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NFL Europe League teams take part in first scrimmage action of camp

February 21, 2006 - National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release

NFL Europe League teams had their first chance to gauge their progress during training camp when combined scrimmages were held at Tampa Bay's Skyway Park. Here are the highlights of the day's action:

Cologne Centurions vs Hamburg Sea Devils

Hamburg quarterback Brock Berlin (Miami Dolphins) completed 6 of 8 passes for 54 yards, while Todd Mortensen (New England Patriots) hit on 5 of 5 for 48 yards. Running back Earl Charles (New England Patriots) was the team's leading rusher with 28 yards on 6 carries. Among the receivers, Nate Curry (Kansas City Chiefs) caught 2 passes for 18 yards, Sweden's Cristian Malm 2 for 16 and England's Scott McCready had 3 receptions. Linebacker Justin Smith (Chicago Bears) posted the only interception of the scrimmage.

Cologne's Shane Boyd (Pittsburgh Steelers) connected on 6 of 9 passes for 61 yards, with Todd Woodbury (Buffalo Bills) recording 3 of 6 for 46 yards. Fred Russell (St Louis Rams) rushed 8 times for 31 yards and Alex Haynes (Carolina Panthers) 8 times for 24 yards. Brian Bratton (Baltimore Ravens) had 4 receptions for 42 yards and tight end Joey Hawkins (Indianapolis Colts) caught 3 passes for 24 yards.

From the quotebook

"I thought we did well overall. We came out here and worked hard and got a chance to do it against another team. We have to keep it going through the next two weeks of camp, but if we do I think we have a great chance of winning a World Bowl in Europe," - Hamburg running back Earl Charles.

"There were an awful lot of positives from today. I don't want to single anyone out, but we had players doing a great job on both sides of the ball. There is a long way to go and we have some mistakes to straighten out but I am encouraged because, given everything that has happened with this team [change of head coach], the players have responded well," - Cologne head coach David Duggan.

Amsterdam Admirals vs Berlin Thunder

Amsterdam quarterback Gibran Hamdan (Seattle Seahawks) connected on 4 of 5 passes for 64 yards, with Reggie Robertson (Oakland Raiders) 2 of 3 for 64 yards. Frenchman Sandino Octobre was the most productive running back with 19 yards on 3 attempts. Skyler Fulton (Seattle Seahawks) gained 65 yards on 2 receptions, while Justin Perkins (Kansas City Chiefs) had an interception.

Berlin's BJ Symons (Chicago Bears) completed 4 of 7 passes for 26 yards, with tight end Jason Randall (Atlanta Falcons) catching 2 passes for 18 yards. Fred Staton (Pittsburgh Steelers) rushed for 28 yards on 3 carries. Thunder defensive ends Elton Patterson (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Jeff Green (Oakland Raiders) each had two sacks.

From the quotebook

"We only played a little bit of our defense. But full practice likes this helps you come together as a team and I think it went very well," - Berlin defensive end Christian Mohr.

"We have a long way to go. We will watch tape and see where we need to make adjustments. We need to get better at recognizing coverages, running routes at the right depth and catching the ball. If we get the basic rights we will be a good team," - Amsterdam wide receiver Skyler Fulton.

Frankfurt Galaxy vs Rhein Fire

Rhein quarterback Drew Henson (Dallas Cowboys) posted 4 completions from 4 attempts for 92 yards, with Kendrick Starling (Houston Texans) catching 2 passes for 75 yards and Chris Samp (Carolina Panthers) 2 for 26. Running back DeCori Birmingham (San Francisco 49ers) gained 19 yards on 5 carries.

Frankfurt quarterback Bryson Spinner (San Francisco 49ers) hit on 4 of 4 passes for 41 yards, while Craig Ochs (Buffalo Bills) completed 5 of 6 passes for 63 yards. Roger Robinson (Arizona Cardinals) rushed for 33 yards on 5 carries, with tight end Sean McHugh (Detroit Lions) posting 2 receptions for 42 yards, Chris Davis (Miami Dolphins) 2 for 30 and J.R. Niklos 2 for 27.

From the quotebook

"To come out and play against an opponent was good for our team. We had a good day but I think we can do better. Both teams did a pretty good job," - Rhein wide receiver Kendrick Starling.

"It was good to hit some guys in different jerseys. We came out and did our thing and did a good job. We learned some things about our team," - Frankfurt defensive end Josh Cooper.

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National Football League Europa Stories from February 21, 2006

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