The AFL's Newest Star
Adam J Locascio
Thursday March 2, 2006
You heard it here first. Forget Aaron Garcia. Forget Kurt Warner. Forget Jay Gruden. There’s a new sheriff in town. His name is Shane Stafford and he’s a superstar.
Sometimes you have to wonder how some people become famous in the sports world. Well, Shane Stafford is a superstar because I said so.
Look at some of the people who have the limelight, even outside of the sports world. You wonder what it is exactly that they’ve done. Trust me, there are people out there that have accomplished far less over longer periods of time and they are household names. Look at Paris Hilton.
But it’s time the AFL woke up. It’s time that they pulled their head out of their catatonic slumber and paid attention to the fact that there is a new sheriff in town.
Stafford’s superstardom started last season as he pulled out his pen and rewrote the Storm record book, the first edition of which was scribed by Hall of Famer Gruden. He set team records for passing attempts (631), completions (405, second all-time in the AFL), touchdowns (83), passing yardage (4,522) and completion percentage (.642).
But the assault on the record books continues. The past two weeks have been sort of a coming out party for Stafford as he became the first quarterback in AFL history to pass for 400 yards in back-to-back games.
The first game, a loss to the Orlando Predators, might have garnered more attention had the Storm won, but to those who only looked at the score and not the game missed the fact that Stafford engineered one of the most furious comebacks in the history of the AFL. Stafford brought the Storm back from a 40-14 deficit to tie the game 60-60 on the final play of the game. He might have gotten a few more headlines had the Storm come out on the winning side of the scoreboard.
A loss is a loss. No matter how colorful it is.
On Saturday, Stafford duplicated his feat with a 26-for-41 performance that racked up 424 more passing yards. Stafford and the Storm methodically cut down the Austin Wranglers
"It's not like 400 yards equals four wins. I wish it did because we'd be 8-2 now," said Stafford after the Austin game.
Pretty modest for the AFL’s next poster child.
But Shane isn’t a newcomer to these successes by any means. In 2002, Stafford was at the helm of the Storm as they upset the Los Angeles Avengers in the first round of the playoffs. It was the first time that a 12th seeded playoff team had won their opening round game.
And the milestones will keep on coming. Stafford could pass Jay Gruden for most completions and passing touchdowns in Storm history later on this season. And considering that Stafford donates $50 to Children’s Cancer Care, he shouldn’t just get the key to the city, he should get the penthouse.
But for all his charitable and statistical accomplishments, why is it that Stafford’s name isn’t the first out people’s mouths when the topic of the AFL’s most prolific passers comes up? Well, that’s about to change. This is Shane’s season.
And Shane’s famous.
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.
