Thunder duo grabs Player of Week prizes
May 24, 2005 - National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release
TWO members of a league-leading Berlin Thunder team that recorded a 27-17 victory over the Hamburg Sea Devils on Sunday afternoon have been rewarded with Player of the Week honors.
Quarterback DAVE RAGONE (Houston Texans) was named Offensive Player of Week 8 after he connected on 22 of 31 passes for 258 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions to defeat the Sea Devils.
Ragone has now thrown 131 passes without an interception â 25 short of the league record set by Ron Powlus of the Amsterdam Admirals in 2000 - and leads NFL Europe with a passer rating of 97.1. Through eight games this year, he has hit on 128 of 209 passes for 1,446 yards, 12 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Praising the left-handed quarterback who started two regular season games for the Texans in 2003, Thunder head coach RICK LANTZ said: "Dave has been doing a great job for us all season. He's tough, and quarterbacks have to be tough, but Dave is really tough. He may be the toughest guy on the team. He makes excellent decisions in the passing game and his statistics show he is intelligent and doesn't take any risks with the football."
Linebacker RICH SCANLON (Kansas City Chiefs) was named Defensive Player of the Week after leading the Thunder defensive unit with 9 tackles, 1 sack and a forced fumble. Those impressive figures would have looked even better had he not seen a 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown wiped out by a personal foul penalty committed by a team mate.
Scanlon leads all NFL Europe League defenders with 75 tackles this season and has added 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 4 passes defended. He has led the Thunder in tackles in every game this year.
Special Teams Player of the Week honors went to Amsterdam Admirals cornerback JEFF SANCHEZ (Detroit Lions), who made a huge play during his team's 30-12 Monday Night Football defeat of the Cologne Centurions.
With the Admirals holding a 17-12 lead midway through the third period, and with Cologne looking to reduce the arrears to a single point with a four-point field goal attempt, Sanchez returned Jimmy Kibble's blocked kick 56 yards for a touchdown. It was his second big touchdown return in as many games as Sanchez ran back an interception 92 yards for a score at Hamburg the previous weekend.
Sanchez said: "I just try to go out and make plays. Whether it is on special teams or defense, I just go out and try to help the guys. We pride ourselves on getting after the ball on defense and on special teams."
Admirals head coach BART ANDRUS said: "I think Jeff's play on the blocked field goal really shifted momentum our way. That made me believe we could win this game."
Sanchez has recorded 27 tackles, 3 interceptions for 108 yards and a touchdown, 11 pass defenses and a blocked field goal return for a touchdown in eight games this season.
Rookie Swedish fullback JOAKIM HOLM was named National Player of the Week after he caught 2 passes for 18 yards and a touchdown during the Frankfurt Galaxy's 20-13 defeat of the Rhein Fire.
Holm, who also carried twice for no yards, scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard reception from Kevin Eakin in the second quarter.
Galaxy head coach MIKE JONES said: "We're glad to have Joakim on our team. National players have done a great job for the Galaxy this season and you saw that against the Fire. We have young players such as Joakim and (English wide receiver) Marvin Allen and they have given our team a real boost. There are no limits to what they can do."
National Football League Europa Stories from May 24, 2005
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