'05 rumours archive

8 Sep 06

The NFL season has finally started. Looks like I have to wait for Monday nights on Channel 5 (more likely Tuesday, to watch the video) for my weekly visual fix, but thankfully NFL.com radio broadcasts can be spread through the week.

24 Jul 06

Just back from a three week vacation in Canada. Even managed to squeeze in a CFL match, Calgary v B.C. and got to see two ex-Claymores in action,K Paul McCallum (Claymores 96), for B.C. and CB Jermaine Chatman (Claymores 03-04), for Calgary. Stamps were crushed 43-20, due in no small part to their QB's bad decisions when pressured (QB Henry Burris (Thunder 03)) and B.C.s RB Joe Smith (Fire 05), who put in a 3 TD and 136yd rushing performance.
I was a little surprised by the lack of noise in the stadium. For a 39,000 turnout, it was all a little quiet. Granted the home team were never in a winning position but they were in touch for a long time.

5 Jun 06

NFL Europe World Bowl MVP
RB Butchie Wallace Galaxy
NFL Europe

29 May 06

A step too far for the Amsterdam Admirals this time around as they couldn't hold on to, nor improve upon, their first half lead in this season's World Bowl. They were unable to repeat last year's performance against this Frankfurt Galaxy side who has shown that playing to a high level of consistency on both offense and defense throughout the season counts when it matters. The Admirals have been up and down since losing their starting QB but the Galaxy have managed to achieve a steady rhythm, whilst losing several key players of their own. Credit goes to Frankfurt and their coaches for sticking to what they did best and using their ground game and time of possession to great effect, whilst their defence shut down the Admirals passing attack. Having lost their passing edge, which has been their strongpoint throughout the season, the Admirals were unable to run the ball to victory and were outplayed for the second half of the match.

25 May 06

NFL Europe Player of the Week Awards, Week 10
Offensive - RB Fred Jackson, Fire
Defensive - S Jason Shivers, Sea Devils
Special Teams - P Travis Dorsch, Fire
National - LB Philippe Gardent, Centurions
NFL Europe

24 May 06

The Rhein Fire must have had some flicker of hope at the start of their match with Cologne when the Galaxy, who kicked off an hour earlier, were behind by 13 points to nil nearing the end of their first half with Berlin, but a gritty comeback with two rushing touchdowns coupled with Berlin's failure to get a single point in the second half sealed a nervy game for Frankfurt and sent them to WB XIV.
Rhein went on to win their own match against Cologne but it was already too late and they will be left to rue missed chances that saw them go from a four game winning streak and looking the form side at the start of the season, to four losses in six games and missing out on the WB by a whisker. Good job by both contenders however and at least the expected Galaxy rout of the hapless Thunder never happened.
The Hamburg Sea Devils have to be one of the unluckiest teams this year as they end with a 3-6-1 record which could so easily have been 8-2 but for some habitual fourth quarter disasters which thankfully they sorted out in the last few matches. Amsterdam have presumably judged their last seasonal fixture in such a fashion as to keep their best players injury free and rested as much as possible, but can they step back up to the plate in the WB ? They haven't been too steady after losing their starting QB and only won 1 out of their last 3 games (but at least that was the important one).
Having beaten Frankfurt twice this season can they keep it together for one more time ? I wouldn't make them favourites but I would like to see them do it.

17 May 06

NFL Europe Player of the Week Awards, Week 9
Offensive - RB Jamaal Branch, Centurions
Defensive - LB Russel Rabe, Sea Devils
Special Teams - P Glen Pakulak, Admirals
National - WR Scott McCready, Sea Devils
NFL Europe

16 May 06

It was too easy this weekend for the Cologne Centurions who outrushed and outpassed a Berlin Thunder team who are looking extremely jaded and ready to go home with one week still to go. Both these teams get an opportunity to pick who goes to the WB but Frankfurt, who have the number one rated offense and defense, will be happy to be going up against the Thunder, who have dropped to last place in the league with the worst offensive and defensive ratings.
The Rhein Fire failed to capitalise on an opportunity to put themselves in the driving seat for the remaining WB slot when they lost out by 3 points to the Hamburg Sea Devils. As predicted, the Sea Devils were no pushovers and dominated the game in time of possession and field position, coming out justifiable winners in a close, low scoring game. The Fire now require a win against an aggressive Cologne team and hope that the Galaxy slip up against a very weak looking Thunder side.
The Amsterdam Admirals booked their slot in the WB with a gritty defensive performance against rivals Frankfurt whilst putting together enough of an offense to outscore their opponents by five points. They now have an almost meaningless game against the Sea Devils before the WB in two weeks time, where the Galaxy are currently favourites to join them.

11 May 06

NFL Europe Player of the Week Awards, Week 8
Offensive - QB Brock Berlin, Sea Devils
Defensive - S Kevin Curtis, Centurions
Special Teams - K David Kimball, Galaxy
National - DT Daniel Watts, Thunder
NFL Europe

8 May 06

A very interesting weekend of football.
Amsterdam lost in an unconvincing performance against Cologne and opened themselves up to being knocked off the top spot this coming weekend, when they battle the Frankfurt Galaxy for sole rights to the position.
The Rhein Fire loss to rivals Frankfurt at the weekend means they slip behind them to 3rd place in the standings, although they have managed to hold on to the tie-breaker between the two Clubs.
Hamburg finally managed to put up a big (winning) score, albeit against the second poorest team in the league (based on power rankings), the Berlin Thunder.
This means that, potentially, Amsterdam or Frankfurt can make the WB by week 9. The Admirals just need a win. The Galaxy require a win by more than 18 points. They are due to play each other so someone is going to be disappointed. Eighteen points might look a big task but following the poor response from the Admirals over the loss of their starting QB and the continued consistency of the Frankfurt unit, then this looks like a close call. A loss for Frankfurt puts the race for the second WB position back in the hands of the Fire, assuming they can win this coming weekend also
The Fire now need two wins and a Frankfurt loss to make the WB and there is still the possibility of a three way tie between the teams . The fly in the ointment is Hamburg, who are due to meet up with two of the leading teams and are desperate to recover from a disastrous season. The Sea Devils need to score a win against one or both teams in order to gain a little respectability for the season.They have been in touching distance of victory in five games so they aren't any pushovers, whilst both the Fire and Admirals have problems with performance and injured players respectively.

4 May 06

Hamburg managed in two quarters what they had been managing to do in one for most of the season, that is; lose the lead. I am not sure if this constitutes an improvement or not but the Admirals may have reason to be thankful for the one point win, as they lose their starting QB for the remainder of the season with a broken ankle. At 6-1 the Admirals probably only have to win one more game to get into the final and not lose by more than 18 to the Galaxy when they meet in two weeks time. As to whether they can go on and win the WB as they did last season from a similar situation, time will tell. Luckily enough they are up against Cologne this coming weekend which will give them an opportunity to regroup around their replacement QB.

Cologne didn't manage to improve their league position at the weekend as they lost, albeit competitively to Frankfurt who must see a little light at the end of the tunnel following Amsterdam's woes. A good outing against the Fire and hope of an Admiral implosion could propel them to the top of the league within two matches. First up they need to correct a minus 4 point differential with Rhein, which could be on the cards as neither team is shining at present.

The Rhein Fire made heavy weather of beating the Berlin Thunder in their game at home and haven't made the offensive strides that may be necessary to ensure they are one of the WB contenders. With a consistent opponent this week in the Galaxy they face their toughest challenge yet for the entry to the Bowl.

NFL Europe Player of the Week Awards, Week 7
Offensive - QB Gibran Hamdan, Admirals
Defensive - S Brandon Haw, Galaxy
Special Teams - K Ryan Killeen, Admirals
National - RB Jermaine Allen, Sea Devils
NFL Europe

25 Apr 06

NFL Europe Player of the Week Awards, Week 6
Offensive - RB Roger Robinson, Galaxy
Defensive - CB Rayshun Reed, Sea Devils
Special Teams - K David Kimball, Galaxy
National - WR Scott McCready, Sea Devils
NFL Europe

There is no positional change in the standings this week as all the teams with positions to gain, failed to achieve them.
The Admirals continued on in high scoring fashion by recording a second successive victory over the Fire and now look comfortable favourites to make it to the World Bowl. The Fire on the other hand have the consolation of knowing that they won't have to meet the Admirals again during the regular season and now have to concentrate on staying one step ahead of their nearest rivals, Frankfurt Galaxy.They currently only have half a step advantage however with a 4 point H-H difference in their favour.
Frankfurt, once again, made heavy work of their weekend match, coming from behind in the fourth quarter to win on a last second field goal. Their reward was a matching win-loss record to Rhein, being behind only on H-H points difference. The Galaxy are doing what is necessary however to stay in touch with the Fire and have the easier opponent this coming weekend in Cologne.
The Centurions took advantage of the habitual Sea Devils' 4th quarter collapse to come from behind and put two TDs on the board to take the win. Hamburg don't have a lot to look forward to for the rest of the season as they are due to play both teams at the top of the league in coming weeks and may have to hope that by week 10, the Admirals will be taking it easy having possibly gained a WB slot. The Sea Devils could be instrumental in deciding who goes to the WB however, as it has only been their 4th quarter play that has let them down in recent weeks.

20 Apr 06

NFL Europe Player of the Week Awards, Week 5
Offensive - QB Gibran Hamdan, Admirals
Defensive - DE Derrick Strong, Fire
Special Teams - WR Noriaki Kinoshita, Admirals
National - WR Alejandro Gamez, Thunder
NFL Europe

18 Apr 06

The long Easter weekend is over and the dust has settled on yet another week of NFLE football. This was a weekend that raised several questions and produced no positive answers.
The Admirals proved me wrong in saying that they won't win every game where they give up 31 points by doing just that for the second time and coming out triumphant over the Rhein Fire, 35 to 31. Which begs the question, what happened to the leagues best defense or do the Admirals just have the offensive players to outsmart every defensive option the league is going to put up this season ? This has to be a big shock for the Fire and will give other teams pointers as to how to go about their return matches with Rhein as we head into the second half of the schedule. The Fire and Admirals are straight back into it as the Ads travel to Rhein for part two.

Whoever fails to win might find themselves with company for the league's second slot, as the Galaxy outlasted the Sea Devils at the weekend for a narrow 17-13 victory to move to 3 and 2, one game behind the leaders. The Galaxy have been fairly tough all season and look to be a credible threat to the two leaders although they will have a harder task to overturn the H-H difference with the Admirals than the Fire. This week they hung in and got the result where it counted, if not exactly in comprehensive fashion, against bottom dwellers Hamburg. Once again the Sea Devils had opportunities to break their league duck but failed to last out for all four quarters, an area where they have been found wanting all season. Hamburg is quite a tough unit for teams to crack nowadays but the Sea Devils really ought to have more focus at this point in a poor season. Their next opportunity to get off the bottom of the table arrives this coming weekend in the shape of the Cologne Centurions who are currently 1 and 4 and hold a four point advantage in the head-to-head.

The Centurions lost out to the Thunder in their latest match after dropping into a 10-0 hole in the second quarter. They never had the fire power to recover and went down 24-13 to another good offensive outing by the Thunder who are seeking to improve on their current results. Its the battle of the basement this weekend as Cologne take on Hamburg in a bid to stay off the bottom of the league. Berlin, however, get the opportunity to climb up to third if they can overcome a 2 point deficit when they meet the Galaxy in a crunch match for the right to chase the leaders.

12 Apr 06

This weekend the Admirals and Fire kept up their strong challenge for a WB final.
The Admirals, once again, put on an offensive shootout and outgunned the Thunder to win back the head-to-head tie-break for the season. In typical Admirals fashion, as good as their offense was, their defense was bad. Its not every game you can ship 31 points and still come out ahead. The Thunder, on the other hand, are shaping up like a second class Admirals, not quite having the offensive punch to cancel out their defensive woes. They look set for third or fourth place in the standings unless they can get some steel in their defense.
The Galaxy got themselves back on track with a 7 point win over the Centurions and had the edge on ball control throughout the match. This was more of a workmanlike performance from the Galaxy and they will probably need to sit in and grind out winning results from here on in, with two big return matchups against the Fire and Admirals to get through as well (having to overturn head-to-head deficits in both). It is looking like it will take a 7-3 season to make the WB, so there is little room for error. The Centurions will probably find themselves vying for 4th or 5th spot this season following this loss and may be drawn into the battle for last place, if the Sea Devils can work up a head of steam.
Bottom of the table Hamburg put up a sprited performance against the Rhein Fire at the weekend, eventually losing out in the fourth quarter after having been in the lead three times. In certain respects the Sea Devils were the victims of their own mistakes and were unfortunate to lose to Rhein. They were, or at least their coach was, incensed at the loss of a break-away TD opportunity when it appeared that the Fire RB had the ball stripped from him before he hit the ground but the referees called the player down by contact. Even though it looked a close thing I think the refs were right as the replay, which they are not allowed to use in NFLE, appeared to show that the RB's knee was down before possession was lost, although the referee's explanation was that they thought the player was on his back before losing the ball. Whetever, no luck for the Sea Devils and the Fire carry on unbeaten after four matches. An improved performance from Hamburg however, which might be instrumental in getting them off the bottom of the table if they can keep it up.
This weekend's matchup between the Fire and the Admirals, in Amsterdam, ought to be a good one and most likely the first of two previews for the WB. The Fire's strong defense (not looking so hot after the Sea Devils' match) will be up against the Admirals strong offense and the Admirals' unassuming defense against the Fire's improving offense, (which might be where this match is won or lost).
NFL Europe Player of the Week Awards, Week 4
Offensive - WR Chad Lucas, Admirals
Defensive - CB Ronyell Whitaker, Fire
Special Teams - KR Lenny Williams, Galaxy
National - LB Carl-Johan Bjork , Admirals
NFL Europe

4 Apr 06

NFL Europe Player of the Week Awards, Week 3
Offensive - QB Gibran Hamdan, Admirals
Defensive - LB David Bergeron, Centurions
Special Teams - P Gabe Lindstrom, Centurions
National - DE Christian Mohr, Thunder
NFL Europe

2 Apr 06

After the live scoreboard showed the Sea Devils winning their game against the Centurions in OT, it appears that the actual result was a draw. I couldn't understand why someone who recovered a fumble in OT would then run into their own endzone and get caught for a safety. I had that down as my 'bonehead' play of the week but it appears that the live stats were wrong. Anybody at that game care to comment ?
The knock-on affect to my webpage was that the tables have been wrong for the past two days (serves me right for updating them quickly), I'll need to recheck the yardage stats as well.

The results from the weekend show that the Sea Devils have given themselves a rather large hill to climb (if not exactly a mountain) and still can't shake off the 'whipping boys' label at the moment. No great achievement can be claimed by the Thunder either, other than managing a great comeback against the League's worst defense.

The Fire continued their good work on defense to stymie the Centurions and their reliable, if not exactly masterful, offense did the necessary. They are looking like early front runners for the final. The Centurions meanwhile are still pretty much in the cooking pot and looking for improved performances on both sides of the ball.

The league's big winners this weekend have to be the Admirals, who took their high scoring, dodgy defensive team up against the defensive minded but also high scoring Galaxy. This looked like their toughest matchup so far but they outsmarted the Galaxy defence and racked up a comfortable lead, forcing their opponents to take to the air in an ultimately unsuccesful attempt to stay in the game. Good outing for the Admirals, who still didn't prove any particular defensive point but certainly put on an offensive demonstration. The Galaxy will hope for better in the coming weeks against the middle of the table teams, who should all be now concentrating on doing likewise.

Time for some of the offenses to start gelling before it's too late.

29 Mar 06

NFL Europe Player of the Week Awards, Week 2
Offensive - RB Roger Robinson, Galaxy
Defensive - CB Therrian Fontenot, Fire
Special Teams - CB Justin Perkins, Admirals
National - WR Scott McCready, Sea Devils
NFL Europe

28 Mar 06

Failure to convert 4 field goals in an NFL match would mean almost certain dismisal for the kicker concerned. Luckily NFLE is a little more lax but K Tim Duncan of the Cologne Centurions is probably heading for an early return to the States if his form doesn't improve. The 12 points missed gave the Admirals credit where they didn't deserve it. The Admirals have not shown, in the first two games, that they have any kind of a credible defense but thankfully they appear to have an offensive capability which will give them the opportunity to win games regardless.
The Rhein Fire this week carried on their defensive crusade by shutting out the Thunder's high scoring offense of week 1 and offensively putting up 22 points of their own in the win. A little work will be required by the Thunder if they want to compete later on in the season.
The Galaxy this week also put in a credible performance against another weak defense, this time from the Hamburg Sea Devils, who are not far behind the Admirals in terms of yardage given up .

22 Mar 06

NFL Europe Player of the Week Awards, Week 1
Offensive - QB Lang Campbell, Thunder
Defensive - LB Philippe Gardent (Nat), Centurions
Special Teams - WR Noriaki Kinoshita (Nat), Admirals
National - WR Juan Wong (Nat), Fire
NFL Europe

20 Mar 06

Well, NFL Europe 2006 is underway with two low scoring matches and one score-fest, and without having viewing or even audible access to two matches, it is hard to say which teams got off to the better start. Do the Admirals and Thunder, have a Defence ? Do the rest of the teams have an Offence ? Perhaps week 2 will help.

It would be really helpful if there was more media coverage, or even internet radio coverage (Any chance NFLE ? I know most of my NFL listening comes from their internet radio archive).

20 Feb 06

Former NFLE head coach, and Hall of Fame DL, Ernie Stautner (Galaxy '95-'97) has died, at the age of 80.
NFL Europe