Scott Adamson, Author at Adamsonmedia.com

Holtz likes what he sees from Corral, Martinez

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

One, they’re going to win.

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

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.

Getting his kicks

**Michigan’s Jake Bates kicks a 64-yard field goal to defeat the St. Louis Battlehawks, 18-16.** (Photo by Luke Hales/UFL/Getty Images)

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.”

Squadron players took flight

So, what’s there to remember about the 2023-24 Birmingham Squadron?

Well, with Saturday night’s 123-107 victory over the Cleveland Charge at Legacy Arena, the New Orleans Pelicans’ NBA G League affiliate finished with a 15-19 regular season record (25-25 overall) and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

And if you want some quick and dirty details from Game 50, Landers Nolley II led the winners with 27 points while Malcolm Hill added 23.

But if the season finale played in front of 1,962 fans is what sticks in your mind, then I hope you don’t mind if I say you might be missing the bigger picture.

The primary purpose of the G League is to get players ready for the NBA. And T.J. Saint and the Squadron staff (assistants Joe Barrer, Jodie Meeks and Jonathan Mitchell, player development coach Jalen Cannady, GM of basketball operations Adam Barnes and trainer Gilchrist Schmidt and his crew) did a really nice job of that this season.

As I mentioned after their last home game, the Squadron was second only to Eastern Conference rival Westchester in the number of call-ups this season. The Knicks had seven and Birmingham finished with six.

UAB standout Trey Jemison – who played high school ball at Ramsay, Homewood and Hoover before originally signing with Clemson – was called up to a 10-day contract by the Washington Wizards on Jan. 20. He was the first Squadron player to get a call-up since Auburn star Jared Harper in 2022.

Hill, now on a two-way contract with New Orleans, was signed to a 10-day contract by the Pelicans on Jan. 27. Jemison got his second and the team’s third call-up on Jan. 30 when he signed a 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Following the conclusion of that 10-day pact, Jemison was given a two-way contract by Memphis.

“If you have one of those things happen in two years, that’s a major success,” Saint said. “And to have two happen in two years and not both from the (Pelicans) organization is something. We got a lot of comments throughout the year from other coaches and other teams that we play the right way, and it’s a credit to Adam and the front office for getting the right guys.”

Jalen Crutcher and Izaiah Brockington were also called up by New Orleans on 10-day contracts.

Being a UAB grad, I’m especially happy for Jemison.

I remember talking to him before the season and he stressed how much he had learned by playing summer ball with the Pelicans and then working under Saint and company.

And when he first got the call-up, Saint came up to me a couple of hours before the Squadron’s next game and said, “Trey’s not coming back. He’s gonna stick.”

Jemison tallied a career-high 24 points against the Washington Wizards on March 12, and has now become an integral part of the Grizzlies.

The G League – and Birmingham – not only gave him a path, but a push.

“The only time Trey will be back in Birmingham is when he’s running for mayor,” Saint said.

And Hill? If you don’t like Malcolm, you don’t like people.

Saint calls him one of the “foundational players” of the organization and, indeed, he was here when the Squadron first landed in Birmingham.

“He’s literally one of the pillars of the Squadron,” Saint said. “He is entirely our essence … lives it, breathes it – he was in the gym last night until 10 o’clock working on his shooting. He’s the man.”

But I don’t want Hill to come back – not wearing Birmingham colors, anyway. He’s played in Germany, Israel and Kazakhstan and has three stints with three different NBA teams. He’s paid so many dues, he’s due for some good luck.

I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted to see a guy earn an NBA roster spot more than him.

But as I followed the club all season, I found myself cheering for every guy who suited up. Saint constantly played up the character angle of his team, and it became quite obvious over time that they weren’t just good players, but good dudes.

Their interactions with fans – especially young ones – was always genuine.

But more than anything else, the Squadron was exciting. G League is quality professional basketball, and 24 times in 2023-24 that quality was on display in the Magic City.

It was always better when Birmingham won, but even if they didn’t, we were all in for a show.

So sure, it would’ve been great if the Squadron had notched a winning season and were preparing for the playoffs, but that didn’t happen.

What did happen, though, was Jemison.

And Hill.

And opportunities – more of which will come.

“We’ll look at the guys that want to return or want to go overseas, but there’ll be a lot of turnover,” Saint said. “We’ve got to improve our defense, and we’ve really got to improve our rebounding. We’ll look at all that during the offseason.”