Former 'Wheeler Francis Doing Well In NFL Europe
June 10, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
It's proven year after year in the NFL Europe League that the two teams playing in the World Bowl are those teams that have adjusted to injuries and other unforeseen circumstances the best.
One example of that is the Frankfurt Galaxy, who managed to win seven games this year en route to the second-best regular-season record in the league despite having one of the league's largest injured reserve lists.
Part of the team's success can be attributed to Galaxy head coach Mike Jones, who consistently preaches to his players that they need to "be flexible," whether it means adjusting to a change in the practice schedule or dealing with a new starting lineup.
Galaxy LB/DE Asa Francis could be the best example of a Galaxy player that has adjusted to whatever has been thrown at him. Not only did he start the NFLEL season with the Cologne Centurions before being sent to Frankfurt after suffering an injury, but after three Galaxy defensive linemen went down in Week 8, Francis has filled in as the team's starting left defensive end the past two games after playing primarily at linebacker.
"I played defensive end before in the Arena league and in high school, so the position is nothing new to me," Francis said. "The part about changing positions here that concerned me was that I was down to 228 pounds, which is about 45 pounds less than what a regular defensive lineman should weigh. It was rough at first. I didn't have any problem doing it, though; anything to help the team."
Change is nothing new for the 25-year old, who will be competing for a spot on the Buffalo Bills roster this season with linebackers such as Takeo Spikes, London Fletcher and Jeff Posey. Francis has had more stops on his way to World Bowl XII than probably any other player on either the Galaxy or Thunder.
He grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he played football at Dillard High School against competition that included current NFL players Dan Morgan (Panthers) and Santana Moss (Jets). After graduating high school, he spent two seasons playing at Auburn University before transferring to Hinds Community College and then to the New Mexico Military Institute. So far in his professional career, he has played for the New Jersey Galdiators (Arena Football League 1) and the Quad City Steamwheelers (Arena Football League 2) before joining the NFLEL.
"You never know where the wind will blow you sometimes," Francis said with a grin. "It's cool to be here, though. I like Germany. At first, it was weird coming back from Arena football. Returning to 11-man football from Arena football, you see how technical the game is. It's like a chess match on the field. It was tough initially, but the most important thing for me was to just trust my instincts and play ball."
Speaking of instincts, Francis possesses some of the best on the entire Galaxy roster. He finished the regular season with 20 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and three special teams stops in limited play due to his injury and falling in ill for two weeks. His production is the result of his approach to football, which hasn't changed despite all of his changes of destination. Unlike certain players that get so bogged down with their responsibilities and assignments that they hesitate on the field, Francis has always trusted his gut feelings and played with what many television commentators refer to as "reckless abandon."
"I've always told myself that I have to trust my instincts to be as successful as I can be," Francis said. "I know that I'll be wrong some of the time, but I can't second-guess myself. If you hesitate, that's the worst thing you can do. You can't think out on the field; you just have to play."
The message that Jones has sent to his team this week is similar to Francis' mindset. Jones believes that the Galaxy must be the aggressors this Saturday to slow down the Berlin Thunder, who roll into the Arena AufSchalke with all the momentum and confidence after thrashing the Galaxy 41-0 just four days ago. Nevertheless, the Thunder will see a largely different Galaxy team considering the return of QB J.T. O'Sullivan, DT John Schlecht and a host of new defensive protagonists that the Galaxy acquired within the last few days.
According to Francis, the game will simply come down to which team can play their game better because there are no more secrets plays, formations or personnel packages that the teams haven't already seen of each other in their prior two games.
"To win the game, we just need to execute our game plan better than they do," Francis said. "Our defense has been depleted by injuries and now we have some new guys in to help us out. If we play Galaxy football by everyone supporting each other and flying to the ball, then we should come out with a win."
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