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WR KENNY COUTAIN SCORES FIRST TOUCHDOWN OF NFLEL CAREER
NFL Europe Press Release
posted 05/11/01
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Kenny Coutain helped the Berlin Thunder to tie a season-high in point production (21) by hauling in two passes for 13 yards and one touchdown last weekend in NFL Europe League action. The touchdown reception was Coutain's first of the NFL Europe League season, but unfortunately did not come during a win, as the Thunder fell short, 28-21, to the Claymores in Scotland. The Thunder (1-2) return home this week to battle the Rhein Fire (1-2).
Starting for the third consecutive week, Packers LB London Dunlap had two tackles, bringing his season total to six, in the Claymores' fourth-quarter comeback win over the Berlin Thunder, 28-21. The Claymores (2-1) travel to Frankfurt (0-3) Saturday to battle the winless Galaxy.
Also in last weekend's action, the Rhein Fire fell to the undefeated Barcelona Dragons, 27-21, in overtime, as Packers tight end Adam Newman recorded his third consecutive start. The Fire (1-2) will meet Berlin (1-2) Saturday in Germany.
WEEK FOUR SCHEDULE
Sat., May 12
Amsterdam Admirals at Barcelona Dragons
5:00 p.m. CST Estadi Olimpic, Barcelona
Rhein Fire at Berlin Thunder
5:00 p.m. CST Jahnstadion, Berlin
Scottish Claymores at Frankfurt Galaxy
6:00 p.m. CST Waldstadion, Frankfurt
*Check local listings for air time and channel number.
WEEK THREE RESULTS
Scotland 28, Berlin 21
Amsterdam 28, Frankfurt 14
Barcelona 27, Rhein 21 (OT)
NFL EUROPE LEAGUE STANDINGS
(As of May 8, 2001)
Game Notes - Week 4 - All Times Eastern
AMSTERDAM ADMIRALS (2-1) at BARCELONA DRAGONS (3-0)
Estadi Olimpic,Saturday May 12, 5:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Tied 6-6
At Barcelona: Barcelona leads 4-2
At Amsterdam: Amsterdam leads 4-2
Streak: Barcelona 4
Last season: Barcelona 27 at Amsterdam 20; Amsterdam 16 at Barcelona 22
TELEVISION
Holland: HIGHLIGHTS/ NOS Studio Sport (Sunday p.m.)
Spain: LIVE/Tele Deportes
US: DirecTV (11:00 a.m. ET)
Dallas Cowboys radio announcer Brad Sham calls the game with Pro Bowl NFL wide receiver Irving Fryar, a former Philadelphia Eagle and Miami Dolphin who played for the Washington Redskins in 2000.
COACHES
Amsterdam's Bart Andrus is 2-1 in his first season as head coach of the Admirals after winning World Bowl ring as offensive coordinator of the Rhein Fire.
Barcelona's Jack Bicknell is only three games away from becoming the first head coach in NFLEL history to post 50 regular season victories. Last week's win against Rhein took his career record to 47-36 (.566). He ranks first in victories and is sixth in winning percentage. Victory in this game would give him a .571 record and fourth place, overtaking the .567 mark of ex-Frankfurt coach Dick Curl and ex-Amsterdam coach Al Luginbill.
GAME NOTES
Dragons bidding for first 4-0 start since inaugural season of 1991. Victory would tie that team for the longest winning streak to start season in team history. No team starting season 3-0 has ever failed to reach World Bowl.
Admirals on two-game winning streak but have not won three straight games in a season since winning the first seven games of the 1995 season. Dragons have just completed first ever back-to-back series in team history, sweeping the Fire, and now begin two straight games against the Admirals.
Series is tied 6-6, with both teams having more success at home (4-2 records). Dragons have won four straight against the Admirals, sweeping series in last two years. Last year's games followed similar patterns with Dragons opening up leads and holding on to win.
Dragons won 27-20 in Amsterdam behind a pair of TD passes by Tony Graziani, with Admirals' Ron Powlus passing for two fourth-quarter TDs. In Barcelona, the Dragons led 19-0 but had to withstand a 16-point fourth quarter from Amsterdam to clinch a 22-16 victory.
Game features matchup between Cleveland Browns allocated players who were Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week in Week 2, as Amsterdam QB Spergon Wynn attempts to complete his passes against Barcelona cornerback Anthony Malbrough. Admirals' top-ranked defense g oes up against a Dragons team that boasts the top-rated quarterback (Jarious Jackson), leading rusher (Mike Green) and leading receiver (Trevor Insley).
RHEIN FIRE (1-2) at BERLIN THUNDER (1-2)
Jahnstadion, Saturday May 12, 6:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Rhein leads 3-1
At Berlin: Tied 1-1
At Rhein: Rhein leads 2-0
Streak: Rhein 2
Last season: Rhein 21 at Berlin 25 (OT); Berlin 27 at Rhein 28
TELEVISION
Germany: LIVE/Premiere World
US: LIVE/DirecTV (12 noon. ET)
Veteran NFLEL broadcaster Paul Kennedy is joined in the booth by former Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Dave Krieg.
COACHES
Berlin head coach Peter Vaas has coached in one World Bowl, as an offensive assistant for the beaten Barcelona Dragons in 1999. Rhein's Pete Kuharchek has won two World Bowl rings as defensive coordinator of the Fire
GAME NOTES
History repeating itself as Rhein made a losing start to the 1999 season when they were defending World Bowl champions. That year they began 0-2, while last week's overtime loss against Barcelona took them to 1-2 this season. Fire on two-game losing streak but have not lost three straight in same season since losing first three of 1997 season (posted four-game losing streak in final two games of 1998 regular season and first two of 1999).
Last year's series produced two thrilling games, with Thunder kicker Jaret Holmes winning the game in Berlin 25-21 with a 52-yard FG in overtime. Earlier, Fire QB Danny Wuerffel had helped tie the game with a 3-yard TD run with 0:10 remaining. One week later, Wuerffel threw 4 second-half TD passes to rally Rhein from a 20-0 deficit to a 28-27 win. Fire holds a 3-1 lead in the series.
Rhein is already the only franchise in league history to post four straight winning seasons, no one else has three (1997-99).
Kicking matchup of former German soccer stars. Berlin's Axel Kruse is the former captain of HSC Hertha Berlin, while Rhein's Manfred Burgsmuller is the fourth-leading scorer of all-time in Germany's Bundesliga, as well as being the NFLEL's second-leading all-time points leader with 234. Kruse is leading scorer in Thunder history with 56 points.
Thunder has sixth-ranked rushing game (53.3 yards per game) but is the only team to average more than 200 passing yards per game.
SCOTTISH CLAYMORES (2-1) at FRANKFURT GALAXY (0-3)
Waldstadion, Saturday May 12, 7:00 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
Overall: Scotland leads 8-5 (plus 1-0 postseason)
At Frankfurt: Scotland leads 4-2
At Scotland: Scotland 4-3
Streak: Scotland 1
This season: Frankfurt 21 at Scotland 24 (Week 1)
TELEVISION
Germany: LIVE/DSF
United Kingdom: DELAY/Sky Sports 3 (10:00 p.m.)
US: LIVE/FOX Sports Net (1:00 p.m.. ET)
Veteran English broadcaster Nick Halling reaches a milestone when he broadcasts his 100th NFLEL game. Halling, who worked on World League games for USA Network in the first season of the league 10 years ago, last year became the first Englishman to call an NFL game on American television when he called the Atlanta-Carolina game for FOX.
He says: "I can honestly say that I thought the first 1991 game I did as a sideline reporter for USA Network would be a one-off. I am looking forward to game 100 but I never thought it would happen. I must have done something right because the games keep coming."
Halling is joined in the booth by Minnesota Vikings All-Pro receiver Cris Carter and the Englishman says: "I have worked with a lot of analysts over the years. Cris Carter brings the same professionalism to the booth as he does to the field and if I could have picked anyone to work with on my 100th game it would have been him."
COACHES
Clash of rookie NFLEL head coaches, with Galaxy's Doug Graber still looking for first victory. Scotland's Gene Dahlquist looks to complete sweep of Graber in their first season series following opening week victory in Glasgow.
GAME NOTES
Galaxy had never started a season 0-2 before this year and now find themselves 0-3 after loss in Amsterdam last week. Frankfurt still a long way from team record losing streak (7 games in 1992). Galaxy, coming off a 4-6 mark in 2001, has never suffered two straight losing seasons.
Teams meet for the second time this season following the Claymores' opening day 24-21 win in Glasgow, where Scotland QB Clint Stoerner threw a pair of TD passes and the home team held off a fourth-quarter rally by Frankfurt. Galaxy outgained Scotland by 383 yards to 165 yards.
Scotland gained 290 yards of total offense in first two weeks but racked up 375 yards last week.
Galaxy return home to Waldstadion, where they have led the league in attendance in six of the last seven years, but have only posted an all-time 20-21 record. Loss to Berlin in home opener in Week 2 was their sixth loss in their last seven home games. Series is known for exciting games. Last season, Claymores beat Galaxy 17-14 in Waldstadion in Week 2, with Rob Hart kicking the game-winning 42-yard FG. Last 6 games between the teams have been decided by 7 points or less, including 2 overtime contestsî. Teams have met once in postseason, a 32-27 Claymores victory in World Bowl '96 in Scotland.
In this game in 1999, teams became the first to combine for more than 1,000 offensive yards in an NFLEL game, totalling 1,073 yards in a 42-35 Claymores win.
For more information on NFL Europe, log onto nfleurope.com.
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