It's Time to Talk Storm Already
(January 29, 2003)

While the Tampa Bay area continues to bask in the glory of the Buccaneers Super Bowl championship, the Tampa Bay Storm prepare to kickoff the 2003 Arena Football League season this Friday at the St. Pete Times Forum. As the Storm attempts to win its fifth championship, there are major changes in store for indoor football this season.

If you're thinking it is a little early to be talking about the Storm, and didn't the season used to start in April, that's part of the changes in store for arena football in 2003. A new television agreement with NBC has created substantial change for the Arena Football League's seventeenth season. In order to get the exposure of being on one of the major broadcast networks, the league agreed to start the season the week after the Super Bowl. The regular season schedule had been expanded to sixteen games and preseason games have been eliminated. The Storm did play an exhibition against Orlando in Uniondale, New York, which acted as a dry run for the NBC broadcast crews, a game the Storm lost 47-44.

Another change is that there are more Sunday afternoon games to accommodate NBC's broadcast plans. The network will broadcast several games each Sunday afternoon and eleven Storm games will be played on Sunday. NBC will have pregame, half time and postgame studio shows. Rule changes instituted to speed up game play include defensive offsides resulting in a five yard penalty and an automatic first down.

The Storm appears to have had a good training camp. The opening day roster features sixteen returning players and eight newcomers. Quarterback John Kaleo is back, however, Scott Milanovich and Shane Stafford are not. Milanovich was traded to Detroit for lineman Kelvin Kinney. Stafford was signed by the New England Patriots and is expected to be allocated to NFL Europe, so he would miss some or all of the season. Seven year veteran Pat O'Hara has been signed as a backup QB. Other key players resigned are Lawrence Samuels and Alvin Ashley. Pete Elezovic, who the team signed for last season's playoff run, will take over the kicking duties from Mike Black. Free agents include WR/LB Clif Dell, who played at Orlando and for the University of South Florida, former Orlando lineman BJ Cohen, eleven year veteran and three time All-Arena WR/LB Gary Compton, Arena Bowl 2002 Ironman WR/DB Omarr Smith and former Carolina Panthers lineman Al Lucas.

Tim Marcum talked about the training camp and upcoming season. "We brought a number of very talented football players to camp knowing that we were going to have to make some tough decisions on some guys," the head coach said. "But I feel strongly that the process has definitely improved our football team and I'm excited about the prospects of where this group can take us."

Will the fact that the Bucs have won a Super Bowl may put more pressure on the Storm to return to past glories. It will also be interesting to see what effect playing on Sunday afternoon, instead of the tradition Friday and Saturday nights, will have on attendance. One good thing about all the changes, we don't have to wait until April to see some more football.