By Brandon Wright, Times Correspondent
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Storm's roster could get a little more familiar for area fans.
QB Matt Grothe, who starred at USF, was brought in this week on a two-day tryout waiver. Grothe, who last played with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts, worked out Wednesday night and will again this evening. The Storm has three quarterbacks on the roster, including former USF backup Grant Gregory.
SITTING OUT: Former USF star Jarriett Buie was placed on league suspension after an altercation during the Georgia game. The Storm signed OL/DL Ronnie Wilson to fill Buie's spot on the active roster.
SAME ACT AS BEFORE: Tampa Bay had few stumbling blocks in 2011 on the way to an 11-5 regular season and an appearance in the ArenaBowl, but one came from an unlikely source: QB Bernard Morris.
Morris, then a backup for Jacksonville, relieved starter Aaron Garcia, one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Morris, who looked horrible his first few attempts, found his rhythm and led the Sharks to a 49-47 win, ending the Storm's eight-game winning streak and knocking Tampa Bay out of first place in the South Division. Morris, who finished 29-of-40 for 199 yards, 30 yards rushing and a touchdown, is now the starter for this week's opponent, the Pittsburgh Power.
Dukes record watch: LB Cliff Dukes inched his way toward the record books last week, collecting another sack to bring his total to 11½. Dukes is four behind single-season leader Gabe Nyenhuis (2010, with Tulsa) with seven games remaining.
Hank returns: WR Hank Edwards, who had been on injured reserve since Week 8 with a broken bone in his hand, returned against Georgia and paid immediate dividends. Edwards caught six passes for a game-high 142 yards and two scores.
Hawthorne's streaking: DB Michael Hawthorne continued his playmaking streak against the Force, picking off a pass in his fourth straight game. Hawthorne also returned his interception 21 yards for a touchdown against Georgia.
Playoffs: The Storm is still alive in the race, but it needs to string together some wins. At 4-7, Tampa Bay trails 8-3 Orlando and 7-5 Georgia for the two wild-card slots in the American Conference.