Munich Ravens – Building a franchise from scratch

The Munich Ravens are one of the new six teams in the European League of Football. With that, the franchise has the navigate through various challenges prior to its first season amongst the best American football teams in Europe.

Luckily for the Ravens, their head coach is more than excited to take on this task. “The process of building a team from scratch is very appealing,” Munich Ravens head coach John Shoop reveals. “There is not re-engineering when you start a team from scratch, there is just engineering. Sean [Shelton] and I are working hard, together, to build a roster of versatile and tough players who love to play football.“

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So far, the Ravens have signed a great number of players with all of their imports set for the 2023 season. American quarterback Chad Jeffries will be the first ever quarterback for the Ravens franchise. If you ask former Raiders Tirol quarterback turned sports director for the Ravens, Sean Shelton, Jeffries is just the right person to fill out that spot: "I am really excited that we have Chad [Jeffries] on board. In my opinion, Chad is one of the most underrated players in Europe.”

[fLTR] Ravens HC John Shoop and Ravens sports director Sean Shelton at practice. © Svenja Sabatini

Next to Jeffries, the Ravens will lean on American wide receiver Markell Castle. On defense, the Munich franchise signed explosive linebacker Amin Black and former Wroclaw Panthers cornerback Darius Saint-Robinson. However, incredible European import players like Irish running back Tomiwa Oyewo and homegrown talents like wide receiver Marvin Rutsch round out their roster. But will the Ravens be able to win some games?

Setting an example

As a former NFL and Division I coach, John Shoop knows how to win. But he also knows how to set examples for his players, coaches, and the staff. “Everything we do, it is the first time doing it. This is a challenge, but more importantly an amazing opportunity. We’re setting a template for how our team is going to operate,“ Shoop explains. “Creating a template can be time consuming in the beginning, but this is fun work with wonderful people.“

At the end, this template should lead to wins. And in Shoop’s world as a head coach, this is the most important thing. “[…] My primary goal for the Ravens‘ players and coaches is to stay focused on the weekly process of going 1-0. And at the end of the season, we’ll look up and see where we are.“

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Setting an example

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