As the European League of Football (ELF) enters its fifth week of competition, we have assembled a power ranking based on the first four weeks.
1. Barcelona Dragons
Zach Edwards has thrown for 1,150 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He has put his team in position time and time again to win games.
Edwards has shown just how clutch of a player he is and has led Barcelona to wins over two of the league favorites, the Rhein Fire and Hamburg Sea Devils.
2. Rhein Fire
The dismantling of the Istanbul Rams and Leipzig Kings was nothing to sing praises about for the Fire, but their win over defending champions Frankfurt Galaxy and close loss to the Barcelona Dragons is.
Quarterback Matt Adam has shocked the league. His below average season in Germany prior to joining ELF didn’t garner much interest, but his play since signing has been superb. He has been greatly aided by two great receivers in Nathaniel Robitaille and Timothy Knüttel and a stacked defense.
3. Frankfurt Galaxy
The first four games have been rocky for the defending champs. But following talisman quarterback Jakeb Sullivan’s return from injury, the team has been on fire.
The addition of their first American receiver, former NFL wideout Reece Horn, is going to greatly help them get the most out of Sullivan.
4. Vienna Vikings
The Vikings are one of two 4-0 teams, but their only impressive win has come against the Tirol Raiders in week 1. Their others came against a quarterbackless Frankfurt Galaxy and two winless sides in Istanbul Rams and Stuttgart Surge.
The Vikings are still one of the league’s best teams, but they will first have to prove it against some firm competition to be truly rated.
5. Hamburg Sea Devils
It is surprising that the one thing holding the Sea Devils back is their passing game, considering they have two American wideouts.
Salieu Ceesay has not had the second year that the team would have wanted. A dominant run-block and abysmal pass-block has left their offense one dimensional. Hamburg’s defense and running back Glen Toonga have had to do the heavy lifting thus far.
It’s still a head scratcher that the Sea Devils don’t put in their import receiver Lamar Jordan II at quarterback. Jordan played quarterback for 46 games at New Mexico (NCAA DI) before converting to receiver for the NFL.
6. Wroclaw Panthers
Wroclaw, as was the case last year, is a fundamentally sound team. Their single problem this year is at the quarterback position.
After losing former Sun Belt Conference MVP Justice Hansen following week-two’s win over the Stuttgart Surge, the Panthers went with Polish receiver Bartosz Dziedzic at quarterback. Safe to say, this didn’t go too well, and the team lost 47-13 to the Frankfurt Galaxy.
They have since signed former Fan Controlled League quarterback Slade Jarman. Jarman threw the ball 44 times in their overtime loss to the Sea Devils last week. If Jarman’s ELF opener is anything to go by, he will be an exciting player to watch this year.
7. Cologne Centurions
The Centurions have produced the league’s best passing offense and have won games because of it. Quieten Pounds will continue to make the life of German quarterback Jan Weinrich easy as he catches balls over the heads of defenders, even in triple coverage.
Although the Centurions score a lot of points, they also allow a lot. If they want to be successful in the latter half of the season, they need to tighten up in the secondary.
8. Tirol Raiders
The Tirol Raiders were in most people’s top five at the start of the season. But after their gut-punch loss to the Vienna Vikings in week one, the Raiders have been struggling to come back.
Wins over two of the league’s weaker sides will have given the Raiders some confidence coming into week 5, but they have one hell of a fight in front of them as they will take on the Frankfurt Galaxy.
9. Leipzig Kings
Leipzig are the poor man’s Hamburg Sea Devils. A great defense and a not-so-great offense.
This defense has kept them in plenty of games, and even a win in recent weeks. But they will keep losing to the better teams if they don’t find some offensive production soon…from anywhere.
10. Berlin Thunder
Berlin seems to be symbolized by running back Jocques Crawford. His down-hill one-cut running style is a nightmare for defenses to deal with for four quarters. You would think being backed up by one the German Football League’s top passers last year would help, but it has unfortunately not.
The team has struggled to score. Their defensive play has been inconsistent, but manageable. Quarterback Joe Germinerio needs to find a way to better utilize his talented German receiving corps.
11. Stuttgart Surge
The first of the winless teams. The Surge have not won a game in their one and a half years of existence, despite having a former defensive back now in the NFL (Marcel Dabo).
The Surge recently released two-time Danish champion quarterback Randy Schroeder after placing him on ‘injury reserve’. They have now added fresh-faced Dante Vandeven.
It is unlikely to help their cause.
12. Istanbul Rams
The most undesirable position on anyone’s power ranking. Last. The Rams, however, unfortunately deserve this spot.
The team has struggled from top to bottom. Their imports have underperformed while their domestic players have been inconsistent. The atrocious offensive display has often left Australian quarterback Jared Stegman looking like he doesn’t belong.
To make matters worse, the team has recently lost head coach and general manager Val Gunn. Perhaps this will be the reboot the team needs to become competitive.