Storm lose as a team, should hold heads high as a team after loss in Orlando
Adam Markowitz
Saturday May 16, 2015
All season long, win or lose, Lawrence Samuels has preached that his Tampa Bay Storm needed to this, that, or the other as a team to succeed. All 21 men on the roster played a huge role on Saturday night in building a 55-34 lead against the Orlando Predators, and all 21 played a huge role in the ultimately losing the game 63-62 in overtime.
It would be easy to give all of the credit to Jason Boltus for building the lead. The first two and a half quarters, he had 198 yards and six TDs, and he was picking apart an Orlando secondary which just had no answers for any of his receivers on deep balls.
It would be easy to place all of the blame on Boltus, too. He was the man who threw two interceptions, he was the man who couldn't get forward on two different occasions on the final Tampa Bay drive of the fourth quarter, and he was the man who failed to complete his last five passes in regulation.
It would be just as easy to say that TT Toliver, who moved into second place all-time in receiving yards and receptions, was the hero on this day. He was the man who had four touchdown catches, including the one in overtime to put Tampa Bay ahead.
It would be just as easy to blame Toliver, too. He was flagged for two personal fouls in the game, and he didn't have a single catch on the final three drives of the game.
It would be easy to give the credit to the Tampa Bay defense, too. The unit picked up three stops on the night and had three sacks. Several other possessions were oh so close to being turnovers on downs. It forced the turnover in the fourth quarter that should have ended the game when everything was going against the Storm.
It would be just as easy to blame that unit as well for allowing the Predators to score on their final two possessions with little resistance.
Yes, the Storm built their lead as a team, and they blew it as a team.
But that doesn't mean that they should be holding their heads down as a team.
This was never going to be an easy game. Playing off of a bye week is one of the hardest things to do in the AFL, knowing that there is no practice during that off week and players tend to get a little bit rusty. Playing in Orlando is never a fun task for anyone, and the task was probably only made more difficult by the fact that the Predators had lost three games in a row and desperately needed a 'W'.
The public address announcer wouldn't be quiet during the lead into plays, getting warned by head referee Joe Pester on multiple occasions. The music was clearly pumped up louder than the league would allow as well by several decibels. Orlando might get a slap on the wrist this week for it, and it might just get a stern finger shook in its general direction. That won't make the Storm feel any better.
Furthermore, the Storm were clearly fighting against eight men and a pack of zebras on the field all night on Saturday. They were whistled for 10 infractions on the game against six for Orlando, and there were three instances, all of which could have ended the game, in which officials made a decision that went against Tampa Bay.
The inconsistencies in regards to pass interference on this night were maddening.
Julius Gregory getting mugged in the back of the end zone by Nick Taylor on fourth down? No call. This writer doesn't care what Sherdrick Bonner said on the CBS Sports Network broadcast. Taylor's hand was definitely all over and around the back of Gregory the whole route.
Later in the quarter when James Harrell had his hand on the back of LaMark Brown on a ball which was clearly thrown short of the receiver on third down? Pass interference.
The worst of all was probably the kick catch interference call on the Storm which took away a recovery which could have made the fact that Boltus couldn't go forward relatively moot. Tampa Bay's linemen were all on or behind the line of scrimmage when the ball cracked off of the bar, which should have made it a legal play.
Alas, if Tampa Bay makes the one extra point that it missed or the chip shot field goal that was very makeable or went forward two more times or didn't throw two interceptions or played something more than "ole" defense in crucial spots or found a way to stop one of two two-point conversion plays, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now.
Still, the Storm deserved a better fate than they got on this night. Yes, they got that bar ball in the second quarter, and the argument could be made that that was more luck than anything else, but they also were in the right positions for all of Orlando's onside kicks and successfully recovered the ball which Mark Lewis chimed off of the pipe in the second half.
Five different receivers scored touchdowns, and six total players found their way into the end zone in the game. Three different linemen had a sack. Two different defenders had a fumble recovery. Four players had a pass breakup. The special teams were sound. The offense was flawless for seven possessions.
And the heart… My, was there plenty of heart.
The final tally count on personal fouls will show level terms on both sides of the ledger, but the Storm did everything that they could to not get baited into a chippy game by the Predators. Orlando took two separate personal fouls early in the game which could have sparked a war. Instead of falling into the trap as so many teams have done in the past, Tampa Bay just kept plugging along and scoring points, keeping its composure every step of the way.
There was even a point in the third quarter that Samuels led out a roar that was heard all the way in the press area when his team took a 55-34 lead. Never has he done that before as a coach, and he rarely did it as a player either.
It was perhaps that emotion which has been missing from the Storm for the past few seasons. It was a moment where it finally looked like it was all coming together for Tampa Bay.
And then, just as we have seen in the Arena Football League for nearly three decades for so many others, including the Storm, it all fell apart at the drop of a hat.
However, better to have such a game in May than to have it in July or August. Now, this game will be used as a learning tool. In July or August, this game could signal the end of the season.
In the end, the Storm are 3-4, and they have ceded their lead in the Southern Division for the time being. Still, they are playing as a team and playing with raw emotion. They're playing for each other.
On this day, the Storm lost as a team. However, if they keep playing the same way they played on Saturday night, they'll win as a team a heck of a lot more in the future.