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Kaleo Reflects As Storm Surge Into Playoffs

By EDDIE DANIELS

Published: Jun 22, 2007

TAMPA This was supposed to be the season where John Kaleo returned to his former team and worked wonders. He was supposed to replace the quarterback who replaced him following the 2003 championship season and then guide the team to its sixth title.

When you ask Kaleo and Storm coach Tim Marcum, that was the script they had written. That's the scenario they saw in their minds when the season began.

"I thought John still had a bunch in him and I thought that he would pick up right where he left off," Marcum said.

Where Kaleo left off was a 2003 ArenaBowl championship. He then left via free agency in the offseason to play for Austin in 2004. He also played in Los Angeles (2005) and Columbus (2006).

Funny thing about making plans, they sometimes go horribly awry. Case-in-point: March 23, 2007. That night, against the New York Dragons, Kaleo threw three interceptions, was sacked twice and fumbled once. Tampa Bay even held a 52-38 advantage early in the fourth quarter, but could not sustain it as the Dragons won, 59-52.

You can bet that surely was not part of the plan.

The following week, Marcum opted to bench Kaleo in favor of backup quarterback Stoney Case and it was then revealed that Kaleo had been battling tendonitis in his right throwing elbow for the entire season.

Case started three games and was knocked from the third quarter against the Orlando Predators on April 14. That injury, a separated right (throwing) shoulder, ended Case's season and pressed Kaleo back into duty.

In Kaleo's first start and on the team's first offensive play against Columbus the next game, Kaleo reared back and heaved a 29-yard touchdown pass to T.T. Toliver. Seems all that elbow needed was rest. However, with 3:45 remaining in the first half of that game, Kaleo, in his 14th AFL season, was slammed to the turf by Ken Jones, tearing six ligaments in his left wrist, dislocating it.

For a quarterback who has seen time with 10 different AFL teams, won his first championship in his 10th season and is in the top three in career passing numbers for the Storm, Kaleo's career came to its final crescendo.

"No veteran likes to end their career with an injury or with a bad play," Kaleo said. "Having said that, I'll tell you this: I was glad to at least come back and play a style of ball I was used to playing prior to the [New York] game when Coach decided to make the move to go with Stoney, and I understood that. I came back and my arm felt a little better. It was rested and I could throw the ball like I was used to throwing it.

"Everything is meant to be. Reggie Collier and Ed Rupert both got hurt for me to have a chance and it takes myself and Stoney Case to get hurt to let the world know about Brett Dietz. That's just how the business works."

There is no touch of nostalgia in Kaleo's voice as he talks about the injury and his final season in the AFL. In fact, there's a sense of joy as he begins to look forward to his new gig – quarterbacks coach at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York.

Kaleo joins the staff of a Gaels squad which went 3-7 in 2006 and averaged 14.7 points in 10 games. The most points the squad scored was 28. If anyone knows anything about scoring, it's Kaleo. In 160 career AFL contests, he hoisted 581 career touchdowns and ran for 56 scores and completed 2,939 of 4,878 passes for 35,241 yards.

With all of that AFL knowledge, it would have been an astute assumption that Kaleo wanted to stay indoors. Not so much.

"I don't want to coach Arena, I want to get to the outdoor game," said Kaleo, a former University of Maryland record-setting passer. "I want to take it as high and as far as I can go with it. I know I have to pay my dues early on.

"Every coach has said, 'If you're going to coach college, you have to stay in college and if it doesn't work out then you can always go back to the Arena League, but you can't do the opposite.'"

Marcum has seen what Kaleo can do as a player and believes it'll transfer into coaching.

"That's good," Marcum said. "John wants to coach and he'll be a good coach."

Since the injury, Kaleo has had surgery to repair the ligament damage to the left wrist and has had it immobilized in a cast, which he expects to wear for another week and then rehab will ensue.

Don't think Kaleo has been sulking with his new-found freedom. Instead he has been busy with another venture. Since February, he has been training quarterbacks through his PROtential Football Academy and has a roster of about 29 kids from the youth level up to high school.

Alas, all that's left for him to do now is root for his teammates to continue their winning ways. He admits, though, that sitting in the stands during the team's last home game against the Philadelphia Soul with his wife, Jamie, and sons Parker and Carlson was torture. He'd rather be on the field than the stands.

As with most things, life goes on.

"I was a part of it early on and was a part of the league for a long, long time," Kaleo said, "and it's been nice to me, but now I move on to something bigger and better."

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214 or edaniels@tampatrib.com.