Month: February 2019

When you spend three decades as a newspaper sportswriter, you tend to forget as many players as you remember – especially when covering high school athletics.

Justin Tuck, though?

Yeah, I remember him quite well from my days at The Daily Home.

As an all-star athlete at Central High School of Coosa County in Alabama, he was a dual threat for the Cougars’ football team as a defensive end and tight end.

He was named Class 4A Player of the Year in 2000 – capping off a career that ended with 492 tackles and 37 sacks as well as 2,106 receiving yards and 17 TDs.

He had his pick of colleges and he chose Notre Dame, where he set several defensive records – including tackles for loss (43) and sacks (13.5) in a single season.

The next step was an NFL career and Tuck had a great one, spent mostly with the New York Giants.

By the time he was done he had a pair of Super Bowl rings, two Pro Bowl appearances, and in 2016 was inducted into the Giants’ ring of honor.

So when I listened to him speak to members of the media last Sunday after the Alliance of American Football Game at Legion Field, it was a bit of a nostalgia trip for me. I’m guessing the last time I had actually talked to him was during a phone interview while he was still playing for the Fighting Irish.

Now a member of the Alliance’s Player Engagement Board of Advisors, he seems genuinely excited about his role in the new venture.

“We were pleasantly surprised by the product on the field last weekend,” said Tuck, who was in his home state to watch the Birmingham Iron blank the Memphis Express, 26-0. “We’re really excited about bringing the Alliance to all these players who need a second chance. In my time in the NFL, we were always around guys who were just on the cusp, who just needed a little more experience to go to the next level. So I’m very excited and proud to be part of the AAF.”

First impressions are important, and the Alliance made a good one.

OK, maybe fans of the losing teams weren’t overly thrilled, but the presentation of the product – and the product itself – was ahead of the curve.

“The feedback we’re getting is great,” Tuck said. “Obviously we still have some things to work on, we still have some bumps we need to clear out, but hopefully I think we’re built for success. We’ll continue to walk this thing forward. We’re not trying to hit a home run overnight, but we know there are a lot of steps to get where we want to be.”

One of Tuck’s duties is to help shape policy in the league, ensuring that the needs of the players are met first and foremost, and that the Alliance is a fan-friendly experience.

But with his All-Pro credentials he also knows how to spot skill, and he saw plenty of it during the league’s opening weekend.

“I think one of the most pleasant surprises was the talent level,” he said. “I was very impressed with the quality of football and the response I’ve gotten, from social media to fans, has been the same. Look – this is a new league – there are a lot of logistical things we need to shore up, but that’s to be expected. At the end of the day, we can only go so far as the product takes us, and that’s the players in this game.

“There are some talented people out here.”

Certainly Tuck has nothing to prove by hitching his wagon to a spring football league.

His “life after football” is already a success; he has an MBA from The Wharton School, works as a Goldman Sachs vice president and – along with his wife, Lauran – has created the Tuck’s R.U.S.H for Literacy program. Its aim is to bring the same opportunities that made them successful to low-income kids in New York, New Jersey and Alabama.

Still, he relishes helping build something new and different in the world of professional football.

“A lot of people watched the games on TV and we were in the top 20 trending topics on social media, and that’s a good first weekend,” Tuck said. “We understand this was one week, and if we go where we want to go, we have to put our hardhats back on and our work boots back on.”

Hard work has never been a problem for Tuck – one of the true class acts in professional sports.

I’m proud to say I “knew him when.”

It’s kinda cool to know him now, too.

As someone who has been a fan of “alternative” professional football since the World Football League debuted in 1974, I’m always intrigued by upstart leagues.

Yet after seeing those leagues rise and fall over the years – sometimes failing spectacularly – I’ve learned to temper any excitement with a healthy dose of skepticism.

But dang if the Alliance of American Football didn’t hook me during its opening weekend.

I watched as much as I could on TV and covered the Birmingham-Memphis game live, and the AAF made a great impression on me.

“This was an incredible opening weekend for The Alliance, in which the quality of play and fan support far exceeded my expectations,” AAF co-founder and CEO Charlie Ebersol said. “We had the number one sports app on iTunes and Google Play, strong viewership on CBS, CBS Sports Network and NFL Network, 11 of the 20 top trending topics on Twitter in the U.S. on Saturday night – these are all accomplishments I couldn’t have imagined when we first started this conversation three years ago.

“The narrative of the Alliance will be a growth story, so now it’s back to work as we look to improve week to week.”

Before Sunday, the last time I had been in a press box to watch a new pro football league debut was Feb. 4, 2001, when the Memphis Maniax played the Birmingham Thunderbolts at Legion Field in week one of the XFL.

The vision of wrestling mogul Vince McMahon, the league had a lot of technological innovations, but the play left much to be desired.

XFL movers and shakers spent so much time trying to convince people to buy in to their product they forgot to actually give them a quality product.

Alliance officials aren’t making that mistake.

When I returned to Legion Field to witness the Birmingham Iron defeat the Memphis Express 26-0 last weekend, I saw a legitimate “bridge league” between college football and the NFL.

“Our focus heading into this inaugural season was football, football, football,” Alliance co-founder and head of football Bill Polian said. “We wanted to put a quality product on the field, and I’m proud of what was on display this weekend. We saw big plays on both sides of the ball and I loved the intensity the players showed. There are areas that certainly need to be improved, but that’s why we have high caliber coaches on the sidelines, to help our players learn, grow and improve on and off the field.”

Other news and notes from opening weekend …

HBC DOES IT AGAIN

Orlando Apollos boss Steve Spurrier is now 2-0 in his pro spring football coaching debuts.

Before earning the nickname “Head Ball Coach” thanks to his success in the college ranks, Spurrier was head coach of the Tampa Bandits in the United States Football League.

The Bandits, who were a major draw in the USFL’s three-year existence from 1983-85, scored a 21-17 inaugural victory over the Boston Breakers on March 6, 1983.

Nearly 36 years later Spurrier was on the sidelines as Orlando helped lift the lid on the Alliance of American Football, and the home team came away with a no-doubt-about-it 40-6 thrashing of the Atlanta Legends.

Spurrier obviously enjoyed himself – and the 20,000-plus fans at Spectrum Stadium got their money’s worth from both the home team and the hall of fame coach.

HOME COOKING

Although each AAF team has territorial rights to regional colleges, only one San Antonio native actually made the roster of the San Antonio Commanders.

Running back Aaron Green made his debut with the club on Saturday night in a 15-6 victory over the San Diego Fleet, rushing for 43 yards on six carries. He had high praise for the 27,000-plus fans in attendance.

“It was great,” said Green. “I’ve said over and over again how much I love playing in the Alamodome. Being from here, I’d rather play in here than in the (Dallas) Cowboys’ stadium, to be honest. To get out there and fly around with my new teammates was awesome.”

Green said while his teammates might’ve been surprised by the support, he wasn’t.

“It didn’t surprise me at all,” he said. “I’m born and raised here, and I know this city loves sports, whether it’s soccer, basketball, football or whatever. I knew it was going to be a great turnout. My teammates were more surprised than I was.”

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offense: Arizona QB John Wolford.

Wolford threw for 275 yards and four TDs and no picks in the Hotshots’ 38-22 win over Salt Lake on Sunday at Sun Devil Stadium.

Defense: Orlando LB Terence Garvin.

Garvin had a team-high 11 tackles and two interceptions – including a 51-yard pick-6, to help the Apollos’ “D” stifle the Legends.

Special teams: Birmingham K Nick Novak.

Novak kicked four field goals, three of them in the first half, to give Birmingham a 9-0 lead over Memphis at halftime.

SPIRIT STICK

Speaking of San Antonio, the Commanders won the attendance award for opening weekend, drawing 27,857 paying customers to the Alamodone.

Orlando had paid attendance of 20,191; Birmingham got 17,039 people to buy tickets; and 15,000 folks came to Tempe to watch Arizona and Salt Lake.

UP NEXT

Saturday’s games are Salt Lake (0-1) at Birmingham (1-0), 2 p.m. EST, and Arizona (1-0) at Memphis (0-1), 8 p.m. EST.

Sunday’s lineup is Orlando (1-0) at San Antonio (1-0) at 4 p.m. EST and Atlanta (0-1) at San Diego (0-1) at 8 p.m. EST.

Follow Scott Adamson on Twitter @adamsonsl or email him at [email protected]

By Scott Adamson
Adamsonmedia.com

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – When Birmingham Iron quarterback Luis Perez said, “Defense wins championships” after his squad’s 26-0 thrashing of Memphis today, he wasn’t just repeating a cliché.

This team might truly be title worthy in the Alliance of American Football’s inaugural season.

Stopping the run and pass with equal effectiveness, the defensive unit overwhelmed the visitors from Tennessee for the better part of four quarters in a contest that was never really in doubt.

Throw in four Nick Novak field goals and two fourth quarter touchdown scampers by Trent Richardson, and the hosts had more than enough offense to give most of the 17,039 fans at Legion Field a happy ending.

Perez was 19-33-0 passing for 252 yards, and said the play of the defense gave him a high level of comfort.

“Just an unbelievable job by our defense,” said Perez, who showed the makings of a big-time AAF quarterback. “They got the shutout, rushed the passer, tipped balls … we’re very fortunate to have a defense like that.

“It did have a little to do with our approach to the game. Our plan was to pound it down their throat, partly because of our defense.”

Novak’s first three scores came in the first half, and thanks to the heavy hitting by the “D,” it seemed as though they would be enough.

But a touchdown would be helpful in sealing the deal, and Richardson got one when he capped off a five-play, 55-yard march with 13:31 to play.

The 2-point conversion – the only option following a TD – made it 17-0.

Novak added a 31-yard field goal 4:17 from the finish and Richardson found the end zone again with 1:55 on the fourth quarter clock to put the final touches on a blowout.

The Iron netted 327 yards, and although only 86 came on the ground, they were enough to wear the Express down.

Mike Singletary’s team, on the other hand, closed with just 202 yards and were victimized by two interceptions and a fumble.

Quarterback Christian Hackenberg hit 10 or 23 passes for 87 yards and a pick.

“I saw that Christian has to get better,” Singletary said. “He has to settle down and he has to get better. Right now we’ll just get out of here, watch the film and lick our wounds.”

Birmingham boss Tim Lewis had little to complain about.

Outside linebacker Jonathan Massaquoi was in on seven tackles and had two sacks, while Beniquez Brown also had seven takedowns and two tackles for loss.

For a coach whose experience is on the defensive side of the ball, the outcome was near perfection.

“That was fantastic,” Lewis said. “We tried to limit their explosive plays on defense and did a good job. Our third down defense was fantastic and I can’t say enough about our kicker and punter (Colton Schmidt, who averaged 44 yards).

“Defensively we took the ball away a couple of times and made a couple of fourth down stops, and I consider those takeaways.”

Perez put up 59 passing yards on the Iron’s first possession, taking his team down to the Memphis 11 before the drive stalled. Novak made sure the hosts came away with points, however, when he booted a 29 yard field goal to make it 3-0 at 9:44 of the first quarter.

Those were the only points of the opening frame, but Birmingham moved inside the Express 10 early in the second quarter to set up a first-and-goal situation at the 9. Memphis held, however, and again it was Novak called on to kick.

This time the Maryland product drilled a field goal from 28 yards out to make it 6-0 with 10:36 left until halftime.

Novak was at it again 3:21 before the break, hitting straight and true from 47 yards away. That made the sidewinder 3-for-3, and the Iron was on top, 9-0.

After a brisk first half – it lasted roughly 70 minutes in real time – Birmingham was dominating statistically.

The home team had amassed 198 yards in total offense while limiting Memphis to just 65 – and only 10 through the air.

But three field goals hardly seemed like a safe cushion, and the Iron had 30 more minutes to maintain the story line while the Express had a half hour to flip the script.

Ultimately, 17 fourth quarter points by Birmingham closed the book on a successful opening week.

The Iron (1-0) hosts Salt Lake next Saturday, while Memphis (0-1) welcomes Arizona to the Liberty Bowl.

“(Defensive coordinator) Rick Minter worked very hard putting together a plan, and I think all our coaches did a good job,” Lewis said. “But we have a nice product.

“I think we picked the right 52 (players).”