Coaches evaluate preseason rosters during game-condition scrimmages
Published on March 26, 2007 under National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release
The six NFL Europa League teams were tested in pressure situations for the first time on Saturday as the opening game-condition scrimmages of preseason training camp took place at Tampa's Jefferson High School.
The joint sessions, which were held in blistering and testing conditions, offered head coaches a first look at how their players would fare when the stakes are raised in the regular season, which kicks off on April 14.
First onto the practice field were the Hamburg Sea Devils and Rhein Fire. Washington Redskins-allocated passer CASEY BRAMLET stood out for the Sea Devils as he completed all seven of his attempts for 66 yards and one touchdown - a 25-yard strike to tight end TEYO JOHNSON (Denver Broncos).
MIKE MC GANN (Indianapolis Colts) also looked sharp for Hamburg, connecting on four of seven passes for 66 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown strike to former San Francisco 49ers first-round draft choice RASHAUN WOODS. Johnson ended the session with two catches for 31 yards and a score, while Woods grabbed two passes for 47 yards and his touchdown. British wide receiver SCOTT MC CREADY caught two passes for 33 yards, while former sprint champion DWAIN CHAMBERS reeled in a 12-yard reception.
San Diego Chargers-allocated quarterback BRETT ELLIOTT completed four of five passes for 28 yards for the Fire, while running back GERALD RIGGS (Chicago Bears) carried six times for 28 yards. P.K. SAM (Miami Dolphins) led all Fire receivers with three receptions for 44 yards.
"I think we did fairly well," said Riggs. "But not as well as I think we are capable of playing. We have a lot of work to do but the effort was there. We need to work on the little things and make plays when we have the chance."
Sea Devils head coach JACK BICKNELL added: "I was happy with the scrimmage. I definitely saw an overall improvement from the first scrimmage and you have to get better day-by-day in this league because you don't have much time."
The second scrimmage of the day was a spirited affair between the Amsterdam Admirals and Frankfurt Galaxy that featured some intense, hard-hitting action.
Returning quarterback J.T. O'SULLIVAN (Chicago Bears) was again in top form for the Galaxy, completing five of six passes for 58 yards and one touchdown - a 20-yard strike to wide receiver ROBERT ORTIZ. Quarterback KEVIN EAKIN hit on three of his six attempts for 50 yards. Ortiz led all Galaxy receivers with three catches for 51 yards and a touchdown, while JERMAINE JAMISON of the Philadelphia Eagles added two receptions for 32 yards.
Baltimore Ravens-allocated passer DREW OLSON connected on two of five attempts for 42 yards for the Admirals, while COREY BRAMLET went five of seven for 32 yards. MATT BOHNET completed two passes for 48 yards.
New York Jets wide receiver PHIL SILVA caught two passes for 34 yards for Amsterdam, while French tight end YOAN SCHNEE grabbed two balls for 24 yards. Houston Texans wide receiver HARRY WILLIAMS gained 34 yards on his one catch of the scrimmage.
Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES said: "I think J.T. O'Sullivan played very well and did a good job of bringing the team down the field. He is a leader for us on the field. He sets the standard for the team and sets an example for the rest of our players."
"This was another step in the process," Admirals head coach BART ANDRUS admitted. "For the most part, we were pretty pleased with how we performed. We got out of it what we were looking to get out of it. We were looking to see if we could block and tackle and evaluate our personnel."
The final scrimmage of the day saw the Cologne Centurions clash with the Berlin Thunder.
The Centurions were paced by running back ANTWAUN CARTER, who carried eight times for 44 yards and one touchdown. Houston Texans-allocated quarterback QUINTON PORTER completed two of four attempts for 24 yards, while wide receiver BURL TOLER was the most effective target, reeling in two passes for 28 yards.
Centurions head coach DAVID DUGGAN admitted the scrimmage was hugely important to his team, saying: "It was a good day's work. There were a lot of NFL scouts here. They were evaluating the players just as we were. It's human nature to be a little nervous but after a couple of plays they started to relax and just play football."
Berlin also found the end zone on WALTER WASHINGTON's five-yard touchdown pass to Arizona Cardinals-allocated tight end ALEX SHOR, and on a 10-yard hookup between Seattle Seahawks quarterback TRAVIS LULAY and tight end DARIUS WILLIAMS. Quarterback OMAR JACOBS (Kansas City Chiefs) hit on three of four attempts for 32 yards for the Thunder.
Defensive players also stood out as defensive ends DEVAN LONG and JASON HALL (Carolina Panthers) recorded sacks for Cologne. Berlin responded with sacks from defensive end BOBBY PAYNE, defensive tackle BRYANT SHAW and linebacker TIM CLARKE.
"We continue to take strides forward" said Berlin Thunder head coach JOHN ALLEN. "As long as we can continue to do that, I think we'll give ourselves a chance of being pretty good going into the season. Our team really played with a lot of enthusiasm and we were able to stay healthy, which is extremely important at this time in camp."
All six teams will next hit the practice field together in combined workouts at Tampa's Ed Radice Sports Complex on Wednesday March 28, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
National Football League Europa Stories from March 26, 2007
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.
