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Storm open training camp Sunday, February 11

February 6, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Tampa Bay Storm News Release


TAMPA BAY - The five-time world champion Tampa Bay Storm announced the start of the 2007 season, presented by Champs Sports, Where Sports Lives, as Head Coach and General Manager Tim Marcum welcomes the arrival of 37 players.

The players will participate in a three-day mini-camp from February 7-9. They will then have a day off before training camp starts on Sunday, February 11. The Storm will host a scrimmage with the Orlando Predators Friday, February 16 at 7 p.m. on Bill Currie Ford Field at the St. Pete Times Forum. The schedules for mini-camp and training camp are:

Mini-Camp: Wednesday, Feb. 7 - Friday, Feb. 9

8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.: Meetings

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Practice

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Meetings

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.: Practice

Training Camp - First Week

Sunday, Feb. 11 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.: Practice 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Practice

Monday, Feb. 12 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Practice 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.: Practice

Tuesday, Feb. 13 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Practice 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.: Practice

Wednesday, Feb. 14 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.: Practice 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Practice

Thursday, Feb. 15 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Practice 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.: Practice

Friday, Feb. 16 7:00 p.m.: Orlando Predator vs. Tampa Bay Storm Scrimmage

Saturday, Feb. 17 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Practice 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.: Practice

Practices session will be held on the Plaza at St. Pete Times Forum and Brandon Bronco Field at JC Handley Park located at 4103 South Kings Avenue in Brandon. Please call 813.276.7300 or 727.481.7817 to confirm the location of practice.

Training Camp concludes on Friday, February 23, as the team must submit its 24-man regular season roster to the AFL League Office on Saturday, February 24.

Pre Season Preview

The AFL's most storied franchise, the Tampa Bay Storm, is set to right their ship and return to the playoffs for the 16th time in 17 seasons. Coming off a down year in 2006, the 2007 team will have a new look as the Storm return only 11 players from last season's Roster.

Key Departures:

On defense; DB Jonathan Ordway, DB Tramain Jones, DL Ricky Hall, DL Aaron Hunt, DB Jeff Sanchez, DL Buck Gurley, DL Steve White, DB Floyd Young, DB Alphonso Roundtree and DL Greg Taplin.

On offense, QB Shane Stafford, QB Pat O'Hara, FB Umar Muhammad, WR Ronney Daniels, C Mondre Dickerson, WR Freddie Solomon, OL Craig Moore, OL Kevin Dogins and OL Mike Lawson

Key Acquisitions:

On defense; DB Jeroid Johnson, LB Torrance Marshall, DB Ronald 'Bo' Rogers, DB Clarence LeBlanc, DL Clint Mitchell, DL Marcus Owen, DL Mark Word, DL Tom Briggs, DL Roderkus Wright and DB Khalid Naziruddin.

On offense; WR Barry Wagner, QB John Kaleo, WR Terrill Shaw, QB B.J. Symons, WR Hank Edwards, WR T.T. Toliver, WR P.J Winston, FB Leroy Thompson, FB Rodney Filer, OL Tom Kaleita, WR John Capel, QB Stoney Case, WR Karl Williams, OL Dwayne Morgan.

AFL Hall-of-Fame Head Coach and General Manager Tim Marcum was very active in the off-season collecting a mixture of veteran experience and youthful invigoration. He wasted no time building a strong collection of skill players. He brought in veteran leadership with John Kaleo and Stoney Case at the quarterback position along with the young arm of B.J. Symons.

At the wide receiver position Tampa Bay may have the largest collection of talent in Arena Football. The battle during training camp for a roster spot at this position will be fierce. Other AFL teams will wait in the wings to come in and scoop up whoever does not make the 24-man roster.

With the 2007 rule change to substitution the team went out and signed true offensive and defensive lineman to man the trenches. However, they will still have to be able to play both ways. Look to see which players can adjust and adapt to each position during training camp.

The same can be said for the linebacker and fullback position. This will be a good battle as the team brought in two veterans, Leroy Thompson and Rodney Filer, to compete with Jarrod Penright and Torrance Marshall. It will be interesting to see how the team uses the fullback this season in various packages with true offensive lineman to lead the way and block.

At defensive back the Storm brought in true stoppers in Jeroid Johnson and Bo Rogers, hard-hitting Clarence Leblanc and the youthful exuberance of Khalid Nazirrudin to join Lynarise Elpheage and Leroy Smith. This group has a nice blend of youth and experience. Big things will happen with this group if they can jell during the preseason.

Quarterbacks

John Kaleo returns to Tampa Bay where he led them to the 2003 ArenaBowl championship. He spent 2006 with the Columbus Destroyers. He finished the season with 3,772 yards on 319 completions with 61 touchdowns. He ranks fifth all-time in the AFL with 2,806 career completions, 33,780 career-passing yards and 563 career touchdowns. Stoney Case is a three-year veteran of the AFL and a six-year veteran of the National Football League. B.J. Symons, an AFL rookie, spent two seasons in NFL Europe.

Wide Receivers

This is the deepest position on the team. Returning from 2006 is All-Arena performer Lawrence Samuels, 2006 Storm all-purpose yardage leader Demetris Bendross, local product Huey Whittaker and Mickey Peters. They will compete in training camp with a talented new group of receivers for a spot on the roster. New faces included future Arena Football hall-of-famer Barry Wagner, 2006 Desperados leading receiver Terrill Shaw, 2006 Kats leading receiver T.T. Toliver, former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Karl Williams, former Olympic sprinter John Capel, P.J. Winston and rookie Hank Edwards.

Fullback/Linebackers

Jarrod Penright is the lone returning player at this position from 2006. He is joined in training camp by Leroy Thompson, Rodney Filer and Torrance Marshall. Thompson is sixth all-time in the AFL with 1,114 career-rushing yards and seventh all-time with 68 rushing touchdowns. Filer is a nine-year veteran with 459 career-rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. Torrance is in his second AFL season after spending four seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

Offensive and Defensive Lines

Even with the free substitution rule change the guys in the trenches will have to demonstrate an ability to play both ways. Returning from last season is 2006 Storm sack leader Ernest Certain, nine-year veteran Nyle Wiren, eight-year veteran Rod Williams, three-year veteran Thaddeus Bullard and A.J Ricker. New additions include six-time finalist for lineman of the year Tom Briggs, 2005 All-Ironman Marcus Owen, NFL veteran Mark Word, former University of Florida standout Clint Mitchell, 10-year CFL veteran Dwayne Morgan and rookies Roderkus Wright, Tom Kaleita and Ron Smith. Look for Certain and Owen to play both ways while Wiren, Bullard, Word, Smith, Wright, Mitchell and Briggs compete for starting spots on the defensive line. Ricker and Williams will compete for the starting center position. Newcomers Kaleita and Morgan will fight to earn a spot on the offensive line while they try to hold of the others competing on the defensive line.

Defensive Backs

The defensive backfield will look drastically different as Tramain Jones and Jonathan Ordway who patrolled that area for the past three seasons will not return. In fact only two players return from 2006 defensive backfield. Lynarise Elpheage is coming of a spectacular sophomore season in which his production dramatically improved on each side of the ball, while Leroy Smith returns with a year of experience under his belt. Coming in to compete with them are Jeroid Johnson, Bo Rogers, Clarence LeBlanc and Khalid Naziruddin. Johnson and Rogers are good cover corners who will vie for starting roles. LeBlanc is a hard hitter with NFL and NFL Europe experience that must learn to adjust to the indoor game. Meanwhile Naziruddin is a feisty competitor who will battle for a roster spot.

Coaches

AFL Hall-of-Famer Tim Marcum is back at the helm of the Storm for 2007. This is Marcum's 19th AFL season and 13th with the Storm. His career record is 181-77, the most wins by any coach in AFL history. Marcum's seven ArenaBowl championships (three with the Storm) are the best mark by any AFL coach. Marcum will try to guide the Storm to its 16th playoff birth in 17 years.

Dave Ewart is back for his fifth season with the Storm. He will coach the offensive and defense line and continue with his duties as defensive coordinator. New to the staff this season is offensive coordinator Pat O'Hara and fullback/linebacker coach and special teams coordinator Eddie Vowell.

O'Hara will step out of the cleats for good this season as he takes the clipboard in hand. He will help Coach Marcum call the plays this season. Coach Vowell returns to the Storm after spending three seasons in Austin serving in the same capacity. He looks to improve the special teams play while working with the fullbacks and linebackers this season.

Tickets

The 2007 Storm Season, presented by Champs Sports, Where Sport Lives, will open March 2 with the War on I-4 against the Orlando Predators on Bill Currie Ford Field at the St. Pete Times Forum. Former Storm quarterback Shane Stafford returns for his first game against the Storm. For tickets call 813.301.6780 or visit www.tampabaystorm.com.

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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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