Tampa Bay Storm game notes

Published on March 30, 2004 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Tampa Bay Storm News Release


TAMPA BAY STORM (3-5) vs SAN JOSE SABERCATS (6-1)
April 4, 2004 12:00 pm NBC Sports
St. Pete Times Forum (19,200) Tampa, Fla.

THE SERIES
Overall record: Storm lead, 5-3
Regular Season: Storm lead, 4-2
Playoffs: Series tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: San Jose won 47-34
(at Tampa Bay, May 11, 2003)

RADIO – 620 AM WDAE
Jack Harris, play-by-play
Jason Dixon, analyst

TV – NBC Sports (News Channel 8)
Bob Papa, play-by-play
Ray Bentley, analyst
JP Peterson, 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 L, 35-40
Mar. 21 at Carolina Cobras L, 43-54
Mar. 27 at Georgia Force W, 53-24
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

STORM LOOK TO START PLAYOFF PUSH AGAINST SABERCATS

A week after snapping their three-game losing streak, the Tampa Bay Storm face a stiff challenge this week when they welcome the San Jose SaberCats to the St. Pete Times Forum. The SaberCats, always one of the top teams in the league, bring a sparkling 6-1 record to Tampa. The SaberCats will also show up in Florida with a three-game winning streak over the Storm, a streak that dates back to the 2002 season. Sunday's matchup pits the past two ArenaBowl winners, and could have a major say in how the 2004 playoff picture shapes up. At 6-1, the SaberCats are battling for the top overall seed and homefield advantage throughout the postseason, while at 3-5 Tampa Bay is still looking to strengthen its playoff resume.

STORM SEND FORCE REELING WITH A 53-24 THUMPING

The Tampa Bay Storm took out a season of frustrations and proved that the defending ArenaBowl champions may not be dead yet, throttling the Georgia Force 53-24 Saturday night in Duluth, Ga. The Storm forced five turnovers and picked up two more defensive stops off failed Georgia fourth down conversions en route to snapping their three-game losing streak. The win was also the first for the Storm on the road this season. Quarterback Shane Stafford returned to the starting lineup for the first time in three weeks and engineered the Storm victory, tossing three touchdown passes and completing 14-of-30 passes for 209 yards. David White added three rushing scores, and Basil Proctor returned an interception two yards for a touchdown. White was named Offensive Player of the Game, while Ernest Certain garnered Defensive Player of the Game honors after collecting a career-high 4.5 tackles and 1.5 sacks in the game. He also had two forced fumbles.

TERRIFIC TURNAROUND

When the Storm and Georgia Force met in Week 2, the Force hung 70 points on the scoreboard and tallied the second-highest points total ever scored against a Tampa Bay team. In that game Georgia offensive specialist Markeith Cooper ran wild, setting a Georgia team record with 270 yards of total offense, including 138 kickoff return yards and 132 receiving yards in a five-touchdown performance.

Fast forward to last Saturday night and the differences could not have been more extreme. Tampa Bay held Georgia to just 24 points in the game, the fewest points ever scored by a Georgia Force team. The Storm also held Cooper in check, holding him to just 96 all-purpose yards and allowing him to score just one touchdown.

Much of the success can be attributed to a revamped Storm secondary, which included a pair of new defensive specialists – Jonathan Ordway and Tramain Jones -- who did not play in the first Georgia game. Also, the Storm went a long way toward correcting their season-long kicking woes with their acquisition of Matt George last week. George consistently either hit the net or kicked the ball out of bounds, allowing Cooper just three kickoff return opportunities. Cooper tallied just 39 yards on those three kickoff returns, with his longest effort being just 13 yards.

STREAKS SNAPPED

Tampa Bay's win over Georgia snapped the Storm's three-game losing streak, the team's longest since the 2002 season. Tampa Bay had not won a game since a Week 4 victory over the Philadelphia Soul. The win also snapped the Storm's three-game road losing streak and marked the Storm's first road win this season.

SERIES OF STREAKS

Now that their three-game losing streak is no more, the Storm will be looking to rid themselves of another losing streak this week when they host the San Jose SaberCats. Tampa Bay has not beaten San Jose since the 1999 season. The SaberCats have won the last three meetings, including a 47-34 decision last year. San Jose also beat the Storm twice in 2002, pulling out a 61-54 win in Week 2 and 55-48 victory in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

But the series has not always been dominated by San Jose. The Storm won the first five games of the series dating back to the teams' first meeting in 1996. In fact, when the SaberCats won in Week 2 of the 2002 season, it marked the first time that San Jose had ever beaten the Storm.

BACK UNDER CENTER

Quarterback Shane Stafford returned to the starting lineup last weekend against Georgia, three weeks after being replaced by Pat O'Hara. Stafford was pulled from the Storm's Week 5 game against New Orleans following Tampa Bay's first possession of the third quarter. O'Hara went on to start the next two games and put up quality stats, but the Storm failed to win either of those games. Stafford was reinstalled as the starter at quarterback in the week leading up to the Georgia game and engineered the Storm to their first win since February 29.

Against Georgia, Stafford completed 14 of his 30 pass attempts. He finished with 209 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also threw an interception in the game when Georgia lineman Nikia Adderson stepped in front of a Stafford screen pass, but Ernest Certain stripped Adderson of the ball as he was headed for the endzone and Stafford recovered the fumble.

For the season Stafford is 3-3 when starting games. He has completed 108 of his 187 passes for 1,315 yards, 25 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also has 18 rushing yards and a pair of rushing scores.

REVERSING FIELD

The Tampa Bay Storm entered their game against the Georgia Force as a team with a second-half identity problem. The Storm had been outscored 195-163 in the second half of games this season, including a 107-70 deficit in the third quarter. But against the Force, the Storm turned the tide. Tampa Bay outscored Georgia 27-7 in the second half to turn a nine-point halftime lead into an emphatic 29-point victory. The Storm outscored Georgia 10-7 in the third quarter, but it wasn't until the final minute of the quarter when the Force finally got on the scoreboard for the first and only time in the second half. The Storm went on to blitz the Force 17-0 in the final 15 minutes.

BRINGING THE HEAT

The Storm tied a season high with three sacks in the game against Georgia and did so without their top pass rusher and without their full allotment of players. Already shorthanded due to an injury to Nyle Wiren, the Storm entered the game with just six linemen after Darion Conner was forced to sit out because of illness. Then, Shawn King pulled his hamstring in the second half, and the Storm were forced to finish the contest with just five linemen.

Ernest Certain led the charge for Tampa Bay, recording a career-high 1.5 sacks and forcing two fumbles. Rod Williams also posted a sack and a forced fumble, and FB/LB David White was credited with 0.5 sack.

This season the Storm are tied for fourth in the league with 11 quarterback sacks. That's quite a feat given the fact that Tampa Bay lost four linemen, including two starters, from last year's team. In addition, pass rusher Kelvin Kinney has played only sparingly this season due to a partially torn groin.

CAN WE PLAY GEORGIA EVERY WEEK?

That's the sentiments of Storm lineman Rod Williams, who collected his second sack of the season against Georgia. Both of his sacks this year have come against the Force. With his two sacks, Williams has moved into a fifth place tie with Sylvester Bembery and Joe March on the Storm's career sacks leader board. All three players have 12.0 career sacks.

SOLOMON BACK, BUT NO LONGER ON TOP

Tampa Bay offensive specialist Freddie Solomon returned to action last week after missing the Week 7 contest against Carolina with an injured shoulder. Prior to his injury, Solomon led the league in scoring by 24 points. Following his week off, Solomon entered last week's game with just a six-point lead over the rest of the pack. Solomon scored one receiving touchdown in the game against Georgia, and fell out of first place on the league's overall scoring list for the first time this season. Solomon currently resides in a fourth-place tie on the overall scoring list with 120 points. Marcus Nash is the overall scoring leader with 128 points, followed by Siaha Burley and Damian Harrell, each of whom have 126 points.

FASTEST TO 2,000 -- ALMOST

Solomon eclipsed the 2,000 career receiving yards mark Saturday against Georgia after hauling in four passes for 65 yards. That gave him 2,039 career receiving yards in 23 games played. Solomon's race to 2,000 yards was well ahead of that of former Storm great George LaFrance, who didn't reach 2,000 receiving yards with the Storm until his 30th game.

The only player in Storm history to reach the 2,000 receiving yards mark faster than Solomon was Stevie Thomas, the Storm's all-time receiving leader. Thomas, whose No. 20 was retired earlier this season by Tampa Bay, reached 2,000 receiving yards in 22 games, just one game fewer than Solomon. Through 23 games Thomas had 2,120 yards, while Solomon was just 81 yards behind at 2,039.

TURNING IT AROUND

The Storm entered the game against Georgia with a -3 turnover margin for the season, but after forcing five turnovers against the Force and committing just one, the Storm are now +1 in turnover margin, good for eighth place in the AFL. The Storm had a season-high three interceptions and forced two fumbles in the game. For the season the Storm have picked off seven passes and recovered eight fumbles. On the other hand, Storm quarterbacks have thrown eight interceptions and lost six fumbles.

This week's opponent, the San Jose SaberCats, are tied for fourth in the AFL with a +7 turnover margin. The SaberCats have forced 14 turnovers but have turned the ball over themselves just seven times. When they do pick passes off, San Jose has been dangerous in the open field. The SaberCats have a league-leading four interceptions returned for touchdowns this season.

RUSHING UP THE CHARTS

Tampa Bay FB/LB David White had a career day against the Georgia Force last week. He scored three rushing touchdowns, tying a career-high in that category. He finished the game with 19 rushing yards on seven carries. White's three rushing touchdowns gave him 42 career rushing touchdowns and 21 rushing touchdowns as a member of the Storm. He moved ahead of Tony Jones into sole possession of fourth place on the Storm career rushing touchdowns list. White needs four more rushing touchdowns to move into a third place tie with Cedric McKinnon on the list.

White also moved past Tony Jones into fifth place on the Storm's career rushing yards list. He currently has 233 rushing yards as a member of the Storm and 514 AFL career rushing yards. White needs 56 more rushing yards to tie Lynn Bradford for fourth place on the Storm all-time rushing yards list.

CLASH OF THE TITANS

Sunday's contest between the Storm and SaberCats will pit the past two ArenaBowl winners. The SaberCats captured the 2002 AFL title after rolling up a 13-1 regularseason record and finishing with a 16-1 overall record. The SaberCats defeated the Storm in the quarterfinals of the playoffs that year in a game where the Storm nearly pulled a shocking upset. Tampa Bay led by 18 points midway through the third quarter of that game, only to see the ‘Cats come storming back to claim a seven-point win. The Storm had a chance to tie the game on the last play from the one-yard line, but Shane Stafford's pass fell incomplete in the endzone. The championship was the first for the SaberCats.

Last season it was the Storm who captured AFL gold, winning their league-record fifth ArenaBowl championship. San Jose actually entered the AFL playoffs as the first seed and it appeared to be setting up for a Tampa Bay-San Jose match-up in the championship game. But, after the Storm had clinched a spot in the title game, San Jose was upset at home by Arizona, moving the ArenaBowl game to the St. Pete Times Forum. As it turns out, both teams faced the Arizona Rattlers in their respective championship games, with the SaberCats downing Arizona 52-14 in ArenaBowl XVI and Tampa Bay discarding the Rattlers 43-29 in ArenaBowl XVII.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS

After shutting down Markeith Cooper, one of the premier kick returners in the league, last weekend at Georgia, the Storm must again prepare for a premier kick returner this week. San Jose's Rashied Davis leads the league in kickoff return average and kickoff returns for touchdowns. In 21 returns, Davis has compiled 614 yards for an average of 29.2 yards per return. He also has four kickoff returns for touchdowns this season, doubling his nearest competitor in that category.

As a comparison, the Storm are averaging as a team 16.3 yards per kickoff return. Tampa Bay has yet to return a kickoff for a touchdown this season. The Storm's kickoff coverage, though improved last week, remains one of the worst in the AFL. The Storm rank 18th in the league in kickoff return coverage, allowing 21.5 yards per return.

BEST VS WORST

On paper, this week's Tampa Bay – San Jose contest features the league's best defense against the league's worst defense. Tampa Bay leads the AFL in total defense, allowing just 221.5 yards per game. The Storm also have the league's second-rated passing defense (208.5 yards per game) and the third-ranked rushing defense (13.0 yards per game).

San Jose ranks 19th in total defense, allowing a league-worst 291.9 yards per game. The Sabercats are also last in the league in passing defense (284.1 yards per game), but are first in rushing defense (7.7 yards per game).

WELCOME BACK

San Jose defensive specialist Omarr Smith will once again be patrolling the middle of the defensive secondary in the St. Pete Times Forum, only he will be doing it this time for the visiting SaberCats. Smith played defensive specialist for the Storm last season and had one of the best-ever years for a Storm DS. Smith finished third in the league with 88.5 tackles, fifth in the league with eight interceptions, and third in the league with 26 passes defensed. He was a finalist for the league's Defensive Player of the Year award and garnered second-team All-AFL accolades.

This season Smith, who signed with San Jose as a free agent, is once again the man in the middle of the defense, thanks to a season-ending injury to San Jose's perennial All-AFL performer Clevan Thomas. Smith thus far has a team-high 34.0 tackles with three interceptions and 10 pass breakups. He has returned one of those interceptions 48 yards for a touchdown.

SPEAKING OF INTERCEPTIONS

AFL veteran Carlos James, an off-season acquisition by the Storm, is beginning to round into shape after suffering a back injury during training camp. James has played in the Storm's previous two games, albeit at a new position. Serving as Lawrence Samuels' backup at the WR/LB spot, James picked up his first interception of the season last week against Georgia. It was James' first interception since the 2002 season, but his 35th career interception. That tied James with Chris Barber for sixth place on the AFL's all-time interceptions list.

O'HARA REACHES A MILESTONE

Making his first start ever as a member of the Storm and his first AFL start since the 2002 season, quarterback Pat O'Hara reached a couple of milestones in Week 6 against the New York Dragons. O'Hara threw for 264 yards in the contest, a total that pushed him over the 13,000 career passing yards plateau. He also had three touchdown passes in the game, giving him his 225th career touchdown pass.

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 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.

AFL STANDINGS
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
SOUTHERN DIVISION
Team Overall Div.
New Orleans VooDoo 7-1 2-0
Austin Wranglers 5-2 2-0
Georgia Force 4-4 2-2
Orlando Predators 3-4 0-3
Tampa Bay Storm 3-5 2-3
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
EASTERN DIVISION
Team Overall Div.
Dallas Desperados 5-2 4-1
New York Dragons 4-3 1-1
Carolina Cobras 3-5 2-1
Philadelphia Soul 3-5 2-1
Columbus Destroyers 1-6 0-5
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
CENTRAL DIVISION
Team Overall Div.
Chicago Rush 5-2 3-1
Colorado Crush 6-2 2-2
Detroit Fury 3-4 2-1
Indiana Firebirds 3-5 1-2
Grand Rapids Rampage 0-7 0-3
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
WESTERN DIVISION
Team Overall Div.
San Jose SaberCats 6-1 3-0
Los Angeles Avengers 4-3 2-2
Las Vegas Gladiators 3-5 1-2
Arizona Rattlers 3-5 0-2

AFL THIS WEEK
Thursday, April 1
Georgia at Detroit, 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 3
Indiana at Colorado, 3:00 pm
Austin at Los Angeles, 10:30 pm
Sunday, April 4
San Jose at Tampa Bay, 12:00 pm
New York at Carolina, 12:00 pm
Dallas at Philadelphia, 12:00 pm
Orlando at Columbus, 12:00 pm
Arizona at Grand Rapids, 3:00 pm
Chicago at Las Vegas, 6:00 pm
BYE: New Orleans

STORM RECORD WHEN ...
ALL TIME 2004
Leading after 1st quarter 84-18 0-0
Trailing after 1st quarter 41-33 1-4
Tied after 1st quarter 19-10 2-1
Leading after 2nd quarter 119-15 3-1
Trailing after 2nd quarter 14-40 0-3
Tied after 2nd quarter 11-6 0-1
Leading after 3rd quarter 119-9 3-1
Trailing after 3rd quarter 20-48 0-3
Tied after 3rd quarter 6-4 0-1
Tampa Bay scores first 85-19 2-1
Opponent scores first 61-42 1-4
Tampa Bay more tot. yards 108-29 1-5
Opponent more tot. yards 37-32 2-0
Tampa Bay more pass yards 100-31 1-5
Opponent more pass yards 45-30 2-0
Tampa Bay more rush yards 103-21 2-2
Opponent more rush yards 43-39 1-3
Tampa Bay more turnovers 26-48 0-3
Opponent more turnovers 115-12 2-1
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 72-30 1-4
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 83-9 2-1
Opponent 50+ points 31-30 0-4
Tampa Bay 40+ points 123-26 3-4
Opponent 40+ points 59-50 1-5
Games decided 17+ points 65-16 1-0
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 25-33 0-1
TB held to 30 pts or less 8-9 0-0

Home 80-28 2-2
Away 65-33 1-3
Overtime 4-5 0-0
Thursday 3-3 0-0
Friday 35-14 0-1
Saturday 82-32 1-0
Sunday 18-12 2-4
Monday 6-1 0-0
January 1-0 0-0
February 3-4 2-2
March 6-3 1-3
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

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: Lincoln Dupree, NYD
Week 7: Jarrick Hillery, CAR
Week 8: David White, TB

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: Rodney Filer, NYD
Week 7: Jack Walker, CAR
Week 8: Ernest Certain, TB

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: Lincoln Dupree, NYD
Week 7: Jarrick Hillery, CAR
Week 8: Lawrence Samuels, TB

STORM INJURY REPORT
Player Injury Status
S. King Hamstring Questionable
K. Kinney Groin Questionable
D. Saunders Ribs Quest. -- On IR
J. Diaz Hamstring Quest. – On IR
N. Wiren Shoulder Out – On IR

TALE OF THE TAPE
STORM SABERCATS
Category Rank Stat Rank Stat
Total Offense 7 262.4 12 249.7
Total Defense 1 221.5 19 291.9
Passing Offense 5 247.9 12 228.0
Passing Defense 2 208.5 19 284.1
Rushing Offense 14 14.5 7 21.7
Rushing Defense 3 13.0 1 7.7

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: 7 3
Week 7: 7 2
Week 8: 7 1

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, at
Carolina, 3-21-04
RECEIVING YARDS
149, Lawrence Samuels, vs Philadelphia, 2-29-04; at
Carolina, 3-21-04
RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
5, Freddie Solomon, vs Georgia, 2-13-04
RUSHES
7, David White, at Georgia, 3-27-04
RUSHING YARDS
23, Shane Stafford, vs Orlando, 2-8-04; David White, at
Austin, 2-22-04
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
3, David White, at Georgia, 3-27-04
KICKOFF RETURN YARDS
109, TT Toliver, vs Carolina, 3-21-04
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
1.5, Ernest Certain, at Georgia, 3-27-04
TACKLES FOR LOSS
1.5, David White, at Georgia, 3-27-04; Ernest Certain, at
Georgia, 3-27-04
INTERCEPTIONS
1, numerous times
PASS BREAK-UPS
3, Del Lee, at Austin, 2-22-04; Tramain Jones, vs New
York, 3-14-04

MOVING UP THE STORM CAREER CHARTS
Career Receptions
1. Stevie Thomas 519
2. Lawrence Samuels 444
3. George LaFrance 391
4. James Bowden 160
5. Freddie Solomon 146
6. David Saunders 107
Career Receiving Yards
1. Stevie Thomas 7,784
2. Lawrence Samuels 5,543
3. George LaFrance 5,392
4. James Bowden 2,064
5. Freddie Solomon 2,039
6. Wayne Walker 1,307
7. David Saunders 1,182
Career Receiving Touchdowns
2. George LaFrance 127
3. Lawrence Samuels 83
4. Freddie Solomon 46
5. James Bowden 35
6. Charles Wilson 30
7. David Saunders 25
Career Rushing Yards
4. Lynn Bradford 289
5. David White 233
6. Tony Jones 230
7. Ivan Caesar 200
8. Basil Proctor 193
Career Rushing TDs
3. Cedric McKinnon 25
4. David White 21
5. Tony Jones 18
6. Basil Proctor 15
Career Sacks
5. Sylvester Bembery 12.0
5. Joe March 12.0
5. Rod Williams 12.0
8. Nyle Wiren 11.5
9. Darion Conner 11.0
Career Pass Breakups
5. Antoine Worthman 34
6. Lawrence Samuels 30
7. Eddie Brown 28
Career Tackles
1. Tracey Perkins 348.0
2. Lawrence Samuels 292.0
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 1,252

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 30, 2004


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