Rhein cornerback Chris Day leads the league with 212 kickoff return yards.
Week 3 on the NFL Europe schedule could turn out to be a defining weekend in the 2005 season. Two of Saturday's three games pit a pair of 2-0 teams against the two squads that are nipping at their heels at the top of the table at 1-1.
Needless to say, if the Berlin Thunder and Cologne Centurions are able to remain unbeaten and stretch their lead over the field to two games just three weeks in, they will definitely hold the upper hand in the run to the World Bowl.
The weekend's third game features the league's two winless teams, each desperate to taste victory, a recipe for an exciting encounter.
Once again, players allocated by the Packers will be in action in all three contests around the league.
Frankfurt Galaxy (1-1) at Cologne Centurions (2-0)
Each team in this game is coming off of a win in Week 2 and hoping to keep up their successful run. All four Packers involved in this one will be on the visiting team, with Galaxy defensive end Seante Williams and a trio of receivers Sam Breeden, Jamal Jones, and Kelvin Kight looking to build off of their 23-14 win over Amsterdam a week ago.
This game has the earliest kickoff of the three scheduled for Saturday with the action getting underway at 11:00 a.m. (CDT). TV coverage of the game will be available on live on DirecTV, with rebroadcasts Sunday on NFL Network.
Rhein Fire (0-2) at Hamburg Sea Devils (0-2)
The Hamburg Sea Devils take to the field at the AOL Arena for the first home game in team history, and they will be looking to record the first victory in the short life of the franchise as well. The Fire will be doing their best to spoil the party, though, as they are just as much in need of a win to get back in the race.
This game will have the highest contingent of Packers involved, with the teams combining to boast seven players allocated from Green Bay. The visiting Fire represent the Pack with defensive back/kick returner Chris Day, quarterback Scott McBrien, guard Steve Morley, and defensive tackle Doug Sims.
For the home team, punter B.J. Sander and linebackers Nick McNeil and Shawn Morgan will be looking to continue their impressive individual efforts from their first two European efforts.
Live coverage of this game, which kicks off at noon (CDT) Saturday, will be available on NFL Network, and will be re-aired Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.
Berlin Thunder (2-0) at Amsterdam Admirals (1-1)
The Berlin Thunder hit the road for the first time in 2005, carrying a seven-game winning streak that dates back to the middle of last season. In fact, the Thunder have won 13 of their last 14 going back to Week 10 of the 2003 campaign.
Amsterdam linebacker John Garrett, the lone Packer involved in this contest, will hope to lead his team to a victory and rebound from their loss last week at Frankfurt.
No television coverage will be available for this noon (CDT) Saturday kickoff, but you can follow the action of all three games live on NFLEurope.com.
Week 3 TV Information
Saturday, April 16 - Frankfurt Galaxy at Cologne Centurions - 11:00 a.m. CDT, DirecTV (LIVE); 2:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. CDT Sunday, NFL Network (Delay)
Saturday, April 16 - Rhein Fire at Hamburg Sea Devils - Noon CDT, NFL Network (LIVE); 7:00 p.m. CDT, NFL Network (Delay)
Week 2 Results
FRANKFURT 23, Amsterdam 14 (Attendance: 31,644)
BERLIN 15, Hamburg 13 (Attendance: 14,312)
Cologne 23, RHEIN 10 (Attendance: 25,304)
NFL Europe Packers In Week 2
WR Sam Breeden (Frankfurt Galaxy) - Started at receiver and had one reception for six yards. Through two games, has caught two passes for 40 yards.
CB Chris Day (Rhein Fire) - Returned five kickoffs for 103 yards (20.6 average) with a long runback of 29 yards. He also recorded a solo tackle and a pass defense out of the secondary and made another stop on special teams. For the season, he's averaging 23.6 yards on nine returns with a long of 48 yards.
LB John Garrett (Amsterdam Admirals) - Made his first two tackles of the year, one at linebacker and another on special teams.
WR Jamal Jones (Frankfurt Galaxy) - Led the Galaxy for the second straight week with five catches for 59 yards from his starting wideout position. He ranks fourth in the league with nine receptions for 97 yards through two weeks.
WR Kelvin Kight (Frankfurt Galaxy) - Made his NFL Europe debut after suffering an injury in training camp as a member of the Amsterdam Admirals and made a tackle and forced a fumble on special teams.
QB Scott McBrien (Rhein Fire) - Split time at QB and led the Fire on to their lone touchdown for the second straight game. Was 10-for-18 passing for 141 yards, including a 58-yard TD and an interception. For the season, the southpaw has completed 18 of 35 passes for 230 yards with a pair of touchdowns and three interceptions for a passer rating of 55.7.
LB Nick McNeil (Hamburg Sea Devils) - Started for the second straight week at middle linebacker and turned in five tackles on defense and another on special teams. For the year, he's recorded six tackles at linebacker and two more on special teams, where he has also forced and recovered a fumble.
LB Shawn Morgan (Hamburg Sea Devils) - Had a standout performance, collecting four tackles from his linebacker spot, including a 10-yard sack of Thunder quarterback Dave Ragone and a forced fumble, as well as two more tackles on special teams. For the year, has recorded six tackles and a pass defense as a reserve linebacker and also made three stops on special teams.
G/T Steve Morley (Rhein Fire) - Played at guard for the Fire in Week 2 after starting at left tackle in the opener.
P B.J. Sander (Hamburg Sea Devils) - Punted four times in Week 2 for an average of 43.0 yards with a net average of 36.3. Two of his kicks came down inside the 20-yard line, including a booming 65-yarder that was downed at the 6. Through two games, he's kicked seven times and leads the league with an average of 43.6 yards and a net of 39.7.
DT Doug Sims (Rhein Fire) - Saw action on the defensive line but didn't crack the stat sheet. Has one tackle on the season.
DE Seante Williams (Frankfurt Galaxy) - Made two tackles, including a four-yard sack of Amsterdam quarterback Gibran Hamdan. Through two games, has recorded seven solo tackles with a sack and an interception from his starting defensive end position.
G Joe Hayes (Berlin), S Chonn Lacey (Frankfurt), G Joe Quinn (Rhein), and S Wendell Williams (Cologne) all missed their teams' games due to injury for the second consecutive week.
