The Scottish Claymores utilized contributions from four New England Patriots to record their second win of the season, defeating the Berlin Thunder 34-17 on Saturday in the German capital. Scott McCready and Mike Malan continued to contribute for the Claymores on the offensive side of the ball, as the pair have combined for 26 catches for 353 yards and two touchdowns through the season's first four games. In other Patriots news from Europe, wide receiver T.C. Taylor was activated from injured reserve and reallocated to the first-place Frankfurt Galaxy, where he joined a fellow Patriot, Harvard alum Mike Clare.
In the Claymores' win, the Scottish passing game was well received by the New England contingent. McCready led the Claymores with 72 receiving yards, while fellow Patriot and Brown University alum Malan led the squad in receptions for the second straight week (4 catches). McCready hauled in a 52-yard bomb to kick off a Claymores touchdown drive that iced the game in the fourth quarter, and through four games, he leads the team and ranks second in NFL Europe with 237 receiving yards. Malan, meanwhile, continued to be one of the Claymores' brightest stars. He recovered a fumble in the kicking game for the second straight week, hustling downfield to grab a muffed ball at the Berlin 13-yard line as the Claymores converted the opportunity into a field goal. The Patriots fullback was a key part of the blocking effort that allowed the Claymores to rack up 241 yards on the ground. Malan also grabbed four passes and carried the ball three times for 17 yards. Starting tight end Rod Trafford snared a pass in addition to his contributions to the strong ground game, and cornerback Dyshod Carter was in the mix in a defensive backfield that allowed Berlin just 176 yards in the air.
After spending the first three weeks of the season on injured reserve, Taylor was activated and reassigned to the Frankfurt Galaxy last week. Taylor saw his first action of the year in the same offense as Clare, who continued his strong play at center despite seeing his Galaxy suffer their first loss of the season, a 20-17 decision on the road against the Amsterdam Admirals. Clare helped block for a Galaxy attack that chewed up 273 yards on the ground. This week, Clare and Taylor can be seen in action on Fox Sports Net when the Galaxy travel to the Rhineland to take on the Rhein Fire on Saturday, May 3 at at 1:00 EDT. The game is scheduled to be broadcast locally on Fox Sports Net New England.
Player news and notes
McCready has started four games for the Claymores totaling 13 receptions for 237 yards and two touchdowns. He ranks second in NFLE in receiving yards and leads the Claymores with the two scores. … While he did not play this past week, Stafford has completed 20-of-34 passes in three games for 231 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions. … Malan has been a useful and versativel weapon in four starts at fullback for the Claymores. He's carried the ball 5 times for 40 yards and caught 13 passes for 116 yards. Malan is tied with fellow Patriot McCready for second on the Claymores with the 13 catches. … Trafford has just two catches for 27 yards in four starts at tight end in Scotland. … Carter has played in all four games for Scotland with three starts, pulling down 12 tackles and two passes defensed. … Ledyard missed his second straight Rhein Fire game with a shoulder injury. … Clare started his fourth game at center for the Galaxy, as the team fell in its first loss of the NFLE season. …Through four weeks the Galaxy and Barcelona Dragons sit atop the standings with 3-1 records. The Claymores, Fire and Amsterdam Admirals are all even at 2-2, while the Berlin Thunder have struggled to an 0-4 start.
