210821 Cologne Centurions - Leipzig Kings

Players to watch: #12 QB Jan Weinreich: Week 8: 348 yards, 3 TDs, 52,4% completion rate. (5 carries for 34 net rushing yards and an additional rushing TD) Week 7: 102 yards, C-A-I: 13-23-0, no passing TD, was sacked 4 times. Had two important plays in combination with his receivers in a drive in the 4th quarter (score: 20:25): Pounds had a one-handed catch (3rd & 8) and Paul Lenhardt received the ball and had kept it in his hands after a huge hit (4th & 20). Week 6: 307 yards (longest 62 yards), 4 TDs, 75% completion rate. He and other players are still helping the survivors of the flood disaster in their home region with different campaigns (Foot Bowl - fans can win ELF-memorabilia). Season: 7 games, 14 TDs, 1379 passing yards, 3 INTs.

#28 RB Madre London - Season: 7 games, 1785 net rushing yards, 20 rushing TDs. Weight: 97kg, Height: 1,85cm. Week 8: 35 carries, 290 net rushing yards, 4 TDs. MVP Week 7: 320 net rushing yards (had one play for 86 yards), 4 TDs, 8.2 yards per rush, 39 carries. Bounced back in Week 6 after having only 85 net rushing yards and 3.1 yards per rush against Frankfurt in Week 4. Week 6: 121 net rushing yards, 1 TD, 4,7 yards per rush.  

#24 DB Dartez Jacobs: Week 8: 3 solo tackles (6 total tackles), 3 deflected passes. Great goal line stop in Week 1, very good tackler, plays physical. Week 7: 6 solo tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 deflected pass. Height: 1,88, Weight: 90kg.

Additional player stats: #1 WR Quinten Pounds: WILL BE OUT - Week 8: 7 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD. Week 7: 6 receptions, 40 yards - had an incredible one-handed catch (3rd & 8 in the 4th quarter). Was one of the MVP candidates in Week 6 - Scored 8 Touchdowns so far in the season (7 receiving, 1 return). Week 6: 11 receptions, 242 yards, 3 TDs (Long: 62 yards). Scored a 98 yds kickoff return TD against Frankfurt in Week 4. Height: 1,83m, Weight: 82kg; Additional information: Former DIV I player (Washington Huskies, 3x cruciate ligament tear while in college) - Pounds has a special celebration - it´s a dance created by his sister.

Head Coach: Kirk Heidelberg - Coached high school football in the States, but also coached a lot of teams in Europe; 1995 HC Hamburg Blue Devils; 1998-2000 coached for Cologne Crocodiles with his DC Javan Lenhardt. Heidelberg worked together with Nick Saban in Toledo for one year (HC University of Alabama - Crimson Tide - 6x National Champion with the Crimson Tide as HC) - Saban is a coach Heidelberg looks up to. Another inspiration is Don James (died in 2013, had a perfect 12-0 season in 1991 with the Washington Huskies - won the Rose Bowl against Michigan. James was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997) - Favorite NFL Team: Detroit Lions (since he was a boy) and Seattle Seahawks (they like to run the ball).  

Players to watch: #3 QB Michael Birdsong - Week 8: 312 yards, 5 TDs, 70,6% completion rate. Week 7: 328 passing yards, 3 TDs, C-A-I 30-52-0. Won championship in X-League and was the X-League MVP in his few years in Japan. He was with the Seattle Seahawks in training camps. 

#11 WR Anthony Dablè-Wolf: Week 8: 4 reception, 51 yards, 1 TD - caught the ball for two successful 2-pt conversions. Week 7: 9 receptions (one for 27 yards), 103 yards. Great game in Week 3, 2 TDs (first of the season), 118 yards receiving in week 3. Played in the NFL for Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants as WR. One of the first players to go through the International Pathway Program. Played for the Hildesheim Invaders and French national team before. Week 4 + 5: Only 4 receptions for 40 yards (W4) and 4 receptions for 35 yards.

#6 WR Timothy Knuettel - Week 8: 5 receptions, 117 yards, 2 TDs. Week 7: 9 receptions, 86 yards, 2 touchdowns. Week 4: 7 receptions for 101 yards against Stuttgart. Height: 1,88m, Weight: 90kg. 

#45 LB Kyle Kitchens - Week 8: 4 solo tackles (5 total), 4,5 sacks / 5 TFL for 36 yards. 

Keep an eye on #2 RB Jason Aguemon - Week 8: 12 carries, 79 net rushing yards, 1 TD. Week 7: 23 carries, 133 net rushing yards, 1 TD + 3 catches for 38 receiving yards. 

#12 WR Jaleel Awini - Week 8: 3 receptions for 34 yards, 3 carries for 23 net rushing yards. Played the last drives as QB: 34 passing yards, 1 TD, 66,6% completion rate. Week 7: Was questionable but had 1 reception for 15 yards. Played in Week 3 at QB. Has college experience playing QB, WR at University of Colorado (DIV I). Week 3: 4 passing TD, 1 rushing TD at QB (1 INT as well) + 147 net rushing yards (3rd most in league off all players including RBs), 341 net passing yards for him at QB in Week 3 - incredible stats. In Week 4 he had some issues and played a little bit as QB and as WR - Week 4: QB - 9 passing attempts, 40 passing yards, 1 INT / WR - 4 receptions, 29 yards. Week 5: He played mainly as QB and so Leipzig has one less target. Only 112 passing yards, 56% completion rate - 2 INTs, he was sacked 7 times by Hamburg´s DL.

#8 Alpha Jalloh WR/S: Plays KR, PR, S, and WR as well - will (probably) be out for the game. Week 8: 4 receptions for 14 yards and 1 TD. Week 7: 3 receptions for 59 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT for 30 yards. Week 5: 6 receptions for 55 yards, 2 kickoff returns for 60 yards. Stats and performances before: Had a 68-yard TD on the first play for Leipzig in week 3 against Cologne. Has a lot of return-yards every week (three return-TDs, one each in Week 1 - 98 yards against Berlin + PAT return + one in week 2 + in week 4 -100 yards return TD after the kickoff was repeated). Week 4: 3 kickoff returns for 156 yards + 1 TD / 5 receptions, 1 TD, 84 receiving yards as WR / 2 solo tackles, 1 TFL and 1 INT + 44 yards. 303 offensive yards in Week 4. Was a possible MVP candidate in Week 4, but Jakeb Sullivan (QB Frankfurt) won this award with 5 TDs. Played in Sweden and Finland before (for example Stockholm Mean Machines, like Jan Weinreich during the pandemic and the WASA Royals in Finland – Part of the AFI ALL Pandemic Team). One of the best athletes on the Kings roster and in the ELF in general - very exciting player due to his “triple threat” (defense, offense, returner on special teams).

Coaches: Fred Armstrong - Coaching consultant for the NY Giants at the NFL combine since 2002, once assistant RB coach with the Giants, 2015: trained WR and TE for the New York Jets. A lot of experience as a High School and College coach. Favorite NFL-Team: NY Giants. Coaches he looked up to: Tony Dungy (the first black HC who won the Super Bowl - 2006 with the Indianapolis Colts, 2016 Hall of Fame) and Tom Coughlin (2004 - 2015 HC NY Giants and 2x Super Bowl Champion as HC - He is also an inspiration for Stuttgart´s HC Martin Hanselmann).