Preds Return Swagger to the Jungle
Jason Lucas
Tuesday April 25, 2006
The Storm never had a chance in this game as the Predators pulled down their collective pants and spanked them up and down Hummer Field. Tampa Bay did not find the endzone until the third quarter when offensive specialist Freddie Solomon caught a 40 yard pass from quarterback Shane Stafford. Solomon proceeded to do a little dance as he seemed pretty excited to finally get into the paint. Unfortunately for Solomon and the Storm, 21 points was as close as they would get to the Preds who opened up a 28-0 halftime lead. It was the first time since 1991 the Storm did not manage a single point in a first half of football.
This 39th edition of the War on I-4 was an absolute drubbing in every sense of the word. The Predators played like a team on a mission destined for the ArenaBowl and the Storm played like a team destined for the Toilet Bowl. The Storm repeatedly got down into the "Red Zone" and was shut down by a stingy Preds defense led by defensive specialist Kenny "The Glove" McEntyre. Tampa Bay finished the game without converting on a third or fourth down turning the ball over on downs three times to the Predators. In the fourth quarter and the Storm trailing 45-13 Stafford threw a screen pass right into the hands of McEntyre who walked into the end zone to put an exclamation point on a flawless performance by the Predator defense.
"I never thought it would be that easy" McEntyre said after the game.
The Orlando Predators offense continued their improvement on Saturday night as well with quarterback Joe Hamilton once again spreading the ball around evenly to his "Fantasic Four" receivers. OS Jimmy Fryzel and Javarus Dudley both caught two touchdowns each in the first half from Hamilton. DeAndrew Rubin beat the Storm defense on consecutive plays for touchdowns in the third quarter; one called back for holding, and the other stood up from 21 yards out. Jerrian James played despite a back injury suffered in practice and averaged 12 yards per kick return. Hamilton continues to improve week by week and has now gone over 140 passing attempts without throwing an interception. He did suffer a minor injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder but said he will be fine to play next week against the Colorado Crush.
When it rains it pours
What in the world are they doing over there in Tampa Bay? As a veteran of this series I was expecting at least three quarters of competitive football from the Storm. Instead what we got is a team that got off the bus, came into the Jungle and got spanked and then headed back west on I-4 with their tails tucked between their legs. The biggest fight the Preds got from the Storm was Umar Muhammad throwing out some shots with three minutes to go in the game. This is the same guy who was telling the media how to do their jobs after the Storm’s loss to San Jose. This is not what anyone has come to expect from the Storm in the Tim Marcum regime.
Marcum dismissed about half of his receiver output when he sent Bobby Sippio packing three weeks ago. By the way Sippio managed only six touchdowns for the Chicago Rush in their game this week. For those of you counting at home that is four more than the Storm scored as a team Saturday night. I have got to believe Sippio is at home laughing right now.
When you read the Storm’s message boards on ArenaFan you have fans screaming for Marcum’s dismissal and I can not tell you how many times I have stood up on those boards and defended him with anything a Predator fan could use to help the cause. At this point I am starting to think maybe they are right. It is not like the Storm never won before Marcum was there. Even Lary Kuharich and Fran Curci won ArenaBowls with the Storm so it can be done without Marcum that is for sure. I am not saying Marcum needs to go; maybe it is just time for him to look around for some help in the player personnel department. Maybe keep a guy that performs on the field like Sippio did for the Storm and think about eliminating someone who’s biggest concern after a loss is what the media is doing? I have the utmost respect for Marcum and the Storm and wish them all the best of luck trying to get things back on track!
Sellout in the Jungle
The Jungle was sold out Saturday night for the first time since Arenabowl XIV in the 2000 season. The noise started during pre-game with chants of "Tampa Sucks" and during the game old school chants of "In Your Face" broke out. The swagger has definitely returned to the Jungle as the Predators have now won 13 of their last 15 games at home. Also of note: The Predators have not lost to a Southern Division opponent at home since the 2004 season when they lost to the Storm.
Little Help
On Saturday night the Predators received a little help from the San Jose SaberCats who defeated the Austin Wranglers 63-59; Austin’s loss coupled with the Preds win makes Orlando the sole leader of the Southern Division. The Georgia Force took a 62-59 loss to Dallas making that two losses in a row for the once great Force. The Predators still have a date with the Austin Wranglers on May 12 that could decide the division champion.
Week 14
On Sunday the Orlando Predators will travel to face the Colorado Crush (9-4). The Crush are led as always by QB John Dutton and his favorite target Damian Harrell who broke the single season TD receptions record last week adding three more to his total of 46. However, The Crush took a 52-40 loss to the Utah Blaze last Friday evening and could use a win against the Predators to stay ahead of the pack in the American Conference. The game starts at 6pm local time in Orlando and an informal group viewing party is to be held at Friday’s Front Row on International Drive.
Jason Lucas is a part-time freelance writer based in the Orlando, Florida area. A former director of media relations with the Orlando Predators, Jason is making his return to Arenafan.com after a short stint as a public relations assistant with the UFL‘s Florida Tuskers in 2010. Lucas has followed the AFL since 1992 and began covering the Predators for Arenafan during the 2004 season. He held that position until being picked up by the Preds front office after the 2007 season. Jason‘s knowledge of arena football and love of the game is what drives him to continue covering the sport.
