Tampa Bay Storm game notes

March 9, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Tampa Bay Storm News Release


WEEK 6
TAMPA BAY STORM (2-3) vs NEW YORK DRAGONS (2-3)
March 14, 2004 12:00 pm NBC Sports
St. Pete Times Forum (19,200) Tampa, Fla.

THE SERIES
Overall record: 1-0
Regular Season: Storm lead, 1-0
Playoffs: never met
Last Meeting: Tampa Bay won 59-45 (at New York, April 27, 2004)

RADIO – 620 AM WDAE
Jack Harris, play-by-play
Jason Dixon, analyst TV – NBC Sports (News Channel 8)
Tom Hammond, play-by-play
Pat Hayden, analyst
Lewis Johnson, sideline reporter

2004 STORM SCHEDULE/RESULTS

DATE OPPONENT RESULT
Feb. 8 Orlando Predators W, 52-41
Feb. 13 Georgia Force L, 62-70
Feb. 22 at Austin Wranglers L, 48-56
Feb. 29 Philadelphia Soul W, 40-37
Mar. 7 at New Orleans VooDoo L, 43-55
Mar. 14 New York Dragons noon
Mar. 21 at Carolina Cobras 3:00 pm
Mar. 27 at Georgia Force 7:00 pm
Apr. 4 San Jose SaberCats noon
Apr. 11 at Chicago Rush 3:00 pm
Apr. 18 Austin Wranglers 3:00 pm
Apr. 25 at Columbus Destroyers noon
May 2 at Orlando Predators 3:00 pm
May 9 Los Angeles Avengers 3:00 pm
May 23 New Orleans VooDoo 3:00 pm
May 30 at Dallas Desperados 4:00 pm
All times Eastern and subject to change

TAMPA BAY RETURNS HOME TO FACE AFL'S BEST QUARTERBACK

The schedule doesn't get any easier for the struggling defending ArenaBowl champion Storm, as they welcome Aaron Garcia and the New York Dragons to town. The Storm have gotten off to a slow start in 2004 and are coming off of a disappointing effort last weekend against the New Orleans VooDoo. Tampa Bay will try to turn the tide this week with a new offensive leader, as veteran AFL quarterback Pat O'Hara takes over for the Storm under center. But it will be the Storm defense that is really tested this weekend. Garcia led the Dragons to an upset win over a previously undefeated San Jose team a week ago, completing 19-of-21 passes, including nine touchdown throws. The Dragons also enter the contest with a 2-3 overall record, and both teams are attempting to right the ship in hopes of strengthening their positions as postseason contenders.

TURNOVERS TURN BACK STORM IN NEW ORLEANS

Three interceptions returned for touchdowns proved to be too much to overcome, as the Tampa Bay Storm dropped their second straight road contest 55-43 last Sunday afternoon in New Orleans. The VooDoo picked Storm quarterback Shane Stafford off three times and returned all three turnovers for scores, including one on the Storm's first play of the game. Though the Storm dominated the stat sheet, an inefficient offense and mistakes on defense quelled any hopes of a Storm rally. The one bright spot for the Storm may have been the play of backup quarterback Pat O'Hara, who came in in the third quarter and engineered four straight scoring drives. Offensive specialist Freddie Solomon had another three touchdown effort, as the league's leading scorer hauled in seven catches for 98 yards. FB/LB David White added a pair of touchdown runs, while OL/DL Nyle Wiren picked up his third sack of the season.

OFFENSE GETS NEW LEADER

The Tampa Bay Storm will hand the offensive reigns over to quarterback Pat O'Hara on Sunday against the New York Dragons. O'Hara will be making his first start as a member of the Storm, but is no stranger to the position. O'Hara entered the game last weekend at New Orleans in the third quarter and led the Storm on four consecutive touchdown scoring drives. O'Hara finished the game 13-of-20 for 158 yards and two touchdowns.

The 10-year AFL veteran quarterback was also one of the Storm's heroes in last season's ArenaBowl, relieving an injured John Kaleo at quarterback and leading the Storm to a 43-29 win over the Arizona Rattlers. O'Hara was 7-of-13 in that game for 103 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a score in winning his third ArenaBowl ring.

O'Hara's ArenaBowl appearance was the fifth ArenaBowl he has been involved in during his career. He previously played for the Orlando Predators from 1995-2000, where he made four championship game appearances. O'Hara also spent the 2001 and 2002 seasons with the Toronto Phantoms.

O'Hara replaces Shane Stafford at quarterback for Tampa Bay. Stafford started the first four games of the season, including the contest against New Orleans.

Stafford was taken out of the game against the VooDoo after throwing three interceptions, all of which were returned for touchdowns. Stafford finished the game 11-of-19 for 105 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.

Prior to the game against New Orleans, Stafford had put up some impressive numbers this season. He entered the game against the VooDoo with 21 touchdown passes on the season, completing 83-of-138 of his throws. He had just two interceptions coming into the contest.

STATS DON'T ALWAYS TELL THE STORY

Looking at the stat sheet, you would think the Tampa Bay Storm had a pretty good afternoon in the Big Easy. The Storm defense held the VooDoo to just 191 total yards on 41 offensive plays, as the Storm outgained New Orleans 273- 191. Tampa Bay threw for 263 yards in the contest, and offensive specialist hauled in three more touchdown passes. New Orleans quarterback John Fitzgerald was just 13-of-30 in the game for 169 yards and two touchdowns.

The VooDoo were just 2-of-7 on third down conversion attempts. Despite those numbers that all seem to favor Tampa Bay, it was the VooDoo who came up with the big plays in the contest and never lost the momentum in the game, winning a 55-43 contest that was probably not even as close as the final score indicated.

TOUCHDOWN PASSES TO THE WRONG TEAM

The VooDoo picked off Storm quarterback Shane Stafford three times in the game and on all three occasions were able to return the interceptions for touchdowns. The three interceptions were a career high for Stafford.

Additionally, the three interceptions returned for touchdowns tied an AFL record originally set by the Arizona Rattlers when they visited the Minnesota Fighting Pike on June 7, 1996. The three interceptions by the VooDoo were a team record but came well short of the AFL record for interceptions in a game. That record total is six, which has been accomplished on three different occasions.

PENALTIES COSTLY

The Storm entered last Sunday's game against the VooDoo as one of the least penalized teams in the AFL. However, Tampa Bay's propensity for flags against New Orleans had a direct result in the outcome of the game. The Storm committed a season-high nine penalties for 62 yards in the contest, including six penalties for 48 yards in the first half.

Two examples of just how costly some of the penalties were came in the first half. With New Orleans leading 14-7 in the first quarter, the Storm appeared to have picked up a defensive stop after John Fitzgerald's fourth down pass sailed incomplete. However, TT Toliver was called for a defensive holding penalty, giving the VooDoo an automatic first down. New Orleans would eventually score a field goal on the drive, increasing their lead to 17-7 instead of allowing the Storm to possibly tie the score at 14-14.

Late in the second quarter the Storm again appeared to turn the VooDoo away, as Tramain Jones picked off Fitzgerald at New Orleans' 12-yard line. However, the Storm were flagged for an illegal formation, and instead of the Storm taking over just 12 yards from the endzone and possibly pulling to within 31-21 at halftime, the VooDoo ran the clock out and returned to the halftime locker room with a 31- 17 advantage.

DEFENSE COMING AROUND?

After giving up 70 points to the Georgia Force and 56 points to the Austin Wranglers in back-to-back weeks, it appeared that the Tampa Bay defense had a long way to go before it would be able to be relied upon. However, after some personnel changes, the Storm defense has put up some pretty good numbers in the past two weeks. The Storm allowed just 229 yards against Philadelphia and just 191 total yards versus New Orleans.

Entering Week 6, the Storm rank sixth in the league in total defense, allowing 247.8 yards per game. The Tampa Bay passing defense is eighth in the AFL, giving up 232.8 yards per game, and the Storm rush defense is third in the league, giving up 15.0 yards per game. As a comparison, the Storm were 14th in the league in total defense entering the Philadelphia game in Week 4.

SAUNDERS REACHES CENTURY MARK

With five catches last Sunday against New Orleans, Tampa Bay WR/LB David Saunders caught his 100th pass as a member of the Storm. Saunders' 100 career catches with Tampa Bay places him sixth on the Storm all-time list, tying him with Bobby Byrd. He is currently 35 catches behind teammate Freddie Solomon for fifth place.

This season Saunders has played in just three games after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 2 against Georgia. He is fifth on the team in receiving, catching nine passes for 71 yards. Most of his season production came against the VooDoo, when he had five catches for 41 yards.

SAMUELS INCHING CLOSER

WR/LB Lawrence Samuels inched closer to second place on the Storm's all-time receiving yards list on Sunday. He hauled in five passes for 41 yards, giving him 5,303 receiving yards as a member of the Storm. AFL legend George LaFrance currently resides in second place on the list with 5,392 receiving yards. Samuels won't challenge Stevie Thomas, the Storm's all-time receiving yards leader, for first place this season, but it is conceivable that with a few more impressive seasons Samuels could become the Storm's all-time best. Thomas, who recently had his number retired by the Storm, has 7,784 career receiving yards.

When Samuels passes LaFrance in receiving yards, it would be the second receiving category in which he has passed him. Samuels jumped LaFrance in career receptions in the final regular season game of the 2003 season and currently sits 96 catches behind Thomas in that category. Samuels remains in third place on the all-time receiving touchdowns list. His 81 career receiving touchdowns are 46 behind second place LaFrance and 69 behind career leader Thomas.

ALONE AT THE TOP

Storm offensive specialist Freddie Solomon continues to lead the league in scoring. Solomon had three more touchdown receptions against New Orleans, giving him 14 TD catches for the season. He also has a pair of rushing touchdowns for a total of 16 touchdowns and 96 points scored. Solomon leads Carolina's Jason Shelley and New York's William Holder for the league's scoring lead. Both players have 78 points.

Solomon is already halfway to his receiving touchdowns total from last season, when he finished with 28 touchdown catches. Solomon had a total of 32 touchdowns scored last season. The Storm single season record for touchdown receptions is 35 set by George LaFrance in 1998. LaFrance also set the single-season record for touchdowns scored (36) and points scored (216) that season.

SUCCESSFUL HOMECOMING

FB/LB David White returned to his hometown on Sunday and had a successful homecoming, scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns and adding a nine-yard reception. In the process White moved up to fifth place on the Storm career rushing touchdowns list (17) and is one behind fourth place Tony Jones. White is also 20 yards behind Jones on the Storm's all-time rushing yards list. White is currently in sixth place with 210 rushing yards.

On the season White has carried 22 times for 53 yards and three touchdowns. He leads the team in rushing and is eighth in the league.

ON A TEAR

OL/DL Nyle Wiren collected his third sack of the season and has sacks in three of the Storm's last four games. Wiren is on pace to shatter his previous career high of 3.5 sacks and is steadily moving up the Storm career sacks list. This week Wiren checks in at No. 7 on the list with 11.5 career sacks. He is 0.5 sack behind fifth place Sylvester Bembery and Joe March and is just three sacks away from pulling into a second place tie with Lynn Rowland on the Tampa Bay all-time sacks list. FB/LB Andre Bowden is the Storm's career sacks leader with 33.0 quarterback sacks. Wiren's three sacks this season place him in a four-way tie for second place, joining Orlando's Jermaine Smith, Dallas' Henry Taylor, and Austin's Tom Briggs. Arizona's Bryan Henderson leads the AFL with 4.0 sacks.

GETTING BETTER

A week after making his 2004 Storm debut, kicker Mike Black had a pretty good weekend against the VooDoo. Black was a perfect 5-for-5 on extra points and only two of his kickoffs were returnable, one of which bounded off the net and into the field of play before being recovered by the VooDoo. Black had three touchbacks in the game.

STILL IN THE RACE

Despite the Storm's poor start this season, Tampa Bay is still very much in the overall race for a playoff spot. However, this season it's much more critical to win as many games as possible, as the playoff field has been cut by a quarter, whittled down from 12 teams to eight. Unlike in 2002, when they Storm sneaked in as the No. 12 seed with a 6-8 overall record, the Storm will likely have to have a winning record in 2004 in order to advance to the postseason for a league record 14th consecutive season.

The good news for the Storm is that with New York's win over San Jose and Philadelphia's victory over Chicago last season, there are no longer any undefeated teams in the AFL. With two wins entering Week 6, the Storm are currently in a tie for ninth place in the AFL standings, one win out of the playoffs.

In addition, the new playoff format also eliminated the importance of winning the division. Whereas in the past division winners were guaranteed a playoff spot and a home playoff game, the new format no longer automatically gives a spot in the postseason to division winners, meaning that the Storm's 1-3 Southern Division record is of little meaning.

FLYING SOUTH

The New York Dragons will be in Tampa for the first time on Sunday and will face the Storm for just the second time ever. Last season the teams met for the first time, as Tampa Bay defeated the Dragons 59-45 in Uniondale, NY.

While the Storm and Dragons do not have a distinguished history, the Dragons' predecessor had a rich history with Tampa Bay. Prior to moving to New York, the Dragons were known as the Iowa Barnstormers. The Barnstormers existed from 1995 through the 2000 season. The Storm and Barnstormers met four times, with each team winning twice. The most memorable contest between the teams was likely the 1996 ArenaBowl when the Storm downed the Kurt Warner-led Barnstormers 42-38 in Des Moines. In that game the Barnstormers had the ball 1st-and-goal from the goal line but could not get in the endzone. Despite the Barnstormers setting or tying six ArenaBowl records, the Storm red zone defense prevailed and the Storm won their second straight ArenaBowl championship.

FAMILIAR FACES

The New York Dragons coaching staff features former Storm assistant and head coach Lary Kuharich, who now serves at the Dragons' offensive coordinator. Kuharich served as head coach of the Storm from 1992-94, winning an ArenaBowl championship in 1993. Most recently he served as an offensive assistant in 2002.

The Storm also have a pair of players who are familiar with the Dragons. WR/DB Shea Showers and WR/DB Carlos James both played for New York and could see action against their former team this weekend. Showers was with the Dragons from 2001-2002 and played for the Iowa Barnstormers for three seasons prior to that. James was with the Dragons last season as a defensive specialist. He was with the Barnstormers from 1995-2000. James has yet to see any action this season after hurting his back during training camp, but could be activated this week.

EARLY START

The Storm will once again have an early wake-up call this Sunday. The Storm and Dragons kickoff at 12 noon, the second of three consecutive weeks of NBC games starting at noon. The time change is due to NBC's reshuffling of the TV lineup while the network provides coverage of the PGA's "Southern Swing."

JOINING ONE OF THE GREATS

With his interception on against Philadelphia in Week 4, Lawrence Samuels tied former Tampa Bay Storm defensive specialist Johnnie Harris for second place all-time on the Storm career interceptions list. Samuels, with 18 career interceptions, is now second to only Tracey Perkins, who finished his Storm playing days with 34 career interceptions.

Samuels joins some pretty elite company, as Perkins is one of just four players whose jersey number has been retired by the Storm and ranks fifth in AFL career interceptions and Harris has been a safety in the NFL since leaving the Storm in after the 1998 season.

ANOTHER NUMBER GOES TO THE RAFTERS

At halftime of the Storm's Week 4 game against the Philadelphia Soul, the Tampa Bay Storm retired the No. 20 worn by WR/DB Stevie Thomas. Thomas is the Storm's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.

He is also second in all-purpose yards and missed field goal return yards, third in kickoff return yards and combined returned yards, fifth in interceptions, and ninth in tackles.

Thomas ranks fourth in AFL history in yards per catch, seventh in receiving yards, eighth in scoring, and eighth in receiving touchdowns.

Thomas played for the Storm from 1991-1999, winning four championships with Tampa Bay. He won a fifth championship with the Orlando Predators in 2000 and concluded his career in 2001 with the New Jersey Gladiators.

MORE MILESTONES FOR SAMUELS

Tampa Bay Storm wide receiver/linebacker Lawrence Samuels hit two career milestones in the Storm's Week 2 loss to the Georgia Force and inched closer to overtaking one of the Storm all-time greats on the team's career receiving yards list.

Samuels hauled in seven catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia. Those numbers allowed him to eclipse 400 career receptions and 5,000 career receiving yards. Samuels is second all-time in Storm history in receptions and ranks third in Storm history in receiving yards.

HALF A CENTURY

When Clif Dell hauled in his 22-yard touchdown reception in Week One against Orlando, he recorded his tenth receiving touchdown as a member of the Storm and his 50th career receiving touchdown. Dell, in his second season with Tampa Bay, scored the touchdown against his former team and the organization for which he scored 40 of those 50 touchdowns. Dell played with the Predators from 1999-2002, with his best career season coming in his final year in Orlando. That season he caught 76 passes for 995 yards and 22 touchdowns.

NEW FACES

Though the Storm return many of the impact players from last season's ArenaBowl champion team, there are a number of new faces on the Storm's opening night roster. Of the 29 players on the opening night roster (24-man roster and Injured Reserve), 13 of those players were not with the Storm for the ArenaBowl, including seven players who played in the game against Orlando. Those players who played last week but were not on the ArenaBowl roster include QB Shane Stafford, WR/DB Jonathan Ordway, OL/DLs Evan Pilgrim and Cyron Brown, DSs Shea Showers and Del Lee, and K Ian Howfield. Others new to the roster this season include QB Stoney Case, WR/DB Carlos James, OL/DLs Emil Ekiyor, Shawn King, and DJ Bleisath, and DS Antonio Langham.

TRUE IRONMAN

Tampa Bay Storm lineman Kelvin Kinney embodies the Ironman image that the Arena Football League has come known for. Kinney, who is one of the top pass rushers in the AFL and has become one of the Storm's top pass blockers, has spent precious little time away from the football field in the past few years.

From 2001-2003 Kinney played in 94 football games, an average of over 30 games per year. In 2001 Kinney was literally rushing the passer non-stop, beginning the year with the XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws. After 10 games with them, Kinney moved on to the AFL, where he played in 11 games for the Detroit Fury. After the Fury's season was over in July, it was on to the Canadian Football League, where Kinney played in 13 games for the Toronto Argonauts. In 2002 Kinney played in 28 games, 14 with the Fury and 14 with the Edmonton Eskimos. And in the 2003 calendar year Kinney added 32 more games played, 17 with the Tampa Bay Storm and 15 with Toronto and Edmonton of the CFL.

Kinney's year-round exploits have not slowed his production at all. In what will go down as his most successful year ever as a professional football player, Kinney recorded 6.0 sacks and won an AFL championship with the Storm in 2003 and then went north to wreak havoc in Canada. Splitting time between Toronto and Edmonton, Kinney recorded 12.0 sacks and won a Grey Cup championship with the Eskimos. The 2003 CFL championship game marked the third straight championship game that Kinney played in. He was with Edmonton in 2002 for their Grey Cup loss, then followed that performance up with back-to-back championship game wins in Tampa Bay and again with Edmonton.

SUPER TIES

The 2004 Super Bowl pitted the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers, a matchup which featured some strong loyalties among members of the Storm. Tampa Bay's roster features three of players with ties to the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Quarterback Shane Stafford was signed by the Patriots in January 2003 and allocated to NFL Europe by the Patriots, where he played the 2003 season. FB/LB Andre Bowden enjoyed a three-year stint from 1994-96. Antonio Langham played for the Patriots in 2000 and also played under current Patriots head coach Bill Belichick while with the Cleveland Browns in 1994 and 1995. And, while not having direct ties to the two Super Bowl teams, Storm defensive specialist Del Lee played for Belichick while both were with the New York Jets in 1999. The Storm roster also features a pair of former Panthers in linemen Darion Conner and Shawn King. King was a second round draft choice by Carolina in the 1995 NFL draft, the 36th overall selection.

BACK-TO-BACK FACTS

It has proven to be extremely difficult to repeat as ArenaBowl champions, but there is a precedent for repeating, especially when Storm head coach Tim Marcum is involved. The last team to repeat as ArenaBowl champion was Tampa Bay, who under the guidance of Marcum won back-to-back ArenaBowls in 1995 and 1996. The only other team to repeat was the Detroit Drive, which actually won three straight ArenaBowl titles from 1988-90. In two of thoses seasons – 1988 and 1989 – Marcum was the Drive's head coach. The closest a team has come to repeating as of late was the Orlando Predators, which won two titles in three seasons. The Predators claimed the 1998 and 2000 championships, with Albany downing the Predators in 1999 to avoid a repeat champion.

ARENABOWL HANGOVER?

The Tampa Bay Storm have had mixed success in the years following ArenaBowl championships. Following the team's first title in 1991, the Storm advanced to the semifinals of the playoffs, only to lose in overtime to Orlando. Following the 1993 championship, the Storm put together what was then their worst season ever, finishing 7-6 overall and exiting the playoffs after a first-round loss to Massachusetts. The Storm followed up their 1995 championship with a repeat performance in 1996, but the 1997 season saw another average campaign, as the team finished with a 9-7 overall record.

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS

The Tampa Bay Storm placed one player on the first-ever Preseason All-AFL team and was selected to finish second in the league. The two preseason "polls" were taken by the newly-formed Arena Football League Writers Association. Lawrence Samuels was selected as the preseason All-AFL pick at the WR/LB position. Also on the team was former Storm lineman BJ Cohen, now of the New Orleans VooDoo. The Storm placed second in the AFLWA's preseason picks as the eventual ArenaBowl champion. San Jose finished first in the voting, followed by Tampa Bay, Arizona, Los Angeles, and Orlando.

WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF GAME

Week 1: Shane Stafford. TB
Week 2: Stafford, Solomon, TB
Week 3: John Kaleo, AUS
Week 4: Lawrence Samuels, TB
Week 5: Aaron Bailey, NO
Week 6:
Week 7:
Week 8:
Week 9:
Week 10:
Week 11:
Week 12:
Week 13:
Week 14:
Week 15:
Week 16:
Week 17:

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF GAME

Week 1: Shea Showers, TB
Week 2: Rod Williams, TB
Week 3: Cedric Walker, AUS
Week 4: Nyle Wiren, TB
Week 5: Lamont Moore, TB
Week 6:
Week 7:
Week 8:
Week 9:
Week 10:
Week 11:
Week 12:
Week 13:
Week 14:
Week 15:
Week 16:
Week 17:

IRONMAN OF THE GAME

Week 1: TT Toliver, TB
Week 2: Markeith Cooper, GEO
Week 3: Darryl Hammond, AUS
Week 4: Lawrence Samuels, TB
Week 5: Lamont Moore, TB
Week 6:
Week 7:
Week 8:
Week 9:
Week 10:
Week 11:
Week 12:
Week 13:
Week 14:
Week 15:
Week 16:
Week 17:

AFL THIS WEEK
Friday, March 12
Georgia at Orlando, 7:30 pm
Detroit at New Orleans, 8:00 pm
Saturday, March 13
Philadelphia at Columbus, 7:00 pm
Dallas at Carolina, 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 7
New York at Tampa Bay, 12:00 pm
Los Angeles at Grand Rapids, 12:00 pm
Indiana at Austin, 3:00 pm
Arizona at Las Vegas, 6:00 pm
Colorado at San Jose, 8:00 pm
BYE: Chicago

STORM RECORD WHEN ...

ALL TIME 2004
Leading after 1st quarter 84-18 0-0
Trailing after 1st quarter 40-31 0-2
Tied after 1st quarter 19-10 2-1
Leading after 2nd quarter 118-14 2-0
Trailing after 2nd quarter 14-39 0-2
Tied after 2nd quarter 11-6 0-1
Leading after 3rd quarter 118-9 2-1
Trailing after 3rd quarter 20-46 0-1
Tied after 3rd quarter 6-4 0-1
Tampa Bay scores first 85-19 2-1
Opponent scores first 60-40 0-2
Tampa Bay more tot. yards 108-27 1-3
Opponent more tot. yards 36-32 1-0
Tampa Bay more pass yards 100-29 1-3
Opponent more pass yards 44-30 1-0
Tampa Bay more rush yards 102-20 1-1
Opponent more rush yards 43-38 1-2
Tampa Bay more turnovers 26-47 0-2
Opponent more turnovers 114-11 1-0
Tampa Bay 300 yd passer 13-9 0-2
Opponent 300 yd passer 14-8 0-0
Tampa Bay 30 yd rusher 34-3 0-0
Opponent 30 yd rusher 9-9 0-0
Tampa Bay 100 yd receiver 72-28 1-2
Opponent 100 yd receiver 43-31 1-2
Tampa Bay 200 yd receiver 0-0 0-0
Opponent 200 yd receiver 1-2 0-0
Tampa Bay two 30 yd rushers 4-1 0-0
Opponent two 30 yd rushers 1-1 0-0
Tampa Bay two 100 yd rec. 4-3 0-0
Opponent two 100 yd rec. 1-2 0-0
Tampa Bay 300+ pass yds 12-9 0-2
Opponent 300+ pass yds 15-8 0-0
Tampa Bay 50+ rush yds 24-2 0-0
Opponent 50+ rush yds 10-8 0-0
Tampa Bay 70+ points 8-0 0-0
Opponent 70+ points 0-2 0-1
Tampa Bay 60+ points 39-1 0-1
Opponent 60+ points 7-12 0-1
Tampa Bay 50+ points 82-9 1-1
Opponent 50+ points 31-29 0-3
Tampa Bay 40+ points 122-25 2-3
Opponent 40+ points 59-48 1-3
Games decided 17+ points 64-16 0-0
Games decided 3 pts or less 17-11 1-0
TB holds opp. under 20 pts 23-0 0-0
TB held under 40 points 25-32 0-0
TB held to 30 pts or less 8-9 0-0

Home 80-27 2-1
Away 64-32 0-2
Overtime 4-5 0-0
Thursday 3-3 0-0
Friday 35-14 0-1
Saturday 81-32 0-0
Sunday 18-10 2-2
Monday 6-1 0-0
January 1-0 0-0
February 3-4 2-2
March 5-1 0-1
April 7-7 0-0
May 29-12 0-0
June 36-14 0-0
July 40-12 0-0
August 22-8 0-0
September 1-0 0-0

STORM INJURY REPORT

Player Injury Status
C. James Back On IR
B. Proctor Thumb On IR
K. Kinney Groin On IR
S. Showers Ribs Questionable
S. King Calf Questionable
TALE OF THE TAPE
STORM DRAGONS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Total Offense 7 265.0 11 257.0
Total Defense 6 247.8 13 269.0
Passing Offense 6 248.0 8 246.0
Passing Defense 8 232.8 12 243.6
Rushing Offense 11 17.0 18 11.0
Rushing Defense 3 15.0 14 25.4

TRACKING THE STORM

Following the week listed, the Storm ranked:

TOTAL TOTAL
OFF. DEF.
Week 1: 5 6
Week 2: 12 14
Week 3: 5 14
Week 4: 5 13
Week 5: 7 6
Week 6:
Week 7:
Week 8:
Week 9:
Week 10:
Week 11:
Week 12:
Week 13:
Week 14:
Week 15:
Week 16:
Week 17:

2004 STORM INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHS
SCORING
30, Freddie Solomon, vs Georgia, 2-13-04
PASSING YARDS
306, Shane Stafford, at Austin, 2-22-04
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
8, Shane Stafford, vs Georgia, 2-13-04
RECEPTIONS
9, Lawrence Samuels, vs Philadelphia, 2-29-04
RECEIVING YARDS
149, Lawrence Samuels, vs Philadelphia, 2-29-04
RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
5, Freddie Solomon, vs Georgia, 2-13-04
RUSHES
6, David White, vs Orlando, 2-8-04
RUSHING YARDS
23, Shane Stafford, vs Orlando, 2-8-04; David White, at
Austin, 2-22-04
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
2, Freddie Solomon, vs Philadelphia, 2-29-04
KICKOFF RETURN YARDS
74, TT Toliver, vs Georgia, 2-13-04
MFG RETURN YARDS
19, TT Toliver, vs Georgia, 2-13-04
ALL-PURPOSE YARDS
190, Freddie Solomon, vs Georgia, 2-13-04
TACKLES
6.5, Shea Showers, vs Orlando, 2-8-04; TT Toliver, at
New Orleans, 3-7-04
FUMBLE RECOVERIES
1, numerous times
SACKS
1.0, numerous times
TACKLES FOR LOSS
1.0, numerous times
INTERCEPTIONS
1, Lawrence Samuels, vs Philadelphia, 2-29-04; Shea
Showers, at New Orleans, 3-7-04
PASS BREAK-UPS
3, Del Lee, at Austin, 2-22-04

MOVING UP THE STORM CAREER CHARTS

Career Receptions
1. Stevie Thomas 519
2. Lawrence Samuels 423
3. George LaFrance 391
4. James Bowden 160
5. Freddie Solomon 135
6. Bobby Byrd 100
6. David Saunders 100
Career Receiving Yards
2. George LaFrance 5,392
3. Lawrence Samuels 5,303
4. James Bowden 2,064
5. Freddie Solomon 1,911
6. Wayne Walker 1,307
7. Bobby Byrd 1,150
8. David Saunders 1,121
Career Receiving Touchdowns
2. George LaFrance 127
3. Lawrence Samuels 81
4. Freddie Solomon 42
5. James Bowden 35
6. Charles Wilson 30
7. David Saunders 25
Career Rushing Yards
5. Tony Jones 230
6. David White 210
7. Ivan Caesar 200
8. Basil Proctor 187
Career Rushing TDs
4. Tony Jones 18
5. David White 17
6. Basil Proctor 15
Career Sacks
5. Sylvester Bembery 12.0
5. Joe March 12.0
7. Nyle Wiren 11.5
8. Rod Williams 11.0
9. Darion Conner 10.0
Career Pass Breakups
5. Antoine Worthman 34
6. Eddie Brown 28
6. Lawrence Samuels 28
Career Tackles
1. Tracey Perkins 348.0
2. Lawrence Samuels 288.0
3. Tommy Henry 204.0
4. Andre Bowden 189.0
Career Interceptions
1. Tracey Perkins 34
2. Johnnie Harris 18
2. Lawrence Samuels 18
Career Kickoff Return Yards
3. Stevie Thomas 1,255
4. Freddie Solomon 1,231



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 9, 2004


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