NFL Europa 2007 Training Camp Preview
Published on March 8, 2007 under National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release
FANS who attended Super Bowl XLI between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears may still be drying out from the tropical downpour in Miami but it's already time for more football.
More than 350 professional football players from all 32 NFL teams and more than a dozen countries around the world descend on the Tampa Bay area during the month of March for NFL Europa League training camp as the Amsterdam Admirals, Berlin Thunder, Cologne Centurions, Frankfurt Galaxy, Hamburg Sea Devils and Rhein Fire begin serious preparations for NFL Europa's 15th season, which kicks off on Saturday April 14.
The 2007 campaign will mark the head coaching debut of JOHN ALLEN, as he takes charge of the three-time World Bowl champion Berlin Thunder. Former Berlin boss RICK LANTZ will attempt to lead the Rhein Fire to glory this term.
As the MIKE JONES-coached Frankfurt Galaxy set out to defend their league title, all six teams will practice daily in Florida and scrimmage against each other before making final roster cuts ahead of the trip to Europe.
Only once those cuts have been made can the remaining players begin to get excited about opening weekend.
The 2007 campaign will conclude with World Bowl XV taking place at Frankfurt's Commerzbank Arena on Saturday June 23.
NFLEL Training Camp Scrimmage Schedule
Tuesday March 20 - Combined Practices
All to be played at Ed Radice Sports Complex, Tampa
Amsterdam vs. Hamburg 9:00 am
Cologne vs. Rhein 12:00 pm
Frankfurt vs. Berlin 3:00 pm
Saturday March 24 - Game condition scrimmages
All to be played at Jefferson High School, Tampa
Berlin vs. Amsterdam 9:00 am
Hamburg vs. Cologne 12:00 pm
Rhein vs. Frankfurt 3:00 pm
Wednesday March 28 - Combined Practices
All to be played at Ed Radice Sports Complex, Tampa
Berlin vs. Cologne 9:00 am
Amsterdam vs. Frankfurt 11:30 am
Hamburg vs. Rhein 2:00 pm
Saturday March 31 - Game condition scrimmages
All to be played at Jefferson High School, Tampa
Frankfurt vs. Cologne 8:30 am
Rhein vs. Amsterdam 10:00 am
Hamburg vs. Berlin 11:30 am
AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS
HEAD COACH: Bart Andrus (7th season. 30-30 record)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Ron Heller (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Richard Kent (3rd season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 64-56 (7-3 in 2006)
TRAINING CAMP HOTEL: Clarion Hotel, Tampa
TRAINING CAMP MEDIA CONTACT: Perry Hendriks, Michael Chasanoff.
Phone: 1-813-972-2302. Fax: 1-813-972-2314
E-mail: hendriksp@admirals.nl
Internet: www.admirals.nl
=== ADMIRALS PRESEASON NOTES ===
Head coach BART ANDRUS leads the Admirals into the 2007 season looking to reach World Bowl for the third year in a row... Andrus says: "I am hoping we will be in a position to really compete when the season starts. We need to make sure we are ready from game one."... QB DREW OLSON (Baltimore Ravens) was one of college football's most prolific passers during his four years at UCLA, where he ranks second on the school's all-time charts with 8,532 passing yards and 67 touchdowns... QB MATT BOHNET is an athletic free agent who started for two seasons at Eastern Michigan. The speedy passer threw for 4,994 yards and 35 touchdowns... QB COREY BRAMLET is the younger brother of Hamburg Sea Devils passer Casey Bramlet. He started two years at Wyoming, throwing for 2,610 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior... Speaking about his quarterbacks, Andrus says: "I feel very fortunate but won't say that one of the three will be my choice right now. They will all get a chance during training camp."... RB CEDRIC HUMES (New York Giants) was a seventh round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006. The tough, pile-moving rusher from Virginia Tech, who was MVP of the 2005 Gator Bowl, has practice squad experience with Pittsburgh and the Giants... RB JONATHAN SMITH helped the Admirals win a World Bowl in 2005, leading the team with 711 yards and 2 touchdowns. He scored on an 18-yard run in the title game win over Berlin... RB LARRY CROOM returns for a second season in Amsterdam and a third in NFL Europa. Played for Hamburg in 2005 and gained 427 rushing yards and scored 6 TDs last season. Started at RB for the Arizona Cardinals during the 2004 NFL regular season... WR JUSTIN McCULLUM (Carolina Panthers) spent part of the 2006 season on Carolina's practice squad... WR HARRY WILLIAMS (Houston Texans) is a former college sprint star at Tuskegee who has practice squad experience with New York Jets, Chicago Bears and Houston... WR CHRIS DENNEY (Buffalo Bills) has good size at 6-foot-3 and 224 pounds and boasts sure hands that reeled in 123 passes at Nebraska-Omaha... WR RICHIE ROSS (Tennessee Titans) has practice squad experience with the Titans and was one of the top wideouts in school history at Nebraska-Kearney. Caught 1 pass in NCAA Division II record 44 straight games... WR JUSTIN SURRENCY (Minnesota Vikings) earned All-Conference honors as a receiver and return man at Northern Iowa... TE ROB ABIAMIRI (Baltimore Ravens) boasts experience on
Baltimore's practice squad... TE BEN HALL played for the Admirals in 2006, catching 9 passes for 70 yards and 1 touchdown... C DONOVAN RAIOLA was a three-year starter at Wisconsin, earning All-Big 10 honors... C BRIAN BARTHELMES (New England Patriots) has practice squad experience with the AFC East champions... G TRE STALLINGS (Kansas City Chiefs) was a sixth round draft choice of the Chiefs in 2006. Played at left and right tackle positions during college career at Mississippi... G ADAM STENAVICH (Green Bay Packers) earned All-Big 10 honors at Michigan... T TONY PAPE (San Diego Chargers) earned All-Big 10 and All-America honors as a three-year starter at Michigan. Played for Berlin in NFL Europa in 2005... T MARKO CAVKA started every game at left tackle for the Admirals in 2006... T JEREMY DARVEAU was a two-year starter at Louisville... DE WILLIE EVANS (New Orleans Saints) recorded 15 sacks as a senior at Mississippi State after beginning his college career as a fullback... DE TIM JONES is a former tight end who recorded 10.5 sacks during his college career at South Florida... DT LYNN McGRUDER (Seattle Seahawks) was a hero on and off the field during his college career at Oklahoma. In 2003, he pulled four passengers from a burning car following an automobile accident and then put out the fire... DT ALVIN SMITH (Cleveland Browns) spent part of the 2006 campaign on Cleveland's practice squad. Earned All-Pac 10 honorable mention award while anchoring Oregon State's conference-leading run defense in 2005... DT NORMAN HEUER won a World Bowl with the Admirals in 2005, recording 20 tackles and 1 sack... DT LARRY DIBBLES was an All-Big 12 selection at Texas... LB KURT KAHUI (San Diego Chargers) was a walk-on at San Diego State who became a starter in college and a member of the Chargers practice squad in 2006... LB TONY ROBINSON (Seattle Seahawks) led Winston Salem State University in tackles for three years in a row and was the South Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2005... LB DERRICK BALLARD returns for a third season with the Admirals. Recorded 30 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 interception last term and also scored on a league record 95-yard fumble return... LB GREG CAROTHERS won a World Bowl in Amsterdam two years ago, ranking second on the club with 58 tackles and 2 forced fumbles... LB WENDELL HUNTER spent the 2005 season on Buffalo's practice squad... CB KEVIN GARRETT (Carolina Panthers) was a fifth round draft choice of the St. Louis Rams in 2003. He played in 24 regular season games for the Rams and Houston Texans, recording 21 tackles and 4 passes defended... CB BRENT GRIMES (Atlanta Falcons) was a three-time All-Conference selection at Shippensburg, where he set school records for interceptions (27) and combined kick and punt return yards (2,316)... CB ABRAHAM ELIMIMIAN played for the Admirals in 2006, recording 35 tackles and 1 interception... CB JACOB ELIMIMIAN is Abraham's younger brother who starred at San Diego State... S JAMIE THOMPSON (New York Jets) played three years at Oklahoma State, recording 181 tackles and 7.5 sacks... S GRANT MASON (Pittsburgh Steelers) started 13 games at Michigan and registered 105 tackles.
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europa 2007, Preseason - Page 3
BERLIN THUNDER
HEAD COACH: John Allen (1st season)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Don Lawrence (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Adrian White (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 40-39-1 (2-7-1 in '06)
TRAINING CAMP HOTEL: Mainsail Village, Tampa
TRAINING CAMP MEDIA CONTACT: Cem Herder, Andrew Lutzky
Phone: 1-813-290-3903 Fax: 1-813-290-3904
E-mail: cem.herder@berlin-thunder.de
Internet: www.berlin-thunder.de
=== THUNDER PRESEASON NOTES ===
JOHN ALLEN will attempt to get Berlin back on a winning course when he makes his head coaching debut in 2007. Heading into camp, Allen says: "I am very excited about our team and have a good feeling about our talent. I'm looking forward to the start of camp and seeing these guys on the field."... QB OMAR JACOBS (Kansas City Chiefs) was a fifth round draft choice of Pittsburgh in 2006. Has practice squad experience with the Steelers and Philadelphia. Was a Heisman Trophy candidate during career at Bowling Green, where he threw for 6,938 yards, 71 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions... QB TRAVIS LULAY (Seattle Seahawks) threw for 10,746 yards and 58 touchdowns in four years at Montana State... QB WALTER WASHINGTON is a strong-armed free agent who can also hurt opponents with his legs. Scored 4 rushing touchdowns in a single game at Temple... RB CHRIS BARCLAY (Cleveland Browns) spent the final two weeks of 2006 on Cleveland's active roster, playing against Tampa Bay. Is the career leader at Wake Forest after rushing for 4,032 yards and 40 touchdowns while posting 15 100-yard games... RB DAMIEN RHODES is one of the most productive backs in Syracuse history, ranking fifth on the all-time charts with 3,972 all-purpose yards and 24 rushing touchdowns... RB SHA-RON EDWARDS led the Gateway Conference with 1,605 rushing yards at Illinois State in 2003... WR CARLTON BREWSTER (Green Bay Packers) was traded to Green Bay from Cleveland last August and spent the 2006 campaign on the Packers' practice squad. Caught 234 passes for 3,184 yards and 25 touchdowns to rank second on Ferris State receiving charts... WR RYAN HOAG (Washington Redskins) was a seventh round pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2003 and was that draft's Mr. Irrelevant - the title given to the last overall selection. Has spent time on Minnesota's active roster and has practice squad experience with New York Giants and Washington... WR STEVE SANDERS (Cleveland Browns) was a college team-mate of Jacobs at Bowling Green, where he caught 156 passes... WR RICH MUSINSKI returns for a second season in Berlin after leading the Thunder with 23 receptions for 277 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2006... TE CHARLES DAVIS (New York Giants) was a fifth round draft choice of the Steelers in 2006. Started 33 games at Purdue and, at 6-foot-5 and 263 pounds, was also an imposing member of the school
basketball team... TE ALEX SHOR (Arizona Cardinals) will also provide his quarterback with a big target at 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds... C JASPER HARVEY (Philadelphia Eagles) was on the Eagles' practice squad in 2006. Excelled as a run blocker at San Diego State... C/G ROB HUNT (Kansas City Chiefs) was a fifth round draft choice of Indianapolis in 2005. Has practice squad experience with Denver and played for the Rhein Fire in 2006... G MATT ULRICH (Indianapolis Colts) has played in 10 regular season games for the Colts (5 in 2005 and 5 in 2006)... G TYLER McMEANS (Chicago Bears) is a former U.S. Marine... G STEVEN VIEIRA was on Cincinnati's active roster in 2005 and played for the Hamburg Sea Devils in 2006... DE MIKE BROWN (St. Louis Rams) ended the 2006 season on the Rams' practice squad. Recorded 19.5 sacks at Howard University, including 12 as a senior... DE SEANTE WILLIAMS played for Frankfurt in 2005, recording 25 tackles and 5 sacks... DE BOBBY PAYNE has training camp experience with the San Francisco 49ers... DE MIKE MENDENHALL recorded a career-high 6 sacks as a senior at Temple... DT WALTER CURRY (Jacksonville Jaguars) played for the Rhein Fire last season, notching 21 tackles and 1 sack... DT BRYANT SHAW (Washington Redskins) played for the Scottish Claymores in 2001 and Berlin Thunder in 2002. Has NFL Europa figures of 21 tackles and 5 sacks... DT LAUVALE SAPE has played 10 regular season games for the Buffalo Bills (1 in 2003 and 9 in 2005), recording 8 tackles and 1 fumble recovery... LB JASON BERRYMAN (Cincinnati Bengals) was the MVP of the 2005 Houston Bowl during his college career at Iowa State... LB TIM GOODWELL (Green Bay Packers) was a two-year starter at Memphis, where he recorded 249 tackles and 7 sacks... LB JAMEEL DUMAS played for the Rhein Fire in 2006, recording 11 tackles on defense and 6 special teams stops... LB TIM CLARKE earned Division II All-American honors while becoming one of his school's best-ever defenders at Lenoir-Rhyne... CB DENNIS DAVIS (Seattle Seahawks) spent the 2006 NFL season on the practice squad of the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts. The former college sprinter recorded 72 tackles and 4 interceptions at Georgia Tech... CB JOSH LAY (St. Louis Rams) was a sixth round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2006. Grabbed 5 interceptions and knocked down 37 passes in 19 starts at the University of Pittsburgh... CB CHRIS THOMPSON played in 12 games for the Chicago Bears in 2005, registering 10 tackles... CB CHRIS HARRELL earned a reputation as a hard hitter during his college career at Penn State... S ETRIC PRUITT (Detroit Lions) played three games for the Atlanta Falcons in 2004 and six for Seattle in 2005. Registered 8 tackles and 1 pass defense... S STEVE PARIS led his defensive unit as a senior at Iowa State in 2005, recording 65 tackles and 3 interceptions... German S OLIVER FLEMMING returns to the Thunder as one of the club's two continuity players. Recorded 31 tackles and 2 forced fumbles in 2006.
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europa 2007, Preseason - Page 4
COLOGNE CENTURIONS
HEAD COACH: David Duggan (2nd season. 4-6 record)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jeff Filkovski (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: John Lyons (2nd season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 13-17 (4-6 in 2006)
TRAINING CAMP HOTEL: Best Western, Tampa
TRAINING CAMP MEDIA CONTACT: Karsten Meier, Sam Kasan
Phone: 1-813-288-4938 Fax: 1-813-288-4984
E-mail: Karsten.meier@cologne-centurions.de
Internet: www.cologne-centurions.de
=== CENTURIONS PRESEASON NOTES ===
Entering their fourth campaign, the Cologne Centurions will be looking to reach their first World Bowl in 2007. Second-year head coach DAVID DUGGAN says: "I'm looking forward to Tampa, where we will see great competition between all our players. We are very satisfied with our NFL allocation and draft. Now it's our turn as coaches to make a team out of these young and talented guys."... QB QUINTON PORTER (Houston Texans) was on Houston's active roster for the final four games of the 2006 season... QB ERIK MEYER was the 2005 Walter Payton Award winner while at Eastern Washington. The prize given to the best college football player in Division I-AA came after a season in which he threw for 3,616 yards, 26 touchdowns and 5 interceptions... QB PAUL PINEGAR was a four-year starter at Fresno State... RB DERRICK ROSS (Kansas City Chiefs) played in seven regular season games for KC in 2006, rushing for 8 yards on 3 carries and adding 6 special teams tackles and 1 forced fumble. Duggan says: "In Derrick Ross, we got the best running back in the entire NFL allocation to NFL Europa."... RB A.J. HARRIS rushed for 1,687 yards and 12 touchdowns at Northern Illinois... WR JOVON BOUKNIGHT became the Mountain West Conference's all-time leader with 250 catches for 3,626 yards while at Wyoming... WR GREG LEE (Arizona Cardinals) was on Arizona's practice squad in 2006. The native of Tampa, Florida, earned All-Big East honors at Pittsburgh in 2005... WR DAN SHELDON (Atlanta Falcons) has practice squad experience with Arizona (2005) and Chicago (2006). Led the NCAA while at Northern Illinois in 2004, averaging 22.7 yards on 21 punt returns. Added 94 catches for 1,986 yards and 18 touchdowns... WR BRIAN HARE (Indianapolis Colts) played two years at Purdue, catching 25 passes for 436 yards and 3 scores... WR BURL TOLER is the grandson of former NFL official Burl Toler, who served in the league from 1965-1989. He was the first African-American official in the NFL and served on the crew that worked Super Bowl XIV... TE TONY CURTIS (Dallas Cowboys) played in four regular season games for the Cowboys in 2006... TE BOBBY BLIZZARD played for the Hamburg Sea Devils in 2005, catching 34 passes for 335 yards and 2 touchdowns. Has practice squad experience with Arizona... C ROD OLDS
earned All-American honors at Jacksonville State... C GREG ESLINGER (Denver Broncos) was the 2005 Outland Trophy winner (given to college football's best interior lineman) at Minnesota. Earned All-American and All-Big 10 honors and was a sixth round draft pick of the Broncos in 2006... G KILI LEFOTU (Washington Redskins) was a seventh round draft choice of the NFC East club in 2006. Played 43 games at Arizona, starting in his final two seasons... C/G CODY DOUGLAS (Tennessee Titans) served as co-captain during his 24 starts at the University of Tennessee... G DAN OLIPHANT (Baltimore Ravens) was a two-time All-Conference selection at Colby... T ALAN REUBER (Cincinnati Bengals) played in three regular season games for Arizona in 2004 and spent 2005 on the Cardinals' practice squad. Was on Cincinnati's practice squad in 2006... DE JASON HALL (Carolina Panthers) recorded 10 sacks in his final two seasons at Tennessee, earning All-SEC honors as a senior in 2005... DE GEORGE GAUSE was a three-year starter at South Carolina who recorded 156 tackles, 15 sacks and 6 forced fumbles. Was on Denver's practice squad in 2005... DE TYLER KING returns for a second season in Cologne after recording 6 tackles and 2 sacks in 2006... DE DEVAN LONG was a three-time Pac-10 honorable mention at Oregon who recorded 22.5 sacks in three seasons as a starter... DT McKINLEY BOYKIN (New Orleans Saints) was a two-year starter at Mississippi who recorded 18 tackles for losses and 5 sacks... DT TOM JOHNSON (Indianapolis Colts) is a former defensive end who moved inside at Southern Mississippi... LB CRAIG KOBEL (Philadelphia Eagles) was a two-year starter at defensive end at South Florida... LB CLIFTON SMITH (Cleveland Browns) has played in two regular season games for Cleveland and Washington, recording 1 special teams tackle for the Browns in 2006. Started 44 of 47 games at Syracuse and notched 137 tackles... LB JOHN SALDI (Dallas Cowboys) was a three-time Big-12 honorable mention at Texas Tech... LB JAMAR ENZOR played one regular season game for the New York Jets in 2005. He recorded 311 tackles and 7.5 sacks in a 47-game college career at Cincinnati... LB MARTIN PATTERSON was on Atlanta's practice squad in 2005. He registered 289 tackles and 5.5 sacks at Texas Christian University... CB GABE FRANKLIN (San Diego Chargers) has practice squad experience with the New York Giants. Set a school record with 18 career interceptions at Boise State... CB JERRON WISHOM (Minnesota Vikings) played in five regular season games with Green Bay in 2005, recording 6 tackles and defending 1 pass... CB KEVIN HOUSE played for Cologne in 2005, recording 18 tackles and 7 pass defenses... S ALVIN NNABUIFE (Green Bay Packers) recorded 4 interceptions as a senior at SMU and spent 2006 on Green Bay's practice squad... S CHRIS REIS (New Orleans Saints) split time between the safety and linebacker positions at Georgia Tech... S KEVIN CURTIS grabbed a club record 4 interceptions for Cologne last season and added 42 tackles and 10 pass defenses.
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europa 2007, Preseason - Page 5
FRANKFURT GALAXY
HEAD COACH: Mike Jones (4th season; 17-13 record)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Whitey Jordan (3rd season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Steve Carson (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 75-65 (7-3 in 2006)
TRAINING CAMP HOTEL: Ashley Plaza Hotel, Tampa
TRAINING CAMP CONTACT: Joachim Haas, Elizabeth Long
Phone: 1-813-228-4910 Fax: 1-813-228-7653
E-mail: joachim.haas@frankfurt-galaxy.de
Internet: www.frankfurt-galaxy.de
=== GALAXY PRESEASON NOTES ===
Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES will attempt to lead a repeat performance when the 2007 season kicks off following his club's World Bowl-winning exploits of last year. Heading into the preseason action, the reigning Coach of the Year says: "Our squad looks good on paper but we must wait and see how they perform in training camp. The players will have the chance to prove themselves and they may turn out to be better than we thought. We are naturally pleased to have J.T. O'Sullivan and Kevin Eakin back with us."... QB J.T. O'SULLIVAN (Chicago Bears) returns for a second season in NFL Europa after leading the Galaxy to a World Bowl berth in 2004. Boasts NFL experience with New Orleans, Green Bay and Minnesota. During his last spell in Europe he threw for 1,527 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to a 91.9 passer rating... QB BRUCE EUGENE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) is a strong-armed passer who started 39 of 49 games at Grambling State, throwing for 13,530 yards and a Division I-AA record 140 touchdowns... QB KEVIN EAKIN threw for 1,299 yards and 11 touchdowns with Frankfurt in 2005... RB DECORI BIRMINGHAM (New York Giants) was in camp with the Rhein Fire last season. He played 49 games for the Arkansas Razorbacks and rushed for 1,151 yards and 7 touchdowns. Set a school record with 1,321 yards on 61 kickoff returns... RB JESSE CHATMAN (Miami Dolphins) boasts extensive NFL action having played in 41 regular season games with San Diego and New Orleans since 2002. He has rushed for 428 yards and 3 touchdowns and added 10 receptions for 115 yards. He added 6 kickoff returns for 120 yards and 30 special teams tackles... RB ANTHONY SHERRELL (Detroit Lions) spent part of the 2006 season on Detroit's active roster. Started 25 games during four-year career at Eastern Michigan and scored 28 touchdowns... WR CARL FORD (Detroit Lions) played in 10 regular season games for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005 and also boasts NFL experience with the Green Bay Packers... WR JERMAINE JAMISON (Philadelphia Eagles) caught 124 passes for 1,608 yards during college career at Fresno State, ranking among the school's top 10 receivers... WR AARON HOSACK returns for a third season with the Galaxy. Has 58 receptions for 790 yards and 8 touchdowns in Frankfurt
uniform... WR ROSCOE CROSBY spent the 2005 NFL season on the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts... TE JAMIE PETROWSKI (Tennessee Titans) ended the 2006 campaign on Tennessee's practice squad. Caught 90 passes during college career at Indiana State... TE T.J. COTTRELL (San Diego Chargers) played for the Rhein Fire in 2005... TE DAVID JONES earned All-SEC honors at Louisiana State... C CHARLES MISSANT returns for a second season with the Galaxy after starting nine regular season games in 2006... C JASON MURPHY (Seattle Seahawks) is a former defensive tackle who switched to offense late in his college career at Virginia Tech... G KEVIN McALMONT (Denver Broncos) started 29 of his final 30 games at Western Carolina after switching from defensive tackle as a sophomore... G MATT McCHESNEY (New York Jets) played in three regular season games for the Jets in 2005... T DOUG NIENHUIS (Denver Broncos) was a seventh round draft choice of the Seattle Seahawks in 2005. He played in seven regular season games with the New York Jets in 2005 and joined Denver's practice squad in October, 2006... DE DAVE TOLLEFSON (Oakland Raiders) set a school record with 12.5 sacks as a senior at Northwest Missouri in 2005. Spent part of 2006 season on Green Bay's practice squad... DE JUSTIN BROWN played for the Galaxy in 2006, recording 20 tackles and 2 sacks... DT REMI AYODELE recorded 4 sacks in 7 starts at Oklahoma. Brother, Akin, is a starting LB for the Dallas Cowboys... DT KENNY KING (Baltimore Ravens) was a fifth round draft pick of Arizona in 2003. Played in 11 games as a rookie, recording 18 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble... LB JIMMY COTTRELL (Baltimore Ravens) started 45 games at New Mexico State. Earned All-WAC honors while leading the nation with 179 tackles as a senior in 2005... LB NICK REID (Kansas City Chiefs) started 40 games at Kansas, registering 416 tackles and 14 sacks. Was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2005... LB ZAC WOODFIN has practice squad experience with New Orleans, Green Bay and Baltimore. Recorded school record 372 tackles in two years as a starter at UAB... LB MATT SINCLAIR won a World Bowl ring in Frankfurt last season while recording 49 tackles and 3 sacks... CB SHIRDONYA MITCHELL (Miami Dolphins) spent his first two years at Missouri as a receiver. Played final two seasons at cornerback, recording a team-high 4 interceptions as a senior... CB LEVONNE ROWAN (Oakland Raiders) played receiver and cornerback at Wisconsin. Registered a career high 10 interceptions as a junior in 2004... CB BILL ALFORD was a key member of Frankfurt's secondary in 2006, recording 34 tackles and knocking down 4 passes... S JAMAR LANDROM (Jacksonville Jaguars) earned All-American honors at Tennessee State... S VICKIEL VAUGHN (San Francisco 49ers) was a seventh round draft choice of the 49ers in 2006. The hard-hitting safety returned two interceptions for touchdowns during his college career at Arkansas.
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europa 2007, Preseason - Page 6
HAMBURG SEA DEVILS
HEAD COACH: Jack Bicknell (3rd season. 69-70-1 record)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Vince Martino (3rd season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dan Daniel (3rd season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 8-11-1 (3-6-1 in 2006)
TRAINING CAMP HOTEL: Mainsail Village, Tampa
TRAINING CAMP MEDIA CONTACT: Thomas Bothstede, Joe Trahan
Phone: 1-813-290-3953. Fax: 1-813-290-3954
E-mail: pr@hamburg-seadevils.de
Internet: www.hamburg-seadevils.de
=== SEA DEVILS PRESEASON NOTES ===
The Hamburg Sea Devils enter their third season in NFL Europa looking to reach World Bowl for the first time. Veteran head coach JACK BICKNELL has added some big names to his preseason roster and says: "I think we have a good team. Obviously you never know until the end of training camp and even then you don't really know your players. It takes two or three games to see whether your team is good or not. But I think we had a good draft."... QB CASEY BRAMLET (Washington Redskins) returns for a second season in NFL Europa after leading the Sea Devils in 2005. He threw for 1,463 yards and 7 touchdowns in Hamburg's inaugural season... QB MIKE McGANN (Indianapolis Colts) ranks third on Temple's all-time passing charts with 4,498 yards... QB ROD RUTHERFORD is a strong-armed, exciting free agent who spent two seasons with the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers. Set single season passing records at the University of Pittsburgh in 2003 by throwing for 3,679 yards... RB JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON (St. Louis Rams) is the son of Hollywood actor Denzel Washington. He spent 2006 on the Rams' practice squad after rushing for 3,699 yards and 34 touchdowns in 36 starts at Morehouse... RB QUENTIN GRIFFIN was a fourth round draft choice of Denver in 2003. He started five games for the Broncos in 2003-04, rushing for 656 yards and 2 touchdowns. Added 18 receptions for 129 yards and 1 score. Rushed for 3,756 yards and 44 touchdowns at Oklahoma... RB TONY HOLLINGS played in 23 games, starting once, for the Houston Texans from 2003-05. Rushed for 149 yards and added 7 receptions for 71 yards and 11 kickoff returns for 211 yards... WR MARCUS MAXWELL (San Francisco 49ers) was a seventh round draft choice of the NFC West club in 2005 and played in four regular season games as a rookie... WR KYLE SMITH (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) is the son of San Diego Chargers' general manager A.J. Smith. Caught 101 passes in 37 games at Youngstown State... WR SCOTT McCREADY returns for a third season in Hamburg and a sixth campaign in NFLEL. Ranks second on the all-time charts with 182 receptions for 2,079 yards... WR RASHAUN WOODS was chosen in
the first round of the 2004 draft by San Francisco. Will become just the sixth NFL first round draft pick to play in NFL Europa. Caught 7 passes for 160 yards and 1 touchdown as a rookie. Was a Big 12 record setter at Oklahoma State, where he caught 293 passes for 4,414 yards and 42 touchdowns... TE TEYO JOHNSON (Denver Broncos) was a second round draft choice of the Oakland Raiders in 2003. Started in 9 of his 30 NFL appearances, catching 26 passes for 288 yards and 3 touchdowns... TE MIKE PINKARD won a World Bowl with Berlin in 2004 when he caught 22 passes for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns... C RYAN GIBBONS (Jacksonville Jaguars) missed just one game during his career as a four-year starter at Northeastern... G STEVE SCIULLO (Carolina Panthers) was a fourth round draft choice of Indianapolis in 2003 and was named to Pro Football Weekly's All-Rookie team. Started 13 games as a rookie before moving on to Philadelphia in 2004. Has played in a total of 28 regular season games with 18 starts... G MIKE BRISIEL (Houston Texans) was on Houston's practice squad in 2006. Earned All-Conference honors at Colorado State... T JEREMY PARQUET (St. Louis Rams) is an imposing figure at 6-foot-6 and 321 pounds. Was a seventh round draft choice of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005 and was on the 53-man roster for his rookie campaign... DE JIMMY VERDON (Cincinnati Bengals) was a seventh round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints in 2005. He played in four regular season games as a rookie and batted down 1 pass... DE NATHANIEL ADIBI (Tennessee Titans) has practice squad experience with Miami and Jacksonville after being selected in the fifth round of the 2004 draft by Pittsburgh... DT SIR HENRY ANDERSON (New York Giants) spent time on the Giants practice squad in 2006... DT TIM SANDIDGE (St. Louis Rams) was on Kansas City's active roster during the 2006 NFL season. Started 14 games at Virginia Tech and recorded career totals of 120 tackles and 7.5 sacks... LB JAMES HARGRAVE (Detroit Lions) is an explosive defender who earned All-Big East honors as a senior at Connecticut... LB CORNELIUS WORTHAM (New Orleans Saints) was a seventh round draft choice of Seattle in 2005 who played in eight games as a rookie, recording 4 tackles... LB BYRON HARDMON played for the Sea Devils in 2006 and made 36 tackles... CB LAMONT REID (Denver Broncos) played in 10 regular season games for the Arizona Cardinals in 2005, notching 16 tackles and 6 special teams stops... CB JUSTIN WYATT (Arizona Cardinals) is a former wide receiver who registered 94 tackles and 2 interceptions at USC... CB MICHAEL HARDEN played for Berlin in 2005 and made 21 tackles and 2 interceptions... S DAVID RICHARDSON (Jacksonville Jaguars) played in 13 games for the AFC South Club from 2004-06, recording 7 tackles... S SHAWN MAYER returns for a third season in Hamburg after earning All-NFLEL honors in 2005 and recording a team-high 57 tackles in 2006.
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europa 2007, Preseason - Page 7
RHEIN FIRE
HEAD COACH: Rick Lantz (1st season. 18-11-1 record)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Don Eck (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Larry New (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 64-56 (6-4 in 2006)
TRAINING CAMP HOTEL: Doubletree Hotel, Tampa
TRAINING CAMP MEDIA CONTACT: Markus Müller, Tara Ryan
Phone: 1-813-871-6158. Fax: 1-813-871-6171
E-mail: markus.mueller@rhein-fire.de
Internet: www.rhein-fire.de
=== FIRE PRESEASON NOTES ===
Former World Bowl winner and Coach of the Year RICK LANTZ is the man charged with bringing NFL Europa League glory to the Rhein Fire for the first time since 2000. Heading into preseason camp with his new club, Lantz says: "I'm really excited about what we have here. The players on our roster are guys we liked and wanted to have. We cannot wait to get the 2007 campaign started."... QB BRETT ELLIOTT (San Diego Chargers) won 23 of 24 games he started at Division III Linfield College and was an All-American. Spent the 2006 season on San Diego's practice squad... QB CODY PICKETT was a seventh round draft choice of the San Francisco 49ers in 2004 who went on to start two games in the 2005 campaign... QB BRIAN WROBEL was a backup for Berlin in 2006, throwing for 293 yards and 1 touchdown... RB GERALD RIGGS (Chicago Bears) is the son of the former Pro Bowl rusher of the same name who played for the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins... RB TAUREAN HENDERSON (Atlanta Falcons) set an NCAA record for most catches by a running back (303, including 98 as a freshman), while earning All-Big 12 honors at Texas Tech. He became just the third player in NCAA history to register 3,000 rushing yards and 2,000 receiving yards. Spent the last two months of 2006 on Atlanta's practice squad... RB JIMMY DIXON played for Hamburg in 2006 and rushed for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns... RB CAL MURRAY played for Lantz as a member of the Berlin Thunder in 2005, rushing for a team-high 487 yards and 2 touchdowns. Added 18 receptions for 166 yards and 2 scores... WR P.K. SAM (Miami Dolphins) was a fifth round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 2004. Played in two regular season games as a rookie... WR CEDRIC BONNER (Washington Redskins) played in NFL Europa with Rhein and Hamburg in 2005. Saw regular season action with Buffalo in 2003, recording 1 special teams tackle... WR C.J. BREWER (San Francisco 49ers) spent the 2006 season on San Francisco's practice squad after playing one season at Wyoming... WR J.J. OUTLAW (Philadelphia Eagles) is the son of John Outlaw, who played for the New England Patriots & Philadelphia Eagles from 1968-1978.
TE SEAN MULCAHY (Cincinnati Bengals) played for Amsterdam last season. He played defensive tackle at Connecticut before switching to offense... TE EARVIN JOHNSON played 44 games at UNLV and is the school's all-time leader with 2,604 receiving yards... C JONATHAN CLINKSCALE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) has practice squad experience with Cincinnati and Tampa Bay. Registered 24 pancake blocks as a senior at Wisconsin... G JIMMY MARTIN (Minnesota Vikings) spent the 2006 season on the Vikings practice squad. Was an All-ACC selection at Virginia Tech... German G PETER HEYER has NFL experience with the St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs... T TAVARES WASHINGTON (San Francisco 49ers) was a San Francisco practice squad member in 2006. Played two seasons at Florida, starting 12 of 18 games. Began his career at Mississippi Delta Junior College as a defensive lineman... T TROY REDDICK was a three-year starter and two-time All-Conference selection at Auburn... DE MATTHEW RICE (Detroit Lions) started 31 of 44 games at Penn State, recording 147 tackles and 17 sacks. Was on Detroit's practice squad in 2006... DE DERRICK STRONG earned All-NFLEL honors with the Fire last season as he registered 25 tackles and a team-leading 5 sacks. Also played for the Fire in 2005, recording 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks... DE ZACH VILLE returns for a second season with the Fire after notching 16 tackles and 2 sacks last year... DT MICHAEL BOZEMAN (Atlanta Falcons) spent the 2006 season on Atlanta's practice squad after recording 51 tackles and 1 sack in 11 starts as a senior at Mississippi... DT ALEX GUERRERO (Minnesota Vikings) is a native of the Dominican Republic who started 25 of 52 games at Boise State, recording 105 tackles and 8 sacks... LB RICHARD KOONCE (Pittsburgh Steelers) earned a reputation as a pass-rushing threat at East Carolina... LB DEREK REHAGE (Pittsburgh Steelers) was a sure-tackling starting middle linebacker at Miami of Ohio... LB BLAKE COSTANZO (New York Jets) was an All-Conference selection at Lafayette... LB QUENTIN SWAIN played for Berlin in 2006, recording 43 tackles... CB CARLOS HENDRICKS (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) played cornerback and safety at UAB, grabbing 172 tackles and 5 interceptions... CB ANTONIO MALONE (Green Bay Packers) was a three-year starter at Toledo, where he notched 167 tackles and 6 interceptions... S ANDRE MADDOX (Minnesota Vikings) is a tough, hard-hitting strong safety who was a mainstay of his school's defense while at North Carolina State... S JERMAINE HARDY (San Francisco 49ers) has practice squad experience with the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers. Boasts 4.4 speed and is especially effective in run support... S SCOTT FARLEY won a World Bowl ring with the Berlin Thunder in 2004, when he registered 35 tackles and 1 interception.
National Football League Europa Stories from March 8, 2007
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