The Rhein Fire returned to the football field this spring, joining ten other teams in the European League of Football for the 2022 season. Before this version of the franchise, the Fire were part of both the World League and NFL Europe winning the World Bowl in both 1998 and 2000.
For this second stint as a franchise, a familiar face to both NFL fans and fans in Rhein returned: Jim Tomsula.
And under his guidance, the Fire are off to a 2-0 start with their home opener against the Istanbul Rams on the docket for this weekend.
This is not Tomsula’s first stint as a head coach, nor as the head coach of the Fire. During the 2006 NFL Europe season, Tomsula served as the head coach of the Fire, guiding Rhein to a 6-4 record. When the Fire missed out on the playoffs, Tomsula moved to the NFL, taking a position as the defensive line coach with the San Francisco 49ers. He would ultimately serve as the team’s head coach for the 2015 campaign, a year that saw San Francisco finish with a 5-11 record.
Upon their rebirth in the ELF, the Fire announced in February that Tomsula would be their head coach for the season:
A blockbuster signing on Super Bowl Sunday! As the Rhein Fire announced, the franchise has signed Jim Tomsula, former NFL coach, as their head coach for the upcoming European League of Football season. In Tomsula, the franchise has their most important coaching position set. The experienced coach can work with a talented and experienced player portfolio.
The Fire opened the season with a 29-26 victory over the Frankfurt Galaxy on the road, and followed that up with a 28-17 victory over the Leipzig Kings. In that game, the Fire scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to secure the win, and it was this 96-yard fumble return from Omari Williams that broke a 17-17 tie midway through the final quarter:
🔥 PLAY OF THE WEEK 🔥
Omari Williams (@oyeezy_12) with his 96 Yards fumble return Touchdown against the @LeipzigKings! 😤#BringTheFire🔥 pic.twitter.com/p9y2oHNqDT
— Rhein Fire (@Rhein_Fire) June 13, 2022
During his time in San Francisco, Tomsula was known for his positive energy and outlook. That has not left him, as you can see from this pre-game interview before Rhein’s Week 1 victory over the Galaxy:
"This is awesome!" Jim Tomsula ist begeistert – wir auch. 😍 Los geht's mit #ranELF ProSieben MAXX https://t.co/WRMJuHKia3 pic.twitter.com/tDsZxNjWtu
— ran (@ransport) June 5, 2022
Whether that energy pays off with a winning season for the Fire remains to be seen, but their 2-0 start has Rhein fans excited for the rest of the campaign.
