Thunder and Galaxy look to break free from pack
April 20, 2004 - National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release
THUNDER AND GALAXY LOOK TO BREAK CLEAR OF CHASING PACK; WINLESS TEAMS GO IN SEARCH OF FIRST VICTORY
THE NFL Europe League's two remaining unbeaten teams will aim to put some breathing room between themselves and their competitors when the Week 4 action kicks off on Saturday night.
The undefeated Berlin Thunder (3-0) could open a two-game lead over the Rhein Fire (2-1) â the leaders of the chasing pack - on Saturday if they can maintain the best start in club history by finding a way to win in Gelsenkirchen, against a Rhein team that has been outstanding on home soil in recent seasons.
Also going head to head on Saturday evening are the winless Scottish Claymores (0-3) and Cologne Centurions (0-3), who will battle for their first taste of glory at the RheinEnergieStadion.
The Week 4 action concludes on Sunday as the defending World Bowl champion Frankfurt Galaxy (3-0) visits an Amsterdam Admirals (1-2) side buoyed by last weekend's first win of the season against the Scottish Claymores.
WEEK FOUR SCHEDULE
SATURDAY APRIL 24
Berlin Thunder at Rhein Fire
Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, 7:00 p.m.
Scottish Claymores at Cologne Centurions
RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, 7:00 p.m.
SUNDAY APRIL 25
Frankfurt Galaxy at Amsterdam Admirals
Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, 3:00 p.m.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK â WEEK 3
OFFENSIVE ROHAN DAVEY QB, Berlin
279 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 127.9 QB rating
DEFENSIVE COREY JACKSON DE, Frankfurt
4 tackles, 2 quarterback sacks, 1 pass defense
SPECIAL TEAMS TODD SIEVERS K, Amsterdam
Kicked game-winning 44-yard field goal vs. Claymores
NATIONAL JÃRG HECKENBACH Berlin
3 catches for 41 yards and 1 touchdown
NEWS AND NOTES NFL Europe 2004, Week 4 - Page 2
COVER STORY (Continued)
As you would expect, the Berlin Thunder and Frankfurt Galaxy â led by rookie head coaches MIKE JONES and RICK LANTZ - are feeling pretty good about themselves after making perfect starts to the 2004 campaign.
Frankfurt is off to a 3-0 start for the third year in a row, while the Thunder has made the best beginning to a season in club history.
Buoyed by his team's 28-10 defeat of the Rhein Fire last weekend, Galaxy head coach Jones says: "Our guys played a wonderful game. We kept our poise and rose to the occasion. But we are a long way from the season being over with. We have to take it step by step and last week's game against Rhein was just step number three."
Thunder boss Lantz says of his team: "Our kids have shown some character and I am proud of them. They are holding themselves accountable and last week was a big win for us because we are now one of two teams with 3-0 records. We are excited about that."
One game behind the league leaders is a Rhein Fire team that suffered a tough loss in Frankfurt against their biggest rivals last weekend.
Fire head coach PETE KUHARCHEK is keen to see if his players have the mental toughness to bounce back quickly, as he explains: "It would have been nice to be sitting on top of the pile at 3-0 but we're now back in the fight with everybody else. It is a very important game against Berlin this week and it will be a challenge to see how we come back from a loss. We have a good team and we will see how we react to adversity."
The Amsterdam Admirals are next in the standings with a 1-2 record as they head home to host the league-leading Galaxy on Sunday.
Amsterdam's 3-0 victory over the Scottish Claymores was not pretty but it pleased head coach BART ANDRUS, who says: "Getting that win gave me a feeling of relief. Until you win a game you wonder if you are ever going to get a break. It was good to get a win on the road but we have to start scoring some touchdowns. I have every confidence these guys will start scoring the points they are capable of."
Cologne head coach PETER VAAS will urge his players to remain calm ahead of Saturday's meeting with the winless Claymores. He explains: "We just have to remain patient and not get frustrated. It is frustrating but we cannot allow ourselves to get downhearted. I'm so sick and tired of saying this but we are a good football team that just has not won yet."
Claymores head coach JACK BICKNELL remains confident his team can get back into the World Bowl race following an 0-3 start, as he reveals: "The challenge for us is to win seven straight. It won't be easy but it can be done."
Fire heads back to stronghold for Week 4 showdown with Thunder
KEEN to put last week's road loss in Frankfurt behind them, the Rhein Fire will aim to maintain their home dominance over the rest of the NFL Europe League when they play host to the Berlin Thunder at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen in Week 4.
In their last 33 games on home soil, the Fire has posted a 27-6 record. With victory over Berlin on Saturday evening, Rhein will guarantee a winning record at home for the eighth season in a row.
Under head coach PETE KUHARCHEK, the Fire has never lost more than one game at home in each of the past three regular seasons. Including two home victories this season over Cologne and Scotland, the Fire has a 14-3 record in their own stadium with Kuharchek as head coach.
The last time the Fire had a losing record at home was in 1996, when they went 2-3 at the Rheinstadion.
Kuharchek says: "We have always received great support at home and we feel our fans are the best in the NFL Europe League. They make a lot of noise, make it hard for opposing teams and get our own players fired up and ready to play.
"Our goal this season is to win the World Bowl in front of our own fans on June 12."
Here is a season-by-season look at the Rhein Fire at home:
Season Record
2004 2-0
2003 4-1
2002 4-1
2001 4-1
2000 5-0
1999 3-2
1998 4-1
1997 3-2
1996 2-3
1995 2-3
Hart stuck needing eight points
SCOTTISH Claymores kicker ROB HART still needs 8 points to become NFL Europe's all-time leading scorer after being held without any points during his team's 3-0 loss to Amsterdam in Week 3.
The English kicker is on 322 career points to rank second all time behind JESUS ANGOY, who scored 329 points for the Barcelona Dragons from 1997-2003.
NEWS AND NOTES NFL Europe 2004, Week 4 - Page 3
Future looks bright for 3-0 clubs
WITH three weeks of the 2004 regular season completed, the Frankfurt Galaxy and Berlin Thunder are sitting pretty with 3-0 records.
If the NFL Europe League record book is an accurate indicator, starting a season with three straight wins usually results in a World Bowl berth in June.
Prior to this year, 11 teams have made 3-0 starts to a season and 10 of those clubs have made the most of a strong beginning by going on to reach World Bowl.
Before Frankfurt players start patting each other on the back, they should know that the only team in league history to start a season 3-0 and miss out on a World Bowl berth was the 2002 Galaxy.
But this year's Galaxy team is statistically the best in league history at this stage of the season. Of all the teams to go 3-0 to start a year, the Galaxy has the highest margin of victory (17 points per game), tying the 1999 Barcelona Dragons.
Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES says: "The games have all been close in my eyes. Most of the games in this league are closer than they look. We won't get complacent. Being 3-0 doesn't mean anything. The game at hand is what is important and we are a long way from this season being over with."
Here is a look at how teams starting a season 3-0 have fared from 1991-2003:
Year Team Fared
2003 Frankfurt 6-4, won World Bowl â streak to 3-0
2002 Frankfurt 6-4, missed World Bowl â streak to 4-0
2001 Barcelona 8-2, lost World Bowl â streak to 4-0
1999 Barcelona 7-3, lost World Bowl â streak to 3-0
1998 Rhein 7-3, won World Bowl â streak to 6-0
1996 Scotland 7-3, won World Bowl â streak to 3-0
1996 Frankfurt 6-4, lost World Bowl â streak to 4-0
1995 Amsterdam 9-1, lost World Bowl â streak to 7-0
1992 Sacramento 8-2, won World Bowl â streak to 3-0
1991 London 9-1, won World Bowl â streak to 9-0
1991 Barcelona 8-2, lost World Bowl â streak to 4-0
Thunder head coach RICK LANTZ says: "We never had any expectations about being 3-0. We just wanted to win the first one, then the one after that and so on. We have a team that is capable of winning each week. It is up to our coaching staff to make sure they are ready and motivated to play."
In order to maintain their winning start to the season, Berlin must emerge victorious from their road trip to face the Rhein Fire. Berlin has never won on the road at Rhein in the regular season (0-5) but did defeat the Fire at the Rheinstadion in World Bowl X in 2002.
Feeling of déjá vu for Vaas as Centurions open season 0-3
PETER VAAS could be excused for having a feeling of déjá vu as he sees his high-scoring Cologne Centurions team sitting with an 0-3 record.
For the third straight year Vaas' team has set a record as the highest-scoring 0-3 club in league history.
When Vaas' former Berlin Thunder team lost the first three games of 2002 (before going on to win World Bowl) they set a new mark by scoring 59 points in those three losses. Last season, the Thunder lost their opening three games but posted an even higher points total of 62. Now Vaas' Centurions have scored 66 points in the first three games, but have yet to win.
After leading his team to a 35-31 defeat of the Centurions in Week 3, Berlin Thunder head coach RICK LANTZ said: "Cologne is an explosive football team. They were a little bit too explosive at times for my liking."
Thunder quarterback ROHAN DAVEY added: "Cologne is the best team we have faced this season and we knew going into the game they would present a real challenge."
Records of 0-3 teams in first three games of season
Year Team Games lost Avg margin Points
By one score of loss scored
2004 Cologne 2 5.00 66
2003 Berlin 0 20.67 62
2002 Berlin 3 4.00 59
2001 Frankfurt 2 8.33 55
1996 Rhein 2 7.67 48
1999 Berlin 1 23.67 44
1991 NY/NJ 1 8.67 42
1992 NY/NJ 3 4.33 37
1998 England 1 17.67 37
1991 Raleigh-Durham 1 18.67 37
1998 Scotland 2 11.33 31
1992 Ohio 1 13.33 18
2004 Scotland 2 12.33 17
NFLEL FACTS:Field position
BERLIN Thunder's opening four possessions against the Cologne Centurions in Week 3 began at the Cologne 40, 20, 47 and 49-yard lines and resulted in three touchdowns. Three big kickoff returns gave the Thunder outstanding field position and the possession beginning at the 20-yard line came following an interception. Berlin capitalised on the strong start to win the game 35-31. In three games this season, the Centurions have given up 475 yards and 2 touchdowns on kickoff returns. They are on pace to concede 1,583 kickoff return yards, which would smash the unwanted league record of 1,199 set by Amsterdam in 2003.
NEWS AND NOTES NFL Europe 2004, Week 4 - Page 4
Low-scoring Claymores head to Cologne looking for more points
THE Scottish Claymores will play their third road game in four weeks when they head to Cologne for a meeting of winless teams on Saturday.
And Scotland will go into the important contest knowing they must improve their points production after making the worst start in league history in that category.
With only 17 points in their first three games, the Claymores are the lowest-scoring team in league history through three weeks of a regular season.
Fewest points in first three weeks
17 Scottish Claymores 2004 (0-3)
18 Ohio Glory 1992 (0-3)
22 Sacramento Surge 1991 (1-2)
26 London Monarchs 1997 (1-2)
28 Barcelona Dragons 1992 (1-2)
31 Scottish Claymores 1998 (0-3)
By losing 3-0 to the Amsterdam Admirals last week, the Claymores saw their league-leading streak of 88 games with at least one score brought to an end. The last time they had failed to score was in a 31-0 loss to Amsterdam in Week 4 of the 1995 season.
The result was in stark contrast to Scotland's home opener in 2003 when the Claymores were involved in what was, at the time, the highest-scoring game in league history with Scotland running out 62-31 winners over Berlin Thunder. Last week's 3-0 loss to Amsterdam tied the record for the lowest-scoring contest in league history, matching the Rhein Fire's 3-0 victory against the Frankfurt Galaxy in 2002.
Claymores head coach JACK BICKNELL says: "I am concerned we are not making enough big plays and being explosive. At the moment we don't have a guy who can light it up. We have got to find ways to make something explosive happen."
Since guiding the Barcelona Dragons to victory in Week 7 of the 2003 season, Bicknell has suffered six straight losses as he goes in search of career win number 60.
During those six losses (three with Dragons and three with Claymores) Bicknell's teams have scored 44 points â an average of 7.3 points per outing.
Even though only one 0-3 team has ever bounced back to reach World Bowl (Berlin in 2002), Bicknell remains confident his Claymores will get back on track.
He says: "Good things happen to teams that work hard. We are not quitting as a group and there will be no finger pointing. We will play and practice hard. I think we are going to be exciting team before we are done. We are in this together and have to turn it around."
Plaudits and awards continue to pour in for Thunder's Davey
BERLIN quarterback ROHAN DAVEY delivered an outstanding display of passing during the Thunder's 35-31 defeat of the Cologne Centurions on Sunday, continuing his strong start to the 2004 campaign.
Davey completed 19 of 27 passes for 279 yards, 4 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 127.9.
That effort saw Davey named NFL Europe's Offensive Player of the Week for the second game in a row, making him only the second quarterback in league history to win two Player of the Week prizes in the opening three weeks of a season.
The only other quarterback to be honored twice in the opening three weeks of any year was KERWIN BELL, of the Orlando Thunder, who won recognition in Weeks 1 and 2 of the 1991 season.
Other quarterbacks to win back-to-back Player of the Week awards are Sacramento's DAVID ARCHER in 1992 and STEVE PELLUER, of the Frankfurt Galaxy, in 1996.
Through the opening three games of the year, Davey â a Super Bowl winner with the New England Patriots during the 2003 NFL season â has posted a league-leading quarterback rating of 122.8. The single season passer rating record is 107.3 set by Scotland's KEVIN DAFT in 2000.
Davey's rating is the highest of any quarterback in league history after the first three weeks of a season. Here is the top five:
Player/Team Yards TD/Int Rating
Rohan Davey (Ber 2004) 549 6/1 122.8
Pat Barnes (Fra 2000) 387 4/1 118.3
Kurt Warner (Ams 1998) 792 8/1 105.7
Mike Quinn (Rhe 1998) 623 4/0 103.8
J.T. O'Sullivan (Fra 2004) 458 3/0 103.0
Paying tribute to his star player, Berlin Thunder head coach RICK LANTZ says: "Rohan Davey is just outstanding and he had a big-time football game against Cologne on Sunday.
"He hits the big passes but he makes all the other throws along the way. He is the complete package at quarterback and he is always in command in the huddle. If he continues to play this way, we will keep winning."
Even opposing coaches have been wowed by Davey's form this season. Centurions head coach PETER VAAS says: "I'm very impressed with the way Rohan Davey throws the deep ball. He finds ways to win, is a very efficient quarterback and he protects the football. You have to be impressed with the big plays Davey and the Berlin Thunder have made this season."
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 4 - Page 5
AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS (1-2)
Head Coach: Bart Andrus (13-20 in NFLEL)
Colours: Orange and blue
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: John Allen (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Darryl Sims (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 47-46
MEDIA CONTACT: Perry Hendriks
Phone: 31-20-465-0550
Fax: 31-20-465-0555
E-mail: hendriksp@admirals.nl
Internet: www.admirals.nl
LAST GAME: Won 3-0 at Scotland (4/18/04)
OFFENSE: 10.3 pts/game; 281.3 yds/game (rank 4); 67.3 yds rush/game (rank 5); 214 yds pass/game (rank 2)
Passing: Clint Stoerner, 563 yards
Rushing: Chris Downs, 118 yards
Receiving: Chris Horn, 12 rec 182 yards
DEFENSE: 20.7 pts/game; 334.3 yds/game (rank 5); 144.7 rush yds/game (rank 6); 189.7 pass yds/game (rank 4)
Sacks: Drew Wahlroos, 2.0
Interceptions: Todd Howard, 2
THIS WEEK: vs FRANKFURT GALAXY
Head coach BART ANDRUS praised his team for battling to a 3-0 win in soggy conditions in Scotland last week, saying: "We slogged it out and it was a relief to come up with the win. That game could have gone either way but we got a good win on the road." Next up for the Admirals is a formidable-looking Frankfurt team that beat Amsterdam 34-11 on opening weekend... QB CLINT STOERNER (Miami Dolphins) leads NFL Europe in attempts and completions (see table). Was picked off three times in first half of Week 1 loss to Frankfurt ... QB GIBRAN HAMDAN (Washington Redskins) completed 4 of 8 passes for 27 yards vs Scotland last week and has hit on 11 of 20 attempts for 109 yards this season... RB JASON ANDERSON (Houston Texans) gained 23 yards on 7 carries last week and added 2 catches for 27 yards. Has rushed for 56 yards this season and caught 5 passes for 33 yards... RB CHRIS DOWNS (Oakland Raiders) leads Amsterdam with 118 rushing yards after gaining a season-best 78 yards on 15 carries in Scotland. Also led club with 4 receptions for 21 yards... WR CHRIS HORN (Kansas City Chiefs) leads NFL Europe in receiving yards (see table) but was held to season-low 2 catches in Scotland... WR CHRIS TAYLOR (Houston Texans) did not catch a pass in Week 3. Has 10 receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown this season... WR CARLOS ROSADO has 6 receptions for 74 yards this season but has yet to score a touchdown in his seven-year NFLEL career... TE TONY DONALD (Green Bay Packers) has more catches than any other tight end in the league (see table)... TE KANE ANDERSON (Minnesota Vikings) caught 2 passes for 11 yards last week and has 3 receptions for 18 yards on the season... DE CLINT MITCHELL (Denver Broncos) recorded his first tackle of the season last week as he registered 4 tackles in Scotland. Also knocked down 1 pass. Has made 7 tackles this season and added a sack and 1 forced fumble... DE DARRELL WRIGHT recorded 3 tackles, 1 sack and 1 pass defense in Scotland last week... DT JA'WAREN BLAIR ranks second on Amsterdam's squad with 15 tackles and 1 forced fumble after
registering 8 tackles vs Claymores... DE CHARLES ALSTON (Atlanta Falcons) recorded his first sack of the season last week in Scotland and now has 10 tackles to his name this year... LB JERRY SCHUMACHER (Chicago Bears) recorded 6 tackles last week to take his season tally to 12, ranking him fifth on the team... Japanese LB RIKIYA ISHIDA registered 3 tackles last week, giving him 8 on defense in three games this season... LB DREW WAHLROOS leads the Admirals with 2 quarterback sacks this year after adding 5 tackles and 1 sack in Scotland in Week 3... CB TODD HOWARD jointly leads the league with 2 interceptions after grabbing his second pick in as many games in Week 3. Added 1 tackle and 2 pass defenses... S JASON PERRY (New England Patriots) leads the Admirals with 25 tackles after adding a team-high 11 in Week 3 defeat of Claymores... S WILLIE PILE (Kansas City Chiefs) ranks third on squad with 14 tackles after adding 4 stops and 1 pass defense last week... CB LIGARIUS JENNINGS has 6 tackles this season after adding 3 in last week's win over Scotland... CB DEREK COMBS (Green Bay Packers) has made 8 tackles and 3 special teams stops this season... Dutch kicker SILVIO DILBERTO is in his eighth NFLEL season and has a club record 254 to his name. Has yet to score a point this season... K TODD SIEVERS (Houston Texans) kicked a game-winning 44-yard field goal in Scotland to earn NFLEL Special Teams Player of the Week award... P NATE FIKSE (San Francisco 49ers) punted 7 times for a 38.0-yard average with a long of 49 yards in Week 3.
QB CLINT STOERNER (Miami Dolphins), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: at Frank 25 14 158 1 3
Wk 2: vs Ber 41 30 329 1 0
Wk 3: at Sco 16 7 76 0 0
TOTAL 82* 51* 563 2 3
WR CHRIS HORN (Kansas City Chiefs), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Frank 5 73 0
Wk 2: vs. Ber 5 78 0
Wk 3: at Sco 2 31 0
TOTAL 12 182* 0
TE TONY DONALD (Green Bay Packers), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Frank 5 65 1
Wk 2: vs. Ber 4 38 0
Wk 3: at Sco 1 13 0
TOTAL 10 116 1
* Leads NFL Europe League
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 4 - Page 6
BERLIN THUNDER (3-0)
Head Coach: Rick Lantz (3-0 in NFLEL)
Colours: Black, green and gold
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Don Eck (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jim Tomsula (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 25-28
MEDIA CONTACT: Maik Matischak
Phone: 49-30-300-644-00
Fax: 49-30-300-644-77
E-mail: maik.matischak@berlin-thunder.de
Internet: www.berlin-thunder.de
LAST GAME: Won 35-31 vs Cologne (4/18/04)
OFFENSE: 27.7 pts/game; 344 yds/game (rank 1); 110 rush yds/game (rank 3); 234 pass yds/game (rank 1)
Passing: Rohan Davey, 549 yards
Rushing: Eric McCoo, 138 yards
Receiving: Chas Gessner, 10 rec, 156 yards
DEFENSE: 20.7 pts/game; 335.3 yds/game (rank 6); 92 rush yds/game (rank 3); 243.3 pass yds/game (rank 6)
Sacks: Corey Smith, 3.0
Interceptions: James Thornton, Brenden Givan, Willie Ford, 1
THIS WEEK: at RHEIN FIRE
RICK LANTZ is still undefeated as a rookie NFLEL head coach and was purring after seeing his offense in top flight last weekend. Lantz said: "To say our offense was clicking against Cologne would be an understatement. I thought we were going to need to do well offensively to win that game and we did just that."... QB ROHAN DAVEY (New England Patriots) was named NFL Europe Offensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row and has a three-game passer rating of 122.8 (see table), which is the highest figure in league history through the opening three weeks of a season... QB DAVID RIVERS completed 2 of 2 passes for 10 yards last week. Has a passer rating of 120.5 on the season (10 of 12 attempts for 75 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions... RB ERIC McCOO leads the Thunder with 138 rushing yards after gaining 45 yards on 13 attempts last week. Also caught 4 passes for 22 yards... RB RAY JACKSON (Tennessee Titans) scored his first touchdown of the season last week and gained 34 rushing yards on 12 carries... WR CHAS GESSNER (New England Patriots) leads the league in receiving touchdowns but did not find the end zone last week (see table)... WR LASHAUN WARD (Kansas City Chiefs) caught 2 passes for 11 yards and 1 touchdown last week and added 4 kickoff returns for 121 yards with a long of 45... German WR JÃRG HECKENBACH is the club's all-time leading receiver with 67 catches after adding 3 for 41 yards and 1 touchdown last week, earning National Player of the Week honours for the second week in a row. With 3 TDs in three games this season, Heckenbach has matched his previous career total prior to 2004 campaign ... WR RICHARD ALSTON (Cleveland Browns) caught 5 passes for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns last week and also added a 40-yard runback of the opening kickoff to set up a touchdown... TE MIKE PINKARD (Kansas City Chiefs) has 9 receptions for 128 yards to his name this season after grabbing 3 passes for 38 yards in Week 3... FB ED IEREMIA-STANSBURY (Houston Texans) has caught 4 passes for 21 yards this season. Recovered an onside kick vs Cologne last week... DE T.J. BINGHAM recorded 4 tackles and his second sack of the season last week... DE COREY SMITH (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) leads the Thunder with 3 sacks this season and has also knocked down a pass... German
DE CHRISTIAN MOHR registered 1 tackle and forced a fumble during last week's defeat of Cologne... DT DEVONTE PETERSON recorded 4 tackles and recovered a fumble last week... LB BRENDEN GIVAN (Miami Dolphins) leads Berlin with 24 tackles in three games. Recorded 9 tackles, 1 interception for 20 yards and 1 pass defense during last week's defeat of Cologne... LB LAWRENCE FLUGENCE (New England Patriots) has made 13 tackles this year after adding 3 last week... LB KEVIN DeRONDE (Houston Texans) registered 4 tackles last week and has 9 stops this year... LB JASON KAZAR grabbed 2 tackles last week and has 13 on the season... CB WILLIE FORD (Kansas City Chiefs) intercepted a pass to set up Berlin's second touchdown of the game last week. Also added 1 tackle, taking season total to 11 in three games... CB OLIVER CELESTIN registered 4 tackles and 2 pass defenses against the Centurions... CB JAMES THORNTON made 2 tackles in Week 3... S KEITH DAVIS (Dallas Cowboys) recorded a team-high 10 tackles and 1 pass defense last week... S SCOTT FARLEY (New England Patriots) ranks third on the team with 15 tackles after adding 8 stops last week... Danish K HEINZ QUAST has scored 11 points this season after adding 5 PATs in Week 3. Still waiting to attempt first field goal of short NFLEL career... P HAYDEN EPSTEIN (Denver Broncos) punted twice for 41.0-yard average last weekend.
QB ROHAN DAVEY (New England Patriots), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: vs Scot 14 8 106 0 0
Wk 2: at Ams 18 12 164 2 0
Wk 3: vs Col 27 19 279 4 1
TOTAL 59 39 549 6 * 1
WR CHAS GESSNER (New England Patriots), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Scot 4 37 1
Wk 2: at Ams 4 77 2
Wk 3: vs Col 2 42 0
TOTAL 10 156 3*
* Leads NFL Europe League
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 4 - Page 7
COLOGNE CENTURIONS (0-3)
Head Coach: Peter Vaas (19-24 in
NFLEL, plus 2-0 in World Bowl)
Colours: Black, red and white
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Bob Bicknell (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: David Duggan (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 0-3
MEDIA CONTACT: Karsten Meier
Phone: 49-221-271-430
Fax: 49-221-271-43299
E-mail: Karsten.meier@cologne-centurions.de
Internet: www.cologne-centurions.de
LAST GAME: Lost 31-35 at Berlin (4/18/04)
OFFENSE: 22 pts/game; 332 yds/game (rank 2); 122 yds rush/game (rank 2); 210 yds pass/game (rank 3)
Passing: Ryan Van Dyke, 568 yards
Rushing: Avon Cobourne, 195 yards
Receiving: Carl Morris, Reggie Newhouse 12 rec, Carl Morris 178 yards
DEFENSE: 27 pts/game; 273.7 yds/game (rank 3); 82.7 rush yds/game (rank 2); 191 pass yds/game (rank 5)
Sacks: Felipe Claybrooks, 3.5
Interceptions: Bobby Brooks, Cedric Henry, Steve Smith, 1
THIS WEEK: vs SCOTTISH CLAYMORES
Centurions go into Week 4 meeting with winless Claymores team still looking for their first victory in franchise history. Head coach PETER VAAS believes a host of mistakes in Berlin resulted in the Centurions coming out on the wrong end of a 35-31 shootout. Vaas said: "We can't have the ball thrown over the top of us the way we did last week. We need to be better in the kicking game. Our kickoff coverage is so atrocious, it's scary. That has to improve going forward. Also our first pass of the game was tentative and ended up being picked off. All those things add up and can hurt you in a close game."... Starting QB RYAN VAN DYKE (New York Giants) ranks second in NFLEL in touchdown passes but has thrown 5 interceptions in his last two games (see table) QB ROB ADAMSON (Carolina Panthers) has seen action in one game this season, completing 6 of 13 attempts for 93 yards and a touchdown.... RB AVON COBOURNE (Detroit Lions) leads NFL Europe in rushing yards and total yards from scrimmage (see table).... RB ANTWON McCRAY made his NFLEL debut for Cologne last week and gained 65 yards on 11 carries.... WR REGGIE NEWHOUSE (Arizona Cardinals) is joint team leader with 12 receptions after catching 5 balls for 67 yards and a touchdown last week... WR CARL MORRIS (Miami Dolphins) leads the team in receiving yards and is joint leader with 12 receptions (see table). Is also tied for league lead with 3 touchdown receptions... WR TODD DEVOE (Baltimore Ravens) caught a 3-yard pass last week.... WR ALBERT JOHNSON (Houston Texans) did not catch a pass last week and has 5 receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown... Mexican WR MARCO MARTOS has scored 9 career touchdowns but all were in his first three seasons in NFLEL (1997-99). He caught 2 passes for 23 yards vs Berlin last week, taking his career totals to 68 receptions for 916 yards. Needs 84 receiving yards to become just the second national player in league history to reach the 1,000-yard barrier... WR BEN NELSON (Minnesota Vikings) caught two passes for
for 30 yards last week and those were his first receptions of the season... TE MARK INKROTT (New York Giants) caught 2 passes for 6 yards last week and has 6 receptions for 36 yards on the season...Cologne native TE WERNER HIPPLER has yet to catch a pass this season. Prior to 2004, caught 78 passes for 847 yards and 2 TDs during seven NFLEL seasons with the Frankfurt Galaxy. His first two career receptions (Week 10, 1995 at Barcelona) were for touchdowns but has not found the end zone since... DE FELIPE CLAYBROOKS (Cleveland Browns) leads the team with 3.5 sacks adding a team-high 7 tackles, 1 sack and a forced fumble last week.... DE DEMETRIC EVANS posted 2 tackles and 1 sack last week... DT ERIC POWELL (Green Bay Packers) recorded 5 tackles and knocked down a pass last week... LB BOBBY BROOKS (Oakland Raiders) posted 6 tackles last week and leads Cologne with 15 stops this season... LB MARCUS REESE (Chicago Bears) made 4 tackles and recovered a fumble last week... French LB CEDRIC COTAR recorded 4 tackles last week and has made 8 stops on defense this term... S STEVE SMITH (Tennessee Titans) registered 6 tackles, 1 interception and 2 pass defenses last week... S JERTON EVANS (San Diego Chargers) ranked third on club with 5 tackles last week.... Swedish K OLA KIMRIN leads all kickers with 15 points this season after converting a 22-yard field goal and 4 PATs last week. Has yet to miss a kick this season... P STEVE CHEEK (Houston Texans) has punted 8 times for a 39.3-yard average this season.
QB RYAN VAN DYKE New York Giants ), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: at Rhein 24 18 240 2 0
Wk 2: vs Frank 27 12 99 0 3
Wk 3: at Berlin 31 19 229 3 2
TOTAL 82* 49 568* 5 5
RB AVON COBOURNE (Detroit Lions), GAME-BY-GAME
Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Rhein 16 45 0 3 34 1
Wk 2: vs Frank 14 65 0 3 42 0
Wk 3: at Berlin 16 85 0 2 25 0
TOTAL 30 195* 0 8 101 1
WR CARL MORRIS (Miami Dolphins), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Rhein 4 50 0
Wk 2: vs Frank 3 53 1
Wk 3: at Berlin 5 75 2
TOTAL 12 178 3*
* Leads NFL Europe League
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 4 - Page 8
FRANKFURT GALAXY (3-0)
Head Coach: Mike Jones (3-0) in NFLEL)
Colours: Purple, orange, red and white
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dwain Painter (4th season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Ed O'Neil (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 61-52
MEDIA CONTACT: Joachim Haas
Phone: 49-69-978-2790
Fax: 49-69-978-279099
E-mail: joachim.haas@frankfurt-galaxy.
Internet: www.frankfurt-galaxy.de
LAST GAME: Won 28-10 vs Rhein (4/17/04)
OFFENSE: 27.3 pts/game; 317 yds/game (rank 3); 139.3 rush yds/game (rank 1); 177.7 pass yds/game (rank 4)
Passing: J.T. O'Sullivan, 258 yards
Rushing: Leonard Henry, 188 yards
Receiving: Drew Haddad, 10 rec, 144 yards
DEFENSE: 10.5 pts/game; 245 yds/game (rank 2); 65 rush yds/game (rank 1); 189 pass yds/game (rank 2=)
Sacks: Corey Jackson, 5
Interceptions: Lynaris Elpheage, 2
THIS WEEK: at AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS
Galaxy are off to their third straight 3-0 start after last week's win against Rhein... Rookie head coach MIKE JONES says: "We are a long way from the season being over. Being 3-0 doesn't mean anything. The game at hand is what is important right now."... QB J.T. O'SULLIVAN (New Orleans Saints) has started all three games this season for the Galaxy (see table) and was productive in the air and on the ground last week, when he rushed 4 times for 31 yards. Coach Jones says: "J.T. did some good things in the passing game and had some good runs on third down. He made things happen and if we continue to get those things out of him he will be pretty tough."... QB KIRK FARMER (Kansas City Chiefs) completed 3 of 6 passes for 10 yards last week ... RB LEONARD HENRY (Miami Dolphins) was slowed by a groin injury last week and saw action only in the first quarter. He still leads the Galaxy in rushing (see table)... RB SKIP HICKS (Cincinnati Bengals) scored three TDs last week, tying a club record, and has found the endzone in every game for a total of 5 TDs (4 rushing, 1 receiving) on the season. Last week he gained 40 yards on 17 rushing attempts, including two TDs and caught 4 passes for 29 yards and 1 TD. Has 152 rushing yards for the season... WR DREW HADDAD (Indianapolis Colts) had his biggest game of the season last week (see table), including a 54-yard TD... French WR MARC SOUMAH had a 6-yard catch last week, his first of the season. Now has 38 career receptions... WR DERRICK LEWIS (New Orleans Saints) caught 5 passes for 54 yards last week after only two catches in the first two weeks... WR JASON WILLIS (Seattle Seahawks) caught 3 passes for 39 yards last week and has 8 catches this season ... Galaxy defense has allowed only three TDs in first three games, although they did not add to league-leading seven interceptions last week... DE COREY JACKSON (Cleveland Browns) has at least one sack in each game and his 2 sacks vs Rhein last week gave him the league lead with 5 for the season. Also posted 4 tackles last week... DE BOBBY SETZER (Oakland Raiders) has his fourth sack of the season last week, posting 3 tackles, and has 4 sacks for the season after posting at least one in every
game.... Coach Jones says of his productive defensive ends: "If Jackson and Setzer are getting to the quarterbacks it means our defensive tackles are taking on double teams. So everybody on the defense is playing their part.".... German DT DANIEL BENETKA posted a season-high 4 tackles last week for 7 on the season.... LB MASON UNCK (Cleveland Browns) led the team with 7 tackles last week and has 17 for the season. Added 2 special teams tackles last week... LB DUSTIN COHEN posted 3 tackles last week, for 14 on the season... CB LYNARIS ELPHEAGE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) leads the team with 2 interceptions. He posted 4 tackles and defended 4 passes last week... CB AHMAD BROOKS (New Orleans Saints) leads the team with 18 tackles after another 4 last week.... S CHRIS BROWN (Jacksonville Jaguars) posted 5 tackles last week... S RICKY SHARPE (Cleveland Browns) registered 2 knockdowns last week... K RALF KLEINMANN is tied for lead in all-time career field goals in NFLEL Europe (55, Jesus Angoy, Barcelona 1997-2003) but has not made a FG since Week 1. Kicked 4/4 PATs last week to take career points total to 300, only the fourth man in NFLEL history to reach that mark. Needs 5 points to overtake former Rhein Fire kicker Manfred Burgsmüller (304 points) for third place on the all-time scoring list.
QB J.T. O'SULLIVAN (New Orelans Saimts ), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: vs Amst 16 10 148 1 0
Wk 2: at Col 18 11 85 0 0
Wk 3: vs Rhein 27 18 225 2 0
TOTAL 61 39 458 3 0
RB LEONARD HENRY (Maimi Dolphins), GAME-BY-GAME
Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Amst 19 114 2 3 60 0
Wk 2: at Col 13 63 1 4 14 0
Wk 3: vs Rhein 4 11 0 1 13 0
TOTAL 36 188 3 8 87 0
WR DREW HADDAD , GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Amst 4 37 0
Wk 2: at Col 1 14 1
Wk 3: vs Rhein 5 93 1
TOTAL 10 144 2
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 4 - Page 9
RHEIN FIRE (2-1)
Head Coach: Pete Kuharchek (20-13 in
NFLEL, 0-2 in World Bowls)
Colours: Burgundy, black and white
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Whitey Jordan (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Adrian White (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 53-39
MEDIA CONTACT: Markus Müller
Phone: 49-211-478-730
Fax: 49-211-478-7329
E-mail: markus.mueller@rhein-fire.de
Internet: www.rhein-fire.de
LAST GAME: Lost 10-28 at Frankfurt (4/17/04)
OFFENSE: 22.3 pts/game; 234.3 yds/game (rank 5); 65.3 rush yds/game (rank 6); 169 pass yds/game (rank 5)
Passing: Chad Hutchinson, 370 yards
Rushing: Joffrey Reynolds, 123 yards
Receiving: Willie Quinnie 11 rec, Adam Herzing 147 yards
DEFENSE: 18.67 pts/game; 284.3 yds/game (rank 4); 95.3 rush yds/game (rank 4); 189 pass yds/game (rank 2=)
Sacks: David Nugent, David Thompson 2.0
Interceptions: Abdual Howard 1
THIS WEEK: vs BERLIN THUNDER
Fire back at home, where they have posted a 27-6 record in their last 33 games, dating back to 1997.... Head coach PETE KUHARCHEK knows it is a vital game following first loss of season in Frankfurt. He says: "We would rather be sitting here at 3-0 but now we are back with everyone else. It is a very important game against Berlin because it will be a real challenge to come back from a loss. We will see how we react to adversity."... QB CHAD HUTCHINSON (Dallas Cowboys) threw his second TD pass of the season last week (see table) and has started all three games... QB GREG ZOLMAN (Buffalo Bills) connected on 7 of 11 passes for 50 yards last week... RB JOFFREY REYNOLDS (Cleveland Browns) leads the team in rushing (see table) and had his most productive day as a receiver last week.... RB JEREMY ALLEN (Atlanta Falcons) was limited by injury to 1 carry for 6 yards last week.... WR SHOCKMAIN DAVIS (Green Bay Packers) caught 2 passes for 9 yards last week... WR ADAM HERZING (San Francisco 49ers) leads Rhein with 147 receiving yards this season and has scored in each of last two games. Last week he had 4 catches for 77 yards, including a 54-yard TD... WR WILLIE QUINNIE (Atlanta Falcons) was held without a TD for the first time this season last week but leads the team in receptions (see table)... TE DWAYNE BLAKLEY (Tennessee Titans) caught 2 passes for 12 yards last week... TE DANIEL WILCOX had 1 reception for 5 yards last week.... DE DAVID NUGENT (Oakland Raiders) has 2 sacks this season, tied for team lead... DE RANDY GARNER posted his first sack of the season last week... DT CEDRIC KILLINGS (Washington Redskins) posted 5 tackles last week for 8 on the season... DT DAVID THOMPSON (St. Louis Rams) posted a sack for the second straight week against Rhein, finishing with 3 tackles in the game... LB JAMES HARRISON (Baltimore Ravens) made 5 tackles last week and has 15 stops on the season... LB MAUGAULA TUITELE has 13 tackles this season after adding 4 stops last week... LB CHARLES BURTON has 11 tackles this season after 2 last week... CB HORACE WILLIS (Minnesota
Vikings) led the team with 7 tackles last week.... S ABDUAL HOWARD leads the Fire with 17 tackles after 4 last week. Needs to return one more interception for a touchdown to tie the all-time league record of 3 held by a pair of former Fire defenders in Vaughn Bryant (1995) and Clarence LeBlanc (2001). Posted 15 tackles in two games vs Berlin in 2003... CB TONY LUKINS (Seattle Seahawks) has 15 tackles this season after adding 4 last week. Posted 8 tackles in this game last year ... CB EARTHWIND MORELAND had a season-high 6 tackles last week and registered 8 tackles in two games against Berlin in 2002... German S RICHARD YANCY has 12 tackles this season after posting 6 last week. Faces the team with whom he spent the 2000 and 2001 seasons, winning World Bowl ring in 2001... K INGO ANDERBRÃGGE made his only PAT last week and added a 32-yard field goal to maintain his perfect season (2/2 FGs, 8/8 PATs).
QB CHAD HUTCHINSON (Dallas Cowboys), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: vs Col 14 8 101 0 1
Wk 2: vs Sco 18 14 141 1 0
Wk 3: at Fra 22 12 128 1 0
TOTAL 54 34 370 2 1
WR WILLIE QUINNIE (Atlanta Falcons), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Col 2 4 1
Wk 2: vs Sco 4 50 1
Wk 3: at Fra 5 46 0
TOTAL 11 100 2
RB JOFFREY REYNOLDS (Cleveland Browns), GAME-BY-GAME
No Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Col 15 58 0 1 14 0
Wk 2: vs Sco 13 31 2 2 13 0
Wk 3: at Fra 14 34 0 5 29 0
TOTAL 42 123 2 8 56 0
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 4 â Page 10
SCOTTISH CLAYMORES (0-3)
Head Coach: Jack Bicknell (59-54 in
NFLEL, 2-5 in post-season)
Colours: Navy, white and silver
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Vince Martino (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dan Daniel (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 41-52
MEDIA CONTACT: Steve Livingstone
Phone: 44-141-222-3801
Fax: 44-141-222-3828
E-mail: slivingstone@claymores.co.uk
Internet: www.claymores.com
LAST GAME: Lost 0-3 vs Amsterdam (4/18/04)
OFFENSE: 5.67 pts/game; 214 yds/game (rank 6); 83 rush yds/game(rank 5); 131 pass yds/game (rank 6)
Passing: Nate Hybl, 303 yards
Rushing: Maurice Hicks, 106 yards
Receiving: Scott McCready, 19 rec 133 yards
DEFENSE: 25.5 pts/game; 241 yds/game (rank 1); 107.3 rush yds/game (rank 5); 133.7 pass yds/game (rank 1)
Sacks: Cedric Scott, Gavin Walls, 1.0
Interceptions: None
THIS WEEK: at COLOGNE CENTURIONS
The Claymores look for first win of the season at the Centurions with head coach JACK BICKNELL saying: "Every game you lose means there is more pressure in the next game. The challenge for us is to win seven straight. It won't be easy but it can be done. We are not quitting as a group. There will be no finger pointing, we play hard and practise hard. If you stay tight together things will work out."... Claymores have NFLEL record for fewest points scored (17) in first three games of the season. They have not scored a point in last seven quarters and not scored a TD in last eight quarters.... Bicknell says, "I am concerned that we are not making enough big plays and being explosive. At the moment we don't have the guy who can light it up. We have got to find a way to make something explosive happen."... QB NATE HYBL (Cleveland Browns) is Scotland's leading passer (see table)... QB CURT ANES (Detroit Lions) hit on 10 of 18 attempts for 79 yards last week and has 1 TD and 1 interception on the season... RB MAURICE HICKS (San Francisco 49ers) has averaged 5.0 yards per carry this season (see table)... RB AHMAAD GALLOWAY (Denver Broncos) is second on the team with 77 rushing yards after carrying 12 times for 41 yards last week. He also caught 3 passes for 16 yards... English WR SCOTT McCREADY has led his team in receptions in each game this year (see table) and leads the league in receptions. He is bidding to become the first national player to led the league in a major individual non-kicking category.... Scottish WR SCOTT COUPER is the all-time receiving leader among national players with 102 catches for 1,093 yards and 12 touchdowns. Has caught only 1 pass this year... WR HERB HAYGOOD (Kansas City Chiefs) caught 3 passes for 28 yards last week.... TE AARON GOLLIDAY (Kansas City Chiefs) caught 3 passes for 27 yards last week... TE MARCUS HELFMAN (San Francisco 49ers) caught 3 passes for 11 yards last week
and has 7 for the season.... Claymores defense ranks first in NFLEL in yards allowed but is last in forcing turnovers (1 fumble, 0 interceptions).... Scottish DE ROBERT FLICKINGER has 12.5 career sacks to lead all national players. Registered 3 tackles last week... DT CEDRIC SCOTT (Cleveland Browns) had 3 tackles and his first sack of the season last week... DT ALAN HARPER (New York Jets) registered 3 tackles last week... LB RYAN MYERS (New York Jets) is the team's leading tackler with 31 after posting 8 stops last week... LB JIMMY McCLAIN (Jacksonville Jaguars) made 6 tackles in Week 3 and ranks second on the team with 20 tackles this season... CB KAHLIL CARTER (Buffalo Bills) made 4 tackles last week... K ROB HART needs 8 points to become the all-time scoring leader in NFLEL history. He is stuck on 319 after going pointless last week, ending his consecutive scoring streak at 47 games (second longest streak all-time).... P NICK MURPHY (Philadelphia Eagles) punted 8 times for a 38.4-yard average last week.
QB NATE HYBL (Cleveland Browns), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: at Ber 24 17 147 1 0
Wk 2: at Rhe 19 13 111 0 1
Wk 3: vs Ams 14 7 45 0 1
TOTAL 43 30 303 1 2
WR SCOTT McCREADY, GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Ber 11 67 1
Wk 2: at Rhe 4 31 0
Wk 3: vs Ams 4 35 0
TOTAL 19 * 133 0
RB MAURICE HICKS (San Francisco 49ers), GAME-BY-GAME
No Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Ber 4 24 0 1 8 0
Wk 2: at Rhe 5 23 0 2 8 0
Wk 3: vs Ams 12 59 0 1 7 0
TOTAL 21 106 0 4 23 0
*Leads NFL Europe League
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS NFL Europe 2004, Week 4 - Page 11
BERLIN THUNDER (3-0)
at RHEIN FIRE (2-1)
Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, Saturday April 24, 7 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Rhein leads 8-2 (Berlin leads 1-0 in postseason)
At Rhein: Rhein leads 5-0
At Berlin: Rhein leads 3-2
Streak: Rhein 5
Last season: Rhein 21 at Berlin 10, Berlin 21 at Rhein 28
TELEVISION
Germany: LIVE/Premiere Sport 2 (7:00 p.m. CET)
US: LIVE/NFL Network (1:00 p.m. ET) DELAY/8:00 p.m. ET
KEVIN SLATON is joined in the broadcast booth by NFL quarterback JASON GARRETT, who played in the World League for the San Antonio Riders in 1991.
COACHES
Rhein's PETE KUHARCHEK has never lost at home to Berlin in the regular season (3-0), although his team did get beaten by the Thunder in World Bowl X at the Rheinstadion. Kuharchek is in his fourth season as head coach of the Fire... Rookie head coach RICK LANTZ has the Thunder off to their best start in franchise history. Formerly served in NFL Europe as linebackers coach for the 2003 Barcelona Dragons.
GAME NOTES
German rivals are separated by just one game in the standings heading into this contest in Gelsenkirchen. Fire will be glad to be back on home soil where they have gone 27-6 in their last 33 games... Under Pete Kuharchek, the Fire has never lost more than one home game in any season and with victory over Berlin on Saturday, they would guarantee an eighth winning campaign in a row at home. Berlin has never won a regular season game on the road against the Fire (0-5) but they will be full of confidence having made a 3-0 start to the season... Despite being last in the league in average time of possession (28:24 per game), Berlin boasts NFL Europe's top-ranked offense and a formidable passing attack (234 yards per game, league-high 9 touchdowns, league-best 13.4 yards per completion). Berlin has also conceded a league-low 3 sacks... Berlin quarterbacks have combined for a team passer rating of 123.3 and Thunder is best in NFLEL on third downs, converting 20 of 35 attempts for a 57.1 percent success rate... Berlin has averaged 6.2 yards per offensive play (first in NFLEL) and has scored a league-best 11 touchdowns... Thunder has shown offensive explosion in opening three games, scoring on pass plays covering 52, 47, 45, 43 and 40 yards... Defensively, the Thunder ranks sixth in NFLEL and they are also the league's most penalized team (26 flags for 201 yards)... Rhein has had more success passing the football than running this season. Fire quarterbacks have completed 64.0 percent of their passes (second in NFLEL)... Rhein ranks sixth in NFLEL in rushing yards, gaining just 65.3 yards per game at an average of 2.6 yards per run... Rhein will look for special teams to provide good starting field position on Saturday. Fire leads NFLEL with 394 kickoff return yards and 2 touchdowns. Averaging 28.1 yards per return... Fire has won last five meetings between the clubs and both games last season. RB AUTRY DENSON rushed for 114 yards and 1 touchdown to lead Rhein to victory in Week 2 and also scored on a 25-yard reception... In the Week 8 meeting between the teams, WRs CHARLIE ADAMS and KENDALL NEWSON scored touchdowns as the Fire won by seven. DT JESSE WARREN also scored for the Fire when he fell on a fumbled football in the end zone.
SCOTTISH CLAYMORES (0-3)
at COLOGNE CENTURIONS (0-3)
RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Saturday April 24, 7:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: First meeting between teams
At Scotland: 0-0
At Amsterdam: 0-0
Streak: First meeting between teams
TELEVISION
United Kingdom: DELAY/Sky Sports 3 (8:00 p.m. Monday April 26). Repeated at midnight on Sky Sports 3.
COACHES
JACK BICKNELL has gone 0-6 since he moved to within one win of 60 career victories in Week 7 of the 2003 season. Led his Barcelona Dragons to World Bowl appearances in 1991, 1997, 1999 and 2001, winning on home soil in 1997... PETER VAAS served as an offensive assistant under Jack Bicknell in Barcelona in 1998-99. The two-time World Bowl winner and former coach of the year has a 3-12 record in the month of April.
GAME NOTES
Both clubs go in search of opening win in 2004 after starting the year with 0-3 records... Teams have offered up vastly differing styles in opening weeks of the season. Cologne is the highest-scoring 0-3 team in league history (66 points), while Scotland is the lowest-scoring team in league history through three games (17 points)... Claymores head into third road game in four weeks needing improved offensive production. Through first three games, Claymores have scored just 2 touchdowns, have the league's sixth-ranked offense (214 yards per game) and have given up a league-high 10 sacks. Scotland average 3.7 yards per run and 8.2 yards per pass completion... Cologne boasts NFL Europe's number two offense and the Centurions lead the way in time of possession, averaging 33:44 per game... Centurions also have the best offense inside the red zone, scoring on 90.9 percent of trips inside the opposing 20-yard line (11 trips, 6 TD, 4 FG)... Centurions averaging 5.4 yards per offensive play (second in NFLEL) and rank second in the league in third down conversions (15/35 for 42.9 percent success rate). Centurions lead the league in rushing average with 4.4 yards per carry... Standing in Cologne's way will be Scotland's top-ranked defense. That unit is allowing just 241 yards per game but is still waiting to grab the first interception of the season and has created just one turnover. As a result, Scotland ranks last in turnover ratio at -4... Cologne is one of only two teams in the league not to have a negative turnover ratio, having committed 6 turnovers and come up with 6 takeaways of their own... Scotland will go in search of their first interception of 2004 against a team that has thrown a league-high 5 picks in three games... Centurions aiming to shore up their special teams, having conceded 475 kickoff return yards at an average of 33.9 yards per return. At that pace, Cologne will allow 1,583 kickoff return yards, which would smash the league record of 1,199 allowed by the Amsterdam Admirals in 2003... The Claymores are the only team in NFL Europe not to have scored a rushing touchdown so far this season... Scotland has also punted a league-high 18 times in three games... The Centurions have rolled the dice and gone for it on fourth down more times than any other team in the league, converting twice from seven attempts (28.6 percent success rate).
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS / RECAP OF WEEK 3 NFL Europe 2004, Week 4 - Page 12
FRANKFURT GALAXY (3-0)
at AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS (1-2)
Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Sunday, April 25 3:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Frankfurt leads 11-8 (Frankfurt leads 1-0 in postseason)
At Amsterdam: Amsterdam leads 6-3
At Frankfurt: Frankfurt leads 8-2
Streak: Frankfurt 1
Last Meeting: Amsterdam 11 at Frankfurt 34 (Week 1)
TELEVISION
US: LIVE/DirecTV (9:00 a.m. ET) DELAY/NFL Network (8:00 p.m. ET)
Joining CRAIG SHEMON in the broadcast booth is STEVE ISRAEL, who played cornerback for five NFL teams â St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.
COACHES
BART ANDRUS celebrated his first win of the 2004 season last week. He is in his fourth season as head coach of the Admirals. Won a World Bowl ring as a member of the Rhein Fire coaching staff in 2000 and also coached in Super Bowl XXXIV, when he served as quarterbacks coach of the Tennessee Titans... Rookie head coach MIKE JONES is 3-0 in his first season with the Galaxy. Won World Bowl rings as a member of the Rhein Fire coaching staff in 1998 and 2000.
GAME NOTES
Second meeting of teams in 2004 sees the table-topping Galaxy head to Amsterdam aiming to keep their perfect start to the season alive... The Galaxy is the best 3-0 team in league history, averaging a winning margin of 17 points per game... Frankfurt has started a season 3-0 for the third year in a row and is gunning for a record fourth World Bowl victory... Frankfurt ranks third on offense and second in NFLEL on defense and has shown value of winning the turnover battle. The Galaxy has a +7 turnover ratio having recorded a league-high 10 takeaways opposed to just three turnovers... Frankfurt's defense has conceded a league-low 31 points and 3 touchdowns in three games this season and has not allowed a rushing touchdown in the last 14 quarters of football, with the last score on the ground being conceded to Thunder QB Phil Stambaugh in the second quarter of a Week 10 meeting between Frankfurt and Berlin in 2003... Frankfurt boasts the number one defense against the run in NFLEL, allowing 65 yards per game... Amsterdam has thrown more passes than any other team in the league (105)... Attempting to halt the Admirals passing attack is a Galaxy defense that leads NFLEL with 9 sacks and 7 interceptions... On the offensive side of the ball, Frankfurt is the only team in NFL Europe yet to throw an interception. They have scored a league-high 7 rushing touchdowns and 44 percent of Frankfurt's offensive yards have come on the ground â the highest percentage of any NFLEL team... Amsterdam's defense has forced a league-high 7 fumbles and recovered 4... Admirals aiming to regain homefield advantage they once enjoyed in the Netherlands. In five seasons from 1997-2001, the Admirals lost just six times on home soil. In 11 games from 2002 to 2004, Amsterdam has lost seven times... RBs LEONARD HENRY and SKIP HICKS combined for 200 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns in Week 1 meeting between two clubs as Frankfurt romped to a one-sided 34-11 victory.
WEEK THREE RECAP
Rhein Fire 10, Frankfurt Galaxy 28
(Waldstadion, Frankfurt. Attendance: 27,213)
Skip Hicks (Galaxy) 69 total yards, 3 TD
J.T. O'Sullivan (Galaxy) 225 pass yards, 2 TD
Corey Jackson (Galaxy) 4 tackles, 2 sacks
Amsterdam Admirals 3, Scottish Claymores 0
(Hampden Park, Glasgow. Attendance: 10,971)
Chris Downs (Admirals), 78 rushing yards
Jason Perry (Admirals), 11 tackles, 1 pass defense
Charles Alston (Admirals) 6 tackles, 1 sack
Cologne Centurions 31, Berlin Thunder 35
(Olympic Stadium, Berlin. Attendance: 12,036)
Rohan Davey (Thunder), 279 pass yards, 4 TD
Ryan Van Dyke (Centurions) 229 pass yards, 3 TD
Richard Alston (Thunder) 5 catches 123 yards, 2 TD
• Discuss this story on the National Football League Europa message board...
National Football League Europa Stories from April 20, 2004
- Repeat winners as Davey, Jackson and Heckenbach earn Player of Week awards - NFLE
- Thunder and Galaxy look to break free from pack - NFLE
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
