The Tampa Bay Storm, the oldest and winningest franchise in the history of the Arena Football League, return to action this weekend with a revamped roster and a renewed vigor after missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year in 2012.
The five-time Arena Bowl champions will begin play on Saturday night against in-state rivals the Jacksonville Sharks at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
Storm head coach Dave Ewart, who took over after 2011 resignation of longtime coach Tim Marcum, was well aware of the opportunities and advantages presented to his young squad by opening the season on its home turf.
“Anytime you open at home, it definitely charges us up”, said Ewart as he addressed the press on Tuesday during Storm Media Day “It’s a big game; it counts as one-and-a-half for us, really. One way to secure up a home playoff spot is to win your division, and that’s our goal right now. This is a very important game for our young football team.”
Winning the division is something the Jacksonville Sharks know all about, as they won the American South for the last three years. The Storm, on the other hand, have come in last in the same division since Ewart took over coaching responsibilities.
The Sharks have had one of the most successful starts for an AFL franchise since their induction in 2010. Jacksonville won Arena Bowl XXIV in just its second season, and with three consecutive division titles they are undoubtedly the favorites to win the division again this season.
With low expectations from the media, Storm president Derrick Brooks says that he sees a lot of potential in this season’s team.
“We’ve got a young football team in terms of arena football,” Brooks said. “A very talented football team that’s hungry to defend, and really wants to get us back where we need to be.”
Tampa Bay may have one of the youngest rosters in the league. The opening-night 24-man roster has 10 first-time AFL players, including two-time Bowl Championship Series National Champion offensive-lineman Alfred McCullough out of Alabama and defensive-lineman DeMarcus Tyler, who has spent some time in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears.
To help the rookies get acclimated Coach Ewart says that the 14 league veterans on the team will be looked to for guidance.
“You’ve got to have veteran leadership in this game; that’s one thing that you must have,” Ewart said, “So we have to have good veterans that lead, and that’s something now with the Joe Hills and the Mike Lindseys and the Adrian McPhersons…those guys have to be leaders.”
Kickoff against the Sharks will be at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 23 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa. The game can be seen on tampabaystorm.com and heard on WDAE AM 620.
Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Storm.
