Familiar faces in new places as NFLEL preseason training camp begins in Tampa Bay
March 3, 2004 - National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release
WITH the NFL Europe League's 12th season looming on the horizon, the six NFLEL teams will spend the month of March putting more than 360 professional football players through their paces as training camps open across the Tampa Bay area.
Following a busy off-season, four of the six teams will have new coaches as familiar faces have taken up positions with different clubs ahead of the season kickoff on April 3-4.
BART ANDRUS (Amsterdam) and PETE KUHARCHEK (Rhein) are the only head coaches from the 2003 campaign returning to the same team.
Former Barcelona Dragons assistant RICK LANTZ takes charge of the Berlin Thunder, while former Thunder head coach PETER VAAS is the new boss of the Cologne Centurions â the league's newest team. JACK BICKNELL, who boasts more wins than any other NFLEL coach (59) is the new head coach of the Scottish Claymores, while former Fire offensive coordinator MIKE JONES takes the helm of the defending World Bowl champion Frankfurt Galaxy.
Teams will practice daily in Florida and scrimmage against each other before making the final roster cuts ahead of the trip to Europe. Only then can the successful players begin dreaming of glory in World Bowl XII in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on June 12.
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES
HEAD COACH: Bart Andrus (4th season. 12-18 record)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: John Allen (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Darryl Sims (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 46-44 (4-6 in 2003)
TRAINING CAMP HOTEL: St. Petersburg Hilton
TRAINING CAMP MEDIA CONTACT: Perry Hendriks
Phone: 1-727-823-7099
Fax: 1-727-823-7107
E-mail: hendriksp@admirals.nl
Internet: www.admirals.nl
=== ADMIRALS PRESEASON NOTES ===
Head coach BART ANDRUS leads the Admirals into the 2004 season looking to snap a sequence of four 4-6 campaigns in a row... QB CLINT STOERNER (Miami Dolphins) returns to NFL Europe having played in 10 regular season games for the Scottish Claymores in 2001, throwing for 1,866 yards and 10 touchdowns. Has played in five NFL games, starting twice for the Dallas Cowboys in 2001. Has NFL career figures of 29 completions from 54 attempts for 367 yards and 4 touchdowns... QB GIBRAN HAMDAN (Washington Redskins) was a seventh round selection in the 2003 NFL Draft and spent the final four weeks of this past NFL season as Washington's number two quarterback, seeing playing time in the season-finale vs. Philadelphia... QB DAVID PRIESTLEY (Seattle Seahawks) returns for a second season with the Admirals after excelling in limited playing time in 2003. Priestley completed 28 of 52 passes for 326 yards, 4 touchdowns and a 90.6 quarterback rating... RB TRAVIS STEPHENS (Houston Texans) was a fourth round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. A star at the University of Tennessee, Stephens ended his college career having rushed 488 times for 2,336 yards (4.8 average) and 21 touchdowns... RB CHRIS DOWNS (Oakland Raiders) played two seasons at Maryland after two years at Valley Forge Military Academy. Best season came as a senior when he gained 1,154 rushing yards and scored 13 touchdowns... WR CHRIS HORN (Kansas City Chiefs) is a playmaking wideout who played in 35 Arena Football League games over three seasons for the Arizona Rattlers, catching 183 passes for 2,247 yards and 51 touchdowns. Also scored 10 rushing touchdowns, 1 return touchdown and added 62 tackles and 2 interceptions doubling as a defensive back... WR CHRIS TAYLOR (Houston Texans) was a seventh round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2001 and possesses outstanding speed... WR CARLOS ROSADO caught 25 passes for 377 yards in first season with the Admirals in 2003... The Admirals head into the 2004 season with a pair of former defenders in TONY DONALD (Green Bay Packers) and KANE ANDERSON (Minnesota Vikings) competing at the tight end spot. Donald was a three-time All-Rocky Mountain Conference selection as a safety at Western State, while Anderson was a defensive end at New Hampshire, where he led the school with 17 tackles for losses during his final two seasons... T MARIO BRANCH (Tennessee Titans) earned All-SWAC
honors at Mississippi Valley State and started every game as a junior and senior... T JOSH BURR (Pittsburgh Steelers) is an intimidating figure at 6-foot-9 and 320 pounds. Served as team captain at South Dakota... T DAVE VOLK (Dallas Cowboys) has NFL experience with Dallas and Chicago following an outstanding college career, where he was a three-year starter at Nebraska... T THOMAS BARNETT (Kansas City Chiefs) registered 123 knockdown blocks in 47 games at Kansas State... C JOEY HOLLENBECK (Seattle Seahawks) played offensive and defensive line at Washington State and also has NFL experience with Buffalo and St. Louis... G TYLER LENDA was a two-year starter at Penn State and boasts NFL experience with the Denver Broncos... DT JOHN NIX (Cleveland Browns) was a seventh round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2001 and played in 30 NFL games from 2001-02, recording 25 tackles, 13 quarterback pressures and 3 forced fumbles. Earned All-Conference USA honors at Southern Mississippi... DT RON MOORE (Oakland Raiders) was a seventh round draft choice of the Green Bay Packers in 2000 and also boasts NFL experience with Atlanta and Dallas... DE CLINT MITCHELL (Denver Broncos) was a seventh round draft pick of the Broncos in 2003... DE CLIFF WASHBURN (Chicago Bears) is a raw but promising prospect who played just one season of football at The Citadel after starring on the school's basketball team for four years... DE DARRELL WRIGHT has NFL experience with the Dallas Cowboys and was Amsterdam's first selection in the 2004 Free Agent Draft... LB BEN MAHDAVI (Indianapolis Colts) was a former walk-on fullback at the University of Washington before going on to become one of the most productive linebackers in school history... LB JERRY SCHUMACHER (Chicago Bears) topped 100 tackles in each of his final three seasons at Illinois... LB STEVE JOSUE (Green Bay Packers) was a seventh round draft pick of the Packers in 2003, having developed a reputation as a pass-rushing specialist at Carson-Newman college... LB DREW WAHLROOS earned All-Conference honors at Colorado...CB DEREK COMBS (Green Bay Packers) returns for a second season in NFL Europe having played running back and defensive back for the Admirals in 2002... CB LIGARIUS JENNINGS also returns for a second spell with the Admirals after playing for the Dutch club in 2002... CB TODD HOWARD also returns for second season with Admirals after being protected by Amsterdam. Registered 29 tackles and knocked down 4 passes... S JASON PERRY (New England Patriots) was a fourth round draft choice of the San Diego Chargers in 1999 and started five games as a rookie. Best NFL season came in 2001 when he registered 24 tackles and 2 interceptions, returning one of them for a touchdown. Also has NFL experience with Cincinnati and Minnesota... S WILLIE PILE (Kansas City Chiefs) was a seventh round draft pick of the Chiefs in 2003 after starting 36 games in a row at Virginia Tech... S TERRANCE LEFTWICH started his college career as a wide receiver at Temple University before moving into the defensive backfield as a sophomore... Dutch kicker SILVIO DILBERTO returns for an eighth season with the Admirals and has scored 254 career points.
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Preseason - Page 3
BERLIN THUNDER
HEAD COACH: Rick Lantz (1st season)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Don Eck (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jim Tomsula (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 22-28 (3-7 in 2003)
TRAINING CAMP HOTEL: Doubletree Hotel
TRAINING CAMP MEDIA CONTACT: Maik Matischak
Phone: 1-813-872-0687
Fax: 1-813-872-6792
E-mail: maik.matischak@berlin-thunder.de
Internet: www.berlin-thunder.de
=== THUNDER PRESEASON NOTES ===
RICK LANTZ prepares to embark on his first season as an NFL Europe League head coach and will look to lead the Thunder to a third World Bowl success in four seasons. Lantz is excited about the challenge that lies ahead, as he revealed: "We wanted quick, fast players on offense and defense and we got just that. I want to have a clear starter at the quarterback position and we have acquired a strong offensive line to protect our passer this year."... QB ROHAN DAVEY (New England Patriots) has just won a Super Bowl ring as the Patriots' third quarterback during the 2003 NFL season. The 2002 fourth round draft pick played in two NFL games as a rookie, completing 1 of 2 passes for 4 yards. Broke several records during college career at LSU and remains only player in school history to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season (3,347 in 2001)... QB MARC DUNN (Kansas City Chiefs) played in 18 games at Kansas State before being allocated to NFLEL by the Chiefs... QB DAVID RIVERS was outstanding in limited playing time with the Amsterdam Admirals prior to his season-ending injury in Week 3 of the 2003 NFLEL campaign, completing 23 of 28 passes for 224 yards, 2 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 123.8... RB RAY JACKSON (Tennessee Titans) saw action in Week 17 of the 2003 NFL season, returning 3 kickoffs for 77 yards. The dual threat can also catch passes out of the backfield... RB HENRI CHILDS (Kansas City Chiefs) played in 44 games at Kansas and Colorado State and scored touchdowns rushing, receiving and on kickoff returns... RB MIKE MALAN was a key starter on the Scottish Claymores' top-ranked offense in 2003, rushing for 106 yards and catching 25 passes for 241 yards and 4 touchdowns... RB ED STANSBURY (Houston Texans) played two seasons as a fullback at UCLA, paving the way for current Carolina Panthers star DeShaun Foster... WR FRANK MURPHY (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) has extensive NFL experience with Tampa Bay and Houston since being drafted by Chicago in the sixth round in 2000. Best season came in 2001 when he played 11 games for the Bucs, catching 8 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. Also returned 20 kickoffs 445 yards during that campaign... WR RICHARD ALSTON (Cleveland Browns) played quarterback and then running back at East Carolina before settling at the wide receiver position in 2002... WR AARON BOONE (Chicago Bears) scored
WR CHAS GESSNER (New England Patriots) scored 36 receiving touchdowns during college career at Brown â second-most in Ivy League history... WR LASHAUN WARD (Kansas City Chiefs) spent the first 14 weeks of the 2003 NFL season on Kansas City's practice squad before being signed to the 53-man roster in December...WR JÃRG HECKENBACH spent the summer of 2003 in NFL training camp with the Green Bay Packers... TE BRYAN FLETCHER (Indianapolis Colts) returns for a second season with the Thunder. Four of his 13 receptions in 2003 resulted in touchdowns... TE MIKE PINKARD (Kansas City Chiefs) was an All-Pac 10 selection during college career at Arizona State... G TROY ANDREW returns for a second season in NFL Europe after earning All-NFLEL honors with the Barcelona Dragons in 2003... T DANTE ELLINGTON (Philadelphia Eagles) started 25 games in a row at Alabama... C BEN CLAXTON (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) was selected in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos... T JASON JOWERS (Atlanta Falcons) started his final 26 games in a row at Wisconsin... T DAVE KADELA (Carolina Panthers) has NFL experience with Atlanta, Carolina and Jacksonville. Started 36 games in a row at Virginia Tech, protecting the blind-side of NFL star Michael Vick... DE T.J. BINGHAM led the Scottish Claymores with 7 sacks in 2003... DE COREY SMITH (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) played in Tampa Bay's season finale in 2003. Recorded 2 tackles and a sack as a rookie in 2002... DT MONTIQUE SHARPE (Kansas City Chiefs) played in five games for the Chiefs in 2003, recording 4 tackles and a quarterback sack... DT TANK REESE (Indianapolis Colts) was an All-Big 12 selection at Kansas State and also boasts NFL experience with the Kansas City Chiefs... LB YUBRENAL ISABELLE won All-NFL Europe League honors as a member of the Scottish Claymores in 2003... LB LAWRENCE FLUGENCE (New England Patriots) was a three-year starter at Texas Tech and is the Big 12's all-time leader with 500 tackles... LB SHAWN PRICE (Carolina Panthers) returned 2 fumble recoveries for touchdowns as a senior at North Carolina State... LB KEVIN DeRONDE (Houston Texans) played defensive end for the Barcelona Dragons in 2003... CB WILLIE FORD (Kansas City Chiefs) also boasts NFL experience with Oakland, Tennessee and Pittsburgh. Led Syracuse with 18 pass defenses as a senior in 2002... CB OLIVER CELESTIN earned All-SWAC honors at Texas Southern, where he set a school record with a 100-yard kickoff return vs Grambling State... CB JERMAINE MAYS (Minnesota Vikings) was a special teams standout at the University of Minnesota, where he blocked a school-record 5 punts as a senior in 2002. Also returned a kickoff for a touchdown... CB JAMES THORNTON was the first overall selection in the 2004 NFLEL Free Agent Draft... S KEITH DAVIS (Dallas Cowboys) played in eight games for the Cowboys in 2002, recording 5 tackles, 2 quarterback pressures and 1 pass defense... S DESHAUN HILL started 20 games at USC, recording 137 tackles and 6 interceptions.
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Preseason - Page 4
COLOGNE CENTURIONS
HEAD COACH: Peter Vaas (1st season. 19-21 record)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Bob Bicknell (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: David Duggan (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 0-0
TRAINING CAMP HOTEL: Clarion Tampa Westshore
TRAINING CAMP MEDIA CONTACT: Karsten Meier
Phone: 1-813-636-4068
Fax: 1-813-636-4078
E-mail: Karsten.meier@cologne-centurions.de
Internet: www. cologne-centurions.de
=== CENTURIONS PRESEASON NOTES ===
The NFL Europe League's newest franchise prepares for its first season in Tampa Bay, Florida, under the watchful eye of head coach PETER VAAS, who spent the previous four seasons in charge of the Berlin Thunder, winning back-to-back World Bowls in 2001 and 2002. Vaas says: "I expect us to have a very competitive and productive training camp. We have three good quarterbacks on our roster and the battle between our four running backs should be a competitive one. I am excited about those guys."... QB ROB ADAMSON (Carolina Panthers) never lost during his college career at Mount Union (25-0) and led the school to Division III national titles in 2001 and 2002... QB RYAN VAN DYKE (New York Giants) also has NFL experience with Seattle and started five games in college at Michigan State... Japanese QB KENTARO NAMAKI impressed Vaas during national player tryouts in Tokyo, Japan, in December... RB AVON COBOURNE (Detroit Lions) played seven games for the Lions in 2003, rushing for 27 yards on 10 carries and catching 4 passes for 30 yards. Added 7 kickoff returns for 123 yards and 5 special teams tackles... RB CHAD BRINKER (New York Jets) earned All-Mid-American Conference honors at Ohio and scored 2 touchdowns in the 2003 NFL preseason for the Jets... RB RODNICK PHILLIPS played for Vaas in Berlin in 2001, rushing for 261 yards and 4 touchdowns... RB ANTWON McCRAY was the final player selected in the 2004 NFLEL Free Agent Draft. Has NFL experience with Pittsburgh... WR SEAN DILLARD (Washington Redskins) is the all-time reception leader at Temple University (130 catches)... WR TODD DEVOE (Baltimore Ravens) earned first team All-MIAA honors at Central Missouri State... WR REGGIE NEWHOUSE (Arizona Cardinals) is the all-time reception leader at Baylor (183 catches). Father, Robert, played in three Super Bowls for the Dallas Cowboys... WR BEN NELSON (Minnesota Vikings) earned All-America honors at St. Cloud State while scoring a school record 43 touchdowns... WR ALBERT JOHNSON (Houston Texans) played in five NFL games for Miami (2002) and the New York Jets (2003), returning 14 kickoffs for 380 yards and 8 punts for 69 yards... WR HUGH SMITH (Cleveland Browns) boasts 4.3 speed and is a threat at wideout and in the
return game... Mexican WR MARCO MARTOS will make his Cologne Centurions debut in 2004 having played the previous seven seasons with the Barcelona Dragons... TE LAMAR HILL (Baltimore Ravens) is a former basketball star who played one season of football at New Mexico State... TE MARK INKROTT (New York Giants) also has NFL experience with Carolina and enjoys writing poems... Cologne native TE WERNER HIPPLER makes his Centurions debut after establishing himself as one of the best national players of all time with the Frankfurt Galaxy. Has caught 78 passes during NFLEL career... C MIKE MABRY (Cincinnati Bengals) was a seventh round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2003 and earned a reputation as a tough, physical blocker... G ZACH WILSON (Detroit Lions) won second-team All-Pac 10 honors at USC... G DAVID MILLER (Detroit Lions) was a three-year starter at Ball State... T ELLIOT SILVERS (Houston Texans) was a fifth round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers in 2001. Was an All-Pac 10 selection at Washington... T TONY PASHOS (Baltimore Ravens) was a fifth round draft pick of the AFC North club in 2003 and earned All-Big 10 honors in his final two seasons at Illinois... T LANCE NIMMO (New York Jets) was a fourth round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003... DE FELIPE CLAYBROOKS (Cleveland Browns) has played in 11 NFL games for the Browns from 2001-2003, recording 7 tackles... DE DEMETRIC EVANS has NFL experience with the Dallas Cowboys. Best season came in 2001 when he recorded 35 tackles, 1 sack, 5 quarterback pressures, 2 pass defenses and a forced fumble... DT DAVERN WILLIAMS (Miami Dolphins) was a three-year starter at Troy State University... LB MARCUS REESE (Chicago Bears) played four seasons at UCLA and earned second team All-Pac 10 honors. Also has NFL experience with San Francisco... LB LaMARCUS McDONALD (New Orleans Saints) earned All-America honors at Texas Christian University after registering 118 tackles and 8.5 sacks as a senior... LB BOBBY BROOKS played in 36 games for Oakland and Jacksonville from 1999-2002, recording 7 tackles and 34 special teams stops... CB MARCUS FLOYD (Carolina Panthers) played two games for the Buffalo Bills in 2002, recording 6 tackles... CB WILL HUNTER has NFL experience with the New York Jets... CB ERWIN SWINEY (Green Bay Packers) has played in six games for the Packers over the past two NFL seasons... S JERTON EVANS (San Diego Chargers) was a four-year starter at Virginia, recording 293 tackles and 6 interceptions... S RICHARD NEWSOME played in 11 games for the New Orleans Saints in 2001, recording 1 tackle, 1 fumble recovery and 14 special teams takedowns... S ERIK TOTTEN holds school records at Western Washington for kickoff and punt return yards.
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Preseason - Page 5
FRANKFURT GALAXY
HEAD COACH: Mike Jones (1st season)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dwain Painter (4th season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Ed O'Neil (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 58-52 (6-4 in 2003)
TRAINING CAMP HOTEL: Hilton Tampa Airport
TRAINING CAMP CONTACT: Joachim Haas
Phone: 1-813-873-2491
Fax: 1-813-973-2546
E-mail: joachim.haas@frankfurt-galaxy.de
Internet: www.frankfurt-galaxy.de
=== GALAXY PRESEASON NOTES ===
FORMER Rhein Fire offensive coordinator and NFL wide receiver MIKE JONES is preparing for his first season as a head coach in the NFL Europe League and will be going all out to ensure the Galaxy make a successful defense of their World Bowl title. Jones says: "This is all about winning. We want to win games because the Galaxy has great fans and a winning tradition. We want this tradition to continue and we want to go back to the World Bowl."... QB J.T. O'SULLIVAN (New Orleans Saints) was a sixth round draft pick of the Saints in 2002 following an outstanding career at Cal-Davis... QB KIRK FARMER (Kansas City Chiefs) also has preseason NFL experience with the St. Louis Rams. Started 14 games in college at Missouri... QB BRET ENGEMANN (Oakland Raiders) played for three years at BYU. His sister is married to CNN television presenter Larry King... RB SKIP HICKS (Cincinnati Bengals) has played in 38 NFL games for the Washington Redskins, Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers, rushing for 1,109 yards and 13 touchdowns. Also has 3 receiving touchdowns to his name and scored a school record 55 touchdowns during college career at UCLA... RB LEONARD HENRY (Miami Dolphins) was a seventh round draft pick in 2002... FB COREY McINTYRE returns to Frankfurt for a second season after catching 3 passes for 33 yards and recording 3 special teams tackles in 2003... WR DREW HADDAD (Indianapolis Colts) is the all-time leading receiver in the history of the University of Buffalo, leaving with 12 school records to his name. His father-in-law is Galaxy defensive coordinator Ed O'Neil... WR DeANDREW RUBIN (Green Bay Packers) was a seventh round pick in the 2003 NFL draft. Scored 5 touchdowns on kick and punt returns during college career at South Florida... WR WILSON THOMAS (Green Bay Packers) boasts impressive size at 6-foot-5 and 207 pounds. Started 12 games as a senior at Nebraska, leading the team with 30 receptions for 353 yards and 3 touchdowns... French WR MARC SOUMAH spent the 2003 NFL preseason with the Cleveland Browns after consistently impressing during his NFL Europe League career... TE CHRIS EDMONDS played 12 games at fullback for Cincinnati over the past two NFL seasons, recording 7 special teams tackles... TE LEONARD
STEPHENS (Washington Redskins) was in training camp with the Scottish Claymores in 2001. Played in five NFL games for the Redskins in 2002, catching 1 pass for 13 yards... C JOHNATHAN INGRAM (Kansas City Chiefs) played tight end at San Diego State... C BEN NOWLAND (Washington Redskins) started 33 games at Auburn and earned first-team All-SEC honors. Also has NFL experience with San Francisco... G KONRAD DEAN (Jacksonville Jaguars) was a two-year starter at Akron and also has NFL experience with Cleveland, Oakland and Seattle... T DAVID PRUCE (New England Patriots) started all 10 regular season games and World Bowl XI for the Galaxy in 2003... German T PATRICK VENZKE joins the Galaxy in 2004 after spending two years with the Rhein Fire... DE BUCK RASMUSSEN (New England Patriots) was a team MVP in college at Nebraska-Omaha... DE COREY JACKSON (Cleveland Browns) played two seasons of basketball at Nevada before switching to football... DE BOBBY SETZER (Oakland Raiders) played two NFL seasons in 2001 and 2002. Best campaign came in 2001 when he played in 14 regular season games and one playoff contest, recording 4 tackles and 6 special teams stops... German DE DANIEL BENETKA has spent the past three NFL preseasons in training camp with Indianapolis (2001), New England (2002) and Kansas City (2003). Also has NFL experience with San Francisco... DT CLENTON BALLARD (San Diego Chargers) was a sixth round draft choice of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2002... LB JASON McWILLIAMS (St. Louis Rams) played in 26 career games at Western Illinois, recording 232 tackles and 5 sacks... LB MASON UNCK (Cleveland Browns) returned from a serious knee injury at Arizona State to sign as a free agent with the Browns... LB RALPH TURNER (Green Bay Packers) was a strong safety in college at Purdue... LB ROBERT CHAPMAN (Oakland Raiders) was a three-year starter at Southern University, registering 140 tackles... CB LYNARIS ELPHEAGE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) earned All-Conference USA honors during college career at Tulane... CB AHMAD BROOKS (New Orleans Saints) played six games for the Buffalo Bills in 2002, starting twice, and recorded 10 tackles and 1 interception... CB BRIAN MANCE earned second-team All-Conference honors at Clemson, where he recorded 60 tackles, 6 interceptions and 11 pass defenses as a senior... S CHRIS BROWN (Jacksonville Jaguars) was a college cornerback at Alabama-Birmingham but is moving to safety in NFL Europe... S RICKY SHARPE (Cleveland Browns) was one of the top cover corners in the Mountain West Conference during his college career at San Diego State... S JAMAL WALLACE (Philadelphia Eagles) made 34 consecutive starts in college career a Temple University, recording 264 tackles and 3 interceptions.
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Preseason - Page 6
RHEIN FIRE
HEAD COACH: Pete Kuharchek (4th season. 18-12 record)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Whitey Jordan (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Adrian White (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 52-38 (6-4 in 2003)
TRAINING CAMP HOTEL: Mainsail Village, Tampa
TRAINING CAMP MEDIA CONTACT: Markus Müller
Phone: 1-813-290-3903
Fax: 1-813-290-3904
E-mail: markus.mueller@rhein-fire.de
Internet: www.rhein-fire.de
=== FIRE PRESEASON NOTES ===
HEAD coach PETE KUHARCHEK returns for a fourth season in charge of the Fire and will be aiming for World Bowl glory after losing the last two championship games. Looking ahead to training camp, Kuharchek said: "We are very pleased with the players we have received from the NFL and the free agents we draft. We are excited about the upcoming season."... QB CHAD HUTCHINSON (Dallas Cowboys) started in nine regular season games for Dallas in 2002 and is the only athlete to pitch in Major League Baseball and start at quarterback in the NFL... QB WESLEY PHILLIPS (Atlanta Falcons) is the son of former NFL head coach Wade Phillips... QB GREG ZOLMAN (Buffalo Bills) started 34 games at Vanderbilt record, setting school marks for completions (596) and passing yards (7,981)... RB JOFFREY REYNOLDS (Cleveland Browns) played in four games for the St. Louis Rams in 2003 NFL season returning 6 kickoffs for 109 yards. Also added 2 special teams tackles. Rushed for school-record 1,545 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior at Houston, winning Conference USA Player of the Year honors... RB WALTER WILLIAMS (Green Bay Packers) also boasts NFL experience with New England and New Orleans... RB RYAN BREWER played wide receiver in college at South Carolina but switches to the offensive backfield in NFL Europe... FB JEREMY ALLEN (Atlanta Falcons) also has NFL experience with New Orleans and Minnesota... WR JON OLINGER (Carolina Panthers) was a fifth round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2003... WR BOSLEY ALLEN (San Francisco 49ers) was a record-setting punt returner during college career at North Carolina... WR SHOCKMAIN DAVIS (Green Bay Packers) played in 12 NFL games as a rookie for the New England Patriots in 2000, with one start, catching 2 passes for 12 yards and returning 2 kickoffs for 45 yards. Also has pro experience with Seattle and the Toronto Argonauts, of the Canadian Football League... WR ADAM HERZING (San Francisco 49ers) spent the 2002 NFL season on the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts following a productive four-year career at Cal-Poly Obispo...WR ROB MILANESE (New York Jets) is the all-time leading
receiver in Pennsylvania history with 3,405 yards. Caught a pass in 39 straight games and earned All-Ivy League honors...TE DWAYNE BLAKLEY (Tennessee Titans) returns after catching 13 passes for 116 yards for the Fire in 2003... C STEVEN GRACE (Arizona Cardinals) has spent time on the Cardinals' 53-man roster... G KEVIN BREEDLOVE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) set a school record at Georgia by making 47 starts, earning second team All-SEC honors in the process... T GARRY JOHNSON (Atlanta Falcons) started 46 games in a row at Arkansas State and earned All-Conference honors... T CHUCK KLABO (Cleveland Browns) was a four-year starter at North Dakota State, winning a string of All-America and All-Conference honors... DE DAVID NUGENT (Oakland Raiders) played in 24 games for the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens from 2000-2002, recording 9 tackles. Won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2001... DE RANDY GARNER was a sixth round draft choice of the Atlanta Falcons in 2001 and also has NFL experience with Jacksonville and St. Louis... DE CHRIS DEMAREE (San Francisco 49ers) has spent time on the practice squad of the Chicago Bears and played in 41 career games at Kentucky... DT CEDRIC KILLINGS (Washington Redskins) played in 18 NFL games in 2000 and 2001 for San Francisco and Carolina. Registered 17 tackles and 3 sacks. First career sack came against Troy Aikman, of the Dallas Cowboys... DT DAVID THOMPSON (St. Louis Rams) won a national title in college with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2002... DT JON CLANTON was a two-year starter at Nebraska and helped the Cornhuskers compile a 45-5-1 record... LB CURTIS RANDALL (Jacksonville Jaguars) is a former defensive end at Louisiana Tech who earned All-Western Athletic Conference honors... LB WES BAUTOVICH (New York Jets) played strong safety at Texas A&M, finishing with 104 tackles in two seasons... LB JAMES HARRISON (Baltimore Ravens) was a first team All-Mid American Conference selection while at Kent State... LB MAUGAULA TUITELE earned All-NFLEL honors while recording 61 tackles and 1 sack for the Fire in 2002... CB EARTHWIND MORELAND also earned All-NFLEL honors while starring for the Fire in 2002... CB TONY LUKINS (Seattle Seahawks) returns for a second season with the Fire after starting every game in 2003 and leading the club with 14 pass defenses... CB COREY CHAMBLIN played 11 regular season games and two playoff contests for Jacksonville in 1999 and blocked a punt during an AFC Divisional Playoff defeat of Miami... S CHARLES DRAKE (Detroit Lions) is a former RB who converted to strong safety at Michigan... S HAKIM AKBAR (Jacksonville Jaguars) played linebacker in 10 regular season games for New England and St. Louis in 2001-2002, recording 2 tackles... S ABDUAL HOWARD started every game for Rhein in 2003, recording 63 tackles and 2 interceptions for 93 yards and a touchdown.
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Preseason - Page 7
SCOTTISH CLAYMORES
HEAD COACH: Jack Bicknell (1st season. 59-51 record)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Vince Martino (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dan Daniel (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 41-49 (6-4 in 2003)
TRAINING CAMP HOTEL: Mainsail Village
TRAINING CAMP MEDIA CONTACT: Ryan Moore
Phone: 1-813-290-3953
Fax: 1-813-290-3954
E-mail: tc99sco@aol.com
Internet: www.claymores.co.uk
=== CLAYMORES PRESEASON NOTES ===
JACK BICKNELL embarks on a new chapter in his long and illustrious NFL Europe League career as he takes charge of the Scottish Claymores after 11 seasons in charge of the Barcelona Dragons. Bicknell says: "This is always an anxious and exciting time of year as you look to get together a team on paper and hope it translates into a good team on the field. Everyone on our coaching staff is excited by the challenge and we can't wait to get going."... QB NATE HYBL (Cleveland Browns) compiled a 19-3 record as a starter at Oklahoma... QB CURT ANES (Detroit Lions) set school career passing record with 115 touchdown passes, 753 completions and 10,768 yards at Grand Valley State College... QB TOM ARTH (Indianapolis Colts) holds a total of 18 all-time passing records at John Carroll University... QB TORY WOODBURY (Denver Broncos) played wide receiver and special teams for the New York Jets, while providing depth as a passer. Best season came in 2001 when he made 6 special teams tackles and recovered a fumble... RB MAURICE HICKS (San Francisco 49ers) returns for a second season with the Claymores after rushing for 546 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2003. Scored on a league record 93-yard touchdown vs. Berlin in Week 1... RB IAN SMART (New York Jets) is the all-time leader in college football history with 95 touchdowns and 570 points during an illustrious career at C.W. Post University... RB AHMAAD GALLOWAY (Denver Broncos) was a seventh round draft pick in 2003 following a career as a three-year starter at Alabama... WR NICK DAVIS (Miami Dolphins) played in 16 games for the Minnesota Vikings in 2002-03 and was the top-ranked punt returner in the NFL as a rookie in 2002, when he played 15 games. Returned 18 kickoffs for 368 yards and ran back 24 punts for 190 yards...English WR SCOTT McCREADY is the only British player to win a Super Bowl ring when he was a member of the New England Patriots in 2001...WR HERB HAYGOOD (Kansas City Chiefs) was a fifth round draft choice of the Denver Broncos in 2002... WR TERRY CHARLES (Houston Texans) was selected in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the San Diego
Chargers... WR DeRONNIE PITTS played under Bicknell at the Barcelona Dragons in 2002, catching a team-high 36 passes for 393 yards and 5 touchdowns... WR SCOTT COUPER is the all-time leading receiver among nationals with 101 catches for 1,089 yards and 12 touchdowns... TE AARON GOLLIDAY (Kansas City Chiefs) only caught 8 passes for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns in 49 games at Nebraska but delivered 139 knockdown blocks during that time... TE MARCUS HELFMAN (San Francisco 49ers) is also a long-snapping specialist... C JASEN ESPOSITO (Buffalo Bills) was a three-year starter at Kutztown University, earning All-Conference honors... C JIMOND PUGH (Pittsburgh Steelers) earned first team All-Conference USA honors as a three-year starter at Memphis State... G JOE GERDA (Minnesota Vikings) began his career at Memphis State as a defensive tackle before becoming an offensive starter in his final two seasons... G CHAD WARD (San Diego Chargers) was a sixth round draft choice of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2001... G TODD WIKE (Oakland Raiders) started 35 consecutive games at Maryland, earning All-America honors... T MARQUES OGDEN (Jacksonville Jaguars) is the brother of All-Pro offensive lineman Jonathan Ogden. Was a sixth round draft choice in 2003... DE DURRAND ROUNDTREE (Indianapolis Colts) started 29 college games at Maryland and also has NFL experience with Washington... DE JAKE SPRAGUE (New York Giants) once forced nine fumbles in a high school game in Wisconsin and recovered five of the loose footballs... Scottish DE ROBERT FLICKINGER returns to the Claymores after recording 21 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in 2003... DT THOMAS PITTMAN (Denver Broncos) played only one season of college football at Florida in 2000 before leaving to play professional baseball in the Montreal Expos' farm system... DT CEDRIC SCOTT (Cleveland Browns) was a fourth round draft choice of the New York Giants in 2001. Played in nine NFL games as a rookie, registering 3 tackles and 3 special teams stops... LB ISAAC KEYS also returns to Scotland after registering 26 tackles and a forced fumble last season... LB HOWARD CLARK (Philadelphia Eagles) played middle and outside linebacker during college career at Miami... LB JIMMY McCLAIN (Jacksonville Jaguars) played in 24 games for the Houston Texans in 2002 and 2003, recording 13 tackles and 8 special teams takedowns... CB JERMAINE CHATMAN returns to Claymores in 2004 after recording 33 tackles and 6 pass defenses a year ago... CB KAHLIL CARTER (Buffalo Bills) is a former Arena League standout who played for the Tampa Bay Storm...CB BRAD FRANKLIN (Seattle Seahawks) was a seventh round draft choice of the Carolina Panthers in 2002... S JAMES LEWIS recorded 39 tackles for Barcelona in 2003. Was originally a sixth round draft choice of the Detroit Lions in 2002... K ROB HART needs 13 points to become the all-time scoring leader in NFLEL history.
NFLEL Training Camp Scrimmage Schedule
Wednesday March 10 â Combined Practices
All to be played at 31st Street Complex, St. Petersburg
Rhein vs Berlin 9am
Cologne vs Scotland 12pm
Amsterdam vs Frankfurt 3pm
Saturday March 13 â Game condition scrimmages
All to be played at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
Scotland vs Amsterdam 9am
Berlin vs Frankfurt 12pm
Rhein vs Cologne 3pm
Wednesday March 17 â Combined Practices
All to be played at 31st Street Complex, St. Petersburg
Frankfurt vs Rhein 9am
Cologne vs Amsterdam 11:30am
Berlin vs Scotland 2pm
Saturday March 20 â Game condition scrimmages
All to be played at 31st Street Complex, St. Petersburg
Berlin vs Cologne 8:30am
Frankfurt vs Scotland 10am
Amsterdam vs Rhein 11:30am
* 2004 NFL Europe League regular season kicks off April 3-4.
National Football League Europa Stories from March 3, 2004
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.
