Storm Division Title Not Enough
(May 20, 2003)

For the fifth time, the Tampa Bay Storm are division champions, but the goal has always been to win a fifth Arena Bowl title. The Storm is the number two seed in the AFL playoffs and, after a first round bye, will open the postseason on May 31 in Tampa.

Over the last month of the season, three of the team's last four games were on the road and they won all three. Victories at New York (59-45), Dallas (67-64) and in the season finale at Georgia (42-38) gave the Storm twelve wins on the season. The home game was a key loss to San Jose (47-34), which gave the SabreCats the number one seed in the playoffs, and was the Storm's fourth loss of the year. Orlando is seeded third. If all the top seeds win in the playoffs, which is unlikely, the Storm would host Grand Rapids and an Arena Bowl berth would be on the line when the war on I-4 comes to Tampa. Following those assumptions, the top two seeds would meet in San Jose for the crown.

The Storm started out very inconsistent and has shown signs of that flaw over the second half of the season. They began the year 1-2 and never should have lost in overtime at Las Vegas. Even though the Storm went 11-2 after the poor start, there are things to worry about. They dominated opponents for the first seven games of a eight game winning streak. The last victory went to overtime against Carolina, a team that did not win a game this season. The streak was broken by Colorado a team that only won twice this year. The Storm did bounce back to win three of the last four.

I guess the potential for the Storm came be summed up in cliches. If defense wins championships, the team should be in good shape. If one of the league's top defenses can show mid-season form in the playoffs, the Storm will be tough to beat. They will need to play sixty minutes. The team's tendency to squander fourth quarter leads will prove costly in the postseason. The Storm has used an unheard of six place kickers this season and will need better play from the special teams to win a league title. Consistent, turnover free offense is a key ingredient. Of course, you don't want to beat yourself with penalties and have to play one game at a time.

What are the chance of hanging a fifth championship banner from the rafters of the building formerly known as the Ice Palace. This season we've seen the Storm play well enough to win it all. We've also seen them play poorly enough to get knocked out in the first game. As the old cliche says, it is all a matter of what Storm team shows up over the next three weeks.