Rolovich, a former University of Hawai'i quarterback, leads the Rhein Fire (6-4) into World Bowl XI (6 a.m. Hawai'i time) against the Frankfurt Galaxy (6-4) at Hampden Park as the NFL Europe championship game culminates the league's 11th season.

Don't expect Rolovich to post gaudy passing statistics the way he did in college. There will be no 500-yard game tomorrow. In fact, Rolovich threw for 907 yards in 10 games while splitting time with Chris Greisen.

Thing is, Rolovich had no designs of taking NFL Europe by storm. Instead, he spent the season working on the mundane but necessary skills to play in the NFL. He learned things such as how to drop back to pass and read defenses, nuances of the game he never addressed in Hawai'i coach June Jones' run-and-shoot offense.

"I had to be more efficient and less risky than I was in Hawai'i," said Rolovich, who completed more than 58 percent of his passes and tossed three touchdowns against four interceptions this spring. "I was encouraged to make that big play whenever you get it (in college). Here, we're more of a driving offense, running the ball a lot more than I'm used to.

"I knew unless coach Jones goes to the NFL I would have to learn how to do (those things) sometime."

That's why the Denver Broncos allocated Rolovich to NFL Europe.

The league serves as the NFL's spring developmental league, providing players game experience against top competition, while also serving to promote the sport to a European audience. Last season, 257 NFL Europe veterans were on NFL rosters.

"(The league) has helped a lot of young players to increase their skill and ability and to mature," said John Beake, NFL vice president of football operations. "They come over here with a purpose that they know they want to get better and have an opportunity to develop."

Among those who developed into NFL regulars were four quarterbacks — Kurt Warner of St. Louis, Jay Fiedler of Miami, Jon Kitna of Cincinnati and Brad Johnson of Tampa Bay — who are scheduled to start this season.

What's more, about 25 percent of all NFL quarterbacks have experience playing in NFL Europe.

"It was definitely a learning experience," said Rolovich, whose team is in Düsseldorf, Germany. "The language barrier, it hindered how I could relate to some people. Other than that, it's been a great experience. I probably wouldn't have gotten to Europe any time soon if it wasn't for this league.

"(The game) is so much different than when I got here and had to learn."

That's because unlike at Hawai'i, the Fire has tight ends on its roster. And the running backs — in Rhein's case, former Notre Dame standout Autrey Denson — are asked to carry load.

That was a foreign concept for Rolovich at Hawai'i. In three consecutive games, the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder threw for 1,548 yards and 20 touchdowns, eclipsing the 500-yard plateau all three times.

During his abbreviated career under Jones — Rolovich spent two years at the City College of San Francisco, winning a junior college national championship in 1999 — he amassed 4,176 yards passing and 40 touchdowns.

"I loved playing the run-and-shoot and for coach Jones," Rolovich said. "He helped me tremendously. I owe a lot to him."

Not that Rolovich is complaining about his reduced yet hardly diminished role. He knows the experience and knowledge he gained this season will only help him next month when the Broncos open training camp.

He also knows he'll be in game shape when it comes time to compete with four other quarterbacks — Jake Plummer, Steve Beurlein, Jarious Jackson and Danny Kannell — for likely three spots.

"I can't worry about numbers," Rolovich says. "I can only worry about what I can do.

"When I got to Hawai'i, I was one of eight quarterbacks going for the starting job. It's not about what anybody else says. It's about what you can do.