Wide receiver CHAD LUCAS of the Green Bay Packers, cornerback RONYELL WHITAKER of the Rhein Fire, and kick returner/corner back LENNY WILLIAMS of the Dallas Cowboys are the NFL Europe League Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played the fourth week of the season (April 8), the league announced today.
Lucas became the first player in league history to record four touchdown receptions in a game, leading the Amsterdam Admirals to a 38-31 victory over the Berlin Thunder. The wide receiver from Alabama State finished the game with six catches for 120 yards and leads NFL Europe with six touchdowns this season.
"The record means a lot because it just goes to show that hard work pays off," said Lucas.
Amsterdam head coach BART ANDRUS was impressed with Lucas' record-setting performance.
"Any time you are putting together a team, it starts with good players," Andrus said. "If you get them in the right positions and teach them the right things, you can move them along quickly. You saw that in this game from Chad Lucas."
Whitaker helped the Rhein Fire remain the league's lone unbeaten team as the Fire improved to a perfect 4-0 with a 31-21 victory over the Hamburg Sea Devils. The cornerback out of Virginia Tech intercepted two passes, defensed two others and added two tackles.
Kick returner/cornerback Williams' electrifying returns helped the Frankfurt Galaxy to a 21-14 win over the Cologne Centurions in front of 23,125 fans at Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt. Williams, who played at Southern, returned three kickoffs for 98 yards (32.7 average), including a 57-yard return in the fourth quarter to set up the Galaxy's game-winning touchdown. On defense, Williams recorded two interceptions, three passes defensed and two tackles.
"I'm very happy that our guys made some plays out there," said Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES. "Lenny Williams made some big plays for us."
Swedish linebacker CARL-JOHAN BJÖRK was named National Player of the Week. In Amsterdam's road win over Berlin, Björk had six tackles and one interception. Through the first four games of the season, Björk is tied for second the team with 23 tackles.
