Category: Alternative Football

Broken jaw, sprained ankle, leg injury, shoulder injury, foot injury … football players often play through pain, and Birmingham Stallions quarterback Adrian Martinez has suffered more than his share of it.

Whether it was college stops at Nebraska and Kansas State or his debut in the United Football League on March 30, the signal caller has become quite accustomed to getting knocked down.

Getting back on his feet, however, better describes what kind of athlete he is.

“The journey has been up and down,” Martinez said. “I mean, that’s been the story of my football career and it’s just been the story my life so far and, and honestly, I’m thankful for it. I would be lying to you if I told you this is where I expected to be right now in my life, but I’m thankful I’m here.

“I’m thankful I’m playing for (Stallions coach Skip Holtz). I’m thankful I’m on this really, really good team with a lot of talent. And it’s definitely a learning experience. And at the end of the day, I love ball. I love football, and it’s an opportunity, and an opportunity to get back to the NFL.”

Martinez is splitting time with Matt Corral behind center, and in two games he has gone 10-21-1 passing for 114 yards while rushing for 117 yards on just 11 carries – good enough for a team-high 10.6-yards per tote.

He went down with a foot injury in the 27-14 Week One victory over Arlington, but entered and exited last Sunday’s 20-13 win over Michigan healthy.

Now, it’s all about improving week-by-week, game-by-game.

“For me, it’s really about the mechanics … fine tuning it,” he said. “At times, I can find myself getting in trouble when I overstride. So, if you look at the first interception I threw this year (against Arlington), I overstrided it and the ball sailed on me just a little bit more than what I wanted. The read was right, the footwork right … you know, the timing was right. But the throw was a little off because of the little mechanics and things like that.

“You just have to hammer home, make it a habit and you just have to go execute it. It’s eliminating those little things that can pop up here and there.”

Martinez spent four seasons at Nebraska, completing 670 of 1,055 passes for 8,491 yards and 45 touchdowns against 30 interceptions.

He closed out his college career at Kansas State, going 118-184-1 for 1,261 yards and six TDs.

But he was even more accomplished as a running quarterback, racking up 2,928 yards over five seasons and hitting paydirt with his legs 45 more times.

He was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent last May and released in August.

Although Holtz said you “never say never” when it comes to naming a firm QB1, he likes the work he’s seen from both quarterbacks so far.

“What I’m doing right now is trying to get both quarterbacks ready,” Holtz said on Tuesday. “The last thing I want to do is put one guy on the bench or just sit him over there until all of a sudden somebody gets injured and then you go, ‘Hey, we need you to go win a game. I know you haven’t taken a snap all year.’ I think my goal has been to get two quarterbacks that have never played in this offense ready. I feel like I’ve got an obligation to get both ready.

“They both came here because they want to get film, and they both came here because they want to win. And I think as they both have shown on the field that they are both playing at a very high level and a very high quality and we could win with both of them.”

Martinez says he has a great relationship with both Corral and J’Mar Smith, the former Birmingham starter who has yet to be activated in 2024.

“We spend probably more time with each other than anybody else,” Martinez said. “I mean, that’s kind of how it goes. We have meetings together, there’s lunch, there’s the practice field … we’re constantly around each other. And we have all these different experiences. J’Mar’s been up to the CFL at times, Matt – he was in New England and Carolina – and I have my own experiences, so there’s a lot to share.

“And I think it’s important that we have a close, supportive quarterback room and I think Skip really does a great job of facilitating that so we can help each other.”

The Stallions (2-0) take on the Memphis Showboats (1-1) on Saturday at Protective Stadium, marking their 2024 home debut and first game in the Magic City as a member of the UFL.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CDT.

After parlaying an all-star USFL season with the Birmingham Stallions into an All-Pro rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys, Brandon Aubrey set quite a standard for kickers.

And when Stallions coach Skip Holtz looked at all the options available to fill the void, Chris Blewitt was by far the best one.

“Well, watching him kick, here was a guy that was a proven entity,” Holtz said. “When we first drafted Brandon, there was a huge unknown, very similar to what Michigan just did in taking the kicker that they just took (Jake Bates), who now I’ve watched kick a 64-yarder on TV and then a 62-yarder against us.

“But the thing about Chris is, you’re getting a proven entity with very little risk. And so, it was an easy decision for (special teams coach Chris Boniol) and myself to say, “This guy is the guy.’”

Two games into the 2024 United Football League season, Blewitt has stepped in and stepped up to fill the gap left by Aubrey’s departure to the NFL.

Blewitt has made five of six field goals for the Stallions, going four-for-four in Sunday’s 20-13 victory over the Michigan Panthers. He leads in the team in points scored with 18 despite the UFL rule that eliminates PAT kicks.

“It was great to see Chris put those 12 points up on the board … that was really nice,” Holtz said. “I think he’s doing a really good job kicking the ball.”

In the 2023 USFL season, Blewitt played in just eight games for the Pittsburgh Maulers but still managed to finish tenth in the league in scoring, notching 73 points on the strength of 21 field goals and 10 extra points.

When the USFL and XFL merged to form the UFL, the Maulers folded and Blewitt came to the Stallions via the dispersal draft.

The 28-year-old played college ball for the Pitt Panthers, where he finished as the school’s all-time kick scoring leader with 363 points from 55 field goals and 198 PATs.

So far, he has been unable to find a landing spot with an NFL club.

He spent three months with the Chicago Bears before being waived two months before the start of the 2019 season, but finally got his opportunity with the Washington Football Club in 2021. Unfortunately, he had three kicks blocked over two games, and was cut by the club in November.

A spot on the Cleveland Browns practice squad in December of 2021 led to a reserve/futures contract, but that didn’t work out, either.

Spring football, however, has given him a new opportunity.

And like Aubrey, a good season with the Stallions could open up a door to the NFL.

“We played against him last year and thought he did a good job with his leg,” Holtz said. “He’s really solid. He’s very accurate and very fundamentally sound with what he does.

“And so, when we went looking for a kicker, he was one of the top guys on the notch.”

Birmingham fans will get to see him in action for the first time in 2024 when the Stallions (2-0) make their UFL home debut against the Memphis Showboats (1-1) on Saturday at Protective Stadium.

Game time is set for 6 p.m. CDT.

Earlier today, the club announced that seats in sections 110 and 142 will cost only $10.

Back in February – before he’d even assembled his new team – Birmingham Stallions coach Skip Holtz figured the inaugural United Football League season might be a mixed bag for his crew.

Week two of the 2024 season didn’t change that opinion.

On Sunday at Ford Field, Holtz’s team earned a hard-fought 20-13 victory over the Michigan Panthers. While the Stallions’ offensive engine spat and sputtered against Mike Nolan’s defensive-minded 11 in the Motor City, it never completely ran out of gas.

“It’s great to win, you know?” Holtz said. “I mean, we came up here and we had one objective, and that was win the game. You don’t know how it’s always going to play out, you don’t know how it’s going to happen. You don’t know if you’re going to try and win a 7-3 football game or if you’re gonna try and win a 43-42 football game.

“But as we’ve talked about as a team, everything we try and do is that our offense and defense complement each other. If it’s winning football, it’s a winning formula. I was really proud of what our players were able to do today.”

So, what made the biggest difference in this afternoon’s clash?

Take your pick … this one was all over the road.

Stallions kicker Chris Blewitt, who had five field goals for the Pittsburgh Maulers during his USFL days, nailed four against the Panthers today to salvage some spells of inconsistency by the offense.

“Offensively, proud of the way we moved the ball, but I thought our red zone offense was pitiful,” Holtz said.

Blewitt outscored Michigan’s Jake Bates 12-6; the Panthers legend-in-the-making kicker had field goals of 62 and 53 yards, following up on last week’s 64-yard, game-winning boomer.

And the winners’ defense was outstanding, forcing two turnovers (A.J. Thomas had an interception and Dondrea Tillman forced a fumble), registering seven tackles for loss and closing the day with six sacks.

“I thought defensively we created some turnovers and I thought we were stout,” Holtz said. “I mean, we gave up one big play that resulted in points but other than that, I thought defensively we played an excellent football game and kept the ball in front of us. There were some guys that were all over the field.”

One was cornerback Lorenzo Burns, who was in on seven tackles with six of them solo to lead the team.

“I think first of all, Coach Holtz does a good job,” Burns said. “I wouldn’t be back if it wasn’t for him and my teammates. You know, we just feed off each other out there, making each other better each time we go out there and play. So, I’ll just play my role and whatever happens, happens.

“If you stay ready, you ain’t gotta get ready.”

In the Stallions’ dual QB system Adrian Martinez got more bang for his buck than Matt Corral, going 8-15-0 for 88 passing yards and rushing for a team-high 66 yards on eight totes.

Corral finished 5-12-1 through the skies with 53 yards.

“They’re both really solid quarterbacks and maybe I’m taking stats away from one by getting two quarterbacks ready, but as I’ve told both of them, it’s what we’re trying to build as a football team,” Holtz said. “They both came here to get film and we’ve got a lot of guys on this roster that came to get film.”

C.J. Marable was once again double-trouble in service of the Ham, rushing for 54 yards on 14 carries and catching three balls for 29 yards. The ground game amassed 162 yards.

Ricky Person Jr. was the only Stallion to hit paydirt, scoring on a one-yard dive late in the second quarter.

In the end, though, it came down to a defensive stand – one that Birmingham made harder than it had to be.

Linebacker Scooby Wright was flagged for a late hit on Michigan signal caller E.J. Perry on the game’s final drive, and then defensive end Taco Charlton gave up 15 more yards for roughing the passer.

But with time running down and the ball on the Stallions 14, Perry suffered a fourth down courtesy of Charlton, effectively ending the game and extending Birmingham’s win streak to nine games dating back to the 2023 season.

Was it pretty?

Not always.

Was it exciting?

You bet.

Birmingham (2-0) stands alone as the only unbeaten club in the USFL Conference, while Michigan drops to 1-1.

The Stallions wound up with 302 yards to just 205 for the hosts, and limited Nolan’s crew to 47 ground yards.

Perry was 20-33-1 for 203 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough against a team that finds a way to win even if that way might not be what it’s used to.

Scoring plays: Birmingham, Chris Blewitt, 34-yard field goal, 5:42 first quarter, Stallions 3, Panthers 0; Birmingham, Blewitt, 30-yard field goal, 10:11 second quarter, Stallions 6, Panthers 0; Birmingham, Blewitt, 38-yard field goal, 4:35 second quarter, Stallions 9, Panthers 0; Michigan, Marcus Simms 76-yard pass from E.J. Perry, 3:16 second quarter, Cole Hikutini one-point conversion catch, Stallions 9, Panthers 7; Birmingham, Ricky Person Jr., two-yard run, :26 second quarter, Kevin Austin Jr. two-point conversion catch, Stallions 17, Panthers 7; Michigan, Jake Bates, 62-yard field goal, :00 second quarter, Stallions 17, Panthers 10; Birmingham, Blewitt, 20-yard field goal, 7:16 third quarter, Stallions 20, Panthers 10; Michigan, Bates, 52-yard field goal, 4:16 third quarter, Stallions 20, Panthers 13.

Standout stat: 330. That’s the number of days since the Stallions last lost a football game. That came in a 27-20 setback to the Houston Gamblers on May 13, 2023, in the second season of the USFL.

Next up: Birmingham hosts its first UFL home game next Saturday when the Memphis Showboats come to Protective Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CDT on FOX.

OTD in 1984: The Birmingham Stallions of the original United States Football League improved to 6-1 on the season with a 24-17 victory over the Jacksonville Bulls in front of 43,654 fans at the Gator Bowl.

Joe Cribbs scored on a 11-yard TD run late in the game to break the tie. He finished with 135 rushing yards.

Stallions quarterback Cliff Stoudt was 14-28-1 for 221 yards.

OTD in 1985: The Stallions slipped to 5-2 on the season with a 15-14 loss to the San Antonio Gunslingers at Alamo Stadium with just 8,873 fans looking on. The winners got three field goals from Nick Mike-Mayer while Birmingham’s chance to win with under a minute to play died when Danny Miller missed a 37-yard field goal try.