Top teams go head to head
Published on April 20, 2005 under National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release
THE top two teams in the NFL Europe League standings go head to head to kick off Week 4 action as the undefeated Cologne Centurions (3-0) play host to the Amsterdam Admirals (2-1).
An hour later, the Rhein Fire (0-3) will look to get their season started when they face a Berlin Thunder (2-1) team coming off its first loss since Week 6 of the 2004 campaign at Düsseldorf's LTU arena, which will play host to Yello Strom World Bowl XIII later this year.
The Fire will be buoyed by their second half performance in Hamburg last weekend when they fought back from 31 points down before finally falling to a spirited 31-24 loss.
The final action of Week 4 sees the Hamburg Sea Devils (1-2) head on the road for the third time in the season's opening month as they travel to face a Frankfurt Galaxy (1-2) team whose sole win this year came in the friendly confines of Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt.
The action gets underway in Cologne, Germany, as the hometown Centurions look to maintain their winning start to the 2005 campaign.
Head coach PETER VAAS says: "It was nice to win against Frankfurt last week. I thought we were sloppy at times â we had some dropped balls and some key penalties that hurt us â but we're 3-0 and that's all that counts. We need to continue to improve and I'm going to make sure complacency doesn't set in."
Facing the Centurions is an Admirals club on a high following last week's thrilling victory over the Berlin Thunder, with the game-winning touchdown coming inside the final two minutes.
Amsterdam head coach BART ANDRUS says: "I felt as long as there was time left on the clock our guys would feel they could win. There was a look in their eyes in the locker room prior to the game and they certainly came out and played to win."
Thunder head coach RICK LANTZ tasted defeat for just the second time in his 14 games (including World Bowl XII) in charge of Berlin.
He says: "If I had been a fan in the stands in Amsterdam, I would have loved to have watched our game. But as a defensive-minded coach on the sidelines, I didn't enjoy the experience at all,
"Each team is different and this year's team bears no relation to last year. But we had won two in a row to start the season and you start to assume we are going to win. We will prepare for next week as we always do. We take every game one at a time, so we will try to correct things that went wrong and put them right against the Rhein Fire."
Despite falling to 0-3, Rhein Fire head coach PETE KUHARCHEK saw what his team was made of during their second half fightback in Hamburg and he was pleased, saying: "I told our players at halftime we would find out what character they had. And they showed it. I am proud of my players for hanging in there but we can't afford to wait that late to start playing."
After guiding the Sea Devils to their first victory, head coach JACK BICKNELL prepares to face Frankfurt and says: "We didn't get over-confident last week. In a situation like that you have to give credit to the other team. The momentum shifted in the second half and our guys tightened up. They wanted to win so bad they made some mistakes. At 0-2, you're never confident â you're scared to death."
Despite his team suffering two losses and some damaging injuries, Frankfurt Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES remains upbeat, stating: "We're upset and unhappy but we've only just played our third game of the season. There's room for improvement and time to get better and that's what we're going to do. We are banged up but we have to fight through the injury bug."
WEEK FOUR SCHEDULE
SATURDAY APRIL 23
Amsterdam Admirals at Cologne Centurions
RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, 6:00 p.m.
Berlin Thunder at Rhein Fire
LTU arena, Düsseldorf, 7:00 p.m.
Hamburg Sea Devils at Frankfurt Galaxy
Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt, 7:00 p.m.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK â WEEK 3
OFFENSIVE · KEYLON KINCADE · RB, Cologne
106 rushing yards, 1TD; 46 receiving yards, 1 TD
DEFENSIVE · MICHAEL HARDEN· CB, Berlin
2 interceptions for 6 yards, 4 tackles
SPECIAL TEAMS · LAMONT BRIGHTFUL · KR, Frankfurt
Scored TD on 85-yard kickoff return
NATIONAL · SCOTT McCREADY · WR, Hamburg
9 receptions for 101 yards
Bright future for Centurions
WITH three weeks of the 2005 regular season completed, the Cologne Centurions are sitting pretty on top of the NFL Europe League standings with a 3-0 record.
If the NFL Europe League record book is an accurate indicator, starting a season with three straight wins usually results in a World Bowl berth in June.
Prior to this year, 13 teams have made 3-0 starts to a season and 12 of those clubs have made the most of a strong beginning by going on to reach World Bowl.
Only the 2002 Frankfurt Galaxy failed to reach World Bowl after opening with a 3-0 record before falling away to end the year with a 6-4 mark.
Here is a look at how teams starting a season 3-0 have fared from 1991-2004:
Year Team Fared
2004 Berlin 9-1, won World Bowl â streak to 5-0
2004 Frankfurt 7-3, lost World Bowl â streak to 3-0
2003 Frankfurt 6-4, won World Bowl â streak to 3-0
2002 Frankfurt 6-4, missed World Bowl â streak to 4-0
2001 Barcelona 8-2, lost World Bowl â streak to 4-0
1999 Barcelona 7-3, lost World Bowl â streak to 3-0
1998 Rhein 7-3, won World Bowl â streak to 6-0
1996 Scotland 7-3, won World Bowl â streak to 3-0
1996 Frankfurt 6-4, lost World Bowl â streak to 4-0
1995 Amsterdam 9-1, lost World Bowl â streak to 7-0
1992 Sacramento 8-2, won World Bowl â streak to 3-0
1991 London 9-1, won World Bowl â streak to 9-0
1991 Barcelona 8-2, lost World Bowl â streak to 4-0
Before the Centurions start making their travel plans for Yello Strom World Bowl XIII on June 11, the should listen to the words of head coach PETER VAAS, who is refusing to contemplate an appearance in the NFLEL championship game.
Vaas â who guided the Berlin Thunder to back-to-back title game appearances in 2001-2002, says: "World Bowl is a long way away. We're not even thinking about that now. We've got seven games still to play and we're not worried about anybody but Amsterdam.
"I'm going to make sure that complacency doesn't set in. I would like to think that won't happen to this team. We will respect everybody we play against. As soon as you under-estimate teams, you're going to get kicked in the teeth."
While the Centurions are on top of the standings, there is still hope for the winless Rhein Fire, as Vaas knows only too well. In 2002, Vaas' Berlin Thunder team opened with three straight losses before bouncing back to win World Bowl X in Düsseldorf's RheinStadion.
Sea Devils make league history
in front of 19,685 at AOL Arena
THE Hamburg Sea Devils' home opener was a huge hit â on and off the field.
As well as gaining their first victory of the season the Sea Devils drew a crowd of 19,865 â the highest attendance for a new NFLEL team's inaugural home game since the league re-launched in 1995.
Inaugural home games since NFLEL re-launch in 1995
Hamburg Sea Devils â 19,865 vs Rhein Fire, 2005
Rhein Fire â 15,895 vs London Monarchs, 1995
Scottish Claymores â 10,346, vs Rhein Fire, 1995
Berlin Thunder â 9,817 vs Scottish Claymores, 1999
Cologne Centurions, 9,134, vs Frankfurt Galaxy, 2004
Amsterdam Admirals â 7,186, vs Barcelona Dragons, 1995
The support the fans in the AOL Arena gave to their team as they clung on for a 31-24 win against the Rhein Fire, was saluted by Sea Devils head coach JACK BICKNELL.
"The biggest thing about the game from my point of view was the fans," said Bicknell. "It was the first time in a long time that I have been in a stadium that was rocking like that for my team. I have usually been in stadiums where the fans are making it tough for us. The fans really got into it for us.
"And I would like to congratulate the front office and everyone involved for putting on a first-class event. The whole thing seemed like a first-class operation."
Fire head PETE KUHARCHEK was also impressed by the NFLEL's newest setting, saying: "The fans were really into the game and it was a great atmosphere. I can see this being the start of another great rivalry."
Hamburg's inaugural victory was the fastest of any single expansion team in NFL history. The 1992 Ohio Glory went 0-6 to start the season, the 1999 Berlin Thunder opened 0-4 and the Cologne Centurions began the 2004 NFL Europe League season with three straight losses.
NFLEL FACTS: Fired Up
The Rhein Fire will look to continue their second half form shown during a 31-24 loss at Hamburg in Week 3 when they take on the defending World Bowl champion Berlin Thunder this weekend. Despite being outgained 270 yards to 21 and outscored 31 points to 0 at the half, Rhein ended up with more total yards than the Sea Devils (392 to 346) and scored 24 unanswered points after the intermission.
League-leading rushing duo give 2005 Admirals a new look
THROUGH three weeks of the 2005 season, the Amsterdam Admirals boast NFL Europe's number one-ranked offense, averaging 349 yards per game.
But in contrast to the pass-happy Admirals teams of the past, the 2005 squad is equally adept at running the football, as evidenced by their club record 246-yard performance during last week's defeat of the Berlin Thunder (previous record was 213 yards in Week 4 of 2004 campaign vs. Frankfurt).
Leading the Admirals second-ranked ground attack are the top two rushers in the NFL Europe League in JONATHAN SMITH (Kansas City Chiefs) and JARRETT PAYTON (Tennessee Titans).
Smith has rushed for 244 yards and 1 touchdown on 40 carries, while Payton has added 211 yards and 2 scores on 29 attempts.
While those figures are impressive enough, it is the pair's average yards per carry that catches the eye. Smith has averaged 6.1 yards per run, while Payton is averaging 7.3 yards each time he rushes the football.
Praising his running backs, Admirals head coach BART ANDRUS says: "Our running game enables us to do a lot more things. It's a comfortable feeling knowing you can run the football and your opponent can't concentrate solely on the passing game. We're looking to build on the success of our running game and that will solidify our offense down the road."
The combined 417 rushing yards produced by Amsterdam (246) and Berlin (171) in Week 3 was the third-highest figure in NFLEL history, behind the San Antonio Riders and Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks on April 15, 1991 (429 yards) and the Frankfurt Galaxy and Barcelona Dragons on April 20, 2002 (427 yards).
Amsterdam's running attack will face a new challenge in Week 4 as the Cologne Centurions boast the league's toughest rushing defense, allowing just 70 yards per game.
Andrus says: "The defense is clearly one of the stronger components of that team and we will emphasize that to our players in practice this week. Peter Vaas' teams come well prepared so we have a lot to prepare for in order to be ready to face them."
NFLEL FACTS: Rush to glory
With JONATHAN SMITH and KEYLON KINCADE topping the 100-yard rushing mark during Week 3 victories for the Amsterdam Admirals and Cologne Centurions, the record of teams with a 100-yard rusher in games since 1995 improved to 71-20 (.780). By contrast, a 325-yard passing day for SCOTT McBRIEN during the Rhein Fire's loss to the Hamburg Sea Devils, saw the record of teams with a 300-yard passer since 1995 drop to 16-23 (.410).
McCready eyes top three spot
ANOTHER strong showing by SCOTT McCREADY has seen the English wide receiver move to the top of the 2005 receiving charts and within touching distance of a place in the top three in all-time receptions in the NFL Europe League.
McCready caught 9 passes for 101 yards to help the Hamburg Sea Devils to a 31-24 defeat of the Rhein Fire to win National Player of the Week honors for the second successive weekend
The only Brit to win a Super Bowl ring as a member of the 2001 New England Patriots raised his career figures to 123 catches for 1,332 yards and 6 scores. He is the all-time leader among nationals in receptions and receiving yardage.
McCready leads NFL Europe with 19 catches for 213 yards and is bidding â for the second year in a row â to lead a major statistical category as a national player. He ended the 2004 campaign as the league leader with 59 receptions and is chasing another piece of history as he attempts to become the first player to lead the league in receptions twice.
In his fourth season, McCready needs 3 receptions to tie former London Monarchs running back Judd Garrett and move into the top three of all-time on the NFLEL receiving charts. Former Barcelona Dragons tight end Demetrius Davis stands 28 catches ahead of McCready in second place on the all-time rankings, while Frankfurt Galaxy fan favorite Mario Bailey is out in front having recorded 252 career receptions from 1995-2000.
All-time receptions leaders in NFLEL history
Player/Team Receptions
Mario Bailey (Frank 95-00) 252
Demetrius Davis (Bar 91-92, 95-96) 151
Judd Garrett (Lon 91-92) 126
Michael Titley (Orl 92, Lon 95-97) 124
Scott McCready (Sco 02-04, Ham 05) 123
Jason Shelley (Fra/Ams 97-00) 114
Yo Murphy (Sco 96-97, 99) 113
NFLEL FACTS: Smart Devils
Hamburg Sea Devils fans are proving to be the most knowledgeable in the NFL Europe League, averaging 55 points per week while playing Fantasy NFL Europe at www.NFLEurope.com â the official internet site of the NFL Europe League. And General Manager KATHRIN PLATZ sits proudly on top of NFL Europe's VIP League, having scored 119 points, 14 clear of her nearest rival, Frankfurt Galaxy General Manager TILMAN ENGEL. Fans can enter Fantasy NFL Europe at www.nfleurope.com/fantasy with the overall first prize being a trip for two to the 2006 Pro Bowl in Hawaii.
Big plays, furious fightbacks and close finishes â just another week in the NFL Europe League
IT was a weekend to remember in the NFL Europe League as the Week 3 action produced explosive plays, two close finishes and one furious fightback.
In other words, it was a typical week in the NFL Europe League.
The close finishes decided by one score or less (8 points) saw the Amsterdam Admirals emerge 31-27 winners over the Berlin Thunder, while the Hamburg Sea Devils opened up a 31-0 halftime lead before holding off a fierce Fire comeback after the break that saw the game end 31-24.
Sea Devils head coach JACK BICKNELL says: "We needed help from our fans near the end of the game. But that was a typical game in our league. The teams are not that far apart."
Centurions head coach PETER VAAS adds: "You have to respect every opponent you play in this league because NFL Europe is way too competitive to think you're going to win each week.
"As soon as you under-estimate teams, you're going to get kicked in the teeth. So we respect everybody we play against."
Week 3 saw six plays covering 40 yards or more, taking the season total to 14. There were a record 52 plays covering 40+ yards in 2004.
Here are the longest plays of Week 3:
Lamont Brightful (Fra) 85-yd KO Ret TD vs. Col
Cedric James (Rhe) 73-yd TD rec vs Ham
Jonathan Smith (Ams) 56-yd TD run vs. Ber
Jarrett Payton (Ams) 53-yd run vs. Ber
Scott McBrien (Rhe) 43-yd TD run vs. Ham
Ricky Bryant (Ham) 40-yd TD rec vs. Rhe
Home teams coming out on top
WITH victories for the Amsterdam Admirals, Cologne Centurions and Hamburg Sea Devils in Week 3, home teams improved their record to 8-1 this season.
Only the Cologne Centurions â at the Rhein Fire in Week 2 â have been successful on the road in 2005.
Frankfurt, Hamburg and Rhein have each lost twice on the road this season.
Following his club's second loss away from home in 2005 â a 23-14 reverse in Cologne â Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES says: "When you are on the road, players have to step up and make plays. We didn't do that. You can't go on the road and make as many mistakes as we did and expect to win."
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2005, Week 4 - Page 5
AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS (2-1)Head Coach: Bart Andrus (19-24 in NFLEL)Colours: Orange and blue
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: John Allen (2nd season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Darryl Sims (2nd season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 53-50
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: Won 31-27 vs. Berlin (4/16/05)
OFFENSE: 23 pts/game; 349 yds/game (rank 1); 162.7 yds rush/game (rank 2); 186.3 yds pass/game (rank 3)
Passing: Gibran Hamdan, 458 yds
Rushing: Jonathan Smith, 244 yds
Receiving: Ruvell Martin 11 rec, 151 yds
DEFENSE: 21.3 pts/game; 300.3 yds/game (rank 3); 146.7 rush yds/game (rank 5); 153.7 pass yds/game (rank 2)
Sacks: Josh Mallard, 2.0
Interceptions: B.J. Tucker, 2
· THIS WEEK: at COLOGNE CENTURIONS ·
Head coach BART ANDRUS will look for his team to win on the road in Cologne this weekend after opening the year with two victories at home and one away loss. Emphasising a need to protect the ball better after committing four turnovers against Berlin, he says: "We were very fortunate to win last week considering we turned it over three more times than the Thunder. It is unusual to turn the ball over at this level and come out with a win. That's something we need to look at this week â protecting the ball, making better throws and catching the ball on defense."... QB GIBRAN HAMDAN (Seattle Seahawks) leads NFL Europe in TD passes (see table) but threw his first two interceptions of the season last week ... QB KURT KITTNER (Chicago Bears) completed 6 of 10 attempts for 65 yards and an interception last week. Has thrown for 126 yards, no touchdowns and 2 interceptions on the season... RB JONATHAN SMITH (Kansas City Chiefs) leads NFL Europe in rushing yards (see table) after gaining 133 yards and scoring on a 56-yard run last week... RB JARRETT PAYTON (Tennessee Titans) ranks second in NFLEL in rushing yards (see table) and first in rushing touchdowns. Produced a season-long 53-yard run vs. Berlin... WR RUVELL MARTIN (San Diego Chargers) has scored a touchdown in every game this season (see table), including game-winner with 1:46 remaining against Berlin... WR JOHN BOOTH (Kansas City Chiefs) did not catch a pass last week and has 4 receptions for 82 yards on the year... WR ATAVEUS CASH (New York Giants) caught 3 passes for 29 yards last week... TE TONY DONALD (Seattle Seahawks) caught a team-high 5 passes for 37 yards last week and has 9 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown on the season. Played two games against Cologne in 2004 and caught 8 passes for 91 yards and 1 touchdown... TE MIKE GOMEZ (Buffalo Bills) scored on a 2-yard reception last week and has 7 catches for 72 yards this season... DE JOSH MALLARD (Indianapolis Colts) posted 5 tackles and 1 sack last week and leads the
team with 2 sacks on the season... DE OMARI HAND (Jacksonville Jaguars) recorded 4 tackles and knocked down a pass last week... DE CLINT MITCHELL recorded 4 tackles and 1 sack last weekend... DT JEREMY CAUDILL recorded 2 tackles last week and has made 7 stops in 2005... LB GREG CAROTHERS recorded 4 tackles in Week 3 and ranks third on the team with 17 on the season... LB PHIL ARCHER registered 2 tackles last week... LB DERRICK BALLARD (Chicago Bears) made 3 tackles last week and has 10 on the season... LB JOHN GARRETT (Green Bay Packers) recorded 3 tackles last week... Swedish LB CARL-JOHAN BJÃRK has recorded 9 tackles and 1 pass defense in 2005... CB JEFF SANCHEZ (Detroit Lions) had 2 stops last week... CB B.J. TUCKER (Seattle Seahawks) posted 4 tackles in Week 3 and made his second interception of the season... S SCOTT CONNOT (Kansas City Chiefs) had a team-high 8 tackles and 2 pass defenses last week. Leads Amsterdam with 21 tackles and 3 passes knocked down... S RON ISRAEL (Pittsburgh Steelers) posted 2 tackles last week and ranks second on the team with 19 this season... S NORMAN LEJEUNE (Tennessee Titans) made 4 tackles and knocked down 2 passes last week... K CHRIS SNYDER (Houston Texans) has 15 points this season after making a 21-yard field goal and adding of 4 PATs last week... P RYAN DUTTON (Seattle Seahawks) punted 2 times for a 46.0-yard average last week.
QB GIBRAN HAMDAN (Seattle Seahawks), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: vs Rhein 19 12 187 2 0
Wk 2: at Frank 25 12 171 1 0
Wk 3: vs Berlin 20 9 100 2 2
TOTAL 64 33 458 5* 2
RB JARRETT PAYTON (Tennessee Titans), GAME-BY-GAME
Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Rhein 8 52 0 2 24 0
Wk 2: at Frank 6 67 1 2 24 0
Wk 3: vs Berlin 15 92 1 1 14 0
TOTAL 29 211 2* 5 62 0
RB JONATHAN SMITH (Kansas City Chiefs), GAME-BY-GAME
Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Rhein 16 99 0 0 0 0
Wk 2: at Frank 7 12 0 1 4 0
Wk 3: vs Berlin 17 133 1 1 10 0
TOTAL 40 244* 1 2 14 0
WR RUVELL MARTIN (San Diego Chargers), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Rhein 5 46 1
Wk 2: at Frank 2 32 1
Wk 3: vs Berlin 4 73 1
TOTAL 11 151 3*
* Leads NFLEL
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2005, Week 4 - Page 6
BERLIN THUNDER (2-1)Head Coach: Rick Lantz (11-2 in NFLEL, plus 1-0 in World Bowl)Colours: Black, green and gold
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Don Eck (2nd season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jim Tomsula (2nd season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 33-30
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: Lost 27-31 at Amsterdam (4/16/05)
OFFENSE: 24 pts/game; 345.7 yds/game (rank 2); 167.3 rush yds/game (rank 1); 178.3 pass yds/game (rank 4)
Passing: Dave Ragone, 533 yds
Rushing: Cal Murray, 211 yds
Receiving: Michael Jennings 11 rec, 158 yds
DEFENSE: 17 pts/game; 246.7 yds/game (rank 1); 117 rush yds/game (rank 3); 129.7 pass yds/game (rank 1)
Sacks: Michael Brown, 2.0
Interceptions: Michael Harden, 2
· THIS WEEK: at RHEIN FIRE ·
Thunder head coach RICK LANTZ remains confident despite suffering his first loss of the season last week. He says: "We had the opportunity to win and our kids sucked it up and played hard. They just made more plays than we did."... QB DAVE RAGONE (Houston Texans) has attempted more passes than any other quarterback this season (see table) and also leads NFL Europe in completions... QB CHRIS FINLEN (New Orleans Saints) completed 2 of 4 passes for 2 yards last week... RB CAL MURRAY (San Diego Chargers) has yet to score a rushing touchdown this season but has 2 receiving touchdowns (see table). Ranks joint-second in NFLEL in rushing yards... RB LITTLE JOHN FLOWERS (New York Jets) carried 10 times for 62 yards last week. Ranks sixth in NFLEL in rushing yards (see table) and leads league with 2 rushing touchdowns... WR MICHAEL JENNINGS (New York Giants) caught 4 passes for 60 yards last week and added 5 kickoff returns for 113 yards with a long of 29. Leads Berlin with 11 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown this season... WR AARON BOONE (Carolina Panthers) caught 4 passes for 33 yards and a touchdown in Week 3, taking his season totals to 7 receptions for 87 yards and 1 score... WR TERRENCE STUBBS (New York Jets) caught a 6-yard pass last week... Mexican WR HUGO LIRA had 1 catch for 15 yards last week and added a 32-yard kickoff return. Has 2 receptions for 21 yards on the season and 2 kickoff returns for 61 yards... TE BEN MOA (Miami Dolphins) caught a 21-yard pass last week while starting at the fullback position... TE JOHN FRIESER (Pittsburgh Steelers) caught a 6-yard pass last week, giving him 3 receptions for 35 yards in 2005... Finnish TE KLAUS ALINEN recorded a 3-yard catch last week, giving him 3 on the season... German DE CHRISTIAN MOHR (Seattle Seahawks) recorded 3 tackles and forced a fumble in Amsterdam, taking his season tally to 5 tackles, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble... DE DARRELL LEE recorded 4 tackles last week and ranks third on Berlin's defense with 12 stops and half a sack... DE GREG
TAPLIN recorded 2 tackles last week and has 5 and a sack on the year... DE DEANGELO LLOYD made 2 tackles in Week 3... DT REGGIE RHODES made 1 tackle last week and has 8 in 2005... LB RICH SCANLON (Kansas City Chiefs) leads Berlin with 24 tackles after adding a team-high 11 last week... LB JAMAL BROOKS (Cleveland Browns) ranks second on the club with 16 tackles after recording 7 stops last week... LB MICHAEL BROWN (Atlanta Falcons) registered 2 tackles during loss to Amsterdam... CB MICHAEL HARDEN (Seattle Seahawks) recorded 4 tackles and 2 interceptions against the Admirals to earn NFLEL Defensive Player of the Week honors... CB WILLIE FORD (Indianapolis Colts) recorded 4 tackles and knocked down 2 passes last week... S ADRIAN MAYES (Arizona Cardinals) recorded 3 tackles last week and has 8 stops in three games this season... K KEVIN MILLER (Seattle Seahawks) made 2 of 2 field goals last week from 23 and 41 yards. Has hit on 7 of 8 field goals and 5 of 5 PATs for a total of 26 points to rank third in NFL Europe... P BRIAN SIMNJANOVSKI (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) punted 6 times for a 35.5-yard average last week. Has punted 11 times for 393 yards (35.7 average) in 2005, with 4 of those kicks being placed inside the 20-yard line.
QB DAVE RAGONE (Houston Texans), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: vs Fra 23 16 179 1 0
Wk 2: vs Ham 28 17 168 1 1
Wk 3: at Ams 27 15 186 2 1
TOTAL 78* 48* 533 4 2
RB CAL MURRAY (San Diego Chargers), GAME-BY-GAME
Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Fra 22 84 0 3 8 0
Wk 2: vs Ham 12 49 0 1 5 1
Wk 3: at Ams 14 78 0 2 33 1
TOTAL 48 211 0 6 46 2
RB LITTLE JOHN FLOWERS (NY Jets), GAME-BY-GAME
Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Fra 20 73 2 1 28 0
Wk 2: vs Ham 12 50 0 2 14 0
Wk 3: at Ams 10 62 0 2 11 0
TOTAL 42 185 2* 5 53 0
* Leads NFLEL
COLOGNE CENTURIONS (3-0)Head Coach: Peter Vaas (26-27 inNFLEL, plus 2-0 in World Bowl)Colours: Black, red and white
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Bob Bicknell (2nd season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: David Duggan (2nd season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 7-6
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 23-14 vs Frankfurt (4/16/05)
OFFENSE: 23.3 pts/game; 291.3 yds/game (rank 4); 144.7 rush yds/game (rank 3); 146.7 pass yds/game (rank 5)
Passing: Kevin Thompson, 410 yds
Rushing: Kory Chapman, 178 yds
Receiving: Carl Morris 14 rec, 139 yards
DEFENSE: 15.7 pts/game; 264.3 yds/game (rank 2); 70 rush yds/game (rank 1); 194.3 pass yds/game (rank 4)
Sacks: Jamaine Winborne, 2.0
Interceptions: Lin-J Shell, 1
· THIS WEEK: vs FRANKFURT GALAXY ·
Centurions look to maintain their winning streak after becoming 14th team in NFLEL history to open a season 3-0... Head coach PETER VAAS continues to drive his players, stating: "As a coach and as a football team, you are constantly looking to improve. We need to continue to improve."... QB KEVIN THOMPSON (Buffalo Bills) has started all three games under center for the Centurions and has not thrown an interception in 70 pass attempts this season (see table)... QB CHRIS LEWIS (Arizona Cardinals) saw limited action last week, completing 2 of 4 attempts for 4 yards and running 3 times for 16 yards... RB KORY CHAPMAN (New England Patriots) is averaging 4.9 yards per carry in 2005 (see table)... RB KEYLON KINCADE (Dallas Cowboys) rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries last week and added a team-high 4 receptions for 46 yards and another score, earning NFLEL Offensive Player of the Week honors ... WR CARL MORRIS (San Diego Chargers) ranks second in NFLEL with 14 receptions (see table). Had 11 catches for 124 yards in two games against Amsterdam last year... WR C.J. JONES (Cleveland Browns) caught a 14-yard pass and added a 13-yard punt return last week... WR ROMBY BRYANT (Atlanta Falcons) has not caught a pass in the last two weeks after posting 107 yards on 3 receptions in Week 1. Ranks third in league in receiving yards... WR JAMIN ELLIOTT (Chicago Bears) caught 2 passes for 28 yards last week and has 4 for 64 on the season... WR JAMES ADKISSON (Oakland Raiders) had a 45-yard TD reception negated by a holding penalty last week ... Japanese WR MICHIHIRO OGAWA has made 2 receptions for 23 yards this season... German TE WERNER HIPPLER has played in 80 NFLEL games, seven behind the all-time record of former Scottish Claymores wide receiver Scott Couper. Did not play last week due to a concussion, leaving him with career figures of 85 receptions for 884 yards (both third all-time among national players) and 3TDs... DE ERIC POWELL recorded 3 stops
and 1 sack last week, taking his season tally to 7 tackles and 1 sack. Also recovered a fumble... DE GREG WHITE (Chicago Bears) recorded 2 tackles last week... DT BRYAN SAVE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) led the Centurions with 5 tackles, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble last weekend... DT DELBERT COWSETTE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) recorded 2 tackles in Week 3 and has 4 and 1 sack on the season... LB BOBBY BROOKS leads the team with 16 tackles after posting 2 last week... LB JOE TUIPALA (Washington Redskins) made 3 tackles last week and ranks fifth on the club with 10 stops... LB DAVE MORETTI (Houston Texans) made 2 tackles last week... French LB PHILIPPE GARDENT made 2 tackles and knocked down a pass vs. Frankfurt... CB JAMAINE WINBORNE (Baltimore Ravens) is joint league leader with 2 sacks and posted 1 tackle last week... CB KEVIN HOUSE (Seattle Seahawks) made 3 tackles and knocked down a pass last week... CB LIN-J SHELL (Philadelphia Eagles) has Cologne's only interception of the season. Recorded 3 tackles last week... S KALVIN PEARSON (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) made 2 tackles last week, taking season total to 10... S ED CANONICO (Kansas City Chiefs) posted 4 tackles last week and ranks second on the team with 13 tackles and 2 passes defended... K JIMMY KIBBLE made 3 of 4 FGs last week, hitting from 20, 29 and 41 yards and missing from 30. Ranks second among kickers with 28 points for the season (7 of 9 FGs, 7/7 PATs)... P CODY SCATES (Houston Texans) suffered a leg injury while fielding a high snap in Week 3 and did not attempt a punt in the game.
QB KEVIN THOMPSON (Buffalo BIlls), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: vs Ham 25 16 197 2 0
Wk 2: at Rhein 21 9 95 0 0
Wk 3: vs Frank 24 9 118 1 0
TOTAL 70 34 410 3 0
RB KORY CHAPMAN (New England Patriots), GAME-BY-GAME
Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Ham 6 31 1 1 3 0
Wk 2: at Rhein 17 83 0 0 0 0
Wk 3: vs Frank 13 64 0 2 11 0
TOTAL 36 178 1 3 14 0
WR CARL MORRIS (San Diego Chargers), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: vs Ham 5 35 0
Wk 2: at Rhein 7 81 0
Wk 3: vs Frank 2 23 0
TOTAL 14 139 0
FRANKFURT GALAXY (1-2)Head Coach: Mike Jones (8-5) in NFLEL, plus 0-1 in World Bowl.Colours: Purple, orange, red and white
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Whitey Jordan (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Ed O'Neil (2nd season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 66-57
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 14-23 at Cologne (4/16/05)
OFFENSE: 14.7 pts/game; 242.7 yds/game (rank 6); 102.7 rush yds/game (rank 4); 140 pass yds/game (rank 6)
Passing: Kevin Eakin, 228 yds
Rushing: Ahmaad Galloway, 211 yds
Receiving: Jamal Jones, 11 rec, 141 yds
DEFENSE: 22.3 pts/game; 340 yds/game (rank 6); 174.7 rush yds/game (rank 6); 165.3 pass yds/game (rank 3)
Sacks: Five players, 1.0
Interceptions: Seante Williams, Kellen Brantley 1
· THIS WEEK: vs HAMBURG SEA DEVILS ·
The Galaxy will aim to climb back to .500 when they host the Sea Devils at Commerzbank Arena. Following last weekend's loss in Cologne, head coach MIKE JONES says: "That was a tough loss for us. We thought the momentum from the victory we had the week before would carry over but it didn't and they knocked us out."... QB AKILI SMITH (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) has started all three games for the Galaxy this season but has only attempted 29 passes while playing the first and third quarters each week. Has yet to throw an interception this season (see table) and has a passer rating of 99.1, which would make him the NFLEL leader if he had thrown enough passes to qualify... QB KEVIN EAKIN (New York Jets) completed 8 of 13 passes for 120 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions last week. Leads Galaxy with 228 passing yards this season... RB AHMAAD GALLOWAY (San Diego Chargers) carried 5 times for 13 yards last week before leaving the game with a calf injury. Ranks second in NFLEL in rushing yards (see table)... RB J.R. NIKLOS (Oakland Raiders) rushed for a team-leading 73 yards on 13 carries last week and added 3 receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown... WR JAMAL JONES (Green Bay Packers) is the team's leading receiver after three weeks of the season (see table) but has yet to score a touchdown... WR HUBERT WHITTAKER (Jacksonville Jaguars) caught 2 passes for 36 yards last week and has 5 for 88 yards and a touchdown on the season... WR SAM BREEDEN (Green Bay Packers) caught 2 passes for 20 yards in Week 3... TE MARK ANELLI (Atlanta Falcons) caught 2 passes for 9 yards last week and ranks second on the team with 6 receptions... TE BROCK EDWARDS did not catch a pass last week and has 4 for 34 yards in 2005... English WR MARVIN ALLEN had a 6-yard catch last week and has 2 for 15 on the season... DE SEANTE WILLIAMS (Green Bay Packers) recorded 2 tackles last week... DE DERRICK CRAWFORD (Cincinnati Bengals) made 4 stops
last week and has 6 tackles and 1 sack on the season... DT LOUIS GACHELIN recorded 4 tackles last week and has made 9 tackles and added a sack in 2005... LB FRED PAGAC recorded 6 tackles and a sack last week and ranks third with 16 tackles... LB KELLEN BRANTLEY (Buffalo Bills) recorded 6 tackles and a sack last week. Ranks fourth on team with 12 tackles... LB HOWARD HODGES (San Diego Chargers) registered 1 tackle and 1 pass defense in Week 3... LB GRANT STEEN (New England Patriots) led the Galaxy with 9 tackles last week and ranks second on the club with 16 stops... CB ERIC JOYCE (Atlanta Falcons) recorded 4 tackles and knocked down a pass in his Galaxy debut last week... CB LAMONT BRIGHTFUL (New York Giants) was named NFLEL Special Teams Player of the Week after taking the opening kickoff of last week's game 85 yards to the end zone for a touchdown... S RAYMOND PERRYMAN (Jacksonville Jaguars) leads the team with 20 tackles after 7 last week. Had 43 tackles for Amsterdam in 2002... S WOODROW DANTZLER (Dallas Cowboys) recorded 3 tackles and knocked down 2 passes last week... K STEVE SCALDAFERRI (Indianapolis Colts) missed his only field goal attempt from 33 yards last week. Made 2 of 2 PATs and has scored 7 points this season... P MIKE BARR (Pittsburgh Steelers) is averaging 36.7 yards per punt this season to rank fourth in NFL Europe.
QB AKILI SMITH Tampa Bay Buccaneers), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: at Berlin 10 6 68 1 0
Wk 2: vs Ams 12 9 95 0 0
Wk 3: at Col 7 4 52 0 0
TOTAL 29 19 215 1 0
RB AHMAAD GALLOWAY (San Diego Chargers), GAME-BY-GAME
Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Berlin 9 37 0 0 0 0
Wk 2: vs Ams 33 161 1 1 8 0
Wk 3: at Col 5 13 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 47 211 1 1 8 0
WR JAMAL JONES (Green Bay Packers), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Berlin 4 38 0
Wk 2: vs ams 5 59 0
Wk 3: at Col 2 44 0
TOTAL 11 141 0
HAMBURG SEA DEVILS (1-2)Head Coach: Jack Bicknell (62-61 in NFLEL, 2-5 in post-season)Colours: Dark blue, teal, red
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Vince Martino (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dan Daniel (1st season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 1-2
MEDIA CONTACT: Thomas Bothstede
Phone: 49-407-525-590
Fax: 49-407-525-5959
E-mail: pr@hamburg-seadevils.de
Internet: www.hamburg-seadevils.de
LAST GAME: Won 31-24 vs Rhein (4/16/05)
OFFENSE: 22.3 pts/game; 275.7 yds/game (rank 5); 67 rush yds/game (rank 6); 208.7 pass yds/game (rank 2)
Passing: Casey Bramlet, 539 yds
Rushing: Zack Abron, 116 yds
Receiving: Scott McCready 19 rec, 213 yds
DEFENSE: 21 pts/game; 311.3 yds/game (rank 4); 83.3 rush yds/game (rank 2); 228 pass yds/game (rank 6)
Sacks: Ivory McCoy, Kevin Emanuel, Aaron Hunt 2
Interceptions: Lawrence Richardson, Marc Allmond, Shawn Mayer 1
· THIS WEEK: at FRANKFURT GALAXY ·
Head coach JACK BICKNELL believes that victory last week "is going to be the start of some good things for this team". He hopes that his team performs like it did in building a 31-0 lead in the first half against Rhein last week. Fire head coach Pete Kuharchek described that first-half as "the best first half of offensive football I have seen. They were just about perfect."... Bicknell feels that victory will have rid his team of their nerves, saying: "When you are 0-2 you are scared to death and the players get tight. When Rhein got the momentum in the second half last week, our players wanted to win so bad that they got tight and made some mistakes.".... QB CASEY BRAMLET (Cincinnati Bengals) leads the league with a 90.7 passer rating (see table). He completed 75 per cent of his passes last week... QB RYAN DINWIDDIE (Chicago Bears) saw second quarter action against Rhein, completing 8 of 11 passes for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns, a passer rating of 140.9... RB LARRY CROOM (Arizona Cardinals) rushed for 40 yards on 15 carries last week and added 1 catch for 8 yards... RB ZACK ABRON (Chicago Bears) rushed 14 times for 35 yards last week, including a 1-yard touchdown, and caught 2 passes for 18 yards... English WR SCOTT McCREADY leads the league in receptions (see table). Leading national receiver in NFLEL history with 123 career receptions for 1,332 yards. Needs 1 catch to tie ex-Orlando and London TE Michael Titley for fourth on the NFLEL all-time list, while 3 catches would tie ex-London RB Judd Garrett (126) for third place. Caught 8 passes for 71 yards on last visit to Frankfurt last season, while playing for Scotland... WR DEREK McCOY (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) caught 1 pass for 6 yards last week... WR RICKY BRYANT (New England Patriots) has caught a touchdown pass in all three games this season. Last week he had 3 catches for 60 yards, including a 40-yard TD... WR CHRIS COLLINS (Pittsburgh Steelers)
caught 1 pass for 18 yards last week. He has 8 catches this year but only one in each of the last two games... WR TERRANCE METCALF (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) caught 2 passes for 38 yards last week, including a 22-yard touchdown... TE BOBBY BLIZZARD (Arizona Cardinals) scored his first TD of the season last week (see table)... DE IVORY McCOY posted his second sack of the year last week... DE KEVIN EMANUEL (Seattle Seahawks) poated his second sack of the year last week....DE AARON HUNT (Denver Broncos) had his first 2 sacks of the season last week... CB MARCELL ALLMOND (Jacksonville Jaguars) leads the Sea Devils with 16 tackles after 4 last week. Also had first interception of the year... S SHAWN MAYER (Atlanta Falcons) had 3 tackles and his first pick of the year last week... S ERIC CROUCH (Kansas City Chiefs), a former Heisman Trophy-winning QB, had 4 tackles last week and has recorded 11 stops in his first three games as a pro safety... S ALLAN AMUNDSON (San Francisco 49ers) returned 3 kickoffs for 54 yards and 3 punts for 44 yards last week... K TODD FRANCE (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) leads NFL Europe with 31 points after three games. Last week he made a 37-yard FG and 4 of 4 PATs, having converted 7 of 8 field goals, long 54, and 2 of 2 PATs... P B.J. SANDER (Green Bay Packers) ranks second in the NFLEL with a 41.7-yard average.
QB CASEY BRAMLET (Cincinnati Bengals), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: at Col 38 24 238 1 0
Wk 2: at Ber 18 13 120 1 1
Wk 3: vs Rhein 20 15 179 1 1
TOTAL 76 52 * 539* 3 2
WR SCOTT McCREADY, GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Col 2 24 0
Wk 2: at Ber 8 88 0
Wk 3: vs Rhein 9 101 0
TOTAL 19* 213 0
TE BOBBY BLIZZARD (Arizona Cardinals), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Col 7 88 0
Wk 2: at Ber 4 19 0
Wk 3: vs Rhein 3 19 1
TOTAL 14 126 1
* Leads NFLEL
TEAM BY TEAM CAPSULES NFL Europe 2005, Week 4 - Page 10
RHEIN FIRE (0-3)Head Coach: Pete Kuharchek (21-22 in NFLEL, 0-2 in World Bowls)Colours: Burgundy, black and white
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Scott Milanovich (1st season)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Adrian White (2nd season)
ALL-TIME FRANCHISE RECORD: 55-48
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 24-31 at Hamburg, (4/16/05)
OFFENSE: 16 pts/game; 287.7 yds/game (rank 3); 75 rush yds/game (rank 5); 212.7 pass yds/game (rank 1)
Passing: Scott McBrien, 555 yds
Rushing: Joe Smith, 115 yds
Receiving: Cedric James 14 rec, 227 yds
DEFENSE: 26 pts/game; 329.3 yds/game (rank 5); 127.7 rush yds/game (rank 3); 201.7 pass yds/game (rank 5)
Sacks: Sean Guthrie, Greg Scott, 2.0
Interceptions: Jonathan Cox 1
· THIS WEEK: vs BERLIN THUNDER ·
Rhein Fire head coach PETE KUHARCHEK believes his team showed its potential in second half last week, coming back from 31-0 down to lose only 31-24 at Hamburg. He says: "On offense we didn't do anything in the first half but in the second half it was a totally different ball game. I am proud of our players for hanging in there but we can't afford to wait that late to start playing. I told our players at halftime we would find out what character they had and they showed it."... QB SCOTT McBRIEN (Green Bay Packers) leads the NFLEL in passing yardage after becoming the first 300-yard passer of the season last week (see table). His yardage was a Fire team record (Mike Quinn, 312 vs Amsterdam in 1998) and was only the third 300-yard performance in Fire history. His average gain of 8.95 per attempt would tie for second-highest in NFLEL history if maintained. Leads league in interceptions and has a passer rating of 73.0. Rushed for a 43-yard TD to spark Fire rally last week... QB ANDY HALL (Philadelphia Eagles) completed 3 of 11 passes for 12 yards last week... RB JOE SMITH (Tennessee Titans) leads the Fire in rushing yards (see table) but did not see action last week... RB DAHRRAN DIEDRICK (Washington Redskins) gained 23 yards on 7 carries last week... FB JOE HALL (Kansas City Chiefs) has 4 receptions this season after a 2-yard TD catch last week... WR CEDRIC JAMES (New England Patriots) leads the league in receiving yardage after a big game last week, including a 73-yard TD reception (see table)... WR GLENN MARTINEZ (Detroit Lions) caught 2 passes for 20 yards last week and has 7 catches this season... WR JERIS McINTYRE (Kansas City Chiefs) caught 6 passes for 154 yards last week and ranks second in the NFLEL with 225 yards on 9 catches. His 25-yard average per catch would beat the NFLEL single-season record (21.8, Sean LaChapelle, Scotland 1996) if maintained for the year... TE JASON RADER has 11 catches after 2 for 16 yards last week... DE GREG SCOTT (Cincinnati Bengals) posted 7 tackles and his second sack of the year last week... DE SEAN GUTHRIE shares the team lead after
his second sack of the season last week... DT EDDIE FREEMAN (Carolina Panthers) recorded 4 tackles last week... DE DEMETRIOS WALKER (Kansas City Chiefs) made 4 tackles last week... LB TONY GILBERT (Jacksonville Jaguars), who played in 16 games for the Jaguars in 2004, leads the Fire with 27 tackles after adding 10 stops last week... LB EDWARD THOMAS (Oakland Raiders) registered 9 tackles last week and ranks second on the team with 23... CB BLUE ADAMS (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) made 5 tackles and knocked down as pass last week... CB JONATHAN COX (San Diego Chargers) had the Fire's first interception of the year last week and made 5 stops... German S RICHARD YANCY recorded 7 tackles last week, for a season total of 15... S CHRIS DAY (Green Bay Packers) ranks fourth in NFL Europe with a 22.1-yard kickoff return average and leads the NFLEL with 331 KO return yards... K NICHOLAS SETTA (Chicago Bears) made a 35-yard field goal last week and is 4 of 5 on the season... P TRAVIS DORSCH (Minnesota Vikings) is averaging 40.2 yards per punt, placing him third in the NFLEL.
QB SCOTT McBRIEN (Green Bay Packers), GAME-BY-GAME
Att Comp Yds TD Int
Wk 1: at Ams 17 8 89 1 2
Wk 2: vs Col 18 10 141 1 1
Wk 3: at Ham 27 16 325 2 2
TOTAL 62 34 555* 4 5*
* Leads NFLEL
RB JOE SMITH (Tennessee Titans), GAME-BY-GAME
Rush Yds TD Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Ams 14 62 0 0 0 0
Wk 2: vs Col 16 53 0 3 21 0
Wk 3: at Ham 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 30 115 0 3 21 0
WR CEDRIC JAMES (New England Patriots), GAME-BY-GAME
Rec Yds TD
Wk 1: at Ams 3 28 1
Wk 2: vs Col 5 50 0
Wk 3: at Ham 6 149 1
TOTAL 14 227* 2
* Leads NFLEL
AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS (2-1)
at COLOGNE CENTURIONS (3-0)
RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne. Saturday April 23, 6:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Amsterdam leads 2-0
At Cologne: Amsterdam leads 1-0
At Amsterdam: Amsterdam leads 1-0
Streak: Amsterdam 2
Last season: Cologne 10 at Amsterdam 17; Amsterdam 23 at Cologne 18
COACHES
BART ANDRUS goes in search of fourth straight victory over a Peter Vaas-coached team (Amsterdam beat Cologne twice in 2004 and defeated Berlin in Week 9 of 2003). In his fifth season, Andrus is chasing a first appearance in World Bowl. Won a World Bowl ring as offensive coordinator of the Rhein Fire in 2000. PETER VAAS has won the opening three games of a season for the first time in his career. In his sixth NFLEL season, he remains the only head coach in NFLEL history to lead a club to back-to-back World Bowl victories (Berlin Thunder 2001-2002).
GAME NOTES
The Cologne Centurions are on top of the NFL Europe League standings after becoming the 14th team to open a season with three straight wins. Of the previous 13 clubs, 12 went on to reach World Bowl... The Centurions opened the 2004 campaign with an 0-3 record. Since then, they have gone 7-3, winning 5 of their last 6 games... Match-up sees Amsterdam's top-ranked offense (349 yards per game) face a Cologne defense rated second in NFL Europe (264.3 yards allowed per game)... Amsterdam leads NFL Europe with 6.5 yards per rush... Cologne leads the league in run defense, allowing 70 yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry... Cologne's defense ranks second in NFLEL with 6 sacks... Centurions also lead NFL Europe in red zone defense, allowing just 1 touchdown on 10 trips inside the 20-yard line... Cologne's quarterbacks have yet to throw an interception in three games this season but they are completing a league-low 45.9 percent of their passes... Amsterdam ranks second in NFLEL in yards per pass completion (12.98)... Cologne is the least-penalized team in NFL Europe, being flagged 24 times. Amsterdam ranks second with just 25 penalties... Amsterdam quarterbacks have thrown 4 interceptions (second-highest in NFL Europe), while the Centurions have recorded just 1 pick on defense to rank sixth in NFLEL... Amsterdam leads NFL Europe with 5 touchdowns on passing plays (tied with Hamburg)... Amsterdam leads the league in yards per offensive play (6.3)... The Admirals defense is allowing a league-low 10.4 yards per pass completion... Cologne has fumbled a league-high 6 times, losing the football 3 times (also most in NFLEL)... Both teams have struggled in kickoff coverage. Amsterdam is allowing 23.0 yards per return and Cologne 22.7, including an 85-yard touchdown last week... Cologne have not conceded a rushing touchdown on defense since the third quarter of their Week 10 defeat of the Scottish Claymores in 2004, meaning they have played 13 quarters of football without giving up a TD on the ground... The Admirals won both meetings between the clubs in 2004. In Week 7, QB CLINT STOERNER (Miami Dolphins) threw touchdown passes to TE TONY DONALD (Green Bay Packers) and WR WILSON THOMAS (Green Bay Packers) during a 17-10 victory. In the return meeting in Week 9, Stoerner hooked up with wideouts CHRIS TAYLOR (Houston Texans) and ANDRE FORDE (Chicago Bears) for decisive scores in a 23-18 win.
BERLIN THUNDER (2-1)
at RHEIN FIRE (0-3)
LTU arena, Düsseldorf. Saturday April 23, 7:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Rhein leads 8-4 (Berlin leads 1-0 in post-season)
At Rhein: Rhein leads 5-1
At Berlin: Berlin leads 4-2
Streak: Berlin 2
Last season: Berlin 14 at Rhein 10; Rhein 20 at Berlin 33
TELEVISION
GERMANY: DELAY/Premiere Sport 2, Sun April 24 1:00 a.m. CET.
US: LIVE/ DIrecTV (1:00 p.m. ET)
Play-by-play announcer MATT SHEPARD is joined in the booth by former Dallas Cowboys safety and three-time Super Bowl winner DARREN WOODSON.
COACHES
RICK LANTZ is coming off just his second loss in 13 regular season games in charge of the Berlin Thunder. His winning percentage of .846 sees him fall to second in the all-time rankings behind Larry Kennan (.900 London Monarchs, 1991). Is the reigning Coach of the Year. PETE KUHARCHEK has led the Rhein Fire to a pair of World Bowl appearances during his tenure, losing the title game to Berlin in 2002 and Frankfurt in 2003. Won World Bowls in 1998 and 2000 as defensive coordinator of the Fire. Has lost his last seven games with the Fire.
GAME NOTES
Berlin is coming off a first loss since Week 6 of 2004. They have won 13 of their last 15 games (including World Bowl XII) dating back to Week 10 of the 2003 campaign... The Thunder have only won one regular season road game against the Rhein Fire (in 2004), although they did win World Bowl X in Düsseldorf in June, 2002... Rhein opened the 2004 season with a 2-0 record and have gone 1-10 in 11 games since... The Fire boasts the top-ranked passing attack in NFL Europe, averaging 212.7 yards per game... Rhein leads the league with 13.6 yards per completion but also tops NFL Europe in interceptions thrown (5)... Berlin has NFL Europe's leading ground attack, averaging 167.3 rushing yards per game... Berlin ranks second in total offense and first in total defense, while Rhein is third on offense and fifth on defense... Rhein quarterbacks are completing 51.0 percent of their passes (fifth-best in NFLEL)... Berlin has run 19 more plays than the next-best team (205 plays to Hamburg's 186)... The Thunder leads NFL Europe in third down conversions (45.7 percent success rate) and average time of possession per game (35:18)... Berlin has committed a league-high 38 penalties in three games... The Thunder has scored a league-leading 72 points and 7 touchdowns in 2005... Rhein's defense has allowed a league-high 78 points this season... Berlin leads NFL Europe with a +5 turnover ratio (9 takeaways â 6 interceptions, 3 fumbles) to 4 giveaways (3 interceptions, 1 fumble)... Rhein has come up with a league-low 1 takeaway (interception) in three games... The Thunder won both meetings between the clubs in 2004... In Week 4, FB ED IEREMIA-STANSBURY (Houston Texans) caught a touchdown pass from QB ROHAN DAVEY (New England Patriots) and RB ERIC McCOO scored on a 3-yard run during a 14-10 win. In the return match, Davey threw for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Thunder won by a 33-20 scoreline. McCoo gained 113 yards on the ground during the contest.
HAMBURG SEA DEVILS (1-2)
at FRANKFURT GALAXY (1-2)
Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt. Saturday April 23, 7 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: First meeting between teams
At Frankfurt: 0-0
At Hamburg: 0-0
Streak: First meeting between teams
TELEVISION
US: LIVE/NFL Network (1:00 p.m. ET)
Play-by-play announcer DWAYNE BALLEN is joined in the booth by analyst BRIAN JONES, a former NFL linebacker with the New Orleans Saints who played in NFL Europe with the Scottish Claymores in 1995.
COACHES
JACK BICKNELL is in his 13th NFLEL season having served as head coach of the Barcelona Dragons (1991-2003), Scottish Claymores (2004) and now the Sea Devils. Slipped to a .500 career coaching record for just one week after opening 2005 with two losses and is now back up to 62-61. MIKE JONES is in his second season in charge of the Galaxy and has a 8-5 record. Won World Bowl rings as an assistant coach with the Rhein Fire in 1998 and 2000. Played wide receiver in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints from 1983-89.
GAME NOTES
Hamburg heads to Frankfurt having recorded the fastest win of any single expansion team â Ohio started 0-6 in 1992, Berlin 0-4 in 1999 and Cologne 0-3 in 2004... All three Sea Devils games have been decided by one score or less this season (8 points)... Hamburg boasts NFL Europe's second-ranked passing attack, averaging 208.7 yards per game... Frankfurt has attempted a league-low 64 passes, compared to Hamburg's NFLEL-leading 110 pass attempts... Sea Devils quarterbacks are completing a league-best 61.8 percent of their passes in 2005... Frankfurt has held the football a league-low 25:12 per game and run 143 offensive plays (sixth in NFLEL)...
Frankfurt has allowed a league-low 2 sacks but faces a Hamburg defense that tops NFL Europe with 9 quarterback sacks... Hamburg quarterbacks have been sacked a league-high 11 times... Frankfurt ranks third in NFL Europe with a yards-per-completion average of 11.97... Hamburg is averaging 3.1 yards per rush â lowest in NFLEL... Hamburg boasts NFL Europe's leading red zone offense, scoring 100 percent of the time on 11 trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line (4 touchdowns, 7 field goals)... Hamburg ranks second in NFLEL with a +3 turnover ratio (7 takeaways â 3 interceptions, 4 fumble recoveries) compared to 4 giveaways â 3 interceptions, 1 fumble)... Frankfurt leads NFL Europe with a kickoff return average of 22.9 and has scored the league's only kickoff return for a touchdown this season â 85 yards at Cologne... The Galaxy also boasts the league's best kickoff coverage unit, limiting opponents to just 16.3 yards per runback.
· WEEK THREE RECAP ·
Frankfurt Galaxy 14, Cologne Centurions 23
(RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne. Attendance: 10,821)
Keylon Kincade (Col) 152 total yds, 2 TD
J.R. Niklos (Fra) 130 total yds, 1 TD
Lamont Brightful (Fra) 85-yard KO Return TD
Berlin Thunder 27, Amsterdam Admirals 31
(Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam. Attendance: 10,131)
Jonathan Smith (Ams) 133 rush yds, 1 TD
Jarrett Payton (Ams) 92 rush yds, 1 TD
Dave Ragone (Ber) 186 pass yds, 2 TD
Rhein Fire 24, Hamburg Sea Devils 31
(AOL Arena, Hamburg. Attendance: 19,865)
Casey Bramlet (Ham) 179 pass yds, 1 TD
Scott McBrien (Rhe) 325 pass yds, 2 TD, 1 rush TD
Scott McCready (Ham) 9 receptions, 101 yds
National Football League Europa Stories from April 20, 2005
- Top teams go head to head - NFLE
- Centurions rushing hero Kincade rewarded - NFLE
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