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Admirals Seek to Even the Score in Barcelona

April 16, 2003 - National Football League Europa (NFLE)
Amsterdam Admirals News Release


In their home opener, the Admirals fell to the Dragons in a defensive battle, losing 7-10. This week they have a chance for revenge as they travel to Barcelona to face the Dragons for the second week in a row.

The Admirals hit the road for the second time this week, hoping to accomplish something they came just short of last week – beating the F.C. Barcelona Dragons. Last week, the road was the place to be, as all visiting teams in Week 2 of NFL Europe came out victorious. The Admirals are hoping that the trend continues this week.

Playing games back-to-back against the same opponent can make for an interesting week of game planning. The Admirals are looking to clean up some of their mistakes from last week's game and perfect their attack on Barcelona. It also poses a challenge of staying fresh against the same opponent two weeks in a row.

The defense is looking to dominate, the way they did last week and the offense is hoping to put more points on the board this time out. Although statistically the Admirals topped the Dragons, they could not come out ahead on the scoreboard. Their goal for this week is to eliminate costly mistakes.

"The difference maker in the game was our inability not to make fouls," commented Head Coach Bart Andrus. "And that's something we're going to have to take a closer look at and work on it to improve."

LAST WEEK: DISAPPOINTMENT AT HOME The Admirals had great expectations last Saturday, playing in front of a crowd of 11,386, their first home game of the season. But their hopes were dashed in the last few minutes of the game as the Dragons stole away the lead, and dashed the Admirals' perfect record.

Both offenses struggled in a game that was decided by only three points. Shaun Hill started at quarterback for the Admirals and had a difficult time getting the offense going in the beginning. It seemed that when the Admirals ever did get a drive going, they shot themselves in the foot with penalties.

"The biggest factor in the game was the number of penalties," said Andrus following the loss. "It seemed like every time we would get something going we would get a penalty."

The Admirals ended the game with a total of 11 penalties, worth 100 yards. This is a frustrating drop from their first game when the Admirals were only penalized three times, a league-low.

The losing effort was not in vain; there were definite improvements over the first week. The special teams unit seemed to come together and in certain areas, performed better than their first time out. Amsterdam allowed less return yardage and also blocked a punt. Coach Andrus singled out the kick-off coverage team as an improved unit.

The defense also put up a strong performance, holding Barcelona to only 202 yards of total offense. Barcelona's quarterbacks were sacked a total of five times and were intercepted once. Until the Dragons' final drive, the defense held them to only a field goal, which was scored on their opening drive.

The Admirals had a chance to come back for the win, but were unable to capitalize with just over a minute on the clock. Although they showed signs of production, the offense had difficulty mounting a long drive all evening long.

TEAM NOTES

· After spending only one week with Amsterdam, defensive tackle Darian Tate was moved from their practice squad to Berlin Thunder's active roster.

· Shortly before the Admirals home opener, an open practice squad spot was filled by Larry Austin, a free agent cornerback out of Virginia Tech who spent training camp with the Admirals. · National wide receiver from Mexico, Carlos Rosado, is heading back to familiar territory this week. He spent five seasons with the Dragons before moving to the Admirals. Last week against his former team, he caught 2 passes for 25 yards.

· League Active Cornerback Jason Waters, will also be facing his former team, as he was moved from the Admirals roster to Barcelona this week. Waters had an important endzone-interception for Barcelona in the first contest between the two teams.

PROFILE

RAYMONN ADAMS: RUNNING THROUGH AMSTERDAM THE VERSATILE RUNNING BACK IS TAKING IT ALL IN

After spending nearly a month in Amsterdam, running back Raymonn Adams is finally able to make his mark on the football field and explore the city that he is representing. After a dominating performance against the F.C. Barcelona Dragons on April 12, he still remains modest, keeping his focus on the team goal rather than the personal glory.

Although he has been in Europe for only a few weeks, Adams is already noticing differences and similarities to his life back in the U.S.

"Holland's a pretty cool place," Adams stated. "I didn't know it was going to be as chilly when we got here."

Aside from the weather being a surprising change from the warm Florida sun of training camp, Adams has found a few other things different than at home.

"The bicycles," he reported. "They ride bicycles over here like Rolls Royces. A bicycle is what you need to have."

Aside from the weather and the differences in transportation, Adams admits that the Netherlands is a lot like the U.S. but with a lot more history. He has enjoyed being able to walk around Amsterdam and just absorb the city. He can be found just walking around the city, getting in touch with his spiritual side.

"I just walk around, thinking and praying," Adams shared. "Just taking me wherever the good Lord leads me."

On the football field, Adams moves with more purpose. He proved last week in the Admirals losing effort against Barcelona that he will do whatever he can to help the team get a win. Adams had a total of 25 offensive plays, accumulating 125 yards through the air and on the ground. But in his eyes, that was not good enough.

"I feel okay about my performance," he said. But at the same time we didn't come out with a win. No matter how many stats you have, if you don't come out with a ‘W' it just doesn't feel as good."

Adams showed the fans of Amsterdam that he can be productive as both a runner and a receiver, but he does not take the credit for his success.

"At the same time I can't say that I did it all on my own," he remarked. It was a bunch of guys. The quarterback threw the ball well to me and the linemen did what they could to help me."

Adams is quickly learning how to deal with attention and if he continues to play like he did on Saturday, he will be getting a lot of practice.

INJURY REPORT

OUT: TE Taman Bryant (knee) (IR), OG Mike Collins (knee) (IR), LB Masufumi Kawaguchi (Concussion)

DOUBTFUL:

QUESTIONABLE:

PROBABLE: CB Todd Howard (thigh), RB Tellis Redmon (ankle), S Than Merrill (knee)

TELEVISION

Saturday's contest will be broadcast live in the United States on DirectTV at 11am EST. In the broadcast booth with play-by-play announcer SPERO DEDES is former San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers fullback WILLIAM HENDERSON.

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National Football League Europa Stories from April 16, 2003


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.

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