Mar 7th, 2022 00:00, by Tim Hanswillemenke

Four teams, four quarterbacks – a loaded North Conference

The North Conference in the European League of Football shines at the quarterback position with more than just talent!

©OklahomaSooners/Newson6/Michael Freitag/Mariann Wenzel/Ithaca Athletics

Mar 7th, 2022 00:00, by Tim Hanswillemenke

Four teams, four quarterbacks – a loaded North Conference

The North Conference in the European League of Football shines at the quarterback position with more than just talent!

It is almost time for the second season of the European League of Football. All franchises are trying to find the right players for their system to have a shot at the European League of Football Championship Game in Klagenfurt, Austria. 

The North Conference shines at the quarterback position. Let’s have a look at the most important players for the Berlin Thunder, the Hamburg Sea Devils, the Leipzig Kings, and the Wroclaw Panthers!

The Berlin Thunder did not re-sign 2021 starter Calvin Stitt at the quarterback position. Instead, the German franchise found a new leader for their offense in 2022: Joe Germinerio.  

The American gunslinger started his collegiate career for the University of Albany before he transferred to Brockport College. Over the course of three years at Brockport, Germinerio rushed for 1,414 yards and 30 touchdowns and passed for 7,978 yards and 66 touchdowns.

After playing for Ithaca College in 2019, Germinerio moved on to play for the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes in Germany where he put up incredible numbers (see post).

Now, the 188cm tall and 100kg heavy quarterback is ready to attack the 2022 season with a loaded offense consisting of running back Jocques Crawford, wide receiver Robin Wilzeck, and other talented players.

The Sea Devils are one of two teams in the European League of Football who start a German quarterback in 2022. Salieu Ceesay already played some snaps for the Sea Devils in 2021 and completed 14 out of 28 passes. 

The 194cm tall and 92kg heavy quarterback is one of a few dual-threat signal-callers in the league who can put pressure on opposing defenses with his legs. In 2021, Ceesay used 20 rushing attempts to gain over 100 yards and even scored a touchdown on the ground.

This upcoming season, the German quarterback looks to make a name for himself with the help of a loaded backfield and weapons like former Dragons’ receiver Jéan Constant and American receiver Lamar Jordan II in the passing game.

Out of all four franchises in the North Conference, the Kings are the only team who will have the same starting quarterback for two consecutive years.

Michael Birdsong was one of the most effective quarterbacks of the 2021 season in the European League of Football when he was healthy. Unfortunately, a foot injury kept him out of three games in the regular season.

Nevertheless, Birdsong completed 146 passes out of 234 attempts over seven games and threw for 24 touchdowns compared to only six interceptions. With a completion percentage of 62.4, Birdsong threw for 1,597 yards to a loaded receiving corp.

However, Birdsong will not have playmakers like Timothy Knuettel, Anthony Dablé-Wolf, or Jason Aguemon on his team in 2022 which could make it more difficult to repeat such a successful season. Nevertheless, other talented players like running back David McCants will join the Kings offense to make a push for the playoffs.  

The Wroclaw Panthers also found a new signal-caller for the 2022 season in former Division I quarterback Justice Hansen.

Hansen played for the Oklahoma Sooners and at Arkansas State during his collegiate career. In 2017, the American quarterback completed 305 out of 487 passes and threw for 3,967 passing yards and 37 touchdowns at Arkansas. In his last year of college football, Hansen led his team to a 8-5 record and was  named Sun Belt Player of the Year.

After a short stint with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL in 2019, Hansen decided to take his talent to the best American football league in Europe.

With weapons like running back Pasqualini in the offensive backfield, Hansen will have a more than solid running game backing up his passing game in 2022.

Share this article on your favorite platform: