Fire Trio Earn League Honors
April 15, 2003 - National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release
THREE members of the Rhein Fire have scooped NFLEL Player of the Week awards after helping their team to victory over the Berlin Thunder on Sunday.
Running back AUTRY DENSON and defensive tackles JOSH McKIBBEN and BASTIAN LANO played key roles in Rhein's 21-10 victory. Frankfurt Galaxy punter TIM MORGAN scooped the final prize of Week 2, meaning all four winners came from German teams.
Denson, allocated by the Detroit Lions, was named Offensive Player of the Week after he rushed for 114 yards and 1 touchdown on 18 carries, scoring on a 15-yard run. He also scored on a 25-yard pass from quarterback Chris Greisen.
Denson, who leads NFL Europe with 186 rushing yards in two games, said: "I give credit to my offensive line. This job is easy when you have big guys getting you through the line."
McKibben (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) enjoyed a huge day against the Thunder, recording a team-leading 10 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Fellow defensive tackle Lano, of Germany, won National Player of the Week honours after he grabbed 5 tackles and 1 sack.
Fire head coach PETE KUHARCHEK said: "I thought we played well on defense. We sacked their quarterback and made some big plays, and when we needed to stop them, we made plays on defense."
Morgan punted 7 times for 295 yards during Frankfurt's 17-13 victory over the Scottish Claymores in Week 2, earning Special Teams Player of the Week honours after averaging 42.1 yards per kick with a long of 58 yards.
Morgan saved his biggest play of the game until 1:03 remaining in the fourth quarter when the Galaxy were clinging to a four-point lead. The Green Bay Packers punter fielded an onside kick by Scotland's Brian Holmes, allowing the Galaxy offense to run out the final few seconds of the game and clinch victory.
NFL EUROPE LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS - WEEK 2
OFFENSIVE AUTRY DENSON RB Rhein Fire
DEFENSIVE JOSH McKIBBEN DT Rhein Fire
SPECIAL TEAMS TIM MORGAN P Frankfurt Galaxy
NATIONAL BASTIAN LANO DT Rhein Fire
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National Football League Europa Stories from April 15, 2003
- Galaxy Hosts Champions - NFLE
- Fire return home to face Scottish Claymores - Rhein Fire
- Fire Trio Earn League Honors - NFLE
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