2007 Cologne Centurions season

2007 Cologne Centurions season
General manager	Hauke Wilkens
Head coach	David Duggan John Lyons (interim)
Home field	RheinEnergieStadion
Results
Record	6–4
Division place	3rd
Playoff finish	Did not qualify

The 2007 Cologne Centurions season was the fourth and final season for the franchise in the NFL Europa League (NFLEL). The team were led by head coach David Duggan in his second year and played its home games at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, Germany. When Duggan gave up coaching after week nine due to health issues, defensive coordinator John Lyons was elevated to the position of interim head coach for the final game.[1] They finished the season in third place with a record of six wins and four losses. The National Football League (NFL) announced the closure of its European branch on June 29.[2]

Offseason

Free agent draft

2007 Cologne Centurions NFLEL free agent draft selections

Draft order		Player name	Position	College
Round	Choice
1	3	Jon Alston	G	South Carolina
2	9	George Gause	DE	South Carolina
3	16	Cedrick Holt	CB	North Carolina
4	21	C. J. Brooks	G	Maryland
5	28	Bobby Blizzard	TE	North Carolina
6	33	A. J. Harris	RB	Northern Illinois
7	40	Devan Long	DE	Oregon
8	45	Kellen Davis	T	Oklahoma State
9	52	Rod Olds	C	Jacksonville State
10	57	Martin Patterson	LB	Texas Christian
11	64	Tyler King	DE	Connecticut
12	69	Ernest Jones	DT	Tennessee State
13	76	Mario Hill	WR	Mississippi
14	81	Jon Simmons	DE	South Florida
15	88	Kenton Johnson	T	Georgia Tech
16	93	Burl Toler	WR	California
17	100	Victor Phillips	CB	Southern
18	105	Jamar Enzor	LB	Cincinnati
19	112	Mike Douglas	TE	Massachusetts
20	117	Antwann Carter	RB	Boise State
21	124	Trenton Jordan	DE	Central Florida
22	129	Terrance Butler	CB	Wyoming

[3]

Personnel

Staff

2007 Cologne Centurions staff

Front office General manager – Hauke Wilkens Head coaches Head coach – David Duggan Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Jeff Filkovski National coach/running backs – Lee Rowland Wide receivers – Don Holmes Tight ends – Wendell Davis Offensive line – Tom Lovat

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/defensive backs – John Lyons Defensive line – Tracy Simien Linebackers – Mark Sander Special teams coaches National coach/special teams – Lee Rowland Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Joe Shufelt

Roster

2007 Cologne Centurions roster

	Quarterbacks  9 Erik Meyer  5 Quinton Porter Running backs 21 Antwaun Carter 38 A. J. Harris 20 Derrick Ross Wide receivers 11 Jovon Bouknight 19 Tramain Hall 84 Greg Lee 15 Dan Sheldon 10 Burl Toler III Tight ends 88 Bobby Blizzard 89 Tony Curtis		Offensive linemen 78 Jon Alston T 75 Aldo De La Garza G 77 Cody Douglas T 53 Greg Eslinger C 71 Kenton Johnson T 67 Kili Lefotu G 73 Alan Reuber T 72 Stefon Wheeler T Defensive linemen 68 McKinley Boykin DT 99 George Gause DE 94 Jason Hall DE 90 Tom Johnson DT 52 Tyler King DE 91 Kevin Vickerson DT		Linebackers 40 Craig Kobel OLB 56 Martin Patterson MLB 55 John Saldi OLB 50 Clifton Smith MLB Defensive backs 31 Kevin Curtis S 22 Gabe Franklin CB 25 Cedrick Holt CB 32 Kevin House CB 28 Alvin Nnabuife S 30 Chris Reis S 24 Jerron Wishom CB Special teams  1 Nick Novak K  6 Joel Stelly P		National players 44 Omar Erick Cantu OLB 66 Seppo Evwaraye G 47 Philippe Gardent OLB 86 Werner Hippler TE 98 Mauricio Lopez DT 80 Cristian Malm WR 57 Jarmo Rantanen C 35 Daniel Schober S Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Kickoff [n 1]	Opponent	Results		Game site	Attendance
				Final score	Team record
1	Saturday, April 14	6:00 p.m.	at Hamburg Sea Devils	W 24–18	1–0	AOL Arena	20,887
2	Saturday, April 21	6:00 p.m.	Frankfurt Galaxy	L 13–18	1–1	RheinEnergieStadion	16,422
3	Saturday, April 28	7:00 p.m.	at Rhein Fire	W 14–6	2–1	LTU arena	21,347
4	Saturday, May 5	6:00 p.m.	Berlin Thunder	L 28–31	2–2	RheinEnergieStadion	10,084
5	Sunday, May 13	4:00 p.m.	at Berlin Thunder	W 24–10	3–2	Olympic Stadium	11,995
6	Saturday, May 19	6:00 p.m.	Rhein Fire	W 20–17	4–2	RheinEnergieStadion	22,154
7	Friday, May 25	8:00 p.m.	at Amsterdam Admirals	W 30–7	5–2	Amsterdam ArenA	11,714
8	Saturday, June 2	6:00 p.m.	Hamburg Sea Devils	L 7–21	5–3	RheinEnergieStadion	10,221
9	Saturday, June 9	6:00 p.m.	Amsterdam Admirals	W 31–13	6–3	RheinEnergieStadion	12,878
10	Saturday, June 16	7:00 p.m.	at Frankfurt Galaxy	L 14–31	6–4	Commerzbank-Arena	35,087

[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

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

[15]

Game summaries

Week 1: at Hamburg Sea Devils

Week One: Cologne Centurions at Hamburg Sea Devils – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cologne	0	14	3	7	24
Hamburg	6	0	6	6	18

at AOL Arena, Hamburg, Germany

• Date: Saturday, April 14
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 20,887
• [16]

Week 2: vs Frankfurt Galaxy

Week Two: Frankfurt Galaxy at Cologne Centurions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Frankfurt	7	4	7	0	18
Cologne	7	3	0	3	13

at RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany

• Date: Saturday, April 21
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 16,422
• [17]

Week 3: at Rhein Fire

Week Three: Cologne Centurions at Rhein Fire – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cologne	0	7	0	7	14
Rhein	3	0	3	0	6

at LTU arena, Düsseldorf, Germany

• Date: Saturday, April 28
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 21,347
• [18]

Week 4: vs Berlin Thunder

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: at Berlin Thunder

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
• [19]

Week 6: vs Rhein Fire

Week Six: Rhein Fire at Cologne Centurions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rhein	3	7	7	0	17
Cologne	0	3	7	10	20

at RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany

• Date: Saturday, May 19
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 22,154
• [20]

Week 7: at Amsterdam Admirals

Week Seven: Cologne Centurions at Amsterdam Admirals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cologne	7	9	14	0	30
Amsterdam	0	0	0	7	7

at Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Date: Friday, May 25
• Game time: 8:05 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 11,714
• Referee: Don Carey

Week 8: vs Hamburg Sea Devils

Week Eight: Hamburg Sea Devils at Cologne Centurions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hamburg	7	0	7	7	21
Cologne	0	0	7	0	7

at RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany

• Date: Saturday, June 2
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 10,221
• [21]

Week 9: vs Amsterdam Admirals

Week Nine: Amsterdam Admirals at Cologne Centurions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Amsterdam	3	7	3	0	13
Cologne	0	14	3	14	31

at RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany

• Date: Saturday, June 9
• Game time: 6:06 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 12,878
• Referee: John Hussey

Week 10: at Frankfurt Galaxy

Week Ten: Cologne Centurions at Frankfurt Galaxy – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cologne	0	0	7	7	14
Frankfurt	3	10	14	4	31

at Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany

• Date: Saturday, June 16
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 35,087
• [22]

Honors

After the completion of the regular season, the All-NFL Europa League team was selected by the NFLEL coaching staffs, members of a media panel and fans voting online at NFLEurope.com.[23] Overall, Cologne had eight players selected, tying for the most with Hamburg. The selections were:

• Bobby Blizzard, tight end
• Greg Eslinger, center
• Philippe Gardent, linebacker
• Jason Hall, defensive end
• Kevin House, cornerback
• Chris Reis, safety
• Derrick Ross, running back
• Kevin Vickerson, defensive tackle

Additionally, Hall and Ross were named defensive and co-offensive MVPs, respectively. Hall set a franchise record with 12 sacks and anchored the Centurions defense which ranked first in total yards allowed (2,561) and total points allowed (172). He also tied a league record by recording a sack in seven consecutive games. Ross, who shared the award with Frankfurt's quarterback J. T. O'Sullivan, was the NFLEL's leading rusher with 802 yards and four 100-yard games. He also totaled a league-best 933 yards from scrimmage (802 rushing, 131 receiving) and scored five touchdowns.[23]

Notes

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

References

1. NFL Europa League (June 12, 2007). "Duggan to give up coaching for remainder of season" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
2. Kuriloff, Aaron (June 29, 2007). "NFL Folds European League One Week After World Bowl Title Game". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
3. NFL Europa League (February 26, 2007). "Famous names called during NFL Europa Free Agent Draft" (Press release). Retrieved June 28, 2011.
4. NFL Europa League (April 10, 2007). "World Bowl Rematch Kicks Off 15th Season" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
5. NFL Europa League (April 17, 2007). "Early Start To Week Two" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
6. NFL Europa League (April 24, 2007). "Race for NFL Europa glory looks to be crowded" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
7. NFL Europa League (May 1, 2007). "Pace-setting Galaxy Visit Admirals; Centurions Lead Chasing Pack" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
8. NFL Europa League (May 8, 2007). "Everything To Play For As Season Approaches Halfway Mark" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. NFL Europa League (May 29, 2007). "Cologne Within Touching Distance Of World Bowl" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
12. NFL Europa League (June 5, 2007). "Galaxy One Win Away From Hosting World Bowl" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
13. 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.
14. Sport-Informations-Dienst (June 17, 2007). "Centurions verpassen Finaleinzug" (in German). Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
15. "NFL Europa At A Glance". USA Today. June 25, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
16. "Hamburg Sea Devils vs. Cologne Centurions" (in German). schaudichan.com. April 14, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
17. "NFL Europa: Zweiter Sieg für Frankfurt Galaxy" (in German). Rheinische Post. April 21, 2007. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
18. "American Football – NFL Europa: Frankfurt Galaxy nicht zu stoppen" (in German). Focus. SID. April 28, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
19. "NFL Europa: Fire schlägt Galaxy" (in German). Rheinische Post. May 12, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
20. "NFL Europa: Frankfurt und Köln auf World-Bowl-Kurs" (in German). Rheinische Post. May 19, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
21. "American Football – NFL Europa: Galaxy nach Aufholjagd fast sicher im World Bowl" (in German). Focus. SID. June 2, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
22. "American Football – NFL Europa: Frankfurt trifft im World Bowl auf Hamburg" (in German). Focus. SID. June 16, 2007. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
23. "Honors handed out". NFLEurope.com. June 21, 2007. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2012.