Storm Season Ends With a Whimper
(August 6, 2001)

The 2001 Tampa Bay Storm season came to an abrupt end Sunday with an embarrassing 68-31 loss to the Indiana Firebirds. It was the worst loss in team history. It was the worst home playoff loss in the history of the Arena Football League. While fans are left to wonder what happened to the team that started off this year with so much promise, I am afraid this article asks more questions than it answers.

It seems like so long ago. Remember, when the Storm went through the first half the season with a 7-0 record. Yes, that was this year when they posted victories over Grand Rapids and Nashville, the top two seeds in the playoffs, on the way to that perfect record. Fans were thinking we might gave a pretty decent team here. A shot at the Arena Bowl title did not seem that farfetched. Then the wheels came off.

A loss at Orlando, an overtime loss against Arizona, before the Florida Bobcats stopped the bleeding momentarily. Another loss to Orlando. A win over Houston did little to ease the pain of losing twice to the enemy from the east. Despite the apparent free fall, a win at Nashville would have clinched the division title and a first round bye in the playoffs. They lost to Nashville, then just beat New Jersey. The Storm were 10-4, losers of four of their last seven, but did get that first round bye. That setup yesterday's game.

The Firebirds and Storm have played some of the league's most memorable games, unfortunately, Sunday's was not one of them. Six Tampa Bay turnovers helped Indiana go on a an amazing 41-7 run in front of rapidly thinning Ice Palace crowd. John Kaleo, in his first game back from injury, looked, to put it nicely, rusty. Of course, to get whipped that badly it has to a team effort. The team's overall uninspiring play included a couple of fumbles by James Bowden.

Again, how can they be 7-0, then so bad? If they had lost a close game to the Firebirds, fans might have spent the off season discussing how to tweak the team. Now, a complete overall will be promoted. They are already calling for Kaleo's head. The secondary will continue to the subject of wide spread speculation. The line, especially on defense, will be ragged on too. Of course, head coach Tim Marcum will take his share of heat.

Another Storm season has come and gone and there certainly is an empty feeling with the way it ended. We will see what the off season brings. There are always changes, win or lose. Come next spring we will be cheering them on again. Until then, I guess we will have to follow this area's other professional football team.