Former Storm assistant hired as coach for Team Michigan

Here's a blast from the past:

John Fontes, who coached at Alonso for one season and also had a stint as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Storm, has been named the head coach of Team Michigan, which will begin play in the All-American Football League in the spring. Fontes, the younger brother of former Lions coach Wayne Fontes, coached the Ravens in 2001 before moving on to become an assistant coach at the University of Central Florida.

The AAFL is a new six-team professional league with a unique concept: players must have received a college degree in order to participate. The league is expected to feature players who were stars in college but never caught on in the NFL, including former Florida quarterback Chris Leak and former Florida wide receiver Travis McGriff.

Former Michigan State star Charles Rogers and former Michigan quarterback Drew Henson are among those expected to try out for a spot on Team Michigan.

Storm return game receives big boost

It's hard to keep track of some of these free agent signings. Even the most ardent of AFL fans haven't a clue who half these guys are. But Sedrick Robinson, whom the Storm signed Tuesday, is a name worth remembering. He's a return specialist, which the Storm was in desperate need of. Wide receiver T.T. Toliver and DB Jeroid Johnson were solid, but Toliver is gone, and Johnson earns his money in the secondary. Robinson, however, is a veteran AFL return man. He's been in the league seven years, and he's the AFL's all-time leader with 28 kick returns for touchdown.

Last year, he was with the Austin Wranglers. This year, the Storm is counting on him to bolster a return game that was rather unexciting last season.

Stay tuned for more. . .

Storm signs trio of free agents

Quick free agent update: Former Dunedin High standout Bryant Tisdale was one of three players signed by the Storm Tuesday. Tisdale, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound defensive back, played collegiately at UTEP before signing with the Storm's practice squad for the last two weeks of the 2007 season. The team also added former Florida offensive lineman Randy Hand and former af2 star defensive lineman Kenyon Scott. Scott was the af2's Defensive Lineman of the Year last year.

Also, a heads up on a former Storm player: fullback Rodney Filer, who was leading the league in touchdown runs when he suffered a nasty ankle injury early last season has signed with the Utah Blaze.