Stuttgart Surge knows what it feels like to celebrate major successes in the ELF. In 2023, they reached the final and also had a strong season this year.

They won the Central Conference with a record of 11-1. Their only defeat was against the Tirol Raiders. In the playoffs, however, they were narrowly beaten 23-29 by the future champions Rhein Fire. 

On paper, Surge therefore has only minor deficits. But first, let's look at the strengths.

Scoring machines and smart runners

Stuttgart's offense is legit. With 565 points, they scored the most in the league. Quarterback Reilly Hennessey is known for his strong arm. The US import completed 218 passes for 2888 yards and 35 touchdowns. He threw only five interceptions and is a big part of the league's second-best passing offense. He is supported by a strong receiver room.

At the same time, the rushing game works just as well. Here, the Surge finished sixth in the league. In addition to the running backs Nicolas Khandar and Levin Liebenow, QB Hennessey also runs from time to time. The playcallers also cleverly integrate the receivers into the passing game.

Ball Hawks and strong unit

The defense is also playing strongly. Surge conceded the third-fewest points in the league. The second-strongest rushing defense often gave the opposing run no chance. This was also due to a strong defensive line, which also secured the fifth most sacks in the league. There is no one clear stats' leader. The Surge defense functions perfectly as a unit and shares the sacks among themselves. Everyone gets a turn.

However, the great strength of the disciplined defense are the turnovers. The team produced a total of 40 turnovers. By far the most in the league. By comparison, the Madrid Bravos achieved the second most with 28. Surge has real ball hawks in its squad. The team recorded 29 interceptions, of which three went for touchdowns. There were also eleven fumbles, of which one also resulted in points.

Returner could still improve a bit

However, there were minor weaknesses in the special teams. Returner Darrel Stewart Jr. returned nine punts for an average of 16.4 yards. That puts him in 13th place in the league. Chad Walrond and Christian Tutt handled the kickoff return instead. Together, they are ranked tenth in the league.

On the other hand, Lenny Krieg is one of the best kickers in the league. Last season, he converted 68.75 percent of his field goals. At 88 percent, he was even more accurate with points after touchdowns. He scored a total of 99 points. At the same time, Krieg is also the Surge's punter. He had to punt 27 times. On average, the balls flew 33.7 yards.

Surge presented itself as a strong contender. “Under the current coaching staff, we've proven that last season's success wasn't luck. Now the whole league can see that there is something special here,” emphasized team captain Luis Bach in a recent ELF interview. And maybe 2025 will be the year of another big success.

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