AFI’s Europe Top 20 – 6/3/15
Europe’s Top 20 American Football Teams!
This is our second week in listing what we think are the Top 20 best American football teams in Europe in 2015 although there are no changes this week with so many of the top 20 teams idle or earning predictable wins.
The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns remain at #1. The Unicorns are still undefeated in Germany after knocking off the lowly Franken Knights 62-14. They had taken a 49-0 halftime lead. The Unicorns have earned a place in the Eurobowl final June 20 and are playing outstanding football.
The #2 team is still the Dresden Monarchs even though they did not play. The Monarchs have looked impressive, particularly when they knocked off the defending German champions, the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions.
The New Yorker Lions are a close third. They beat the Berlin Adler 33-7 but many of their backups played the game. They are an outstanding ball club and could get on a roll. With the apparent return of their championship quarterback Casey Therriault they are definitely dangerous for anyone in Europe.
After their initial loss to Braunschweig, the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes have played very solid football and so we have them fourth. Their quarterback Blake Bolles leads the German league in passing, averaging 290 yards per game.
The #5 Swarco Raiders did not play this past weekend but no doubt needed the rest. They have played 10 games since mid March, more than anyone in Europe by far. But they have been playing as well as any team in Europe. They’ve defeated multiple German clubs, and have given recent drubbings to the Vienna Vikings and Danube Dragons.
Sweden’s Carlstad Crusaders , #6, have picked up more or less where they left off in 2014, although this past weekend they had to score with less than two minutes to go to overcome a stubborn and much improved Uppsala 86ers squad in Sweden. However, they will be introducing their fourth offensive coordinator of the season this week so there has been some turmoil. They dispensed with both the Danish (Copenhagen Towers) and Finnish (Helsinki Roosters) champions with apparent ease. They are close to cracking the top five.
The Saint Ouen l’Aumône Cougars of France are undefeated as the French playoffs loom this coming weekend. They enter the post season as the odds on favorite to win the French title.They are a top 10 team without question.
Both the Vienna Vikings and Prague Black Panthers earned comfortable victories this past weekend in Austria and deserve to remain where they are. Prague’s offense is again fun to watch. They are averaging 360 yards passing a game in the Austrian league and 35 points per game.
The Allgau Comets, #10, from Germany were idle. They opened the season with five straight wins before being manhandled by Schwäbisch Hall two weeks ago. The Comets may be the most improved team in Germany this season.
Although the London Blitz , #11, did not play this weekend, their play in IFAF Europe’s Champions League this spring has been impressive and both they and their crosstown rivals the London Warriors , #15, who were also idle, are legitimate top 10 candidates. The Warriors face the Swarco Raiders in the Battle4Tirol on June 6. That will be an interesting game.
Italy’s Lazio Marines , #16, beat division rivals the Bologna Warriors and are scoring an average of 43 points a game to lead the South division in the Italian Football League. The Ancona Dolphins , #13, who also won easily against Napoli. We have Ancona ahead of Lazio owing to their recent victory over the Marines.
The Wroclaw Panthers (#17) from Poland are dominating the Polish top league and have one of the best running backs in Europe in Marcus Sims.
The Tyreso Royal Crowns could well challenge for the Swedish crown this season. They knocked off the Kristianstad Predators 34-28 after a long eight hour bus ride but have beefed up their roster this season. And the undefeated Novi Sad Dukes now are totally dominant in Serbia after their 56-16 pummeling of the Nis Imperatori.
We are certain you have plenty of comments and we would love to hear them. We do not mind if you don’t like our list but let us know what you think nevertheless.
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