LIVE STREAM & PREVIEW: GFL North – Kiel Baltic Hurricanes v. Braunschweig New Yorker Lions
[tps_title]German Football League North[/tps_title]
[tps_header]Kiel Baltic Hurricanes[/tps_header]
The departure of head coach Patrick Esume (who has taken over the French national team) caught many by surprise but the club wasted no time in finding his successor in Munich Cowboy offensive coordinator Stephen Parker. Munich had the second leading passing offense in the country last season.
To be on the safe side, Parker made sure he brought his quarterback from Munich, Blake Bolles.
Bolles, 6’3″ 210 lbs, had an outstanding season in 2014 running the Munich offense. He threw for just over 4,500 yards and 44 touchdowns, third in Germany while leading his team in rushing for over 700 yards and eight touchdowns.
Coach Parker:
“I was really happy to be able to bring Blake to Kiel. I like to have winners on my team and he is a true winner. He has won a national college championship and he knows this offense so well.”
In addition to Bolles, Kiel has added Austria’s top running back, Andreas Hofbauer. Known for his tough running style, Hoffbauer will force defenses to focus on the run as well as the pass.
National team wide receiver Julian Dohrendorf has returned. The 6’1″ Dohrendorf is a team leader and convincing him to return was high on Parker’s list of priorities.
On defense, linebacker Ryan Newell has also followed Parker from Munich. The 6’1″, 230 lb Newell has led Germany in tackles for the past three years, and last year racked up a total of 190. He will be joined on defense by defensive end Paco Varol, who transferred from Braunschweig after winning the 2014 championship. At 6’3″ 275 lb Varol has extreme quickness and strength.
Stephen Parker is aware that he has a young squad but feels that their youth and athleticism will offset the lack of experience.
