Columbus Destroyers weekly release: week 6 vs. Tampa Bay Storm
Monday March 31, 2008
Five-Time ArenaBowl champion make visit to Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena for 2008
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Destroyers host three of the next four games on their 2008 schedule on Huntington Field at Nationwide Arena. The Destroyers (1-4, 0-2) will face the AFL Southern Division’s Tampa Bay Storm (2-2, 1-1) on Saturday, March 29. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (ET). Below is a look ahead at this week’s opponent, practice schedule, team news and notes and broadcast information.
FIRST LOOK, TAMPA BAY STORM: Five-time ArenaBowl champion, Tampa Bay Storm, makes their first visit to Columbus since the 2006 season. The game will mark the Storm’s fourth game, third consecutive, on the road this season. They are currently on a two-game losing streak and have a record of 1-2 away from St. Pete Times Forum this season.
The Storm are led by the all-time winningest coach in Arena Football League history Tim Marcum (192 career victories). Now in his 14th season with the Storm, 20th overall in the AFL, he owns a League record seven ArenaBowl titles.
The Destroyers and Storm will meet for the eighth time, with Tampa Bay leading the series 5-2. Columbus defeated the Storm in the 2007 National Conference Wild Card Round 56-55 on June 30. Destroyers’ quarterback Matt Nagy scored a one-yard touchdown run with 0:07 remaining in the fourth quarter to give Columbus its first-ever playoff victory.
Calling the signals for the Storm is the 2007 AFL Co-Rookie of the Year Brett Dietz. The Hanover (Ind.) College graduate, completed 199-of-302 passes for 2,395 yards and 47 touchdowns in nine games last season. He finished with the second-highest passer rating (119.3) in AFL history by a rookie quarterback.
Last week against the Philadelphia Soul, Dietz threw for a career-high 400 yards on 31-of-46 passes and six touchdowns. On the season he has completed 97-of-149 pass attempts for 1,112 yards with 20 touchdowns and three interceptions.
