Thunder clinches World Bowl berth
May 18, 2004 - National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release
THE Berlin Thunder (6-1) and Frankfurt Galaxy (6-1) could be holding a World Bowl XII dress rehearsal when they meet in Week 8 action on Saturday night.
Berlin has already clinched a place in the June 12 championship game in Gelsenkirchen and Frankfurt are the favourites to join them. The only way the defending champion Galaxy can miss out on a return to World Bowl is if they lose their last three games, Rhein win their last three games and beat Frankfurt by more than 18 points when the German rivals meet in Week 9.
The Rhein Fire (3-4) will look to begin a necessary three-game winning run against the Cologne Centurions (2-5) in a contest that is expected to see a record crowd in attendance at Cologne's RheinEnergieStadion on Sunday afternoon.
The Week 8 triple header action begins earlier than usual as the Scottish Claymores (1-6) travel to the Netherlands on Friday night to take on an Amsterdam Admirals (3-4) team battling to post its first winning season since 1998.
WEEK SEVEN SCHEDULE
FRIDAY MAY 21
Scottish Claymores at Amsterdam Admirals
Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, 8:00 p.m.
SATURDAY MAY 22
Berlin Thunder at Frankfurt Galaxy
Waldstadion, Frankfurt, 7:00 p.m.
SUNDAY MAY 23
Rhein Fire at Cologne Centurions
RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, 4:00 p.m.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK â WEEK 7
OFFENSIVE · SKIP HICKS · RB, Frankfurt
123 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns; 2 catches, 10 yards
DEFENSIVE · CHARLES ALSTON · DE, Amsterdam
4 tackles, 2 quarterback sacks
SPECIAL TEAMS · HEINZ QUAST · K, Berlin
4 of 4 field goals and 3 of 3 PATs for 15 points
NATIONAL · SCOTT McCREADY · WR, Scotland
8 catches for 71 yards
NEWS AND NOTES NFL Europe 2004, Week 8 - Page 2
COVER STORY (Continued)
HAVING seen his team become the earliest qualifiers for World Bowl under NFL Europe's current format, Thunder head coach RICK LANTZ says: "Obviously we are excited about reaching World Bowl. The only negative thing could be that our kids will start celebrating a bit too early. We relaxed a little bit at the end of the Rhein Fire game and all of a sudden found out we were in fight.
"Our kids went out there and competed like crazy and did a good job against the best football team we have faced this season."
Despite guiding his team to within touching distance of a berth in World Bowl, Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES refuses to accept his club's regular season battle is over, as he explains: "We have to go out there and execute in these closing weeks of the season. We can't be thinking about World Bowl yet. If you look too far down the road it can become a distraction."
Rhein Fire head coach PETE KUHARCHEK knows his team faces an uphill battle to reach World Bowl but he is not about to let his players give up the chase.
He says: "We just about need a miracle to make it to World Bowl but I can assure you that we are going to try our best to win the next three ball games."
Facing the Fire on Sunday will be their newest rivals â the Cologne Centurions, who are coming off a disappointing 17-10 loss in Amsterdam last week.
Centurions head coach PETER VAAS will continue to drive his team hard in the closing three weeks of the season, as he explains: "Our guys will remain professional and play hard. They owe it to each other, to the city of Cologne, to the fans and the league to play hard."
The Amsterdam Admirals and Scottish Claymores will be playing for pride when they meet on Friday night. The Admirals are coming off a seven-point victory over Cologne, while the Claymores found an offensive spark in Frankfurt but still ended up losing the game 27-24.
Admirals head coach BART ANDRUS says: "I am proud of the way this team bounced back from dropping two games on the road and it bodes well for the character of the guys in our locker room. We still have areas where we need to improve but last week was a giant step forward for us."
Claymores head coach JACK BICKNELL says of his 1-6 team: "I am disappointed to have lost in Frankfurt but also proud of my team. Every single week we play like heck. Those guys keep bringing me back up because they never give in and keep giving me effort. We have never stopped playing hard in any of our games this year and I am happy about that. I want us to finish well as a team and I would be very surprised if we went into the tank. After we play Amsterdam on Friday night, we have to go back home and win two games at home for the people of Scotland."
Thunder take brief time out to enjoy reaching World Bowl XII
WHILE the Berlin Thunder will be keen to maintain their focus in the closing three weeks of the regular season leading up to next month's World Bowl, they did allow themselves the opportunity to briefly celebrate reaching the championship game.
Following Sunday's 33-20 defeat of the Rhein Fire, head coach RICK LANTZ was given the traditional Gatorade shower on the sidelines before saying: "We are excited about reaching World Bowl. In beating the Fire we played our best all-around game this season. We were stronger and tougher than them at the end of the game and that makes this a very satisfying win."
Thunder general manager MICHAEL LANG added: "The coaching staff under Rick Lantz has done a tremendous job. The Berlin Thunder organization as a whole has moved to the next level this season â and I am so proud to be part of that movement. No matter who we play in World Bowl XII, we are very proud to be there."
Berlin's league-leading quarterback, ROHAN DAVEY (New England Patriots) said: "It is a great feeling. We got issued a challenge by our coaches and we took it personally. I have watched World Bowl before on TV and from what I see it is similar to Super Bowl with a lot of stuff going on around the game. But just like Super Bowl, none of that stuff matters if you don't win the game. I'm sure it will be a great time for us and we're excited.".
"It helps having been in that kind of environment before at Super Bowl but some things are going to be different and that will take some getting used to. We know what we have to do though and that is win the World Bowl â so in that respect it becomes like any other game."
Here are the weeks when the first team to qualify for World Bowl since 1998 booked its berth:
2004 Berlin Thunder Wk 7
2003 Frankfurt Galaxy Wk 9
2002 Rhein Fire Wk 9
2001 Barcelona Dragons Wk 8
2000 Rhein Fire/Scottish Claymores Wk 9
1999 Frankfurt Galaxy Wk 9
1998 Rhein Fire Wk 8
Thunder wide receiver CHAS GESSNER (New England Patriots) says: "We feel the excitement around this organization and the fans. The stands are getting more full each week and it is great to see that kind of support. It is great to know we are helping the growth of football over here in Berlin."
NEWS AND NOTES NFL Europe 2004, Week 8 - Page 3
World Bowl picture becomes clearer as Galaxy and Fire to fight for final berth in title game
WITH three weeks of the 2004 regular season remaining, the World Bowl picture has become much clearer with Amsterdam, Cologne and Scotland being eliminated at the weekend.
The Berlin Thunder are in the championship game and will face the Frankfurt Galaxy at Arena AufSchalke on Saturday June 12 unless the following happens:
· Frankfurt loses its last three games
· Rhein wins its last three games
· Rhein beats Frankfurt by more than 18 points
Amsterdam can reach six wins like Berlin or Frankfurt, but would lose out in tiebreakers to both teams. Cologne can only reach five wins.
Thunder head coach RICK LANTZ is determined to keep his team focused in the weeks leading up to World Bowl, when they face the Galaxy twice (Weeks 8 and 10) and the Scottish Claymores (Week 9).
Lantz says: "We are going to do the same as we do every week. I think this team is smart enough to understand that we play a very good team in the Galaxy next week.
"We can't back off. We have to practice the same as we always practice. We want to be sharper next week. If we were to lose our next three games, it would be very tough to get ready for World Bowl.
"Two of the next three weeks we play the team with the same record as us (Frankfurt) so we need to look at beating them. We don't want to relax. If we go and fool around and don't play like we played today, and then try to turn it on three weeks from now, we aren't going to be able to do that. Nobody is that talented. You have to keep playing well."
Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES says of his team's run-in: "We are still focusing on our objective for the month of May, which was to go undefeated. Beating the Claymores last week was step three of that phase. We have to maintain our concentration, pay attention to the little things and take care of step four against the Berlin Thunder next week.
"All of our remaining games are going to be tough â if you look too far down the road it can become a distraction.
"We have to go out and execute in these closing weeks of the season. We can't be thinking about World Bowl yet. We have areas we need to improve on. We want to get our running game going a little better and we want to be more productive in the passing game. So for us to sit here and even consider slacking off is out of the question.
"We are not going to worry about showing Berlin anything in the final three weeks of the regular season because we still have to play these games hard. We will go about them in our normal manner. The regular season is not over."
Fire head coach PETE KUHARCHEK summed up his team's chances of reaching the title game in their own stadium in June by saying: "We just about need a miracle to make it to World Bowl ourselves.
"Frankfurt is a pretty good football team and we saw that Berlin is an outstanding team too â they definitely will have an excellent chance of meeting in World Bowl.
"The Thunder has to play Frankfurt twice and I can tell you who I will be rooting for in those games. For us to have a chance, Berlin has to beat Frankfurt twice."
Should Berlin and Frankfurt meet in World Bowl, it would mark the first time rookie head coaches had clashed in World Bowl since AL LUGINBILL (Amsterdam Admirals) and ERNIE STAUTNER (Frankfurt Galaxy) faced off in 1995.
Here is a look at rookie head coaches who have taken their teams to World Bowl in their first season:
1991 Larry Kennan London Monarchs
1991 Jack Bicknell Barcelona Dragons
1992 Galen Hall Orlando Thunder
1995 Al Luginbill Amsterdam Admirals
1995 Ernie Stautner Frankfurt Galaxy
1998 Dick Curl Frankfurt Galaxy
2004 Rick Lantz Berlin Thunder
Bold indicates won World Bowl
When discussing the possibility of a Berlin-Frankfurt World Bowl, Scottish Claymores veteran head coach JACK BICKNELL offered advice to Lantz and Jones should both teams be assured of berths in the title game with two weeks of the regular season remaining, as could be the case in Week 8.
Bicknell said: "You can't stop playing and start thinking about World Bowl because that's when kids let up and get hurt. Sure, if you have a guy who is hurt you don't push him back into the lineup, but you have to play every game like it is the most important game of the season. If you don't do that, you can lose your edge and desire.
"It is very hard to turn it off and then turn it back on again when you play in World Bowl. So you have to keep playing hard and I'm sure that's what the competing teams will do when they have booked their places.
"If it is Berlin and Frankfurt in World Bowl, those are two good and very talented teams. If they do meet in the final it will be a very good World Bowl."
NEWS AND NOTES NFL Europe 2004, Week 8 - Page 4
Hicks making run at record
BY scoring two touchdowns during his team's Week 7 defeat of the Scottish Claymores, Frankfurt Galaxy running back SKIP HICKS (Cincinnati Bengals) remained on course to challenge for a place in the NFL Europe League record books.
Hicks has scored a league-leading 9 touchdowns in seven games this season and needs to find the end zone five times in the last three games to tie the single season touchdown record of 14 set by LAWRENCE PHILLIPS, of the Barcelona Dragons, in 1999.
Hicks currently leads NFL Europe in touchdowns (9), rushing touchdowns (7) and rushing yards (458). In addition, he ranks second in total yards from scrimmage with 653 in seven games.
Hicks has displayed his explosiveness this season by making the following big plays:
Wk 1 vs Amsterdam 56-yard TD run
Wk 4 at Amsterdam 72-yard TD catch
Wk 7 vs Scotland 59-yard run
Paying tribute to his star running back, Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES says: "I will be telling Skip Hicks to keep up the good work after his showing against the Claymores. He has done a great job for us up to this point of the season.
"Skip has been a big part of our offense and he has to continue to be a big part of our attack up to the end of the season. I have to take my hat off to him because he really has produced some great performances for us this season."
Vaas calls on fan support
DESPITE seeing their World Bowl hopes disappear with a loss in Amsterdam last week, the Cologne Centurions are preparing for a big game this weekend as they play host to their local rivals, Rhein Fire.
The game being played on Sunday afternoon at Cologne's RheinEnergieStadion is expected to draw a record crowd for NFL Europe's newest franchise.
Issuing a rallying cry ahead of the Centurions-Fire showdown, Cologne head coach PETER VAAS says: "We need everyone who has ever thought about going to an NFL Europe League game to come out and support us. This is an incredibly important rivalry.
"Our guys will be playing hard. They owe it to each other, our fans and the city of Cologne. It is going to be the job of our coaches to make sure the players are mentally ready to face the Fire this weekend because it is a game we are determined to win."
FOX begins countdown to Bowl
THE countdown to World Bowl XII begins in earnest this weekend as the FOX TV network in the United States kicks off its coverage of 2004 NFL Europe League season in Week 8.
And that could be good news for the Rhein Fire, who need three wins and other results to go their way in order to reach the championship game.
No existing NFLEL team has played in more games that are broadcast on FOX to a national TV audience across America. Rhein has played in 13 FOX network games, posting an 8-5 record.
The Fire will feature in this weekend's nationally televised game against the Cologne Centurions. FOX will broadcast regular season games in Weeks 8, 9 and 10, as well as World Bowl XII on June 12.
FOX has aired every World Bowl since 1996 and three regular season games each year since 1999.
Records of NFLEL teams in FOX network games
Rhein 8-5 (2-3 in World Bowls)
Berlin 4-3 (2-0 in World Bowls)
Frankfurt 5-5 (2-2 in World Bowls)
Scotland 2-4 (1-1 in World Bowls)
Amsterdam 1-3 (No World Bowls)
Cologne 0-0 (No World Bowls)
Despite their long-standing success in games aired on FOX, the Fire lost on three occasions in nationwide-broadcast games last season, including World Bowl XI to the Frankfurt Galaxy.
Fans invited to vote for stars
of 2004 at NFLEurope.com
VOTING for the 2004 All-NFL Europe League team got underway this week, with fans being invited to pick their favourite players on NFLEurope.com.
For the third year in a row, the fan poll will account for one third of the votes, with one third being made up of votes by the media and one third coming from the coaching staffs of the six NFL Europe League teams.
To vote for the top players from 2004, fans simply log on to NFLEurope.com and fill out the online ballot form. The All-NFLEL team, along with Offensive and Defensive MVPs and Coach of the Year, will be announced at World Bowl XII Media Day at Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on Wednesday June 9.
Media voting forms have already been issued.
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 8 - Page 5
AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS (3-4)Head Coach: Bart Andrus (15-22 in NFLEL)Colours: Orange and blue
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: John Allen (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Darryl Sims (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 49-48
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 17-10 vs Cologne (5/15/04)
OFFENSE: 15.86 pts/game; 319 yds/game (rank 4); 86.1 yds rush/game (rank 4); 232.9 yds pass/game (rank 2)
Passing: Clint Stoerner, 1,373 yards
Rushing: Chris Downs, 298 yards
Receiving: Chris Taylor 32 rec; Chris Horn 449 yards
DEFENSE: 20.3 pts/game; 353.1 yds/game (rank 6); 128.6 rush yds/game (rank 6); 224.6 pass yds/game (rank 5)
Sacks: Charles Alston, 5.0
Interceptions: Todd Howard, 2
· THIS WEEK: vs SCOTTISH CLAYMORES ·
Head coach BART ANDRUS is hoping his team can maintain last week's improvement through the remainder of the season. "I am proud of the way this team bounced back last week after dropping two games on the road and it bodes well for the character of this team. We still have areas we need to improve but our guys made plays â they forced the quarterback to make bad throws and forced fumbles and it was a giant step forward for us."... QB CLINT STOERNER (Miami Dolphins) has started all seven games for the Admirals (see table). His first completion last week saw him overtake ex-Fire QB Andy Kelly (1995-96) for third all-time in the NFLEL. With 288 career completions, he needs 20 to tie another ex-Claymores and Admirals QB, Kevin Daft, for second place. With 3 more pass attempts he will tie the total of 504 by Mike Perez (Frankfurt 91-92) for third all-time. With 3,239 career yards he needs 183 yards to tie Pat Barnes (Frankfurt 1999-2000) for third place in career yardage.... QB GIBRAN HAMDAN (Washington Redskins) completed 2 of 4 pass attempts for 12 yards last week... RB CHRIS DOWNS (Oakland Raiders) leads Amsterdam with 298 rushing yards this year... Running back MIKE MALAN was held to minus 4 yards on 2 carries last week and faces the team for whom he caught 25 passes, including 4 TDs, and rushed for 106 yards last year... WR CHRIS HORN (Kansas City Chiefs) leads NFL Europe in receiving yards (see table) but is still to score a touchdown... WR CHRIS TAYLOR (Houston Texans) led the team with 9 catches for 99 yards last week to lead the team with 33 catches. Did not have a catch against Scotland in Week 3... Mexican WR CARLOS ROSADO has a season total of 16 catches... TE TONY DONALD (Green Bay Packers) leads NFLEL tight ends in receptions (see table) and caught his fourth TD catch of the year last week... DE CHARLES ALSTON (Atlanta Falcons) posted 4 tackles last week and has 35 for the season. He posted 2 sacks to lead the team with 5 for the season ... LB JERRY SCHUMACHER (Chicago Bears) has recorded 31
tackles for the season after posting 9 last week. He also had his first interception of the year... Japanese LB RIKIYA ISHIDA posted 4 tackles last week, giving him 21 for the season... LB DREW WAHLROOS has 21 tackles for the season, including 2 sacks.... CB TODD HOWARD leads the team with 2 interceptions... S JASON PERRY (New England Patriots) leads team with 53 tackles after posting a team-high 9 last week... DT JA'WAREN BLAIR has 2 sacks this season .... DE CLINT MITCHELL (Denver Broncos) posted 5 tackles, 1 sack and forced 2 fumbles last week... LB STEVE JOSUE (Green Bay Packers) had his first interception of the year last week, along with 3 tackles... Japanese CB KOHEI SATOMI posted 3 tackles last week... CB LIGARIUS JENNINGS had 5 tackles and recovered a fumble in his own end zone last week... Dutch kicker SILVIO DILBERTO is in his eighth NFLEL season and has a club record 271 points to his name after kicking 2 PATs last week.... K TODD SIEVERS (Houston Texans) kicked a game-winning 44-yard FG against Scotland in Week 3, the only points of the game. Kicked a 39-yard FG last week but missed two other attempts.
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 18 8 81 0 0
Wk 4: vs Frank 34 19 219 1 0
Wk 5: at Ber 32 18 249 3 1
Wk 6: at Rhe 18 11 122 0 0
Wk 7: vs Col 26 17 204 2 0
TOTAL 194 117 1,373 8 4
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
Wk 4: vs Frank 4 70 0
Wk 5: at Ber 3 60 0
Wk 6: at Rhe 3 106 0
Wk 7: vs Col 3 31 0
TOTAL 25 449* 0
*Leads NFLEL
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
Wk 4: vs Frank 5 55 1
Wk 5: at Ber 2 40 1
Wk 6: at Rhe 4 31 0
Wk 7: vs Col 5 53 1
TOTAL 26 295 4
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 8 - Page 6
BERLIN THUNDER (6-1)Head Coach: Rick Lantz (6-1 in NFLEL)Colours: Black, green and gold
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Don Eck (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jim Tomsula (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 28-29
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 33-20 vs Rhein (5/16/04)
OFFENSE: 27.1 pts/game; 332.1 yds/game (rank 3); 109.7 rush yds/game (rank 3); 222.4 pass yds/game (rank 3)
Passing: Rohan Davey, 1,270 yards
Rushing: Eric McCoo, 403 yards
Receiving: Chas Gessner 27 rec, 422 yards
DEFENSE: 21.3 pts/game; 334 yds/game (rank 5); 74.9 rush yds/game (rank 1); 259.1 pass yds/game (rank 6)
Sacks: Corey Smith, 6.5
Interceptions: Keith Davis, 3
· THIS WEEK: at FRANKFURT GALAXY ·
Berlin head coach RICK LANTZ was full of praise for his team after they clinched a World Bowl berth with victory over the Rhein Fire. Lantz said: "I don't think they thought we were tough enough to beat them after the first game we played against the Fire and we surprised them. That is the best football we have played and we did a good job against a good team."... QB ROHAN DAVEY (New England Patriots) threw for 242 yards (see table) while only playing the first half. His 109.1 QB rating leads NFL Europe and he also leads league with 14 touchdown passes. On pace to break single season passer rating record of 107.3 set by Scotland's Kevin Daft in 2000 ... QB DAVID RIVERS has a passer rating of 102.2 on the season after completing 9 of 14 attempts for 89 yards and 1 touchdown last week... QB MARC DUNN did not see playing time last week. Speaking of his quarterbacks, Lantz said: "Earlier in the year I said thought we had the best three quarterbacks in the league and I stand by that statement. Rohan is like an extra coach on the field."... RB ERIC McCOO ranks third in NFL Europe with 403 rushing yards after adding 88 yards on 18 carries last week. Also caught 3 passes for 36 yards, bringing season reception total to 17 for 117 yards... RB RAY JACKSON (Tennessee Titans) missed last week's game with a foot injury but has rushed for 236 yards and 1 touchdown this season... French RB PATRICE KANCEL rushed for 32 yards on 6 carries last week... WR CHAS GESSNER (New England Patriots) leads NFL Europe in receiving scores (see table) after catching 8 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown last week.... WR RICHARD ALSTON (Cleveland Browns) ranks joint second in NFL Europe in receiving touchdowns this season (see table). Caught 5 passes for 87 yards last week.... WR AARON BOONE (Chicago Bears) caught 2 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown last week and has 6 receptions for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns on the year... WR LASHAUN WARD (Kansas City Chiefs) caught 2 passes for 15 yards last week... TE MIKE PINKARD (Kansas City Chiefs) has 15 receptions this season after adding 3 catches for 21 yards and his second touchdown of the season last week.... FB ED IEREMIA-STANSBURY (Houston Texans) caught a 13-yard pass last week and has 9 receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown this season... DE COREY
SMITH (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) leads Berlin with 6.5 sacks after adding half a sack and forcing a fumble last week. Has registered 13 tackles this season... DE T.J. BINGHAM recorded 5 tackles, knocked down a pass and recovered a fumble in Week 7 vs. Rhein... DE ISRAEL IDONIJE (Chicago Bears) registered his first sack of the season against the Fire last week. Has 6 tackles to his name this season... German DE CHRISTIAN MOHR blocked an extra point attempt vs. Fire last week... LB BRENDEN GIVAN (Miami Dolphins) leads the Thunder with 51 tackles after adding 6 last week. Also forced and recovered a fumble vs. Fire. Defensive figures also include a sack and an interception this season... LB LAWRENCE FLUGENCE (New England Patriots) posted 4 tackles and half a sack last week and now has 35 stops and 2.5 sacks this season ... LB JASON KAZAR had 3 tackles last week for a total of 33... CB WILLIE FORD (Kansas City Chiefs) posted 6 tackles last week and has registered 27 tackles, 4 pass defenses and 2 interceptions this season... CB OLIVER CELESTIN recorded 3 tackles and knocked down a pass last week and has registered 24 tackles on the year... S KEITH DAVIS (Dallas Cowboys) jointly leads NFLEL with 3 interceptions. Led Berlin with 7 tackles and 1 pass defense last week... S SCOTT FARLEY (New England Patriots) has 28 tackles after adding 4 stops last week... Danish K HEINZ QUAST earned Special Teams Player of the Week honours last weekend as he kicked 4 of 4 field goals and 3/3 PATs for 15 points against the Fire. Leads NFL Europe kickers with 37 points... K JONATHAN RUFFIN (Dallas Cowboys) missed a 44-yard field goal attempt last week and has hit on 3 of 5 kicks this season.
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
Wk 4: at Rhe 26 17 198 1 2
Wk 5: vs Ams 17 10 149 4 0
Wk 6: at Col 24 10 132 1 0
Wk 7: vs Rhe 27 16 242 2 0
TOTAL 153 92 1,270 14* 3
* Leads NFLEL
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
Wk 4: at Rhe 2 25 0
Wk 5: vs Ams 2 30 0
Wk 6: at Col 5 98 1
Wk 7: vs Rhe 8 113 1
TOTAL 27 422 5*
* Leads NFLEL
WR RICHARD ALSTON (Cleveland Browns), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Scot 0 0 0
Wk 2: at Ams 1 3 0
Wk 3: vs Col 5 123 2
Wk 4: at Rhe 2 26 0
Wk 5: vs Ams 6 84 2
Wk 6: at Col 2 21 0
Wk 7: vs Rhe 5 87 0
TOTAL 21 344 4
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 8 - Page 7
COLOGNE CENTURIONS (2-5)Head Coach: Peter Vaas (21-26 inNFLEL, 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: 2-5
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 10-17 at Amsterdam (5/15/04)
OFFENSE: 19.71 pts/game; 352 yds/game (rank 1); 114.9 yds rush/game (rank 2); 237.1 yds pass/game (rank 1)
Passing: Ryan Van Dyke, 1,631 yards
Rushing: Avon Cobourne, 448 yards
Receiving: Reggie Newhouse 31 rec, Carl Morris 372 yards
DEFENSE: 21.7 pts/game; 273.7 yds/game (rank 1); 89.7 rush yds/game (rank 4); 184 pass yds/game (rank 2)
Sacks: Felipe Claybrooks, 4.5
Interceptions: Five players, 1
· THIS WEEK: vs RHEIN FIRE·
Head coach PETER VAAS looks for improvement this week after 5 turnovers contributed to last week's loss in Amsterdam. He says: "I don't think we came out and displayed much mental intensity last week. It is the job of the coaches to have the players mentally ready."... Starting QB RYAN VAN DYKE (New York Giants) leads the league in passing yards, but also in interceptions, including 4 in the last 2 games (see table)... RB AVON COBOURNE (Detroit Lions) ranks second in NFL Europe in rushing yards (see table). He is still waiting for first TD since Week 1 against Rhein and has not yet scored a rushing TD this season.... RB ANTWON McCRAY carried 10 times for 24 yards last week and caught 4 passes for 48 yards last week.... WR REGGIE NEWHOUSE (Arizona Cardinals) leads the team with 31 catches after posting 4 for 91 yards last week. Caught 2 passes for 23 yards against Rhein in Week 1... WR CARL MORRIS (Miami Dolphins) leads the team in receiving yards (see table)... WR TODD DEVOE (Baltimore Ravens) caught his fourth TD catch of the season last week, a 13-yard score with his only catch of the game. Of his 13 catches, 4 have been TDs.... WR ALBERT JOHNSON (Houston Texans) scored an 8-yard TD against Rhein in Week 1.... Cologne native TE WERNER HIPPLER is still waiting to make his first career catch as a Centurion to add to the 78 catches for 847 yards he had for Frankfurt... Mexican WR MARCO MARTOS has scored 9 career touchdowns but all were in his first three seasons in NFLEL (1997-99). Caught 2 passes for 18 yards last week and gained 51 yards on 3 kickoff returns. Career totals of 70 receptions for 934 yards. Needs 66 receiving yards to become second national player in NFLEL history to reach 1,000 receiving yards. Is the all-time NFLEL leader with 56 kickoff returns and last week became the second player in NFLEL to reach 1,000 return yards. He is 59 yards behind record-holder Jordan Younger (1,103 for Rhein Fire 2001-3)... TE MARK INKROTT (New York Giants) caught 3
passes for 40 yards last week and caught 3 passes for 28 yards against Rhein in Week 1... DE FELIPE CLAYBROOKS (Cleveland Browns) leads the team with 4.5 sacks. Posted 3 tackles last week ... LB BOBBY BROOKS (Oakland Raiders) posted 2 tackles last week for a team-high 36 this season... French LB CEDRIC COTAR has made 10 stops on defense this term... CB ERWIN SWINEY (Green Bay Packers) had his first interception of the year last week and led the team with 6 tackles....LB MARCUS REESE (Chicago Bears) had 5 tackles last week for 27 on the season ... CB WILL HUNTER posted 4 tackles last week.... Swedish K OLA KIMRIN has yet to miss a kick this season, connecting on 1 PAT last week. Has made 4/4 field goals and 15/15 PATs 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
Wk 4: vs Sco 18 15 159 2 0
Wk 5: at Frank 34 20 254 1 1
Wk 6: vs Ber 42 31 377 4 2
Wk 7: at Ams 32 20 273 1 2
TOTAL 208* 135* 1,631* 13 10*
* Leads NFLEL
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
Wk 4: vs Sco 18 116 0 3 15 0
Wk 5: at Frank 10 30 0 1 7 0
Wk 6: vs Ber 14 60 0 7 65 0
Wk 7: at Ams 14 47 0 2 17 0
TOTAL 102 448 0 21 205 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
Wk 4: vs Sco 1 8 0
Wk 5: at Frank 4 90 0
Wk 6: vs Ber 3 50 1
Wk 7: at Ams 4 46 0
TOTAL 24 372 4
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 8 - Page 8
FRANKFURT GALAXY (6-1)Head Coach: Mike Jones (6-1) in NFLELColours: Purple, orange, red and white
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dwain Painter (4th season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Ed O'Neil (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 64-53
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 27-24 vs. Scotland (5/16/04)
OFFENSE: 23.6 pts/game; 346.6 yds/game (rank 2); 146.4 rush yds/game (rank 1); 200.1 pass yds/game (rank 4)
Passing: J.T. O'Sullivan, 1,301 yards
Rushing: Skip Hicks, 458 yards
Receiving: Drew Haddad, 23 rec, 398 yards
DEFENSE: 13.66 pts/game; 280.2 yds/game (rank 3); 80 rush yds/game (rank 2); 200.2 pass yds/game (rank 3)
Sacks: Bobby Setzer, 7.0
Interceptions: Lynaris Elpheage, 2
· THIS WEEK: vs BERLIN THUNDER ·
The Galaxy moved to within touching distance of a World Bowl berth after improving to 4-0 at home this season with victory over the Claymores. Head coach MIKE JONES says: "I'm very happy that we are unbeaten at home this season. Our fans are great and they make life very difficult for our opponents â they are a big reason why we are 4-0 at home. We have talked about going 5-0 in our own back yard but we still have another home game against Berlin so there is work to be done before we accomplish that feat."... QB J.T. O'SULLIVAN (New Orleans Saints) has started all seven games for the Galaxy this season (see table). Has thrown a TD pass in each of the last five games... QB KIRK FARMER (Kansas City Chiefs) hit on 4 of 8 passes for 41 yards last week, taking season totals to 16 completions from 32 attempts for 163 yards ... RB SKIP HICKS (Cincinnati Bengals) leads NFLEL in rushing yards and touchdowns (see table). Was named Offensive Player of the Week for second time this season following display vs. Scotland... RB JEFF CHANEY rushed for 21 yards on 8 carries last week... FB COREY McINTYRE caught a 5-yard pass last week and has 14 receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown this season. Has also rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown... WR DREW HADDAD (Indianapolis Colts) is Frankfurt's leading receiver (see table) and has topped the 100-yard receiving mark in the last two games... WR DERRICK LEWIS (New Orleans Saints) led the Galaxy with 5 catches for 65 yards last week and has caught 20 passes for 301 yards and 2 touchdowns on the season... WR JASON WILLIS (Seattle Seahawks) caught a 10-yard pass last week and has 15 receptions for 183 yards this season... TE CHAD HAYES caught 3 passes for 30 yards and a touchdown last week and has 8 receptions for 83 yards this season... DE COREY JACKSON (Cleveland Browns) leads NFL Europe with 8.5 sacks this season after adding 4 tackles and 2 sacks against Scotland last week... DE BOBBY SETZER (Oakland Raiders) ranks second in NFLEL with 8 sacks after adding 6 tackles and 1 sack against the Claymores last weekend... DT CLENTON
BALLARD (San Diego Chargers) registered 2 tackles and recovered a fumble last week... German DT DANIEL BENETKA has made 12 tackles and added half a sack this season... LB MASON UNCK (Cleveland Browns) ranks second on the team with 38 tackles after adding 4 in Week 7... LB DUSTIN COHEN made 3 tackles and 2 special teams stops last week... CB LYNARIS ELPHEAGE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) leads the Galaxy with 2 interceptions and tops NFL Europe with 15 passes defended. Recorded 1 tackle last week... CB AHMAD BROOKS (New Orleans Saints) leads the team with 39 tackles after adding 2 last week.... S CHRIS BROWN (Jacksonville Jaguars) ranks third on the Galaxy squad with 36 tackles after adding a team-high 8 stops last week... S RICKY SHARPE (Cleveland Browns) recorded 4 tackles last week... K RALF KLEINMANN has 320 career points for third place on the all-time scoring list after adding field goals of 23 and 33 yards. Moved ahead of Scotland's Rob Hart for the career lead in converted field goals (59).
QB J.T. O'SULLIVAN (New Orelans Saints ), 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
Wk 4: at Amst 34 20 276 2 1
Wk 5: vs Col 31 17 193 1 0
Wk 6: at Scot 25 14 192 1 1
Wk 7: vs Scot 20 13 182 1 0
TOTAL 171 103 1301 8 2
RB SKIP HICKS (Cincinnati Bengals), GAME-BY-GAME
Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Amst 20 86 1 1 7 0
Wk 2: at Col 8 25 1 0 0 0
Wk 3: vs Rhein 17 40 2 4 29 1
Wk 4: at Amst 23 74 0 7 138 1
Wk 5: vs Col 14 46 1 2 1 0
Wk 6: at Scot 23 64 0 3 9 0
Wk 7: vs Scot 16 123 2 2 10 0
TOTAL 121* 458* 7* 19 194 2
* Leads NFLEL
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
Wk 4: at Amst 4 41 0
Wk 5: vs Col 2 12 0
Wk 6: at Scot 5 100 0
Wk 7: vs Scot 3 101 0
TOTAL 24 398 2
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 8 - Page 9
RHEIN FIRE (3-4)Head Coach: Pete Kuharchek (21-16 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: 54-43
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 20-33 at Berlin (5/16/04)
OFFENSE: 18.4 pts/game; 255 yds/game (rank 5); 62.9 rush yds/game (rank 6); 192.1 pass yds/game (rank 5)
Passing: Chad Hutchinson, 1,255
Rushing: Joffrey Reynolds, 242 yards
Receiving: Willie Quinnie 36 rec, Adam Herzing 493 yards
DEFENSE: 18.4 pts/game; 305.9 yds/game (rank 4); 83.3 rush yds/game (rank 2); 222.6 pass yds/game (rank 4)
Sacks: David Nugent, 6.0
Interceptions: Abdual Howard, 3
· THIS WEEK: at COLOGNE CENTURIONS ·
Fire head into final three games of season knowing they need to win them all and have other results go their way. Following last week's loss in Berlin, head coach PETE KUHARCHEK said: "We played hard last week but Berlin out-executed us and we never forced them to punt all day. They outplayed us and that was obvious to anyone who saw the game."... QB CHAD HUTCHINSON (Dallas Cowboys) has started all seven games for the Fire this season (see table). Set season high with 305 passing yards last week. Became first Fire QB to pass for more than 300 yards in a game since Mike Quinn in Week 9 of the 1998 season.... QB GREG ZOLMAN (Buffalo Bills) completed his only pass attempt for 2 yards last week... RB JOFFREY REYNOLDS (Cleveland Browns) leads the team in rushing (see table) but was held to his second-lowest output on the ground this season against Berlin. Scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season in Week 7... RB RYAN BREWER was held to 3 yards on 3 runs last week but added an 8-yard catch.... WR ADAM HERZING (San Francisco 49ers) leads NFL Europe with 493 receiving yards on 34 catches after adding 8 receptions for 131 yards last weekend... WR WILLIE QUINNIE (Atlanta Falcons) leads the Fire in receptions (see table) and has caught at least 5 passes in each of the past five games... WR SHOCKMAIN DAVIS (Green Bay Packers) scored on an 87-yard kickoff return last week, tying NFLEL single season record of 2 kickoff return touchdowns (Corey Alston, Rhein 2002). Also led the Fire with 14 rushing yards and caught 7 passes for 86 yards... German WR CHRISTOPHER LIESS has made 3 catches for 14 yards this season... TE DWAYNE BLAKLEY (Tennessee Titans) caught a 10-yard pass last week... TE DANIEL WILCOX had 2 catches for 12 yards and a touchdown last week and has 12 receptions for 102 yards this season.... DE DAVID NUGENT (Oakland Raiders) leads the Fire with 6 sacks. Registered 1 tackle last week... DE SEAN GUTHRIE (New York Giants) has 12 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles this season after adding 3 tackles last week... DE RANDY GARNER made
8 tackles and added 1 sack last week, taking his season totals to 28 tackles, 3 sacks and 4 pass defenses... DT CEDRIC KILLINGS (Washington Redskins) recorded 4 tackles and knocked down 2 passes last week... LB MAUGAULA TUITELE recorded 5 tackles last week and ranks third on the club with 30 stops this season... LB CHARLES BURTON ranks second on the Fire defense with 34 tackles after adding 6 last week... LB TERRENCE ROBINSON (Atlanta Falcons) recorded 3 tackles and batted down a pass last week. Has 23 tackles this season... CB EARTHWIND MORELAND has made 16 tackles and knocked down 8 passes this season... S ABDUAL HOWARD leads the Fire with 43 tackles after adding a team-leading 11 in Berlin. Jointly leads NFL Europe with 3 interceptions this season... German S RICHARD YANCY has recorded 24 tackles, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 1 pass defense in seven games this season... K INGO ANDERBRÃGGE kicked 2 extra points last week but had one of his PATs blocked. Has kicked 5 of 6 field goals and 13 of 14 PATs for 28 points this season... K MIKE SHAFER (Buffalo Bills) was short on a 51-yard field goal attempt last week... P BROOKS BARNARD (Chicago Bears) averaged 32.5 yards on his 2 punts last week.
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
Wk 4: vs Ber 27 16 172 0 1
Wk 5: at Sco 28 18 145 0 0
Wk 6: vs Ams 27 20 263 2 0
Wk 7: at Ber 42 26 305 1 1
TOTAL 178 114 1255 5 3
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
Wk 4: vs Ber 5 48 0
Wk 5: at Sco 6 36 0
Wk 6: vs. Ams 9 92 1
Wk 7: at Ber 5 48 0
TOTAL 36 324 3
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
Wk 4: vs Ber 8 -4 1 2 20 0
Wk 5: at Sco 9 35 0 0 0 0
Wk 6: vs. Ams 13 75 0 1 2 0
Wk 7: at Ber 7 13 1 2 6 0
TOTAL 79 242 4 13 84 0
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 8 â Page 10
SCOTTISH CLAYMORES (1-6)Head Coach: Jack Bicknell (60-57 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: 42-55
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 24-27 at Frankfurt (5/16/04)
OFFENSE: 10 pts/game; 219.7 yds/game (rank 6); 69.6 rush yds/game(rank 5); 150.1 pass yds/game (rank 6)
Passing: Nate Hybl, 610 yards
Rushing: Maurice Hicks, 184 yards
Receiving: Scott McCready, 40 rec 323 yards
DEFENSE: 17.85 pts/game; 279 yds/game (rank 3); 125 rush yds/game (rank 5); 154 pass yds/game (rank 1)
Sacks: Damian Gregory, 3.5
Interceptions: James Lewis, 1
· THIS WEEK: at AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS ·
The Claymores improved their offensive output in Week 7 but still came up on the wrong end of a 27-24 scoreline in Frankfurt. Head coach JACK BICKNELL said: "I'm more frustrated about this season for my players â they are frustrated as well but they still keep playing. I will level with my players now and tell them how important this is to be part of a team away from home with friends they have made this season that they will keep for the rest of their lives, and to finish the year on a high note."... QB NATE HYBL (Cleveland Browns) has started all seven games for the Claymores this season (see table)... QB CURT ANES (Detroit Lions) split playing time with Hybl and completed 8 of 12 attempts for 120 yards. Has the higher passer rating of the two quarterbacks: 83.1 to Hybl's 68.4... RB MAURICE HICKS (San Francisco 49ers) leads the Claymores in rushing (see table) and scored his first 2 TDs of the season last week... RB AHMAAD GALLOWAY (Denver Broncos) carried 10 times for 40 yards last week and scored his first TD of the year.... English WR SCOTT McCREADY leads NFL Europe in receptions (see table). 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 105 catches for 1,130 yards and 12 touchdowns. Has 4 catches for 41 yards this season after reeling in a 9-yarder last week... WR RONALD BELLAMY (Miami Dolphins) caught a 32-yard pass last week... WR HERB HAYGOOD (Kansas City Chiefs) returned 4 kickoffs for 132 yards last week and caught an 11-yard pass... WR DEANDREW RUBIN (Indianapolis Colts) caught a 33-yard pass last week... TE MARCUS HELFMAN (San Francisco 49ers) has 12 catches for 148 yards and a touchdown... DT DAMIAN GREGORY recorded 4 tackles, 1 sack and a fumble recovery last week. Gregory has registered 29 tackles this season... DT NICK EASON (Denver Broncos) recorded 2 tackles last week... DE ROBERT FLICKINGER leads all national players with 13.5 career sacks. Has 11
tackles and 1 sack this season but did not play last week due to injury... LB JIMMY McCLAIN (Jacksonville Jaguars) recorded 7 tackles last week and has 52 and 2 sacks this year to rank second on the team... LB RYAN MYERS (New York Jets) leads the Claymores with 53 tackles after adding 5 at Frankfurt in Week 7... LB HOWARD CLARK (Philadelphia Eagles) recorded 4 tackles last week, taking his season total to 11... CB ALPHONSO ROUNDTREE (Miami Dolphins) had 6 tackles last week, giving him 24 this season... CB BRAD FRANKLIN (Seattle Seahawks) had 3 tackles and 1 pass defense last week... CB KAHLIL CARTER (Buffalo Bills) registered 2 tackles last week... S THOMAS WRIGHT (Tennessee Titans) registered 7 tackles last week.... S JAMES LEWIS led Scotland with 7 tackles in Frankfurt last week and also knocked down a pass and forced a fumble... K ROB HART is the all-time leading scorer in NFLEL history. Took his career tally to 339 points with a 34-yard field goal and 3 of 3 PATs vs Frankfurt. Has converted 58 career field goals â one behind the all-time leader Ralf Kleinmann (59 for Frankfurt).... P NICK MURPHY (Philadelphia Eagles) punted 3 times for a 45.7-yard average in Week 7. Leads NFL Europe with a 41-yard average on 36 punts this season.
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
Wk 4: at Col 22 10 89 0 0
Wk 5: vs Rhe 18 11 120 1 1
Wk 6: vs Frank 12 8 66 0 0
Wk 7: at Frank 11 6 32 0 0
TOTAL 120 72 610 2 3
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
Wk 4: at Col 4 51 0
Wk 5: vs Rhe 8 62 0
Wk 6: vs Frank 1 6 0
Wk 7: at Frank 8 71 0
TOTAL 40* 323 1
* Leads NFLEL
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
Wk 4: at Col 3 1 0 3 22 0
Wk 5: vs Rhe 8 29 0 5 44 0
Wk 6: vs Frank 1 5 0 1 7 0
Wk 7: at Frank 8 43 2 1 -2 0
TOTAL 41 184 2 14 94 0
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS NFL Europe 2004, Week 8 - Page 11
SCOTTISH CLAYMORES (1-5)
at AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS (3-4)
Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Friday May 21, 8:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Scotland leads 10-9
At Amsterdam: Amsterdam leads 5-4
At Scotland: Scotland leads 6-4
This Season: Amsterdam 3 at Scotland 0 (Week 3)
TELEVISION
Netherlands: HIGHLIGHTS/RTL 5 (Saturday May 29, p.m.)
UK: HIGHLIGHTS/Sky Sports Xtra (10:30 p.m. BST)
US: LIVE/DirecTV (2:00 p.m. ET)
British play-by-play announcer NICK HALLING is joined in the broadcast booth by Oakland Raiders offensive lineman LINCOLN KENNEDY.
COACHES
JACK BICKNELL has more regular season wins than any other coach in NFL Europe (60) but has lost nine of his last 10 games dating back to Week 8 of the 2003 season... BART ANDRUS is in his fourth season as head coach of the Admirals and has gone 4-6 in each of his three previous campaigns. Won a World Bowl ring with the Rhein Fire in 2000.
GAME NOTES
The NFL Europe League will play a Friday night game for the second time in its history when the Admirals host the Claymores. The other Friday night contest saw the Admirals take on the Berlin Thunder in Week 3 of the 2002 season. Berlin won that game by a 28-9 scoreline... Both teams go into the contest already out of the World Bowl race but still hungry for the win... Scotland need to win one of their final three games to avoid becoming the first team in NFL Europe to go 1-9 in a season since the Ohio Glory in 1992. They need two wins in their final three games in order to avoid tying their own worst record in club history (2-8 in 1995 and 1998)... Amsterdam need two wins in their final three games to avoid posting a losing record for a sixth season in a row. The Admirals already hold the unwanted league record with five losing campaigns in a row (1999-2003)... The Claymores showed signs of offensive life in Frankfurt last week, rushing for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns, compared to 12 rushing yards in Week 6. Scotland still needs to score 33 points in their final three games to avoid tying the league record for fewest points in a season (102 by the 1992 Barcelona Dragons). Scotland need to score 3 touchdowns before the season's end to avoid tying the league record for fewest touchdowns in a season (10 by the 1992 Barcelona Dragons)... Amsterdam has gone 2-1 at home this season and 1-3 on the road. The Claymores' lone win came at home in Week 5... Amsterdam ranks second in NFLEL in passing yards (232.9 yards per game) and also rate second in yards per completion (12.79). Amsterdam quarterbacks have thrown 7 interceptions this season (second-highest in NFLEL) and face a Claymores defense that ranks first against the pass in yards allowed (154 per game) but has picked off only one pass in seven contests... Scotland has NFL Europe's sixth-ranked offense and their quarterbacks have been sacked a league-high 22 times... Amsterdam has NFL Europe's sixth-ranked defense in yards allowed (353.1 per game) but leads the league in red zone defense, limiting opponents to 6 touchdowns and 4 field goals on 19 trips inside the 20-yard line (52.6 scoring percentage)... Both teams have put the ball on the ground this season. Amsterdam has fumbled a league-high 14 times, losing 6 of them, while the Claymores have lost an NFLEL-high 9 fumbles... In last meeting between the teams, Amsterdam defeated Scotland 3-0 in the lowest-scoring game in NFLEL history. K TODD SIEVERS produced the winning points on a 44-yard field goal.
BERLIN THUNDER (6-1) at
FRANKFURT GALAXY (6-1)
Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Saturday May 22, 7:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Frankfurt leads 6-4
At Frankfurt: Frankfurt leads 3-1
At Berlin: Series tied 3-3
Streak: Berlin 1
Last Season: Berlin 21 at Frankfurt 41 (Week 3); Frankfurt 14 at Berlin 27 (Week 10)
TELEVISION
Germany: LIVE/Premiere Sport 2 (7:00 p.m. CET)
US: LIVE/NFL Network (1:00 p.m. ET) DELAY/NFL Network (8 pm ET),
Sunday May 23
Joining play-by-play announcer BRIAN SEXTON to call the game is Green Bay Packers safety DARREN SHARPER.
COACHES
RICK LANTZ is the first rookie head coach to lead his team to World Bowl since Dick Curl took Frankfurt to the championship game in 1998... MIKE JONES also has a 6-1 record in his first season as an NFLEL head coach. Won World Bowl rings with the Rhein Fire in 1998 and 2000.
GAME NOTES
Frankfurt needs one win or one Rhein Fire loss in the final three games of the season, or to avoid defeat to Rhein by more than 18 points in Week 9, to set up a World Bowl meeting with Berlin on June 12... Berlin has already qualified for its third World Bowl appearance in the past four seasons... Having won World Bowl last season, Frankfurt is aiming to become the first back-to-back champions since Berlin won the title in 2001-2002... Frankfurt has appeared in a record five World Bowls, lifting the trophy in 1995, 1999 and 2003... Game will feature the league's most potent ground attacks and one of its best passing offenses... Frankfurt leads NFL Europe in rushing yards (146.4 per game), yards per rush (4.4) and rushing touchdowns (11)... Berlin leads NFL Europe in fewest sacks allowed (7), yards per pass completion (12.93) and passing touchdowns (18). Berlin's quarterbacks have combined for a 104.7 passer rating this season... Berlin's defense ranks first in the league against the run (74.9 yards per game)... Frankfurt's defense tops NFL Europe in fewest points allowed (106), turnovers (19), fumble recoveries (11), interceptions (8) and quarterback sacks (22). The ball-hawking unit also ranks second in NFLEL in yards allowed (278.7 per game)... Berlin has scored more points than any other team in the league (190) while Frankfurt ranks second with 165 points... Frankfurt quarterbacks have thrown just 2 interceptions in seven games this season, while Berlin jointly leads NFL Europe with 8 interceptions... Five of Berlin's seven games this season have been decided by one score or less (8 points) while four of Frankfurt's seven games have been decided by one score or less... Berlin leads NFL Europe in third down efficiency, converting on 43 of 85 attempts for a 50.6 % success rate... Frankfurt ranks second in NFLEL with an average time of possession per game of 32:07... Berlin has scored most of its points this season in the fourth quarter (60). No other team has scored that many points in the final period this season... The teams last met in Week 10 of the 2003 season with the Galaxy having already qualified for World Bowl. QB PHIL STAMBAUGH scored on a 17-yard run and threw a 15-yard TD pass to TE BRYAN FLETCHER as Berlin ran out 27-14 winners.
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS / RECAP OF WEEK 7 NFL Europe 2004, Week 8 - Page 12
RHEIN FIRE (3-4) at
COLOGNE CENTURIONS (2-5)
RheinEnergieStadion, Sunday May 23, 4:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Rhein leads 1-0
At Cologne: First meeting between teams in Cologne
At Rhein: Rhein leads 1-0
Streak: Rhein 1
This season: Cologne 25 at Rhein 26 (Week 1)
TELEVISION
US: DELAY/FOX (1:00 p.m. ET)
CURT MENEFEE is joined in the broadcast booth by former NFL offensive lineman and current FOX NFL Sunday color analyst BRIAN BALDINGER.
COACHES
PETER VAAS won World Bowl rings as head coach of the Berlin Thunder in 2001 and 2002. He was named NFLEL Coach of the Year in 2002... PETE KUHARCHEK is in his fourth season as head coach of the Fire and has guided the club to World Bowl appearances in 2002 and 2003, losing on both occasions.
GAME NOTES
Rhein needs three wins, three Frankfurt losses and to beat the Galaxy by more than 18 points in Week 9 to reach a third successive World Bowl... Cologne has NFL Europe's top-ranked offense and defense in terms of yards gained and yards allowed. However, the Centurions rank sixth in NFLEL defensively in terms of points allowed (152)... Cologne has committed a league-high 18 turnovers (10 interceptions, 8 fumbles) for a league-low -8 turnover ratio... The Centurions are averaging 5.7 yards per offensive play (second in NFLEL) and top the league with an average time of possession per game of 33:13... Both of Cologne's victories this season have come at home, while Rhein has yet to win on the road this year (0-3)... Four of Cologne's five losses this season have come by one score or less (8 points)... Cologne has scored 14 passing touchdowns this season (second-highest in NFLEL). Seven different Centurions players have scored on receiving touchdowns this season (lead league in that category along with Berlin Thunder)... By contrast, Cologne has scored 3 rushing touchdowns this season â lowest in NFLEL along with Amsterdam and Scotland... Rhein has the sixth-ranked running game in NFLEL (62.9 yards per game and 2.8 yards per rush)... The Fire is on pace to rush for 629 yards this season and that would break the unwanted record for fewest rushing yards in a single season (650 by the 1992 Barcelona Dragons)... Rhein quarterbacks have been sacked 21 times this season (second-most in NFLEL) but face a Cologne team that has registered a league-low 7 sacks this term. Despite being sacked 21 times, Fire quarterbacks have completed a league-high 64.5 % of their passes... Rhein has tied the league record for kickoff return touchdowns in a season (3 by Rhein Fire in 2002) and scored 2 of those 3 in a Week 1 meeting with Cologne... The Centurions are allowing a league-high 26.4 yards per kickoff return and have given up more touchdowns on returns and recoveries than any other team in the league this season (3)... Rhein's defense has recorded 19 sacks this season to rank second in NFL Europe... Cologne has given up 13 sacks to rank joint-second in the league... In season-opening meeting between the teams, CB ROBER' FREEMAN and WR SHOCKMAIN DAVIS scored on back-to-back kickoff returns to give the Fire a tremendous start en route to a 26-25 victory. The winning points for the Fire came on a safety following an errant punt snap by the Centurions.
· WEEK SEVEN RECAP ·
Cologne Centurions 10, Amsterdam Admirals 17
(Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam. Attendance: 14,437)
Clint Stoerner (Admirals) 204 yards, 2 TD
Ryan Van Dyke (Centurions) 273 yards, 1 TD
Charles Alston (Admirals) 4 tackles, 2 sacks
Rhein Fire 20, Berlin Thunder 33
(Olympic Stadium, Berlin. Attendance: 15,429)
Rohan Davey (Thunder) 242 yards, 2 TD
Chad Hutchinson (Fire) 305 yards, 1 TD
Chas Gessner (Thunder) 8 recs, 113 yards, 1 TD
Adam Herzing (Fire) 8 recs, 131 yards
Scottish Claymores 24, Frankfurt Galaxy 27
(Waldstadion, Frankfurt. Attendance: 18,790)
Skip Hicks (Galaxy) 123 rushing yards, 2 TD
Drew Haddad (Galaxy) 3 recs, 101 yards
Corey Jackson (Galaxy) 4 tackles, 2 sacks
Maurice Hicks (Claymores) 43 rushing yards, 2 TD
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National Football League Europa Stories from May 18, 2004
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