In the Huddle with JD

By Jason Dixon

Throughout the 2010 season we saw two different versions of the Tampa Bay Storm. For most of the year we saw a dominate team with a fierce pass rush, a physical secondary, an accurate, efficient quarterback, and big wide outs that went up and got the football. There were times during the season where the team just appeared to be off kilter making mistakes on both sides of the football. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, on the league’s biggest stage the wrong team showed up.

Things looked good out of the gate. The Storm lost the toss and got the ball first. They moved down the field with a slow, methodical drive. In the process the Shock lost two defensive starters. They finished the drive with a touchdown. The Shock then scored on their first possession, but Storm linebacker Cliff Dukes blocked the extra point. Storm fans had to be feeling pretty good.

The game turned on the next two Tampa Bay possessions Both ended with turnovers. Quarterback Brett Dietz was sacked and he fumbled. That turned into a 13-7 Shock lead. The next series resulted in an interception, and just like that Spokane led by two scores.

The Storm had hoped to take the rowdy Spokane crowd out of the game early. Instead, Tampa Bay’s early mistakes fueled the Spokane record crowd of 11,017.

The Spokane offense led by quarterback Kyle Rowley sliced and diced the Storm secondary. The only time the Storm were able to muster a stop was when kicker Garret Rivas recovered an onside kick. The lone stop allowed the Storm to temporarily take the lead. Even the go ahead score came back to bite the team from Tampa Bay. The Shock defense appeared to allow Royal to score. If Royal had fallen down on the one yard line, Tampa Bay could have milked some additional time off the clock. Instead, the Shock got the ball back and one play later scored to take a 34-28 halftime lead.

The Shock had the possession coming out of the half and leap-frogged the Storm as they put up a touchdown to open the second half. The Storm were unable to answer. Dietz tried to force the ball down field to Hank Edwards, the route was jumped and the Storm’s hopes of winning the ArenaBowl were officially toast.

The Storm were never able to come close to stopping the Shock. The Storm secondary looked lost. There were busted coverages and desperation pass interference infractions. All-in-all things did not go well for the guys in the defensive backfield.

The Storm’s mantra all season long was that “no other team in this league could beat them. The only team that could beat them was themselves.” That theory was busted in ArenaBowl XXIII. The reality of the situation was that even though the Storm doled out some self-inflicted wounds, the Spokane Shock thoroughly beat the them in all aspects of the game.

The Spokane Shock denied Tampa Bay its sixth ArenaBowl title. In the process Spokane added its first ArenaBowl title to its two ArenaCup championships.

What’s next…

The 2010 version of the Tampa Bay Storm were designed to win now. The team was made up of veteran AFL players who came back to the relaunched version of the Arena Football League with the intention of winning a championship this season. The end result was the empty feeling of being so close to a title, but coming home empty handed.

When you have been around pro sports as long as I have, you learn to take statements made after an emotional loss with a grain of salt. That being said a number of those veteran players may choose to hang it up. I won’t name names here, because I believe that those guys have earned the right to go out on their own terms.

There is also another set of players who still have years left in their playing career who have decided that for whatever reason, the relaunched version of the Arena Football league is not for them.

What this means for Tim Marcum and his staff is probably a rebuilding effort for next year. Mind you, I don’t believe that Tampa Bay will be all alone in that boat. That second group of players that I mentioned above are not exclusive to the Storm. League wide there will be a number of players that might decide that the AFL is not for them.

ArenaBowl review…

Hard core fans of the Arena Football League have debated the merits of having the ArenaBowl at the site of the highest seeded team, or having the game hosted at a neutral site.

I have attended three ArenaBowls that were hosted by a home team, and one neutral site game. Both have their pluses and the crowd in Spokane was electric. Having the game in Spokane was a great reward for great fans that have supported the Shock all season long. Shock fans that were in the building got to witness the home team winning a championship. It was something that they will never forget.

The down side to the game being played in Spokane, was that the game was being played in Spokane. Spokane, Washington is a hard city to get to. There are not a lot of options for flying into Spokane and just about all of those options are real expensive. That meant the team’s travel costs for the game were exorbitant It also meant that fans of the league that wanted to attend the game likely had to pass because of the hefty air fare.

This year’s game did not have much of an “ArenaBowl feel” to it. This was mostly due to the downsizing of the league office. The league apparently did not have the personnel or the funds to put on an “event.” Walking around downtown Spokane, there was no hint that a championship game was being played in the city. The only ArenaBowl signage that I saw was a cardboard sign on an easel in the hotel lobby. If not for the ownership of the Storm and Shock opening their collective wallets, there would not have been the traditional banquet for the players, coaches and staff the night before the game.

Media day had a sparse turnout. There were local Spokane media, the guys from www.ArenaFan.com, and me.

The game itself was a Shock home game. The ArenaBowl field which included neutral end zones remained sitting in a warehouse somewhere. Instead the Shock’s orange end zones were laying over the concrete. The Storm provided graphics for the Spokane video board, the best I could tell they were never used.

In contrast, the game between Orlando and Chicago that I attended in Las Vegas featured a big event feel to it. There was signage in the airport and around the city. There were big events leading up to the game including concerts by REO Speedwagon and Maroon 5. The game itself featured equal representation for each team. ArenaBowl turned into a convention for the league’s players, staff and fans. It was an impressive, first class event. It was also a classic example of the reckless, irresponsible spending by former commissioner David Baker.

In Spokane we had no event. In Vegas we had an extravagant event. The correct answer for the ArenaBowl is somewhere in the middle. I think a neutral site is the way to go. While I enjoy the aspect of the league’s best team getting rewarded for a great season by hosting the championship game. The reality is that the ArenaBowl is a better showcase for the league and an event for the fans when it is played at a neutral site. Rumors floating around the hotel lobby in Spokane indicated that Orlando is making a bid to host the game in it’s brand new arena that opens up next year. Even though it may not end up being a true neutral site game, Orlando is a great location for the ArenaBowl. It is a destination city that provides something to do beyond the game itself. Fans can plan to make ArenaBowl week their family vacation. It also won’t be too difficult to lure league sponsors and partners to Central Florida in late August.

On the air…

We will wrap the season up with one last Tim Marcum Show Monday night at 6 on 1250 WHNZ. We will be live at Rock N Sports Bar N Bistro in Centro Ybor. Stop by to say hello to the coach and take advantage of some great specials on food and drink.