May 18, 2005

QUARSHIE PLAYING AND IMPROVING IN NFL EUROPE
by Sean Leahy

Although Michael Quarshie has only played three games for NFL Europe’s Frankfurt Galaxy, the defensive lineman has found his skill level climbing with each performance.

“The players there are a lot better so I’m trying to refine my techniques,” said the Columbia University graduate who joined the Galaxy in late April with hopes of making an NFL roster this fall. “But I’m definitely getting better each week.”

The skills Quarshie excelled at in college he has to work harder at in NFL Europe, and the mistakes he was able to recover from when he played in the Ivy League for Columbia are quickly exploited by bigger and more talented competition. For example, he said that keeping his body low after the ball is snapped is critical to maintaining advantage against his new opponents on the offensive line.

“If I don’t keep my pads at a very low level, it’s hard to do anything [when the ball is snapped],” he said. “If I made a mistake [at Columbia], I could correct it and power my way back. But these players are too good.”

Quarshie has had increasing playing times in the three games he has seen action since signing with the Galaxy April 25. He has recorded seven tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. The skills and experience he is gaining are snowballing with each week, he said, while noting that Frankfurt’s coaches have been helpful teaching him nuances of the game.

Learning from teammates with NFL experience such as Ahmad Childress and Luke Gachelin also has been important to Quarshie in Frankfurt. He has spent time watching tape and learning about on-field and off-field football situations with the two experienced defensive lineman. “They tell me what they pick up,” he said of the tape sessions with Childress and Gachelin. “I’m asking them questions and I’m getting a lot better at watching tape.”

The daily schedule for football is occupying most of Quarshie’s time in Frankfurt. He is awake for breakfast at 7 a.m. each day, and has an agenda of team meetings, practice, weight lifting and video sessions that keep him busy until 4 p.m. Evenings are spent getting treatment, watching more tape and resting, so there is little time for distractions.

But the defensive lineman said he’s concentrating on improving his skills and his chances of cracking an NFL roster during the Galaxy’s final three games. He hopes to show his coaches and NFL scouts that he is applying the techniques he has learned, and improving each week.

“I just want to gain the trust of my coaches and get better,” he said. “I want to show them I’m picking stuff up and that I know what I’m supposed to do.”