Claims made for place on final NFLEL rosters

March 31, 2002 - National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release

With the last roster cutdowns of the preseason looming, Amsterdam faced Barcelona, Rhein took on Frankfurt and Scotland met Berlin at the University of Tampa's Pepin/Rood Stadium.

Amsterdam Admirals vs. F.C. Barcelona Dragons

Scrimmage Report

Both teams enjoyed offensive success during the opening scrimmage of the day. The Dragons marched for a touchdown on their first possession as Joe Germaine (Kansas City Chiefs) fired a 12-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Steve Vagedes (Oakland Raiders). Germaine completed 6 of 9 passes for 80 yards on the day.

Amsterdam responded with a touchdown on their opening drive as Kevin Daft (Tennessee Titans) hit receiver Reggie Allen (Buffalo Bills) from 17 yards out. Daft also looked impressive throughout the scrimmage and hit on 6 of 7 attempts for 68 yards.

David Dinkins (Buffalo Bills) also saw extensive action at quarterback for the Admirals, completing 7 of 12 passes for 60 yards. Running back Jerry Westbrooks (Miami Dolphins) led all Admirals receivers with 5 catches for 52 yards, while Allen added 3 receptions for 33 yards.

Other quarterbacks in action for the F.C. Barcelona Dragons were Ted White (Oakland Raiders) and Mike Watkins (Carolina Panthers). White went 4 of 10 for 58 yards, while Watkins was a perfect 5 of 5 for 69 yards and a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Robbie Snelling (Tennessee Titans).

The Dragons also looked strong at wide receiver where Richmond Flowers (Dallas Cowboys) caught 2 passes for 34 yards and Dave Klemic (Kansas City Chiefs) made 2 grabs for 51 yards. Snelling caught 3 passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, tackle Randy Chevrier (Cincinnati Bengals) had 2 sacks for the Dragons, while cornerback Dempsy Dees (Indianapolis Colts) recorded an interception. Defensive end Terrell Jurineack and linebacker Rick Crowell notched sacks for the Admirals, while end John Gilmore (Green Bay Packers) recovered a fumble and cornerback Brandon Godsey recorded an interception.

Kickers also featured in the game-condition scrimmage. Jesus Angoy kicked a 42-yard field goal for the Dragons, while Vitaly Pisetsky (Miami Dolphins) added a 39-yarder. Joe O'Donnell (Pittsburgh Steelers) kicked a 29-yard field goal for the Admirals.

>From the Quote book:

"I was happy today - we throw and catch it pretty well and I think we will do that during the season. We had some good performances on defense and we started to dominate a little bit. I'm happy with this group." - F.C. Barcelona Dragons head coach Jack Bicknell.

"I thought we were very impressive at the start of the scrimmage with our number ones going against their number ones so that bodes well. We matched up pretty well against them. We struggled a little bit towards the end but we have a very good group here." - Amsterdam Admirals head coach Bart Andrus.

Frankfurt Galaxy vs Rhein Fire

Scrimmage report

The 2002 preseason Deutschland Derby was a hard-hitting defensive affair during which neither offense threatened the end zone. The Galaxy defense forced 5 turnovers (3 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions) with cornerback Corey Ivy (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) scoring the only touchdown of the scrimmage on a 55-yard interception return. Nijrell Eason (Pittsburgh Steelers) recorded 1 interception, while Richard Seals and Bryan Ray (Carolina Panthers) recovered fumbles.

The Fire also looked strong on defense, with defensive end Aaron Humphrey recording 2 sacks, including a takedown of Galaxy passer Chris Sanders in the end zone for a safety. Other Fire sacks came from defensive end Damonte McKenzie and German linebacker Anthony Doghmi.

Romaro Miller (Minnesota Vikings) got the bulk of the work at quarterback for the Fire and completed 9 of 14 attempts for 59 yards. Tee Martin (Pittsburgh Steelers) hit on 4 of 10 passes for 26 yards. Tony Taylor (Dallas Cowboys) rushed for 28 yards on 8 carries, while Jamal Robertson (San Francisco 49ers) also gained 28 yards on 7 attempts.

Joe Hamilton (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) saw brief action for Frankfurt and completed 2 of 3 passes for 10 yards. Chris Sanders (Tennessee Titans) completed 3 passes for 22 yards. Running back Marlion Jackson (New York Jets) led the Galaxy ground attack with 21 yards on 4 carries, while Curtis Alexander (Buffalo Bills) added 20 yards on 5 attempts.

>From the Quote book:

"We forced 5 turnovers so I was very pleased with our defense but disappointed with our offense. I was obviously impressed with Marlion Jackson and he's a guy that has a chance to be a horse for us going into the season." - Frankfurt Galaxy head coach Doug Graber.

"We turned the ball over too much and we need to learn to hang on to the football. We worked hard and our defense played exceptionally well. We have a chance to be a good football team." - Rhein Fire head coach Pete Kuharchek.

Berlin Thunder vs Scottish Claymores

Scrimmage report

The Thunder and the Claymores scored two touchdowns each during the final scrimmage of the day.

Scotland scored on a 4-yard run by running back Terrell Willis and Shane Stafford's 17-yard touchdown pass to wideout Kwame Cavil (Cleveland Browns). Berlin scored on back-to-back plays as Tim Hasselbeck (Philadelphia Eagles) hit running back Anthony White (Arizona Cardinals) on a 26-yard touchdown pass and on the following play safety Eric Johnson returned an interception 34 yards to the end zone.

The Claymores also got points from English kicker Rob Hart, who successfully converted a 20-yard field goal attempt. Scotland's quarterbacks looked sharp throughout the scrimmage with Scott Dreisbach (Detroit Lions) completing 6 of 8 passes for 56 yards. James Brown went 4 of 6 for 67 yards, while Shane Stafford hit on 5 of 6 attempts for 64 yards and 1 touchdown.

Herbert Goodman (Green Bay Packers) led the Claymores ground attack with 29 yards on 5 carries, while Kwame Cavil was the leading receiver with 5 receptions for 48 yards and 1 touchdown. Margin Hooks (Miami Dolphins) caught 1 pass for 47 yards, Dondre Gilliam (San Diego Chargers) had a 25-yard reception and English receiver Jason Byworth caught 2 passes for 33 yards.

Defensively, end Cedric Pittman had a sack and safety Scott Shields recorded an interception on the final play of training camp.

Hasselbeck was the pick of the Thunder quarterbacks, completing 4 of 8 passes for 52 yards and 1 touchdown. White scored on a 26-yard reception and also led Berlin with 19 rushing yards on 4 carries. In addition to Johnson's interception return for a touchdown, linebacker Bubba Alexander had a pick for the Thunder.

>From the Quote book:

"Today was a learning experience and a time for the coaches to learn more about the players and for our players to learn more about preparing for a game. I like what we have as a group, but more than that, I like what we're about to become in the next two weeks. We have a chance to be a real good football team." - Berlin Thunder head coach Peter Vaas.

"I like the effort that our team showed. We flew to the ball on defense and we made some big plays on offense. We went behind but came back and scored another touchdown and that's a good sign. We gave our players the opportunity to make big plays and they rose to the occasion." - Scottish Claymores head coach Gene Dahlquist.

• Discuss this story on the National Football League Europa message board...

National Football League Europa Stories from March 31, 2002

• NFLEL teams make cuts before departure for Europe - NFLE
• Claims made for place on final NFLEL rosters - 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.