2007 Hamburg Sea Devils season

The 2007 Hamburg Sea Devils season was the third and final season for the franchise in the NFL Europa League (NFLEL). The team was led by head coach Vince Martino in his first year, and played its home games at AOL Arena in Hamburg, Germany. They finished the regular season in first place with a record of seven wins and three losses. Hamburg won the first championship in team history by defeating the Frankfurt Galaxy 37–28. The National Football League (NFL) announced the closure of its European branch on June 29.^[1]

2007 Hamburg Sea Devils season
General manager	Kathrin Platz
Head coach	Vince Martino
Home field	AOL Arena
Results
Record	7–3
Division place	1st
Playoff finish	World Bowl XV champions
← 2006 Hamburg Sea Devils

Frankfurt at Hamburg, June 9, 2007

Offseason

Free agent draft

2007 Hamburg Sea Devils NFLEL free agent draft selections

Draft order		Player name	Position	College
Round	Choice
1	2	Quentin Griffin	RB	Oklahoma
2	8	Michael Harden	CB	Missouri
3	17	Cliff Washburn	T	Citadel
4	20	Gary Gibson	DT	Rutgers
5	29	Rashaun Woods	WR	Oklahoma State
6	32	Marcus Lawrence	LB	South Carolina
7	41	Bryan Watje	TE	San Jose State
8	44	Vernell Brown	CB	Florida
9	53	Mike Pinkard	TE	Arizona State
10	56	Javon Nanton	DE	Miami
11	65	Byron Hardmon	LB	Florida
12	68	Shawn Mayer	S	Penn State
13	77	Nick Hagemann	T	South Dakota
14	80	Michael Ford	CB	Duquesne
15	89	Tony Hollings	RB	Georgia Tech
16	92	Thomas Smith	DT	Pittsburgh
17	101	Justin Jenkins	WR	Mississippi State
18	104	Adam O’Connor	G	William & Mary
19	113	Robert Durham	CB	Tuskegee
20	116	Jason Peterson	DE	North Dakota
21	125	Ryan Hamby	TE	Ohio State
22	128	Charles Hall	CB	Southeastern Louisiana
23	132	Ezra Landry	WR	Southern
24	134	Kenny Kern	LB	Delaware State

^[2]

Personnel

Staff

2007 Hamburg Sea Devils (NFL Europe) staff

Front office General manager – Kathrin Platz Head coaches Head coach – Vince Martino Offensive coaches Quarterbacks – Ron Hudson Running backs – Shuan Fatah National coach/wide receivers – Patrick Esume Offensive line – Mike Malano

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/defensive backs – Dan Daniel Defensive line – Mike Sinclair Linebackers – Charles Jones Assistant defensive backs – Dexter Davis Special teams coaches National coach/special teams coordinator – Patrick Esume Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Brent Rogers

Roster

2007 Hamburg Sea Devils (NFL Europe) roster

	Quarterbacks  5 Casey Bramlet 16 Mike McGann 12 Rod Rutherford Running backs 20 Quentin Griffin 22 Tony Hollings Wide receivers 82 Josh Davis 11 Justin Jenkins 19 Marcus Maxwell 14 Rich Parson Tight ends 85 Teyo Johnson 86 Mike Pinkard		Offensive linemen 65 Mike Brisiel C/G 67 Vance Brown T 70 Ryan Gibbons G 69 Pete McMahon G 57 Adam O’Connor T 74 Rod Olds G 73 Jeremy Parquet T 75 Steve Sciullo G 79 Cliff Washburn T Defensive linemen 93 Nathaniel Adibi DE 95 Gary Gibson DT 97 Justin Kurpeikis DE 71 Tim Sandidge DT 98 Thomas Smith DT 91 Jimmy Verdon DE 90 Seante Williams DE		Linebackers 51 Trent Bray OLB 42 Byron Hardmon OLB 58 James Hargrave OLB 52 Kenny Kern MLB 56 Barry Robertson MLB Defensive backs 25 Brent Grimes CB 36 Michael Harden CB 23 Shawn Mayer S 24 Lamont Reid CB 39 Davon Telp CB 28 John Walker S 29 Justin Wyatt CB Special teams 17 Adam Anderson P  3 Shane Andrus K 89 Jacob Rice LS		National players 21 Jermaine Allen RB   77 Carl-Johan Blomvall C   18 Dwain Chambers WR   54 Aden Durde MLB   31 Ryota Hori S   48 Jonathan Hurtado OLB   99 Ben Ishola DE   87 Scott McCready WR   13 Juan Wong WR   Rookies in italics

•  
  The Sea Devils try a kick in the 2007 season
•  
  Brent Grimes makes an interception catch against Amsterdam, 2007
•  
  Sea Devils offensive lineman Brandon Newton
•  
  Sea Devil logo on the side of a coach

Schedule

Week	Date	Kickoff ^[n 1]	Opponent	Results		Game site	Attendance
				Final score	Team record
1	Saturday, April 14	6:00 p.m.	Cologne Centurions	L 18–24	0–1	AOL Arena	20,887
2	Sunday, April 22	4:00 p.m.	at Berlin Thunder	W 16–7	1–1	Olympic Stadium	30,657
3	Saturday, April 28	7:00 p.m.	at Frankfurt Galaxy	L 17–20	1–2	Commerzbank-Arena	29,091
4	Sunday, May 6	4:00 p.m.	Rhein Fire	W 34–9	2–2	AOL Arena	19,347
5	Saturday, May 12	6:00 p.m.	Amsterdam Admirals	W 24–17	3–2	AOL Arena	15,271
6	Friday, May 18	8:00 p.m.	at Amsterdam Admirals	L 31–41	3–3	Amsterdam ArenA	9,384
7	Saturday, May 26	6:00 p.m.	Berlin Thunder	W 17–7	4–3	AOL Arena	18,337
8	Saturday, June 2	6:00 p.m.	at Cologne Centurions	W 21–7	5–3	RheinEnergieStadion	10,221
9	Saturday, June 9	6:00 p.m.	Frankfurt Galaxy	W 36–31	6–3	AOL Arena	30,528
10	Saturday, June 16	7:00 p.m.	at Rhein Fire	W 17–13	7–3	LTU arena	22,980
World Bowl XV
11	Saturday, June 23	7:00 p.m.	Frankfurt Galaxy	W 37–28	8–3	Commerzbank-Arena	48,125

^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]}

Standings

NFL Europa League
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	Home	Road	STK
Hamburg Sea Devils	7	3	0	.700	231	176	4–1	3–2	W4
Frankfurt Galaxy	7	3	0	.700	254	179	5–0	2–3	W1
Cologne Centurions	6	4	0	.600	205	172	2–3	4–1	L1
Rhein Fire	4	6	0	.400	166	212	2–3	2–3	L1
Amsterdam Admirals	4	6	0	.400	194	250	3–2	1–4	W1
Berlin Thunder	2	8	0	.200	146	207	0–5	2–3	L6

^[16]

Game summaries

Week 1: vs Cologne Centurions

Week One: Cologne Centurions at Hamburg Sea Devils – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Cologne	0	14	3	7	24
Hamburg	6	0	6	6	18

at AOL Arena, Hamburg, Germany

• Date: Saturday, April 14
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 20,887
• ^[17]

Week 2: at Berlin Thunder

Week Two: Hamburg Sea Devils at Berlin Thunder – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Hamburg	0	10	3	3	16
Berlin	0	0	0	7	7

at Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany

• Date: Sunday, April 22
• Game time: 4:02 p.m. CEST
• Game weather: 64 °F (17.8 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 30,657
• Referee: Don Carey
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Scott Graham and Doug Graber

Week 3: at Frankfurt Galaxy

Week Three: Hamburg Sea Devils at Frankfurt Galaxy – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Hamburg	0	0	6	11	17
Frankfurt	7	3	0	10	20

at Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany

• Date: Saturday, April 28
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 29,091
• ^[18]

Week 4: vs Rhein Fire

Week Four: Rhein Fire at Hamburg Sea Devils – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Rhein	0	3	6	0	9
Hamburg	7	10	14	3	34

at AOL Arena, Hamburg, Germany

• Date: Sunday, May 6
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 19,347
• ^[19]

Week 5: vs Amsterdam Admirals

Week Five: Amsterdam Admirals at Hamburg Sea Devils – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Amsterdam	0	0	14	3	17
Hamburg	7	10	0	7	24

at AOL Arena, Hamburg, Germany

• Date: Saturday, May 12
• Game time: 6:05 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 15,271
• Referee: Craig Wrolstad

Week 6: at Amsterdam Admirals

Week Six: Hamburg Sea Devils at Amsterdam Admirals – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Hamburg	0	10	7	14	31
Amsterdam	7	20	7	7	41

at Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Date: Friday, May 18
• Game time: 8:04 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 9,384
• Referee: Alberto Riveron

Week 7: vs Berlin Thunder

Week Seven: Berlin Thunder at Hamburg Sea Devils – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Berlin	3	4	0	0	7
Hamburg	0	3	0	14	17

at AOL Arena, Hamburg, Germany

• Date: Saturday, May 26
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game attendance: 18,337
• ^[20]

Week 8: at Cologne Centurions

Week Eight: Hamburg Sea Devils at Cologne Centurions – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Hamburg	7	0	7	7	21
Cologne	0	0	7	0	7

at RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany

• Date: Saturday, June 2
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 10,221
• ^[21]

Week 9: vs Frankfurt Galaxy

Week Nine: Frankfurt Galaxy at Hamburg Sea Devils – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Frankfurt	14	7	3	7	31
Hamburg	10	14	3	9	36

at AOL Arena, Hamburg, Germany

• Date: Saturday, June 9
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 30,528
• ^[22]

Week 10: at Rhein Fire

Week Ten: Hamburg Sea Devils at Rhein Fire – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Hamburg	3	7	7	0	17
Rhein	0	10	0	3	13

at LTU arena, Düsseldorf, Germany

• Date: Saturday, June 16
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CEST
• Game attendance: 22,980
• ^[13][23]

World Bowl XV

Main article: World Bowl XV

World Bowl XV: Hamburg Sea Devils vs Frankfurt Galaxy – Game Summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Hamburg	13	10	7	7	37
Frankfurt	0	14	14	0	28

at Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany

• Date: Saturday, June 23
• Game time: 7:10 p.m. CEST
• Game weather: 70 °F (21.1 °C)
• Game attendance: 48,125
• Referee: John Parry
• TV announcers (NFL Network): Bob Papa and Brian Baldinger

Honors

Throughout the course of the 10-week regular season, eight players earned player of the week accolades: Adam Anderson (special teams, Week 7), Casey Bramlet (offense, Week 4), Gary Gibson (defense, Week 4), Byron Hardmon (defense, Week 5), Ben Ishola (national, Weeks 2 and 8), Justin Jenkins (offense, Week 3), Scott McCready (national, Weeks 1, 4 and 10), and Rich Parson (special teams, Week 3).

After the completion of the regular season, the All-NFL Europa League team was selected by the NFLEL coaching staffs, members of a media panel and fans voting online at NFLEurope.com.^[24] Overall, Hamburg had eight players selected. The selections were:

• Gary Gibson, defensive tackle
• Ben Ishola, national defensive player
• Justin Kurpeikis, defensive end
• Shawn Mayer, safety
• Marcus Maxwell, wide receiver
• Scott McCready, national offensive player
• Pete McMahon, guard
• Jeremy Parquet, tackle

Head coach Vince Martino was named NFLEL Coach of the Year after leading his team to a first title game appearance in team history. Additionally, quarterback Casey Bramlet earned World Bowl MVP honors.

Notes

1. All times are Central European Summer Time (CEST).

References

1. Kuriloff, Aaron (June 29, 2007). "NFL Folds European League One Week After World Bowl Title Game". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
2. NFL Europa League (February 26, 2007). "Famous names called during NFL Europa Free Agent Draft" (Press release). Retrieved June 28, 2011.
3. NFL Europa League (April 10, 2007). "World Bowl Rematch Kicks Off 15th Season" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
4. NFL Europa League (April 17, 2007). "Early Start To Week Two" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
5. NFL Europa League (April 24, 2007). "Race for NFL Europa glory looks to be crowded" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
6. NFL Europa League (May 1, 2007). "Pace-setting Galaxy Visit Admirals; Centurions Lead Chasing Pack" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
7. NFL Europa League (May 8, 2007). "Everything To Play For As Season Approaches Halfway Mark" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
8. NFL Europa League (May 15, 2007). "Race To Reach World Bowl Closest In League History As All Six Teams Separated By One Game" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
9. NFL Europa League (May 22, 2007). "Two Break Clear Of Chasing Pack As Race To Reach World Bowl Intensifies" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
10. NFL Europa League (May 29, 2007). "Cologne Within Touching Distance Of World Bowl" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
11. NFL Europa League (June 5, 2007). "Galaxy One Win Away From Hosting World Bowl" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
12. NFL Europa League (June 12, 2007). "Three Teams Eye Two Title Game Spots As Race To Reach World Bowl Goes Down To Final Weekend" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
13. Stolle, Hans (June 18, 2007). "Football: Der Abschied von Rhein Fire" (in German). Rheinische Post. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
14. NFL Europa League (June 18, 2007). "World Bowl XV Preview" (Press release). Retrieved January 22, 2012.
15. Carlson, Mike (June 24, 2007). "NFL Europe: Hamburg wins World Bowl". The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
16. "NFL Europa At A Glance". USA Today. June 25, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
17. "Hamburg Sea Devils vs. Cologne Centurions" (in German). schaudichan.com. April 14, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
18. "American Football – NFL Europa: Frankfurt Galaxy nicht zu stoppen" (in German). Focus. SID. April 28, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
19. "Football: Sea Devils besiegen Rhein Fire in der AOL-Arena mit 34:9" (in German). Hamburger Abendblatt. May 7, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
20. "7. Spieltag der NFL Europa: Spitzenkampf zwischen Galaxy und Centurions" (in German). Rheinische Post. May 26, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
21. "American Football – NFL Europa: Galaxy nach Aufholjagd fast sicher im World Bowl" (in German). Focus. SID. June 2, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
22. "American Football – NFL Europa: Hamburg Sea Devils übernehmen Tabellenspitze" (in German). Focus. SID. June 9, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
23. Stolle, Hans (June 16, 2007). "10. Spieltag NFL Europa: Galaxy und Sea Devils im Finale um den World Bowl" (in German). Rheinische Post. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
24. . NFLEurope.com. June 21, 2007. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2011.