Storm Season Ends In the Jungle, Preds Move On
Joe Kauffman
Tuesday August 8, 2000
Familiar words for any fan of the Orlando Predators, often, these are words that foreshadow dread for the visiting team. Last Thursday, there was no “fun and games” for the Tampa Bay Storm. The Predators put an end to the Storm’s season by defeating them 34-24 in front of 13,122 wild fans in “The Jungle”, Orlando’s appropriately nicknamed TD Waterhouse Centre.
The Predators win over the Storm marks the third straight year that Orlando has knocked Tampa Bay out of the playoffs. Last year, the Predators upset the top-seeded Storm in the first round of the playoffs, and in 1998 defeated the Storm in ArenaBowl XII for their first league title.
The Storm and Predators seem to be moving in opposite directions. In the past, Tampa Bay was a team known for its strong defense – a characteristic that helped the franchise win four titles in their first 6 seasons. Lately, though, the Storm’s defense had struggled, forcing the offense to outscore their opponents right up to the final seconds of the game.
 Connell Maynor enjoyed another playoff victory over his team`s arch-rival Image courtesy of Chris Arnold |
“We talked about defense all week,” said Gruden after the game. “We were a little bit insulted that people were saying how unstoppable Tampa Bay`s offense was. Damon [Mason] and Kenny McEntyre took it to heart and our pass rush took it to heart and came out and shut it down.”
And shut down the Storm they did. The 24 points scored by the Storm was their lowest offensive output of the season. On several occasions, the Predators stopped Tampa Bay in short yardage situations. The Storm had a first-and-goal from the one yard line in the second quarter, down 20-7, and were unable to put points on the board.
“It`s just frustrating when you can`t put the ball into the end zone,” said Storm quarterback John Kaleo. “Then you have to use trickery to get it in and that becomes even more frustrating because you think you can just outmuscle that bunch.”
And when the Storm couldn’t muscle the ball in the end zone on the ground, Orlando’s pass rush put so much heat on Kaleo that he was unable to hit his receivers. “They brought the pressure,” said Kaleo. “I think very rarely I had the time to set up five step and throw the ball.”
It is possible that the number of days between games had an effect on the outcome of the game. Tampa Bay only had five days to get ready for the Thursday night matchup against Orlando. The Predators had 11 days to prepare because of the first round bye they received for winning the division. They had not played a game since July 30.
“We looked like a tired football team,” said Storm head Coach Tim Marcum. “It`s hard coming off five days rest and then play championship football like we`re supposed to play.”
So, the season comes to an end for the Tampa Bay Storm. And it will be a hectic off-season for the four-time ArenaBowl champions. If the new collective bargaining agreement is ratified, the Storm will have to do their best to retain the core of their team. Under the agreement, players with at least four years of experience will become automatic free agents. This means Storm fans may have seen the last of some of their favorite players in the Navy and Gold. The biggest names on the list are Andre Bowden, Lawrence Samuels and John Kaleo.
“I`d like to stay here with the organization, but if another team is going to come up and pursue me a little harder, I`ll just have to weigh the options,” said Kaleo, who played his best season in the AFL, finishing with a passer rating over 100 for the first time in his career. “But, I`m talking with Coach Marcum about staying with the Tampa Bay Storm for a few years.”
The Predators, on the other hand, still have at least one more game to play before beginning to think about free agency. They will be taking on the Arizona Rattlers in a semifinal game at home on Sunday, August 13. The Rattlers lost quarterback Sherdrick Bonner last week to a season-ending knee injury against the Albany Firebirds, a game they won 53-50. But Predators fans should not overlook Arizona just because they lost their starting quarterback. In 1997, Bonner’s leg was broken in a semifinal victory. The Rattlers still won their second ArenaBowl title, and the replacement quarterback, Donnie Davis, was name ArenaBowl MVP. While Davis is no longer with the Rattlers, they will still be a strong team, capable of matching up with the Predators.
With a victory over Arizona, though, the Predators would find themselves playing in the ArenaBowl for the third straight year. Only one team has ever made more than two straight appearances, the Detroit Drive from 1988 to 1993. Detroit won four of those six title games. And with a little help from the Nashville Kats, the Predators could find themselves hosting the ArenaBowl for the third time.
“I`m ready [for the semi-finals],” said Predators quarterback Connell Maynor. “That was our goal from the start of the year, to get back to the ArenaBowl. We took the first step, by getting the number-two seed. Now we won this game and next week, we`ve got to win and we`ll be back in the ArenaBowl. If San Jose slips up, we`ll have it right here.”
Joe Kauffman is President and Editor in Chief of Arenafan Online, having joined the staff in 2000. He graduated from Florida State University in 1998 with a degree in communications andbuilds ecommerce sites for a day job. Joe has enjoyed Arena Football since 1991 and has been a member of the Arena Football Internet community since 1995. Prior to Joining Arenafan, he was a co-founder and Technical Editor of the Storm Shelter, which covered the Tampa Bay Storm from 1996-99. Joe and his wife Erika live in Hackettstown, New Jersey with their two daughters.
