March 15, 2006

The NFL Europe League kicks off its 14th season this Saturday, March 18th, and two former Toreros will face each other in their season opener. Former Torero quarterback Todd Mortensen, who signed a free-agent contract with the New England Patriots, has been assigned to the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe. He joins Michael Gasperson (Philadelphia Eagles) as USD's first players to play NFLEL, and the duo will face off this Saturday when Hamburg takes on the Cologne Centurions. NFL Europe League clubs play a 10-game regular-season schedule beginning on Saturday and concluding on Saturday, May 20th. The top two teams in the standings will play for the league championship in Yello Strom World Bowl XIV, Saturday, May 27th at LTU Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany.

NFL Network will be the new television home of the NFL Europe League, broadcasting all 30 regular-season games. NFL teams allocated 272 players to NFL Europe in 2006, the most in league history. Mortensen, like Gasperson, was a First Team The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major All-American in 2004 after he completed 234-of-389 passes for 2,874 yards and 25 touchdowns.