2007 Berlin Thunder season

2007 Berlin Thunder season
General manager	Joe Cealera
Head coach	John Allen
Home field	Olympic Stadium
Results
Record	2–8
Division place	6th
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 2007 Berlin Thunder season was the ninth and final season for the franchise in the NFL Europa League (NFLEL). The team was led by head coach John Allen in his first year, and played its home games at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. They finished the regular season in sixth place with a record of two wins and eight losses. The National Football League (NFL) announced the closure of its European branch on June 29.[1]

Offseason

Free agent draft

2007 Berlin Thunder NFLEL free agent draft selections

Draft order		Player name	Position	College
Round	Choice
1	1	Chris Thompson	CB	Nicholls State
2	7	Lauvale Sape	DT	Utah
3	18	Seante Williams	DE	Jacksonville State
4	19	Jabari Levey	T	South Carolina
5	30	Chris Harrell	CB	Penn State
6	31	Matt Henshaw	TE	Florida State
7	42	Steve Paris	S	Iowa State
8	43	Damien Rhodes	RB	Syracuse
9	54	Keon Raymond	CB	Middle Tennessee
10	55	Quartez Vickerson	DT	Grand Valley State
11	66	Steven Vieira	G	UCLA
12	67	Samario Houston	LB	Catawba
13	78	Jameel Dumas	LB	Syracuse
14	79	Jay McCareins	CB	Princeton
15	90	Robin Meadow	T	Washington
16	91	Sha-Ron Edwards	RB	Illinois State
17	102	Bernard Opoku	S	Jacksonville
18	103	Bobby Payne	DE	Middle Tennessee
19	114	Daniel Martz	C	Alabama
20	115	Jason Flowers	CB	Toledo
21	126	Tim Clarke	LB	Lenoir–Rhyne
22	127	Mike Mendenhall	DE	Temple
23	133	Scott Mitchell	WR	Kentucky

[2]

Personnel

Staff

2007 Berlin Thunder staff

Front office General manager – Joe Cealera Head coaches Head coach/wide receivers – John Allen Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/offensive line – Don Lawrence Quarterbacks – Cory Sauter National coach/running backs – Wanja Müller Tight ends – Willard Scissum

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/defensive backs – Adrian White Defensive line – Darryl Sims Assistant defensive line – Mike Jones Linebackers – Kurt Gouveia Special teams coaches National coach/special teams coordinator – Wanja Müller Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Mike Berezowski

Roster

2007 Berlin Thunder roster

	Quarterbacks 10 Bruce Eugene  7 Travis Lulay Running backs 23 Chris Barclay 34 Sha-ron Edwards 25 Cal Murray 32 Damien Rhodes Wide receivers 81 Carlton Brewster 82 Ryan Hoag 84 Rich Musinski 12 Steve Sanders 80 Kyle Smith Tight ends 83 Rob Abiamiri 87 Charles Davis 49 Alex Shor		Offensive linemen 63 Jasper Harvey C 53 Rob Hunt G/C 71 Jabari Levey T 65 Tyler McMeans G 69 Matt Ulrich G 76 Steven Vieira T Defensive linemen 91 Walter Curry DE 98 Jason Peterson DE 95 Lauvale Sape DT 99 Bryant Shaw DT 90 Dave Tollefson DE 96 Quartez Vickerson DT		Linebackers 45 Tim Clarke OLB 50 Jameel Dumas OLB 41 Tim Goodwell OLB 58 Mike Mendenhall MLB 55 Samario Houston OLB 57 Dominique Sims LB Defensive backs 24 Dennis Davis CB 22 Jason Flowers CB 27 Chris Harrell S 20 Josh Lay CB 28 Steve Paris S 35 Etric Pruitt S 21 Chris Thompson CB 26 Vickiel Vaughn S 31 Gerard Washington CB Special teams  2 D. J. Fitzpatrick K/P 40 Matt Guardia LS  6 Andrew Jacas K  1 Tom Malone P		National players 56 Richard Adjei OLB 92 Patrick Finke DE 29 Oliver Flemming S 88 Alejandro Gamez WR 66 Juan Garcia G 64 Samuel Gutekunst T 51 Shaun Smith MLB 18 Gustavo Tella WR Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Kickoff [n 1]	Opponent	Results		Game site	Attendance
				Final score	Team record
1	Saturday, April 14	7:00 p.m.	at Rhein Fire	W 15–3	1–0	LTU arena	30,355
2	Sunday, April 22	4:00 p.m.	Hamburg Sea Devils	L 7–16	1–1	Olympic Stadium	30,657
3	Saturday, April 28	6:00 p.m.	Amsterdam Admirals	L 10–14	1–2	Olympic Stadium	11,942
4	Saturday, May 5	6:00 p.m.	at Cologne Centurions	W 31–28	2–2	RheinEnergieStadion	10,084
5	Sunday, May 13	4:00 p.m.	Cologne Centurions	L 10–24	2–3	Olympic Stadium	11,995
6	Sunday, May 20	5:00 p.m.	at Frankfurt Galaxy	L 7–35	2–4	Commerzbank-Arena	30,125
7	Saturday, May 26	6:00 p.m.	at Hamburg Sea Devils	L 7–17	2–5	AOL Arena	18,337
8	Saturday, June 2	6:00 p.m.	Frankfurt Galaxy	L 22–25	2–6	Olympic Stadium	11,882
9	Friday, June 8	7:00 p.m.	Rhein Fire	L 17–24	2–7	Olympic Stadium	12,114
10	Friday, June 15	8:00 p.m.	at Amsterdam Admirals	L 20–21	2–8	Olympic Stadium	11,893

[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Standings

NFL Europa League
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	Home	Road	STK
Hamburg Sea Devils	7	3	0	.700	231	176	4–1	3–2	W4
Frankfurt Galaxy	7	3	0	.700	254	179	5–0	2–3	W1
Cologne Centurions	6	4	0	.600	205	172	2–3	4–1	L1
Rhein Fire	4	6	0	.400	166	212	2–3	2–3	L1
Amsterdam Admirals	4	6	0	.400	194	250	3–2	1–4	W1
Berlin Thunder	2	8	0	.200	146	207	0–5	2–3	L6

[14]

Game summaries

Week 1: at Rhein Fire

Week One: Berlin Thunder at Rhein Fire – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Berlin	0	4	4	7	15
Rhein	0	3	0	0	3

at LTU arena, Düsseldorf, Germany

• Date: Saturday, April 14
• Game time: 7:06 p.m. CEST
• Game weather: 71 °F (21.7 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 30,355
• Referee: Carl Cheffers
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Scott Graham and Doug Graber

Week 2: vs Hamburg Sea Devils

Week Two: Hamburg Sea Devils at Berlin Thunder – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hamburg	0	10	3	3	16
Berlin	0	0	0	7	7

at Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany

• Date: Sunday, April 22
• Game time: 4:02 p.m. CEST
• Game weather: 64 °F (17.8 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 30,657
• Referee: Don Carey
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Scott Graham and Doug Graber

Week 3: vs Amsterdam Admirals

Week Three: Amsterdam Admirals at Berlin Thunder – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Amsterdam	7	0	0	7	14
Berlin	0	0	10	0	10

at Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany

• Date: Saturday, April 28
• Game time: 6:06 p.m. CEST
• Game weather: 76 °F (24.4 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 11,942
• Referee: John Hussey
• TV announcers (DirecTV): Scott Graham and DeAngelo Hall

Week 4: at Cologne Centurions

Week Four: Berlin Thunder at Cologne Centurions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Berlin	0	14	3	14	31
Cologne	14	14	0	0	28

at RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany

• Date: Saturday, May 5
• Game time: 6:07 p.m. CEST
• Game weather: 72 °F (22.2 °C), mostly cloudy
• Game attendance: 10,084
• Referee: John Parry

Week 5: vs Cologne Centurions

Week Five: Cologne Centurions at Berlin Thunder – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cologne	7	3	14	0	24
Berlin	3	0	0	7	10

at Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany

• Date: Sunday, May 13
• Game time: 4:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 11.995
• [15]

Week 6: at Frankfurt Galaxy

Week Six: Berlin Thunder at Frankfurt Galaxy – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Berlin	0	7	0	0	7
Frankfurt	14	14	7	0	35

at Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany

• Date: Sunday, May 20
• Game time: 5:00 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 30,125
• [16]

Week 7: at Hamburg Sea Devils

Week Seven: Berlin Thunder at Hamburg Sea Devils – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Berlin	3	4	0	0	7
Hamburg	0	3	0	14	17

at AOL Arena, Hamburg, Germany

• Date: Saturday, May 26
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 18,337
• [17]

Week 8: vs Frankfurt Galaxy

Week Eight: Frankfurt Galaxy at Berlin Thunder – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Frankfurt	3	0	0	22	25
Berlin	7	0	8	7	22

at Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany

• Date: Saturday, June 2
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 11,882
• [18]

Week 9: vs Rhein Fire

Week Nine: Rhein Fire at Berlin Thunder – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rhein	14	10	0	0	24
Berlin	7	10	0	0	17

at Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany

• Date: Friday, June 8
• Game time: 7:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 12,114
• [19]

Week 10: at Amsterdam Admirals

Week Ten: Berlin Thunder at Amsterdam Admirals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Berlin	3	10	7	0	20
Amsterdam	0	7	0	14	21

at Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Date: Friday, June 15
• Game time: 8:07 p.m. CEST
• Game weather: 70 °F (21.1 °C), partly cloudy, light rain
• Game attendance: 11,893
• Referee: Tom Symonette
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Michael Reghi and Doug Graber

Honors

• Chris Barclay, Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 4)
• Carlton Brewster, All-NFL Europa League team selection
• Andrew Jacas, Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 1)
• Chris Thompson, Defensive Player of the Week (Week 10)

[20] [21]

Notes

1. All times are in Central European Summer Time (CEST).

References

1. Kuriloff, Aaron (June 29, 2007). "NFL Folds European League One Week After World Bowl Title Game". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
2. NFL Europa League (February 26, 2007). "Famous names called during NFL Europa Free Agent Draft" (Press release). Retrieved June 28, 2011.
3. NFL Europa League (April 10, 2007). "World Bowl Rematch Kicks Off 15th Season" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
4. NFL Europa League (April 17, 2007). "Early Start To Week Two" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
5. NFL Europa League (April 24, 2007). "Race for NFL Europa glory looks to be crowded" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
6. NFL Europa League (May 1, 2007). "Pace-setting Galaxy Visit Admirals; Centurions Lead Chasing Pack" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
7. NFL Europa League (May 8, 2007). "Everything To Play For As Season Approaches Halfway Mark" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
8. NFL Europa League (May 15, 2007). "Race To Reach World Bowl Closest In League History As All Six Teams Separated By One Game" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
9. NFL Europa League (May 22, 2007). "Two Break Clear Of Chasing Pack As Race To Reach World Bowl Intensifies" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
10. NFL Europa League (May 29, 2007). "Cologne Within Touching Distance Of World Bowl" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
11. NFL Europa League (June 5, 2007). "Galaxy One Win Away From Hosting World Bowl" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
12. NFL Europa League (June 12, 2007). "Three Teams Eye Two Title Game Spots As Race To Reach World Bowl Goes Down To Final Weekend" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
13. "Berlin Thunder verpasst fünften Platz" (in German). Rheinische Post. June 16, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
14. "NFL Europa At A Glance". USA Today. June 25, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
15. "NFL Europa: Fire schlägt Galaxy" (in German). Rheinische Post. May 12, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
16. "NFL Europa: Frankfurt und Köln auf World-Bowl-Kurs" (in German). Rheinische Post. May 19, 2007. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
17. "7. Spieltag der NFL Europa: Spitzenkampf zwischen Galaxy und Centurions" (in German). Rheinische Post. May 26, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
18. "Berlin Thunder vs. Frankfurt Galaxy" (in German). football-aktuell.de. May 26, 2007. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
19. "Football: Berlin Thunder enttäuscht" (in German). Der Tagesspiegel. June 9, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
20. World Bowl XV Media Guide.
21. "Honors handed out". NFLEurope.com. June 21, 2007. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2011.