Galaxy reaches World Bowl for sixth time
May 25, 2004 - National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release
THE Berlin Thunder (7-1) and Frankfurt Galaxy (6-2) will compete in World Bowl XII on Saturday June 12 at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
While Berlin defeated the Galaxy in a thriller on Saturday evening, Frankfurt clinched a place in the championship game a day later when the Cologne Centurions (3-5) beat the Rhein Fire (3-5).
The Galaxy became the first team to reach six World Bowls and are aiming for a record fourth championship.
But before World Bowl takes place, there are two more weeks of the regular season remaining and there are no signs that any of the six teams are about to produce anything less than 100 percent down the stretch.
The Week 9 action begins with the Scottish Claymores (2-6) looking to end a testing season on a high in the first of two home games at Hampden Park. This week, they take on a Thunder team looking to maintain their momentum heading into World Bowl. Also playing on Saturday are original Deutschland Derby rivals Frankfurt and Rhein. The contest will likely see the Fire draw their biggest crowd of the year.
Sunday's encounter sees the Centurions play host to the Amsterdam Admirals (3-5).
WEEK NINE SCHEDULE
SATURDAY MAY 29
Berlin Thunder at Scottish Claymores
Hampden Park, Glasgow, 2:00 p.m.
Frankfurt Galaxy at Rhein Fire
Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, 7:00 p.m.
SUNDAY MAY 30
Amsterdam Admirals at Cologne Centurions
RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, 4:00 p.m.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK â WEEK 8
OFFENSIVE · ERIC McCOO · RB, Berlin
187 total yards; 106 rushing, 5 receptions for
81 yards and a touchdown
DEFENSIVE · FELIPE CLAYBROOKS · DE, Cologne
5 tackles, including 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
SPECIAL TEAMS · ROB HART · K, Scotland
2 of 3 field goals, including game-winner from 43 yards, 1 of 2 PATs for total of 7 points
NATIONAL · SCOTT McCREADY · WR, Scotland
7 catches for 91 yards
NEWS AND NOTES NFL Europe 2004, Week 9 - Page 2
COVER STORY (Continued)
WITH his team heading into Scotland this week to face the Claymores, Berlin Thunder head coach RICK LANTZ is insisting his championship-chasing players won't take the foot off the gas.
He says: "There are never any normal games for us. We want to win every time we step on the field and we will work hard to win in Scotland this week.
"We have a shot at winning a championship and you can't just turn the intensity on and off so we will keep playing hard. We also have to uphold the integrity of the NFL Europe League â we can't just go out and screw around. This is too important to do that."
Facing the Thunder in Week 9 is a Claymores team intent on ending the season on a high in front of their own fans. Scotland plays at home in Weeks 9 and 10.
Claymores head coach JACK BICKNELL says: "Hopefully we will keep getting better. You just want the players thinking about winning the last two games to make ourselves feel better about the season."
Even though the Frankfurt Galaxy clinched a World Bowl berth this weekend, head coach MIKE JONES is also intent on keeping his team playing well in the final weeks of the regular season.
He says: "We have accomplished one of our goals at the start of the season which was to reach World Bowl and we're honored to accept the challenge of facing a fine football team in the Berlin Thunder.
"But we have to try not to think about the World Bowl right now because we have two regular season games remaining and we have to keep playing hard to the end. We care tremendously about winning and we have to get back on track and do some of the things we were doing coming out of training camp."
When they step on the field in Week 9, the Galaxy will face a Rhein Fire team that was eliminated from World Bowl contention with a loss in Cologne last weekend.
Speaking of that one-point loss, Fire head coach PETE KUHARCHEK said: "That was a tough loss. We had our chances but we have to give credit to Cologne â they fought hard and made the plays to win the game. The positive we can take away from this is that we fought right to the very end."
The Week 9 action concludes with a pair of 3-5 teams clashing as the Centurions host the Amsterdam Admirals at RheinEnergieStadion.
Following his team's home loss to Scotland last week, Admirals head coach BART ANDRUS said: "We moved the ball well but it was disturbing that we were not scoring. You can't score points when you keep giving the ball away."
Centurions head coach PETER VAAS said: "We faced a tough team in the Fire last week but we made enough offensive plays when we needed to make them."
Galaxy celebrate reaching World Bowl but still keen to douse Fire
WHILE the Cologne Centurions were beating the Rhein Fire on Sunday afternoon, Frankfurt Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES was holed up in his film room evaluating ways to improve on his team's Week 8 performance against the Berlin Thunder.
At the time, Jones was blissfully unaware that his 6-2 Galaxy team had clinched a berth in World Bowl XII.
When explaining why he was watching game film instead of following proceedings in Cologne, Jones said: "I watch film the day after all games. There is no time to take a day off or to relax â it is important we get back on track because a challenge was laid down to us by Berlin on Saturday night and we didn't live up to it.
"We have to keep playing hard, especially as we face the Rhein Fire this weekend."
Jones has coached in four World Bowls as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator of the Fire and is not nervous about the prospect of a first championship game as a head coach.
He says: "It's just a new experience. Having been there before I understand all the formalities and events that surround the game during World Bowl week. I am not concerned about it being my first time as a head coach.
"We are proud to be in the World Bowl. The goal of all six teams heading into the season is to reach the championship game. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen for four teams so we are excited to be facing Berlin in the World Bowl. We are focusing on doing what we have been aiming to do since we came out of training camp â winning the World Bowl."
Galaxy GM TILMAN ENGEL says: "We are delighted to have made it to the World Bowl for a record sixth time and having the chance to defend our title is something we are very excited about.
"We will get thousands of fans coming from Frankfurt to Gelsenkirchen and that will make it like a Galaxy home game. No matter how good the Berlin team is, our intention is to win the game and I think we will win it."
Galaxy wide receiver DREW HADDAD adds: "I think I speak for everyone on the team when I say we are very excited. From the first day of camp this has been our goal and it feels good to follow through on that and make it to World Bowl."
Defensive end COREY JACKSON says: "We are really excited to be going to World Bowl but we have to improve in our next two games because Berlin is a great team."
NEWS AND NOTES NFL Europe 2004, Week 9 - Page 3
Week 8 classic suggests World Bowl XII could be a thriller
STILL breathless from his team's dramatic 31-27 victory over the Frankfurt Galaxy on Saturday night, Berlin Thunder head coach RICK LANTZ best summed up a game that was the opening exchange in a battle that won't be fully decided until World Bowl XII on June 12.
Lantz said: "If I was a fan who had paid to watch this game, I would go away pretty happy. This was an exciting game for the fans and I wish we could have packed 100,000 into the stadium because it showed what a great sport American football is."
The World Bowl dress rehearsal played in front of almost 31,000 fans at a packed Waldstadion saw the lead change hands six times, an endless array of big plays and the game decided on a crucial fourth down stop by Berlin at their own 10-yard line with 37 seconds remaining.
Despite suffering a tough loss â their first on home soil this season â the Galaxy still ended the weekend with a World Bowl berth, following Cologne's defeat of Rhein on Sunday.
Galaxy general manager TILMAN ENGEL, who has been with the German club since their inaugural 1991 season, says: "We would have loved to have reached World Bowl by beating the Berlin Thunder on Saturday but that was an outrageously good game â one of the best to have ever been played in NFL Europe."
With two weeks of the regular season remaining, coaches from the Thunder and Galaxy are preparing for two more meetings â in Week 10 and then six days later in World Bowl.
Lantz says: "By that time we'll be like two bloody heavyweight fighters coming out for the 15th round of a world title fight.
"I'm really glad we won the game on Saturday because they are obviously a good football team. You saw the best two teams in the league play each other, and as is often the case when two good teams meet, it came down to the end and we made the play to win it."
Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES adds: "I want to say a big thank you to the city of Frankfurt and to the Galaxy fans who came out in full support of our team on Saturday night. We didn't hold up our end of the bargain.
"Berlin lived up to their billing and showed why they were the first team to reach World Bowl. Rohan Davey is all you have heard and read about and really is worthy of all the praise based on what we saw on Saturday night
"We didn't play at our best but I think Berlin played at their's. The turnovers hurt us in such a big contest but it really was a great game and we will come back from this loss."
Defenses produce big plays to end more close encounters
ALL three contests in Week 8 were decided by one score or less and the game-deciding plays were made on the defensive side of the ball.
In Amsterdam, Scotland held on for a 19-17 victory over the hometown Admirals when CLINT STOERNER was gang-tackled at the Claymores 44-yard line after picking up 8 yards on a fourth-and-10 play with 33 seconds remaining.
In Frankfurt, the Galaxy faced a fourth-and-one play at Berlin's 10-yard line needing a touchdown to win. But running back SKIP HICKS was tripped up for no gain by Thunder defensive tackle TANK REESE with 37 seconds remaining.
In Cologne, the Centurions hung on for a 7-6 victory against the Rhein Fire as defensive back WILL HUNTER intercepted CHAD HUTCHINSON at his own 25-yard line with 17 seconds remaining.
Such exciting finishes are par for the course in NFL Europe, where 19 of the 24 games played to date have been decided by one score or less (8 points).
Following his team's 31-27 defeat of Frankfurt, Berlin head coach RICK LANTZ said: "That was a hell of a game but those kind of games are tough on coaches â I had a full head of hair before the game started.
"It's okay for the younger guys because they feel they are immortal, but when you're an old coach like me, you could have a heart attack out there."
NFLEL FACTS: Key turnovers
A QUICK look at the turnover ratios of the six NFL Europe League teams give a good indication why the Frankfurt Galaxy and Berlin Thunder will meet in World Bowl XII next month. The Galaxy has a +9 turnover ratio (league-high 21 takeaways to 12 giveaways) to rank first in that department. Berlin rates second with a +8 turnover ratio (20 takeaways to 12 giveaways). The remaining four NFLEL teams have negative turnover ratios and all of them have losing records.
NFLEL FACTS: Two more needed
IF the Berlin Thunder needed any extra incentive heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, it could come from the knowledge that they need two more wins to tie for the best 10-game regular season record in NFLEL history. If they were to end the season 9-1, the Thunder would join the 1991 London Monarchs and the 1995 Amsterdam Admirals as the only team with nine regular season wins. London went on to win World Bowl, while Amsterdam lost their title game on home soil. With one more win, Berlin will be the first eight-win team since the 2001 Barcelona Dragons, who lost in World Bowl that year.
NEWS AND NOTES NFL Europe 2004, Week 9 - Page 4
Bicknell demands strong finish
EVEN though his Scottish Claymores are out of World Bowl contention and bottom of the NFL Europe League standings, head coach JACK BICKNELL is insisting his players give their all in the final two weeks of the season.
The Claymores have a chance to climb off the bottom of the NFLEL standings if they can win at home against the Berlin Thunder in Week 9 and the Cologne Centurions in Week 10.
Bicknell is keen to see his team end on a high, as he explains: "We have to go back home and win two games in front of our own fans. We have to play well and do it for all the people in Scotland.
"Hopefully, we will keep getting better. I want our players to be thinking about winning the last two games to make ourselves feel better about our season."
The Claymores have been involved in some close contests in going 2-6 this season. Six of their eight games to date have been decided by one score or less (8 points).
Following last week's two-point victory in Amsterdam, Bicknell said: "We have played extremely hard in every game but good things have not been happening to us. We have kept trying like crazy and our players deserve to have smiles on their faces. We will enjoy this win and then start preparing for the Berlin Thunder."
Prestigious records could fall
THE closing two weeks of the 2004 regular season could see league records for touchdowns, touchdown passes and quarterback passer rating broken.
Frankfurt Galaxy running back SKIP HICKS (Cincinnati Bengals) has scored a league-leading 11 touchdowns this season and needs three more in the final two games of the year to tie the single season record of 14 set by Barcelona Dragons running back LAWRENCE PHILLIPS in 1999.
Also in the hunt for records to take back to his NFL team this summer is New England Patriots-allocated quarterback ROHAN DAVEY, who has guided the Berlin Thunder to a berth in World Bowl XII.
Through eight games, Davey has a passer rating of 109.6. If he continues at that pace, he will surpass the single season passer rating of 107.3 set by Scotland's KEVIN DAFT in 2000.
Davey has also thrown 18 touchdown passes this season and needs another seven to tie the single-season record of 25 set by DANNY WUERFFEL, of the Rhein Fire in 2000.
Vaas asks record crowd to come back for more in Cologne
A CLUB record crowd of 20,354 saw the Cologne Centurions defeat the Rhein Fire 7-6 in the RheinEnergieStadion on Sunday afternoon.
And following that nerve-testing one-point win over the Fire, Cologne head coach PETER VAAS is calling for fans to come back in Week 9 and support his team against the Amsterdam Admirals.
Vaas â who won two World Bowls and Coach of the Year honors during his time with the Berlin Thunder prior to joining the Centurions, says: "If you appreciate and understand American football at all you would have had a tremendous afternoon and a great Sunday's entertainment seeing us beat the Fire.
"I hope that many of the fans will have bought their tickets for next Sunday as they were leaving this game.
"I have this message for the fans: Same time, same place, different opponent, same result."
All three of Cologne's victories this season have come on home soil, where they have a 3-1 record. The Centurions have defeated Scotland, Berlin and Rhein at RheinEnergieStadion, with their only home loss coming against the Frankfurt Galaxy.
Still time for fans to vote for stars of 2004 NFLEL season
VOTING for the 2004 All-NFL Europe League team continues this week, with fans being invited to pick their favourite players on NFLEurope.com.
For the third year in a row, the fan poll will account for one third of the votes, with one third being made up of votes by the media and one third coming from the coaching staffs of the six NFL Europe League teams. Online voting ends on Monday May 31.
To vote for the top players from 2004, fans simply log on to NFLEurope.com and fill out the online ballot form. The All-NFLEL team, along with Offensive and Defensive MVPs and Coach of the Year, will be announced at World Bowl XII Media Day at Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on Wednesday June 9.
After one week of voting, the top online vote-getters, regardless of position, have been Berlin Thunder QB ROHAN DAVEY, Frankfurt Galaxy RB SKIP HICKS, Berlin C BEN CLAXTON, Berlin WR CHAS GESSNER and Scottish Claymores WR SCOTT McCREADY .
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 9 - Page 5
AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS (3-5)Head Coach: Bart Andrus (15-23 in NFLEL)Colours: Orange and blue
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: John Allen (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Darryl Sims (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 49-49
MEDIA CONTACT: Perry Hendriks
Phone: 31-20-465-0550
Fax: 31-20-465-0555
E-mail: hendriksp@admirals.nl
Internet: www.admirals.nl
LAST GAME: Lost 17-19 vs Scotland (5/21/04)
OFFENSE: 16 pts/game; 325 yds/game (rank 4); 96.1 yds rush/game (rank 4); 228.9 yds pass/game (rank 1)
Passing: Clint Stoerner, 1,504 yards
Rushing: Chris Downs, 437 yards
Receiving: Chris Taylor 33 rec; Chris Horn 529 yards
DEFENSE: 20.125 pts/game; 346.5 yds/game (rank 6); 134.5 rush yds/game (rank 6); 212 pass yds/game (rank 4)
Sacks: Charles Alston, 5.0
Interceptions: Todd Howard, 2
· THIS WEEK: at COLOGNE CENTURIONS ·
Head coach BART ANDRUS is hoping his team can continue to move the ball like they did in last week's loss to Scotland (367 yards), but cut down on the turnovers (4) that cost them the game. He says: "We didn't put our drives away. We moved the ball well but the thing that is disturbing is that we were not scoring. You can't expect to score points when you keep giving the ball away."... QB CLINT STOERNER (Miami Dolphins) has started all eight games for the Admirals (see table). With 297 career completions, he needs 11 to tie another ex-Claymores and Admirals QB, Kevin Daft, for second place all-time in the NFLEL. Took his career pass attempt to 521 last week, overtaking the total of 504 by Mike Perez (Frankfurt 91-92) for third all-time. With 3,370 career yards he needs 52 yards to tie Pat Barnes (Frankfurt 1999-2000) for third place in career yardage.... QB GIBRAN HAMDAN (Washington Redskins) completed 5 of 7 pass attempts for 88 yards last week, including the team's only TD pass... RB CHRIS DOWNS (Oakland Raiders) leads Amsterdam with 437 rushing yards this year after gaining 139 yards on 14 attempts, including 1 TD last week. Rushed for 42 yards on 15 carries against Cologne this year ... Running back MIKE MALAN gained 16 yards on 3 carries last week and caught 2 passes for 18 yards... WR CHRIS HORN (Kansas City Chiefs) leads NFL Europe in receiving yards (see table) and finally caught his first TD pass of the season last week... WR CHRIS TAYLOR (Houston Texans) was held to 1 catch for 33 yards last week and leads the team with 34 receptions this season. Led the team with 8 catches for 93 yards against Cologne in Week 7... Mexican WR CARLOS ROSADO has a season total of 16 catches but was forced to miss last week's game because of injury... Mexican WR ALEJANDRO GAMEZ caught 3 passes for 40 yards last week... TE TONY DONALD (Green Bay Packers) caught his fourth TD catch of the year against Cologne in Week 7 (see table)... DE CHARLES ALSTON (Atlanta Falcons) leads the team with 5 sacks on the season. Has posted 40 tackles ... LB JERRY SCHUMACHER (Chicago Bears) has recorded 38
tackles for the season after posting 7 last week... Japanese LB RIKIYA ISHIDA posted 2 tackles last week, giving him 23 for the season... LB DREW WAHLROOS led the team with 12 tackles last week for a total of 33 this season. Also had his first interception last week... CB TODD HOWARD leads the team with 2 interceptions... S JASON PERRY (New England Patriots) leads team with 63 tackles after posting 10 last week, including his second sack... DE CLINT MITCHELL posted 6 tackles last week... CB DON McGEE had 5 tackles and blocked a PAT last week... Dutch kicker SILVIO DILBERTO is in his eighth NFLEL season and has a club record 276 points to his name after kicking 2 PATs and a 20-yard FG last week.... K TODD SIEVERS (Houston Texans) has made two game-winning FGs this season. Missed from 49 yards on his only attempt last week.
QB CLINT STOERNER (Miami Dolphins), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: at Frank 25 14 158 1 3
Wk 2: vs Ber 41 30 329 1 0
Wk 3: at Sco 18 8 81 0 0
Wk 4: vs Frank 34 19 219 1 0
Wk 5: at Ber 32 18 249 3 1
Wk 6: at Rhe 18 11 122 0 0
Wk 7: vs Col 26 17 204 2 0
Wk 8: vs Scot 20 9 131 0 2
TOTAL 214 126 1,504 8 6
WR CHRIS HORN (Kansas City Chiefs), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Frank 5 73 0
Wk 2: vs. Ber 5 78 0
Wk 3: at Sco 2 31 0
Wk 4: vs Frank 4 70 0
Wk 5: at Ber 3 60 0
Wk 6: at Rhe 3 106 0
Wk 7: vs Col 3 31 0
Wk 8: vs Scot 4 80 1
TOTAL 29 529* 1
*Leads NFLEL
TE TONY DONALD (Green Bay Packers), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Frank 5 65 1
Wk 2: vs. Ber 4 38 0
Wk 3: at Sco 1 13 0
Wk 4: vs Frank 5 55 1
Wk 5: at Ber 2 40 1
Wk 6: at Rhe 4 31 0
Wk 7: vs Col 5 53 1
Wk 8" vs Scot 1 22 0
TOTAL 27 317 4
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 9 - Page 6
BERLIN THUNDER (7-1)Head Coach: Rick Lantz (7-1 in NFLEL)Colours: Black, green and gold
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Don Eck (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jim Tomsula (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 29-29
MEDIA CONTACT: Maik Matischak
Phone: 49-30-300-644-00
Fax: 49-30-300-644-77
E-mail: maik.matischak@berlin-thunder.de
Internet: www.berlin-thunder.de
LAST GAME: Won 31-27 vs. Frankfurt (5/22/04)
OFFENSE: 27.6 pts/game; 339 yds/game (rank 1); 112.8 rush yds/game (rank 2); 226.3 pass yds/game (rank 3)
Passing: Rohan Davey, 1,495 yards
Rushing: Eric McCoo, 534 yards
Receiving: Chas Gessner 32 rec, 481 yards
DEFENSE: 22 pts/game; 327.8 yds/game (rank 5); 75.4 rush yds/game (rank 1); 252.4 pass yds/game (rank 6)
Sacks: Corey Smith, 6.5
Interceptions: Keith Davis, 4
· THIS WEEK: at SCOTTISH CLAYMORES ·
Berlin head coach RICK LANTZ was very pleased following his team's 31-27 defeat of Frankfurt in Week 8 when he said: "Our quarterback made some great throws again and the receivers did a good job of coming down with the football. We also made some big plays on defense â everything came together for us to win the game."... QB ROHAN DAVEY (New England Patriots) threw 4 touchdowns in a game for the third time last week (see table). His 109.6 QB rating leads NFL Europe and keeps him on pace to break single season passer rating record of 107.3 set by Scotland's Kevin Daft in 2000. Needs 7 TD passes in final two games to tie the single season mark of 25 set by Rhein's Danny Wuerffel in 2000 ... QB DAVID RIVERS has completed 24 of 35 passes for 201 yards and 2 TDs this season... QB MARC DUNN (Kansas City Chiefs) completed 5 of 7 attempts for 41 yards last week... RB ERIC McCOO leads NFL Europe in rushing with 534 yards after adding his second 100-yard game in successive weeks. Earned NFLEL Offensive Player of the Week honors after gaining 187 total yards in Frankfurt (106 rushing and 81 on 5 catches with a touchdown)... RB RAY JACKSON (Tennessee Titans) has missed the last two games with a foot injury. Has rushed for 236 yards and a touchdown this season... WR CHAS GESSNER (New England Patriots) leads NFL Europe in receiving scores (see table) after catching 5 passes for 59 yards and a touchdown last week.... WR RICHARD ALSTON (Cleveland Browns) ranks second in NFL Europe in receiving touchdowns (see table) after catching 4 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown last week.... WR AARON BOONE (Chicago Bears) did not catch a pass last week and has 6 receptions for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns on the year... TE MIKE PINKARD (Kansas City Chiefs) has 19 receptions this season after adding 4 catches for 17 yards last week.... FB ED IEREMIA-STANSBURY (Houston Texans) scored his second touchdown of the season last week on a 1-yard pass from Davey... DE COREY SMITH (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) leads Berlin with 6.5 sacks this season. Recorded 3 tackles last weekend...
DE T.J. BINGHAM has 5 sacks this season after adding 4 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble in Frankfurt last week... DT MONTIQUE SHARPE (Kansas City Chiefs) recorded 3 tackles and his first sack of the season last week... DT TANK REESE (Indianapolis Colts) had his best showing of the season last week, recording 4 tackles, including a stop of Galaxy RB SKIP Hicks on fourth-and-one at the Berlin 10-yard line with 37 seconds remaining... German DE CHRISTIAN MOHR recorded 1 tackle last week... LB BRENDEN GIVAN (Miami Dolphins) leads the Thunder with 60 tackles this season after adding 8 tackles a and recovering a fumble against the Galaxy... LB LAWRENCE FLUGENCE (New England Patriots) recorded 3 tackles last week and has 39 stops to rank third on the team this season ... LB JASON KAZAR had 3 tackles last week, taking his season tally to 37... CB WILLIE FORD (Kansas City Chiefs) posted 1 tackle, 1 interception and 1 pass defense in Frankfurt. Ranks second on Thunder squad with 3 interceptions this season and has added 28 tackles... CB OLIVER CELESTIN recorded 5 tackles last week and has 31 on the year... S KEITH DAVIS (Dallas Cowboys) jointly leads NFLEL with 4 interceptions after adding a pick that set up Berlin's first touchdown last week. Ranks second on squad with 54 tackles this season... Danish K HEINZ QUAST leads all kickers with 44 points this season having converted 6 of 6 field goals and 26 of 28 PATs... P HAYDEN EPSTEIN (Denver Broncos) has averaged 39.8 yards per punt this season to rank third in NFL Europe.
QB ROHAN DAVEY (New England Patriots), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: vs Scot 14 8 106 0 0
Wk 2: at Ams 18 12 164 2 0
Wk 3: vs Col 27 19 279 4 1
Wk 4: at Rhe 26 17 198 1 2
Wk 5: vs Ams 17 10 149 4 0
Wk 6: at Col 24 10 132 1 0
Wk 7: vs Rhe 27 16 242 2 0
Wk 8: at Frank 25 16 225 4 2
TOTAL 178 108 1,495 18* 5
* Leads NFLEL
WR CHAS GESSNER (New England Patriots), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Scot 4 37 1
Wk 2: at Ams 4 77 2
Wk 3: vs Col 2 42 0
Wk 4: at Rhe 2 25 0
Wk 5: vs Ams 2 30 0
Wk 6: at Col 5 98 1
Wk 7: vs Rhe 8 113 1
Wk 8: at Frank 5 59 1
TOTAL 32 481 6*
* Leads NFLEL
WR RICHARD ALSTON (Cleveland Browns), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Scot 0 0 0
Wk 2: at Ams 1 3 0
Wk 3: vs Col 5 123 2
Wk 4: at Rhe 2 26 0
Wk 5: vs Ams 6 84 2
Wk 6: at Col 2 21 0
Wk 7: vs Rhe 5 87 0
Wk 8: at Frank 4 93 1
TOTAL 25 437 5
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 9 - Page 7
COLOGNE CENTURIONS (3-5)Head Coach: Peter Vaas (22-26 inNFLEL, plus 2-0 in World Bowl)Colours: Black, red and white
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Bob Bicknell (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: David Duggan (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 3-5
MEDIA CONTACT: Karsten Meier
Phone: 49-221-271-430
Fax: 49-221-271-43299
E-mail: Karsten.meier@cologne-centurions.de
Internet: www.cologne-centurions.de
LAST GAME: Won 7-6 vs. Rhein (5/23/04)
OFFENSE: 18.1 pts/game; 327.9 yds/game (rank 3); 101.4 yds rush/game (rank 3); 226.5 yds pass/game (rank 2)
Passing: Ryan Van Dyke, 1,765 yards
Rushing: Avon Cobourne, 451 yards
Receiving: Reggie Newhouse 35 rec, Carl Morris 452 yards
DEFENSE: 19.75 pts/game; 276.6 yds/game (rank 1); 99.8 rush yds/game (rank 4); 176.9 pass yds/game (rank 2)
Sacks: Felipe Claybrooks, 6.5
Interceptions: Six players, 1
· THIS WEEK: vs AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS ·
Head coach PETER VAAS will be looking for his team to maintain their impressive home form against the Admirals. All three of Cologne's victories have come on home soil, where they have a 3-1 record. Vaas says: "I hope that many of the fans from last week have bought tickets for this weekend's game because they had a great afternoon's entertainment."... Starting QB RYAN VAN DYKE (New York Giants) leads the league in passing yards, but also in interceptions, including 5 in the last 3 games (see table)... RB AVON COBOURNE (Detroit Lions) ranks third in NFL Europe in rushing yards (see table). He is still waiting for first TD since Week 1 against Rhein and has not yet scored a rushing TD this season.... RB ANTWON McCRAY was held to 0 yards on 3 carries last week but did grab 3 passes for 23 yards... RB JEREMY ALLEN (Atlanta Falcons) led Cologne with 23 rushing yards on 10 carries in his Centurions debut.... WR REGGIE NEWHOUSE (Arizona Cardinals) leads the team with 35 catches after posting 3 for 8 yards last week... WR CARL MORRIS (Miami Dolphins) leads the team in receiving yards (see table). Caught 4 passes for 80 yards last week... WR TODD DEVOE (Baltimore Ravens) has seen four of his 13 receptions go for touchdowns this season and has gained 223 yards (17.2 yards per catch).... WR ALBERT JOHNSON (Houston Texans) has returned 10 punts for 73 yards this season and added 13 kickoff returns for 285 yards. Has also caught 10 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown... Cologne native TE WERNER HIPPLER is still waiting to make his first career catch as a Centurion to add to the 78 catches for 847 yards he had for Frankfurt... Mexican WR MARCO MARTOS has scored 9 career touchdowns but all were in his first three seasons in NFLEL (1997-99). Returned 1 kickoff 7 yards last week. Has career totals of 70 receptions for 934 yards. Needs 66 receiving yards to become second national player in NFLEL history to reach 1,000 receiving yards. Is the all-time NFLEL leader with 57 kickoff returns. Is 52 yards behind all-time kickoff return yardage leader Jordan
Younger (1,103 for Rhein Fire 2001-03)... TE MARK INKROTT (New York Giants) has 13 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown this season but did not add to his tally last week... DE FELIPE CLAYBROOKS (Cleveland Browns) leads the team with 7.5 sacks, ranking third in NFLEL in that category. Posted 5 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 1 pass defense last week to earn NFLEL Defensive Player of the Week honors... DE ERIC POWELL (Green Bay Packers) recorded 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 pass defense last week. Has season totals of 17 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 3 pass defenses... LB BOBBY BROOKS (Oakland Raiders) posted 10 tackles last week for a team-high 47 this season. Also blocked a PAT against Rhein Fire last week... French LB CEDRIC COTAR has made 10 stops on defense this term... LB MARCUS REESE (Chicago Bears) recorded 3 tackles last week and has 30 to rank second on the team this season... CB WILL HUNTER recorded 3 tackles, 1 interception and 4 pass defenses vs. Rhein last week... CB ERWIN SWINEY (Green Bay Packers) made 6 tackles and knocked down 3 passes last week... S MARCUS FLOYD (Carolina Panthers) registered 4 tackles last week, taking season total to 20... Swedish K OLA KIMRIN has yet to miss a kick this season, connecting on 4/4 field goals and 16/16 PATs this season. Scored vital extra point in 7-6 win over Rhein last week.
QB RYAN VAN DYKE New York Giants ), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: at Rhein 24 18 240 2 0
Wk 2: vs Frank 27 12 99 0 3
Wk 3: at Berlin 31 19 229 3 2
Wk 4: vs Sco 18 15 159 2 0
Wk 5: at Frank 35 21 259 1 1
Wk 6: vs Ber 42 31 377 4 2
Wk 7: at Ams 32 20 273 1 2
Wk 8: vs Rhe 22 12 129 1 1
TOTAL 231* 148* 1,765* 14 11*
* Leads NFLEL
RB AVON COBOURNE (Detroit Lions), GAME-BY-GAME
Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Rhein 16 45 0 3 34 1
Wk 2: vs Frank 14 65 0 3 42 0
Wk 3: at Berlin 16 85 0 2 25 0
Wk 4: vs Sco 18 116 0 3 15 0
Wk 5: at Frank 10 30 0 1 7 0
Wk 6: vs Ber 14 60 0 7 65 0
Wk 7: at Ams 14 47 0 2 17 0
Wk 8: vs Rhe 1 3 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 103 451 0 21 205 1
WR CARL MORRIS (Miami Dolphins), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Rhein 4 50 0
Wk 2: vs Frank 3 53 1
Wk 3: at Berlin 5 75 2
Wk 4: vs Sco 1 8 0
Wk 5: at Frank 4 90 0
Wk 6: vs Ber 3 50 1
Wk 7: at Ams 4 46 0
Wk 8: vs Rhe 4 80 0
TOTAL 28 452 4
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 9 - Page 8
FRANKFURT GALAXY (6-2)Head Coach: Mike Jones (6-2) in NFLELColours: Purple, orange, red and white
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dwain Painter (4th season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Ed O'Neil (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 64-54
MEDIA CONTACT: Joachim Haas
Phone: 49-69-978-2790
Fax: 49-69-978-279099
E-mail: joachim.haas@frankfurt-galaxy.
Internet: www.frankfurt-galaxy.de
LAST GAME: Lost 27-31 vs. Berlin (5/22/04)
OFFENSE: 24 pts/game; 338.8 yds/game (rank 2); 138 rush yds/game (rank 1); 200.8 pass yds/game (rank 4)
Passing: J.T. O'Sullivan, 1,527 yards
Rushing: Skip Hicks, 523 yards
Receiving: Drew Haddad, 28 rec, 455 yards
DEFENSE: 17.1 pts/game; 291 yds/game (rank 4); 91.4 rush yds/game (rank 3); 199.6 pass yds/game (rank 3)
Sacks: Corey Jackson, 9.5
Interceptions: Lynaris Elpheage, Ricky Sharpe, Mason Unck, 2
· THIS WEEK: at RHEIN FIRE ·
The Galaxy clinched a record sixth World Bowl appearance despite suffering a Week 8 home loss to Berlin. Head coach MIKE JONES says: "We cannot let being in the World Bowl become a distraction. We have too much other stuff going on in terms of improving as a football team. We have the Rhein Fire this week so we cannot afford to look past them so we can get back at Berlin in Week 10."... QB J.T. O'SULLIVAN (New Orleans Saints) has started all eight games for the Galaxy this season (see table). Has thrown a TD in each of last six games. Went into last week's loss to Berlin with 2 interceptions on the season but threw 3 picks against the Thunder... QB KIRK FARMER (Kansas City Chiefs) did not see playing time at quarterback last week ... RB SKIP HICKS (Cincinnati Bengals) leads NFLEL in touchdowns (see table) after scoring twice against Berlin. Needs 3 more TDs to tie the single season record of 14 set by Barcelona's Lawrence Phillips in 1999... RB JEFF CHANEY rushed for 15 yards on 7 carries last week and added 2 catches for 13 yards... FB COREY McINTYRE has rushed for 76 yards and a TD this season and added 14 receptions for 98 yards and another score... WR DREW HADDAD (Indianapolis Colts) is Frankfurt's leading receiver (see table). Caught 4 passes for 57 yards last week and added 2 punt returns for 46 yards... WR DERRICK LEWIS (New Orleans Saints) caught 3 passes for 53 yards last week but lost a crucial fumble late in the fourth quarter. Has 23 receptions for 354 yards and 2 touchdowns this season... WR JASON WILLIS (Seattle Seahawks) caught 3 passes for 38 yards last week... WR JERMAINE LEWIS (Houston Texans) caught 2 passes for 39 yards and 1 TD last week and has 7 receptions for 129 yards and 2 TDs on the season... TE CHAD HAYES caught 2 passes for 24 yards and a second touchdown in as many games last week and has 10 receptions for 107 yards this season... DE COREY JACKSON (Cleveland Browns) leads NFL Europe with 9.5 sacks this season after adding 4 tackles and 1 sack against Berlin last week... DE BOBBY SETZER (Oakland Raiders) made 3 stops
against Berlin and ranks second in NFLEL with 8 sacks this season... DT CLENTON BALLARD (San Diego Chargers) recorded 3 tackles last week... German DT DANIEL BENETKA has made 12 tackles and added half a sack this season. Recorded 1 tackle against the Thunder... LB MASON UNCK (Cleveland Browns) leads the Galaxy with 46 tackles this season. Recorded 7 tackles, 1 interception and 1 pass defense during loss to Berlin... LB DUSTIN COHEN made 6 tackles last week and has 37 on the season... CB LYNARIS ELPHEAGE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) jointly leads the Galaxy with 2 interceptions and tops NFL Europe with 16 passes defended. Recorded 2 tackles and 1 pass defense last week... CB AHMAD BROOKS (New Orleans Saints) ranks second on the team with 46 tackles after adding 7 last week.... S CHRIS BROWN (Jacksonville Jaguars) led the Galaxy with 8 tackles last week and ranks third on the club with 45 tackles this year... S RICKY SHARPE (Cleveland Browns) recorded 4 tackles, 1 interception and 3 pass defenses last week... K RALF KLEINMANN has 323 career points for third place on the all-time scoring list. Ranks second in NFLEL in converted field goals (59) behind Scotland's Rob Hart.
QB J.T. O'SULLIVAN (New Orelans Saints ), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: vs Amst 16 10 148 1 0
Wk 2: at Col 18 11 85 0 0
Wk 3: vs Rhein 27 18 225 2 0
Wk 4: at Amst 34 20 276 2 1
Wk 5: vs Col 31 17 193 1 0
Wk 6: at Scot 25 14 192 1 1
Wk 7: vs Scot 20 13 182 1 0
Wk 8: vs Ber 25 17 226 2 3
TOTAL 196 120 1527 10 5
RB SKIP HICKS (Cincinnati Bengals), GAME-BY-GAME
Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Amst 20 86 1 1 7 0
Wk 2: at Col 8 25 1 0 0 0
Wk 3: vs Rhein 17 40 2 4 29 1
Wk 4: at Amst 23 74 0 7 138 1
Wk 5: vs Col 14 46 1 2 1 0
Wk 6: at Scot 23 64 0 3 9 0
Wk 7: vs Scot 16 123 2 2 10 0
Wk 8: vs Ber 20 65 2 1 2 0
TOTAL 141* 523* 9* 20 196 2
* Leads NFLEL
WR DREW HADDAD , GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Amst 4 37 0
Wk 2: at Col 1 14 1
Wk 3: vs Rhein 5 93 1
Wk 4: at Amst 4 41 0
Wk 5: vs Col 2 12 0
Wk 6: at Scot 5 100 0
Wk 7: vs Scot 3 101 0
Wk 8: vs Ber 4 57 0
TOTAL 28 455 2
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 9 - Page 9
RHEIN FIRE (3-4)Head Coach: Pete Kuharchek (21-17 in NFLEL, 0-2 in World Bowls)Colours: Burgundy, black and white
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Whitey Jordan (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Adrian White (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 54-44
MEDIA CONTACT: Markus Müller
Phone: 49-211-478-730
Fax: 49-211-478-7329
E-mail: markus.mueller@rhein-fire.de
Internet: www.rhein-fire.de
LAST GAME: Lost 6-7 at Cologne (5/23/04)
OFFENSE: 16.87 pts/game; 260.3 yds/game (rank 5); 76.3 rush yds/game (rank 6); 184 pass yds/game (rank 5)
Passing: Chad Hutchinson, 1,349
Rushing: Joffrey Reynolds, 304 yards
Receiving: Adam Herzing, 40 rec, 493 yards
DEFENSE: 17 pts/game; 288.6 yds/game (rank 2); 76.1 rush yds/game (rank 2); 212.5 pass yds/game (rank 4)
Sacks: David Nugent, 6.0
Interceptions: Abdual Howard, 4
· THIS WEEK: vs FRANKFURT GALAXY ·
Fire saw their World Bowl hopes extinguished in Cologne last week. Head coach PETE KUHARCHEK says: "It was a tough loss. We had our chances and with hindsight there might be a decision or two that I would like back, but you have to give credit to Cologne. They fought hard and made the plays at the end to win the game."... QB CHAD HUTCHINSON (Dallas Cowboys) has started all eight games for the Fire this season (see table). Has been sacked 24 times this season â more than any other starting QB in NFL Europe.... QB GREG ZOLMAN (Buffalo Bills) completed 5 of 6 passes for 63 yards last week and has a passer rating of 90.0 this season. Scored on a 1-yard run vs. Cologne... RB JOFFREY REYNOLDS (Cleveland Browns) leads the team in rushing (see table) after adding 62 yards on 11 carries last week... RB WALTER WILLIAMS (Green Bay Packers) saw his first action in a Fire uniform since Week 1 after coming off IR. Led team with 68 rushing yards on 14 carries.... WR ADAM HERZING (San Francisco 49ers) leads NFL Europe with 552 receiving yards on 40 catches after adding 6 receptions for 59 yards last weekend... WR WILLIE QUINNIE (Atlanta Falcons) jointly leads the Fire in receptions (see table) and has caught at least 4 passes in each of the past seven games... WR SHOCKMAIN DAVIS (Green Bay Packers) caught a 2-yard pass last week. Needs one more kickoff return TD to break the single season record he currently shares with Richard Alston (Rhein Fire 2002)... WR NATE JACKSON (San Francisco 49ers) caught 2 passes for 32 yards last weekend... TE DWAYNE BLAKLEY (Tennessee Titans) caught a 5-yard pass last week and has 15 receptions for 147 yards last week... TE DANIEL WILCOX had a 15-yard catch last week.... DE DAVID NUGENT (Oakland Raiders) leads the Fire with 6 sacks. Registered 2 tackles last week... DE SEAN GUTHRIE (New York Giants) has 15 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles this season after adding 3 tackles last week... DE RANDY GARNER made 2 tackles last week and has 31 tackles and 4 sacks this season... DT CEDRIC KILLINGS (Washington Redskins) had
3 tackles last week... LB MAUGAULA TUITELE recorded a team-high 5 tackles last week and recovered a fumble. Ranks third on the Fire with 35 tackles this season... LB CHARLES BURTON ranks second on the Fire defense with 36 tackles after adding 2 last week... CB EARTHWIND MORELAND has made 17 tackles and knocked down 9 passes this season... S ABDUAL HOWARD leads the Fire with 48 tackles after adding a team-leading 5 in Cologne. Jointly leads NFL Europe with 4 interceptions this season after adding a pick against the Centurions... German S RICHARD YANCY has recorded 24 tackles, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 1 pass defense in eight games this season... K INGO ANDERBRÃGGE has scored 28 points this season but has had 2 PATs blocked. Has converted 13 of 15 extra points and 5 of 6 field goals... K MIKE SHAFER (Buffalo Bills) was short on a 42-yard field goal attempt last week... P BROOKS BARNARD (Chicago Bears) has a net average of 34.8 on 37 punts this season to rank second in NFLEL in that department.
QB CHAD HUTCHINSON (Dallas Cowboys), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: vs Col 14 8 101 0 1
Wk 2: vs Sco 18 14 141 1 0
Wk 3: at Fra 22 12 128 1 0
Wk 4: vs Ber 27 16 172 0 1
Wk 5: at Sco 28 18 145 0 0
Wk 6: vs Ams 27 20 263 2 0
Wk 7: at Ber 42 26 305 1 1
Wk 8: at Col 26 11 94 0 1
TOTAL 204 125 1349 5 4
WR WILLIE QUINNIE (Atlanta Falcons), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Col 2 4 1
Wk 2: vs Sco 4 50 1
Wk 3: at Fra 5 46 0
Wk 4: vs Ber 5 48 0
Wk 5: at Sco 6 36 0
Wk 6: vs. Ams 9 92 1
Wk 7: at Ber 5 48 0
Wk 8: at Col 4 38 0
TOTAL 40 362 3
RB JOFFREY REYNOLDS (Cleveland Browns), GAME-BY-GAME
No Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Col 15 58 0 1 14 0
Wk 2: vs Sco 13 31 2 2 13 0
Wk 3: at Fra 14 34 0 5 29 0
Wk 4: vs Ber 8 -4 1 2 20 0
Wk 5: at Sco 9 35 0 0 0 0
Wk 6: vs. Ams 13 75 0 1 2 0
Wk 7: at Ber 7 13 1 2 6 0
Wk 8: at Col 11 62 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 90 304 4 13 84 0
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2004, Week 9 â Page 10
SCOTTISH CLAYMORES (2-6)Head Coach: Jack Bicknell (61-57 in NFLEL, 2-5 in post-season)Colours: Navy, white and silver
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Vince Martino (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dan Daniel (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 43-55
MEDIA CONTACT: Steve Livingstone
Phone: 44-141-222-3801
Fax: 44-141-222-3828
E-mail: slivingstone@claymores.co.uk
Internet: www.claymores.com
LAST GAME: Won 19-17 at Amsterdam (5/21/04)
OFFENSE: 11.125 pts/game; 229.6 yds/game (rank 6); 82.8 rush yds/game(rank 5); 146.9 pass yds/game (rank 6)
Passing: Curt Anes 611 yards
Rushing: Maurice Hicks, 228 yards
Receiving: Scott McCready, 47 rec, 414 yards
DEFENSE: 17.75 pts/game; 290 yds/game (rank 2); 130.1 rush yds/game (rank 5); 159.9 pass yds/game (rank 1)
Sacks: Damian Gregory, 4.5
Interceptions: Alphonso Roundtree, 2
· THIS WEEK: vs BERLIN THUNDER ·
Claymores head home to close the season with two games at Hampden Park after gaining first road victory of the season in Amsterdam last week. Head coach JACK BICKNELL says: "Hopefully we will keep getting better. You just want the players thinking about winning the last two games to make ourselves feel better about the season."... QB NATE HYBL (Cleveland Browns) started the first seven games of the season (see table) but did not see playing time last week... QB CURT ANES (Detroit Lions) was given his first start of the season last week, completing 5 of 8 passes for 38 yards. Scored the team's only offensive touchdown on a 1-yard run ... QB TOM ARTH (Indianapolis Colts) saw his first action of the season last week, bringing the Claymores back to win in the fourth quarter. He led team with 61 rushing yards on 7 carries and completed 9 of 18 passes for 96 yards with 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions... Coach Bicknell is uncertain about his quarterback line-up for this week, but says: "I will only use two quarterbacks this week and I don't think I will take Tom out of the rotation. Last week I had planned to play Curt in the fourth quarter but Tom was making some plays with his feet. I thought he had something going on and I decided to stick with him. I'm glad I did."... RB MAURICE HICKS (San Francisco 49ers) leads the Claymores in rushing (see table)... RB AHMAAD GALLOWAY (Denver Broncos) gained 13 yards on 7 carries last week and caught 1 pass for minus 1 yard.... English WR SCOTT McCREADY leads NFL Europe in receptions (see table). He is bidding to become the first national player to led the league in a major individual non-kicking category.... Scottish WR SCOTT COUPER is the all-time receiving leader among national players with 105 catches for 1,130 yards and 12 touchdowns. Has 4 catches for 41 yards this season... WR RONALD BELLAMY (Miami Dolphins) caught a 4-yard pass last week... WR HERB HAYGOOD (Kansas City Chiefs) did not catch a pass last week but rushed twice for 13 yards... TE MARCUS HELFMAN (San Francisco 49ers) has 15 catches this season
after catching 3 passes for 18 yards last week. Caught 3 passes for 42 yards and 1 touchdown against Berlin in Week 1.... RB IAN SMART (New York Jets) rushed for 26 yards on 11 carries last week... DT DAMIAN GREGORY recorded 2 tackles last week and has 31 this season. Leads the team with 4.5 sacks... DE ROBERT FLICKINGER leads all national players with 13.5 career sacks. Has 11 tackles and 1 sack this season ... LB JIMMY McCLAIN (Jacksonville Jaguars) ranks joint first on the team with 54 tackles after posting 2 last week ... LB RYAN MYERS (New York Jets) is joint first on the Claymores with 54 tackles after adding 1 last week... LB HOWARD CLARK (Philadelphia Eagles) blocked a punt last week... CB ALPHONSO ROUNDTREE (Miami Dolphins) had his first 2 interceptions of the season last week and knocked down 3 passes... CB BRAD FRANKLIN (Seattle Seahawks) scored a touchdown on a 67-yard fumble return last week and added 2 tackles... S THOMAS WRIGHT (Tennessee Titans) led the team with 6 tackles last week and also forced a fumble.... K ROB HART is the all-time leading scorer in NFLEL history. Took his career tally to 346 points last week when he made 1 PAT and 2 of 3 FGs, including a 43-yarder to win the game with 1:24 remaining. Has now converted 60 career field goals, giving him the all-time NFLEL lead ahead of Frankfurt's Ralf Kleinmann (59).
QB NATE HYBL (Cleveland Browns), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: at Ber 24 17 147 1 0
Wk 2: at Rhe 19 13 111 0 1
Wk 3: vs Ams 14 7 45 0 1
Wk 4: at Col 22 10 89 0 0
Wk 5: vs Rhe 18 11 120 1 1
Wk 6: vs Frank 12 8 66 0 0
Wk 7: at Frank 11 6 32 0 0
Wk 8: at Ams Did not play
TOTAL 120 72 610 2 3
WR SCOTT McCREADY, GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Ber 11 67 1
Wk 2: at Rhe 4 31 0
Wk 3: vs Ams 4 35 0
Wk 4: at Col 4 51 0
Wk 5: vs Rhe 8 62 0
Wk 6: vs Frank 1 6 0
Wk 7: at Frank 8 71 0
Wk 8: at Ams 7 91 0
TOTAL 47* 414 1
* Leads NFLEL
RB MAURICE HICKS (San Francisco 49ers), GAME-BY-GAME
No Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Ber 4 24 0 1 8 0
Wk 2: at Rhe 5 23 0 2 8 0
Wk 3: vs Ams 12 59 0 1 7 0
Wk 4: at Col 3 1 0 3 22 0
Wk 5: vs Rhe 8 29 0 5 44 0
Wk 6: vs Frank 1 5 0 1 7 0
Wk 7: at Frank 8 43 2 1 -2 0
Wk 8: at Ams 13 44 0 2 14 0
TOTAL 54 228 2 16 108 0
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS NFL Europe 2004, Week 9 - Page 11
BERLIN THUNDER (7-1) at
SCOTTISH CLAYMORES (2-6)
Hampden Park, Glasgow, Saturday May 29, 2:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Berlin leads 6-5
At Scotland: Scotland leads 3-2
At Berlin: Berlin leads 4-2
Streak: Berlin 1
This Season: Scotland 14 at Berlin 20 (Week 1)
TELEVISION
UK: HIGHLIGHTS/Sky Sports Xtra (9:00 p.m. BST)
US: LIVE/DirecTV (9:00 a.m. ET)
British play-by-play announcer NICK HALLING is joined in the broadcast booth by former Detroit and Chicago quarterback ERIK KRAMER.
COACHES
JACK BICKNELL has more regular season wins than any other coach in NFL Europe (61). The last of his four World Bowl appearances with the Barcelona Dragons came against the Berlin Thunder in 2001... RICK LANTZ coached under Jack Bicknell at the Dragons in 2003. Is first rookie coach to lead his team to World Bowl since Dick Curl (Frankfurt 1998).
GAME NOTES
The team at the top of the NFLEL standings plays the team currently at the bottom as the Thunder visits the Claymores, but fans at Hampden Park could see a close game on Saturday afternoon... Seven of Berlin's eight games have been decided by one score or less (8 points), while six of Scotland's eight games have been settled by one score or less... The Thunder have qualified for their third World Bowl in the past four seasons... Berlin needs two more wins to join the 1991 London Monarchs and the 1995 Amsterdam Admirals as the only teams to post 9-1 regular season records in NFLEL history... The Claymores need one more win to avoid tying for the worst finish in club history (2-8 in 1995 and 1998)... Scotland needs to score 14 more points in the final two games to avoid setting the record for fewest points in a season (102 by the 1992 Barcelona Dragons)... Scotland has got its rushing attack on track since recording an NFLEL-record low 12 yards against Frankfurt in Week 6. Since then, the Claymores have rushed for 137 yards in Frankfurt in Week 7 and 175 yards in Amsterdam in Week 8. Scotland averaged 58.3 rushing yards per game in the first six contests of the year and 156 yards per game in their last two matches... Berlin boasts NFL Europe's top-ranked offense, averaging 339 yards per game and 5.8 yards per play... Berlin has scored more points (221) and more touchdowns (28) than any other team in the league. Berlin needs to score 90 points in its final two games to set a single season points record (310 by 1991 London Monarchs). With 66 points, Berlin will move past the 1999 Rhein Fire (286 points) for second place on that list. If they score 64 points, Berlin will move past the 1992 New York/New Jersey Knights and will have scored the third-most points of any team in a single season... Berlin's passing attack has powered the offense for much of the season. The Thunder ranks first in team QB rating (105.0), yards per completion (12.89), fewest sacks allowed (9) and touchdown passes (22)... Berlin leads NFL Europe in third down conversions (46 of 94 for a 48.9 percent success rate), while Scotland's defense has been best in the league in getting opponents off the field on third down (29 of 94 for a 30.9 percent success rate)... Scotland's quarterbacks have been sacked 24 times this year â second-most in NFLEL, while Berlin has recorded 21 sacks to rank second in the league... Berlin won the first meeting between the teams this season with touchdowns coming from QB ROHAN DAVEY and WR CHAS GESSNER.
FRANKFURT GALAXY (6-2)
at RHEIN FIRE (3-5)
Arena AufSchalke, Saturday May 29, 7:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Rhein leads 13-6 (teams tied 1-1 in World Bowls)
At Rhein: Rhein leads 6-3
At Frankfurt: Rhein leads 7-3
Streak: Frankfurt 2
This Season: Rhein 10 at Frankfurt 28
TELEVISION
Germany: LIVE/Premiere Sport 2 (7:00 p.m. CET)
US: LIVE/NFL Network (1:00 p.m. ET)
Joining play-by-play announcer DERRIN HORTON to call the game is former NFL linebacker HARDY NICKERSON.
COACHES
MIKE JONES has gone 6-2 in his rookie year as a head coach. Has reached fifth World Bowl, having coached in four as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator with the Rhein Fire... PETE KUHARCHEK is in his fourth season as head coach of the Fire and led his team to World Bowls in 2002 and 2003.
GAME NOTES
Rhein has had the better of NFL Europe's biggest rivalry, winning 13 of the 19 regular season games played to date. However, Frankfurt has won the last three meetings by 38-7 (Wk 9, 2003), 35-16 (World Bowl XI) and 28-10 scorelines... Frankfurt has qualified for a record sixth World Bowl appearance and is aiming to win the league crown for a record fourth time. If they are successful in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday June 12, the Galaxy will become only the second team in league history to win back-to-back World Bowls (Berlin 2001-02)... Frankfurt's offense ranks second in NFLEL, averaging 338.8 yards per game... Frankfurt ranks second in points scored (192) and touchdowns scored (24)... The Galaxy boasts the league's top rushing attack, ranking first in yards per game (138), average yards per rush (4.3) and rushing touchdowns (13)... By contrast, the usually strong Rhein Fire running game has ranked sixth in NFLEL this season, averaging 76.3 yards per game at an average of 3.1 yards per rush... Frankfurt's defense ranks fourth in NFLEL in yards allowed but first in turnovers (21), interceptions (10), fumble recoveries (11) and quarterback sacks (23)... The Fire offensive line has conceded 26 sacks this season â most in NFL Europe... Rhein needs two wins in the final two games of the year to avoid posting a losing season for the first time since the 1996 campaign (3-7)... The Fire defense ranks second overall in yards allowed (288.6) and third in QB sacks (20). The Fire has conceded the fewest points in NFL Europe this season (136)... Rhein has scored a league-high 4 touchdowns on returns and recoveries this season. The Fire has tied the league record with 3 kickoff returns for touchdowns this season, tying their own mark set in 2002... Frankfurt has yet to make a fourth down conversion this season, going 0 for 3 on fourth downs. They are the only team in the league not to have a successful fourth down conversion this season... Rhein quarterbacks have completed 62.6 percent of their passes this season â second in NFLEL... Frankfurt quarterbacks have thrown just 5 interceptions in eight games this season â fewest in NFL Europe â but 3 of those picks came last week vs. Berlin... Frankfurt leads NFLEL with a +9 turnover ratio (21 takeaways to 12 giveaways)... In last meeting between teams, RB SKIP HICKS scored on runs of 4 and 10 yards, and caught a 15-yard scoring pass from QB J.T. O'SULLIVAN as the Galaxy cruised to victory.
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS / RECAP OF WEEK 8 NFL Europe 2004, Week 9 - Page 12
AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS (3-5)
at COLOGNE CENTURIONS (3-5)
RheinEnergieStadion, Sunday May 30, 4:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Amsterdam leads 1-0
At Cologne: First meeting between teams in Cologne
At Amsterdam: Amsterdam leads 1-0
Streak: Amsterdam 1
This season: Cologne 10 at Amsterdam 17 (Week 7)
TELEVISION
US: DELAY/FOX (2:00 p.m. ET)
CURT MENEFEE is joined in the broadcast booth by former NFL offensive lineman and current FOX NFL Sunday color analyst BRIAN BALDINGER.
COACHES
PETER VAAS won World Bowl rings as head coach of the Berlin Thunder in 2001 and 2002. He was named NFLEL Coach of the Year in 2002... BART ANDRUS is in his fourth season as Admirals head coach. Served as QB coach of the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV and as offensive coordinator of the Rhein Fire in World Bowl 2000.
GAME NOTES
Centurions will look to round out their home schedule with another win. The surroundings of the RheinEnergieStadion have proven to be very comfortable for the Centurions this season, where they have compiled a 3-1 home record... By contrast, the Admirals are 1-3 on the road this season... Footballs should fill the air on Sunday as the Admirals have attempted more passes than any other NFL Europe League team this season (273) and have racked up an average of 228.9 passing yards per game (first in NFLEL)... Thirteen different players have caught passes for the Admirals this season â most of any team in the league... Cologne's defense ranks first in NFL Europe in yards allowed (276.6 yards per game). Both clubs have struggled with turnovers this season. Cologne has turned it over a league-high 20 times (11 interceptions, 9 fumbles), while the Admirals rank second in turnovers, giving the ball away 17 times (9 interceptions and 8 fumbles)... Amsterdam needs two wins to avoid posting a losing record for the sixth season in a row. The Admirals already hold an unwanted league record with five losing campaigns in a row (1999-2003)... Amsterdam has fumbled a league-high 17 times this season... Cologne's offense ranks third in NFL Europe with 327.9 yards per game but come out on top in average time of possession per game (32:34)... Teams have had contrasting fortunes on field goals this season. Cologne ranks first in NFLEL having converted 7 of 8 field goals (87.5 percent success rate), while Amsterdam ranks sixth having hit on 9 of 20 field goals (45.0 percent success rate)... Amsterdam quarterbacks have been sacked 22 times this season â third-most in NFL Europe... Cologne's offensive line has allowed just 12 sacks this year â second-fewest in NFLEL... In first meeting between the clubs this season, the Centurions committed 5 turnovers as the Admirals recorded a 17-10 victory in the Amsterdam ArenA. Touchdowns for the Admirals came on CLINT STOERNER passes of 22 yards to WR WILSON THOMAS and 13 yards to TE TONY DONALD. Cologne's lone touchdown came on a 13-yard pass from QB RYAN VAN DYKE to WR TODD DEVOE.
· WEEK EIGHT RECAP ·
Scottish Claymores 19, Amsterdam Admirals 17
(Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam. Attendance: 10,738)
Chris Downs (Admirals) 139 rushing yards, 1 TD
Alphonso Roundtree (Claymores) 2 interceptions
Rob Hart (Claymores) kicked game-winning FG
Berlin Thunder 31, Frankfurt Galaxy 27
(Waldstadion, Frankfurt. Attendance: 30,812)
Rohan Davey (Thunder) 225 yards, 4 TD
J.T. O'Sullivan (Galaxy) 226 yards, 2 TD
Eric McCoo (Thunder) 187 total yards, 1 TD
Skip Hicks (Galaxy) 65 rushing yards, 2 TD
Rhein Fire 6, Cologne Centurions 7
(RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne. Attendance: 20,354)
Felipe Claybrooks (Centurions) 5 tackles, 3.5 sacks
Bobby Brooks (Centurions) 10 tackles, 1 blocked PAT
Eric Powell (Centurions) 4 tackles, 2 sacks
National Football League Europa Stories from May 25, 2004
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