2004 Tampa Bay Storm

Shane Stafford returned to the team. The quarterback was last with the team in 2002, then went on to NFL Europe and was in 2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp. They also signed Stoney Case, who had played seven seasons in the NFL with with Baltimore, Detroit and Arizona. Case had started seven games at quarterback for Baltimore in 1999. Also playing seven NFL season was defensive back Antonio Langham. Cleveland's top pick in the 1994 draft, Langham also played for Baltimore and New England. Lineman Shawn King had played in the NFL for Carolina and Indianapolis. Lineman Evan Pilgrim played six seasons in NFL, defensive specialist Del Lee was with the Jets in 1999 and played the last three years in the AFL, lineman Cyron Brown played with the Broncos in 1999, and lineman Emil Ekiyor was on the Bucs practice squad in 1996. Defensive special Shea Showers was a member of the AFL All-Rookie team in 1998. Ian Howfield started the season as the team's place kicker, but after three games he was replaced by Mike Black. After four games, Black was replaced by four year AFL veteran Matt George. An injury to George would bring on Ignacio Brache.

With Orlando in town for the season opener, Shane Stafford quickly got back in the grove as the Storm starter. Stafford (15 of 29 for 158 yards) threw five touchdown passes, he ran for a score and Freddie Solomon was on the receiving end on three of the TD passes. Former Buccaneers backup quarterback Joe Hamilton saw his first AFL action for the Predators. Hamilton (23 of 40 for 270 yards) threw four scoring passes and his primary target was Cory Fleming (13 receptions for 151 yards) with three TD catches. The Predators did not help themselves with a dozen penalties in a 52-41 Storm victory. Stafford said of the game, "I like that we won, that's the big thing, but there's a lot of things we need to correct. It wasn't clean."

The Storm certainly had that statistics to defeat Georgia at the Forum. Shane Stafford (25 of 34 for 304 yards with 1 INT) tied the team record with eight touchdown passes, threw for over 300 yards and also ran for a score. Freddie Solomon (8 receptions for 119 yards) had a team record five touchdown catches and Lawrence Samuels had two. The Force had plenty of offense themselves with Leon Murray (19 of 34 for 261 yards) throwing for five TDs and running for two more. Markieth Cooper (5 catches for 132 yards) was on the receiving end of four scoring passes and also returned a kickoff for a touchdown. The Storm scored with 49 seconds left to make it 62-56, then Georgia scored twice in the final seconds. A Stafford fumble in the end zone resulted in the game's final score and killed any chance of a Tampa Bay victory. The 70-62 loss was only the second time in franchise history that the Storm had allowed 70 or more points. It was also the first time the team had lost a game when scoring more than 60 points. Stafford said afterwards, "I'm just so frustrated with the way the game ended."

The season's first road game was at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. The expansion Wranglers were lead by former Storm quarterback John Kaleo. It was a back and forth contest with five lead changes in the third quarter alone. Kaleo (18 of 29 for 263 yards) threw for six touchdowns, while Shane Stafford (25 of 40) passed for 306 yards and five scores. Lawrence Samuels lead the Storm with eight receptions for 103 yards and Shannon Culver paced Austin with five catches for 113 yards and a pair of TDs. The Storm took a 48-42 fourth quarter lead, however, the Wranglers scored the final 14 points and Tampa Bay fell 56-48.

Lawrence Smauels had big afternoon against Philadelphia. Samuels caught nine passes for a career high 149 yards, had an interception and recovered a fumble with 23 seconds left to clinch the victory. Freddie Solomon added three touchdowns, twice via the run, to pace the home team. The defense pestered Soul quarterback Nick Browder (17 of 32 for 232 with 4 TDs and 1 INT), as he lost two fumbles and was sacked three times. Shane Stafford (18 of 35 for 233 yards with 3 TDs and 1 INT) was not happy with his effort in the 40-37 victory over the expansion team. "We did everything offensively to lose that game, especially me," the Storm quarterback admitted. Tim Marcum added, "We're very disappointed in our offensive effort."

Next up was a trip to play another expansion team. New Orleans jumped on the Storm and at one point in the second quarter lead 31-7. Shane Stafford (11 of 19 for 205 yards with 1 TD) had three interceptions returned for touchdowns, twice by Lamont Moore, and Tampa Bay could not recover. Pat O'Hara (13 of 20 for 158 yards) came on in the third quarter and tossed two touchdown passes to Freddie Solomon, who also caught a TD pass from Stafford. Voodoo quarterback John Fitzgerald (13 of 30 for 169 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT) did not exactly light up the New Orleans Arena, as the Storm had a 273-191 advantage in total yards. David White ran for two Storm TDs in a 55-43 defeat. After the game, which coach Tim Marcum said, "A lot of bad things happened to us," he announced a change. "Pat will be our starting quarterback. He'll step up and do a good job for us."

Pat O'Hara and the Storm got off to a slow start against New York, as the visiting Dragons took a 20-0 lead in the second quarter. The Storm narrowed the gap to 20-14 at the half, then Linclon DuPree returned a kickoff and a missed field goal for touchdowns and the Storm were down by 19 in the third quarter. DuPree also caught two touchdown passes from Aaron Garcia (12 of 27 for 130 yards with 2 INTs and 4 TDs). O'Hara (25 of 49 for 264 yards), who ran for a score, threw three second half touchdown passes to Freddie Solomon (8 receptions for 103 yards) and Tampa Bay had a shot at victory as time ran out. It looked like Lawrence Samuels caught the winning TD pass, but the referee ruled the play was broken up. Samuels said, "Everybody saw it. How long do I have to hold the ball? I'm not going to knock the official or anything. They made the call. They'll review the tape. They'll see." Tim Marcum added, "He's standing there holding the ball. His feet are down on the ground. It's a touchdown." The head coach also admitted, "It shouldn't have boiled down to that last play."

The Storm trailed home standing Carolina 14-3, then came back for a 29-21 lead at the half. The third quarter was a disaster, as the Storm was out-scored 24- 0 and never recovered. Jarrick Hillery was the star for the Cobras with two kickoff returns for touchdowns and two more scores on Matt Nagy (20 for 30 for 159 yards with 4 TDs) TD passes. Even though the Storm out-gained Carolina in total yards 248 to 169, they could not overcome three turnovers and ten penalties (72 yards). Pat O'Hara (25 of 43 for 249 yards with 2 INTs) did toss six touchdown passes, with Clif Dell (6 receptions for 115 yards) catching three and Lawrence Samuels two, in a 54-43 defeat. Tim Marcum said, "I think we're probably panicking. We'll see what we're made of now." O'Hara added, "It's hard to even say 2-5. We're not used to that."

Georgia lead 14-7 after the first quarter, then the visiting Storm dominated. Force quarterback Leon Murray (18 of 32 for 231 yards with 3 TDs) was intercepted twice, fumbled the ball away twice and sacked three times. Shane Stafford (14 of 30 for 209 yards with 1 INT) returned to the starting quarterback position and tossed three scoring passes, while David White ran for three touchdowns. The defense held Georgia to its lowest point total ever and the Storm broke a three game losing streak. Tim Marcum said of the 53-24 victory, "We needed a win and the guys responded. We're not dead yet, there's no doubt about that, but we've got a long way to go."

With San Jose in town, the Storm looked good for a half. Lawrence Samuels caught a touchdown pass and recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff to give Tampa Bay a quick 14-0 lead. T.T. Toliver caught seven passes for 118 yards and three TDs, all career highs, while Freddie Solomon (8 catches for 102 yards) also had a 100-yard receiving day with a touchdown. Shane Stafford (25 of 41 for 309 yards with an INT) threw for five scores, and ran for another, in a game the Storm lead 38-21 at the half. Behind Mark Grieb and James Roe, the SaberCats would out-score the Storm 41-17 in the second half. Grieb (27 of 34 for 351 yards) threw nine TD passes and Roe (11 for 158 yards) caught seven of them. Roe's last TD grab came with seven seconds left to seal a 62-55 victory for San Jose. The SaberCats overcame three lost fumbles and a dozen penalties hurt the Storm. With his team now 3-6, Tim Marcum said, "Until somebody tells me we're mathematically eliminated, we're going to fight like we're in it."

The Storm's woes continued at Chicago. In the first quarter, kicker Matt George broke his collarbone trying to make a tackle on blocked extra point and the Storm would be forced to attempt two point conversions for the rest of the game. The fact they failed on all five two point tries was indicative how the afternoon went. Shane Stafford (22 of 33 for 284 yards with 1 INT) did throw for three scores and ran for another, but the offense continued to stall at critical times. Freddie Solomon had two TD catches and T.T. Toliver caught seven passes for 107 yards with a TD. The Rush were paced on the ground by Bob McMillen with three touchdowns and threw the air by Etu Molden with ten receptions for 157 yards and two scores. Quarterback Raymond Philyaw (22 of 33 for 265 yards and 1 INT) threw four scoring passes. The game featured 27 penalties, 11 for the Storm (77 yards) and 16 for Chicago (100 yards). The Storm took its only lead on first play of second half 24-23, then went on to lose 51-36. Freddie Solomon called it a game were, "Everything that could go wrong went wrong." On the diminishing chance of making the playoffs, Tim Marcum admitted, "We're got to win the next six. We're in sudden death right now."

It look as if the Storm were going to fall to John Kaleo and the Austin Wranglers in a game at the Forum. Kaleo (24 of 43 for 252 yards with 1 INT) threw for five touchdowns and ran for another, as the visitors built a 52-42 advantage with 49 second left in the fourth quarter. The score could have been worse, if not for the special teams play of T.T. Toliver. He returned one kick 58 yards for a score, another for a 53 yard TD and finished with 218 return yards. Shane Stafford (18 of 25 for 211 yards with 3 TDs and 1 INT) connected with Freddie Solomon (9 catches for 107 yards) with 28 seconds remaining, however, Austin recovered the onsides kick. The Wranglers could not run out the clock and turned the ball over on downs with 16 seconds left. Ignacio Brache kicked a 36 yard field goal on final play of regulation. The Storm signed Brache during the week and he had not played in two years. Also making an impact in his first game with Tampa Bay was Umar Muhammed, who ran for two touchdowns. 3:03 into overtime, Nyle Wiren sacked Kaleo and forced a fumble. Lawrence Samuels recovered the ball and returned it 28 yards for the winning score. Stafford said of the 58-52 win, "It's one of those victories that can turn momentum around." Samuels took a jab at the officials, who called ten Storm penalties, "Every time we'd make a big play, they had to discuss something."

The Storm got off to a slow start at Columbus. They generated just 4 yards of offense in the first quarter against the Destroyers, who had relocated from Buffalo before the season. A T.T. Toliver kickoff return for a touchdown was what kept the Storm in the game, as the home team built a 22-10 second quarter lead. Quarterback Ryan Vena (16 of 28 for 175 yards with 1 INT) threw for three scores and ran for another, while Sedrick Robinson caught two passes for Columbus TDs. Andre Bowden scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns and the Storm were within 22-17 at the half. Early in the third, Shane Stafford (18 of 26 for 212 yards with 1 TD) ran for a score that put Tampa Bay up for good. The Storm scored 22 unanswered point on the way to a 46-36 victory. Tim Marcum said afterwards, "We kind of found a way to scrap up a win. We did what we had to do."

The Storm and Predators traded scores in the first half at Orlando, then the Storm out-scored Orlando 20-0 in the third quarter for a 51-28 advantage. Shane Stafford (18 of 30 for 243 yards with 2 INTs) threw seven touchdown passes with T.T. Toliver and Lawrence Samuels catching a pair each. Toliver also had a 57 yard kickoff return for a TD and Samuels had a key fumble recovery. The Predators did not give up, scoring the next 23 points for an improbable comeback and a 51-51 tie late in the game. Joe Hamilton (25 of 43 for 318 yards with 1 INT) threw for seven TDs, while Travis McGriff (10 catches for 163 yards) and Corey Fleming (12 receptions for 131 yards) each had three touchdown catches. The Storm scored two late touchdowns, and Orlando scored in the final minute, and Tampa Bay had a 63-58 victory. Tim Marcum said of the game, "We've had such a terrible year in teams of ifs, ands, or buts. It's good to see these guys answer the challenge. I'm pleased with the way they came on in the last three weeks."

It took good efforts from the offense and defense to keep the winning streak going against Los Angeles at the Forum. Shane Stafford (27 of 40 with 1 INT) threw for a career high 321 yards and tied his career best with eight touchdown passes. Freddie Solomon caught ten passes with four TDs and a career high 182 receiving yards. Umar Muhammad ran for a score and caught a pass fro another. The Avengers turned the ball over three times in the second half, including two interceptions of Tony Graziani (17 of 33 for 252 yards) by Tramain Jones, and the Storm had a 65-55 victory. Four straight victories gave the team a .500 record and Tim Marcum said, "We still have life."

The Storm built a 42-16 third quarter lead in the home finale against the New Orleans Voodoo. David Saunders caught three touchdown passes, Freddie Solomon (8 receptions for 199 yards) had two TDs grabs and Umar Muhammad had a TD catch and a TD run. While throwing for six scores, Shane Stafford (22 of 30 for 267 yards) was not picked off and the Storm scored on nine of ten possessions. Seven TD passes by John Fitzgerald (25 of 41 for 276 yards) made it close. Tim Marcum said after the 59-51 victory, "I asked them for the perfect storm. Any game can't be perfect, but we played smart."

It was not easy, but the Storm completed the run to playoffs at Dallas. Bobby Sippio (6 receptions for 103 yards) caught the first of his three touchdown passes, then returned a Shane Stafford interception for a score and a quick 14- 0 Desperados lead. Dallas lead 17-7 after the first quarter, then the Storm out-scored the home team 24-0 in the second for a 31-17 advantage. Stafford (20 of 30 for 259 yards) would throw seven TD passes with Freddie Solomon, David Saunders and Clif Dell each catching a pair of scoring passes. Dallas QB Scott Dreisbach (23 of 40 for 277 yards with 1 INT) threw for six scores with Jason Shelley (8 receptions for 125 yards) catching three second half touchdown passes. The Desperados scored with no time on the clock to pull within 59-57 and setup the game's final play. On the two point conversion attempt, Dreisbach's pass was deflected back to himself and he ran to the 1-yard line before being stopped. The wild victory was the Storm's sixth straight and clinched a playoff berth. Tim Marcum said afterwards. "I think I aged about fifteen years tonight. It doesn't say how you won, it says how many you won. It certainly is good to come from where we were at 3-7."

The Storm kept alive the streak of making the playoff every year of its existance for a league record fourteen years. T.T. Toliver scored a team record four touchdowns on kick returns and was fifth in the league in return yardage. Freddie Solomon was tied for fifth in the AFL with 34 touchdowns. The Storm allowed a team record 799 points and were fifth in the legaue in attendance (14,348).

The Storm came out flat for the playoff game at San Jose and the SaberCats lead 35-6 at the half. Mark Grieb (22 of 32 for 223 yards) threw two touchdown passes apiece to James Roe and Shalon Baker, Keala Keanaaina ran for two TDs, and the home team had a 31 point advantage after three quarters. The Storm did make it interesting. Shane Stafford (25 of 43 for 318 yards with 7 TDS and 1 INT) came back from a dismal 6 for 18 first half to lead the rally. Lawrence Samuels finished with eleven receptions for 140 yards and a score, while Freddie Solomon had three fourth quarter TD catches. The kicking game did not help matters, as Ignacio Brache missed three extra points. Despite out-scoring San Jose 27-0 in the fourth quarter, the Storm lost 56-52. Tim Marcum said of the game, "We just didn't make plays, especially in the first half."

Related Links

2004 Tampa Bay Storm Results

2004 AFL Southern Division Standings

2004 Tampa Bay Storm Statistics

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