Packers in the World Bowl

[packrulz]

Posted May 15, 2006


Big day by Packers’ Bigby puts Admirals in title game
Staff, wire service reports

Minicamp can wait. At least four Green Bay Packers are going to NFL Europe’s World Bowl XIV on May 27.

Packers free safety Atari Bigby had a game-high 10 tackles (nine solo), an interception and a pass defensed as the Amsterdam Admirals became the first club to earn a spot in the World Bowl with a 17-12 win over the Frankfurt Galaxy in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sunday.

Packers tight end Tory Humphrey caught four passes for 33 yards for the first-place Admirals (7-2). Packers wide receivers Chad Lucas and Vince Butler added catches of 9 yards and 1 yard, respectively.

The only Packers player on the Galaxy — defensive tackle Jerome Nichols — had three solo tackles, two sacks for 16 yards and forced a fumble.

Frankfurt (6-3) needs to win its final game next week to clinch the second World Bowl spot ahead of the Rhein Fire (5-4). The Fire lost 13-10 at Hamburg. The Packers’ Pete Traynor started at center for Rhein. Former Green Bay Preble standout Chris Samp caught one pass for 3 yards for the Fire.

[Tarlam!]

I'm gonna try and get tickets to Galaxy's last home game....

[Sparkey]

I'm gonna try and get tickets to Galaxy's last home game....

Tarlam,

Whats you take on NFL-E? Is it gaining popularity in Europe? Has the talent and overall level of play increased the last few years?

[HarveyWallbangers]

It's mostly NFL Germany now. Five teams in Germany. One team in an adjoining country. I think it's done pretty well in Germany, but couldn't make it in other countries. My father-in-law was stationed over in Germany for several years in the late 60s and early 70s. He said football had a pretty good following over there even back then. He said it had to do with all of the GIs bringing the game over there. They don't get huge crowds in Germany, but they get decent sized crowds. On the level of second tiered soccer leagues.

[Tarlam!]

Whats you take on NFL-E? Is it gaining popularity in Europe? Has the talent and overall level of play increased the last few years?

I think the hardest thing for these teams is that they never have time to build up´on a core of players. It's really a bunch of rooks each year with few play variants.

They all go to spring camp together where a "draft" is held. So, the talent or level of play isn't rising, but it's easy to see why.

The fans are growing, but it's a shame that only the Germans took to it. The idea to have a separate league to promote the NFL abroad is a great one, but the implementation really sucks. The NFL doesn't have a good concept with the NFLE.

A few things need to happen for this league to explode.

1. Format:

- This league needs to be viewed the same as the minor league in baseball, or the farm teams they have in that sport.

- They need to have an equal number of teams based in the Americas as in Europe. I would suggest two in Canada, one in Mexico and three in non NFL represented states in the USA (Albuquerque anyone?).

- top 3 teams have a play off series of

W/C #2 plays #3
D/C #1 plays winner
World Bowl - Division winners play it out.

2. Playing personnel.

- The NFL teams need to be alloted ONE team to which they can send players. This "draft" is crappy. Of course if you expand the league to 16 teams, then you could delegate an AFC team and the corresponding NFC team to "share" a farm team.

e.g. The Packers (NFC North) share a farm team with Cincinatti (AFC North). In the one time only lottery, the Pack and the Bengals are awarded the New Mexico Dragons as a shared farm team. So, in the off-season, we become brothers in arms with the Bengals fans, and we unite behind our farm team!

- This would allow scouts to really scout this league. This would allow fans to follow an NFL2 team. We would be checking out the games of "our" farm team, as it were.

- There needs to be less turnover of players on the teams. After the second year, the teams are well mixed between AGC/NFC players. Some might go to the "big show", but others need to form the core of the next year's teams. This would ensure the quality of the play rises and fans get to know their players.


The costs of running the whole league need to be budgeted and shared by the 32 teams equally, just as the revenues for the league would offset the cost.

If they used this concept, they would get a HUGE bang for their buck, better players would be delegated by the NFL teams to play in it etc etc etc.

EDITED!!

[HarveyWallbangers]

- The NFL teams need to be alloted ONE team to which they can send players. This "draft" is crappy. Of course if you expand the league to 16 teams, then you could delegate an AFC team and the corresponding NFC team to "share" a farm team.

e.g. The Packers (NFC North) share a farm team with Cincinatti (AFC North). In the one time only lottery, the Pack and the Bengals are awarded the New Mexico Dragons as a shared farm team. So, in the off-season, we become brothers in arms with the Bengals fans, and we unite behind our farm team!

I like this idea, and they should do it now. Ideally, there should be 8 teams in the league. I don't think it's reasonable to expect more teams than that in the near future, and I don't think it will work in Canada, US, Mexico, etc. That was already tried. Too bad the Claymores didn't last.

[Tarlam!]

Harv, they tried a team in Orlando, with Florida already having 2 NFL teams and I dunno how many great colledge teams it was overkill. There was no way for it to work. The NFLE teams cost almost nothing to run.

The problem for the US fans is who are they supposed to support? There is simply no bonding, so even though "it was tried and failed" it was the same ol' same ol'. It's the same reason Formula One doesn't have a vast following: No one to support....

It is a cheap way to develop new talent at worst, but another possibility is that it is a great off-season attraction if done properly...

[Tony Oday]

I love the idea of shared teams. Heck the best would be have the 8 teams and 4 NFL teams share the NFLE team. I would like to see one team from each division in each conference.

[No Mo Moss]

Is this going to be on TV or not?

[MJZiggy]

It will be on NFL Network on the 27th at noon ET.

[KYPack]

It was too bad the Barcelona and the Scottish teams fail.

The Claymores had a ferocious ( but small) fan base and Barcelona provided a great base for R&R.

Tar had some good ideas, but I don't see US based NF E working. The US teams failed when it was the World league. They failed to such an extent, I don't see that idea ever working in the US.

I agree that they need to combine the development aspect and still give some continuity. They pay so little, most guys would simply quit if they see they have no NFL shot.

I watch a little NFLE. The Warner's and Delhomme's are few and far between. Mostly, the QB's suck.

[The Leaper]

The Arena League might benefit from having NFL ties. For young offensive players, it would provide a good way to see playing time and get reps. Defensively, the AFL is so limited it might not help DL or LB prospects much...but DBs probably could learn a lot in the AFL.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I hate the Arena league. It seems targeted for the short attention span, young crowd. I want my football played by almost the same rules and field on all levels. I hate the 4 point FG in NFL E.

[Tarlam!]

...I don't see US based NF E working. The US teams failed when it was the World league. They failed to such an extent, I don't see that idea ever working in the US.


See, this is what I don't get. It failed using a format that doomed it to fail. There is only a modest fan base here, and everybody knows that NFL stars of tomorrow aren't playing in this league too often.

That's the problem. Kids sent here have almost no chance of making a roster and everybody knows it, so, why even bother with the damned thing. The format for failure is set. If German fans weren't into it a tad, it would already be defunct.

It should get a different positioning, namely, NFL-2, not NFL-E. What is the mission statement of NFL-E? To compete with Soccer? What are they really trying to achieve??

[packrulz]

I consider NFLE to be sort of like the farm clubs in baseball, it's great to develop players. It has to turn a profit though or they'll stop doing it.