Month: June 2024

Birmingham a good fit for Carlos Davis

Twin brothers are almost always close, and that’s certainly the case with Carlos Davis and Khalil Davis.

Both were standout athletes at Blue Springs High School in Missouri, and both earned football scholarships at the University of Nebraska.

Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Threads @sladamson1960 and Adamsonmedia on Facebook.

Khalil Davis was the Cornhuskers’ defensive player of the year in both 2018 and 2019, and the defensive tackle had eight sacks as a senior and was team leader in tackles with 45. He had 116 takedowns during his playing days in Lincoln.

Carlos Davis, meanwhile, finished his Nebraska career with 125 tackles and nine and half sacks from his defensive end spot, but also became an All-American in track and field.

Today, both are professional football players.

Khalil Davis helped parlay a standout 2023 season with the United States Football League’s Birmingham Stallions into a roster spot with the Houston Texans, and now it’s Carlos Davis – a member of the United Football League Stallions – who hopes to use Birmingham as a springboard back to the NFL.

Thing is, they were almost teammates on the 2023 squad.

Carlos Davis was signed by Birmingham in October, 2023, but released from his contract two months later when the Atlanta Falcons came calling.

Khalil Davis stayed in the Magic City, ending his lone USFL season with 29 tackles and a sack.

So, did Carlos Davis ask for any brotherly advice when he was re-signed by the Stallions in January?

“Heck, yeah,” the All-UFL nose tackle said on Wednesday. “I mean, that was my whole decision. I really wanted to play with Khalil when he first did it, but I didn’t know too much about (the league). So, I kind of watched him go through it and then I was sold about halfway through the season.

“I went to about five games, so I knew some of the players and I had met some of the guys, and it was just the best fit for me, to be honest.”

Carlos Davis has seven sacks this season, putting him in a tie for second most in the UFL. He has 13 solo tackles and 10 assists, including four tackles for 29 yards in losses.

He has also forced and recovered a fumble, and helped the Birmingham defense become one of the stingiest in the circuit.

“There’s multiple things we can do to disrupt the game, but it starts with us up front,” he said. “We take pride in being that group that just kind of gets the defense going and just stepping up. We’ll disrupt the game any way we can, batting balls down – I mean, to me that’s more demoralizing when a quarterback’s trying to throw and we swat one down.

“So, any way we can disrupt the game, we’re going to do it.”

One off-the-field disruption came with the change at defensive coordinator. In late May, John Chavis and the Stallions parted ways. That moved Corey Chamblin to the DC role and Dr. Anthony Blevins – originally tapped to be head coach of the XFL Vegas Vipers before that team was dissolved in the XFL/UFL merger – was added to the staff.

“Both of them just have a couple of different styles of coaching,” Carlos Davis said. “With Coach Chavis, we were limited a little bit and could only run certain things. But after he stepped away, we just were able to open up the playbook a little bit more, and just do a little bit more things.”

Carlos Davis hopes a winning game plan is in place for his team’s third meeting with the Michigan Panthers. The teams clash in the USFL Conference Championship Game at Protective Stadium on Saturday, and Birmingham is looking for a sweep of their rivals after topping them 20-13 on April 7 and 20-19 last Saturday.

“It really just comes down to the coaching and everybody buying in,” he said. “I feel like every group is bought in and you know, we trust the coaches and we listen to them and they give us a great game plan to go out and execute.

“It’s really on us to go out there and do what they ask.”

Once this season is over, Carlos Davis wants to get back to the big league. He was on the active roster for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2020-22, and has 12 NFL tackles on his resume. And while he’ll listen to all offers, he really hopes a club running a 4-3 defense will give him a look.

“I’ve seen the production coming from a 4-3,” Carlos Davis said. “I’ve had a little bit of production on the 3-4, but honestly, I’m trying to go to where I can create the most plays, and that’s a 4-3 defense.”

Tandy and Conch

Considering Tandy Merritt was 10 years old, there was nothing particularly unusual about his bedroom. He had a place to sleep, a chair to sit on, and a table to place his stuff.

Throw in “Commander Clash and the Renegades” and “Francisco Fiend” movie posters – as well as a pennant of the local Class A baseball team, the Cambridge Bunt Cakes – and the walls framed a space that was much like countless others.

Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Threads @sladamson1960 and Adamsonmedia on Facebook.

Thing is, Tandy never sat on the chair because it was reserved for Conch.

When Tandy would get home from school, first thing he’d do is rush up the steps, plop on his bed, and start chatting up Conch.

His mom and dad, Jackie and Glen, would often carefully (and quietly) crack the door and peek in on Tandy in deep conversation.

But Conch?

They couldn’t see him.

He simply wasn’t there.

That was true again on this day, as Jackie slowly closed the door and joined Glen in tiptoeing away.

Once they reached the kitchen, Jackie buried her face in her hands and mouthed a silent scream.

“Glen, what are we gonna do?” she said, pleadingly. “It’s gotten to the point where we’ve got to confront him about this. This isn’t just a cute case of a kid with an imaginary friend, he thinks this Conch person is real. That can’t be healthy. Can it? Maybe we shouldn’t have ignored it for as long as we did.”

Glen paced back and forth and shook his head.

“I know, I know … I just don’t know how to even bring the subject up,” Glen said. “I mean, he’s a great kid – excellent grades, polite, good little soccer player, has plenty of real friends – but this thing with Conch, what do I say? ‘Hey, buddy, mom and me are worried you’re a nut, so please don’t be a nut anymore, OK? Good talk.’”

The two sat in silence for a moment before Jackie let out a long sigh.

“We just have to present a united front,” she said. “And the longer we wait the worse it’s gonna get, so let’s go.”

Glen gave the door to Tandy’s room two quick raps and opened it.

“Mind if your mom and I talk to you a minute?”

“Sure,” Tandy said, standing up before swatting his strawberry blonde bangs out of his eyes. “I’m not in trouble, am I?”

“No, no, not at all,” Jackie said. “But we do need to talk to you about something that’s bothering us. Well, it concerns us, I guess I should say.”

Tandy sat back down on the bed.

“It’s about Conch, isn’t it?” he said.

Glen sat down next to his son and put his arm around him.

“Look, you’ve been talking to Conch ever since you were knee high to me, and we used to get a kick out of it,” Glen explained. “A lot of kids have imaginary friends, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Shoot, when I was little, I had a pretend friend named Aloysius and we used to go to the woods behind my house and play all day. I thought I could see him, too.

“But after a while, you grow out of stuff like that. You start making new friends … real friends, real people to have real conversations with. Don’t you think it’s time to let Conch go?”

Tandy furrowed his brow.

“Why did you let Aloysius go?” Tandy asked. “If he was your friend, how come you abandoned him?”

“Because it was time,” Glen said. “I mean, there was nothing to abandon, really. Aloysius was just a figment of my imagination. He seemed real, but he wasn’t. I didn’t know it then, but I know it now. And Conch isn’t real, either, buddy.”

Tandy pointed to the chair.

“Are you sure? Just because you can’t see Conch doesn’t mean he’s not there,” Tandy said. “And I’ll bet if you really think about it, Aloysius was there, too. I know you and mom can’t see him … only I’m supposed to see him. But he knows what I’m thinking even when I don’t talk to him. When Jenny in homeroom smiles at me, he knows exactly how it makes me feel – no one else does. And when I see Hector struggling with his knee brace going to the gym, it’s Conch who lets me know I need to give him a hand. And that time I made fun of Randy when he tripped over his desk and dropped his books, Conch let me know I shouldn’t have done that. I felt bad that I did.

“Conch is just like me … only he’s better than me. When I look at him, I see who I want to be.”

Jackie threw her head back and then chuckled.

“I cannot believe this,” she said. “I cannot believe what an idiot I’ve been. Conch. Conch! I never asked because I never made the connection, but that’s just the name you gave your conscience, isn’t it?”

“Yep,” Tandy said. “We were at grandma’s house. I don’t remember how old I was or what you and dad were talking to me about, but I do remember you saying, ‘Let your conscience be your guide.’ And from that point on, I’ve been letting Conch guide me.”

Jackie gave Tandy a kiss on the head and grabbed Glen by the hand. She then glanced at the chair

“We’ll leave you alone, kid,” she said. “I’m not saying I fully understand what’s going on in your head, but if you believe Conch is sitting in a chair and it makes you feel better to talk to him, we’re not gonna stop you. Seems like he’s been steering you in the right direction.

“What’s important is, we love you, Tandy, always have and always will. And we’re proud of you.”

After they walked back to the kitchen, Glen gave Jackie a big hug.

“We should’ve had that talk with him earlier,” Glen said, with a laugh. “I wish I was that creative.”

“I definitely feel better – and a little stupid for not figuring it out before now,” Jackie said. “Weird the things that stick with you … it’s why you have to be careful of what you say to a child. Anyway, we need some bananas and apples, so I’m gonna run to the store. Wanna give me a ride?”

“Sure thing,” Glen said. “Lemme go to the bedroom and get my wallet and keys.”

As Glen walked toward his nightstand, he glanced at the small rocking chair situated next to the dresser.

Usually, it had his work shirt and pants hanging over the back, but not today.

Today, the chair belonged to Aloysius – and it had been a long, long time since Glen had seen his old friend.

The best man for the job

On January 20, 2022, I was sitting on my futon and furiously hammering out a story about the Birmingham Stallions’ new head football coach … Gene Chizik.

Remember that?

Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Threads @sladamson1960 and Adamsonmedia on Facebook.

His name had been leaked earlier – along with some other men who would be part of the reimagined United States Football League – and I was hardly excited.

Yes, he had won a national championship at Auburn, but he was also notorious for shielding his players from the press. Maybe he’d be different as a pro coach but maybe he wouldn’t, and that had me worried that covering Birmingham’s latest alt-football team would be a challenge.

But as we quickly learned, Chizik wasn’t named head coach of the Stallions, instead accepting a job as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for defense at the University of North Carolina.

However, almost as soon as the Chizik hire was nixed, Skip Holtz got the nod.

“I’m thrilled to be coaching in the USFL and I can’t wait to get started,” Holtz said via a USFL press release. “The opportunity to build a new league from scratch, with the support we have, is unique. I’m also really excited about having the chance to build something in Birmingham, a city that I know will embrace the USFL and the Stallions.”

I met that news with a shrug.

My points of reference were that he was Lou Holtz’s son and had spent the previous nine seasons as head coach at Louisiana Tech. As a UAB grad and UAB fan, I was morally obligated to despise the Bulldogs – at least when it came to athletic competition. So, to have a guy that led them for nearly a decade take over a team that would play in the Blazers’ home stadium was just … off-putting.

Then, on January 31, I went to his news conference at Protective Stadium and started warming to him. If nothing else, he talked a good game.

“You look at the draft and when training camp starts and you wake up thinking, ‘I’ve got to do that and I’ve got to do that and I’ve got to do that,’” Holtz said. “But that’s all part of the excitement and the energy and the fun of what we’re building.”

All that was less than two and half years ago but man, it seems like ancient history now.

And after two USFL championships, 30 victories, a transition to the United Football League and another banner year in the Ham, I can’t imagine anyone else but Holtz running the show.

What he’s accomplished in the latest incarnation of spring pro football is phenomenal, and he’s done it with good humor and class.

I asked him on Tuesday to look back on his decision to try something new.

“You know, I had just been fired from Louisiana Tech and I was frustrated,” Holtz said. “I felt like we had a lot of success there as we went to seven bowl games in a row and won six of them in a row … we had a lot of success for a program that had never been to back-to-back bowls. So, when I got fired, I felt like it was unfair and felt like it was unjust. I had to have my little pity party.”

With 151 victories on his resume, it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for him. That someone was Brian Woods, who would become president of the new USFL.

“I got a phone call from Brian Woods, who asked me if I was down at our beach house down in Florida,” Holtz said. “Then he asked me if I would come meet with him in Orlando because he wanted to talk to me about an opportunity.”

That opportunity was to take the reins of one of the new teams that would usher in the USFL’s 2022 season.

“I felt like I needed a fresh start,” Holtz explained. “I felt like I needed something new, and I always say when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. I was ready to get out of the college game and when I sat down and met with Brian, he sold me on it. I loved the idea and the business plan that FOX (Sports) had put together.

“I came out of lunch and I called my wife and she said, ‘How’d your interview go?’ And I said, ‘I took it.’ She said, ‘You did what?’ and I said, ‘I took the job … I’m going to be a coach in the spring league.’ She goes, ‘What team? and I said, “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me. He said he’d figure that out later.’”

Fortunately for Birmingham gridiron fans, that team was the Stallions.

Holtz and general manager Zach Potter have worked together to create quite a product, one built from the bottom up and molded into the best in the “offseason” gridiron business.

Just think about it … when all the coaches in the USFL assembled in Birmingham for the initial draft, they all had the same pool to draw from. They all shared similar information, and the scales were not weighted in favor of one team or the next.

Holtz promptly put together the best club in the USFL’s first year, then the best in its second, and – so far – the best in the UFL’s inaugural campaign.
But it’s not like he’s had the same guys year after year … or even game after game.

In leagues like the UFL (and the USFL and XFL before it), there’s going to be massive turnover. Some guys will get NFL shots, others will go to Canada, and a few will see seasons and/or careers end due to injury.

But through it all, Holtz’s teams have been able to maintain a remarkable level of excellence.

“It has been probably one of the best jobs I’ve ever had,” he said. “Definitely one of the most enjoyable jobs that I’ve ever had. Working with these young men, helping them grow and develop … the thing that I love about coaching is the development. And you’ve got a group of young men that are in this league because they want to play football.

“They’re not prima donnas. They want film. Everybody makes the same money and all they want is to get better. ‘Coach, help me get better. What do I got to do? How do I do this?’ They’re asking questions. When my wife and I look back at getting fired by Louisiana Tech, we see it as a blessing.”

Ruston’s loss has been the Magic City’s gain, and here we are again, with the 9-1 Stallions boasting the best record in the UFL, and playing the Michigan Panthers (7-3) on Saturday in the UFL Conference Championship.

Will the dynasty last forever?

No dynasty does.

It could end Saturday at Protective Stadium, or eight days later at The Dome in St. Louis in the UFL Championship Game.

Then again, it could extend into 2025, in which case pundits will wonder if Birmingham can turn a three-peat into a four-peat.

Regardless, Holtz has proven time and time again just what an outstanding coach he is.

He might not have been the Stallions’ first choice, but he’s shown he is absolutely the best choice.

Birmingham is lucky to have him.