Storm Cool Off Los Angeles
Adam J Locascio
Tuesday May 11, 2004
The Storm, who are starting to look more and more like their ArenaBowl champion selves, beat the Avengers at their own game, getting into a high-octane shootout at the Frozen Tundra of Tampa before walking away with a 63-55 victory.
With a Mother’s Day crowd shivering in their seats due to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s playoff ice lying in wait under the turf for game two against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Storm were able to come up with some major stops at every crucial moment of the game to put themselves within striking distance of a playoff spot.
After a missed extra point, the Avengers trailed the Storm 28-27. On the following drive Graziani threw four incompletions, including a second down pass that was dropped by the normally sure-handed OS Chris Jackson in wide open space, to hand the ball over to the Storm on the Avenger nine-yard line. The Storm made bank on the short field with a brilliantly executed play-action fake to fullback Umar Muhammad. Storm QB Shane Stafford faked to his left, rolled right and found a wide-open Ernest Certain who rumbled into the end zone to put Tampa Bay up 35-27.
They also were able to undo some of the Avengers good fortune along the way. Every break the Avengers seemed to eek out of the game, the Storm were able to counter their fortune and pull the game back into their favor.
With the Storm clinging to a 42-41 lead, Avenger kicker Remy Hamilton clanked his kickoff off the low iron. FB/LB Josh Jeffries recovered the kick at the Storm ten-yard line. But on first down, Graziani threw only his third interception of the year to DS Tramain Jones, denying the Avengers a chance to take back the lead.
After trading scores twice, the Storm still held a 56-55 lead when the Avengers pulled a surprise onside kick, which was recovered on 11-yard line by Los Angeles. But on the ensuing drive, Jones again stepped up and picked off a sure touchdown pass in the back corner of the end zone.
Jones now accounts for half of Graziani’s interceptions for the season.
But even when the Avengers refused to accept their fate lying down, it turns out they were their own worst enemy. After WR/DB Kevin Ingram stepped in front of a Stafford screen pass, the play was nullified thanks to a roughing the passer penalty. With new life, Stafford drove the Storm to the Avenger eight-yard line and connected with receiver David Saunders to put the Storm up 63-55. It was a lead they would never relinquish.
The Storm are now half a game out of the final playoff spot behind Indiana, Orlando, and Los Angeles. Thanks in part to their season sweep of the Predators and their victory over the Avengers in the “No Defense Bowl on Ice” they own two very important head-to-head tiebreakers going into their much needed bye week.
The Storm return to action on May 23rd when they take on the New Orleans VooDoo with an opportunity to avenge (no pun intended) a Week five loss in the Graveyard. Stafford will certainly be looking to show New Orleans that he is not the quarterback who handed 21 points to the VooDoo defense in a performance that landed him on the bench for two weeks.
So the Storm, like their turf, can chill out during the bye week as they enter the final two weeks of the season with an awful lot to play for.
Adam J. Locascio is a financial advisor in the Tampa Bay area and a Board Member of the Tampa Bay Storm Surge Fan Club. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Phoenix and is a six-year season ticket holder for the Tampa Bay Storm.
