Record-setter Lucas honored for four-TD display
Published on April 11, 2006 under National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release
AMSTERDAM Admirals wide receiver CHAD LUCAS has been named NFL Europe's Offensive Player of Week 4 following his record-setting efforts during a 38-31 victory over the Berlin Thunder.
Lucas, of the Green Bay Packers, made 6 catches for 120 yards and became the first player in league history to reel in 4 touchdown passes in a game. A total of 14 other players had previously scored 3 receiving touchdowns in a contest.
And Lucas became just the fourth player in league history to score a record 4 touchdowns in the same game, matching the achievements of running backs Mike Green (Barcelona 2001), Rafael Cooper (Amsterdam 2002) and Ken Simonton (Scotland 2003).
Lucas, who found the end zone on receptions covering 5, 10, 19 and 50 yards, said: "This record means a lot because it just goes to show hard work pays off. As an offense we work hard all week long, staying after practice running routes, getting the little things down, and it paid off against Berlin. I caught four touchdowns but if everybody else wasn't doing their job, I wouldn't have caught those touchdowns."
In the past two games, Lucas has scored 6 touchdowns, becoming the first player in league history to find the end zone that many times in a two-match spell.
Defensive Player of the Week honors went to cornerback RONYELL WHITAKER, who has become a key member of the league-leading Rhein Fire defense.
In helping his club to a 31-21 defeat of the Hamburg Sea Devils, which saw the Fire improve to 4-0 on the year, Whitaker intercepted 2 passes for 11 yards, knocked down an additional 2 throws and added 2 tackles.
Whitaker, who started for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2003 season, paid tribute to his defensive teammates, saying: "We had our backs against the wall and we showed a lot of character. We had some big plays at the end to seal the game and that is something we're proud of.
"My first interception came because of the amount of film study I had done during the week. I saw that they ran a lot of quick routes and comebacks on third and short, so that gave me an advantage. The second interception was just luck - I was in the right place to go and get the ball."
Frankfurt Galaxy cornerback LENNY WILLIAMS (Dallas Cowboys) was named Special Teams Player of the Week after he returned 3 kickoffs for 98 yards (32.7) during his team's 21-14 victory over the Cologne Centurions.
In the fourth quarter, Williams set up Frankfurt's game-winning touchdown with a 57-yard return. He currently ranks third in NFL Europe with an average of 25.2 yards per kickoff return.
Williams also made a strong defensive contribution, recording 2 tackles, 3 passes defended and 2 interceptions for 8 yards.
Swedish linebacker CARL-JOHAN BJÃRK was named National Player of the Week after his 6 tackles and 1 interception helped the Amsterdam Admirals to their crucial road win in Berlin.
Through the opening four games of the season, Björk ranks joint-second on Amsterdam's defense with 23 tackles.
NFL EUROPE LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS - WEEK 4
OFFENSIVE CHAD LUCAS WR Amsterdam
DEFENSIVE RONYELL WHITAKER CB Rhein
SPECIAL TEAMS LENNY WILLIAMS KR Frankfurt
NATIONAL CARL-JOHAN BJÃRK LB Amsterdam
National Football League Europa Stories from April 11, 2006
- Record-setter Lucas honored for four-TD display - NFLE
- Top two in fight for first as season reaches halfway mark - NFLE
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