Marcum OK with change in power structure

Some interesting news, not sure yet what it means. The Storm has hired Jim Borghesi as its President and Chief Operating Officer. Borghesi doesn't appear to have any professional sports experience. The team says he has spent 30 years in the auto industry. Currently, he lives in New Jersey.

The interesting part is that the Storm suddenly has a front office. Under previous majority owner Woody Kern, coach and general manager Tim Marcum was the only on-site executive (Kern commuted from his native Texas for games).

I talked to owner Robert Nucci briefly earlier this evening. He said the new President and COO would focus on the business side of things, while Marcum would continue to handle the football side. Marcum said he was OK with this arrangement.

More on Borghesi as we get it.

Dietz contract extension should be done early next week

If all goes according to plan, Brett Dietz should receive a healthy raise sometime next week. The second-year quarterback, who burst on the scene last year as a rookie and sparked the Storm's second-half resurgence, is close to signing a contract extension that will keep him in Tampa for the next three years.

The Storm is believed to be offering Dietz a three-year deal worth in the neigborhood of $250,000 ($70,000 the first year, $85,000 the second and $100,000 the third). The value of the contract would increase if certain incentives were met.

I spoke with Dietz Thursday evening as he was driving from his home in Indiana to Tampa to begin training with the Storm (He was in Chatanooga, and it was raining, for what it's worth).

Dietz said he knows that Tampa is a place he wants to play for a long time - provided, of course, that the NFL doesn't come calling - and that he is anxious to get the contract completed.

"I like Tampa a lot, like the coaches, like the new owner," Dietz said. "It looks like everything’s going in a positive way. That’s pretty much the reason I wanted to stay."

Dietz, signed midway through the season off the practice squad of the Kansas City Brigade, completed 196-of-300 passes (65.3 percent) for 2,374 with 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions while filling in for injured starters John Kaleo and Stoney Case.

Storm coach and general manager Tim Marcum has made re-signing Dietz a priority this offseason. Dietz was under contract for one more season at just above the league minimum.

"He's earned it," Marcum said.

Marucm said he hoped the deal would be complete by next week.

Dietz, who served as an assistant coach at NAIA college Marian this offseason, will then begin looking at houses in Tampa. He and his new wife, Dana, plan on re-locating to the area. Currently, she is a schoolteacher in Indianapolis (they married in August).

Training camp set to start Feb. 11

Just got word that training camp is set to open Feb. 11. If that sounds late, well, it's because it is late. By the time the Storm report, every other AFL team will already have begun their camps, some as early as Feb. 3.

Last year, the Storm reported to camp on Feb. 3. It will have three weeks of preparation in advance of its season opener at Kansas City on March 1.

Here are the start dates of other AFL camps:

Arizona Rattlers - 2/6
Chicago Rush - 2/4
Cleveland Gladiators - 2/5
Colorado Crush - 2/6
Columbus Destroyers - 2/8
Dallas Desperados - 2/2
Georgia Force - 2/10
Grand Rapids Rampage - 2/3
Kansas City Brigade - 2/3
Los Angeles Avengers - 2/4
New Orleans VooDoo - 2/4
New York Dragons - 2/3
Orlando Predators - 2/8
Philadelphia Soul - 2/9
San Jose SaberCats - 2/2
Tampa Bay Storm - 2/11
Utah Blaze  - 2/7

Storm brings back Case, adds veteran Clemens

Looks like Brett Dietz will have a safety blanket heading into his first full season as a starter. The Storm re-signed  quarterback Stoney Case Friday, giving the team a veteran presence at the position. Case played well last season after taking over for ineffective starter John Kaleo, completing just under 66 percent of his passes for 540 yards in three games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

Case's injury led the Storm to sign Dietz, who became the starter the following week when Kaleo suffered a broken thumb that ended his season.

In nine games, Dietz established himself as the team's quarterback of the future/present, completing 65.9 percent of his passes for 2,395 yards with 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions. But Case will provide much-needed depth.

Also Friday, the Storm added fullback Kevin Clemens, an eight-year veteran who scored four touchdowns last season for the Utah Blaze. He'll have the inside edge on the starting fullback position, which was left in flux when veteran Rodney Filer broke his leg early last season.

Former USF star Kenyatta Jones, a former fourth-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2001, will also get a chance to make the roster. The 6-foot-3, 298-pound lineman spent two season with Patriots. He last played for the Washington Redskins in 2004.