2/7/2008
Mini-Camp Day One

Some things never change; the smell of the grass, sweat in the sun
and polishing shoes. Today the Storm took the field at the University
of Tampa for the first time since the thrilling playoff game against
the Columbus Destroyers at the St. Pete Times Forum back in June.

"We took the cleats out of the closet and kicked off a little dust
today," said general manager and head coach Tim Marcum. "The cleats
work just fine we just need to add a little polish."

With many players either returning from last season or having some
AFL experience the team got off to a quick start in the morning
practice. "The morning session had a good pace to it," remarked
Marcum as he was noticeably low key. However that did not prevent him
from pushing the players with gassers at the end of the morning
session.

For some the gassers were not a problem, it was the challenge of the
Florida sun beaming down on them. "They'll get adjusted to the heat
soon enough," said assistant head coach Dave Ewart. "The sooner they
adjust the better prepared we'll be for the season."

The afternoon session went just as smooth with a rapid pace
to the liking of the coaching staff. "Overall it was a good day, we
have some work to do but that is to be expected," stated Marcum as he
watched the squad finish gassers at the end of the second session.

Over the next two days the coaching staff will finish implementing
the playbook and seeing how new players fit into the system. The
players will then get Sunday off before returning Monday for the
start of training camp when they can expect the ever popular Oklahoma
Drill.

The Friday morning practice session will take place at the University
of Tampa from 10 am to noon. The team will utilize the intramural
field located next to the soccer stadium. The afternoon session will
take place at Skyway Park located just off of Independence Parkway in
Tampa.

Sideline Notes
Defensive backs pulled double duty in the afternoon session as WR
David Saunders and WR Hank Edwards both sat out… DL Clint Mitchell
missed practice (sick)… Local high school products, DB Kevin House
(Chamberlain), LB Terrance Royal (Wharton), WR Tyrone Timmons (Tampa
Bay Tech) and DB Bryant Tisdale (Dunedin) made their debut with the
Storm… WR/LB Lawrence Samuels returns for his 15th season and needs
101 receptions to reach 1,000 for his career.
====================

2/8/2008
Mini-Camp Day Two

Competition provides incentive for individual self improvement and
that was the key component of day two in mini-camp for the Tampa Bay
Storm. As the coaching staff continues to implement more of the
playbook the defensive backs and wide receivers challenged each other
on the field.

"Today was a lot of fun," said defensive back Jeroid Johnson. "It was
real competitive today between the defensive backs and receivers.
They challenged us and we got better as a unit."

With several wide receivers sitting out different portions of each
session the defensive backs had the opportunity to shine and took
full advantage of it as the unit was able to wear down the wide
receivers.

That did not deter All-Arena performer Lawrence Samuels as he made
several acrobatic catches in the afternoon session. Additionally
rookie WR Tyrone Timmons was able to take advantage of the situation
as he received a high number of repetitions, something every young
player craves.

Despite being short on receivers the quarterbacks had a good day.
Rookie quarterback Mitch Tanney received extra work in both the
morning and afternoon session as Stoney Case missed some time due to
a doctor appointment.

With the rule change this season that allows the Jack linebacker out
of his box the team is working to develop different schemes to take
advantage of the rule. It will also help the offense adjust for what
it might see in Week 1 against the Kansas City Brigade.

"The quarterbacks looked good, they made some good reads today", said
offensive coordinator Pat O'Hara. "They even picked up the reads with
some of the things we did with the Jack linebacker."

The Saturday morning practice session will take place at Skyway Park
located just off of Independence Parkway in Tampa from 10 am to noon.
The afternoon session will take place at either Skyway Park or the
University of Tampa from 4 pm to 6 pm.

Sideline Notes
WR Hank Edwards returned to action in the afternoon session, WR David
Saunders missed both sessions and WR Sedrick Robinson missed the
second half of the afternoon session... Clint Mitchell was out sick…
Head coach Tim Marcum needs 10 wins to reach 200 in his career… DL
Ernest Certain, QB Brett Dietz and Khalid Naziruddin all married over
the offseason… OL Emmanual Akah has two championship rings from
playing in Europe.
======================

2/10/2008
Mini-Camp Day Three

Hard work takes discipline and is a task that challenges an
individual or unit. When you work hard the dividends pay off as it
did for the Storm players this Saturday. With a great effort in an
extended morning session the team received the afternoon off as the
opening of training camps looms early morning.

"The guys came in, stayed focused and put in a good day of hard
work," said head coach and general manager Tim Marcum. "With training
camp starting on Monday the guys will get plenty of work in. It was
important to get some quality work done and they accomplished that."

The highlight of the morning session was an acrobatic diving catch
buy offensive lineman Geir Gudmundsen as the coaches continued to
work on the playbook. Several other receivers made tremendous
receptions as Lawrence Samuels and Terrill Shaw looked sharp and in
great shape.

With clouds overhead and the players getting used to the Florida
climate the players pushed hard through the end of practice gassers.
There was a noticeable difference in the players' performance as
fullback Torrance Marshall showed by including up-downs during his
sprints.

Training Camp will open up Monday morning as the players report for
meetings at 8:30 in the morning. The players will face two weeks of
two-a-days capped with a scrimmage against inter-state rival Orlando
Predators on Thursday, February 21 – 7 pm at the St. Pete Times
Forum.

Practice sessions for training camp will take place at the University
of Tampa and Skyway Park with a session in the morning and the
afternoon.

Sideline Notes
WR Hank Edwards was able to get some work in Saturday while WR David
Saunders worked out on his own on the sideline… WR David Saunders and
DL Clint Mitchell should return to action on Monday morning… WR
Lawrence Samuels needs eight touchdowns receptions to pass Stevie
Thomas (head coach at Boca Ciega HS, St. Petersburg Florida) for the
most in Franchise history… DL Tom Briggs needs 1.0 sack to move into
second place all-time in the AFL... LB Nyle Wiren will return for the
2008 season and will report for the start of training camp on Monday.