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Timestamp: 2019-04-22 15:01:25+00:00

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"NFL Europe Pro Football Weekly: Pro Football's Video Picks and Amazing NFL Europe Football Coverage from mykaussie."
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German and Danish players have helped lead the NCAA New England Conference defending Championship Kinball Union Academy to the title. Five foreign starters: RBs Kasim Edebali, Reuben Austin-Schmidt, DL Timm Kaminzski, MLB/OG Christ- off Kurzer of Berlin, and Danish K/TE2 Kevin Gangloff have adapted to their new environment with the help of the NFL Global Junior Program (ages 16-19 and covered by MYKwebTV and Gabriel Morency of Sirius Radio the last few years.
Yes, Virginia and all other parts of the world that like American outdoor football in springtime, it's on the way next spring in the form of the new San Diego-based All American Football League (AAFL) which starts with it's 10 game 1st season on April 12th running until it's Championship game in early July (1st weekend). I've been in contact with Marcus Katz, the executive Director.
First he wanted me to get investors for a Hawai'i based team. I told him I liked the idea but first let's see how it does on the mainland. Marcus is younger than me and drew in some big money establishing a cheap-repay student loan Co. some years ago. Still in his thirties, he thinks big. I like that. I was one of the first guys to contact him.
About the league: It will play by NCAA rules! And all players have to have graduated from US Universities. But a guy like Vern Hippler (German born and Canadian raised can play, for hypothetical example, because he graduated from Sacramento St in CA and has no more eligibility left. Also: The league has elements of the USFL / XFL / WFL / NFLE mixed in and bit of CFL, like with the CIS/NCAA style shootout OT periods.
They will be playing at University Stadiums in the six states above.
In the new World Cup US Football Final, the US defeated the Japanese Team, 23-20 on a FG by K Craig Coffin. The US was helped muchly by the play all day of Nebraska-Omaha RB Kyle Kasperbauer, who was named MVP with 154 yards of total offence. Kasperbauer rushed for a game high 54 yards on 15 carries and scored twice.
US Coach John Mackovic said, "We knew it would be a tough match." Virginia Beach's Kempsville High School and Christopher Newport player Rob Rodriguez recorded three tackles and had two pass breakups.
New NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has made himself wanted enemy number one in good 'ole Europa by erratically canceling the NFL's 'AAA' league over across the pond, despite the best season that the league ever had, in terms of attendance and merchandise sold. The new Commissioner didn't even bother to show up to deliver the trophy during the presentation after the Hamburg Sea Dragons won their first NFL Euro Bowl (the former Barcelona Dragons franchise has won 3 overall).
The vague excuses that Goodell gave for the irrational decision was that the NFL wanted to have regular season games in Europe every week of the NFL's schedule, which could turn out to be a disaster of epic proportions in the years to come. The move clearly doesn't make any sense.
But one good thing is that the CFL, A.rFL and Af2 will be in line to get many good players and in the case of the recently retired Werner Hippler, a great Assistant Coach or General Manager! Goodbye NFL Europa. I still treasure the games I have on tape!
Hamburg pulls World Bowl Upset 37-28 over Frankfurt!
Moose especially and many Europeans will be very disappointed with this news today. Moose and I met some great media people from NFL Europe during the Super Bowl XXVII week in San Diego. For memories and interest I will be leaving this NFL Europa section up on MYKwebWORLD.
possibly having an NFL career. I heard one German tell me it was the best US export since the Marshall Plan. NFL Europa provided a tremendous amount of good will and helped people see the US in a more positive light in recent years when such was not so generally viewed.
years and may there be many more of those games on German soil with each passing season.
Say Goodbye to Werner Hippler, who's Cologne Centurians got ousted from the World Bowl by bad Coaching by an apprentice after regular Coach Dave Duggan left the team for the States following a heart ailment caused by exhaustion. His replacement, Coach Lyons benched Hipp and the two American TEs, including Bobby Blizzard from here at Hampton High School, dropped two crucial pass receptions that allowed Hamburg to even get into the World Bowl XV. Hamburg, behind a red-hot Casey Bramlet, won their last four games and won the World Bowl, 37-28 over Frankfurt.
Frankfurt got to it's record 8th World Bowl but sent home NFL Chicago allocated QB J.T. O'Sullivan with his second loss. The first was in '04, also with Frankfurt. Hamburg Coach Vince Martino, who replaced legendary 'Cowboy' Jack Bicknell at the beginning of the year, won a Championship in his first try as a Football Head Coach at any level. Hamburg is now 3-3 in World Bowls as a franchise. They are the ex-Barcelona Dragons and just added 'Sea' to their nickname.
World Bowl XV Preview: Saturday, June 23rd, Frankfurt, Germany. Hamburg SeaDragons (7-3-0) v. Defending Champion Frankfurt (7-3-0).
All-time World Bowl Team Records: Hamburg (2-3 as Barcelona Dragons) V. Frankfurt Galaxy (4-3). Coaches: Hamburg: Vince Martino, first World Bowl as Coach. Frankfurt's Mike Jones, is 1-0, last year. What to watch for: For Hamburg, it comes down to their running game and QB Casey Bramlett (Washington NFL allocated) For Defending Champ Frankfurt, in it's record eighth Championship appearance, it's two-headed QB monster of ex-World Bowl (New Orlean-'04), now Chicago allocated QB J.T.
O'Sullivan and ex-Hamilton Tiger-Cat (CFL)'r, Kevin Eakin, who could be headed right back to the CFL after this game, depending how ex-Rhein QB Timmy Chang makes out v. Shaun King and Rocky Butler in the sweepstakes to win the back-up job in Hamilton. O'Sullivan played that '04 World Bowl with a heavy heart as his dad had just passed away and Berlin was simply a better team in '04. Frankfurt is clearly the better team here and is Defending Champs as well. Two QBs are better than one and expect Coach Jones of the Galaxy to decide on one to stick with by the second half. I look for Frankfurt to go all the way. My Pick: Frankfurt 28, Hamburg 13.
Hipp-Hipp, Hippler! Thanks for the memories to ex-San Diego Charger Werner Hippler for playing 14-yrs. of fine Pro Football in three leagues with five different teams, Frankfurt, San Diego, Detroit, Las Vegas, Frankfurt again and Cologne. Hippler leaves Pro Football at age 37 with the following stats: 102 catches in 111 games, 1,002 yds., 4 TDs.
1) Most games played in NFLE career: 105.
2) Most years played in NFLE career: 11.
3) Most catches by NFLE TE: 101.
4) Most NFL E Bowls played in: 5.
5) Tied / Most NFL E Bowl wins (all w/ Frankfurt): 3.
6) Most games started by a 'National' player: 42.
7) Most seasons as starter by National player: 4.
8) First National player to come from NCAA program (Sacramento St. Hornets, Division 1-AA).
Moose's segments on Sports Rage! Listen to them right Now!
Hamburg 36, Frankfurt 31. An old fashioned shootout, as Morency and I predicted last Saturday am on Toronto's Sirius Sports Rage After Hours Radio.
QB Cody Pickett (Houston Allocated), Rhein Fire.
Werner Hippler, TE, Cologne started his probably last game ever with the Centurians in their last home game of the year, a win over Amsterdam in Cologne. Hampton High School TE Bobby Blizzard, who I covered in the VSHL several years ago continues to get near enough to break Hipp's alltime record of 30 catches in an NFL E season by a TE. I hope he ties it. It doesn't look like Hipp will get that magic 100 catches in his NFL E career. He's three short with one game left. But he also has three in three NFL E Bowls, so technically he IS at 100 lifetime in NFL E. He's 99% sure he will hang it up after this year.
It was Sunday, September 17, 1967, at old Tulane Stadium, where rookie WR/KR John Gilliam returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a TD against the (then) Los Angeles Rams. Thus began the history of the New Orlean Saints and thus, also, was the first game in my 40-year career doings stats at NFL games.
From manual typewriters producing game books on mimeograph copy masters to computer systems where each play of every game is now instantly available online, stats and the people who chart and record them, continue to be the historical lifeline of pro football. While the ever increasing demand of Coaches, Journalists and Fans for more and varying types of information, stats have always been and will continue to be about recording each play as it occurred in an unbiased way, regardless if one's team is winning or not. I was quite familiar with sports stats, having doing them for my high school team, then moving on to cover high school games for newspapers as a student in West Virginia and then in New Orlean and also as a student intern in the sports information office of my alma mater, Loyola University New Orlean). But my only connection with NFL games had been a few games watching the favored Cleveland Browns of my youth and their legendary Marion Motley run through opponents in usually frigid weather on the banks of Lake Erie.
One day prior to the Saints' first game, I received a phone call from Pete Finney, then as now an esteemed sports reporter for the New Orlean news papers who also served as the sports information director at Loyola. The Saints were putting together a game support staff and he thought I would be of help to them. Pete was always a mentor to me and just the finest gentleman in sports writing I have ever met. So, that is how it all began.
Philadelphia Eagles. But we all survived that game, quite well in fact, and the resume continued.
the best radio football announcers I ever worked with. And I was fortunate enough to work with Gib many times over the years in a variety of stadiums.
So, it continued the remainder of that season and the following two seasons with the Saints till I graduated from university. "Real" jobs took me next to Los Angeles, then to Atlanta, to Minneapolis-St. Paul and back to Atlanta. All along the way, I continued working on stats or broadcast crews, sometimes doing more than one game a week, as young guys tend to do in this business. Travel on a moment's notice was not a problem. Pro football and stats were their own kind of euphoria, which also extended over into working the college game as well.
In doing so, I was fortunate enough to work with most of the notables in the sport. From public relations directors like Jan Van Duser, Charlie Dayton and Merrill Swanson (true one of a kinds in their profession). To the famed announcers from Curt Gowdy to Al DeRigodis to Jack Drees to Ray Scott to Don Criqui (the first announcer I ever met who called the whole game standing and required the same of all in the booth with him)! I even worked in the first Monday Night Football season of 1970 with Keith Jackson and 'Dandy' Don Meredith, the great ex-Cowboys QB.
I often wish I had kept a written record of each game worked and all the persons worked with. Since that New Orlean opener, I have worked more than 400 NFL games and during that time, I have only sat in the seats as a spectator twice.
Once was for Super Bowl IV (45-yard line near then Vice President Hubert Humphrey's entourage) and the other was a Denver-San Diego AFL game in the Mile High City that got 27 inches of snow prior to the game! By the beginning of 1991, business reasons had brought me to Germany and coincidentally the beginnings of the NFL's WLaF. Since then, all of my stats' work has been here in (now) NFL Europa with the league, which has changed names five times over the years and is now known as National Football League Europa, and with several NFL pre-season American Bowls that have been held over here.
Though there have been numerous challenges to doing stats' work in Europe that the guys working the games back in the US might not appreciate, the quality of what has been produced here has been quite good and as ever, the true spirit of what a statistician does for the game has been maintained.
I am prejudiced, of course, but I believe that in Frankfurt, we have a stats ' crew, including those who support TV, as professional and as good as any that exist back in the US. Near all of these folks are native Europeans who did not wake up with a football their cribs.
many Europeans, here in Frankfurt and beyond.
1) Offencive Player of the Week - Amsterdam RB Jonathan Smith, who is still tearing up the ground in the League.
4) National (Non-American born) Player of the Week - Hipp's teammate, France's LB Phillipe Gardent (Washington), Cologne.
With Frankfurt and Cologne atop the standings with identical 5-2-0 marks and Amsterdam who has been in the last two NFL E Bowls, back at 3-4-0, it's almost anti-climatic who wins the next three weeks games. Unless the seemingly always below .500 Sea Dragons in their rearview mirrors at 4-3-0, and Berlin and Rhein at 2-5-0 each, maybe if Verne Hippler gets to the World Bowl XV with his Cologne mates, and wins he may just retire. He now has a League high 103 games played in 11 NFL E seasons, to go with his NFL & XFL stints over 14 seasons. Hipp says IF Cologne gets to the Bowl and wins, he's "99% sure", he, unlike the always retiring Brett Favre will retire. Don't hold your breath though.
The Amsterdam Admirals season looked over after three weeks. But with three wins in their last four games, they still have a good shot at World Bowl XV. The main reason is the play of their QB Olson but especially their RB Smith, who leads NFL Europa with over 500 yards. Amsterdam traditionally has had strong running and the Admirals Coach Bart Andurs hopes this will translate into a record third straight trip to the Bowl something no other team has done before. Four of the teams in one city or another in this league have been to two in a row. But not three. Smith and Olson give Amsterdam fans reason to believe they will set this record this year.
Vaas was 2-0 in NFL E Bowls.
'Great Game Balls O' Fire' Thanks again, Super Bowl Wayne!
It was a classy move by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to fly to Berlin to deliver a plaque to Werner Hippler on his becoming the first NFL Europa player to play in 100 NFL E games. But that wasn't the only reason that Goodell was in 'Europa'. The NFL may include a 17th regular season game in each NFL teams schedule as early as 2009, according to Brian McCarthy, Media Guru of the NFL. The timetable on moving a has been team to L.A. may then be pushed back again. And bravo to the Commish for suspending Chris Henry and Adam 'PacWoman' Jones for their excessive stupidity in the NFL's last off season.
Stacy lead the Claymores to the 1996 NFL E Bowl title with Paul McCallum, Khari Jones, et, al over the Frankfurt Galaxy with QB Steve Pelluer, TE Verne Hippler, WR Mario Bailey, et, al. An I-net search should be done to find out whatever became of Stacy, who failed to stick in the NFL with Buffalo and Denver.
Cologne TE/H-B Werner Hippler caught his NFL E record for a TE or FB 94th catch and has one more in the XFL for 95 in his career. But the big story was his 100 career game in NFL Europa, something no other player in the NFL 'AAA's history has done. Hipp spent his first seven seasons 1995, 1997-00, 2002-03 with the Frankfurt Galaxy and is in their Hall-of-Fame. Since 2004 he has played now into four seasons with the Cologne Centurians formerly the Scotland Claymores, 1995-03. Hippler has three catches for eight yards and three first downs on the season. For his career, between the San Diego Chargers, his first Pro team, the NFL E and one-year, one-hit wonder the Las Vegas Outlaws of the X-FL, Hipp has 95 catches for 89 first downs and four TDs.
He also holds the record for longest period in a Pro Football career between TD catches, June 1995 (2 v. Barcelona, now Hamburg) and May 2004 with 2 v. Amsterdam in Cologne, where he was born 07/30/70). Hipp could hit 100 catches for his career, or 101, which would give him the mark for NFL E TEs or FB/H-Bs. If this, his 14th year is his last (he would like to play one more to make it an even 15th season in '08, unless he gets traded or cut), it's been a great career for one of the nicest and fiercest competitors in Pro Football history.
Other 'Great Game Balls 'O Fire'. Thanks for that Super Bowl Wayne Lavelle in Honolulu on KROL Sports Radio!
1) Cologne QB Erik Meyer (American Import), (2) Amsterdam QB Drew Olson.
Week Five Picks. More in detail on Gabriel Morency's Channel 186 Sports Rage, Sirius Radio, Saturday, 12:35-12:49 a.m.
Werner Hippler on crash course to break more records.
Tied with German player Jorg Heckenbach, Ralf Kleinmann and Manny Burgsmuller for most NFL E Bowl wins; 3.
Hippler has also spent two years in the NFL and one in the XFL and has one catch there for a 6 yard first down. Hipp owns an AFC Championship ring for the 1994-95 San Diego Chargers where he and mate Darren Bennett were the only two non-American born players on the roster. Hipp played three years of varsity football at Sacramento St. for the division I-AA Hornets following H.S at Burnaby, B.C, Canada.
On Gabe Morency's Sports Rage, Friday Night Freak Show, Morency and I picked two of the NFL Europa games (both correct picks) and introduced to the audience the starting NFL Europa QBs to keep an eye on. Expect big things this 2007 season out of Frankfurt with it's two-headed QB monster of J.T. O'Sullivan-Kevin Eakin, who played the last two years for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. Eakin wants back in the CFL and Sullivan lead Frankfurt to the World Bowl in 2004.
Rhein lost QB Timmy Chang TO Hamilton (CFL), but is doing just fine with ex-PBR and calf roper Cody Pickett, who has also played Special Teams in the NFL for San Francissy and Houston (Texans, not Oilers, for those who remember them). Expect O'Sullivan, Pickett and Eakin to being on Pro team rosters in one or the other Leagues this fall. Good 'ole Werner Hippler, Darren Bennett's mate, probably playing his last Pro Season (14th overall) and 11th, NFL Europa, had one catch for a one yeard first down Sunday in Cologne to give him 95 career catches between NFL E, XFL and NFL. Hipp also is inching ever closer to the magic career 100 games in NFL Europa mark. Here's hoping he does in Cologne!
5) Shane Andrus, K, Hamburg, son of Amsterdam Coach Bart.
Milestones this weekend: Hamburg K Shane Andrus now has 7 straight kicks!
NFL Europe season opener is set for April 4th but in Florida this past weekend, there was a barnburner of a preseason game that ended in a 17-17 tie. The amazing thing was that the National players took centre stage. For Amsterdam it was WR/PR Noriaki Kinoshita, DB Ryota Hori, RB Sandino Octobre, LBs: Rikiya Ishida (formerly with the Hawai'i Islanders in Af2), Akwasi Mensah and Carl-Johan Bjork (like the singing group), DT Patrice Majondo-Mwamba and Swiss TE Yoan Schnee, who starred in the NCAA's with Tennessee Chattanooga.
(1) Cologne Centurians. 13th season. All-time record: 56-65-1. World Bowl record: 1-1. Coach: Dave Duggan, second year. National player to watch: 14th year veteran and a record 11th year in NFL Europa, TE/KS Werner Hippler [also: San Diego Chargers, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas (XFL), Sacramento St., Burnaby, B.C. h.s.], holder of six all-time NFL E records. Hippler and Co. are overdue and only a second half of the schedule slump last year deep sixed these guys down the stretch. Gone again, maybe for good is Japanese QB Ken Namiki who blew a knee in the '05 season and sat out last year entirely.
The Centurians hold his rights as he was the National QB who had played the most in League history. He lead a major comeback win over Scotland (now Homburg) back in '04 for this team. Here's hoping the kid from Tokyo gets back in the game. He may also try Arenaball, I'm told, if he recovers from major reconstructive surgery. This Hipp says is his 14th and last year. He's scheduled to move into the front office after this season and has been looking good down in Tampa. If the running game gets it going this year, these guys could be monsters down the the stretch, provided the American QBs make the Offence go. Predicted Finish: World Bowl XV win.
(2) Amsterdam Admirals. 15th season. All-time record: 74-70-0. World Bowl record: 1-3. Coach: Bart Andrus, 7th season, ties franchise record. The Admirals didn't quite repeat last year, losing 22-7 in W. Bowl XIV, after leading by the MLB score of 7-2 at the half. The complete meltdown of QB Gibran Hamdam (back in the 'AAA's for season number 4), in the second half of the Championship game. WR Coach Scott Couper could put together another good Receiving corps with Marvin Allen and Scott MacCready. Prediction: World Bowl runner-up.
(3) Berlin Thunder. 15th season. Alltime record: 69-74-2. World Bowl record 4-1. Coach: John Allen, 1st year. Allen, a former Defencive Line Coach and Defencive Coordinator gets turn at Coach after Rick Lantz switched beer Company's and bolted for Dusseldorf, bumping Jim Tomsula upstairs. Allen will have his hands full as the Thunder are not the team they used to be. Last year, Frankfurt tied them in career all-time Bowl wins (though Berlin/London's 4-1 record is better than the Galaxy's 4-3). There's no more Jorg Heckenbach to throw the deep ball to (he retired before last year) and the Kicking is on the skids since Alex Kruse (now also in the Thunder cyberspace Hall-of-Fame. Punting could be a problem, too.
(4) Frankfurt Galaxy. 15th year (The only team still in the League from the beginning in it's original home.) All-time record: 75-71-1. World Bowl record: 4-3. Coach: Mike Jones, second year, Won W. Bowl last year. Coach Jones became the first black American Coach to win the Bowl, and gets a big boost in returning Defencive Lineman Danny Benetka.
(5) Rhein Fire. 13th year. All-time record: 66-58-1. W. Bowl record: 2-3. Coach: Rick Lantz, replaces Jim Tomsula, who moves up to the front office. Lantz was formerly the University of Virginia's longtime Defencive Coordinator. He Coached the last four seasons with Berlin, winning two W. Bowls. Getting Timmy Chang back at QB should help these guys as Chang was released in early January by the Eagles to make way for a holder on the Eagles playoff team. Lantz team has had a lot of National players retire or move to NFL and other NFL E teams; but getting OG Pete Heyer back from New Orlean practice squad will help get Chang, who is still rusty, some time to throw. Provided he gets some good NFL third-string WRs he'll tear it up this go around. Last year he started two games behind Drew Henson, who's returning to baseball after both the Cowboys and Vikings deepsixed him last year. Chang had 4 TDs and 3 INTs last year in his first Pro action. He went 1-1 as starter. The real problem in the last-in-the-League Special Teams and a porous Defence, that'll need it's NFL allocated players to develop quickly. If they can beat each of their german team opponents at least once - each, they'll make a run. Don't bet against Lantz! If Chang's backup doesn't do well, should he get hurt, it'll be tough!
(6) Homburg Sea Dragons. 15th year. Alltime record: 72-72-1. W.Bowl record: 2-3. Coach: Doug Flutie's former Boston College Coach, 'Cowboy' Jack Bicknell, all-time winningest Coach in League history, 70 now and Coaching in his record 15th consecutive season in the League, with his fourth team.
National players for 2007 season by team.
Amsterdam: WRs Marv Allen, Scott MacCready, OE Claudio Bartolozzi, WR-KR-PR Dwayne Chambers, RBs Jermaine Allen, Michael Andrew, Centre Pascal Matla, OG Emmanuel Akah, CB Jon Brantley, LBs Carl Johan-Bjork, Rikiya Ishida (former Af2 Hawai'i Islander) OE-PR/SB Noriaki Kinoshita (Special Teams player of the Year in 2006 World Bowl Runner-up season), DT Adrian Samuel, TE Christian Ruiz, DE-OLB Akwasi Mensah.
Berlin: S Oliver Flemming, S-CB Sergey Ivanov, LB-DE Chris Mohr (not the one who played 15 yrs., in the NFL/WLAF-Montreal back in '90's), WR Alejandro Gamez, OT Jan Fluchs, TE Sebastian Schneider, OL Flor Pawlik.
Cologne: TE-KS Werner Hippler, Centres: Dave Odenthal, Ramiro Pruneda, WR Michihiro Ogawa, QB Ken Namiki (?!), OT Heinz Reimer, S Dan Schober, SS Efa Elvarde, LB Erik Cantu, DE Mauricio Lopez, DT Everardo Velasquez.
Frankfurt: DL Danny Bentka, DE Ulrich Winkler, LB Cueneyt Topcu, RB Stef Hupnel, LB Shaun Smith, DT Dan Watts, DT Artsem Yukhnovich, LB Shurendy Concetion.
Hamburg: LB Chris Flachs, TE Joachim Steinhauser, WR Gustavo Tella, TE Klaus Alenin, S Onoh Ozongwu, Centre Carl-Johan Blomval, WR Go Kunisi.
The Frankfurt Galaxy on Saturday won the NFL 'AAA' Europe Bowl, 22-7 over the injury depleted and Defending Champ Amsterdam Admirals. The Admirals played without Japanese standout WR-KR-PR, Noriaki Kinoshita (high ankle strain and starting QB Gibran Hamdan (Seattle), thus losing out on a chance to repeat as World Bowl Champs. The Frankfurt Galaxy set two World Bowl records by winning for a fourth time and playing in their 7th League NFL 'AAA' Championship game. Coach Mike Jones became just the third black-American Coach to win a Pro Football Championship.
The other two are San Jose Sabercats Darren Arbet (twice; '02 and '04), of the Ar.FL and the CFL's Mike Clemons, who won the 92nd Grey Cup, Pro Football's oldest Championship, in 2004 in Ottawa for the Toronto Argonauts. Jones got the win more with Defence rather than Offence, though he got 138 second half yards from reserve RB Butchie Wallace (who only gained 5 yds. in the 1st half). Amsterdam lead at the half by a weird score of 7-2 because reserve QB Jared Allen (Fla-Int'l.U., playing in his biggest game since upsetting Hawai'i last year) got sacked for a safety on the games first play! With Kinoshita out, the Admirals reserve KR fumbled but recovered on the Amsterdam two yard line.
World Bowl Fourteen Preview: Frankfurt Galaxy (7-3-0) v. Amsterdam Admirals (7-3-0). Amsterdam (1-2 in W.Bowls) is the Defending Champ. Frankfurt, the last original 1991 WLAF team still in it's original city, is in a record 7th W.Bowl. They don't have much Chance of winning it, but could make things interesting if Admirals QB Gibran Hamdan (3rd yr.NFLE) doesn't get off to a quick start. Frankfurt is lead by it's League leading rushing attack that can eat up the clock. Lead by RB by committee, it'll grind out some yards, even on Amsterdam's fine Defence. However Hamdan has been superb this Year and gets my choice for M.V.P for '06 among players. Frankfurt Coach Mike Jones, 2nd year, is my choice for Coach of the Year, barely over Amsterdam's Bart Andrus. Hamdan, WR Skyler Fluton, my choice for Offencive Player of the Year (Frankfurt's DT Danny Benetka gets a slight nod for Defencive Player of the Year) is the top target but radpidly developing japanese footbal player Noriaki Knishita, who lead the team in total yards and the League in Kick returns and punt returns is a player to watch. His cousin is already playing in the Ar.FL with New York, who got ousted from the playoffs yesterday. Look for Amsterdam to go deep if Benetka can be stopped as a pass rusher. Moose's Pick: Defending Champ Amsterdam 29, Frankfurt 20.
National Player of the Year: Cologne's Werner [Hipp] Hippler, TE/H-B/FB/KS. If you go to the nfl.com site and click on News there is a great profile of the best European born player ever in this League. Hipp just completed his 10th year in the League and 13th over all in his career. He has played in an NFL Europe record 96 games, caught 96 career passes for 1049 yards, 4 TDs and caught his first two-pt. conv. this year. He also has one carry on his career and one blocked kick. Hippler started with Burnaby, B.C. high school and then went to play three years at Sacramento St., for the Div. I-AA Hornets. He then went to the San Diego Chargers, Frankfurt Galaxy, back to San Diego back to Frankfurt, to the Detroit Lions, back to Frankfurt, to the XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws, back to Frankfurt then to the Cologne Centurians, where in was born, 07/30/70. Hipp holds four alltime NFL Europe Records including most years played in an NFL E players career, most catches by NFL E TE, Most TDs by NFL E TE, most career Championship games played in NFL E history (5), T-most career World Bowl wins (3, w/ K Ralf Kleinmann and Berlin WR/KS Jorg Heckenbach). He also went to the Super Bowl with the Chargers and got an AFC Championship ring. If this is Hipp's career he had the best ever in NFL Europe! Take your time in deciding to come back, Hipp. It would be nice for you to go out with four Championship rings and to help your hometown Cologne win one next year.
NFL E/Int'l Footy Update: American-style Footy Clubs down under 2006 Updated List: Perth Broncos, Claremont Jets, Westside Steelers, Hyde Park Giants, South City Chiefs, Adelaide Eagles, South District Oilers, Curtain City Saints, Queensland Titans, Western Australia Raiders.
Hamburg 13, Rhein 10 .Scott McCready advances the all-time Nat. WR catches mark. Still 100 away from Mario Bailey all-time.
1) W.Hippler, who pushed the all-time TE catches mark to: 94 and now has played in 97 NFL E games, another alltime high. Hipp has played in Five World Bowls and won three with the Galaxy, which ties the record with K Ralf Kleinmann, a former Galaxy player.
2) Jack Bicknell, who now stands atop the all-time NFL E Coaching list, extending his career mark to: 74-72-1. Bicknell has won two World Bowls and been runner-up in three more. He is the only original Coach from the WLAF left from 1991 (Barcelona). He also Coached Scotland their last year. He holds the mark for most teams Coached in the League also: 3. Bicknell is of course famous for being 21-yr. Pro QBing vet Doug Flutie's Boston College Coach.
3) R.Robinson (Arz.) Frankfurt RB. Despite his team's loss, he ran for 124 yds. this past weekend and 1 TD. He should be a good RB for the Cards behind Edgerrin James. Keep an eye on him.
4) Brock, Berlin, QB; 17 of 28 for 214 yds., 1 TD, 1 INT, 4 for 21, 0 TD rushing in loss to: Cologne. Good game for kid who may stick with the Dolphins behind Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington.
Notes / Picks: With Drew Henson out much of the last two weeks, it'll come down to his reappearance, or Timmy Chang stepping up next week versus hometown Cologne. And the worst of it is, the Centurians are playing like a bear with a bad tooth now since they realize that Werner Hippler may retire after 10 NFL E seasons and they won't make the World Bowl. Good luck, Fire, but I am going with Cologne by 15 next week; That'll cinch up Amsterdam v. their (now since '05) arch rival, Frankfurt, who I am picking to win OVER Berlin next week by five. In the other game this coming week, in weekend 10, I am going with Amsterdam OVER 2-6-1 Hamburg, by 7.
Timmy Chang Update: T.C. gets 1st career start, but comes up a little short: The Rhein Fire, who hadn't won in the last two weeks, jeopardized a shot at the NFL Europe Championship, May 27th by benching regular starting QB Drew (Baseball) Henson and giving the green light to former Hawai'i University 4-yr starter/part-time starter [along with Nick Rolovich/Shawn Withy-Allen/Jason (Opie) Wheildon], Timmy Chang. Timmy, despite the Rhein's close loss on a Frankfurt FG, played very well and gets a game ball from me this week: Stats: Passing: 13 of 19 for 170 yds., 2 TDs and only 1 INT that didn't amount to any points for the Galaxy. On the season T.C. is: 36 of 53 for 54.2%, 505 yds., 4 TDs and only 3 picks. He has three rushes for zero yds.
Chang played the first, third and fourth quarters. Henson was horrible in the second quarter and the team was better off with Henson starting and Chang coming off the bench. Rhein started the season 4-0 but is now 5-2-1 and is currently in third place and must win out to qualify for the World Bowl. They will meet Defending Champ Amsterdam with third year QB Gibran Hamdan if they do. Frankfurt has hung in their and could be headed for a record Seventh World Bowl. Frankfurt is the only original WLAF team still in it's 1991 home. Berlin started in London, Cologne used to be Scotland, Amsterdam used to be in Montreal, Rhein came into the League in '95 and Hamburg used to be in Barcelona. Confused?! 13-yr Pro TE Werner Hippler may come back for one more shot at his sixth World Bowl next year. Even though he is now number 2 @ TE for the Centurians he has had the best season in the last four in the League since returning from the defunct XFL. If he decides not to, he will become the G.M. for the Centurians unless a CFL or NFL Coaching/ or Scouting job becomes available. Or he will join the staff of his Almer Mater, Sacramento State, where he played in the backfield with Troy Mills (12-yr CFL RB) and Aaron Garcia (Ar.FL legend QB).
Week Nine games: Berlin vs Frankfurt, Cologne vs Amsterdam, Hamburg vs Rhein.
NFL/E Notes - A list of ex-NFL E not drafted by the NFL that have become solid players in the NFL: Atlanta, Brian Finneran, WR (Barcelona), Detroit, Jon Kitna, QB (Barcelona), Buffalo, Kelly Holcomb, QB (Amsterdam), Carolina, Jake Delhomme, QB (Amsterdam/Frankfurt), Cleveland, Joe Andruzzi, OLm (Scotland), Indianapolis, Adam Vinitieri, K (Amsterdam). **Terry Bradshaw, Fox Sports Announcer recently showed a really big heart by parting with all his important worldy sports goods like his; four Super Bowl rings, a Super Bowl Steeler jersey, a helmet, College Football and Pro NFL Football Hall-of-Fame rings, et, al, donated to his University of Louisianna Tech Charles Wyly Athletic Centre Bulldogs Hall. Way to go Terry, you still have the memories and these items are going into a great place.
Week Eight Notes - Three teams out of race for World Bowl: Hamburg, who now has poor Coach Jack Bicknell's career record at: 71-71-1, Berlin and Cologne.
Timmy Chang Update: 38 att(s), 19 comp(s), 50%, 169 yds, 0-1INT, 2 rushes for 1 yard.
From Neil Reynolds at NFLE Media.
MANFRED MANN�S EARTH BAND and STATUS QUO, two bands with a combined 80 years of charts success between them, will raise the roof at the LTU arena at Yello Strom World Bowl XIV on Saturday May 27.
Headlining a spectacular pre-game show will be Status Quo, who will perform their anthem �Rockin� All Over The World�, along with one of their recent hits, �The Party Ain�t Over Yet�. Status Quo front-men Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt are celebrating their 40th anniversary together, and will be making their second World Bowl performance, having performed at World Bowl X in 2002, also in D�sseldorf.
Status Quo�s performance will be followed by a breathtaking firework and laser show as the lights go out in the LTU arena.
Manfred Mann�s Earth Band will become the latest name to join an impressive list of World Bowl halftime performers. The band, which has been scoring chart success since the 1960s, with songs like �Do Wah Diddy Diddy�, and re-formed under their current name in the 1970s, will perform their hits �Mighty Quinn� and �For You�.
Tickets for Yello Strom World Bowl XIV are available now by calling 49-(0)1805-478 73 73 or by visiting www.rhein-fire.de.
NFL E Week 5 Notes: "English born WR Scott McCready and Coach 'Cowboy Jack' (not Carawan!) Bicknell are about all Hamburg has had to cheer about in an 0-4-1 start that sees them almost completely out of the World Bowl XIV race already after half of the regular season. McCready has passed Werner Hippler (Cologne/Frankfurt) and Scott 'Scoups', formerly of the Scotland Claymores (now in Cologne) on the NFL E National (non-American/non-Canadian born) receiving list. McCready has 167 catches in five NFL E seasons and won a Super Bowl ring with the New England Patriots from their practice squad when they beat Saint Louis in '02. Hipp has an AFC Championship ring from when San Deigo lost to San Fran. in their Super Bowl XXIX game in '95.
Two ties this year, three weeks apart. Que Barbaridad. The Cologne Centurians (1-3-1) are still alive but must win out to potentially catch either Rhein (4-1-0) or defending Champ Amsterdam (4-1-0).
The top two teams in the standings will go head to head in the Netherlands on Saturday afternoon as the Amsterdam Admirals (3-1) play host to the undefeated Rhein Fire (4-0). The winner of the mouth-watering contest will be sitting pretty on top of the pile at the halfway mark of the 2006 NFL Europe League season.
Saturday�s action also sees the winless Hamburg Sea Devils (0-3-1) set about getting their season back on track when they welcome the Frankfurt Galaxy (2-2) to the AOL Arena.
The third game of the week sees Monday Night Football head to Berlin on April 17, where the hometown Berlin Thunder (1-2-1) will take on the Cologne Centurions (1-3) at Olympic Stadium. Both clubs will go in search of their first victory since Week 1 of the 2006 campaign.
Timmy Chang has completed 16 of 34 passes for 176 yards, 0 TDs, 0 sacks, 0 INTs, 0 fumbles, and run the bal once for one yard. That's because he is only playing the second quarters behind the early '06 candidate for M.V.P. in NFL E this year (until the Ottawa RoughRenegades begin play soon, I'm told...sorry, I couldn't resist that one. That's where Kerry Joseph belongs - back in the NFL 'AAA's). Drew Henson, the umpteenth Dallas ex-Baseball playing QB to be sent over the big pond for 'schoolin' is tearin the League up with the 4-0-0 Rhein Fire.
He gets Another Game Ball this week. Henson has eight TD passes in 4 games, despite playing only three quarters per game. He's probably no threat to break Kurt Warner's 17 TDs (and Warner did it in only SEVEN games, until Jake Delhomme took over in Amsterdam in '98 following Kurt's injury-shortened season. Great article on NFL E News for March 16th on German-Canadian Werner (Verne) Hippler, Darren Bennett's old San Diego Charger mate, who played High School ball in Burnaby, B.C. before playing in the NCAA's @ Division II Sacramento State for the Hornets from '91- '93. I suggest go to: nfle.com to check it out. Hipp continues to advance the record books on most games played by an NFL E player and most career catches by and NFL E TE (he's also played FB/H-B & KS/ST'r.

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