Next Saturday, September 24, the GFL playoffs continue with a semifinal match between the Cologne Crocodiles and Potsdam Royals. Cologne comes off of a close 34-31 victory against the Munich Cowboys and look to continue on further for their first ever German Bowl appearance.
Cologne is a bit of a question mark coming into the GFL playoffs as a whole. Statistically, at the end of the regular season the Crocodiles were not ranked the highest, especially on the offensive end.
QB Christian Strong looking downfield for a receiver Photo: Hans Kaestle
Even though they had the third highest scoring offense in the league, they were only ranked eighth in total offensive yards, being fifth in passing and twelth in rushing.
One big part of their offense, however, is the connection between quarterback Christian Strong and wide receiver Aaron Jackson. Jackson is easily the best and most dynamic receiver in the league.
With his size, Jackson is able to grab any 50/50 ball thrown his way and with his speed, catch any short pass and run past all defenders to the endzone. After he scored three touchdowns in last week’s game, Cologne will look to make him a big part of the offensive gameplan again for this week.
Cologne WR Aaron Jackson battling for yards Photo: Michael Demmer
Christian Strong on the other hand may not have thrown for the most yards or touchdown passes, but he is definitely one of the most consistent passers in the league.
He has only turned the ball over with five interceptions and putting up a league’s second-best completion percentage with 71.3%. Strong’s ability to get the ball into his playmakers hands and keep the ball out of the defense’s hands, is a big reason for Cologne’s success.
On the defensive side of the ball, Cologne will have their hands full against Potsdam’s #1 ranked scoring offense. Stopping the league’s second leading rusher, Karri Pajarinen will most likely be the Crocodiles’ main priority. Pajarinen is one of the only two rushers in the league to have an average of over 100 yards per game (128.3 yards).