Big plays on display as scrimmage action continues in Tampa
February 25, 2006 - National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release
TOUGH defense was punctuated by some big offensive plays as the six NFL Europe League teams participated in game condition scrimmages at Skyway Park in Tampa.
The action marked the second of four days of team scrimmages before the teams cut their rosters to the 48 players who will make the trip to Europe for the 2006 regular season, which kicks off on March 18. Here are the highlights of the day's contests:
Amsterdam Admirals vs Rhein Fire
Amsterdam quarterback Gibran Hamdan (Seattle Seahawks), who won a World Bowl ring with the team last year after starting the first four games before a season-ending injury, was in good form, connecting on 11 of 14 passes for 96 yards, including a touchdown. Skyler Fulton (Seattle Seahawks) continued his good camp with 3 catches for 47 yards and a score, while Craig Bragg (Chicago Bears) caught 4 passes for 32 yards. On defense, linebacker Phil Archer (San Diego Chargers) and Tony Brown (Carolina Panthers) had sacks, with Kevin Timothee and Marvin Ward (Minnesota Vikings) posting interceptions.
Rhein quarterback Drew Henson (Dallas Cowboys) hit on 3 of 5 passes for 33 yards, with Chris Samp (Carolina Panthers) catching the eye with 3 receptions for 61 yards. Running back DeCori Birmingham (San Francisco 49ers) gained 28 yards on 4 carries. Derrick Strong posted the Fire's one sack of the day.
From the quotebook
"It went well. We still have a lot to work on but we are starting to get the kinks out. A lot of guys haven't played for four or five months and we are progressing well. By the end of camp we will be ready," - Rhein Fire tackle Mike Kracalik.
"This was the first time in live game conditions and I think as an offense we can definitely improve. There is no winning or losing in these scrimmages so it is good when things come up that you have to talk about. The most important thing was the chemistry we showed out there," - Amsterdam quarterback Gibran Hamdan
Berlin Thunder vs Hamburg Sea Devils
Two of Berlin's quarterbacks posted perfect numbers as Lang Campbell (Cleveland Browns) connected on 4 of 4 passes for 44 yards and B.J. Symons (Chicago Bears) was 4 of 4 for 55 yards. Derek Farmer (San Diego Chargers) was leading rusher with 7 attempts for 26 yards, while Fred Staton (Pittsburgh Steelers) went into the endzone from 7 yards. C.J. Jones (Seattle Seahawks) caught 3 passes for 40 yards.
Brock Berlin (Miami Dolphins) completed 4 of 6 passes for 35 yards, with James Kilian (Kansas City Chiefs) connecting on 3 of 5 passes for 57 yards. Nate Curry (Kansas City Chiefs) had 5 receptions for 50 yards, while Keith Wright posted two sacks for the Sea Devils.
From the quotebook
"It is fun to come out here in scrimmage situations and see how we stack up against other teams. We were looking forward to banging against another team and we made some progress. We still have a long road ahead," - Hamburg defensive end Scott Scharff.
"We improved from the first scrimmage but we still are not where we need to be. We need a bit of time to get better at everything but overall it was a good day. We didn't make the same mistakes we made in the first scrimmage," - Berlin quarterback Lang Campbell.
Cologne Centurions vs Frankfurt Galaxy
Cologne's Todd Woodbury (Buffalo Bills) had a 70-yard touchdown hook-up with Jamall Broussard (Philadelphia Eagles) to highlight their scrimmage against the Galaxy.. Cologne's defense recorded three sacks and French Linebacker Phillippe Gardent picked off a pass.
Frankfurt quarterback Jeff Otis (Arizona Cardinals) completed 3 of 5 passes for 18 yards and a touchdown, while Butchie Wallace had a touchdown run among his 6 carries for 30 yards. Terry Butler (New York Jets) rushed for 33 yards on 5 carries, with Tom Crowder (Dallas Cowboys) gaining 42 yards on 2 receptions.
From the quotebook
"It felt pretty good. I caught the ball and made a move on the safety and just outran them down the sideline," - Cologne wide receiver Jamall Broussard.
"The defense came out and played pretty strong. We set the tempo and I think we are going to be pretty good in Europe. The team is coming together. We need to iron out a few things but the team is meshing real good," - Galaxy linebacker Matt Farrior.
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National Football League Europa Stories from February 25, 2006
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