Is this the year for Berlin? ( Breaking down the Thunder off season) - Jamal Clay (Mar 15)
Amidst the anticipation of the upcoming ELF season, all eyes are on the Berlin Thunder. As one of the original teams of the league and under the ownership of Björn Werner, they're poised for greatness. With a mix of retained talent and key acquisitions, including championship MVP Jakeb Sullivan at quarterback, the Thunder aim for their first championship. However, their journey won't be easy, facing tough opponents in the Eastern Conference. Yet, with a balanced roster and high aspirations, the question lingers: Is this the year for Berlin to claim the championship title?
The Team in the capital
The Berlin Thunder, a team that resides in the capital of Germany and one of the original 8 teams to kick start the birth of the ELF, find themselves in a similar circumstance for another off-season. Asking themselves, how do we improve? It’s a question a lot of teams ask themselves during the off-season, but very few find the success they are looking for. Björn Werner (former 1st round pick for the Indianapolis Colts) took ownership of the team in year 2 of the ELF with one goal in mind and that was to bring a championship to the capital of Germany. Overall the Thunder are 18-15 in 3 seasons of the ELF with 1 playoff appearance. Heading into year 4, one has to ask, did they improve enough to be considered a championship team in September?
The Jakeb Sullivan experience
This off-season the Berlin Thunder didn’t make a ton of changes after re-signing most of their guys, but they did make a change at one key position, the quarterback. Jakeb Sullivan, an ELF championship MVP, parted ways with the Frankfurt Galaxy after 3 seasons, and exchanged his Frankfurt purple for Berlin red by signing with the Berlin Thunder. Instantly, Sullivan becomes the most successful Quarterback in Berlin Thunder history. He will be joining an offense with an established group of weapons such as receivers Aaron Jackson and Robin Wilzeck, Tight end Nicolai Schumann , and last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, Ali Khalife, former running back of the Milano Seaman. Sullivan has all the tools needed to take the Berlin Thunder somewhere they have never been, to the ELF Championship Game
Schedule outlook
When you look at the Eastern Conference some may say it is the easier road out of the three conferences, but Berlin still has to de-throne last year’s conference champion (Vienna Vikings). In their first five weeks of play, the Thunder will play 3 playoff teams from the 2023 season. It will be important to get off to a fast start, because the second half of the season will be the toughest part in attempting to make the playoffs. Five of their final seven games will be played against 4 teams who had a combined record of 38-10 last season. It will not be an easy road, but Berlin has proven to be a better team inching closer and closer to becoming a Championship organization every year.
What’s next for Berlin?
The 2024 Berlin Thunder are one of the most balanced rosters as currently constituted on paper. This is a team that can most definitely compete for a championship, but it starts with winning the East. After clinching a playoff berth last year, the next step for the Thunder would be winning the East and getting a home playoff game in the Capital. If the Thunder can do that, it will most definitely increase their chances of getting to a championship. The weapons are there offensively, with most of the defensive personnel led by Kyle Kitchens returning, and now they have an ELF Champion under center. This could very well be the best Berlin Thunder team thus far. Is this the year for Berlin? If not now then when?
Comments