Newz Forum: FOOTBALL: Davey may be NFL Europe's next hit

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) - Kurt Warner, Jake Delhomme and Brad Johnson had success in the NFL after playing in Europe. Rohan Davey could join that list one day.

Davey is having a career year for the Berlin Thunder in NFL Europe, winning MVP honors and leading his squad to the World Bowl against the Frankfurt Galaxy on Saturday.

Davey, who has a good chance of being Tom Brady's backup with the New England Patriots next season, had a 105.6 quarterback rating, 19 touchdown passes in 10 games and a 61.2 completion percentage. His arm strength is superb. During practice for the World Bowl against the Frankfurt Galaxy, Davey repeatedly threw 40 yards or more through the air effortlessly.

"People are always saying someone can do that, but in reality there aren't many," Thunder quarterbacks coach Steve Logan said. "The big arm, the movement, he's the complete package. He's a very, very smart football player with a great instinct for the game."

That powerful arm was how he got into the game after growing up in Jamaica, then Miami Lakes, Fla. Until then, he played baseball and basketball, good enough in hoops to be recruited by Maryland and the Florida schools.

"I was a sophomore and a friend told the coach, this boy can throw the ball. That's how I got into football," Davey said.

Even though Davey knew hardly anything about the game, he took Miami Lakes to the state final and major colleges came recruiting.

"I found it easy. Throw the ball to your teammates, don't throw the ball to the others. If they didn't get open fast enough, I ran with it," he said.

At LSU, he didn't get a chance to start until his senior year. Davey is still disappointed about what happened, as well as falling to the fourth round of the NFL draft.

"I played well at LSU every time they let me into a game or a bowl," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "There was some behind-the-scenes stuff going on there."

Some believe Davey had the greatest season ever by an NFL Europe player, although that is hard to pin down statistically. Delhomme had a 67.3 completion percentage while he was at Frankfurt in 1999, and former Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel once posted a 107.2 quarterback rating in the league.

But Davey drew raves for his smart decisions and his leadership in guiding the Thunder to a 9-1 record, one of just three teams to ever do that in NFL Europe.

Or will it be Eric McCoo, who led the NFLE in yards from scrimmage this year.

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of course, he'd have to get into the Eagles running back rotation this year, put he probably willl, with Staley gone.