Category: Alternative Football

Birmingham Stallions coach Skip Holtz likes to say that football is the “best reality show on TV,” and it’s hard to argue the point after Saturday night.

In his team’s 28-24 come-from-behind victory over New Jersey, there were three hours full of drama and the hometown fans at Protective Stadium even got a happy ending.

But for quarterback J’Mar Smith, who was called into duty after starter Alex McGough injured his ankle, it was more like a dream come true.

Starting the game 0-for-4 passing, Smith finished with 156 yards through the air and a touchdown toss. The headline, however, was when he capped off the rally with a two-yard, game-winning rushing TD just 29 seconds from the final horn.

“He was really ready when his number was called,” Holtz said. “He stepped in and it took us a couple series to get him into a rhythm, but I thought once he got into a rhythm he was really dialed into the game and focused. I thought he did an excellent job with his reads and the way he threw the ball. Really proud of him.”

That performance was good enough to earn Smith the 2022 USFL’s first-ever Offensive Player of the Week honor.

“I put pressure on myself during the week in practice, but game time it’s just a matter of being ready and getting out there,” Smith said today following practice. “You’ve always got to stay ready and prepare, make sure we get the assignments down, and execute. Coach always told me that when my number was called, it was time to make the offense go.”

Smith played for Holtz at Louisiana Tech, and the Birmingham boss often talks about Smith being a “coach on the field.” Beyond that, he showed he could step up in the role of next man up.

Holtz was the first to tell Smith about his player of the week honors after gathering players together following their Wednesday workout.

“I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to make that announcement before with him in college,” Holtz said. “But to be the first Offensive Player of the Week in the resurrected USFL in 2022 is really cool. I’m happy for him. There’s a guy that came in here, was a backup, accepted his role, supported Alex as the starter, and helped with signals and terminology.

“With me trying to be a head coach, trying to be an offensive coordinator, and trying to be a quarterback coach, he’s been invaluable.”

A Meridian, Mississippi, native, Smith had a decorated career at Tech, winning the Conference USA Player of the Year award in 2019.

But transitioning to a professional career has been more difficult. He was cut from the New England Patriots in 2021 and failed to catch on with the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats last year.

The USFL opened up another door.

“I’m telling you … the pregame with the jets going by and the great fans up in the stands and the fireworks – man, it’s a great, humbling experience,” Smith said. “Just the journey I’ve been on and knowing I get to keep playing the game of football means so much.”

With McGough in street clothes on Wednesday and Smith taking all the practice snaps, chances are he’ll get the ball again when Birmingham faces Houston Saturday at 6 p.m. on FS1.

But regardless of his role, Smith wants to make the most of the chance at hand.

“It was just a great opportunity to go and play football again,” Smith said. “But my main thing is we’ve got to win … that’s the overall goal for sure. But you know, individual accolades aren’t possible without the whole team, so I just thank them for everything.”

Coming Friday: Holtz and Smith break down the Gamblers.

BIRMINGHAM – Day two of the 2022 United States Football League season was a drop-in/pop-in affair at Protective Stadium, where fans could stay for a doubleheader (the scheduled third game was postponed due to the risk of severe weather) or just sample a bit of one.

Heavy rain and Easter Sunday contributed to an extremely small crowd for the early game, but the opener between the Houston Gamblers and Michigan Panthers gave fans of the Birmingham Stallions a sneak peek at their team’s next opponent.

And what they learned is that Kevin Sumlin’s Gamblers have a stingy defense that was good enough to hold off Jeff Fisher’s Panthers, 17-12.

The winners jumped out to a 17-0 lead despite managing just 174 yards of total offense, while Michigan’s 363 yards didn’t translate into enough points.

“We talked in our postgame about what a learning opportunity that was for us,” Sumlin said. “This was really the first time these guys have been in a game situation and fortunately it came out good because we won. But there’s a lot of things we can learn from. There’s a lot you can improve on between game one and game two.”

Houston opened scoring when Nick Vogel, the former UAB kicker who is the Blazers’ third all-time leading scorer (269 points) and their most accurate PAT kicker (128 of 131), drilled a 37-yard field goal midway through the first quarter to make it 3-0.

As for the first touchdown of the day, that was credited to the Gamblers’ defense.

Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson – the top pick in February’s USFL Draft – had the Panthers at the Gamblers’ four-yard line and poised to take the lead. But as he dropped back to throw he stumbled to the ground, got up, was smacked hard by outside linebacker Ahmad Gooden, and fumbled the ball away to inside linebacker Reggie Northrup.

Northrup scooped up the loose cargo and chugged 90 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.

“Our defensive front and linebackers can match up with anybody,” Sumlin said. “They basically won the game for us.”

Donald Payne had 13 solo tackles and 19 in all, while Northrup added 11 and Gooden contributed six solo tackles and had two sacks as the unit forced three turnovers.

“It was a good day,” Gooden, a Samford product, said. “Coach (Tim) Lewis (former Birmingham Iron head coach) put together a good game plan and we worked real hard. We were in the right place at the right time as a defense.”

Following the opening TD Houston opted to try the first two-point attempt in league history and it was successful, with running back Dalyn Dawkins bulling in from the two-yard line to give Sumlin’s team an 11-0 lead.

“We had talked about doing that, just because of the odds,” Sumlin said. “From the two-yard line you’re gonna maybe make 75 percent, so you’re still ahead on points when you miss one.”

With 5:08 remaining in the opening half they were adding to their total again, this time when QB Clayton Thorson found Isaiah Zuber in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard paydirt strike.

Dawkins’ two-point effort failed this time, but the Gamblers were in charge, 17-0.

Vogel hit the post on a 27-yard field goal try :38 before intermission, but Michigan was still staring at a 17-0 deficit with two quarters left to play.

The Panthers showed some life in the third frame, getting six at 9:42 of the third when Patterson threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Lance Lenoir Jr.

Either a two or three-point conversion would’ve potentially made it a one-score game, and Fisher opted for the safer option. However, Patterson threw incomplete under pressure, leaving Houston in command, 17-6.

But with just over 10 minutes to go, things got interesting.

Patterson connected with Lenoir on a 12-yard gainer while facing a fourth-and-six dilemma at the Houston 19, and with 10:20 remaining, Stevie Scott III punched it in for a touchdown.

The conversion failed, but at 17-12, this one was suddenly in doubt.

“We lost our composure a bit in the second half,” Sumlin said. “We had no penalties in the first half and six in the second half. That put us behind the chains on offense. We hurt ourselves.”

Michigan quickly got the ball back when Jameson Houston picked off Thorson, giving his team possession at the Houston 43. And despite facing a third and 20 call after going backward on two plays, Patterson threw 19 yards to Lenoir to set up a fourth-and-1 on the enemy 34.

But the ensuing QB sneak was stuffed, and Houston still led by five with 8:57 left.

The Panthers got one more chance to complete a remarkable comeback 5:12 from the finish when they took over at their 10 following a punt.

A 15-yard pass to Lenoir moved the markers, a nine-yard run by Cameron Scarlett and a Patterson sneak pushed the ball to the 37, and a 12-yard pass to Devin Ross made it first down at the Panthers’ 49.

At the two-minute warning Michigan was down to the Houston 41 and tried chipping away at the defense with short runs and quick passes.

Patterson hit Joe Walker for a 19-yard gainer down to the 14, but a bad snap took the Panthers back to the 21 with :46 showing on the clock.

Chris Odom sacked Patterson back at the 30 to make it third and 26, and passes on third and fourth downs fell incomplete, sealing the deal for the Gamblers.

“The one thing going through my mind on a daily basis is how do we compare against the other seven teams, just because of the unknowns and the lack of familiarity with their rosters,” Fisher said. “A lot of those questions, at least from my perspective, were answered today. We did some really good things and got some things done in a short period of time that I’m especially proud of.

“But in the game of football you don’t turn the ball over like we did and win very many of them. But considering the turnovers, to still have a chance to take the lead at the end of the game is something we can hang our hat on.” The Gamblers and Stallions meet next Saturday at 6 p.m. while the Panthers and Generals start Week Two Friday with a 7 p.m. kickoff.

BREAKERS 23, STARS 17

The second game of the day featured a pick-six by Vontae Diggs and blocked punt for a safety by Chad Williams as New Orleans topped Philadelphia in the third close game in as many USFL contests this season.

The Breakers outgained the Stars, 321-246, and dominated the ground game with 171 rushing yards. Jordan Ellis had 89 yards and a TD toting the freight while T.J. Logan added 56 yards and another score.

Philadelphia QB Bryan Scott was 25-36-1 passing for 202 yards and Darnell Holland added a 42-yard touchdown run in a losing effort.

The game between Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay will be played today at 6 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM – The first game in the history of the new United States Football League featured 52 points, 685 total yards, a last-minute comeback and just two turnovers. Birmingham 28, New Jersey 24, made for good television on Saturday night, and was everything Fox and NBC could’ve hoped for.

What we didn’t see, however, were a lot of the rule innovations that are part of the circuit.

With the game so close neither Stallions coach Skip Holtz nor Generals boss Mike Riley were interested in trying two or three-point conversions, and there was never a need for the fourth-and-12 onside kick option or an overtime shootout.

“You don’t say, ‘Let’s go for three’ when you got a game like this,” Holtz said. “I don’t think a lot of the rule changes that are being implemented in this league really were able to be seen (Saturday) because the game went from 7-14 to 14-21 to 21-24. I think you’re gonna see a lot more, though, when you’re down two scores and have to figure if you go for one or two.”

For a time, it looked as though the contest might go into overtime, which is a best-of-three shootout from the two-yard line. Had that been the case, Holtz had a plan.

“I sat down and I thought, ‘You know what, if we can do overtime, I may need to add plays,’” Holtz said. “I used to have three but now I have seven. And the last thing you want to be doing is get in the fourth overtime and go, ‘I don’t know, just call something.’ You’ve got to have a plan.

“And so I spent a lot of time just trying to make sure we had something when it comes into play.”

One rule change which is a constant, however, is the change to kickoffs, which are from the 25-yard line. No kicking team member can line up any further back than one yard, and the receiving team must have a minimum of eight players in the set-up zone between their 35-and 45-yard lines.

After a kickoff travels 20 yards, the first touch must be by the receiving team. If an untouched kick becomes dead, then the ball belongs to the receiving team at that spot.

“I mean that kickoff … did you guys see the field position teams got?” Riley said. “That’s scary. And I don’t know, we’ve got to figure out something to limit that.”

Holtz, an offensive-minded coach, likes it a bit better.

“You saw the great field position offenses get after a kickoff,” he said. “Almost every time you get to start in a really good spot.”

LEGION FIELD

Until the USFL decided to make Protective Stadium the hub for all eight of its 2022 teams, Legion Field had been the home for all of Birmingham’s outdoor pro football teams (semi-pro teams excluded). In fact, it was hinted that “The Old Gray Lady” might still be used this year for several games, including the postseason.

However, that talk cooled once it was announced that the USFL playoffs and championship game would be played in Canton, Ohio, at the 23,000-seat Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

But Legion Field is slated to host games during Week 8 and Week 10, so it’ll still get a piece of the USFL action.

WEATHER WOES

April showers bring May flowers, but April storms on Easter Sunday in Alabama do not bring football fans.

Protective Stadium is hosting a tripleheader today, which might’ve drawn a few thousand fans during nice, warm weather on another date. But the players mostly had the stadium to themselves in the early game between the Panthers and Houston Gamblers.

The league is set up as a television event (since Fox owns it, you can make the case that the USFL is as much a TV series as a football league), so butts in the seats won’t make it or break it. Still, it’d be nice to see games played under optimum conditions.

Looking ahead, the weather forecast for next Friday’s 7 p.m. game between Michigan and New Jersey calls for clear skies and a high of 84.

Saturday’s games – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia at 11 a.m. and Birmingham vs. Houston at 7 p.m. – will be played under similar conditions, as will Sunday’s 2 p.m. clash between Tampa Bay and New Orleans.

If the forecast is correct (and I think it’s sweet that there are people who think it will be), perhaps then we’ll get a better idea of what a “normal” crowd will look like in the USFL’s Birmingham hub.

LOVE FEST

With all the players housed together, many have talked about the positive relationships they’ve formed with guys who play on teams other than their own. According to Holtz, there’s a pretty strong bond among the coaches, too.

“So many great, great people in this league,” Holtz said. “I love Coach Riley … that guy is unbelievable, just an unbelievable human being. And I can say the same thing about (New Orleans coach) Larry Fedora. And (Houston coach) Kevin Sumlin. We’re all linked together. We’ve all beat each other. We’ve all lost to each other. (Michigan coach) Jeff Fisher, I have great respect for him as I do all of these coaches in this league.

“I think if it’s any indication of the future the USFL, it’s gonna be great.”

BABY BREAKER

The USFL is a league made up largely of younger players, although most are at least a few years removed from college. The youngest, however, is New Orleans Breakers safety Aashari Crosswell. He is 21 years, eight months and nine days old. Crosswell played at Arizona State, declared for the 2021 NFL Draft, and was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent before being cut.