May 2023 - Page 4 of 8 - Adamsonmedia.com

Stallions bound for Detroit

**Skip Holtz and the Stallions take on the Michigan Panthers in Detroit.**

The Birmingham Stallions have lost two of their last three games and are now third in the USFL South Division.

That’s the bad news.

**Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Spoutable @ScottAdamson, Post @scottscribe, Mastodon @SLA1960 and Twitter @adamsonsl**

The good news?

The South – as well as the North Division – remain wide open with half the regular season gone and five games remaining.

Birmingham (3-2) trails Houston (3-2) based on last weekend’s 27-20 Gamblers win in a head-to-head matchup at Protective Stadium, while New Orleans (4-1) remains at the top of the heap despite suffering its first loss of the season last Sunday against Memphis.

The Stallions hope to regain their winning form on Saturday at Detroit’s Ford Field against a Michigan team that has dropped three consecutive games and sits at 2-3.

However, Birmingham quarterback Alex McGough suggests the Panthers’ sub-.500 record is misleading.

“They’re a good team,” McGough said. “They’ve got a really good D-line, very athletic linebackers, and their secondary’s really good at flying around, making some plays. We’re just trying to play our game. I don’t think we have to go outside the box here, I think we’ve just got to kind of find ourselves and do what we do best.”

Saturday’s game marks the first time in the history of the modern Stallions they’ve suited up somewhere other than Birmingham or Canton.

“I just think it’s a mindset of great teams where on the road, you’ve just got to clear your mind of distractions,” McGough said. “When I was in college, we had an expression where the horses wear the blinders and you can only see what’s in front of you. So, I just try not to worry about the airplane, the hotels, or if my back’s gonna hurt, or anything like that.”

Birmingham safety JoJo Tillery will finally be back in action after battling injuries, and is glad to be able to suit up – regardless of where the game is being played.

“We can play in the backyard … it don’t matter as long as we’re on that field,” he said. “The game plan is to win. As long as we go 1-0, it don’t matter. I’m not used to this feeling. We lost one game last year and now we’ve lost two of the last three, so it’s not a great feeling. The mindset now is just to win.”

The Panthers have everything to play for as all four teams in the North share the same 2-3 record. Based on current tiebreakers they – like Birmingham – are in third place in their side of the circuit.

“We have five games to go and we’re 2-3, which is not what you’d like,” Michigan coach Mike Nolan said. “But if we’d been 0-3 and looked at our record now, we’d be saying, ‘Wow … we’re on the right track.’ It’s still midseason, so we’ll stay optimistic and see if we can rectify things.”

But Nolan’s team is looking for an offensive spark; in the Panthers’ last three games, they’ve averaged only 10 points per outing.

And despite yielding 80 points during its three-game skid, the Michigan defense is still formidable. Defensive end Breeland Speaks leads the league in sacks with 6.5, while linebacker Frank Ginda has a pair of interceptions.

“They’re big and strong, physical up front, and they’re a bend-don’t-break type defense,” Birmingham coach Skip Holtz said. “They don’t give up a lot of big plays. They keep everything in front of them and they make you earn it. It’s hard to drive the field 80 yards on them.

“On offense, they’re very unpredictable. You don’t really know what you’re gonna get.”

With quarterback Carson Strong placed on the injured reserve list, quarterbacking duties will come down to Josh Love and possibly Eric Barriere.

Running back Reggie Corbin has 262 rushing yards and two scores, and tops the USFL in all-purpose yards with 650.

As for Birmingham, McGough continues to be the workhorse of the offense. He has now accounted for a league-leading 10 touchdowns and 72 points, and has shown he’ll do whatever’s necessary to move the markers.

“Where he’s playing mentally, that’s what’s making him so good,” Holtz explained. “He had talent last year, but he’s really playing in the system now. He understands the system and takes what the defense gives him rather than predetermined ‘I’m gonna throw to him,’ or ‘I’m gonna do this.’ He’s letting the game come to him.

“I think he’s doing a really nice job. He’s our leading rusher right now (214 yards to go with 972 passing yards) and when he does run the ball, he’s averaging, I don’t know, 14 yards a carry or something like that. I think he said it best … ‘I’m not trying to be Superman.’ He’s just trying to be a quarterback, and I think he’s really doing a nice job of it, both mentally and physically.”

Davion Davis continues to pace the receiving corps in yardage with 290 yards, while Jace Sternberger has the most touchdowns (three).

Defensively, safety Christian McFarland has 34 tackles for Birmingham and defensive tackle Willie Henry has added a pair of sacks.

Having turned the page from last week, the Stallions aim to make the most of their next opportunity.

“We’ve always talked about you have 24 hours to celebrate or 24 hours to mourn, but after 24 hours are over, no more pity parties if you lose,” Holtz said. “Let’s pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and get ready for the next week.

“And that’s what I love about this game.”

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday with FOX televising.

PLAYER STATUS (via Stallions Twitter)

Free Agent Signings: LB Brody Buck, NW Missouri State

Transferred Player to Active Roster: S JoJo Tillery; LB Brody Buck; OL O’Shea Dugas

Transferred Player to Inactive Roster: CB Bryan Mills; OT Jahmir Ross-Johnson; DE Darrion Daniels

Game status: DE Joe Jackson: Out (R Ankle); WR Deon Cain: Out (Illness); S Christian McFarland: Probable (R Hamstring, R Shoulder); TE La’Michael Pettway: Probable (L Foot); S JoJo Tillery: Probable (B Ankles); OL O’Shea Dugas: Probable (R Knee); CB Donnie Lewis: Probable (R Hand); CB Brian Allen: Probable (L Shoulder); LB Rashad Smith: Questionable (L Ankle); WR Davion Davis: Probable (B Thighs); WR Adrian Hardy: Probable (R Knee); DT Khalil Davis: Probable (R Knee); OG Matt Kaskey: Probable (R Thumb).

Compassion-Nate

Maxwell Mather, standing at a podium and shuffling papers, appeared to be encased in something that very much resembled a pneumatic tube found at a bank drive-through window.

Thick and clear, it kept him insulated from any kind of science or magic (and occasionally a combination of the two) he might encounter.

And encounter it he would; as the head of human resources at World Metahuman Clearinghouse, Inc., it was his job to screen, interview, and onboard new superheroes, as well as make sure they left without making a scene after being relieved of their duties.

Things rarely went sideways, although when Colonel Skunk was asked to turn in his uniform several years earlier after a period of downsizing, there was a spraying incident.

During the summer – especially on breezy days – employees at WMC Inc. claim they can still get a whiff of the odor.

On this day the applicant was Nate Raimi, a young man from America’s Heartland who hoped to convince Mather his skills were worth support and, more importantly, worthy of funding.

While Mather stood inside his cube, Raimi sat in a chair situated several feet away.

“Welcome, Nate … I hope you don’t mind if I call you Nate,” said Mather, whose voice was projected through an intercom system inside the tube.

“Not at all,” Raimi said. “I just appreciate you taking the time to talk to me today. It’s very kind of you.”

Mather looked down at Raimi’s application, pulled it closer to his face, then laid it down on the podium.

“So, I see you want your hero identity to be ‘Compassion-Nate,’ is that correct?”

Raimi smiled and nodded.

“Very clever. Could you describe exactly what your powers are?” Mather asked.

Raimi cleared his throat.

“It’s pretty simple,” he said. “I feel compassion … a genuine concern for other people. When I meet someone, it makes them feel that same compassion, and then they spread the feeling to someone else, and it starts something of a chain reaction.”

Mather raised an eyebrow.

“So, basically, you’re just … sympathetic to people?” Mather said.

“Well, there’s a bit more to it than that,” Raimi said. “I have to personally interact with them – have a conversation – and that triggers the spread the compassion. I don’t have to say much, just a brief chat. And after that, they start to feel it and they’ll go in search of someone else in need of having compassion shown to them … they’ll be drawn to them. They retain some of my compassion power, or whatever you want to call it, and pass it on to someone else, who passes it on to someone else, and so on. It’s really cool.”

Mather displayed a puzzled look.

“How do you know?” he asked. “I mean, how do you know it’s working?”

“Each night when I go to sleep, I dream about the people I’ve had an encounter with and in these dreams, I see all the people that it affected,” Raimi explained. “And sometimes I’ll see them again in person, and when I do, they’ll talk about some of the people whose lives they’ve touched. It’s a good feeling.”

Mather forced a slight grin.

“You’re obviously a nice person, Nate, and I think it’s admirable what you’re doing. And I must say, that’s an interesting power. But … it’s not really a superhero power, now, is it? And I don’t understand why you’d need funding since you already have the ability to make people feel compassion. If you want to do that, maybe you should just do volunteer work at a non-profit or something like that.”

Raimi expected that response, and had an answer ready.

“Basically, I’d like to have money to travel so I could go all over the world and meet as many people as I can and spread compassion,” he said. “You always hear about people at supermarkets who have to put back some food because they can’t pay for all of it, or folks who can’t afford rent. I can’t be everywhere, so I could use some of the money to open food banks and shelters and that sort of thing.

“Just think … if I do this every day for a year, it’s possible that millions of people would suddenly have a true sense of compassion, and have the power to make others feel it, too. And a year after that, there’d be millions more all across the globe. Imagine all of the problems it could solve. If you had a planet filled with compassionate people, you could rid it of violence, of wars … and less violence would make the other superheroes’ jobs easier, wouldn’t it? And as for a uniform, really all I’d need are some hats and T-shirts with a logo … maybe just a caricature of my face.”

Mather picked up Raimi’s application and shoved it in a folder.

He then placed his elbows on the podium and rested his chin on folded hands.

“Nate, World Metahuman Clearinghouse, Inc. spends billions of dollars each year helping superheroes carry out their important work,” Mather said. “Arachnid-Guy, for example, requires huge sums of money to help create the fluid needed for his webs that can pin criminals against the wall until the police arrive. Mr. Nocturnal spends a lot of money on upgrades to the Nocturnalmobile and the Nocturnalcycle, not to mention the high-tech weapons he uses against the forces of darkness. Destroying the lair of Captain Conundrum and wiping out his henchmen didn’t come cheap. And Titanium-Bro alone spent nearly $50 billion last year on rockets for his flight suit. It cost $15 million to kill the Ne’er-do-well Gang in Garzastania, and millions more to settle lawsuits and rebuild all those civilian homes he inadvertently destroyed.

“The point is, while I appreciate what you’re trying to do, it just doesn’t fit into our mission. I’m sorry, but I cannot grant you permission to work under the title ‘Compassion-Nate’ and we’re unable to fund your efforts. Good luck in your future endeavors, though, and thanks for coming in.

“Have a great day.”

Raimi stood up, turned around, and slowly walked toward the exit.

“Well,” he said. “Maybe you won’t let me be Compassion-Nate, but I’m still compassionate. I’ll just help as many people as I can, whenever I can.”

Once the door close behind Raimi, Mather powered down the tube, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his phone.

“Dorothy,” he said, “Yeah, it’s me. Look, we need to set up a Zoom meeting with our stakeholders, especially some of the more, shall we say, lethal ones. I just met with a guy who could put us out of business.

“He has to be stopped – at any cost.”

Hail to the champs

**Arlington QB Luis Perez throws against the DC Defenders in the XFL Championship Game at the Alamodome on May 13 in San Antonio./© Alex Bierens de Haan/XFL**

The Arlington Renegades are the inaugural champions of XFL 3.0, and they finished the season 6-6.

The runners up – the DC Defenders – closed out their campaign at 10-2.

So, is it a good thing or a bad thing that a team with a .500 record wears the crown?

Neither.

I think it’s a great thing.

The XFL, USFL, or any FL that hovers below the NFL is about second, third, last and – sometimes – only opportunities. These are clubs stocked with players who have had their hopes dashed time after time but continue to chase their dreams.

Those who do break through will tell stories of overcoming tremendous odds, of constantly being told they weren’t good enough, that they didn’t belong.

They had no chance until they showed a chance was all they needed.

In a nutshell that sums up the Renegades, who finished 4-6 in the regular season but earned a playoff spot by finishing second in the South Division.

Quarterback Luis Perez is already an alt-football legend thanks to stints in the Alliance of American Football, XFL 2.0, The Spring League, modern United States Football League, and now XFL 3.0.

He cemented his legacy on Saturday by going 26-of-36 passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns in Arlington’s 35-26 victory over the Defenders at San Antonio’s Alamodome.

Oh yeah … he was a member of the Vegas Vipers until joining the Renegades following Week Seven. Since then, he threw for 1,307 yards and seven touchdowns. Against DC alone, he recorded 906 yards and six TDs (including his time in Vegas).

It was no surprise he was named MVP of the championship game.

“Yeah, it means the world to me,” he said. “I’ve played in all these spring leagues, and thank you to (XFL co-owner and CEO Dany Garcia) and (XFL co-owner Dwayne Johnson) for the opportunity to come out here and just do it, man. It’s a really good group of guys in there … not only players, but good people, and it’s just humbling. I’m very thankful to be here.”

Perez said leagues like the XFL are vitally important for players who are a step away from the NFL but need somewhere to find that extra step.

“It’s my sixth year playing pro football and again, it’s one thing to play football – like actually play in the game and lead a locker room – than being a practice squad guy that doesn’t really get to play much,” he explains. “It’s so hard to emulate playing quarterback, things like moving the pocket in relation to seeing things on defense, checking plays, stuff like that. You can’t emulate it in practice.”

DC boss Reggie Barlow had high praise for the Renegades, saying they deserved to win. He also congratulated their well-traveled signal caller for turning in a major league performance.

“I love seeing people get their opportunities and take advantage of it,” Barlow said. “He was at another place where it didn’t work out for him but he stayed focused, was a team player, played in a backup role, but when he got his opportunity, he showed he’s a solid quarterback. He made plays with his arms and showed he has some razzle dazzle with his legs.”

Players had nearly three months to display their talents, and the schedule served as a pretty good job interview. Before the title matchup, more than 50 men on 2023 XFL rosters had received NFL camp invites. As of Monday, 11 signed contracts.

“These signings are a credit to our player personnel departments at the team and league levels who recognized talent and all of our coaches who helped their development,” XFL president Russ Brandon said. “We are proud to watch our players continue on their path to achieve their professional dreams.”

Arlington boss Bob Stoops gained fame as a national championship winning coach at Oklahoma University. During his time in Norman, he coached two Heisman Trophy winners, 37 All-Americans and had 79 players taken in the NFL Draft.

In his second stint in the XFL (he guided the Dallas Renegades during the 2020 season that was doomed by the COVID-19 pandemic), he had an opportunity to put more players on the big league’s radar.

“Our ownership is incredible and it’s only going to keep getting better,” Stoops said. “I see this as very viable and it’s going to continue to go and move forward. To me, it’ll just get better and better.

“The good thing about it is all these players who are gonna get picked up and go to NFL camps. We’re done playing now and these guys can go – whoever gets picked up. And that’s a positive thing. I think the timing of what we’ve been doing is great.”

No matter where they end up, Barlow is glad they had another league to provide another platform.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” he said. “They’ve been fun to coach and I’m proud of our coaches, support staff … we had a great season and a lot of people worked to put us where we are. It was important to let all the players know individually that I appreciate ‘em and love ‘em.”

There will be those who see the outcome of the XFL Championship Game as a fluke, but there was nothing accidental about what happened Saturday night in San Antonio. And remember, the Renegades beat a 7-3 Houston team (the South Divison champs) two weeks before topping the North Division winners – the club with the league’s best overall record.

And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, playoffs and tournaments aren’t designed to produce the best team. Playoffs and tournaments are designed to produce a champion.

And in the 2023 XFL, that champion is the 6-6 Arlington Renegades, a squad that embodied the underdog spirit of alt-football by doing what others thought they couldn’t do.

A .500 record never looked so good.