AirForceChief
05-19-2006, 12:14 PM
Clark opining on some current NFLE standouts (see 3 and 4 for those comments reletive to Svitek):
Five others who deserve to be noticed
1. Skyler Fulton, WR, Amsterdam (Seattle). He's the league's leading receiver, with more catches (51) and over twice as many yards (974) than anyone. He also has seven touchdowns, with teammate Chad Lucas the only NFL Europe player with more, and averages a whopping 19.1 yards per reception. Impressive, huh? Keep reading. Fulton has a league-record six consecutive 100-yard receiving games and needs 50 more yards to set the single-season record. "That kind of productivity in a 10-game schedule is extraordinary," said one NFL pro personnel director. Fulton, who was in two NFL camps and once was drafted by the New York Yankees, has a chance to make it as a fourth or fifth receiver if he can stay healthy ... but that has always been the concern. He was released by Minnesota last summer after reaching an injury settlement
2. Gibran Hamdan, QB, Amsterdam (Seattle). First the good news: He leads the league in passing, touchdowns, completion percentage and yards. Now the bad: He hasn't played for two games and is back in the United States recovering from ankle surgery. Hamdan, who broke a collarbone a year ago, doesn't have a big arm, but he's accurate, mobile and knows how to manage a game. Plus, he wins. Hamdan won six of his seven starts, and Amsterdam -- now 7-2 -- has clinched a spot in the World Bowl. "We wouldn't be where we are as a team if Gibran had not been the leader he is," Fulton said in his weekly diary. "If you're voting for the league MVP, he should get it. No question ... I think the last two weeks only solidified the fact that Gibran is the 2006 NFL Europe MVP."
3. Roger Robinson, RB, Frankfurt (Arizona). He leads the league in rushing, and it's not close. Robinson has 954 yards; second place is 577. It doesn't hurt that the former Northern Arizona star plays on a club that loves to run, with Robinson leading the league with 182 carries. But give the guy credit: He averages 5.2 yards per attempt, has four TDs and produced a record-tying six 100-yard performances. Robinson is fast, scoring once on a 66-yard dash, but at 5-10, 199, he's not someone who will stand up to 16 weeks of NFL punishment. Plus, there's a problem with fumbling. Robinson had three in one game, two in another. He might be able to help a club as a third back or a special-teams contributor, but I don't know that that club is Arizona. The Cards already have Edgerrin James, Marcel Shipp and J.J. Arrington.
4. Will Svitek, OT, Frankfurt (Kansas City). A sixth-round draft pick in 2005, Svitek has made the switch from the defensive line successfully. He has dominated the NFL Europe competition, with Robinson the evidence. The Galaxy lead the league in offense -- averaging 345.6 yards a game. Svitek is big (6-6, 305) and physical and is better blocking for the run than he is with the pass at this stage. Scouts believe he's still trying to figure out hand placement and angles with pass protection, but they also believe he can and will get it. Two things you like about him: 1) He has speed to pull and 2) he's property of the Kansas City Chiefs, where running is the engine that drives the NFL's leading offense.
5. Scott Scharff, DE, Hamburg (San Francisco). Like Svitek, he played at Stanford. But Scharff stayed on defense, where he leads the league in sacks with six. At 6-4, 280, he has decent size for the outside, and his speed serves him well in NFL Europe. "He's a high-motor guy," said one scout, "and his strength and speed serve him well here." If there's a weakness, he said, it's Scharff's strength at the point of attack. It needs to improve. Scharff was on the 49ers' practice squad a year ago, but look for him push for the active roster after this spring's performance.
Nice to see the youngster develope!
Five others who deserve to be noticed
1. Skyler Fulton, WR, Amsterdam (Seattle). He's the league's leading receiver, with more catches (51) and over twice as many yards (974) than anyone. He also has seven touchdowns, with teammate Chad Lucas the only NFL Europe player with more, and averages a whopping 19.1 yards per reception. Impressive, huh? Keep reading. Fulton has a league-record six consecutive 100-yard receiving games and needs 50 more yards to set the single-season record. "That kind of productivity in a 10-game schedule is extraordinary," said one NFL pro personnel director. Fulton, who was in two NFL camps and once was drafted by the New York Yankees, has a chance to make it as a fourth or fifth receiver if he can stay healthy ... but that has always been the concern. He was released by Minnesota last summer after reaching an injury settlement
2. Gibran Hamdan, QB, Amsterdam (Seattle). First the good news: He leads the league in passing, touchdowns, completion percentage and yards. Now the bad: He hasn't played for two games and is back in the United States recovering from ankle surgery. Hamdan, who broke a collarbone a year ago, doesn't have a big arm, but he's accurate, mobile and knows how to manage a game. Plus, he wins. Hamdan won six of his seven starts, and Amsterdam -- now 7-2 -- has clinched a spot in the World Bowl. "We wouldn't be where we are as a team if Gibran had not been the leader he is," Fulton said in his weekly diary. "If you're voting for the league MVP, he should get it. No question ... I think the last two weeks only solidified the fact that Gibran is the 2006 NFL Europe MVP."
3. Roger Robinson, RB, Frankfurt (Arizona). He leads the league in rushing, and it's not close. Robinson has 954 yards; second place is 577. It doesn't hurt that the former Northern Arizona star plays on a club that loves to run, with Robinson leading the league with 182 carries. But give the guy credit: He averages 5.2 yards per attempt, has four TDs and produced a record-tying six 100-yard performances. Robinson is fast, scoring once on a 66-yard dash, but at 5-10, 199, he's not someone who will stand up to 16 weeks of NFL punishment. Plus, there's a problem with fumbling. Robinson had three in one game, two in another. He might be able to help a club as a third back or a special-teams contributor, but I don't know that that club is Arizona. The Cards already have Edgerrin James, Marcel Shipp and J.J. Arrington.
4. Will Svitek, OT, Frankfurt (Kansas City). A sixth-round draft pick in 2005, Svitek has made the switch from the defensive line successfully. He has dominated the NFL Europe competition, with Robinson the evidence. The Galaxy lead the league in offense -- averaging 345.6 yards a game. Svitek is big (6-6, 305) and physical and is better blocking for the run than he is with the pass at this stage. Scouts believe he's still trying to figure out hand placement and angles with pass protection, but they also believe he can and will get it. Two things you like about him: 1) He has speed to pull and 2) he's property of the Kansas City Chiefs, where running is the engine that drives the NFL's leading offense.
5. Scott Scharff, DE, Hamburg (San Francisco). Like Svitek, he played at Stanford. But Scharff stayed on defense, where he leads the league in sacks with six. At 6-4, 280, he has decent size for the outside, and his speed serves him well in NFL Europe. "He's a high-motor guy," said one scout, "and his strength and speed serve him well here." If there's a weakness, he said, it's Scharff's strength at the point of attack. It needs to improve. Scharff was on the 49ers' practice squad a year ago, but look for him push for the active roster after this spring's performance.
Nice to see the youngster develope!