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Tampa Bay Storm game notes

April 19, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Tampa Bay Storm News Release


STORM/PREDATORS PREVIEW
The Tampa Bay Storm and the Orlando Predators will engage in the 39th meeting of the "War on I-4", the longest running rivalry of the AFL. The series is tied up at 19 games apiece. Legendary Head Coach Tim Marcum is 18-15 against the Predators all-time. On the other sideline is former Storm QB Jay Gruden who is in his sixth season as a Head Coach for the Predators and has an 8-8 all-time record coaching against his former team. The Predators are the Southern Division leader with an 8-4 record overall and defeated the Storm earlier this season in an overtime thriller, 67-64, in Week 4. After weathering two 26-point deficits, the Storm used a 22-point fourth quarter to send the game to overtime. The Storm were unable to capitalize and put points on the board in their only possession of the overtime period and Predator kicker Jay Taylor hammered in a 17-yard field goal to seal the deal for Orlando. In that game, Storm QB Shane Stafford became the first Storm quarterback to throw for more than 400-yards in a game. In fact his 458-yard performance was the third highest mark in AFL history. In addition to that feat, he threw for eight touchdowns for the fourth time in his career, a Storm record. Lawrence Samuels also had a record-breaking day as he caught 15 passes, which tied a franchise high (Freddie Solomon, 2004).

STORM/WRANGLERS RECAP
The Austin Wranglers handed the Storm their first two-game losing streak of the season when they defeated Tampa Bay, 60-59, last Saturday night in front of 10,394 fans at the Frank Erwin Center. After beginning the game down 13-0, the Storm used a 28-10 run to go into the locker room at the half up by five points. Wrangler QB John Fitzgerald two-point conversion with five-seconds remaining capped off a combined 43-point fourth quarter. Stafford completed 29 passes for 303 yards (his fifth 300+ yard passing performance of the season) and five touchdowns. Samuels led all Storm receivers with 12 receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Freddie Solomon, Lynarise Elpheage and Demetris Bendross each caught five passes and a touchdown. Elpheage led all Storm defenders with eight tackles and intercepted a Fitzgerald pass en route to being name Defensive Player of the Game.

Inside "The War on I-4"
The rivalry that is known as the War on I-4 is a battle of two combatants who strive for AFL supremacy year-in and year-out. The Storm and Predators have combined for seven of the league's 19 championships, both teams are tied with six appearances in ArenaBowl games and 20 post season victories.

The Storm have never (15-consecutive playoff appearances) missed a postseason since its inception and the Predators have put a string of 14-consecutive playoff appearances.

Jay Gruden has the longest tenure of any player or coach in the 38 games played so far as he has coached in 16 contests and suited up at quarterback in 18 games, 14 as a member of the Storm (1991-96) and four for the Predators (2002-03).

In the history of this great rivalry 588,601 fans have witnessed it including a record 28,746 fans on June 19, 1993 at the Thunderdome in St. Petersburg, which is also a league record for attendance.

The Storm hold a 22 point advantage all-time, leading the Predators by a combined score of 1,659-1,637.

On The Road Again
The Storm will close out the 2006 regular season playing four of their last five games away from the St. Pete Times Forum. The remaining road contests are at Orlando (this week), at Columbus (May 6) and at Nashville (May 13). The Storm enter this week with a 2-3 road record this season after finishing 2-6 on the road a season ago.

In 2003 and 2005 the Storm finished the regular season with four of their last six on the road. In 2003 the Storm won all four road contests and in 2005 they were victorious in two of four games. This season marks the first time in franchise history the team will finish with their last four of five on the road.

What's On Tap...
The combined record of the Storm's remaining five opponents is 22-26. Taking a look at the teams that are in playoff contention in the Southern Division, the Storm will face the least winning record amongst their Southern Division rivals:
Combined Opponent Record
Tampa Bay 22-26
Austin 22-26
Orlando 25-23
Georgia 28-20

Seventh Heaven
Since the AFL expanded to a 16-week schedule (2003), the Storm have never finished with more than two losses with seven weeks left in the season.
Last 7 Weeks Final Record
2003 5-2 12-4
2004 6-1 9-7
2005 5-2 10-6
2006 1-2 6-6

Stafford Season-to-Season Comparison
Last year Stafford had one of the most prolific seasons by any Storm signal caller, establishing Storm season highs. Last season he finished with 405 completions on 631 attempts for 4,522 yards and 83 touchdowns.

Stafford became the franchise leader in completions (Jay Gruden - 1,180) with his performance in Week 9 at Georgia. Coming into this week he is 10 touchdown passes shy of setting the franchise record for touchdown passes (Jay Gruden, 280).
Through 12 Games
ATT COMP PCT YDS TD's
2005 486 314 .646 3,376 63
2006 478 305 .638 3,648 68

Defying Father Time
Future Hall-of-Famer Lawrence Samuels continues to show that it's the little things that have made his 13-year career so successful. Amidst leading the Storm in receiving (93 receptions, 1,078 yards) this season and single-handedly rewriting the Storm record books, Samuels fourth in the AFL in special teams tackles with 12.5.

In Week 11 versus San Jose, Samuels surpassed the 9,000 receiving yard mark for his career and is now seventh all-time in the AFL with 9,140. Samuels passed Storm great George LaFrance (9,004) on the AFL's all-time receiving yards list. Earlier this season Samuels passed another Storm great, Stevie Thomas, as the franchise leader in receiving yards.

This season marks the third time in his career that Samuels' has gone over the 1,000 yard reception mark. He has accomplished this feat in three of the last four years (2003, 2005 and 2006).

Starting Off On the Right Note
The Storm have scored on their opening drive in 12 consecutive weeks to start the season. All 12 game-opening drives ended with a touchdown (9 passing, 3 rushing).

The Storm are 5-2 this season when leading after the first 15 minutes of play. They have outscored their opponents 138-125 in the first quarter this season.

Ben-d Don't Break
Second-year man OS Demetris Bendross certainly makes good use of his time and speed on the playing field. In seven games this season he has caught 37 passes for 582 yards and nine touchdowns, including a 182-yard performance in Week 5's win versus Austin. That tied him for fifth in franchise history for receiving yards in a game with Samuels (2006) and Freddie Solomon (2004).

Last season, in three games played, he made 13 receptions for 212 yards and five touchdowns.

Hunker Down
The Storm defense is third in the league in stopping opposing offenses from converting on third and fourth down. The defense has allowed 39 first downs on 95 attempts (41.1%). Leading the league is the Dallas Desperados who have allowed 42 first downs on 114 attempted (36.8%). Worst in the league is the Grand Rapids they have allowed teams to convert 55 times on 94 attempts (58.5%).

No Harm, No Foul
The Storm are the second least penalized team in the AFL. They average 5.5 penalties per game for an average of 33.6 yards per contest. The league leader is this weeks opponent the Orlando Predators as they commit on average 5.2 penalties per game averaging 30.7 yards.

The least penalties they've had in a game this season is one for five yards against the Georgia Force in Week 3. The most times the Storm have been caught "red handed" is nine for 65 yards against the New York Dragons last week.

Certain Puts a Hurtin'...
Fifth-year lineman Ernest Certain has corralled quarterbacks on three different occasions this season setting a career best for sacks in a season. In Week 2's win over Grand Rapids Certain put his clamps on Rampage QB Jose Davis for a sack and in Week 8 he put New York Dragons QB Nick Browder on the turf twice totaling a loss of five yards. It was the first two-sack performance of Certain's career.

The Storm record for sacks in a season is held by Les Barley who had 8 in 1998. Entering the week Certain is tied for fourth in the league with six tackles for loss.

A Game For The Ages...
Stafford and Samuels set numerous records February 19 versus their rival from 85 miles east, the Orlando Predators.

Shane Stafford completed 36 passes for 458 yards and eight touchdowns. All of which are all-time Storm game highs.

The 36 completions ties him for second most all-time in AFL History with Andy Kelly (Nashville, 1999). The most completions in a game record belongs to Tommy Maddox with 38 (New Jersey, 2000).

Stafford's 458 passing yards gained is the third highest mark in the AFL's 19-plus year history. In 1999, Clint Dolezel passed for 479 yards and in 2000 Todd Marinovich passed for 469 yards.

This is the fourth time he has thrown for eight touchdowns in a game. He shares that Storm record with John Kaleo (three times) and Jay Gruden (7/18/92). The last time Stafford accomplished the feat was January 30, 2005 in last year's season opener versus the San Jose Sabercats.

Samuels caught 15 passes, tying him for most receptions all-time by any Storm player in a game (Freddie Solomon, 2004). His 182 yards receiving was a career high and tied him for fifth on the Storm list with teammate Freddie Solomon who achieved the feat in May 2004 and a week later duplicated by Demetris Bendross (Week 5, 2006).

Kicking With Precision
Rookie kicker Bill Gramatica has converted on 61 of 66 (.924) point after attempts since February 19. Against the Kansas City Brigade in Week 6 he connected on a career-high 47-yard field goal and another from 34 yards out en route to a career-high 15 points in the game.

The former University of South Florida place kicker is tied for second in the AFL in points scored for kickers with 107 and is seventh (minimum of 30 attempts) in the league with a .906 conversion percentage on point after attempts.

Defending the Ord-way
Jonathan Ordway leads the team in tackles this season with 77.5, which is also the fourth-best mark in the league (67 solo, 21 assisted). He is third in the league with 19 passes defended.

A season ago Ordway set the third-best mark in Storm history with 87.5 tackles. Teammate Tramain Jones set the all-time record in the same season with 114.

Stafford, So Nice Let's Do It Twice...
Shane Stafford became the first quarterback in AFL history to pass for 400 or more yards in consecutive games against the Austin Wranglers during Week 6.

Stafford passed for 424 yards in the win and tossed for 458 yards, a Storm record, Week 5 against the Orlando Predators. That gave him a two week total of 882 yards passing on 62 completions and 15 touchdowns.

Super Size Me!!!
The average weight of the Storm lineman this season in comparison to last is up nearly 10 pounds (2006 = 287.0 lbs.; 2005 = 277.8). New lineman include Thaddeus Bullard (275 lbs.), Mondre Dickerson (300 lbs.), Buck Gurley (300 lbs.), A.J. Ricker (295 lbs.) and Greg Taplin (280 lbs.). Taplin, Dickerson and Bullard are currently on IR.

Hey Rook!
Ten players on the current 2006 Storm roster are in their first AFL season. The Storm rookies include kicker Bill Gramatica, linemen A.J. Ricker, Mondre Dickerson, Aaron Hunt, Greg Taplin, Kevin Dogins and Steve White, wide receiver/linebacker Mickey Peters and wide receiver/defensive backs Alphonso Roundtree and Leroy Smith.

Gramatica saw time in the NFL for four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins. Ricker and Smith spent time in the Chicago Bears camp in 2005. Alphonso Roundtree spent three seasons with the Miami Dolphins (2003-05). White played on the defensive line with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-2001 and with the New York Jets in 2002.

Tons of Experience on the Sideline
If there's one thing the Storm coaching staff has, it is Arena Football coaching experience. Headed by Tim Marcum, the AFL's all-time winningest coach, the three-man coaching staff has a total of 39 years of AFL coaching experience entering the season.

Marcum has 18 seasons under his belt, all as a head coach. He enters his 12th season in Tampa Bay, and prior to that served as the head coach of the Detroit Drive and Denver Dynamite. Under his guidance his teams have won seven ArenaBowl titles and have played in 10 of the 19 championship games.

Storm assistant coach Dave Ewart is in his fourth season with the Storm and his 11th season in the AFL. Prior to joining the Storm he served as head coach of the Florida Bobcats. He has also been the head coach of the Texas Terror and St. Louis Stampede and served as an assistant with the Bobcats, Stampede, New England Sea Wolves, and Cleveland
Thunderbolts.

Special teams coach Jimmy Dunn has coached arena football for 10 years. He was the head coach with the Miami Hooters in 1994 and Charleston Swamp Foxes of the arenafootball2 from 2000-2002. Also, he has served as offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Rockers, Miami Hooters, Charlotte Rage and special teams coach for the Orlando Predators.

Kuharchek Named Quality Control/Player Development Coach
Pete Kuharchek, 58, a native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, graduated from the University of Tampa in 1969 and is a part of the University of Tampa Athletic Hall of Fame. He joins the company of Super Bowl Champions Fred Solomon and John Matuzak amongst others in that prestigious group. Kuharchek was the Spartans' leading tackler and defensive MVP in 1967 and 1968.

Kuharchek's coaching resume includes stops with the Tampa Bay Bandits from 1983-85 as linebacker coach, the Orlando Thunder of the World League as defensive backs coach in 1992, defensive coordinator for the University of Texas at El Paso from 1993-95, and with the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe as defensive coordinator from 1996-00 and head coach from 2001-05.

As defensive coordinator for the Fire he helped them reach the World Bowl five times while taking home the championships in 1998 and 2000. He also coached in one other championship game with Orlando in 1992.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 19, 2006


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