Category: Alternative Football

When it comes to season-opening games, there have been two constants about the modern-day Birmingham Stallions.

One, they’re going to win.

And two, one of their quarterbacks is going to get hurt.

When they debuted in the United States Football League in 2022, starter Alex McGough was injured against the New Jersey Generals and replaced by J’Mar Smith.

The next season, it was Smith who got the start but was knocked out of the contest against the Generals, leading to McGough taking over.

However, as Skip Holtz’s former USFL club moves forward in the United Football League, perhaps we’re seeing an important alteration to that script.

Sure, Birmingham still got a “W” – 27-14 over the Arlington Renegades – but the odds are good that both starter Matt Corral and backup Adrian Martinez will see time against the Michigan Panthers on Sunday at Ford Field.

Corral finished 12-21-1 through the air for 201 yards and a . Martinez was just 2-6-1, but was the team’s second-leading rusher behind C.J. Marable with 52 yards on three carries.

Unfortunately, he injured his foot on the third tote and left the game in the second quarter.

Holtz said today he hopes Martinez will be back in action this weekend.

“He looked good walking around out there today,” Holtz said. “I think the trainer’s very encouraged. So, he’s not ruled out right now. We’re gonna have to wait and see what he can do, but he felt really good this morning and we’re gonna take him out on the field here a little bit later this afternoon and see him run around a little bit and throw the ball.”

Holtz has been a proponent of using a two-quarterback system ever since he took the helm of the Stallions, and the approach was quite effective against the Renegades.

“People wondered what Matt Corral and Adrian Martinez were gonna look like, and  I certainly don’t think they disappointed with their first game performance,” Holtz said. “I know Matt had an interception early on the opening drive that kind of went through a receiver’s hands, and then Adrian had an overthrow down there on the goal line, but I think some of the plays Matt made with his arm shows the excitement and energy and what he can be as a quarterback.

“But I also think what Adrian Martinez did with his feet, rushing three times for 52 yards, helped change the complexion of the game. And I’ve said it all along … we’re going to play both quarterbacks and I feel that way strongly, not just in the opening game, but going forward. I think they both earned the right to play. I think they both deserve to play, and I think they both bring a winning formula to our football team right now.”

The signal callers were aided by strong offense line play. The big men up front allowed just one sack and one tackle for loss the entire afternoon.

“You’ve got Alex Taylor-Prioleau, Zack Johnson, guys who weren’t here last year, and Cole Schneider and Derwin Gray.” Holtz said. “But then we have Deonte Brown, who unfortunately got injured in the first quarter and ended up coming out of the game, but I think when you look at it, I think it speaks to the level of depth.

“We had three guys that were on our offensive line a year ago that came to camp that were no longer here when we went into the opening game. It speaks volumes for those gentlemen we just mentioned and the job they did coming in, in learning the offense and showing their talent level.”

After a light practice today, Holtz and the Stallions will give the Panthers their full attention leading up to Sunday’s 11 a.m. CDT kickoff.

“I’m excited to watch our progress and see how much we can improve from week one to week two,” Holtz said.

Birmingham Stallions coach Skip Holtz often talks about the different motivations of players who play professional football in the spring.

“These young men want their opportunities, they want to move up, but they want to play some more over here for the love of the game,” he said. “Some are here because they want more film, but the players that are here, they’re appreciative, they’re grateful. They want an opportunity to get on the field.”

One player who made the most of that opportunity will be opposite the Stallions on April 7 when the Michigan Panthers host Birmingham at Ford Field in Detroit.

Kicker Jake Bates kicked a 64-yard field with three seconds remaining to lift the Panthers to an 18-16 victory over the St. Louis Battlehawks in the opening weekend of the United Football League.

Actually, he successfully kicked two consecutive 64-yard boomers; the first one didn’t count because St. Louis had called a timeout.

“(On the final drive) before they kicked off, I went up to (Michigan quarterback E.J. Perry) and told him to get it to the 45, and I’ll get it there,” Bates said. “The first one, I hit a good ball, but that’s why you practice so hard so every kick can be the same. That comes from years and years of repetition and hitting the same ball. That’s what I try to do to every ball, it needs to be the same — never change anything.”

That’s a standard comment from a field goal kicker, but Bates is hardly a standard field goal kicker.

In fact, the Texas native hadn’t even made a field goal that counted since 2017 when he was enrolled at Tomball High School. Even then he was better known for soccer, where he was all-region and offensive MVP of his team.

When he went to college, it was association football – not American football – that he tried first.

But after two seasons playing soccer at Central Arkansas, he transferred to Texas States and became a kickoff specialist on the football team.

By his senior season in 2022 he was a member of the Arkansas Razorbacks, and his powerful leg propelled him to All-SEC status as a kickoff specialist.

But lining up for a field goal?

That didn’t happen until he tried out for the Houston Texans, making a brief appearance in the preseason before being cut.

His next official field goal would have to wait until a spring day in a spring league two years later.

“I didn’t know what I was gonna do,” Bates said after hist first try at pro football fell short. “I didn’t know if I was gonna be just working my job selling brick or if I was gonna be able to play football. So yeah, it feels good. I felt like I got that sense of relief once we got into training camp and I was like, ‘Okay, this is happening. I’m here. I’m with the team.’ It definitely feels good to get the first game out of the way.”

Panthers coach Mike Nolan is certainly glad a job in football panned out.

“Jake Bates’ kick was – I guess both kicks – I mean, I don’t know what you call it. It was just it was unbelievable,” Nolan said. “(In practice) he just lined up and kicked just like you saw him today … they looked exactly like that. They could have gone for 70 yards.”

The Panthers’ QB hopes that when his club hosts the Stallions at 11 a.m. CDT next Sunday they’ll put Bates in a bit better field position if he’s called upon to give Michigan three points.

“I’m gonna try to get him maybe 50 next time … maybe shorter,” Perry joked. “He made it twice, but I don’t think you want to live and die on 64 yards.”

Perhaps not. Regardless of distance, however, Birmingham might be wasting a timeout should they try to ice him.

“Honestly, I didn’t even think about that,” Bates said. “A timeout didn’t even register in my head until I heard the whistle blow, but I was already in the flow of it. I think that’s a good thing that it didn’t even cross my mind that they could ice me. “Honestly, in that moment, I forgot icing existed.”

Remember the 1950 season opener between the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles?

Of course you don’t … neither do I.

Let me fill you in, anyway.

The Eagles were the defending National Football League champions, and the Browns were coming off a title in the All-America Football Conference. Late in 1949, three AAFC clubs merged with the NFL, so the senior circuit’s brain trust thought it’d be a great idea to start the season with the two defending champs going head-to-head.

It was a great idea – for the Browns.

Cleveland shellacked Philly, 35-10, embarrassing the team from what was considered the stronger league. While Paul Brown’s charges were no longer in the AAFC, you can be sure they were carrying the banner of their former organization into that game.

So, what does this have to do with a United Football League contest played 74 years later?

Well, when the Birmingham Stallions knocked heads with the Arlington Renegades at Choctaw Stadium today, it was a season opener that featured a pair of champions. Skip Holtz’s Stallions won both modern USFL titles, while Bob Stoops’ Renegades wore the crown in XFL 3.0.

Those leagues have been downsized and converted into conferences as part of the UFL. And since there’s still a sense of pride for the clubs that repped their old leagues, that added a bit of intrigue to today’s grand opening in Texas.

The final score of Birmingham 27, Arlington 14, will have fans of the Stallions – and the USFL – claiming supremacy. And on a warm spring day in Tarrant County, Texas, they earned the right to make that claim. Down 11-3 early, Holtz’s team took control the rest of the way.

“So great to be part of the first game of the UFL and to represent Birmingham and be 1-0,” Holtz said. “I’m just so proud of these players and the way they competed. We turned the ball over two times early in the game but nobody blinked, nobody panicked, nobody flinched.”

A better braggin’ rights barometer will be taking all 40 regular season games into account, but you have to start somewhere, and the venue formerly known as Globe Life Field (and before that, The Ballpark in Arlington) is where the 2024 United Football League took its first competitive breath.

As you might expect for a game that followed just a month of practice, it got sloppy – and chippy – at times. The teams combined for 100 yards in penalties and there were quite a few false starts.

But it was still extremely fun to watch. And the Stallions served notice that once again they’re a tough bunch to beat, regardless of what FL they play for.

As for league firsts, here they are:

First fumble: Luis Perez, Arlington, 12:18, first quarter.

First interception: Matt Corral, Birmingham, 9:10, first quarter.

First field goal: Taylor Russolino, Arlington, 38 yards, 3:08, first quarter.

First touchdown: Perez to Isaiah Winstead, Arlington, 51-yard pass, 9:09, second quarter.

First conversion: Lindsey Scott to Winstead, Arlington, (2 points).

Corral made his debut as QB1 for the winners, and after a slow start he settled into the role, finishing 12-21-1 for 201 yards and a TD.

C.J. Marable shined once again at running back, racking up 67 yards on 18 carries and scoring a TD. He also had two catches for 36 yards.

The receiving crew was impressive; Deon Cain caught three balls for 66 yards and a score. There were seven pass catchers in all, including Jace Sternberger and Binjimin Victor.

Defensively, Carlos Davis had five tackles, a sack and forced a fumble, while Kenny Robinson Jr. hauled in an interception.

The Renegades got 214 aerial yards and a TD from Perez, and Sal Cannella paced Arlington receivers with 49 yards on four catches.

Middle linebacker Marquel Lee had the best day defensively in a losing effort, closing out the season debut with nine tackles.

Duron Lowe and Darren Evans each had picks.

From a competition standpoint, the UFL should be more than the sum of its parts. The USFL in 2022 and 2023 and the XFL in 2023 were quality leagues with quality players, but those players were spread out over 16 teams.

With only eight squads teeing it up this spring, there were 400 less landing spots for near-miss NFL guys.

Need an example?

Quarterback J’Mar Smith was a huge reason the Stallions won the USFL championship in 2022 and was the starter before being lost for the season due to a finger injury in the 2023 opener. The 27-year-old is a proven winner.

Today, however, he could only watch as Corral and Adrian Martinez were 1-2 on the depth chart.

I’m looking forward to seeing how all these teams – and all their players – evolve over the next two and a half months. And while there will still be some old league pride once we get to June, pride in winning the first UFL title will be the only thing that matters in the end.

There’s still a lot of football to be played, as they say, but I’m glad the journey is now officially under way.

“We’re guaranteed 10 of these and this was only one,” Holtz said. “There are a lot of things we’ve got to clean up. Still a long way to go to be the football team we want to be, but I just want us to make sure with all the work and preparation, we’re as good as we can be.”