, he was back on the practice field.

"It took me a minute to warm up," Robinson said. "It felt good. It felt good to get back out there, to run around and to catch a couple of balls."

In 2008, Robinson finished the season with the Storm with 67 returns for 1,199 yards and a touchdown. He also finished the year with 450 yards receiving and five receiving touchdowns. He stands first in the AFL with all-time kickoff return yards (10,069) and kickoff return touchdowns (29).

"The thing is the competition is still out there. Sedrick certainly knows the plays; it's just a matter of getting his game legs and getting himself in shape. You can run, run, run but you have to be in football shape. That's something that you need to do. Hank [Edwards] and Tyrone [Timmons] had good days today and so did [John] Roberson and [Reggie] Gray. The receiving corps is coming around a little bit," Marcum said.

With the addition of Robinson, Dietz has another veteran receiver that he has experience playing with.

"He is going to add some speed," Dietz said. "Some of the younger guys have speed but Sedrick has played the game before. He has played longer than all of us. He can teach all of us something and it's always good to have experience on the field and on the practice field. It's good to have competition out here. He always adds that X-factor where he can catch screens and return kicks. We have some young guys out here that can do that too but it's good to have more than one guy. Injuries do happen so it's good to have depth. That's what Marcum likes to have; he likes to be loaded. He definitely adds some experience."

Robinson is just one of four veterans on the Storm's roster at wide receiver. The move will certainly be beneficial for the rookies.

"If I can show the younger guys and give them advice on any questions that they have, that's what I want to do. I've played many different positions in this league. If I can help them off the net, if I can help them run a route differently, I'll do it. Those guys are the future of the league. Anything I can do to help them would be great," he said.

The Tampa Bay Storm will resume practice on Wednesday at 8:30am at Skyway Park in Tampa, FL.

Roster Moves

The Storm acquired veteran wide receiver DeAndrew Rubin (5-11, 180, South Florida) and rookie offensive lineman Greg Hammond (6-2, 338, Arizona Western).

Rubin enters his fourth season in the Arena Football League and has experience with the Orlando Predators and New Orleans VooDoo. Hammond started two games for the Arkansas Twisters (af2) in 2008.



Arena Football League Stories from March 23, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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